How-To Geek

Not every 3D printing project needs to be practical. Sometimes you just want to burn through some filament in the interest of having fun. These projects might seem pointless and even verge on wasteful at times, but if they bring a bit of joy to your day, then they’ve done their job.

Countless Windows apps have come and gone over the years. As our computing needs changed, some were replaced by better alternatives, while others simply became obsolete as new technologies emerged. Here are some iconic Windows apps you probably used regularly but haven't thought about in years.

While having a dash cam is not strictly a necessity in today's modern world, having one can be super beneficial if you're on the road driving and have a close call, especially as they can be revealing when the recording would otherwise be different from what the other driver's story tells. A solid dash cam can help you with situations where it's a 'he said, she said, as they provide an extra set of eyes—that's why Garmin's Mini 3 remains a popular choice, as its compact size remains out of sight while it's always recording. If you want more peace of mind while traveling, you can grab it on Amazon right now (it's under $100).

Have you ever glanced at your Android phone’s status bar and spotted a little landline phone icon you didn’t recognize? It is easy to dismiss an unfamiliar symbol or assume something has changed with your phone, but these tiny indicators can actually tell you quite a bit about what your device is doing.

UniFi hardware earns loyalty from people who want control over their networks. Yet your gateway, switches, and access points may be talking to Ubiquiti’s servers more often than you’d expect. Here’s what gets sent, why, and how to rein it in.

The most important scene in a movie is the first one. It might be the only chance to grab someone's attention and motivate them to finish the movie. The opening scene only lasts five to ten minutes, so it's crucial for a film to establish an enticing hook to reel audiences in. The idea of an excellent first scene is even more important when streaming at home, since the viewer can exit the movie at any point without penalty.

There are plenty of ways to get into homelabbing. Some of us repurpose something we already own (I built my first home server using an old laptop), while others prefer to pick up a cheap starter device like a Raspberry Pi or mini PC.

There's good news if you've ever had Android apps scramble your contact list, or change contacts behind your back. Google has outlined how the upcoming Android 17 QPR2 update will limit how apps can modify contacts.

Looking to build your first software application but not sure where to start? Web development might be the best place. That's where most developers start, including me. After so many years of programming, I think it was a wise decision.

One dodgy text message can ruin your day. Scammers are getting better at making fake messages look legitimate, and the red flags aren’t always easy to spot at a glance. As an Android phone user, I want better protection without having to second-guess every text that lands in my inbox.

I've been using Calibre for at least eight years to manage my eBook collection. It's done the job really well. But as a Jellyfin user, I like the convenience of having all my content on a single media server and want something similar for my books. The recent updates in Jellyfin 12 have introduced eBook and audiobook enhancements that now make it much more practical.

I've been using Windows long enough to accumulate an embarrassing list of software recommendations that didn't last. I've tried apps that looked revolutionary for a week, productivity systems that demanded more maintenance than the work they were supposed to organize, and utilities that seemed essential right up until I stopped opening them.

I didn’t take to smart home tech right away, but solar is different — I’ve always loved the idea of solar panels. Now I have plenty of them, and as it turns out, solar and smart home tech go hand in hand.

Microsoft offers a wide range of apps on various platforms, but most people only think about Office. While Word and Excel are pretty good on Android, it's Microsoft's other apps that are probably more useful to most people. Let's check them out.

Are you wanting to start building out your homelab, but aren't sure where to start? The best approach that I've found is separating your services from the beginning with a two-system setup. Thin clients are cheap and readily available basically everywhere, and it's not hard to find a NAS, either. So, if you're wanting to kickstart your homelab setup, try the two-tier approach I lay out below.

I got pretty bored the other day. So I said to myself, “Self, you should build an ambitious project today and share it with the world.” My Raspberry Pi was on the fritz, so I came up with something even better: a budget, self-hosted media streaming project. And I did it using second-hand hardware and open source software.

You no longer have to go through the company website to get one of Samsung's second-hand devices. Samsung has made some Certified Re-Newed (read: refurbished) Galaxy phones available through Amazon, making it that much easier to buy a previous-generation model at a discount.

3D printing doesn't have to be difficult or expensive when you can get a beginner-friendly model like the Creality K2 Combo at 19% off on Amazon. This 3D printer includes everything you need to get started and can print up to four colors at a time with the included CFS filament unit.

Self-hosting is awesome, because you own the hardware, and you have control over access and uptime. However, unless you've also written the software that runs your self-hosted services, there's still much of your homelab that depends on a third party to function.

Your Pixel phone came with a nice USB-C cable, but Google didn't include a power adapter in the box. So, you resorted to using one that happened to be sitting around your house, and your expensive Pixel phone is charging half as fast as it should.