Whether if it's to play games or watch Netflix or YouTube, children love using our smartphones and tablets. As an uncle of many, I don't mind my nieces and nephews using my gear, but I do mind them opening apps they have no business being in, like my photo gallery or messaging app.
If you want to try out some of the new features in Android L, but can't run the developer preview on your Nexus—or simply don't want to—there's still hope. You don't actually need to be running Android L to try out some of the new improvements.
As you may have already heard, the worst bug in OpenSSL history went public yesterday, dubbed Heartbleed. While we can go deeper into the technical details of it later, the short version is that OpenSSL, the library used to encrypt much of the web running on Linux and Apache has been vulnerable for up to two years.
Apple's just released a new beta of iOS 7.1 for developers, Beta 5, which fixes some small bugs and adds some minor feature enhancements. With previous reports stating that the final version of 7.1 was slated for a public release in March, these early leaks are indications that the final will be released in the following weeks, shortly after the Golden Master version hits developers.
Facial, voice, and hand gestures are the way of the future for controlling our devices, and even gaming consoles like the Xbox One have incorporated them. Unfortunately, our Nexus 7 tablets have not. We're currently limited to using soft keys for most actions, but we can inch closer to the future by replacing one critical action with a simple touch gesture—going back.
Like many other smartphones, the HTC One has a few capacitive keys on the bottom of the device, but that's the problem. It only has a few keys, meaning two, which are the Back and Home keys.
You may already know that you can build a functional circuit on a sheet of paper with the graphite from a pencil, but you'd probably never think of using it to fix an electronic device. This same principle can be used to bring back a bricked phone, but can also repair a damaged or corroded trace in a printed circuit board. Redditor 404ClueNotFound spilled water on his favorite computer keyboard (like so many of us have done before). The damage was minimal, but after drying it out, one key sti...
A lot of my hacks use salvaged parts from an old microwave, with the microwave oven transformer (MOT) being the most useful component.
This HTML web design tutorial will explain what HTML is and how it can benefit you rather you are looking to build a website from the ground up or you are planning on using a combination of automated software and HTML Design and need the flexibility to still make fine tune edits to your website. From a simplistic view the primary purpose of HTML design is to interpret and display text based content in a given web browser. For example when you read articles online from places like wall-street ...
You know that moment when you finally figure out something, but you figured it out years after you really needed it? Don't you freaking hate that?!
Checking notifications from all of your social media accounts is half the fun of the Internet, but can become quite tedious—hopping from site to site can take up hours of your time, especially when you're running away from something (in my case, it was always homework/studying).
In 2006, everything that revolved around my world shattered into tiny pieces as I learned that scientists had decided to rescind Pluto's planetary status. Given the ol' Jeff Probst treatment, Pluto was officially voted off our solar system in the blink of an eye, leaving us with only eight planets and a whole load of useless textbooks. The primary reason that Pluto was demoted down to a "dwarf planet" was due to Pluto's largest moon, Charon, being about half the size of Pluto; all the other p...
There are plenty of useful shortcuts in Mac OS X, but not all of them are necessarily simple. You can use one of built-in shortcuts to take many different kinds of screenshots, but the shortcuts can be rather annoying to use because they require at least three different keys, which can be a little awkward to perform.
Using a second monitor is great for multitasking, especially if you tend to max out your computer's brain power on tons of simultaneously running apps that you want to see, well, simultaneously. That second screen becomes more like a lifesaver.
The new Windows 8 operating system pushes the Metro interface hard, but not all of your apps will play nicely in Metro, which means you'll need to resort to the traditional desktop environment for some of your favorite programs. As a result, it has left many users picking between the two—Metro or traditional? Fortunately, there's a way to run them both simultaneously with the use of second monitor. In the video below, Donald Bell of CNET explains how you can run both interfaces simultaneously...
Having all of your stuff in the cloud is super convenient if you want to access it on multiple devices, or if you want a backup in case it gets lost or wiped. The biggest downside with services like Dropbox, though, is security. With everything sitting there in one place, the last thing you want is for someone to break in.
In a previous project, I showed how to build an electrical Jacob's ladder using an old microwave oven transformer (MOT). In this project, I modified the secondary coil on the MOT, which converts it from a high voltage/low current device into a low voltage/high current metal melter!
There's a lot of firsts that President Barack Obama can claim, like being the first POTUS from Hawaii, the first to publicly support same-sex marriage, and of course, the first African American to hold office. One of his coolest firsts, though, is that he's the first American president to ever brew his own beer in the White House. And thanks to a Redditor who filed a Freedom of Information Act request, two recipes have been released so that home brewers everywhere can give them a try.
Old newspapers come in handy for many different uses around the house, from birdcage liners to shipping cushioning and even a little fish cooking. But for backyard rocket scientists like Markus Bindhammer, they're more suitable as an ingredient for rocket propellant.
If you are like me and you have a old iPhone and you don't want to buy a new one, you can fake your ios version by fallowing this tutorial. Just to be safe i am not responsible for what you do with this or if you mess up and wreck your phone. Plus ios and iPhone all belong to their rightful owners.
This video tutorial from TutVid shows how to create a simple movie poster text effect in Adobe Photoshop CS4.
New to Ubuntu Linux? This computer operating system could be a bit tricky for beginners, but fret not, help is here. Check out this video tutorial on how to install cool themes on Ubuntu Linux.
If you need to know how to make an arrangement on an acoustic solo fingerstyle guitar, you've come to the right video tutorials. This three-part instructional guitar lesson will show you want you need to know about arranging.
Appendicitis is one of the most painful and potentially dangerous maladies that can afflict a modern Western person, and recognizing the symptoms early is key to treating the disease and ending the pain. Watch this video for signs to looks for to tell if you or someone else is suffering from appendicitis. If they are, get them to the hospital now.
Cold readings are the toughest parts of many acting auditions. Having to act a script you've never seen before convincingly is key to you getting the part. This video will give you some tips for nailing your next cold reading and wowing the casting directors.
Google loves their little Konami Code Easter eggs. The Konami Code is famous among gamers for letting you cheat in video games. The latest one they come up with lets you try it out on Google Docs. All you have to do is open up Google Docs, and type in with the following keys: up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B, A, and then enter!
Still switching between tabs the old fashioned way on Firefox and Chrome? Looking for something that's faster and more efficient? Then look no further than this great video! All you have to do is press control and a number key and you'll be switching like a pro!
Easy step by step guide into making your home brew, the best brew! By introducing oxygen into your wort before you begin fermenting it, you can greatly improve the quality and taste of your beer! Don't forget to leave your keys somewhere you can't reach! Skoal!!!
Learn how to play a slow blues lick in the key of E, using the pentatonic scale. Regardless of your preferred style of music, if you want to be great, you'll need your head and hands on the same page. And there's no better way to get your head and hands on the same page than to practice. Happily, the Internet is awash in video tutorials like this one.
The Star Wars universe is vast and diverse, and for the Lego Star Wars-modeling enthusiast, knowing how to make the dizzying number of different types of figures from the series is key to creating accurate-looking scenes. This video features detailed instructions for making a shadow clone commando custom Lego minifigure. Complete your set!
Colt McCoy is poised to become one of the next great quarterback in the NFL. In this video, he works at a football camp, teaching quarterbacks like you how to do a three-step drop more effectively. The three-step drop is the basis of most quarterbacks movement, so doing it properly is key, and doing the drill in this video will help you do just that.
Comfortable doesn't have to mean frumpy. Learn how to make the most of your go-to jeans, T-shirts, and belts by watching this video.
This tutorial demonstrates how to play the left hand accordion part for Lou Reed's "Perfect Day". The video breaks down the keys individually for you to better understand.
This video shows you how to install language packs on Windows 7. It can be a bit tricky to figure out where to download these language packs, but this video does a great job explaining where to go. The invitation key needed to access the downloads section on Microsoft's site is Win7-3HQW-RF74. This also allows you to download Windows Server R2 2008 and Windows 7 Home Premium
Strengthening body parts is the key. This how to video demonstrates how to make the side kick or roundhouse kick or hook kick look better and more effective.
Check out this computer tutorial on how to upgrade your Mac Pro's hard drive, memory, and PCI-e card. In just five minutes, you will be able to perform this easy upgrade on your Macintosh computer. Guy Cochran from the DVeStore shows how to upgrade three key components of the Apple Mac Pro: hard drive, RAM, and the PCI-e card.
This season, the bigger the better. Sleeves that is. This how-to video from Elle magazine offers some tips for puff sleeve usage, without looking like a fashion victim. Proportion is key. Watch this video fashion tutorial and learn how to wear big voluminous sleeved pieces.
One of the key fundamentals to fast pitch softball for pitchers is the wrist snap. In this sports how-to video, Farmington (MN) HS assistant softball coach Melissa Langer demonstrates a wrist snap drill for pitchers. Follow along and learn how to improve your wrist snap with this simple drill.
If you are looking for some new licks to incorporate into your solos on the electric guitar, then this how to video is a great place to start. In this guitar lesson you will learn how to play a linear blues lickin the key of E. A linear lick is played up and down the neck of the guitar as opposed to in one small position. Watch this how to video and soon you will be able to play this linear blue guitar lick based in E.
If you are looking for some new licks to incorporate into your solos on the electric guitar, then this how to video is a great place to start. In this guitar lesson you will learn how to play a major lick. This riff outlines chord shapes and uses slides to create a pedal slide effect. Watch this how to video and soon you will be able to play this major chord based guitar lick.
