How-To Geek

Want your kids to use Linux but can't decide which distro makes the best introduction? Should they use your daily driver or something different? Well, here are five distros I'm seriously considering for my own kids—and the reasoning behind each choice.

No one wants ads and other junk popping up on their screen, especially if those ads are frustrating notifications from an overly aggressive app on your Galaxy phone. Thankfully, if you're on the latest Samsung One UI 8.5 update, you can use a new ad blocker hidden in the settings menu.

The ESP32 is a tiny and versatile microcontroller that sips power. This means it can perform a variety of tasks and fit almost anywhere. Even so, I’m frequently amazed by the weird and wonderful things people are using it for.

Google Maps for Android Auto is slowly getting a huge upgrade, and the experience is so good that I might be ditching Waze. Some of the most frustrating Android Auto navigation problems are a thing of the past, and while Waze still has several strengths, Google Maps' new 3D Immersive View is a big deal.

When it comes to power tools, all the popular brands make some of the most common and essential gear. And while there is a ton of overlap, each brand misses the mark on several items. DeWALT is an extremely popular option for a myriad of reasons, but Ryobi manufactures a bunch of niche tools you can't get from the competition. Here are four tools you might need that you can't get from DeWALT.

Since its arrival on the scene, Linux has faced a persistent myth that refuses to die: it’s difficult to use for everyday people, especially compared to a more familiar operating system, like Windows. It’s endured so much that many people are unaware of Linux’s desktop benefits.

I wanted to build a NAS that I could take everywhere with me that would be battery-powered and easy to use. My spare Raspberry Pi 4 B ended up being the perfect tool for the job, and here's exactly how I built my TravelPi.

Android Auto is all about accessing the apps on your phone while driving, and Google Maps is probably the most important. It’s easy to use the digital assistant to start navigation, but for your most frequent places, an NFC tag is even better.

AI chatbots can help you solve technical problems you may not be able to solve by yourself. The problem is that even when a chatbot's solutions work, they can be completely overcomplicated. If you're using an AI such as ChatGPT or Gemini to help you set up your homelab, there are a few tips that can help you find the right solution for your needs.

A lot of 3D printing video content boils down to fairly simple printer reviews that often draw very similar conclusions. While being clued in on the latest printers is all well and good, there’s a lot more to the hobby than that.

Most people assume a slow boot comes down to hardware, and the obvious fix is buying a faster drive. I spent a while convinced of that too, but what actually made the difference for me wasn't new hardware at all. I didn't have to spend a dollar to make it boot faster, and you don't either.

What did you think of that massive House of the Dragon season 3 finale? Betrayals, big character deaths, dragon action—what more could you want?! Oh, you already want something else to watch on HBO Max? I get it. Well, while Lanterns is days away and season 5 of Abbott Elementary even longer, the pickings are a bit slim, but there's still some good TV to watch that might surprise you.

In 1997, on a Shinkansen bullet train running between Tokyo and Nagoya, then-Volkswagen AG CEO Ferdinand Piëch grabbed an envelope and sketched an engine that had been on his mind for a while. He had just finished talking with Karl-Heinz Neumann, the automaker's head of powertrain development, about the VR6, Volkswagen's narrow-angle six-cylinder engine, compact enough to fit transversely even in a Golf.

There are countless project management apps out there, but many of them are packed with features I never use. So I asked Gemini, ChatGPT, and Copilot to build a Kanban board that worked offline, saved my data locally, and didn't require yet another subscription. I gave all three the same prompt and tested the results, and they all created working apps. But the one I liked most surprised me.

By now, if you’re a Prime Video subscriber in the U.S., you should have already had your way with Masters of the Universe and Project Hail Mary, both of which are still all over the Top 10 charts. The real question is, what to watch next.

I used Unraid as my only home server platform for nearly five years before I decided to jump ship to a traditional Linux distro. Unraid was still working well for me, but there were just one or two things it didn't excel at, and those areas are right where Ubuntu shines.

If you're the person everybody calls when their PC breaks down, I'm sure you can relate to all those times when somebody randomly asks you to fix their PC on the spot.

Google's answer to free streaming services like The Roku Channel and Tubi is now much more appealing if you like control over what you watch. Google TV Freeplay now has on-demand movies and TV shows as well as an expanded live channel lineup.

For years, the Jeep Grand Wagoneer had a pretty obvious problem: it looked and felt like a luxury SUV, but it asked luxury-SUV money for a Jeep badge. That made it tough to justify next to established names like Cadillac and Lincoln.

Back-to-school season brings a list of new costs for families with a teen driver in the house, from a parking permit to gas money to maybe a vehicle of their own. Car insurance is yet another cost that joins that seemingly endless list.