How-To Geek

Twitter can be a great place to be, sharing ideas with like-minded individuals on the opposite side of the globe. But it can be full of abuse, too. That’s where filters come into play, and here’s how they work on the iPhone.

Twitter offers a couple of different ways to filter out the noise when using its official iPhone app. Both of them go some way to preventing people from jumping into your life and offering nothing of value—something Twitter has found itself in the news for all too often. If you’re looking for a way to filter out all the noise but still enjoy everything good that Twitter offers, switching a few toggles might be able to do exactly that.

The settings we’re about to cover only apply to the official Twitter app. We used the iPhone app, but the process is the same on Android. Twitter has taken some important steps towards making its app more usable for those who consider themselves “power users” although it still lacks some features we enjoy elsewhere. Still, Twitter is the app most people are using, so here’s where to find those oh-so-great filters.

How to Enable the Quality Filter

The Twitter Quality Filter will filter out “lower quality content” from the Notifications tab in the Twitter app. Tweets from people you follow or you’ve interacted with will continue to reach you, but if it’s a stranger, you’ll never see it.

RELATED: What Does Twitter’s “Quality Filter” Do?

To turn the Quality Filter on, open Twitter and tap the bell at the bottom of the screen to open the Notifications timeline.

Then, tap the cog in the top-right corner to access the settings.

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Maxim Apryatin/Shutterstock.com

First discovered in 2016, the Mirai botnet took over an unprecedented number of devices and dealt massive damage to the internet. Now it’s back and more dangerous than ever.

The New and Improved Mirai Is Infecting More Devices

On March 18, 2019, security researchers at Palo Alto Networks unveiled that Mirai has been tweaked and updated to accomplish the same goal on a larger scale. The researchers found Mirai was using 11 new exports (bringing the total to 27), and a new list of default admin credentials to try. Some of the changes target business hardware, including LG Supersign TVs and WePresent WiPG-1000 wireless presentation systems.

Mirai can be even more potent if it can take over business hardware and commandeer business networks. As Ruchna Nigam, a Senior Threat Researcher with Palo Alto Networks, puts it:

These new features afford the botnet a large attack surface. In particular, targeting enterprise links also grants it access to larger bandwidth, ultimately resulting in greater firepower for the botnet for DDoS attacks.

This variant of Miria continues to attack consumer routers, cameras, and other network-connected devices. For destructive purposes, the more devices infected, the better. Somewhat ironically, the malicious payload was hosted on a website promoting a business that dealt with “Electronic security, integration and alarm monitoring.”

Mirai Is a Botnet That Attacks IOT Devices

If you don’t remember, in 2016 the Mirai botnet seemed to be everywhere. It targeted routers, DVR systems, IP Cameras and more. These are often called Internet of Things (IoT) devices and include simple devices like thermostats that connect to the internet. Botnets work by infecting groups of computers and other Internet-connected devices and then forcing those infected machines to attack systems or work on other goals in a coordinated fashion.

Mirai went after devices with default admin credentials, either because no one changed them or because the manufacturer hardcoded them. The botnet took over a massive number of devices. Even if most of the systems weren’t very powerful, the sheer numbers worked could work together to achieve more than a powerful zombie computer could on its own.

Mirai took over nearly 500,000 devices. Using this grouped botnet of IoT devices, Mirai crippled services like Xbox Live and Spotify and websites like BBC and Github by targeting DNS providers directly. With so many infected machines, Dyn (a DNS provider) was taken down by a DDOS attack that saw 1.1 terabytes of traffic. A DDOS attack works by flooding a target with a massive amount of internet traffic, more than the target can handle. This will bring the victim’s website or service to a crawl or force it off the internet entirely.

The original creators of the Marai botnet software were arrested, pleaded guilty, and given terms of probation. For a time, Mirai was shut down. But enough of the code survived for other bad actors to take over Mirai and alter it to fit their needs. Now there’s another variant of Mirai out there.

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Which Game Featured A Massive Easter Egg That Originated As A Player Rumor?

1. Splinter Cell
2. Black & White II
3. Diablo II
4. Halo 4

Think you know the answer?

If you want to hide spelling and grammar errors in a specific Word document without all of your other documents being affected by the setting change, then you’re in luck. Microsoft Word, unsurprisingly, has a way to do this.

You might be wondering why you’d want to turn off spellcheck for a specific document in the first place. There is any number of reasons. Perhaps you like leaving the feature on in most documents but have one where it distracts you. Or, perhaps you’ve got a boilerplate where you use filler words (like Word’s Lorem Ipsum feature). Or, maybe you want to test yourself and see how many mistakes you make. Whatever the reason, you can do it in a few simple steps.

Hiding Document-Specific Spelling and Grammar Mistakes

With your document open, switch to the “File” tab.

Next, select “Options” from the bottom of the left-hand pane.

The “Word Options” window will now appear. Here, select the “Proofing” tab.

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FitBit

Fitness trackers have reached a certain level of maturity: the new models are evolutionary, not revolutionary. So it is with FitBit’s Charge 3, the company’s most powerful model underneath their more elaborate (and expensive) smart watches.

At $150 ($130 street price), the Charge 3 offers pretty much every feature a general fitness enthusiast could want, and it connects with one of the most popular services out there. But FitBit has reserved a few obvious choices for its watches, and the Charge 3 doesn’t offer enough over the Alta HR or the new Inspire HR ($100 street price) to justify the middle ground.

(Almost) all the Bells and Whistles

At this point, FitBit has refined its flagship tracker to a mirror shine, cramming in almost every feature you might want short of a full Apple Watch or Android Wear device. That includes a bigger, long-lasting black and white OLED screen, 50 meters of water resistance, automatic workout starts and pauses, and sleep detection. The screen is covered in Gorilla Glass (the same stuff they use on your phone), and underneath is the now-ubiquitous heart rate monitor. The Special Edition, $20 more, is identical save for an NFC chip used for FitBit pay.

Michael Crider

As a more dedicated device, the Charge 3 leaves out most of the app and organization features you’d find on a bigger watch-style design. The interface will let you manually start and stop exercises and do a few basic tasks like set timers or reminders, and the screen will show notifications from your iOS or Android phone (with quick replies on the latter only). Other than that, this thing is all fitness, all the time.

And that’s okay! It’s much smaller than any smartwatch, and the battery has consistently lasted about a week for me, with hours of exercise and sleep tracking every day. I appreciate not having to worry about a battery level on any given day, and despite including goodies like elevation tracking and auto brightness for the screen, the device is still tiny enough that I often forget I’m wearing it.

Michael Crider

But I’d gladly trade some of the more esoteric features, like guided breathing exercises, for a couple of more practical options. On-board GPS is probably too much to ask for at this price point (the Charge 3 relies on the FitBit app on your phone to track location), but I don’t see any reason why music controls can’t be included, since that’s an essential part of many users’ workouts. I suspect the basic play/pause functionality has been deliberately left out to make FitBit’s more expensive watches more appealing.

The Fitness Tracker, Refined

The Charge 3 isn’t as tiny as some other fitness trackers in FitBit’s lineup, but it is extremely lightweight with its aluminum enclosure. And the case and clasp mechanism has been refined since the Charge 2: it not sits more naturally on your wrist, and swapping out bands for something more sporty takes literally seconds.

Michael Crider

It wouldn’t be unreasonable at all to swap bands every day, or color-coordinate with your current outfit. It’s a good thing there are plenty of cheap third-party options, then: you’re not restricted to FitBit’s expensive first-party options. I picked up a snazzy metal band with a magnetic clasp for about ten bucks on Amazon.

Moving through the Charge 3’s menus and buttons takes a little adjustment if you’re used to managing this stuff on a big smartphone screen. But the taps and swipes start to make sense quickly, and what isn’t available on the device itself can be found in the app (albeit with a little bit of hunting). The auto-detection for the screen is a little less sensitive than I would have liked, and unfortunately, I haven’t found an option for boosting it. At least getting the screen on is always easy thanks to the single touch button on the left side.

Michael Crider

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A lot happened over the weekend, but the biggest news to start your March 18th, 2019 morning came from Apple with a couple of new iPads. Otherwise, Microsoft released Defender extensions for Chrome and Firefox, and a lot more.

Apple News

Apple doesn’t generally, you know, do a lot when it comes to announcements and all that—it’s far less busy than, say, Google, for example. But when something hits the scene, it’s always big news.

• New iPads! Apple announced a new iPad Mini with modern specs and Pencil (1st gen) support, as well as an updated iPad Air with a 10.5-inch screen. [Review Geek]

Microsoft and Windows News

Microsoft was pretty quiet over the weekend, but it subtly “announced” a new extension to help keep Chrome and Firefox enterprise users safer. Well, kind of.

• Microsoft released a Windows Defender Application Guard extension for Chrome and Firefox (for enterprise use). This will allow workplaces to set a whitelist of sites and also let employees use their preferred browser; the extension just opens Edge in WDAG mode when users navigate to a site the enterprise hasn’t configured as trusted. [Windows Blog]

Google and Android News

As always, a lot has already happened with Google since Friday. With the recent release of the Android Q beta for Pixel devices, new features are pretty constant right now.

• You’ll soon be able to disallow access to motion and light sensors for specific sites in Chrome. It’s being tested in Canary right now, but we should see it in Stable builds later this year. [Techdows]
• Chrome OS 73 is improved transitions to and from tablet mode on the Slate and other 2-in-1 Chromebooks. [About Chromebooks]
• There’s a hidden setting in Pixel Launcher on Android Q that hints at better gesture navigation. Please, Google. Please. [XDA Developers]
• Speaking of hidden settings in Q, there’s another option to remap the Squeeze for Assistant features on the Pixel 2 and 3. [Android Police]
• New Google Play requirements are going to require all icons to be rounded rectangles moving forward. Some people call them squircles, but I think there’s a slight difference between the two. Anyway, rounded-corner-square-thingies are coming soon to an icon near you. [XDA Developers]
• Samsung announced an event to announce a new phone. Or phones. New Galaxy A handsets are incoming. [Samsung Mobile Press]
• Like Facebook Chatheads? Android Q might get them everywhere. [9to5Google]
• AV-Comparatives compared 250 different Android antivirus apps. Turns out most of the suck and don’t do what they’re supposed to do. Who knew? [AV-Comparatives]
• ZTE may be making an all-screen phone with a slideout camera. It looks nice. [Engadget]
• Google could be working an Android fork for feature phones. Intriguing. [9to5Google]
• Xioami subsidiary Black Shark announced a new gaming phone with a Snapdragon 855 and 12GB of RAM. It looks like of neat, too. [Liliputing]

Other News

You know, the other stuff.

• Plantronics is rebranding as Poly to bring some buzz back to its product line. A bunch of new stuff is in the works, too. [Engadget]

Amazon, Samsung, Apple

It’s hard to have the Monday blues when there are great deals abound. If you’ve had your eyes on a new iPad, a curved monitor, or some smart plugs, then now’s the time to pull out your wallet.

Right now, there are some killer deals on Amazon, Best Buy B&H, and Rakuten. In fact, there are so many good deals that it’s hard to pick favorites. There are some obvious standouts, like the $750 iPad Pro or the $15 copy of Catan, but we’re also excited about Rakuten’s 15-percent-off sitewide sale, and Amazon’s $99 Corsair K70 keyboard.

Laptops, Tablets Monitors, Printers, and Accessories

Need to upgrade your home office? Grab these great computer deals.

• Samsung 32″ Refurbished Curved Desktop Monitor, $180 ($70 off) [Amazon]
• iPad Pro 12.9″, $750 ($400 off) [B&H]
• Get $400-$500 off MacBooks [Best Buy]
• Samsung M2070W All-In-One Laser Printer, $50 ($80 off) [Office Depot]
• Corsair K70 Mechanical Keyboard, $99 ($70 off) [Amazon]
• Lenovo IdeaPad 720, $580 ($100 off with coupon code LEN100) [Rakuten]
• Microsoft Surface Pro, $600 ($360 off) [Best Buy]
• Team Group L5 1TB SSD, $99 ($50 off) [Newegg]

Video Games and Board Games

Who knew that games would be so cheap this week?

• Far Cry New Dawn – PS4, $20 ($20 off) [Amazon]
• Civilization IV – Nintendo Switch, $45 ($15 off) [Amazon]
• Call of Duty: WWII Valor Collection, $30 ($130 off) [Best Buy – Xbox One, PS4]
• Catan Histories: Merchants of Europe, $15 ($40 off) [Amazon]

The Internet of Things

Today’s a great day to grab some smart plugs, or a pair of Chromecast Ultras.

• TP-Link Smart Wi-Fi Light Switch 3-Pack, $57 ($48 off) [B&H]
• TP-Link Wi-Fi power strip, $55 ($25 off when you clip the on-screen coupon) [B&H]
• Google Chromecast Ultra 2-Pack, $48 ($22 off) [Facebook]

Everything Else

Need a new wall charger or a Samsung stylus? Grab these great deals.

• Samsung S-Pen, $15 ($15 off) [B&H]
• Anker Quick Charge 6-Port USB Wall Charger, $23 ($11 off with coupon code ANKERPB6) [Amazon]
• Anker 2-Port USB Wall Charger, $8 ($5 off with coupon code ANKERP22) [Amazon]
• Rakuten Takes 15% Sitewide (Use Coupon Code SAVE15) [Rakuten]

All good deals die young. If you see a deal that strikes your fancy, scoop it up before it’s too late!

Apple

In a surprising move, Apple quietly released new iPad models, sending out press releases and forgoing fanfare. The iPad Mini needed a refresh and finally has one, and the iPad Pro 10.5 is gone, replaced by the new iPad Air.

The iPad Mini Update Was Long Overdue Apple

Apple last updated the iPad Mini just under four years ago. And while the Mini is the little device that could, four years is hard on any technology. The processor was showing its age a while ago, the display tech was outdated, and the 1.2-megapixel camera is best left unused. Today’s update takes care of all of that, with just a slight painful cost. The latest iPad Mini bumps the processor from the A8 to the A12 (just the sheer jump in numbers dives home the time between hardware refreshes) which should give it a substantial increase in speed.

Additionally, the display is brighter and picks up Trutone, and the front-facing camera now shoots at 7 megapixels. That’s an improvement, but there’s no FaceID support yet. Finally, Apple added Pencil support to the Mini, which should make this iPad great for taking notes when traveling. But the one cost to all this improvement? The entry-level $399 128 GB option is now 64 GB instead. For $549 you can increase that storage to 256 GB, and if you can afford it, that’s probably the best option to pick.

The iPad Air is the iPad Pro Most People Should Get Apple

Apple wasn’t done when it finished detailing out the new Mini. Next up is the iPad Air, and the first thing you should know is it effectively replaces the iPad Pro 10.5 inch. And that’s a good thing. The two iPads are incredibly similar—they feature nearly identical specs.

If you’re wondering what the Pro 10.5 had that the Air doesn’t, it’s Promotion Technology and a better camera. Apple introduced Promotion Technology with the Pro line; it means the screens can display at a 120 MHz refresh rate. The iPad Air remains locked at 60 MHz. Additionally, the main camera steps down from 12-megapixels to 8.

But while you lose a couple of features, you otherwise have an iPad Pro for much cheaper at $499. The iPad Air supports the smart keyboard, has a more powerful processor than the iPad Pro 10.5 inch, and retains the pencil support, TrueTone tech, wide color gamut support, and even sports the same resolution as the old iPad Pro 10.5 inch mode. And it weighs slightly less, at just one pound.
If you’ve always wanted an iPad Pro but didn’t want to spend iPad Pro prices, the iPad Air is the model for you. it gives you most of the features of a Pro for a more palatable price.

Apple says the new iPads can be ordered today and hit stores next week.

Safari uses Google as its default search engine out of the box, but it’s not the only option. You can choose other search engines like Bing, Yahoo, or DuckDuckGo if you prefer them.

While most modern search engines can find the web sites you’re looking for, there are often ramifications to consider when making your selection. Google is the big player here, but depending on your privacy stance you might want to select something else. For example, DuckDuckGo pushes itself as a more private search engine, while Bing is integrated with Microsoft Rewards. Making the change in Safari on your iPhone or iPad is super simple, so long as you know where to look.

Changing the Default Search Engine in Safari on iPhone and iPad

To get started, open the Settings app and tap “Safari.”

Next, under the “Search” heading, tap “Search Engine.”

Finally, select the search engine that you would like to use as your default when inside Safari. To select a search engine, tap it. You can choose either Google, Yahoo, Bing, or DuckDuckGo.

Sorry—those are the only options. Apple won’t let you choose other search engines as your default. You can still navigate to those search engines in Safari and search them from their website, but that’s it. The only way you’ll get more options here is if Apple adds them in a future version of the iOS operating system.

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Corsair

MMO or MOBA mice are made for games that use a lot of buttons. These mice practically give you an extra keyboard. And you can rebind those keys to whatever you want, including hotkeys and macros.

We’ll be using the Corsair Scimitar as an example in this guide, as it’s inexpensive ($59.99) and has great software. We also love Razer’s NAGA Trinity ($74.92), naming it one of our best gaming mice. The same general instructions should work for any mouse as long as you can rebind its buttons.

How Those Mouse Buttons Can Help

Out of the box, there’s not much having extra buttons does for you right away; you have to bind the macros yourself to fit your needs. Try to think of anything that wastes your time, even small things. It doesn’t have to be huge—a second or two saved on something you do hundreds of times a day adds up over time and makes your work feel a lot snappier.

For example, I work on a MacBook and prefer using a mouse in addition to the built-in trackpad. Switching between desktops on macOS is easy with the trackpad, but to do it while using a mouse I’d have to hold the Ctrl key and press an arrow key, which would use my right hand anyway. So I’ve bound switch desktop left and right to 4 and 5 on the mouse’s numpad, which saves me from moving my arm around so much. On a smaller scale, I do the same for switching back and forth between Chrome tabs (and any other app that has tabs) using 1 and 2 for left and right, rather than using hotkey combinations or clicking top bar with the mouse.

By the way, Windows has the same kind of virtual desktop switching as macOS does, but you might not have even noticed if you don’t know the hotkeys (Windows+Control+Arrow Keys). Binding these to mouse buttons makes Windows virtual desktops much easier to use, and will help clean up your cluttered mess of windows.

Keyboard shortcut aficionados will still swear by their methods. For some apps, having both hands on the keyboard is much quicker than using a mouse in the first place, which is something every vim user can attest to. But, on a modern system, you’re going to use a mouse at some point. It’s best to make the most of it and not let it slow you down, especially if you have a mouse with loads of buttons anyway.

Configuring Your Mouse

Setup will depend on the mouse you own and its software, but most mouse manufacturers’ utilities will let you do similar things. Corsair’s Utility Engine is very powerful, offering full macro support and multiple profiles. You can configure one button to press an array of key combinations, so the options you have are fairly limitless.

Profile switching is an extremely useful feature, as it essentially allows you to nest macros behind other buttons. I have 10, 11, and 12 set to switch to different profiles, and then switch back after another button is pressed. This gives me 45 different slots to fit macros into, although I certainly haven’t filled them up yet. You can configure different profiles for different apps, and a separate one for gaming which will leave the number keys unaffected.

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Amazon

Amazon has completely dominated the ebook reader market, but you don’t have to use a Kindle to get your ebook fix. There are a surprising number of ebook reader alternatives, and many of them are actually better than the Kindle.

Tablets, like the iPad, may be great for streaming video and playing games. But they make for inconvenient ebook readers. They’re expensive, they have short battery life, and their displays can be a bit aggressive on the eyes. Plus, tablets are the ultimate portable distraction. How can you sit down and read when Youtube’s siren song is just a gesture away?

Because of the tablet’s shortcomings, typical ebook readers are still the best way to consume digital books. And although the Kindle is synonymous with the term “ebook reader,” there are a lot of good reasons to stay away from Amazon’s flagship reading device.

Now, this isn’t to say that the Kindle is a bad ebook reader. They’re powerful, they last a long time, and you can buy one for just $50. But the Kindle has one very big problem—it’s tethered to the Amazon marketplace. You can’t use the Kindle to open EPUB files or PDFs (unless you want to put in an enormous amount of effort). If you want more flexibility from an ebook reader then your aversion the Kindle is completely understandable.

Lucky for you, we’ve tracked down some of the best Kindle alternatives on the market. These ebook readers have their ups and downs, but they all give you the ability to escape from (or work alongside) Amazon’s ebook market.

Kobo Aura H20 ($160) Kobo

The Kobo Aura H20 is by far the most popular Kindle alternative. It’s made Rakuten, a popular Japanese corporation, and it actually blows the Kindle out of the water in terms of physical features and file usability. Plus, it doesn’t have annoying special offers on the lockscreen.

This ebook reader has a backlit screen with an adjustable blue light filter, robust font settings, and a relatively large 6.8″ e-ink touchscreen. Like the newest version of the Kindle, the Kubo Aura H20 has 8GB of memory, a 1 GHz processor, Wi-Fi compatibility, a micro USB port, and a battery that lasts for a few weeks. It also has a water-resistant IPX8 rating, which means that it can sit in 2 meters of water for an hour before sustaining any damage.

Kobo ebook readers support up to 14 file formats, including EPUB, EPUB3, PDF, MOBI, TXT, TIFF, and HTML. You can transfer these files to the ebook reader via micro USB cable. But there’s also a dedicated Kobo e-book store, and you can use Kobo ebook readers to remotely borrow books from your library.

The Kobo Aura H20 can’t open AZW files (Amazon books), but you can use a software like Calibre to convert AZW files to the EPUB format.

Buy From Kobo Kobo Forma ($280) Kobo

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Windows 10 no longer shows the estimated battery time remaining after the Creators Update. You’ll just see a percentage when you hover over the battery icon—not a time. Although it has its quirks, you still might want to see it.

Why Did Microsoft Hide the Battery Life Estimate?

This information was removed because it’s just an estimate. It can change dramatically depending on what processes are running, how bright your screen is, and whether you’re connected to Wi-Fi or Bluetooth. Your computer is making an informed guess and displaying an estimated battery life in real-time. It can fluctuate wildly, and Microsoft seems to think it’s no longer useful.

Apple recently made the same decision on macOS, too. By default, both macOS and Windows just show the percent of your laptop’s battery you have left with no guess about how long it will last.

RELATED: Why Is My Battery Estimate Never Accurate?

How to Bring Back Battery Time Remaining

To bring back the battery time remaining in Windows 10, you just need to make a few edits in the Windows Registry.

Standard Warning: Registry Editor is a powerful tool and misusing it can render your system unstable or even inoperable. This is a pretty simple hack, and as long as you stick to the instructions, you shouldn’t have any problems. That said, if you’ve never worked with it before, consider reading about how to use the Registry Editor before you get started. And definitely back up the Registry (and your computer!) before making changes.

Open the Registry Editor by hitting Start and typing “ regedit .” Press Enter to open the Registry Editor and then permit it to make changes to your PC.

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BitLocker, the encryption technology built into Windows, has taken some hits lately. A recent exploit demonstrated removing a computer’s TPM chip to extract its encryption keys, and many hard drives are breaking BitLocker. Here’s a guide to avoiding BitLocker’s pitfalls.

Note that these attacks all require physical access to your computer. That’s the whole point of encryption—to stop a thief who stole your laptop or someone from gaining access to your desktop PC from viewing your files without your permission.

Standard BitLocker Isn’t Available on Windows Home

While nearly all modern consumer operating systems ship with encryption by default, Windows 10 still doesn’t provide encryption on all PCs. Macs, Chromebooks, iPads, iPhones, and even Linux distributions offer encryption to all their users. But Microsoft still doesn’t bundle BitLocker with Windows 10 Home.

Some PCs may come with similar encryption technology, which Microsoft originally called “device encryption” and now sometimes calls “BitLocker device encryption.” We’ll cover that in the next section. However, this device encryption technology is more limited than full BitLocker.

How an Attacker Can Exploit This: There’s no need for exploits! If your Windows Home PC just isn’t encrypted, an attacker can remove the hard drive or boot another operating system on your PC to access your files.

The Solution: Pay $99 for an upgrade to Windows 10 Professional and enable BitLocker. You could also consider trying another encryption solution like VeraCrypt, the successor of TrueCrypt, which is free.

RELATED: Why Does Microsoft Charge $100 for Encryption When Everyone Else Gives It Away?

BitLocker Sometimes Uploads Your Key to Microsoft

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What Ubiquitous Office Application Was Originally Mac-Only?

1. Microsoft Excel
2. Microsoft Word
3. OpenOffice Writer
4. Internet Explorer

Think you know the answer?

Josh Hendrickson

When you decide to get rid of your smarthome gadgets, you shouldn’t just toss them in the trash, sell them, or give them away. Before you take the products out of your house, you should wipe the data off them.

Smarthome Tech May Contain Personal Data Amazon

Smarthomes are continually changing, and what may be the best tech will be old news tomorrow. Sometimes our devices are replaced by better versions of the same product, like when Amazon released the slimmer Ring Pro. in other cases, you may have jumped into one ecosystem only to find that a different ecosystem emerged that better suited your needs—like a switch from SmartThings to Wink, for example.

No matter the reason, occasionally it’s time to retire older smarthome hardware. You may want to toss it, you may want to give it to family, or you may even want to sell it. But before you do that, you need to properly remove the device from your smarthome system and erase its data. Otherwise, you run the risk of someone else gaining access to your saved credentials. (You should take it to an electronics recycler rather than just tossing it in the trash, though!)

It may be tempting to unplug your voice assistant or smart plug and call it a day, but the truth is those devices may have information about you on them. That could be your location, your network, or even passwords. Even in cases where a device might not contain this kind of information (like some Z-Wave lightbulbs), if your intention is for someone else to use your old gadget, they will run into trouble connecting a used smart device that still retains its old connection information.

Unfortunately, the process for factory resetting your smart devices is as wide and varied as smart devices themselves. Some of your smarthome gear will have a reset button that does the trick. Some of it will require using an app. And some will provide both options. If you’re going to use a reset button, doublecheck that it truly factory resets the device. Routers, for instance, often have reset buttons but those perform a power cycle operation.

How to Factory Reset an Amazon Echo Amazon

Amazon Echo devices retain not only information about your Wi-Fi network, but also what devices connect to it through Bluetooth (such as if you paired your phone). Resetting an Echo is easy, but the exact steps depend on which Echo you have.

If you have a first generation Echo, Echo Plus, or Echo Dot, you will take a different process than other Echo devices. Grab a paperclip and unbend it. Then lift your Echo and find the hole on the bottom. Insert the paperclip until you feel a button depress, then hold the paperclip in for five to eight seconds. You’ll see the light ring turn off, and then turn on. The factory reset is complete, and you should be prompted for setup.

For the Echo Dot Second Generation, the Echo Second Generation, and Echo Plus Second Generation, press and hold the volume down and microphone off buttons for twenty-five seconds. The light ring will turn off and on, and the factory reset is done.

The Echo Dot Third Generation and Echo Input, Echo Auto, and Echo Sub are similar, but in this case, you will press and hold the action button twenty-five seconds.

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What Company Lobbied For A 7.5 Cent Coin?

1. Coca-Cola
2. Walmart
3. Atari
4. Hershey's

Think you know the answer?

Irina Rostokina/Shutterstock

A cast-iron skillet is a great addition to everyone’s kitchen arsenal. We’ve already checked out the best skillets and pans for the job, but how about the best accessories to go alongside your new purchase? Read on to find out more about the best tools for the task.

Cast-iron skillets are pretty straightforward to maintain but that chore becomes even simpler when you have the right equipment to streamline the process. Here, we have a bunch of great items for keeping the pan clean, as well as keeping your hands safe when handling it. Each will make cast-iron skillet ownership that little more satisfying.

Here are the best accessories for your cast-iron skillet.

Steel Spatula: MANNKITCHEN Professional Grade Stainless Steel Spatula ($25) MANNKITCHEN

A spatula is an important tool for safely flipping over your pancakes, hash, or, well, whatever you happen to be cooking. The MANNKITCHEN Professional Grade Stainless Steel Spatula is the spatula for every job. Made of hardened stainless steel, it promises an even surface for lifting.

Its handle is made from a single piece of heat resistant hardwood so you don’t have to suffer, while the stainless steel component of the straight edge means it’s easy to lift, as well as chisel a little if anything happens to get stuck (unlikely as that may be). What more could you need?

Buy on Amazon Pan Scraper: Pampered Chef Nylon Pan Scrapers Set of 3 ($7) Pampered Chef

It’s not a glamorous part of cast-iron skillet ownership but it’s important to scrape the pans clean in a way that doesn’t scratch or damage them. The Pampered Chef Nylon Pan Scrapers Set of 3 removes stubborn, baked on messes from stainless steel, non-stick cookware, and glass, as well as on your skillet.

Such versatility means it’ll fast become one of your favorite cleaning tools. It’s pretty durable and sharp, so you won’t have much trouble scraping off past meals.

Buy on Amazon Pan Scrubber: NYKKOLA Cast Iron Cleaner ($8) NYKKOLA

A chainmail scrubber, the NYKKOLA Cast Iron Cleaner is made from the best kind of stainless steel so it offers superior corrosion resistance. Simply use it to scrub around the surface of your pans, and watch the stubborn dirt lift off. It’s big enough to cover a lot of the surface area, so you won’t have to go around the pan too many times.

Sure, it’s going to look a little disgusting after you’ve finished up, but its many holes mean it’s easy to wash up afterwards. There’s a loop at the top so you can easily hang it on a peg for later use. It also works well on stainless steel, copper, Pyrex, and other non-coated cookware.

Buy on Amazon Alternative Scrubbing Surface: FlavorMaster Chainmail Scrubber ($10) FlavorMaster

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Wi-Fi cameras rely on infrared (IR) for night vision. But IR bounces off glass—so, if you’re using your camera behind a window, you’ll only see a blurry reflection at night. Here’s how to get a clear image.

Night Vision and Window Panes Don’t Mix Josh Hendrickson

Night vision on most Wi-Fi cameras uses a relatively simple trick of physics. One or more IR LEDs blast out as much light as possible, acting as a floodlight. Because infrared isn’t visible to the human eye, you don’t even notice, and your camera can use that IR light to record video at night.

If you’ve ever tried to point your Wi-Fi camera out a window, you’ve probably found that it works perfectly during the day. But, at night, it’s a blurry mess of video, showing mostly just the reflection of your camera and smears of light.

This is a Wyze Cam with NightVision on and exterior lights off.

This completely defeats the point of even having a security camera. If your camera did see someone outside, you’d never know what they looked like or what they were doing.

If you want your camera’s night vision to work through glass, you’ll want to provide exterior lighting. You can use either traditional outdoor lighting or IR lighting. You must also either turn off or cover the camera’s built-in IR lighting. Finally, you will either have to move the camera as close as possible to the window or angle it slightly instead of using a direct-on angle.

The best thing to do, of course, is to use an outdoor camera. An outdoor camera will bypass issues with glass and still benefit from most of these suggestions. But, if you can’t use an outdoor camera for any reason, consider these options to improve the video you do get from your indoor camera.

Consider Leaving the Porch Light On

The first goal in gaining a better picture is to take the built-in IR lights out of the equation. Traditional lights are the simplest way to accomplish that goal. If you have a porch light, leave it on. You can then turn off night mode on your camera.

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Which Classic Boardgame Has Been Solved For All Possible Outcomes?

1. Chess
2. Backgammon
3. Go
4. Checkers

Think you know the answer?

Did you just close a Safari tab or window? No problem—you can get it back. Like all modern web browsers, Apple’s Safari for Mac can reopen a closed tab or window—as long as you weren’t browsing privately.

Tabbed browsing is perhaps the best thing to come to the internet since Keyboard Cat, and if you’re anything like us you probably have more tabs open than you can ever remember looking at. That unfortunately sometimes leads to what we like to call “The Purge”—a cleanup of tabs that invariably has an unfortunate side effect—closing the one tab that you absolutely wanted to keep open.

Thankfully, someone at Apple thought about that and there’s a handy dandy menu bar option that will return that recently closed tab to its former glory. There’s even a keyboard shortcut, too!

There is, of course, one caveat to consider here. If you’re browsing away in private browsing mode, and then close a tab, you’re out of luck. No amount of spamming the right buttons or key combinations is going to bring it back. Sorry! Everything is discarded as soon as you close a private browsing tab. That ensures your private browsing stays private.

With that out of the way, here’s how to get your lost tab back.

Restoring the Last Closed Tab in Safari

If you just closed a tab and realized that you shouldn’t have, getting it back is a case of two mouse clicks.

To get started, click the “History” option in the menu bar at the top of the screen in Safari.

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