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Google Sheets lets you generate charts automatically to create a visually appealing way to convey information. Using charts is a great way to help people retain data a lot easier than looking at a bunch of numbers.

Google Sheets gives you a wide variety of free graphs from which to choose. Whether you want to use a pie chart or something a little more complicated like a radar chart, you won’t be disappointed with the options available.

The first thing you need to do is fire up your Google Sheets homepage and open a new or existing spreadsheet.

If you just opened a new spreadsheet, now would be a good time to insert some data into the cells. After that, click “Insert” and then “Chart.”

From the drop-down list, click the type of chart you want to add. In this example, we are going to use a smooth line chart, but you can choose from 30 different types of charts.

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Samsung/NBC

Things are getting exciting for cord-cutters, especially in the United States. There’s never been more competition, or more options, for users who want to get their live TV over the web. That includes live sports and local TV channels in most markets.

But with all that competition, it can be hard to know which service is the best for you. That’s where we come in. We’ve tested all of the major offerings: YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV, DirecTV NOW, PlayStation Vue, and Sling, and broken down which ones excel in which areas.

We should note that, of course, everyone’s tastes will differ. These services cover a lot of the same channels, but if one offers a channel you can’t live without and the other doesn’t, obviously you shouldn’t take our recommendation and miss out on the shows you want to watch.

Also, be aware that some services don’t have contracts with every local ABC, CBS, Fox, and/or NBC affiliate, and so may not have access to all of your local broadcast channels. The links above all go to the master channel list for each service: use them as a quick aid to your choices.

Luckily the nature of these services is much more consumer-friendly than conventional cable or satellite TV. All of the services in this guide offer free trials for a week or more, and can be cancelled anytime with no punishing contracts or expensive hardware. It’s easy to switch to a different service if you’re unhappy with your first choice—you can even sign up for all of them at the same time, compare them during the free trial period, and cancel all but the one you settle on. And if you’re looking something specifically for a family with kids, be sure to check out our guide to kid-friendly TV services.

But enough preamble: let’s get to the show. Here are our selections for the best live TV services on the web.

The Best Overall Live TV Service: YouTube TV YouTube

At just $40 a month for its single primary package, which includes live local channels and unlimited cloud DVR recording (yes, really unlimited), YouTube TV snags our pick for the best overall card-cutting service. While Sling beats it on price, it’s not nearly so flexible, and its oddball splitting of the low $25 tier will confuse and alienate a lot of users. It helps that YouTube TV also has one of the better user interfaces around, and is available on pretty much every platform you could want it, including Google’s ostensible competitors like Roku, Apple TV, and iPhones.

There are a couple of downsides to YouTube TV. It’s not yet available in every market in the US (and not at all internationally), though it covers the country for something like 90% of prospective users. Google’s original programming is also very lackluster—it tosses in YouTube Red, but that exclusive lineup doesn’t hold a candle to the likes of Hulu. YouTube TV doesn’t include an HBO add-on (though it does have Showtime and Starz), but that content is fairly simple to get on its own.

Even so, for most users who can access it and want a straight-up replacement for cable TV that’s simple and relatively cheap, YouTube TV should be the first place they look.

The Best Live TV Library: Hulu + Live TV Hulu

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A lot of smarthome devices connect via Wi-Fi, which is fine if you only have a handful of them installed. However, if you plan on decking out every room in your home with smarthome gear, be wary of Wi-Fi.

There’s nothing wrong with Wi-Fi-based smarthome devices, but the more you install in your home, the more congested your Wi-Fi network can get. If you’re just starting and are still slowly building up your smarthome, you don’t have anything to worry about yet. However, if you ever plan to add smarts to every switch, outlet, light bulb, and every other device in your house, you may want to use something other than Wi-Fi, and here’s why.

Wi-Fi Has Its Limits

Wi-Fi sure seems like a magical technology with limitless possibilities, but it’s not invincible. It has limitations you should consider.

A Wi-Fi router can theoretically support up to 255 connected client devices. But, even though it’s possible to connect 255 devices to your router, it’s not even close to practical. Not only would all of those devices be competing for bandwidth on your single internet connection, but all of your Wi-Fi devices would be interfering with each other to the point that nothing would get a good wireless connection.

Granted, you’ll probably never get to the point where you have that many devices connected to your home network. But, if you convert every switch, outlet, and light bulb to a Wi-Fi-enabled smart version, you might end up getting very close to hitting that 255 number, depending on the size of your house. And that’s not even counting your phones, laptops, streaming boxes, and more.

Wi-Fi 6 could fix the congestion issue once hardware supporting this new standard appears later in 2019, but you’ll still deal with the device quantity limitation. The fewer devices you have, the better.

Stick to Z-Wave or ZigBee for Lights, Switches, and Outlets

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I’m Friday/Shutterstock 

A new era of free TV is on the horizon, and it promises to bring 4K TV to your phone over-the-air. The FCC began the transition to this new format, called ATSC 3.0, on March 5th, 2018.

Wait a minute. If we started transitioning to ATSC 3.0 a year ago, then why isn’t anyone talking about it? Why can’t we watch broadcast TV on our phones? Why isn’t my local news station in 4K?

What Is ATSC 3.0 and How is it Unique?

When ATSC 1.0 (digital television) was announced 25 years ago, it served as a replacement for analog TV signals, and it began the HDTV revolution. Now, the Advanced Television Systems Committee is implementing ATSC 3.0, a new broadcast standard that promises to drag 4K into the mainstream and to bring free TV to our phones and cars.

This is the first major update to broadcast TV in 25 years. The Advanced Television Systems Committee planned a transition to ATSC 2.0 in 2010 or 2011, but the project became outdated during development, so it was scrapped. As a result, we’re skipped right from ATSC 1.0 to ATSC 3.0.

As you can imagine, ATSC 3.0 is meant to bring broadcast TV into the present. The format supports 4K, 3D, UHD, and high-quality audio, which will hopefully help 4K supersede HDTV. Like traditional broadcast TV, ATSC 3.0 works over the air, but it also works in tandem with internet connections (including mobile connections, like 5G) to create a broadcast/broadband hybrid stream.

ATSC 3.0 utilizes the OFDM, QAM and QPSK encoding methods, which provides a lot more flexibility than the fixed 8VBS encoding method utilized by ATSC 1.0. Do you know how Netflix lowers your video quality when your internet connection is slow or weak? Yeah, these encoding methods are meant to mimic that process. When your TV or phone has a poor connection to an ATSC 3.0 broadcast source, the video’s quality will be reduced, but it will keep playing smoothly.

This latest standard also uses a new form of Ghost Cancellation technology, which essentially prevents two TV transmissions from interfering with one another. This allows broadcasters to utilize multiple transmission sources (TV towers) in a small area, which will provide the coverage that’s needed for phones and cars to maintain a stable signal.

ATSC 3.0 Uses the Internet for Targeted Content

The Advanced Television Systems Committee has big plans for ATSC 3.0. But a lot of these new ideas require a little help from the internet because they all stem from one familiar concept—targeted content. Broadcast TV is a one-way signal, and for targeted content to work, broadcasters need a two-way signal. The internet just happens to fit the bill.

Right now, broadcasters rely on 3rd parties, like Nielsen, to survey who’s watching what channels. Broadcasters use these surveys to formulate airing schedules and to optimize ad revenue. But once ATSC 3.0 is fully adopted, broadcasters will know a lot more about their viewers. Without any help from companies like Nielsen, broadcasters will know your age, your location, when you’re watching TV, and what you’re watching on TV.

Zodiacphoto/Shutterstock

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Map Makers Include What Device To Identify Their Maps In Lawsuits?

1. Ultraviolet Ink
2. Watermarks
3. Paper Towns
4. Micro Text in the Compass Rose

Think you know the answer?

Robert McGillivray

Linus Torvalds just released version 5.0 of the Linux kernel, codenamed “Shy Crocodile”. Linux 5.0 includes Google’s new encryption tech as well as support for AMD FreeSync, Raspberry Pi touch screens, and more goodies.

Linux 5.0 arrived on March 3, 2019. As Linus explained back in January on the Linux Kernel Mailing List (LKML,) this isn’t really a huge release:

The numbering change is not indicative of anything special. If you want to have an official reason, it’s that I ran out of fingers and toes to count on, so 4.21 became 5.0…. There isn’t any major particular feature that made for the release numbering either. Of course, depending on your particular interests, some people might well find a feature _they_ like so much that they think it can do as a reason for incrementing the major number.

So go wild. Make up your own reason for why it’s 5.0.

You do have quite a few reasons to choose from. OMG Ubuntu has a good summary of the most interesting ones:

• Linux’s file-system level encryption (fscrypt) now offers built-in support for Adiantum, Google’s new speedy encryption technology for low-end phones and lightweight Internet of Things (IoT) devices. You can use this technology on your Linux desktop with file systems like EXT4 and F2FS (Flash-Friendly File System.)
• For gamers, Linux 5.0 now has built-in support for AMD FreeSync, which provides adaptive refresh rates—in other words, it lets the computer control the display’s refresh rate on the fly. This requires both AMD Radeon hardware and a display that supports FreeSync.
• The Raspberry Pi Foundation offers an official 7-inch touchscreen monitor. This latest Linux kernel provides built-in support for this hardware, which will make things easier for Raspberry Pi enthusiasts.

Linux 5.0 also offers support for other new hardware devices, from NVIDIA Turing GPUs to the shortcut keys on Lenovo ThinkPad and Asus laptops.

RELATED: Google Created Faster Encryption for Low-End Android Phones and IoT Devices

If you’re a Linux user, you probably don’t manually download and compile your own kernel. Instead, you’ll get Linux 5.0 when it’s offered by your Linux distribution. For example, Linux 5.0 will likely appear in the next release of Ubuntu, Ubuntu 19.04 “Disco Dingo,” which is scheduled for release on April 18, 2019.

No one would like to upload raw GoPro footages to YouTube if he or she knows how to make videos more attractive through post-editing. Don’t think of video editing as a thing that only professional video editors can do. Actually, it isn’t as difficult as you imagine. There’re quite a lot of newbie-friendly video programs that make it easy for anyone to edit and process GoPro videos. In this post, we will introduce two pieces of well-rated GoPro video software for beginners and also two for advanced users.

1. VideoProc

Pros: VideoProc is a lightweight, easy-to-use, feature-rich, and reasonably priced program. It is a good choice for beginners. This tool can make video processing work right, even if it is installed on a low-end computer. Fully supporting Intel/NVIDIA/AMD hardware acceleration, it can transcode and process GoPro videos including large 4K HEVC files at fast speed.

Cons: The editing features VideoProc offers are not enough for power users.

Overview: VideoProc is a piece of multifunctional video processing software compatible with Windows and Mac. Generally, it does video converting, audio converting, DVD digitizing, video downloading, screen/webcam recording, and also video editing.

VideoProc comes with several options specially designed for GoPro users, namely, stabilizing shaky GoPro videos, reducing background noise, and correcting fisheye lens distortion. Apart from them, there’re many other useful features that GoPro users will love.

It can change GoPro video format, from HEVC to H.264 for instance, downscale or upscale video resolution, cut off unwanted parts, split a long GoPro footage into small pieces, merge multiple video clips into a single one file, increase the brightness of videos which you shoot in low light conditions, and more. In addition, VideoProc can troubleshoot some errors, such as “GoPro Quik won’t play video“, by compressing and converting video.

2. Quik for Desktop

Pros: You don’t need to spend a penny to use its features.

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Apple’s Shortcuts app is as powerful as you want to make it, and it can do some incredible things if you know how to wrangle it. You can also use it for some super simple things, like searching a website for text.

If you find yourself needing to search a website for something regularly, then you’re no doubt familiar with the site search operator. Head to Google—or use the address bar—and enter “site:nameofsite.com keywords” to search that site. Searching the How-To Geek website for Shortcuts, for example, would require “site:howtogeek.com shortcuts” and you’ll be rewarded with the results.

It isn’t a complicated process, but it’s cumbersome to type out every time. That brings us to Shortcuts. And don’t worry, if you want to skip to the end and download the shortcut, that’s fine, too.

How to Create a Shortcut to Search a Website

As Shortcuts go, this one’s pretty simple. It consists of two variables and a text box, and it needs just four actions to function.

To get started, open Shortcuts and tap the little “+” icon at the top-right of the screen.

Next, search for “Ask for Input” and tap it. Do this twice to create two actions.

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Windows 10 PCs running the October 2018 Update are now getting improved Spectre fixes. This should speed up many PCs Microsoft slowed down with January 2018’s Spectre patches. This improvement, named “Retpoline,” was originally scheduled for Windows 10’s next update.

Technical information about how Google’s “Retpoline” works is available, but you don’t need to sweat the details. When implemented in Windows, it means the operating system can protect against Spectre attacks without a noticeable performance penalty.

We previously wrote that Spectre fix-related speedups would arrive with the forthcoming Windows 10’s April 2019 Update, also called 19H1. Now, Microsoft is slowly enabling this feature on current Windows 10 PCs—as long as they’re running the October 2018 Update. This is the first time these patches have been available on a stable version of Windows.

This change arrived in Windows update KB4482887, released on March 1, 2019. However, this only enables the new Retpoline feature “on certain devices.” As Microsoft’s Retpoline blog post explains:

Over the coming months, we will enable Retpoline as part of phased rollout via cloud configuration. Due to the complexity of the implementation and changes involved, we are only enabling Retpoline performance benefits for Windows 10, version 1809 and later releases.

In other words, Microsoft will slowly enable Retpoline on small amounts of PCs at a time, ensuring it works properly—that’s the “phased rollout.” And it will only be enabled on your PC if you’ve upgraded to Windows 10’s October 2018 Update.

All PCs will get this improvement when they upgrade to the April 2019 Update according to Microsoft’s Mehmet Iyigun.

Today, we're starting our phased roll out of Retpoline performance optimization for Spectre variant 2 mitigations to Windows 10 1809. As we've shared before, Windows 10 19H1 will ship with Retpoline enabled by default.https://t.co/qCloXzDzWk#retpoline #spectre #windows

— Mehmet Iyigun (@mamyun) March 1, 2019

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heisenburgphotos/Shutterstock

Look, we love 2FA (two-factor authentication) and want everyone to use it. But SMS-based 2FA isn’t the best choice, and now it’s even worse on Facebook because once enabled, it allows people to find you using your phone number.

Back in the day, anyone could jump on Facebook and do a phone number search to find who specific people. If you had your phone number on your Facebook account, then you’d pop up with that search. But back in April of last year, this feature was removed in an effort to keep private data private (though apparently searching phone numbers still works in Messenger).

But now it’s been discovered that if you use your phone number for SMS-based 2FA Facebook is using this to help people find you. While the phone number search function is still disabled, if you’re in someone’s contacts on their phone and upload that list, you’ll show up as a potential connection. Gross.

Honestly, that’s such a load of crap. If the only reason you’re giving Facebook your phone number is to increase the security of your account and it’s in turn used to leverage more contact information, then that’s a big issue—one that wouldn’t exist if Facebook wasn’t so damn shady with your data. It’s pretty disgusting.

To add insult to injury, there’s no way to opt-out of this, either. You can help limit it by heading into Facebook Settings > Privacy and setting the “who can look you up using the phone number you provided” option to “Friends,” which is the most private option available. It’s a band-aid at best.

Otherwise, you’re left with a few choices: you could deactivate your Facebook account, which a lot of people simply aren’t willing to do; you could stop using 2FA, which we don’t recommend at all; or you could use another form of 2FA. If you don’t want to disable your account, then the latter option is by far the best. Keep in mind, however, that the damage has probably been done—your phone number is stored. This may not change a thing. Still, moving to a better security method that doesn’t involve your phone number is never a bad idea.

There are plenty of authenticator apps out there, but we’re big fans of Authy. It uses the same familiar code-based system that you’re used to using with SMS-based authentication, but instead of getting a text message with your code, you just fire up the Authy app and pull the code from there. We have an excellent guide to help you get started with Authy if this is your first time using it.

RELATED: How to Set Up Authy for Two-Factor Authentication (and Sync Your Codes Between Devices)

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kontrymphoto/Shutterstock

Have you just learned the difference between USB Gen 1, Gen 2, and Gen 2×2? Well, get ready to throw all of that out because the USB Implementors Forums (USB-IF) just announced USB 4 and it will trump them all.

USB moves fast, both in a “transferring your data” sense and in a “the standards have changed again” sense. The USB-IF just recently announced new naming schemes for USB 3.2, the latest USB spec that promises data transfer speeds up to 20 Gbps. But as fast as USB 3.2 is, Thunderbolt 3, a three-year-old USB standard, boasts twice the speed at 40 Gbps. USB 4 will change that by offering the same speeds.

Thunderbolt was Proprietary and Expensive

If you’re wondering why Thunderbolt 3 doesn’t already dominate the USB field, the answer is cost. Intel created Thunderbolt 3, and anyone who wants to use it (whether it be a flash drive, the port in your laptop, or a cable) has to pay a royalty feed to gain certification. That fee means the price of anything related to Thunderbolt goes up, and other USB specs remain cheaper by comparison. That’s why you’ll find Thunderbolt in your premium MacBook but not in a $300 laptop. The cost is prohibitive, and that’s just one reason why not all USB-C is the same.

But Intel wants a wider adoption of Thunderbolt, and in pursuit of that announced it would open up the spec. USB 4 came out of that drive. According to the USB Promotor Group, USB 4 will offer the same speed as Thunderbolt through the use of two 20 Gbps channels. High speeds like this will make running external displays and external graphics cards more feasible and, without those royalty fees, less expensive. And as usual, USB 4 will be backward compatibility with USB 3.2, USB 2.0. However, because of the of Intel’s technology, USB 4 will also be backwards compatible with Thunderbolt 3.

Another benefit should be the cost of USB 4 devices. Since creating USB 4 won’t require a paying a royalty fee to Intel, the overall cost of USB 4 products should be lower than Thunderbolt 3 devices.

Keep in mind though, obtaining these speeds means a refresh of all hardware. It’s not enough to have a USB flash drive capable of 40 Gbps, the port you plug it into also to needs to match that capability. If you plug a USB 4 drive into a USB 3.2 2×2 drive, you’ll be limited to the port’s top speed (and visa-versa).

This Is Just a Draft Spec With Basic Information

Unfortunately, what we don’t know is…anything else. For instance, Intel says it will continue offering Thunderbolt 3 alongside USB 4, so it stands to reason it will provide benefits that USB 4 does not, what those benefits are have been left unsaid.

We also don’t know when we’ll see the first USB 4 products. Finalized specifications for the USB 4 standard won’t come until the middle of the year, at the soonest, and only from there should manufacturers start creating USB 4 products.

And the other thing we don’t know? The final naming. If you’re hoping it will be called USB 4, don’t hold your breath. Naming often comes later, as seen with USB 3.2 2×2, which the USB-IF initially referred to as USB 3.2. But when all those details are sorted out, and the dust settles, it may be possible that the long promise of ‘one port to rule them all’ with USB-C may finally come true.

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Moen

Many people rely on an invigorating shower to start their day… but you might be let down by that 20-year-old shower head. Upgrading to a new one is one of the quickest, easiest, and rental-friendly ways to improve your bathroom. Here are the best choices, depending on your needs.

Note that fixture suppliers made dozens or even hundreds of different models of shower head, based on features, metal finish, flow rate (expressed in GPM, gallons per minute), and attachment style. If the choice below doesn’t fit your shower or your décor, use the brand and the model name to do a quick search—-odds are excellent you can find something similar to fit your specific needs.

The Best Overall Shower Head: Kohler Bancroft 3-Spray Multifunction ($78) Kohler

For most buyers, this Kohler model will cover all the features they want and fit easily within a home improvement budget. The Kohler Bancroft 3-Spray Multifunction model does what it says on the box, with a fixed installation point and three spray settings easily chosen with a turn of the head.

It can handle plumbing pressure of up to 2.5 gallons per minute and comes in four different finishes to match the rest of your fixtures. A stainless finished and specialized spray face will keep corrosion and hard water buildup to a minimum.

Buy Now Best Handheld Shower Head: Delta SureDock 7-Spray ($98) Delta

If you prefer a shower that you can direct precisely, the Delta SureDock is an excellent choice. It docks at the head instead of the base, allowing for a conventional shower setup with no unwieldy aiming.

When you’re ready to go handheld, pop it off the head and use the generous 72-inch hose to clean everywhere. The adjustable head includes six different spray modes (with two dedicated to deep shampoo washes), plus a “pause” button if you need to take a quick break for shaving or nailing that Meatloaf solo.

Buy on Amazon Best Budget Shower Head: Delta Faucet 2-spray Shower Head ($22) Delta

For home improvement projects that need to be fast and cheap, this Delta design handles both. For just twenty-two dollars you get a no-nonsense design that still manages to have two spray settings and polymer nozzle points for low buildup and easy cleaning.

If you’re renovating, most homes can replace every shower in the place with this design in under an hour and under a hundred bucks, and it comes with the same lifetime warranty you’d get on more expensive models.

Buy on Amazon Best Waterfall Shower Head: Moen Velocity Two-Function 8-inch Rainshower ($189) Moen

“Waterfall” showers are a bit of a trend in newer homes. This Moen model gives you the low-pressure, wide-angle coverage that you’re looking for, with a simple design and silicone nozzles for easy cleaning. Though many waterfall head designs aren’t adjustable, this one is, allowing for more pressure than similarly trendy designs. The head comes in four different finishes to match other fixtures, which is probably important to you if you’re looking to modernize your bathroom.

Buy on Amazon Best High-Pressure Shower Head: Speakman Icon Ansystream Signature Brass Icon S-2252 ($68) Speakman

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BestBuy

Premium Chromebooks are great for work or play. They’re reliable, powerful, and affordable. That’s why BestBuy’s HP x360 deal is so hard to ignore.

If you’ve been in the market for a premium Chromebook, now’s your chance to make a move. BestBuy is selling an HP Chromebook x360 for just $500, which is a $100 discount. The 2-in-1 laptop is also bundled with a Google Home Mini, which is a $50 value.

There are a lot of low-end Chromebooks on the market but don’t worry, the HP x360 is pretty powerful. It’ll get you through an intense work day, and it’ll take the hassle out of your late night Netflix sessions. The x360 is loaded with 8 GB of RAM, 64 GB of internal storage (more than enough for a Chromebook), and an Intel Core i3 processor. It has a 13.5-hour battery life, a 14″ touch screen, and a 360-degree hinge—it can be bent backwards into a tablet.

The Google Home Mini may seem like an odd product to bundle with a laptop, but Chromebooks work really well in the Google Home environment. The x360 can be used to control your Google Assistant, and it’s optimized to pair with devices like the Chromecast.

This is a great little deal, but it won’t last forever. Be sure to scoop it up before it’s gone.

Buy at BestBuy

Amazon

You can take the Nintendo Switch anywhere, but it’s best on the big screen. Luckily, Amazon is offering Switch docks at a discount, so you can install a Switch dock in every room of your house.

Right now, Amazon is selling the Nintendo Switch Dock Set for just $65. That may sound like a lot of money, but this set usually costs $90. (If you’re asking yourself if it’s worth paying the Nintendo-first-party premium tax for this, consider the console-bricking issues some Switch owners have had with third-party docks).

With this set, you get a Nintendo Switch dock (duh), an HDMI cable, and a power brick. Yes, this set is identical to the set that comes with the Nintendo Switch console.

This is a great opportunity to grab a Nintendo Switch dock for an extra TV in your house. Imagine, you could start playing the Switch on the 40″ TV in your bedroom, and move to the 60″ in the living room when you want a change of atmosphere.

If you’re interested in buying some extra Switch docks, do it soon. Good deals like this tend to get scooped up by gamers. But don’t worry, you can always grab a stand and play with the Switch’s puny screen like its a TV.

Buy on Amazon

PowerPoint can automatically resize an image to fit a shape. You can also resize multiple images already in your presentation to all be the same size. Here’s how it works.

Automatically Size an Image to Fit a Shape

First, go ahead and open a new PowerPoint presentation and insert a new slide that has a content box in it. You can do so by clicking “New Slide” on the “Insert” tab and selecting one of the slide templates. We’ll choose “Title and Content” in this example. You can also insert a content box or shape into any existing slide.

Next, resize the content box by clicking and dragging the corners.

Once you’re happy with the size, click the “Pictures” icon.

Located the image you want and click “Insert.”

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autovector / Shutterstock (and Microsoft)

Many PC and Mac games treat the keyboard as a first-class citizen and have poor support for game controllers. You can remap your controller buttons to keyboard key presses to get around this limitation.

You’ll lose some analog input—for example, the joysticks will just function as arrow keys that are on or off without the usual range of sensitivity—but for some games, that’s not a huge issue.

If you’re just looking to play Steam games with a controller, Steam already has great built-in tools for remapping controllers in its Big Picture Mode and will be a much easier solution than anything else listed here. For use system-wide or in non-Steam games, you’ll need a third party application.

RELATED: How to Remap Xbox, PlayStation, and Other Controller Buttons in Steam

Connect Your Controller

This step is obvious, but with so many kinds of controllers on the market, it can be a challenge to get them working correctly, especially on macOS. We have a comprehensive guide for most mainstream controllers that you can reference if you’re having issues, but most current-gen controllers will be plug and play on Windows and macOS. Last-gen and earlier controllers may need custom drivers and a bit of setup.

RELATED: How to Connect Any Console Game Controller to a Windows PC or Mac

You can make sure the controller is connected by opening up the “Devices” tab in Window’s settings. Head to Settings > Devices > Bluetooth & Other Devices and look under “Other Devices.”

On macOS, you can usually find USB controllers in the “System Information” app, under “USB.” Bluetooth controllers should show up in the Bluetooth menu in the top menubar.

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Flamingo Images/Shutterstock

Becoming a new parent is an amazing (and exhausting) experience. Your priorities change overnight and that includes how you spend your time and money. Here’s a selection of subscription boxes for new parents that will help cut back your shopping list a little, as well as provide you with plenty of useful and fun bits and pieces.

Your child is an individual so we’ve looked at different subscription boxes for different needs. Whether you’re encouraging your little one to listen to stories from a young age, or you simply need diapers to arrive on a regular basis, there’s a subscription box here for you. There’s something for everyone.

Here’s our pick of subscription boxes for new parents and caregivers.

Best Overall: Bluum ($34 a month) Bluum

Bluum is the go-to place for if you want a subscription box that grows with your pregnancy and your child. Each month, you’re sent at least four items that are relevant to your family. The products are curated specifically for your child’s age and development stage, so there’s no waste here. For instance, a box for an 8-month-old may contain play blocks, a sleeved bib, and essential oils to help your child sleep; while a toddler box contains a mixture of books and wooden toys to keep your kiddo captivated. In all cases, a retail value of over $45 is guaranteed.

Bluum costs $34 a month with it possible to cancel any time that suits you. You’re not tied into a contract. It’s an appealing way of enjoying a few treats you might not ordinarily track down, without the hassle of a financial commitment.

Subscribe to Bluum Best For Books: Lillypost ($16-20 a month) Lillypost

Reading regularly to your child is one of the best things you can do for them. It helps you bond with each other, as well as teaches them the value of learning and reading. Your child is never too young to read to. Subscribe to Lillypost and you won’t run out of options either. The service offers books for kids from newborn to 7 years old. Simply select your child’s age and you get 4 board books or 3 picture books each month.

Past books have included traditional favorites like Dear Zoo, Where’s Spot, as well as newer delights like 5 Minute Disney and Pixar Stories.

Subscriptions cost varying amounts depending on your commitment. A rolling month by month subscription costs $19.95 per month with that price dropping to $15.95 per month for a 12-month subscription. Whichever plan you go with, it’s a bargain for the number of books you receive. Each box has an average retail value between $25 and $50. Lillypost also donates one book to a child in need for every box sold.

Subscribe to Lillypost Best For The Environment: Ecocentric Mom ($32.99 per month) Ecocentric Mom

You want the best for your child, right? That includes wanting the best world for them to grow up in. It’s easy for some subscription boxes to be a little heavy on waste but that’s far from the case with Ecocentric Mom. Each month, you get a selection of organic and eco-friendly products for both mom and baby. Boxes are customized for every month of pregnancy as well as your baby’s development up to the age of two.

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Microsoft says Windows 10 is a “service,” and the company updates it frequently with security patches, bug fixes, and new features. Updates normally happen automatically in the background, so let’s demystify that: Here’s what Windows is installing and when.

How Often Does Windows 10 Check for Updates?

Windows 10 checks for updates once per day. It does this automatically in the background. Windows doesn’t always check for updates at the same time every day, varying its schedule by a few hours to ensure Microsoft’s servers aren’t overwhelmed by an army of PCs checking for updates all at once.

If Windows finds any updates, it downloads and installs them automatically.

While Windows 10 does check for updates once per day, that doesn’t mean it’s installing them every day. Microsoft doesn’t release Windows Updates every day, so Windows Update will often find no updates available and not install anything.

Definition Updates Arrive Multiple Times Per Day

Microsoft’s Windows Defender application, now known as Windows Security, is an antimalware (antivirus) application built into Windows 10. It runs automatically in the background and protects your PC. If you install a different antivirus, the built-in Windows antivirus disables itself and lets your antivirus of choice work.

Like all security applications, Microsoft’s antivirus needs regular definition updates, so it can identify and catch the latest discovered malware. These updates are small, quick, and don’t require a reboot. You won’t even notice your PC is installing them unless you open the Windows Update page in Settings and are keeping an eye on it.

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While the way CPUs work may seem like magic, it’s the result of decades of clever engineering. As transistors—the building blocks of any microchip—shrink to microscopic scales, the way they are produced grows ever more complicated.

Photolithography J. Robert Williams / Shutterstock

Transistors are now so impossibly small that manufacturers can’t build them using normal methods. While precision lathes and even 3D printers can make incredibly intricate creations, they usually top out at micrometer levels of precision (that’s about one thirty-thousandth of an inch) and aren’t suitable for the nanometer scales at which today’s chips are built.

Photolithography solves this issue by removing the need to move complicated machinery around very precisely. Instead, it uses light to etch an image onto the chip—like a vintage overhead projector you might find in classrooms, but in reverse, scaling the stencil down to the desired precision.

The image is projected onto a silicon wafer, which is machined to very high precision in controlled laboratories, as any single speck of dust on the wafer could mean losing out on thousands of dollars. The wafer is coated with a material called a photoresist, which responds to the light and is washed away, leaving an etching of the CPU that can be filled in with copper or doped to form transistors. This process is then repeated many times, building up the CPU much like a 3D printer would build up layers of plastic.

The Issues With Nano-Scale Photolithography

It doesn’t matter if you can make the transistors smaller if they don’t actually work, and nano-scale tech runs into a lot of issues with physics. Transistors are supposed to stop the flow of electricity when they’re off, but they’re becoming so small that electrons can flow right through them. This is called quantum tunneling and is a massive problem for silicon engineers.

Defects are another problem. Even photolithography has a cap on its precision. It’s analogous to a blurry image from the projector; it’s not quite as clear when blown up or shrunk down. Currently, foundries are trying to mitigate this effect by using “extreme” ultraviolet light, a much higher wavelength than humans can perceive, using lasers in a vacuum chamber. But the problem will persist as the size gets smaller.

Defects can sometimes be mitigated with a process called binning—if the defect hits a CPU core, that core is disabled, and the chip is sold as a lower end part. In fact, most lineups of CPUs are manufactured using the same blueprint, but have cores disabled and sold at a lower price. If the defect hits the cache or another essential component, that chip may have to be thrown out, resulting in a lower yield and more expensive prices. Newer process nodes, like 7nm and 10nm, will have higher defect rates and will be more expensive as a result.

RELATED: What Do “7nm” and “10nm” Mean for CPUs, and Why Do They Matter?

Packaging it Up MchlSkhrv / Shutterstock

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Billboard Magazine, Now A Music Publication, Was Once The Magazine Of Record For Whom?

1. Doctors
2. Telegraph Operators
3. Stock Brokers
4. Circus Performers

Think you know the answer?