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I happen to have a lot of old gaming PC parts scattered around the drawers and bins of my office. This comes from years of building PCs professionally, but it also meant that I could simply repurpose my old gaming desktop into a home server instead of buying a dedicated NAS.

Some Ring doorbells can use AI features to interact with visitors when you're not home. I ditched my Ring doorbell for a Reolink doorbell that runs fully locally, but I wondered if I could recreate a similar feature using a local LLM. I was partially successful.

California lawmakers are deliberating a proposed bill, known as the "Protect Our Games Act," that would require publishers to continue offering access to online games even after developers stop supporting them, according to Ars Technica. 

The bill is part of a wider initiative by the Stop Killing Games preservation movement, which has been active in Europe for some time now. Their mission statement describes them as a "global coalition of gamers, consumer advocates, and developers" seeking to "end the intentional destruction of our digital media" through a combination of class-action lawsuits, formal petitions, and engagement with lawmakers, and they make their stance very clear: "Games are art and have grown into a huge influence for our society. Deliberately rendering them unplayable is the destruction of cultural heritage."

SEE ALSO: eBay rejects GameStop offer: 'neither credible nor attractive'

But as currently written, the Protect Our Games Act would place some serious requirements on game publishers and "digital game operators," including offering a 60-day advanced warning when "services necessary for the ordinary use of the digital game will cease," and even to compensate gamers with either a full refund or a software patch that would continue to make the game accessible in some form. If passed, however, the laws would only apply to game titles released after January 1, 2027, so existing online games would be exempt. 

This question is part of a broader discussion consumers are having about ownership rights in the age of digital media, as both games and movies are increasingly sold not in hard-copy formats (the cartridges, cassettes, and DVDs of the past) but as files downloadable from servers. The problem is especially acute in online gaming, since if the infrastructure supporting it (the servers and software that enable it) is compromised, its functionality might also be compromised. 

Put differently, the question might be posed this way: are games a product consumers buy or a software they lease? Up until very recently, gamers the world over were under the impression they owned a product, with an unlimited right to do with it as they please, but in the era of digital media, gaming companies have been pushing for a subscription model that treats games as a service with a finite and conditional duration.

Whatever decision the California lawmakers reach, don't expect these questions or the people posing them to disappear anytime soon. As of this writing, the StopKillingGames subreddit has more than 14,000 followers, and momentum is on the side of the consumer.

The camera experience has always been a big part of what sets Pixel phones apart from other Android devices. While some features are genuinely exclusive, others aren’t as stuck in the walled garden as you might think. For example: Magic Eraser.

If you were an early NVMe adopter or just like pulling apart old laptops for parts, you’ve probably got one or two tiny 64GB or 128GB NVMe SSDs lying around. They’re too small to realistically use as primary storage in a modern desktop or laptop, but it’s also hard to justify leaving them unused in a drawer—and they don’t exactly make for good "cold" storage anyway.

I've started purchasing physical media and digitizing it to build my own media library. I could put this all on a Plex or Jellyfin server, but I decided to purchase an Open Source Media Center box instead—and this has been the single best TV upgrade I've ever made.

I'm a self-hosting machine, running over half a dozen servers with dozens of virtual machines and over 100TB of local storage. However, even with all that hardware and storage, I stopped self-hosting three services and pushed them back to the cloud—here's why.

As governments and companies around the world seem to be on a bit of an internet censorship binge, many people are turning to VPNs (Virtual Private Networks) to get around these restrictions—only to be caught out!

When you're using Home Assistant, it's easy to fall into the trap of assuming that you need to create an automation for everything. Automations aren't the only option, however. Sometimes using a script or a scene can be a better choice.

What are the 10 greatest movies of all time? For a movie lover like myself, it's an impossible question. Could I name 10 movies that I believe to be great? Absolutely. The only problem is that I will regret my answers within five minutes of posting this article. I'll forget about an all-time movie that deserves to be on this list and get mad at myself for not putting it on. I feel the same anxiety when ordering at a restaurant — as soon as the waiter walks away, I want to change my selection.

Good news for vibe coders everywhere: Apple has lifted its temporary ban on Replit updates, enacted earlier this year, and the company has officially released Agent 4, first teased in March.

CEO Amjad Massad took to X to celebrate the good news: "We worked things out with Apple, and just published our app for the first time in 4 months. Thanks to all our customers and creators who helped out. It’s been a journey, but we never give up and stay winning! Enjoy the updates! Lots of new things coming."

SEE ALSO: Apple boots vibe coding app Anything from App Store

The Agent 4 update brings powerful new upgrades to the platform, including the introduction of parallel agents to allow you to work on multiple ideas simultaneously, the ability to collaborate on projects by merging flows, and the ability to view your projects across multiple workspaces. 

Though it isn't exactly clear what compromise or agreement Apple managed to reach with Replit and other AI-based software creators, the original dispute involved a long-standing clause in Apple's App Review Guidelines, specifically 2.5.2: "Apps should be self-contained in their bundles, and may not read or write data outside the designated container area, nor may they download, install, or execute code which introduces or changes features or functionality of the app, including other apps."

Because Replit's Agent app is capable of programming apps, Apple argued that it violated the "self-containment" clause, thereby bypassing the App Store.  

Whether Apple ultimately changed its mind about its interpretation of Agent 4, or whether Replit compromised in some respect, remains unclear, but you can now download and run the latest version of Agent 4 on the iPhone or iPad to try it out for yourself.

For years, named ranges were the "pro" way to structure Excel data. But modern spreadsheets have moved on. Tables now handle what named ranges only simulate—without the manual upkeep or hidden breakpoints waiting to surface.

Microsoft Excel still rules on the desktop, but the mobile app (iOS and Android) has quietly developed a few advantages of its own. From scanning tables with your camera to touch-friendly data entry, some Excel tasks are genuinely faster and easier on your phone. Here are five workflows to start using today.

Self-hosting had always sounded appealing; the idea of running my own services and keeping control of my data was music to my ears. Despite running a Home Assistant server for several years, however, I'd never gotten beyond that point until I bought a relatively cheap mini PC.

Whether you’re relaxing by the pool, hitting the beach, or hosting a backyard gathering, the best waterproof speakers are ready for any occasion. They’re built for adventure and outdoor fun, and they let you take your music anywhere without worrying about the elements. And unlike our favorite party speakers, all of these gadgets can handle a little H20.

Before purchasing a model, you’ll want a better understanding of what “waterproof” means, at least when it comes to wireless speakers. Waterproofing is the ability to resist water intrusion. This is measured by an ingress protection (IP) rating. The higher the rating, the stronger the protection (see more info in our FAQ section). 

Many waterproof speakers also feature rubberized bumpers for shock absorption and sealed ports that keep out dirt, dust, and sand. Some models include detachable straps that latch onto everyday carry items like backpacks, gym bags, purses, or satchels. Some of the best waterproof Bluetooth speakers are even designed to float while playing music in the water.

For this guide, Mashable tech and audio experts ranked the best waterproof speakers based on factors such as overall performance, real-world usability, and value. Our picks are guided by hands-on experience with the latest releases, as well as insights from past reviews and years of category testing to spotlight top-tier entries.

So, if you want the best waterproof speaker to keep your playlist bumping — rain, splash, or shine — we've got you.

Know before you buy: What does "waterproof" really mean?

Water-resistant, splashproof, waterproof — these terms all have different meanings. All of the speakers in this guide have an IP waterproof rating, but let's break down what that means.

Credit: Alex Bracetti / Mashable Understanding IP ratings

The IP rating system classifies how resistant electrical enclosures are to intrusion from foreign matter, moisture, and environmental exposure. Here’s a breakdown of what each IP rating means.

• IPX0 – No water resistance

• IPX1 – Survives vertical drop of 1 millimeter of water

• IPX2 – Survives drop of 3 millimeters of water

• IPX3 – Survives light water spraying

• IPX4 – Survives omnidirectional water splashing (water resistant)

• IPX5 – Survives water jet splashing up to 12.5 liters for 1 min

• IPX6 – Survives water jet splashing up to 100 liters for 3 mins

• IPX7 – Complete submersion up to 1 meter for 30 mins

• IPX8 – Complete submersion up to 3 meters for 30 mins

Why do some IP ratings have two digits?

The first digit (0–6) rates protection against solids, and the second digit (0–9) rates protection against liquids. 

Have you ever wondered just how much it costs to run your homelab? The answer might shock you—it did for me. Here's how I started measuring the power draw of my homelab, and why it's important to do so.

I never leave the house without a few essentials. Those include my phone, wallet, keys, and my daily carry pocket knife and flashlight. And if you're still using your phone as a flashlight, I have the perfect upgrade for you.

For months, I thought my favorite pair of earbuds, which I used a lot for podcasts and long workdays, was just wearing out as electronics do. The sound had become dull, the vocals seemed distant, the bass muddy, and the cymbals sounded indistinct. I blamed software updates, battery degradation, or just normal wear from daily use. I was already browsing for replacement models when I thought about cleaning them. This led to a serious look at how I take care of my earbuds. Basically, the jump in sound quality was immediate and embarrassing because it's so simple. If you, like me, believe your earbuds are worn out and ready to throw away, you might be surprised to learn that their best days are still ahead.

Google Gemini can be a genuinely useful assistant in your day-to-day life. It can also be a completely pointless, nonsense machine for your own enjoyment. I decided to combine those two very different approaches—practical and silly—and I wish I’d done it sooner.

Pipes are a very powerful core feature of Linux. By chaining programs together, you can carry out complex tasks with a small set of tools. But piping isn’t always the best solution; when it’s not needed, it can increase complexity and lead to less efficient options.