News: Why Newbies Deserve Respect
Due to recent conflicts, I feel the urge to post this, in hopes that some of you will feel less hatred towards newbies, or a more respectable name, beginners.
Elite Special Search Results
How To: Make a Cute Lemon Bear for Valentine's Day
If you're one of those people that would rather make a Valentine's Day gifts than buy them, then this fun little project is right for you. Impress your special someone with this homemade bear. All you really need is a large lemon or orange. There's not much instructions to make this project because the results will vary, but use the example in the image to guide you, and watch the video below.
CES 2015: The CUBE Action Camera, Polaroid's Answer to the GoPro
Polaroid's answer to the masculine-fueled GoPro comes in the form of a tiny family-friendly square, fittingly named the Polaroid CUBE. Starting at a very modest $99.99 , the water-resistant action camera comes in all different colors, shoots HD video at 1080p, allows users to take 6MP pictures, and supports a microSD card of up to 32GB. Attached to the bottom of the cube is a magnet that allows you to stick the camera in many places, including the side of a car (though the Polaroid representa...
How To: Build a Gingerbread Downton Abbey (With Martha Stewart)
Bow down, peasants: your gingerbread house just got owned. By whom? Martha Stewart, of course. The lifestyle guru has constructed elaborate gingerbread buildings in the past, but this year PBS asked her to build a gingerbread reproduction of Downton Abbey, in honor of the show's fifth season coming to PBS starting Jan. 4th, 2015. (PS: For those of you in the UK, the fifth season's Christmas special will be airing on Dec. 25th, 2014.) The materials included 11 batches of gingerbread, 16 cups o...
News: Get Jesse Pinkman from Breaking Bad to Call Your Friends
If there was anything missing from the notorious YO app, it was Aaron Paul's character from Breaking Bad, Jesse Pinkman, calling me by his signature catch phrase—you know the one.
How To: Get 90 Days of Google Play Music for Free (Instead of Just 30 Days)
When it comes to subscription-based music streaming services, the conversation doesn't go much further than Spotify and Google Play Music (previously called "All Access"). Both services are essentially the same aside from slightly different catalogues and social options, and they both run ten bucks a month for unlimited music streaming and offline track saving (although Spotify does have a free, ad-supported service).
Halloween Food Hacks: These Organic Pumpkinsteins Don't Need Any Carving
We've already told you how the Japanese pioneered growing specially shaped watermelons (including square, heart, and Godzilla egg). Now it turns out an organic farmer just north of Los Angeles is doing them one better.
How To: Create "Frame Within a Frame" Photo Effects on Android
Creating interesting photographs used to be more fun, before we all collectively decided that color filters and rotations qualified as "unique" smartphone pics. Scrolling through my Instagram feed only confirms that these supposedly special, filter-laden photos are actually the norm now.
Chef's Quick Tip: Char Your Citrus for Extra Flavor
We're a little citrus-obsessed, and with good reason: lemons, limes, oranges, grapefruit: Mother Nature really packed those babies with flavor, from peel (which you can zest without special tools) to juice. Now executive chef Amanda Freitag of Empire Diner has come up with a way to make those lemons and limes give up even more flavor by applying a lot of heat.
How To: Quickly Launch Your Favorite App from Any Screen on Your Nexus 5
Even though there are over 1.3 million apps available for Android, we normally confine ourselves to a select few for day-to-day usage. With an average of 41 apps installed per user, most apps on our smartphones lay idle for the majority of the time we spend using them. Instead, we find ourselves constantly coming back to that small set of apps that meet almost all of our needs.
How To: Read Messages Undetected in Facebook Messenger for Android
Facebook may connect millions of its users to each other with its messenger service, but it can also make it very difficult to avoid those annoying "friends."
How To: Turn a Lemon into Its Own Seed-Filtering Juicer
Any cook knows that juicing lemons inevitably means dealing with seeds. It's a small but real annoyance that can slow things down in the kitchen.
News: What You Can Expect from the Apple iPad Air 2 (AKA iPad 6)
Although we are months away from the next generation iPad, a model of what seems to be the iPad Air 2 has just been released on the interwebs for your lovely eyes to view.
Boredom Killer: How to Play a Game of Pool Directly on Your Android Home Screen
We don't typically cover games here on softModder, unless they have some special feature to offer like unlocking your device, but sometimes you've just gotta game. When you've only got a few minutes to do so, you've gotta choose the right game, and I've got just the thing for you.
How To: Show Battery Percentage in Your Nexus 6's Status Bar Without Rooting
Keeping track of your phone's battery life can quickly become a chore. Since no one wants to get stuck without a charge, we constantly find ourselves checking to see exactly what percentage remains.
How To: Change Font Size & Text Colors in Snapchat on Your Galaxy Note 2
In an attempt to keep things simple, Snapchat has a limited amount of editing features, made up of "smart" photo filters, drawing pens, and special text captions. If you want more editing capabilities, you'll be pleased to know there's a way, no thanks to Snapchat, but you will need to be rooted.
How To: Zest Citrus Fruits Without a Zester Tool or Microplane
When I first started cooking, if I saw lemon juice or zest in a recipe, I almost always left it out. Unless it was a main component, I never thought it made much of a difference in the overall flavor of the dish, but I couldn't have been more wrong.
Ostrich Eggs: The Secret Ingredient for the "Steak & Egger" Sandwich
So, what has Arnold Schwarzenegger been up to since his role as the Governator? Besides his resurgence in Hollywood and spooking gym members as Howard Kleiner, he's getting culinary on us.
How To: Speed Dial Securely from Your iPhone's Lock Screen with Custom Passcode Contacts
Locking up your iPhone with a passcode prevents mischievous friends from looking at your pics and emails, and makes it harder for thieves to access your data before you get around to wiping it. For even more security, there's the password option, which gives you more than just 4 lonely digits.
How To: Fold an Instant Valentine Flower Out of Paper, Napkins, & Even Burger Wrappers
It may be cheesy, but whipping out an origami flower while you're at the dinner table can really make someone's day, whether it's made out of a napkin, dollar bill, or burger wrapper. It's great for showing your waitress how much you appreciate the service, or for breaking the ice with your Valentine's Day date.
How To: Make Heart-Shaped Cupcakes for a Valentine's Day Surprise
Learn how to shape and decorate cupcakes with heart-shaped patterns for your loved one with these simple tips and decoration ideas. These hearty cupcakes make a perfect Valentine's Day gift, or for any special day where a little love is needed.
How To: Ladder Hair Style
Impeccable is the word for this distinctive and exclusive Ladder Hair Style. Extremely elegant and graceful, girls with long hair will be going to love this. Follow these simple steps and just with a little effort arrive at special and distinguished look. Step 1: Comb Your Hair to Make Them Smooth and Tangle Free. Gather All Your Hair and Tie Them in a Pony. Step 2: Take a Small Chunk of Hair from One Side of Pony and Braid It Leaving a Small Strand of Hair Before Each Weave at Inner Side Onl...
How To: Add a Power Menu to Your Nexus 7 to Reboot into Fastboot or Recovery Mode More Easily
Getting into fastboot or recovery mode on your Android device is nothing new, especially if you're a softModder. Accessing the bootloader menu is the genesis to a lot of mods, and if you're like me and constantly tweak your device, you probably get irritated every time you have to shutdown, then use the power button and volume rockers to access the special menus.
How To: Unreal Dance Skills from a 6 Year Old: How to Properly Dismantle Your Competition
Some of my fondest memories from childhood was when I'd bust out my Moonwalker VHS and practice all of Michael Jackson's greatest moves. Needless to say, as I sit here typing this post, that my dancing career failed before it began. I have a few decent moves on the dance floor now, but don't expect to see me trying anything special unless tequila is involved.
How To: Bridal Bun Hair Style
Bridal Bun Hair Style Tutorial For Beginners!!!! For the ultimate look of an elegant bride, this super cool yet graceful Bridal Bun Hair Style is an ideal adornment. Make your most special day your most cherished one by following these simple and easy steps Step 1:
How To: Separate the Settings Menu on Your Nexus 7 Tablet into Tabs Arranged by Category
It seems like most of the really cool and interesting modifications you can make to your Android device always require special root access, so when a fun mod comes along that doesn't require root—I feel it's my duty to alert you.
Day of the Dead: DIY Sugar Skull Halloween Look with Rick Baker, Horror Makeup FX Master
Day of the Dead, or Día de Muertos, is a Mexican holiday celebrated on November 1 or 2 each year to honor the dead. It's often lumped in with Halloween, and while some people do dress up in costumes, the day is much more focused on remembering the lives of friends and family members who have passed. People who are unfamiliar with the holiday sometimes consider one of its most pervasive symbols, the sugar skull, rather morbid. And special makeup effects artist Rick Baker is no stranger to the ...
How To: Hide the Newsstand App in iOS 7 on Your iPad, iPhone, or iPod touch
Newsstand was the most hated Apple app when it was first introduced, mainly because you could not delete or hide it inside of a junk folder. That's because it acted like a folder itself, with magazine and newspaper apps contained within.
How To: Do Smokey Eye Makeup
There is nothing more stunning than accentuating eyes with smokey makeup for a special occasion. Here's a tutorial for you on how to get smokey eyes for a stylish evening or a sophisticated day look in less time. Great for beginners.
How To: Restore Your Headlights Using Toothpaste
Yellowed or hazed headlights don't only make your car look tacky, it also reduces the amount of light that can shine through at night. This results in poor visibility and may result in an unnecessary accident.
How To: Charge a Lumia 920 or Nexus 4 with No Cables or Wireless Charging Stations in Sight
Most of us have a designated spot where we like to charge our devices, but no one likes to look at a giant, tangled mess of cords. That's why inductive chargers are so awesome. They allow for wireless charging, and are a lot easier on the eyes. But what if you don't even want to leave the charging module sitting out? This relatively simple hack by YouTube user lobbamobba lets you hide the charging module inside a nightstand or other piece of furniture so that you can juice up your device with...
How To: Use the Fill Tool, Fill Type, Fill Effect, & Bitmap Fill in Xara Web Designer
The fill tool will allow you to alter the appearance of objects in your web design document and can be very useful for marketing purposes. The fill tool can be used to give objects one solid color for simple designs.
How To: Use the Selection Tool in Xara Web Designer
Learn to re-size, position, re-shape, rotate and skew objects using selection tool in Xara Web Designer.
How To: How the Best Amateur YouTube Stars Build, Light, and Shoot a Green Screen for Cheap
There are plenty of ways to create decent looking special effects on a budget. You can use basic, inexpensive materials to make ground explosions or realistic looking alien landscapes. But nothing says Hollywood quite like your own green screen.
How To: Do Heart Leopard Nails
This is one of the most fun designs I created this valentines day for girls who needed something easy and trendy to flaunt on their nails on this special day of the year !
The Time Traveler's Companion: Surviving the Past and Future with Your Kindle
Not that long ago I wrote an article discussing what it would be like, realistically, if you were to accidentally travel back in time to the Victorian era. At the end of that article, I mentioned that the best thing you could bring with you on a time-traveling adventure is a Kindle, or similar e-reader, stuffed full of the knowledge of the 21st century. Why a Kindle? Well, I own a Kindle, and I love it. However, there's far more to it than that.
How To: New YouTube Capture App Lets You Record, Edit, and Upload Videos Easily with Your iPhone
After everyone updated their shiny Apple devices to iOS 6 a few months ago, they were shocked to find that their beloved YouTube app was missing. As it turned out, Apple decided to kick YouTube off their list of pre-installed stock apps. The new YouTube app (found in the iTunes App Store) is definitely better than the native one from iOS 5, but it's lacking a direct upload to YouTube option. Sure, you could upload videos from your iPhone's Camera Roll, but the options are limited as to what y...
How To: Don't Throw Out Your Broken Bulbs—Turn Them into Better Christmas Tree Ornaments!
One of the most annoying things about the holiday season is that it's almost impossible to make it through without at least one ornament falling off the tree and shattering. Even if you give the cat its own "special room" for the whole month, something is bound to happen. Rather than throwing out broken ornaments, Steve Hoefer figured out a way to turn them into new ones using plain, clear glass ornaments and Modge Podge craft glue. And personally, I'd say the results look way better than the...
How To: Find the Atari Easter Egg in the Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 Map Nuketown 2025
One of the most popular (but smallest) maps in the first Call of Duty: Black Ops was Nuketown. The tiny map allowed for maximum death tolls, making it an awesome map to play (and die) on. In the latest Call of Duty: Black Ops 2, that map returns in the form of Nuketown 2025, a futuristic version of the same level. It was available for free on November 13th to anyone who pre-ordered the game, purchased a launch copy, or purchased the Hardened or Care Package special editions of the game, thoug...
How To: Hack Lets You Fully Activate a Bootleg Copy of Windows 8 Pro for Free
Anything free is cool, but getting a fully upgraded operating system for the great price of nothing is downright awesome. A recent exploit was uncovered that allows users to get a free copy of Windows 8 Pro directly from Microsoft's own website. Seriously.