Blogroll

Gemini on Android needs a "dumb" mode (because it's too smart for its own good)

How-To Geek - Sun, 06/21/2026 - 17:30

Gemini regularly impresses me by carrying out complex, multifaceted requests. That’s why it’s so infuriating when it fails spectacularly at the most basic tasks—things Google Assistant could handle with ease. There’s a simple solution to this problem: make Gemini dumber.

Categories: IT General, Technology

These 5 perfect movies are based on famous toys from our childhood

How-To Geek - Sun, 06/21/2026 - 17:15

Toys help shape who we are in our childhood, but at times, the tales we engage in are big enough to reach the silver screen. For decades, toy manufacturers have used movies to expand upon the world of their products. While many of these can be seen as cynical cash-ins, there is no shortage of examples that manage to capture the hearts and minds of both the young and old.

Categories: IT General, Technology

These 5 perfect movies are based on famous toys from our childhood

How-To Geek - Sun, 06/21/2026 - 17:15

Toys help shape who we are in our childhood, but at times, the tales we engage in are big enough to reach the silver screen. For decades, toy manufacturers have used movies to expand upon the world of their products. While many of these can be seen as cynical cash-ins, there is no shortage of examples that manage to capture the hearts and minds of both the young and old.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Stop blaming Plex for stuttering streams—your Wi-Fi is the real bottleneck

How-To Geek - Sun, 06/21/2026 - 17:00

Are your Plex streams slow or stuttery? Chances are it's not your Plex server at all, and it's likely your home network. Here are a few things to check before you go diving into configuration and settings pages, because you probably don't even need to check there.

Categories: IT General, Technology

This Home Assistant integration does things the developers never intended (and it's genius)

How-To Geek - Sun, 06/21/2026 - 16:45

Home Assistant is incredibly powerful, and the core features allow you to do an enormous amount with your smart home devices. It's not perfect, however, and there are some things that aren't possible with the default features. There's a very useful custom integration that lets it do even more.

Categories: IT General, Technology

The 6 excuses that stopped me from self-hosting my own services (and why each excuse was wrong)

How-To Geek - Sun, 06/21/2026 - 16:30

For years, I kept self-hosting in the “sounds cool, but not for me” category. I wasn’t into Linux or servers, and I assumed it required too much time and too much knowledge just to get started.

Categories: IT General, Technology

How to watch Spain vs. Saudi Arabia online for free

Mashable - Sun, 06/21/2026 - 16:26

TL;DR: Live stream Spain vs. Saudi Arabia in the 2026 FIFA World Cup for free on BBC iPlayer. Access this free streaming platform from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN, an Official Supporter of the FIFA World Cup 2026.

The biggest story from the first round of 2026 FIFA World Cup fixtures was probably Spain's failure to beat Cape Verde. The Euro 2024 winners will be looking to make a statement in their next game against Saudi Arabia, a team that pulled off a surprise draw with Uruguay in their opening game.

If you want to watch Spain vs. Saudi Arabia in the 2026 FIFA World Cup from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.

When is Spain vs. Saudi Arabia?

Spain vs. Saudi Arabia in the 2026 FIFA World Cup kicks off at 12 p.m. ET on June 21. This fixture takes place at the Atlanta Stadium.

How to watch Spain vs. Saudi Arabia for free

Spain vs. Saudi Arabia in the 2026 FIFA World Cup is available to live stream for free on BBC iPlayer.

BBC iPlayer is geo-restricted to the UK, but anyone can access this free streaming platform with a VPN. These tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in the UK, meaning you can unblock BBC iPlayer to live stream the 2026 World Cup for free from anywhere in the world.

Live stream Spain vs. Saudi Arabia for free by following these simple steps:

  1. Subscribe to a streaming-friendly VPN (we recommend ExpressVPN)

  2. Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)

  3. Open up the app and connect to a server in the UK

  4. Visit BBC iPlayer

  5. Watch Spain vs. Saudi Arabia for free from anywhere in the world

Opens in a new window Credit: ExpressVPN ExpressVPN (1-Month Plan) $12.99 only at ExpressVPN Get Deal

The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but most do offer free-trials or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can access free live streams of the 2026 World Cup without actually spending anything. This obviously isn't a long-term solution, but it does give you enough time to stream Spain vs. Saudi Arabia (plus more World Cup fixtures) before recovering your investment.

ExpressVPN's regular 30-day money back guarantee is not available for any subscriptions purchased during the FIFA World Cup between June 10 and July 11. ExpressVPN remains our top pick for sport, but you will need to pay the monthly rate. Alternatively, Proton VPN still offers that all-important money-back guarantee.

What is the best VPN for BBC iPlayer?

ExpressVPN is the best choice for bypassing geo-restrictions to stream live sport on BBC iPlayer, for a number of reasons:

  • Servers in 105 countries including the UK

  • Easy-to-use app available on all major devices including iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, and more

  • Strict no-logging policy so your data is secure

  • Fast connection speeds free from throttling

  • Up to 10 simultaneous connections

A two-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $68.40 and includes an extra four months for free — 81% off for a limited time. Alternatively, you can get a one-month plan for just $12.99. That covers you for the duration of the World Cup.

Live stream Spain vs. Saudi Arabia in the 2026 FIFA World Cup for free.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Toy Story 5 opening weekend box office to set franchise record

Mashable - Sun, 06/21/2026 - 16:19

Toy Story 5 ruled the world at this weekend's box office.

SEE ALSO: 'Toy Story 5' review: AI toys are the hook, not the heart of this comedy

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Pixar's latest is on track for a $160 million opening weekend at the domestic box office. That would make it the biggest opening weekend of 2026, beating out The Super Mario Galaxy Movie's $131.7 million three-day weekend gross. (The Super Mario Galaxy Movie opened on a Wednesday, so its five-day Easter weekend gross totaled $190.8 million.)

A $160 million opening for Toy Story 5 would also set a new franchise record for Toy Story opening weekends. Currently, Toy Story 4 holds that crown, with a $120.9 million opening in June of 2019.

Toy Story 5 also came close to breaking three other domestic box office records this weekend: that of Pixar's highest opening weekend, its highest opening day, and the highest opening day for an animated feature. All those titles will continue to belong to The Incredibles 2, which scored a $72.2 million opening day and a $182.6 million opening weekend. Toy Story 5 brought in $71 million on its opening day, making it Pixar's second best domestic opening day ever.

The opening bodes well for the latest film in Pixar's longest-running franchise. Both Toy Story 3 and Toy Story 4 grossed over $1 billion globally, and Toy Story 5 could be on track to hit that milestone as well. If it does, it will join five other Pixar films — all sequels — in the $1 billion club. In addition to the past two Toy Story movies, those sequels are Finding Dory, The Incredibles 2, and Inside Out 2.

Toy Story 5 is now in theaters.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Google Wallet and Samsung Wallet work better together—put both on your Galaxy phone

How-To Geek - Sun, 06/21/2026 - 16:15

If you have an Android phone, you probably use Google Wallet or Samsung Wallet. As a long-time Galaxy user, I've used Samsung Wallet (formerly Samsung Pay) for more than a decade to take advantage of all its conveniences. But that doesn't mean I don't use Google's version too. I actually use both apps because they work better together.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Milwaukee's biggest weakness—and why Ryobi wins every time

How-To Geek - Sun, 06/21/2026 - 16:00

Picking a cordless tool brand feels like it should be simple until you realize the battery you buy first decides everything that comes after it. I learned that the hard way when I priced out a basic kit and saw the gap between Milwaukee and Ryobi up close. Both brands come from the same parent company, but they're built for completely different users and budgets.

Categories: IT General, Technology

I built a bedside AI assistant that reads me the news without touching the cloud

How-To Geek - Sun, 06/21/2026 - 15:45

AI doesn't always have to rely on the cloud. You can use local LLMs for a lot and give them access to information from the internet without having to expose them outside your home network. I built an AI-generated morning news briefing using a local LLM that never touches the cloud.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Don't move your files to a new SSD until you've done these tests first

How-To Geek - Sun, 06/21/2026 - 15:25

Whether you buy expensive SSDs or choose more affordable models (which are also quite expensive right now, let's be real), you probably think that nothing is safer than a new SSD. As in, at no point during the SSD's lifespan will your files be safer than right now, when you just bought it.

Categories: IT General, Technology

The 4 most bloated Microsoft apps in Windows 11 (and what to use instead)

How-To Geek - Sun, 06/21/2026 - 15:00

Technically, an operating system is only the software you need to run your computer and install software that you can use, but Microsoft has been bundling apps with Windows from the start.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Turn long videos into social media clips faster with AI Video Cut (and save 20%)

How-To Geek - Sun, 06/21/2026 - 15:00

The online video world is always chasing new trends, and now it’s all about short-form content. These short, scrollable feed-based videos are the most effective way to grow an audience, but producing them is surprisingly costly and time-consuming.

Categories: IT General, Technology

7 unusual ways to use Claude Cowork that have nothing to do with coding

How-To Geek - Sun, 06/21/2026 - 14:45

Claude users often fall into two camps: those who use it as a chatbot, and those who use it for coding. Claude Cowork can easily end up getting overlooked by both camps. There are plenty of ways you can use Claude Cowork that aren't for coding or typical chatbot conversations.

Categories: IT General, Technology

5 pioneering Linux distros that quietly faded into history

How-To Geek - Sun, 06/21/2026 - 14:33

While some Linux distros have stood the test of time, others have fallen by the wayside, remembered only by their users.

Categories: IT General, Technology

These are the 7 most useful resources every Home Assistant user should know about

How-To Geek - Sun, 06/21/2026 - 14:30

Home Assistant is powerful smart home software that's packed with a huge number of features. There's so much it can do, and so much that you can do with it, that sometimes you might need a little guidance, help, or inspiration. There are some great Home Assistant resources available that you can turn to.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Why I'm buying every DVD I can find (before they're all gone)

How-To Geek - Sun, 06/21/2026 - 14:15

I'm happy to see that people are apparently getting back on the physical media wagon. By some miracle, DVDs and Blu-ray discs have remained in production and are still readily available, but for a while it seemed like the fervor for streaming might kill off physical media for good.

Categories: IT General, Technology

These 6 Linux tools make the classics feel ancient—I use them on every machine

How-To Geek - Sun, 06/21/2026 - 14:00

The traditional Linux tools like nano, man, cat, cd, ls etc. are almost four decades old now. They come from a time when computers had black-and-white screens and less computing power than your phone.

Categories: IT General, Technology

House of the Dragon season 3 returns tonight—here's the most important thing to know

How-To Geek - Sun, 06/21/2026 - 13:45

It's been almost two years since House of the Dragon season 2 ended on a cliffhanger. Tonight, we get answers in theHouse of the Dragon season 3 premiere, which airs at 9 p.m. ET/PT on HBO and streams on HBO Max.

Categories: IT General, Technology
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