How-To Geek

If you have a RIDGID wet/dry vac, you have a multipurpose tool that can do many tasks with various attachments and accessories. You don't need to buy specialized equipment when you already have a tool that does the job just fine. I've used my RIDGID vac for many tasks and realized its full potential and advantages over buying specialized tools.

Our phones spend much of the time idle, but they can't get up to too much during that time, because it's vital that they make it through the day. That's why many tasks are saved for overnight while we're asleep. But just what is your phone getting up to while your face is buried in a pillow?

The holiday travel season will soon be upon us, which means now is the time to start ensuring you can make the most of it, by spending quality time with friends and family, as well as remaining productive for work. The issue is, that being connected and having access to the internet isn't always feasible when on the go, which is why investing in a compact router that's travel-friendly is the new must. Luckily, Amazon's top-rated compact router is a rare 25% off ahead of its Prime Big Deal Days, but it's selling out fast.

Homelabbing is a weird hobby. You start with some old PC you already have, and before you know it, your house is full of gadgets plugged into the wall, each with one weirdly specific job. But a single mini PC can handle all those jobs and more, while keeping your setup remarkably simple and more cost-effective to run.

A major win at an awards show is a good reason to put a movie on your radar. However, what you feel like watching can change from week to week. You may want an emotional story that lingers after the credits roll, and other times, you crave a high-tension, heavy-action thriller.

Windows ships with familiar graphical tools, but they aren't always the quickest way to get things done. If you know your way around a terminal, these three small command-line utilities can replace File Explorer navigation, Task Manager, and Notepad for many everyday jobs, and all three install in seconds through winget.

Laptops are getting more expensive, making it increasingly difficult to find one that delivers a genuinely premium experience without crossing the $1,000 mark. The new Dell XPS 13 changes that, bringing premium hardware to a laptop that starts at just $699.

Mobile web browsers have come a long way. Chrome for Android started with simple tabs and sync, but now it has many of the features you'll find in the desktop version. In fact, if you know where to look, there's an extra feature that not many people take advantage of.

If you install Windows 11 on your machine and don't activate it, you'll be locked out of surprisingly few features. While most of the regular stuff will keep working indefinitely, you will miss out on a handful of customization options. Aside from missing features, you'll also get a few bonus "features," such as the permanent "Activate Windows" watermark in the corner of the desktop.

There might soon be a time when seeing "no service" on your phone is a thing of the past. AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon are forming a joint venture that aims to eliminate U.S. cellular dead zones.

Some of my favorite 3D prints serve no practical purpose and yet are entirely captivating. Optical illusions fall firmly into this category, challenging your perception, inspiring wonder, and hopefully teaching you a few things in the process.

HDDs are generally seen as super reliable. Their external variants are perceived as both reliable and optimal for cold storage. Fair—both of those things are generally true. But the problem is that when something goes wrong, it goes majorly wrong, and shockingly fast.

October's barely off the starting line and Netflix has already got a dozen new documentaries and docuseries on the grid for U.S. subscribers. If you caught those Formula 1 racing references, then there's something particularly great in store for you below.

Home hubs are essential in a modern home, and it makes sense to get a current model with the latest features. Amazon's latest Echo Show 11 is one of the best choices because it has a vivid display, amazing sound quality, and access to the latest AI-powered Alexa+ voice assistant. It's also available at an unbeatable price with 40% off with a limited-time Amazon deal.

Nvidia might have released the Shield TV Pro in 2019, but even that device isn't immune to market pressure. The company has raised the price of the Shield TV Pro to $300, a $100 hike.

Aside from being the family tech support guy, my job also has me testing a lot of software and operating systems. I end up installing a new OS every couple of weeks, whether I'm testing Linux, troubleshooting a PC, or working on one of my articles. That means I have to rely on a bootable USB tool pretty regularly.

The Star Trek universe is huge and full of different media. I've watched the shows, played the video games, read a ton of the novels (Star Trek: Titan is a personal favorite), and have even written about Trek-related songs. Since this year is the series' 60th Anniversary, I thought I'd celebrate with these tech-related StarTrek hobbies.

For over three months, I have been running 12 speed tests per day every single day. It's added up to over 1,200 tests spanning over 100 days, using nearly 2.5TB of data. What did I learn from this endeavor? Actually, way more than I imagined I would.

Losing cell service mid-drive is a big deal because it can mess with your maps, music, and a whole lot of other things, and then you're stuck looking at the screen instead of the road. Most people don't notice how much Android Auto leans on the internet until they're staring at a frozen screen somewhere outside coverage. The good news is that you can prepare and use your apps in places where you have no reception, as long as you know where to look.

Welcome to October. It's spooky season, and we have a new Halloween-themed show for you to watch this weekend. It's a dramedy involving teenage witches coming to Disney+ and Hulu. As for the non-spooky shows to watch this weekend, a new thriller starring an Academy Award-winning actress premieres on AMC+.