Summary In my younger years, I played drums and sang (poorly) in high school rock bands. Performing live was as nerve-wracking as it was electrifying. I’ve longed to feel that surge once again, and nothing has ever gotten me closer than bowing to an enraptured audience inMaestrowith the Meta Quest headset strapped to my face. Stage Delight Without the Stage Fright Maestrois as much a rhythm game where you conduct an orchestra with hand gestures as it is a conductor role-playing simulator....

A proposal to drop all support for 32-bit software in the distant Fedora 44 release has been withdrawn after backlash from the community. If you have critical 32-bit software running on a Fedora instance, you can rest assured an upgrade to version 44 won’t disrupt your experience, at least not for that reason. Earlier in June, several developers behind Fedora Linux put togethera proposalto stop supporting x86 32-bit (i686 specifically) libraries with Fedora 43, before changing the target to Fedora 44....

Summary Outdoor smart lights are a great investment for any home with a garden, driveway, or other outdoor space. They can make your home environment safer and more secure, while also making it more stylish and a more enjoyable place to spend time in the evening. Level-Up Your Security Lighting When we talk about outdoor lighting, the first thought that comes to mind for most of us is security lights. These motion-activated floodlights switch on automatically when someone approaches the home, and are designed to deter thieves....

Quick Links Google has long had a built-in service aptly named “Find My Device” for tracking and locating Android devices. However, thanks in large part to the Apple AirTag, people want to be able to track more than their phones. Google revamped the “Find My Device” service in response—here’s what you need to know. What Is the Find My Device Network? Google’s “Find My Device” network is essentially Android’s version of Apple’s “Find My” network—big surprise....

There is nothing more annoying than relaxing, working, or spending time with friends, only to be interrupted by spam calls and unwanted text messages. It never stops with one, more are bound to come sooner or later. Fortunately, Apple might have the solution as part of the upcoming iOS 26 update, due out in the fall. How Your iPhone Will Protect You From Spam Phone Calls We’ve all been there....

Quick Links Summary Smart blind batteries require replacement or recharging every 6-12 months on average. Some manufacturers offer options that last for years between maintenance. Mostsmart blindson the market aren’t hard-wired but use an internal battery, which begs the question: how often do you have to swap or recharge the batteries in your smart blinds? Battery Maintenance Is Highly User Dependent Just like you have to recharge your phone sooner if you use it a lot, you’ll have to recharge your blinds more frequently if they see heavy use....

Quick Links Have you ever wanted to keep in touch with what your friends and close ones are listening to? Finding and adding friends on Spotify can help you stay updated with their music tastes. Can You Follow Friends on Spotify? Yes, Spotify can be used for more than streaming music. And no, this does not just includepodcastsandaudiobooks. Spotify has many collaboration and social features that help you connect with people....

Summary Talk about long-term testing. It took me over five months to check whetherBellroy’s Bio Phone Casewould actually disintegrate. Surprisingly, when I pulled it out of the ground to check on its status, nothing had changed. It looked like it did when I buried it. Bellroy Bio Phone Case This super slim case protects your phone from the daily grind, and can be fully composted at the end of its life....

Quick Links Google TV is a great platform for streaming content, but there’s one part of it that’s always been divisive: the home screen. Most of the space is taken up by ads masquerading as “recommendations,” and you don’t get much control over it. Thankfully, my complaints have been answered by an app called “Projectivy.” What is Projectivy Launcher? You may be familiar with the fact that it’s possible to swap out the home screen on Android phones withthird-party launchers....

I’m in the process of installing smart light switches in every room of my house. Usually, my family didn’t have strong opinions about my wild tech experiments, but when I put new switches in my kids’ room, they were so overjoyed, I had to ponder why. Smart Switches Can Make a Dull Thing Exciting I decided to go with Tapo light switches for our home because they work with any smart hub, thanks to Matter compatibility that is theentire reason I’m now comfortable making a smart home....

Quick Links Has your iPhone’s touchscreen stopped responding to touch? Everything from dirt to poorly installed screen protectors can interfere with normal touchscreen operation. Here are some simple solutions you can try to resolve the problem. Check if It’s a Minor Software Bug Before investing time in fixing the issue, ensure a minor software glitch hasn’t rendered your iPhone unresponsive. To check for a temporary problem,perform a quick force restart. If force restarting resolves the issue, it’s probably worthmaking sure your iPhone is up to date....

Quick Links As with almost every programming language, JavaScript treats various types of values differently. A string like “Hello world” is very different from a number like 42. But what types are available, and why do they matter? What Are JavaScript’s Data Types? Every value in JavaScript has a type, one of these nine: When working with a value, the language will often check that it has the right type. Depending on the specific case, a value with a different type may be handled automatically, or it may generate an error....

Hang around in the tech world long enough and you’ll hear “check those backups” a lot. Typically they’re referring to data backups, but as I learned this week, you should be checking your battery backups too. The Prep There was a winter storm incoming, and besides stocking up on groceries to prepare, I also made sure all of my backup sources of power were charged. That included my Bluetti power station I’d owned for years and used as my primary means of keeping my phone charged....