Coming from Windows, file extensions on Linux and Mac OS X can seem a bit strange. The operating system seems to know what files are without relying on the file extension — it does this using MIME types. MIME types are now known as “Internet Media Types.” MIME types were originally created for email — “MIME” stands for Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions — but they’ve expanded to other uses....
What’s New on the 2020 13-inch MacBook Pro? While Apple isn’t pitching it as such, it helps to think of the 2020, 13-inch MacBook Pro as two different versions. The low-end version starts at $1,299 and has the same processor and internals as the outgoing 2018 model, except for double the storage (256 GB). All models get the new scissor mechanism Magic Keyboard, with a physical Escape key and inverted “T” arrow keys....
Now that you’ve learned how to take beautiful photographs, you can learn how to use Photoshop, GIMP, Paint.NET, and other editing programs to edit and enhance your images and photos, along with learning some general terminology and information. Using Photoshop, GIMP, or Paint.NET Photoshop is a very popular photo or image editing program, and GIMP and Paint.NET are very good free alternatives to Photoshop. The following articles show you many different techniques and tricks for editing photos and creating images using these three programs....
The following gift guide includes gifts for the geeks in your life and gifts for geeks to give those that appreciate their geeky nature. Our methodology for picking Valentine’s-related gifts focused on gifts that were either traditional Valentine’s day gifts with a geek-slant or a nod to an aspect of geek culture. Read on to check out the geektacular pickings we mined the internet to unearth. Wallpaper available for download here....
This year, How-To Geek’s own Justin was on-site at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, where every gadget manufacturer shows off their latest creations, and he was able to sit down and get hands-on with most of them. Here’s the ones that just didn’t make the cut. Make sure you also read our Best of CES 2011 post, where we cover the greatest gadgets that we found. Keep reading to take a look at the best of the worst products, that might have initially appeared good but showed their true colors after we spent some time with them....
Every week we look at fascinating facts and trivia from the history of Geekdom. This week we’re taking a look at The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Compact Discs, and Whirlwind, the first computer to foreshadow modern operating systems. The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy Appears on the BBC In 1978, this week in history on the BBC’s Radio 4, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy first entertained listeners across the British Isles with tales of misplaced Englishman Arthur Dent and his inter-galactic exploits....
Alexa’s new “Brief Mode” makes her a bit less chatty when responding to commands. Here’s exactly what Brief Mode does and how you can turn it on and off. RELATED: How to Use Alexa’s New Follow-Up Commands Update: To access Brief Mode options, open the Alexa app on your phone and head to menu > Settings > Alexa Account > Alexa Voice Responses. You’ll see a “Brief Mode” switch here, which you can tap to toggle Bried Mode on and off....
Podman is a container engine that’s compatible with the OCI Containers specification. Podman is part of RedHat Linux, but can also be installed on other distributions. As it’s OCI-compliant, Podman can be used as a drop-in replacement for the better-known Docker runtime. Most Docker commands can be directly translated to Podman commands. Here’s a look at how the two runtimes stack up. What’s a Runtime? To a lot of people, a “container” is still a “Docker container....
HTG readers are serious about beating back SPAM. While some readers such as TechGeek01 took a fairly laid back approach to junk mail: For other readers it was outright war. ArchersCall uses a system of layers and whitelists: Layers and obfuscation were a common technique deployed by readers to cut down on SPAM. Many readers, perhaps in a bid to avoid that level of investment in their anti-SPAM measures, turned to commercial tools....
Earlier this week we asked you to share your multi-monitor workspace tips and tricks. Now we’re back with a roundup of helpful reader comments and awesome photos. Photo by A.D. Wheeler (Flickr/HTG Comment). Your comments covered everything from software and hardware choices, to physical arrangements, to extra tips on tweaking monitors and squeezing out extra functionality from peripheral devices like unused iPads. Read on as we take a look at what you use and how you use it....
Christmas was good to many of you and now you’ve got all sorts of tech questions related to your holiday spoils. Come on in and we’ll clear up how to squeeze more life out of your iPad, resize all those photos, and sync massive music collections to mobile devices. Once a week we dip into our reader mailbag and help readers solve their problems, sharing the useful solutions with you in the process....
In Windows 8 there is no obvious way of checking how much space each Metro app is taking up–the option is actually hidden away in PC settings, read on to find out how to access it. Viewing the Size of Metro Apps Press the Windows + I keyboard combination and choose Change PC settings. When the new Control Panel opens, head into the General section. Scroll down on the right-hand side until you see the View app sizes button, then click on it....
Have you noticed your usually speedy Firefox browser slowing down, or even crashing on you? Unnecessary plugins, extensions, and even browsing data can slow your browser down to a crawl, or make it crash. Here’s how to fix it. We’ll show you how to speed up Firefox by disabling plugins and extensions and clearing the browsing data. Image by cindy47452 Disabling Plugins Plugins help Firefox manage internet content such as Flash, Silverlight, Java, and Office, and there are probably many installed plugins you don’t need....
Today’s Question & Answer session comes to us courtesy of SuperUser—a subdivision of Stack Exchange, a community-drive grouping of Q&A web sites. The Question SuperUser reader Kyle Cronin wants to know if such email obfuscation techniques are worth the hassle: Given that it’s a hassle for the actual humans you’re trying to communication with (and potentially not much of a hassle for the harvester bots you’re trying to avoid) it’s worth digging deeper to find out if the techniques are really effective....
Once a week we dip into the reader mailbag and share some helpful tips. Today we’re looking at Android TXT messaging from your desktop, indexing offline storage volumes, and adding iOS-style folders to your Android homescreen. Desktop-based Text Messaging Nick writes in with a favorite time saving tip: If you’re only looking to work with text messages and not control other apps and features on your Android phone it certainly looks like a solid solution....
Viewing the permissions of each installed Android app requires digging through the Manage Applications screen and examining each app one by one — or does it? aSpotCat takes an inventory of the apps on your system and the permissions they require. Permissions matter. Paying attention to them keeps malicious apps at bay, safeguards your privacy and protects your phone bill from unauthorized charges. How Permissions Work Android requires each app ask for permissions to do things like send SMS messages, access your device’s storage or use the network connection....
Eric Wolfram’s guide over at AcousticsFREQ details the why and where of panel deployment, how to pick the right core and cover material for your panels, and walks you through constructing the actual panels. It’s an interesting read, thanks to Eric’s in-depth knowledge of the subject, even if you’re not planning on rushing out to build the panels this weekend. Hit up the link below for the full guide....
How Does This Work? Technically, you don’t need any sort of integration on your website. Cryptocurrencies aren’t like credit cards. They’re actually more like digital cash and have built-in payment and wallet systems. So, you could just have people send payments directly to your wallet, similar to paying in cash at a brick-and-mortar store. However, that’s messy, and it would be nicer to have a complete checkout system easily integrated on your site so that users can check out quickly and receive their products immediately....
Changing the letter of a drive is easy on Windows 10 and Windows 11, but you should do it as soon as you add the drive to prevent future hassles. Find out how to change a drive letter here. What Changing a Drive Letter Does Windows assigns drive letters alphabetically — starting with C — when they’re initialized. If you want to change a drive letter, you should do it before you install anything on the drive....
Clearing your browser cache is made easily accessible in the desktop version of Internet Explorer, however, in the Metro version it is a little bit more hidden. Read on to find out more. Clearing Your Browser Cache in the Metro Version of Internet Explorer Press the Windows key to switch over to the Start Screen, and launch Internet Explorer. Once it has opened, press the Windows + C keyboard combination to bring up the Charms bar, and click on the Settings charm....
