Summary While it doesn’t feature that prominently in computer hardware advertising anymore, CPU (and GPU) clock speed is still an important factor to understand. For various reasons, the number alone doesn’t tell you much, but in some cases a higher clock speed can be the deciding factor when picking your parts. Meet the CPU “Clock” Inside a processor is a component known as a “clock generator”. This generates an electronic pulse at a specific frequency, which synchronizes the processes of the processor as a whole....

Quick Links What defines a PC has changed substantially over the course of my life. They’ve drastically changed shape and size, but until I bought my most recent one, they were all at least vaguely similar. Now my concept of a PC has been completely turned on its head. PCs Can Be Laptops The first computer I owned was a second-hand Dell laptop with a dead battery and a dial-up modem....

Quick Links Summary SD card storage has drastically expanded from the 32 megabytes of 1999 to today’s 1.5 terabytes. While technology may further increase this to a theoretical 128 terabytes, economic and practical constraints make this unlikely soon. Meanwhile, shifts to integrated and cloud storage solutions, alongside new physical formats like XQD and CFexpress cards, could represent the future of data storage. In Johnny Mnemonic the eponymous cyberpunk courier has difficulty fitting 320GB of data in his head in the “future” of 2021....

Summary New games represent a big commitment in time and money, which is where game reviews can help. Though they can be a good metric for gauging popular opinions, they aren’t tailored to your own tastes. As such, I often find myself enjoying games that do not have universal praise. It Depends On How Low the Scores Are Generally, a game receiving almost universally low scores across every outlet is a good warning to steer clear....

Summary The new Rich Communications Services (RCS) standard that Apple and Google have finally adopted goes a long way towards fixing the incompatibility between their built-in messaging tools. But the RCS standard doesn’t solve all of these problems, and there’s still work to be done. Texting Has Always Been Complicated kyrien/Shutterstock.com In the early days of cell phones, each carrier used one of two cell tower communication protocols: GSM and CDMA....

Summary Smart home doorbells are awesome in general, but they are a pain to wire up. Which is why I prefer to use my Ring doorbell on battery power. That means having to charge it every few months, but with a solar attachment, I almost never need to plug it in. It Dramatically Extends Battery Life First off, it is possible to run a smart doorbell onsolar powerindefinitely. As long as the solar panel supplies enough power to maintain the charge in the battery, then the doorbell will keep working....

It’s Father’s Day weekend, which means there’s no better time to kick back with your dad (and your family) with a good movie, andNetflixhas tons. I’ve pulled together this list of father-centric family movies, ranging from comedies, dramas, comedy-dramas, animations, and even stand-up specials, that you may watch with your dad for some quality time. And even if your dad nods off on the couch two minutes in, these Netflix picks are good family movies, too, so you can let the man sleep and still have a good time....

When using the Linux terminal, we often make mistakes. At other times, tasks feel just plain tedious. Fortunately, there are many terminal tricks that help you amend those mistakes and perform the tedious tasks easily. Let’s explore some of those tricks in this guide. 13Run the Previous Command With sudo We’ve all been there. You type a command, hit Enter, and get a “Permission denied” message. You realize that you forgot to prefix it withsudo....

Quick Links Wall-mounting is my preferred way to install a TV, and that’s true for a lot of people. The only problem is that some people tend to mount their TVs too high. It’s such a prevalent problem, that there’s even a dedicated subreddit calledr/TVTooHighand it you do end up mounting it too high it can lead to serious viewing comfort issues. So why do people mount their TVs too high and how canyouavoid doing it?...

Quick Links Social media platforms like Snapchat have become easy targets for malicious actors looking to connect with you and steal your data. While Snapchat regularly implements important security measures on the backend, there are some critical settings you should configure in Snapchat to protect your privacy. 1Choose Who Can See Your Stories Snapchatoffers two options for configuring who can see your story — My Friends and Custom. If you select My Friends, everyone who is a friend on your Snapchat will be able to view yourSnapchat story....

Quick Links Laptops are a little technological miracle and oh-so-handy to have around, but they can do a real number on your back. Here’s how to avoid that. Don’t Use a Laptop on Your Lap Yes, it’s called a laptop. Yes, you’re able to put it on your lap and type away. For short tasks, that’s not the end of the world. But for getting any extended work done, you’re taking a shortcut to back pain....

Quick Links Our phones were once limited by their power, but they now pack all the power of a larger PC. What they lack, more than ever, are ports. But that’s a problem a USB-C hub can solve, and it’s one of the simplest ways to upgrade your phone. USB-C hubs come in various forms. Most are wired dongles that plug into a USB-C port. Some phone-specific models hold your phone upright and are geared towarddesktop modes like Samsung DeX....

Summary The2024 ASUS Zenbook S 14solidifies its position as one of the best Windows alternatives to Apple’s MacBook Air. With elevated performance, enhanced battery life, and solid build quality, the Zenbook S 14 culminates into a laptop that offers meaningful improvements in key areas. Asus Zenbook S 14 (2024) The 2024 ASUS Zenbook S 14 solidifies itself as one of the best Windows alternatives to Apple’s MacBook Air, bringing meaningful improvements in key areas....