How-To Geek

Hybrid vehicles promise lower fuel costs and improved efficiency, but they often come with a higher purchase price than their gasoline-only counterparts. For many buyers, that raises a simple but important question: will the fuel savings eventually make up for the extra money spent upfront? The answer depends on several factors, including fuel prices, driving habits, and the efficiency gap between hybrid and non-hybrid models.

Linux Mint is one of the most user-friendly Linux distros available, and by memorizing a few simple shortcuts, you can make it even better.

An uninterruptible power supply, or UPS for short, seems like a great addition to a smart home that relies on a Home Assistant server. Despite the obvious upsides, a UPS isn’t a magic bullet, and your money may in fact be better spent elsewhere. Let me explain.

Are you holding off on building a NAS because storage prices are sky-high? Well, if you ask me, cost savings were never the best reason to build one anyway. Here’s why I’m building my own NAS in 2026—and recommending others to do the same.

I’ve been using Windows since the very first release, and if you were around in those early days, you probably remember that the experience was a little rough in places. Windows was powerful and ambitious, but it also had some glaring gaps. Basic tasks that users needed every day like playing almost any video file, compressing archives properly, connecting to servers, or uploading files to a website often required tools that simply didn't exist in the operating system itself.

For years, Visual Studio Code has felt like that default choice, especially because it saves you time every day. It's the ubiquitous, open-source workhorse that handles everything from simple Markdown files to massive TypeScript projects. Most of us settle into a comfortable rhythm and assume we've mastered the tool. However, the VS Code team is constantly pushing the boundaries, subtly injecting features that improve the workflow. The reality is, even if you use VS Code every day, you are likely to miss out on many features. We will point out functionality you may have missed through the many updates over time.

Did you know that for the price of a spool of filament, you can meaningfully upgrade your 3D printer? I’m not necessarily talking about pulling your machine apart and making fiddly adjustments; some of these upgrades are two-second jobs.

How fast do you need your Wi-Fi to be? If, like most people (and myself), you're still on Wi-Fi 5, then your real world speeds are probably no more than 500Mbps under good conditions. If you have an internet connection faster than this, you might feel you're wasting the bandwidth you're paying for. Wi-Fi 6 can get you to a Gigabit and even beyond, and Wi-Fi 7, which can quadruple that, but is still expensive and won't reach that potential on devices that aren't Wi-Fi 7.

However you use Linux, whatever your situation, there’s a simple way to create a new directory. The terminal mkdir command is probably the one you use the most, but there’s a lot to learn about it, and you may find a GUI app easier.

While Android phone makers are tooting their horns about seven years of software support, one Android device has been receiving regular updates for more than a decade. The first NVIDIA Shield TV launched in 2015, yet it still outclasses every other Android device in terms of software support.

Although the term "open source" didn’t arrive until the late 1990s, the principle has been around since programming really took off in the 50s and 60s. Early developers shared their code and protocol designs, a process that ballooned with the advent of the internet in 1969.

Channeling grief into art is a process for many filmmakers, including Ian Tuason, the writer and director of A24's Undertone. Tuason's horror movie came after one of the darkest periods of his life. Tuason served as the caregiver for his parents during the pandemic after they were diagnosed with terminal cancer. Tuason moved back into his childhood home in Toronto and helped his parents during their final moments. His mother died months after the initial diagnosis, and his father passed away two years later.

The 2026 Oscars are rapidly approaching, and the most critically acclaimed films will be competing in 24 categories, which encompass acting, technical, and creative disciplines.

Today’s SUV shoppers want it all: good fuel economy, proven reliability, and a price that doesn’t feel like a financial commitment for the next decade. With costs climbing everywhere else, buyers are paying closer attention to what their vehicle will save them over time—not just what it costs up front.

Node.js, the popular open-source and cross-platform JavaScript runtime, will have a less exciting release calendar moving forward. There will now only be one major Node update each year, just as its core engine from the Chromium project is switching to more frequent releases.

Do you ever wish you had a way to message people long-distance without the need for cell networks or a Wi-Fi connection, or even satellites? You're going to want to hear about a tiny, cheap radio I bought and connected to my smartphone.

Hybrid vehicles were once viewed as complex alternatives to traditional gasoline cars, raising concerns about long-term durability and repair costs. But years of real-world ownership data are beginning to tell a different story. In fact, some of today’s most reliable vehicles are hybrids, and new research suggests they may actually experience fewer problems than their gas-only counterparts.

Whenever we get a new product, it's routine for some to take their sweet time peeling off all the stickers. And you should do this for a lot of stuff. But please, please, don't do it with your new NVMe SSD.

Google Fiber isn’t expanding as quickly as most of us would prefer, but it’s still coming to new cities and towns at a steady pace. Now, one more major city in the United States now has up to 8 Gigabit internet through Google Fiber: Las Vegas, Nevada.

When I began my smart home journey, it was via Samsung SmartThings. I’ve used this platform to control everything from smart switches and thermostats to motion sensors and thermometers. But my latest addition still managed to take me by surprise.