How-To Geek

During this post-Christmas long weekend, you’re probably looking for some homelab projects to tackle. Well, I have your back! Today, I’m showing you three ways you can sever your dependence on big tech and save money while taking privacy into your own hands.

Every week I hunt down useful software that runs on Linux computers, and while I don't end up using all of them full-time, there are some that have stayed in my normal workflow. These are the apps that, looking back over the past year, were my favorite to write about and use myself.

Whether you're still basking in the holiday glow or you're just looking to take a brain break from all the excitement, a few episodes (or 10) of something easy to binge could be the distraction you need.

Planning a trip for the new year? Here's one thing you probably haven't thought about—roaming charges.

As you move into your post-holiday food-binge weekend, it’s probably best to take it easy and let all that seasonal yumminess settle so you can properly refuel your energy tank. To do that, you’re going to need some high-quality, verified-bingeworthy content to watch, and I’ve got you covered with three series boasting extremely high Rotten Tomatoes scores. All you need to bring is the popcorn.

Microsoft has no shortage of productivity apps, but one of its most genuinely useful tools is also one of the easiest to miss. If you subscribe to Microsoft 365, you already have access to Microsoft Planner, a lightweight project organizer tucked inside 365 suite. It is straightforward for personal projects and structured enough for small teams, which is why it ends up being more helpful than people expect.

Picture this: you need to find or count cells containing asterisks (*) or question marks (?) in Excel, but you're getting incorrect results. This is because asterisks and question marks are wildcard characters. The solution? Excel's essential escape character, the tilde (~).

Gift cards are great, but when your physical wallet already has a ton of stuff in it, it can be easy to lose them in the chaos and completely forget about your free money. By adding your gift cards to Google Wallet, you'll be much more likely to remember them. Doing this is easy.

With Christmas out of the way and the new year on the horizon, I bet you're sitting around and struggling to find something decent to watch. That's why I've found these three shows on Netflix that deserve your attention.

VS Code is one of the most popular open-source (mostly) applications out there, and for good reason: It does everything you could ask for and then some. However, it also has always-on telemetry that you cannot disable. That is where VSCodium comes into play.

If you’ve just got a new PC, connected everything, booted up the system, fired up your favorite game, and realized it runs super slowly, you might’ve made an honest mistake that many new PC gamers make.

The Ruby programming language continues its tradition of delivering major updates on Christmas Day, announcing the release of Ruby 4.0.0, which introduces two massive new experimental features: the isolation mechanism known as Ruby Box and the next-generation just-in-time compiler, ZJIT.

When it comes to setting up free websites, there's always a catch. But if you want a free, simple method to set up a free, static website for yourself or for a personal project, that's relatively easy to do.

The Toyota RAV4 has become one of the most popular vehicles in America, and for 2026, it continues to attract buyers with its blend of practicality, efficiency, and everyday usability. But as demand has grown, so have prices, especially once buyers start adding options. A fully loaded version of this best-selling compact SUV now sits much closer to luxury territory than many shoppers might expect.

Despite a lot of early handwringing, SSDs have turned out to be incredibly robust in the real world. Personally, I have several SSDs that are quite old, some are even from a decade ago! They're still going strong, and with care I'll probably get years more out of them, but I have also ended SSDs prematurely, and there are three prime habits to cultivate if you want to avoid that for as long as possible.

Google is finally rolling out a feature that lets users change their primary @gmail.com username without having to create an entirely new Google account. This is great for those who use a silly or embarrassing address they now regret, or for people whose names or circumstances have changed.

For sci-fi fans like myself, 2025 has offered an incredible selection of mature, hard-hitting thrillers set within the genre. Disney+ offered a tense, bittersweet-but-satisfying conclusion to Andor alongside a terrifying new tale in Alien: Earth, Apple TV+ has pushed boundaries with Severance, Foundation, and Pluribus, and now Netflix will round out the year with the long-awaited conclusion to Stranger Things. It has never been a better time to be a lover of the genre.

I’ve been using Android phones for over 15 years, and it’s hard to even imagine how many apps have graced my home screen in that time. A few favorites have risen to the top in recent years, though. I feel safe calling them essential.

The 2026 Toyota Corolla has always been the go-to for practical, reliable transportation, and the Corolla Hybrid takes that a step further with impressive fuel economy. If you want a safe, efficient sedan that won’t quietly drain your wallet, this is a solid choice.

When shopping for a power tool at the hardware store, you'll see options from DeWALT, Ryobi, RIDGID, Makita, Milwaukee, and more displayed in various colors. If you're a fan of Milwaukee, you've likely noticed different variations of the same tool in compact sizes or with smaller battery packs, which can sometimes be confusing.