News: Cats May Drive You Crazy, but They Won't Make You Mentally Ill
Even if your cat drives you a little nuts, don't worry, because a new study says that cats pose no risk to your mental health.
Link Worthy Search Results
How To: Install Apps from the Play Store Without Gapps or Google Services
Android is Google's project, so of course you can see the search giant's fingerprints all over the operating system. Aside from the obvious user-facing apps, there's Google Cloud Messaging, Google Connectivity Services, and the much-maligned Google Play Services running in the background, to name a few.
News: Radical Theory Linking Alzheimer's to Infections Could Revolutionize Treatment
There are all kinds of theories—many supported by science—about what causes Alzheimer's disease. Tangles of protein called ß-amyloid (pronounced beta amyloid) plaques are prominently on the list of possible causes or, at least, contributors. An emerging theory of the disease suggests that those plaques aren't the problem, but are actually our brains' defenders. They show up to help fight an infection, and decades later, they become the problem.
News: How Your Diet & Gut Bacteria Work Together to Reduce Risk of Colon Cancer
We all know you are what you eat—or so the expression goes—but it's good to remember that what you are (at least intestinally) is mainly bacteria. A new study has shown that what you eat, and how your gut microbiome reacts to that food, might be a key player in your risk of developing a certain type of colon cancer—and changing your diet can help decrease your risk.
News: Welcome to the WonderHowTo Network
You might notice that there's been a few changes around here. All of us here at WonderHowTo have been working hard to create fun new spaces and topic areas to dig our heels into. We've created a few brand new websites, spiffied up our design, and today we're launching the WonderHowTo network.
News: Windows Developer Day on February 8 Promises Windows Holographic Information
If you're in the Windows Holographic community of developers, make sure to mark your calendar and set your alarms for February 8, 2017 because it's Windows Developer Day.
News: College Kids Hack a Coffeemaker & Amazon's Alexa into a Fun WTF Robot
Leave it to some lazy college kids to attempt to figure out a way to brew a pot of coffee without leaving the couch.
How To: Automatically Launch Two Apps at the Same Time in Android's Multi-Window Mode
Android 7.0 Nougat brought a lot of multitasking improvements along with it, but the most notable addition is a unified multi-window mode (which shines bright in Google's Pixel phones). This means that every Android device can now use the same split-screen interface, and the days of software fragmentation caused by differing multi-window implementations by LG and Samsung are now over.
News: Make DIY Earphones Out of Bullet Shells
It's 2017—new year, same us. We vow to keep scouring the net for the best how-tos and feature the makers and doers who create mind-blowing projects.
How To: Get Motorola's Lighter, Faster Gallery App on Any Android Device
Ever since QuickPic was sold to a known adware company, there's been a glaring need for lightweight and fast third-party gallery apps on Android. For the folks that don't want to use Google Photos and other cloud-based solutions, a gallery app that loads your locally-stored pictures quickly without taking up much storage space is the best possible fit.
News: LEGO Robot Plays 'Little Talks' by Of Monsters & Men on Guitar
Remember back in 2011–2012 when "Little Talks" by Of Monsters and Men was the bumping new single being played everywhere? Well, thanks to this robot created from a LEGO Mindstorm EV3 kit, and an acoustic guitar, you get to get the iconic "hey!" stuck in your head for the rest of 2017. You're welcome.
News: Stone Workers Play Dominoes with Bricks to Create Perfectly-Aligned Wall Cap
Usually, when I see a video that is captioned "wait for it," I'm quick to dismiss what could possibly come at the end of the clip. In this case, however, I was totally wrong and the final result was definitely worth the wait.
Have You Seen This?: Secrets of Ancient Egypt Shows the Potential of HoloLens Tourism
A few days ago, I pulled up the Windows Store on my HoloLens and saw a few new applications. One that caught my attention was Oriental Museum, which lets you explore China's Forbidden City, and the other one is very similar free demo app called Secrets of Ancient Egypt by Link Development.
News: Scientists Create World's Smallest Snowman—He's Just 0.00012 Inches Tall
Frosty the Snowman is a fairy tale they say, but this microscopic snowman is very real and just broke the record for the world's smallest snowman. (Though, it's not Guinness-official yet.)
News: These Tiny Pots & Vases Are Made Just Like Big Ones—By 'Throwing' on a Potter's Wheel
From a quick, passing glance at a photograph, you may not notice that Jon Almeda's impressive displays of ceramics mastery are actually the size of coins. It's well-documented how much tiny art is loved by WonderHowTo, but this petite pottery may take the cake as the most impressive display of craftsmanship.
News: Pizza Rolls Are a Better Use of Your Freezer's Built-in Ice Dispenser
I bet you've never put much thought into the water and ice dispensers that comes preinstalled in a lot of modern refrigerators and freezers. For chilled water or perfectly formed ice cubes, all you need to do is push the button and wait, right?
How To: Play Almost Any PSP Game on Your Android Phone
If you really want to play Gran Turismo or Castlevania on the go, Sony's PlayStation Portable is a great way to do it. But it gets harder and harder to justify carrying around a PSP handheld gaming console when you've got an equally powerful Android phone in your pocket already. The PSP had a good 10 years before being discontinued, and your Android can pick up the slack now.
News: Life-Sized Origami Elephant Folded from One Giant Sheet of Paper
Origami is the Japanese art of folding paper, which has been around since the 1600s. The word origami comes from the two Japanese words ori, meaning "folding," and kami, meaning "paper."
How To: Install Android 7.1.1 on Your Verizon Nexus 6P
Android 7.1.1 stock images for the Nexus 6P were released last week on December 5, 2016. However, Verizon users seem to have been excluded from the update. Google's factory image page states "All carriers except Verizon" next to version number NMF26F. This doesn't seem fair, especially since Verizon Nexus 5X users received the latest Android Nougat update.
News: Artist Turns a Penny into $207 by Morphing Lincoln into Homer Simpson
Pennies may only be worth $0.01, but if you want a coin with everyone's favorite donut-eating dad on it, you're going to need to shell out a little bit more.
How To: Root Your LG V20 (US Variant)
The V20 is an amazing phone from LG powered by Android. Packing impressive features such as a removable battery, expandable storage, and the latest Android version straight out of the box, the V20 is a tough phone to beat.
How To: 18 Hidden WhatsApp Features Everyone Should Know About
When WhatsApp first came out in 2010, it quickly gained notoriety as a great way to meet new people all over the world thanks to group chats, which allow multiple admins for each group that can all add participants from their own contacts lists.
News: Stabilizing Bracelet Helps Artist with Parkinson's Draw Again
Having control of your basic motor functions is something most people take for granted, but for individuals with Parkinson's disease, that is not the case.
News: The Japanese Art Form That Turns Ordinary Dirt into Perfect Mud Spheres
People have been transforming mud into art, aka pottery, for thousands of years. This is not a new phenomenon, but often the finished product has a certain utilitarian aesthetic, such as a bowl or vase.
News: Artist Creates Giant Justin Timberlake Portrait with 13,000 Nails & 15 Miles of String
Justin Timberlake seems like a pretty cool guy overall—solid musician, decent actor, overall good person—but never in my wildest dreams would I think to spend 200 hours obsessively creating a giant portrait of his face.
News: 4 Famous Songs Played Perfectly on Glass Bottles
Take one down, pass it around, 99 bottles on which to play classical music? As someone who has studied music extensively, I've seen many interpretations of famous pieces of music played on glass bottles, but hearing these four interpretations of famous pieces (not all classical) completely blew my mind.
News: Girl Plays Super Mario Bros. Theme on Ancient Chinese Instrument—& It Sounds Exactly the Same
Super Mario Bros. is one of the most renowned games in history. It helped resurrect a dying video game industry in the mid-'80s and still remains one of the best-selling video games of all time—one reason why the new NES Classic Edition is so popular and impossible to get these days. Its simple story of a plumber trying to rescue a princess resulted in a video game empire for Nintendo.
News: The Crazy, Hyper-Realistic Tattoos from Artist Steve Butcher
Looking to get seriously tatted up? Your best bet is probably to head Down Under. Meet Steve Butcher, a New Zealand native who is changing the tattoo game in a big way. While there are a lot of amazing artists out there, the level of detail Butcher is able to achieve is truly unbelievable.
News: Watch 79 Million People Legally Immigrate to the US Over 200 Years
Immigration and immigration policy are some of the biggest discussions happening in international and domestic politics right now. From building walls to opening borders, a definitive plan has not been made about how to deal with the large number of people who are fleeing their home countries in hopes of a different life.
News: Rubik's Cube World Record Gets Shattered in 4.74 Seconds
In 4.74 seconds, I can barely bend over to tie my shoes, and somehow this guy managed to crush the human world record for solving the Rubik's Cube in that time exactly.
How To: Rock Harder on GarageBand with a DIY Pringles Can Drum Kit
Damn right, you don't just eat 'em. When you're done with your next Pringles can, you can turn it into a kaleidoscope, a pinhole camera, and even a solar hot dog cooker. But Instructables user TheSpodShed may have just created the most awesome way to upcycle empty Pringles cans—use them as a mini MIDI drum kit for your mobile device. This tiny drum kit will let you rock your face off without pissing off all your neighbors.
News: This Guy Built an Impressive Smart Mirror Controlled by Gestures & Voice
Mirror, mirror on the wall, who's the smartest of them all? Since Max Braun's Medium post went viral back in January of 2016, smart mirrors have been appearing on tech blogs in all shapes and sizes. Some are technically sound, some incredibly easy, but all are visually compelling. However, we've never seen one with a fully functional operating system and gesture support—until now.
News: The @Burnvideos Instagram Account Gives You Exactly That—And It's Mesmerizing
As Alfred monologued in The Dark Knight, "Some men aren't looking for anything logical, like money. They can't be bought, bullied, reasoned, or negotiated with. Some men just want to watch the world burn."
How To: Infect Your Friends with Zombie Punch
Halloween is this weekend, so if you're looking for a last-minute big batch cocktail that will keep your guests properly hydrated—and might turn them into mutants—look no further! (Note: This will not actually hydrate anyone, just so we're clear. Priorities, people!)
How To: Turn on Google Pixel's Wi-Fi Assistant to Get Secure Access on Open Networks
The Pixel and Pixel XL come with an awesome data-saving feature called Wi-Fi Assistant that automatically connects to open internet hotspots, then creates a secure VPN on your device to keep your data safe.
How To: Get the Pixel's Amazing New 'Live Earth' Wallpapers on Your Android Device
Google worked with design agency B-Reel to create some unique wallpapers for its Pixel and Pixel XL flagships, and the end result is quite stunning. These "Live Earth" wallpapers, as they're called, combine Google Earth's high-def satellite imagery with a 3D parallax effect that changes perspective as you move between screens.
How To: Get a Black Dock & Folders on Your iPhone's Home Screen
Apple is famous for keeping a tight grip on the look and feel of iOS (a grip so tight it may even change the future of patent law), but the clever folks over at heyeased found some neat tricks to put the control back in your hands.
How To: Get Easy Updates on Sideloaded Android Apps
Some of the best Android apps are not hosted on the Google Play Store, and that means you have to sideload them if you want to get their awesome functionality. But without the Play Store, these APKs are never automatically updated, so your only choice has been to scour the internet for a newer version when you need a bugfix.
How To: Download YouTube Audio or Video from Your Android
YouTube won't let you play videos in the background on Android without paying for YouTube Red, so if it's your primary source for streaming music, and you don't want to shell out $9.99/month, you'll just have to take matters into your own hands. The simplest solution to this problem would be to download MP3s straight from YouTube for offline playback, but in the past, this hasn't exactly been easy on a mobile device.
News: How Instagramer @Foodbabyny Turned a Food Obsession and a New Baby into Fancy Free Meals
If you want to become a food Instagram star, you may want to consider having babies. Well, to be more specific, you might need Mike Chau's two adorable children, Matthew and Samantha.