How-To Geek

I'm good with the Linux command line. I use it daily and even teach basic Linux operations to a few students. But I was thinking about it the other day and realized: I can get around and do a lot using the Terminal, but am I truly fluent with the command line? I don't think I am. Every so often, I like to test Claude, whether it's for gaming tweaks, research, or other stuff. I wanted to see how it would do on something useful, so I devised an experiment that asked a simple question: can an LLM design a 30-day Linux workout that can make a daily/familiar Linux user with a lot of experience more fluent with the command line? The answer was surprising.

As someone who has used Samsung phones for a while, I can't help but feel like the brand is slowly but surely drifting away from its roots. While all smartphone brands copy one another, Samsung seemingly ditches things that already work really well in favor of a layout that is considered to be more popular.

Upgrading to Ubuntu 26.04 on an older PC might not feel as smooth as you expected. The new release recommends 6GB of RAM for a comfortable experience, up from 4GB in Ubuntu 24.04. If your system is starting to feel sluggish, you might be able to make things better without spending money on new hardware.

On October 29, Sir Patrick Stewart died at the age of 86. This news sent a wave of grief through the world and left me personally feeling shaken to my core. He is an actor who had such a profound impact on the world of cinema, bringing a Shakespearean elegance and poise to the screen that few others have achieved, and played a core role in my enthusiasm for movies.

Whether you're just starting out or looking to buy another power tool, Milwaukee offers three main battery systems. And depending on what you plan on using it for, there's a good chance you're buying or using the wrong one.

The legendary Shure SM7B has stood the test of time as one of the world's best XLR microphones and Michael Jackson trusted it for Thriller. It's the microphone of choice for professionals and the best pick if you want world-class voice clarity for streaming or podcasting. The Shure SM7B is rarely on sale, but you can now get it at a marked-down price on a limited-time Amazon deal.

Your Android device is doing a lot more in the background than you realize, with some pretty complex systems aiming to optimize your phone. Even more interesting is that you can take direct control of a lot of these functions if you know where to look. The background resources that an app draws, and by extension how much battery it drains, is one of these functions.

The RAM-pocalypse is bad news for our wallets, obviously. Anyone who's had any dream or plan of upgrading their PC during the past year was left with two choices: wait or overspend. Things aren't getting better anytime soon on that front, so we all have reason to complain.

No matter how difficult you try to reduce ads, they are always present to some degree, whether you’re browsing the internet, using a mobile app, watching a streamed TV show or movie, or using a streaming device. You’ll even find them lurking in video games as background videos or in-game images. No matter, the point is that ads have become a supplemental income stream, often turning into a primary one. It's hard to eliminate ads completely in this day and age.

While giant corporations are going all-in on AI, using it to replace staff, crush human content production, and generally set things up to enrich themselves even more, regular folks are realizing they can use AI to eliminate their reliance on these companies.

Rugged dive watches are built to withstand deep ocean exploration and other adventures. They're also elegant fashion statements that reflect your appreciation for old-school craftsmanship and design. You don't need to spend thousands of dollars on high-end luxury brands when you can get a tough and reliable dive watch, like the Citizen Promaster Eco-Drive, which you won't mind risking in adverse conditions.

Google Photos is an excellent gallery app for Android, and it's been my go-to photo viewer for nearly a decade now. I use a Pixel 10 Pro, so I enjoy the extra perks of using Google's suite of apps on my device. Despite all of its add-ons and upsides, Google Photos is missing a feature that could take the app to a whole new level: an interactive map.

For those of us who are devout users of Google Photos, the "Collections" page is a mess. It contains albums, on-device folders, people from photos, and more — and they're always moving around. Thankfully, a new feature brings some much-needed order to the chaos.

The Linux ecosystem has had a busy few months, with Linux 7.4 development getting attention for its unusually active testing cycle, growing use of AI-generated contributions, and continued hardware support improvements. Meanwhile, desktop Linux distributions have been pushing ahead with Wayland adoption, stronger security, and more modern desktop experiences. Fedora Linux 45 is the latest chapter in that evolution.

An aging laptop does not necessarily need a hardware upgrade to feel faster. Sometimes, changing the operating system can make a noticeable difference, particularly when you are running a machine with an older processor and integrated graphics. Linux distros have different desktop environments, background services, and system requirements, all of which can affect everyday performance.

A new Windows 11 update is beginning to roll out to users across the globe, but this update isn't adding flashy new AI features or mindlessly moving things around. Microsoft is delivering on its prior commitments and plenty of insider testing to bring real performance improvements to Windows 11, especially for computers working with only 8GB of memory. In a world where computers and memory have gotten more expensive, these are the updates that make an impact.

I'm a firm believer that the perfect smart home should work almost completely automatically, without any need for pushing buttons, tapping dashboards, or giving voice commands. Sometimes, however, even the best automations can fire when you don't want them to, so I gave Home Assistant a snooze button to solve the problem.

If you’re rocking a desktop PC, there’s a good chance the motherboard it’s built around is based on the ATX (Advanced Technology Extended) or mATX standard, the latter being basically a shorter ATX board.

Sony has officially discontinued its last UHD Blu-ray player, the UBP-X700/K. Considering that Sony has announced it'll stop selling physical copies of its games as of 2028, it's no surprise that the company is quietly ridding itself of devices capable of playing analog media.

Trinkets and toys are fun, but a 3D printer really shows its value when you start fixing stuff with it. That was one of the main reasons why I bought a 3D printer in the first place. With three years of printing under my belt, my home has never been running smoother.