How-To Geek

Maybe you've been binging your way through Netflix's sweeping period drama East of Eden, or perhaps you're almost done with the dark and bloody thriller that is Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story—both excellent shows. But not every night has to call for a big-time prestige series. Sometimes, you just want to laugh, stat.

You usually don’t need a monitor in a homelab. Once everything is configured, you expect to manage it over SSH, a web interface, or a remote desktop connection. Yet some systems behave very differently when no display is connected. Resolution options disappear, remote desktop sessions behave strangely, and some GPUs refuse to initialize certain features when they cannot detect a monitor.

Microsoft's Surface and Windows event was interesting, to say the least. The festivities closed out on a high note with a super-anticipated Surface Laptop Ultra reveal, but everything up until that point left me wondering whether I'd drank enough caffeine this morning. Endless conversations about AI agents, the "hybrid intelligence" operating system, and new AI-powered fixes for Windows' weakest features.

There's something wonderful and appealing about navigating your favorite software with just a few keystrokes. Sometimes, it can be easy to forget that not everyone feels comfortable navigating their software using shortcuts and commands. And while it's certainly impressive to show your co-workers how fast you are with a keyboard (hey, the Gen Z kids who work for me think it's cool), sometimes it's not always intuitive or easy to work that way. Luckily, my favorite Knowledge Base/notes program, Obsidian, is full of useful shortcuts. I've tried most of them. But only a few changed the way I take notes.

Once I put something important away in a nice, secure spot, my brain almost immediately forgets where I hid it. It's great for keeping things hidden and secure, but not so great when it's time to find what you've stashed. My solution has been to leave everything out and accessible, which is obviously an incredibly flawed system and one that needs a more permanent, organized solution.

Microsoft's long-expected Surface Laptop Ultra release came with a surprise: a new approach to charging. The tech giant has unveiled a Magnetic Connect feature that serves as the equivalent to Apple's MagSafe for Windows PCs, with its own set of advantages and tradeoffs.

AI agents are more capable than ever, and that is exactly what makes them a potential problem. Today, most AI agents have the same permissions and file access as you do, so one hallucination can wipe out an entire folder. Today, Microsoft announced that its fix, Microsoft Execution Containers (MXC), is now generally available. MXC isolates AI agents from the rest of your system, limiting the problems caused by accidents or malicious prompts.

When I first got Netflix, it was a fantastic deal. It cost literally 20 times less than my satellite subscription; it had a huge library of shows and movies, and the convenience was unparalleled.

I kept my old laptop running Windows 10 for years without a single complaint, then Microsoft told me it wasn't good enough for Windows 11. Not because it was slow or because it crashed, but because the CPU was the wrong generation. That was just one crack that led to so many more. After a while, I didn't feel like I owned my computer anymore. Microsoft did. Linux Mint never asked me for anything but a working computer.

Home Assistant doesn't have to be solely about technology. You can use it for a much wider range of purposes, including helping you to keep your houseplants alive. These projects cover everything from simple monitoring to a fully automated plant-watering system.

Raspberry Pi has made a long-awaited comeback, potentially giving your old laptops a second life. After a wait of almost four years, Raspberry Pi has finally updated its Debian-based operating system for PCs and Macs.

I’ve had Google Maps on my phone for years, and I’ve probably used it more times than I can count. Still, my relationship with it has always been pretty basic: type in a destination, check the ETA, complain about the traffic, and follow the blue line.

After months of teasing, Microsoft and Nvidia are finally ready to offer prices and release dates for the first RTX Spark PCs. Microsoft is starting by opening pre-orders for the Surface Laptop Ultra ahead of its October 16 launch.

Electric brands like Greenworks have been growing in popularity over the years, as they offer a more convenient solution to their gas-powered counterparts. The issue is that electric tools and machines tend to carry higher price points, but when you can get them on sale, that's the time you want to shop. With Amazon's Prime Big Deal Days underway, you can score impressive savings on Greenworks gear, and none may be a better deal than this 6-tool set, now over 50% off.

Back in the day, pulling a USB flash drive out of your PC without safely ejecting it was a surefire way to get yelled at by a parent or techie friend. And they were right — removing a flash drive without safely ejecting it could interrupt pending transfers, corrupt files, and potentially leave the drive unusable without reformatting.

Projector owners make it seem like they've outsmarted the TV industry, and they are selling that concept online. It's cheaper, more mobile, and somehow better. I once bought into this idea, and I regretted it right after the first use. I kept using it for years, but eventually I didn't want to keep repairing it. There is more to owning a projector for the first time than most people let on, and I wish I had known about it sooner.

For years, I've thought of a CSV as something I open in Excel. Rows, columns, filters, formulas—that's the point, right? Except a CSV isn't really a spreadsheet at all. It's a text file that Excel happens to be very good at turning into one.

While you can easily find a decent sale on DeWalt gear on Amazon, what you won't see too often is a good discount on its high-performance batteries, like its 20V Max XR Powerpack options—let alone a meaningful markdown on the powerful 4Ah models. Luckily, right now is one of those times, as this amped-up battery is 60% off during Prime Big Deal Days (but it's selling out fast).

Google's apps show recent sleep information pretty well, but long-term history is harder to reach. Exporting a year of Pixel Watch data and storing it on a NAS fixes that. Here's what it achieves, how to do it, and whether you need the hardware.

One of the biggest battles in Hollywood is the fight for attention. Audiences are more impatient than ever, meaning it is imperative to grab the viewer's attention within the first 10 or so minutes. Viewers face so many distractions at home that if the opening scene doesn't play well, the movie might be turned off.