Timely costumes for Halloween are awesome—especially really obscure ones—because they're indicative of social awareness. In 2010, I remember seeing several Chilean Miner costumes, which I thought were great. 2012 brings new stories, new characters and more importantly...new Halloween costumes.
Apple's iTunes Match service is a great feature for people who have large libraries or want to sync their music across a lot of different devices. It lets you store any song in your library that exists in the iTunes Store on the cloud, even songs you imported from CDs, and even improves the quality of some of them. But, like any new service, it's not without its problems, and the fact that it costs $25 a year makes those problems seem even worse. Among the issues that users reported, unmatche...
If you're like me, you've already spent a ton of money on your costumes, your badge, and your hotel room, and now you're looking for ways to cut costs. There are all kinds of ways to save money at DragonCon, but many of them involve violating the rules in some way, such as not buying a badge, sleeping on the floor in a hallway somewhere, etc. However, the one thing you can do that is totally not against the rules is eat for free. It requires a little self-discipline and a willingness to eat w...
Did you know that there's a way to start a fire by squishing air? In this project, I'll show you how to build a tool that does exactly that—and I'll give you a sneak peak into the principals of how a diesel engine operates!
It's summer, which means vacations, barbeques, and, most importantly, no school. But that doesn't mean you can't learn something while you lounge by the pool. Schools and organizations all over the country are offering online courses taught by real professors—for free.
The final chapter of Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy is here, The Dark Knight Rises, and if you're anything like me, it made you want to immediately don a cowl of your own and run around punching criminals. Don't forget though, one of the most awesome aspects of Batman is his never-ending supply of crazy gadgets. Unfortunately for most of us, we don't have a billion dollars, nor Morgan Freeman, so we'll just have to make do with some good old-fashioned DIY tricks. Read on for a rundown of ...
So, this idea was born from a necessity to save. My household uses tissues a lot. I have two small kids, so they are extremely useful. The problem with tissues is that they seem to disappear in no time. So, whenever we ran out in-between shopping visits, my family would just use toilet paper.
Magnetic knife strips are really handy. They allow for the removal of that huge knife block on your countertop, freeing up valuable counter space. They allow for easy access to your knives as you can mount them pretty much wherever you want. Plus, they look really cool, too!
The introduction of smartphones has been what some may see as a step backwards in technology regarding batteries. The first cell phone that I had would last 3-4 days on a single charge; however, the lack of functions minimized the use that is saw.
In last week's guide, we covered the best places to purchase digital copies of computer games online. This week we'll cover another type of downloadable content: those available for video game consoles. Every major console out today either has or plans to have a DLC platform, but which one is the best? If you don't like leaving your house and want to play console video games, which console should you get? Below I will break down what the online marketplace offers so you can decide which conso...
If you want some soft natural hair, this two-part video on putting in some red semi-permanent rinse in your hair is a great start. In the video, she uses Clairol's Jazzing in Cherry Cola [Rinse/Semi-Permanent] which costs a cheap five bucks. Watch and see the whole thing and make sure to watch the second part for the results.
Want to illuminate your kitchen into perfection? Perfection doesn't cost a ton of money, and doesn't require a skilled electrician for installation. If you have a yearning for LED lighting in your kitchen, this video will show you the easy process of installing it on and under cabinets, controlled by only one switch. You'l need a LED power supply, stick LED, tape LED, and some other lights. This video is specifically for Hera lighting, but if you're using other LED lights, the process could w...
Update your nasty, ugly ceiling grid in your home or office. With this video tutorial, see how to restore rusty ceiling grid systems. Ceiling Armor Grid Cover will update rusty and discolored ceiling grid systems for a fraction of the cost of replacement. This unique cover snaps on to a standard grid system without any special preparation. This washable solid vinyl cover is suitable for standard ceiling grids in kitchens, restaurants, bakeries, pools, rest rooms and outdoor ceiling locations.
Last weekend, some unlucky Gmail users inadvertently had their email accounts wiped out. Actually, it was 0.02 percent of all Gmail users—or roughly 40,000 of the 200 million who use the email service, due to an "unexpected bug" which affected copies of the data. Gmail does make backup files of everything, so eventually everyone will reclaim their email history. In fact, as of yesterday, Google has successfully restored all information from their backup tapes and has started returning everyon...
No, not Charlton Heston. The only pudding he ever made was steak and kidney. I'm talking about Heston Blumenthal, world famous chef and pudding lover, and the man behind the "Heston"— a plum pudding with an orange hidden within, brought to you by Waitrose (see video below).
This video turtorial is on how to make a free website (without any cost at all). There are two ways to make a website and you can choose whichever one you want. First, go to Webs.com. Go down to "pick a site address" and create a password. Click "create a website". Fill in the information requested. Choose a template. Agree to terms of service. Click create site. Press "No thanks" and continue to next page and start to build. Click content box button. Choose page options. Edit template.
There’s nothing more special than a beautiful pearl necklace. But how do you know if they are real? Knowing some qualities that pearls have should help you determine when there is an obvious fake in your presence. It might ultimately be necessary to leave it to a professional to authenticate those pretty little presents from the sea.
So, your buddy's getting married and it's time for that age-old tradition the "bachelor party". Make sure the party goes off with out a hitch by remembering the goal is to have fun and not to ruin the wedding, get a DUI or destroy the reputation of your friends. Plan accordingly.
Amy Kline shows us in this arts and crafts series, how to make a hemp beaded necklace. Yes, you’ve seen them around the necks of all of the coolest people in town. Now learn how to make your own with relatively little training or financial outlay. Our expert will show you how to measure the length of your necklace to match your body size, how to anchor the necklace as you’re making it, and two different knotting techniques to create two different designs for your necklace. So the next time yo...
Learn how to choose the best pet bird from a pet store in this free online guide to bird care, including what to consider before buying a pet bird, how to set up a birdcage, health medical costs, diet and more.
In this series of how-to videos, home improvement expert Amelia Tallman shows you step-by-step instructions on how to install a new power outlet in a wall of your home. She demonstrates how to strip the existing wires, drill holes and properly install a new box for a new outlet. She also shares tips for improving your home by installing insulation using a blower, which should help you save money on energy costs by maintain temperature. By following the advice and techniques shown in these fre...
The Digispark is a low-cost USB development board that's programmable in Arduino and capable of posing as a keyboard, allowing it to deliver a number of payloads. For only a few dollars, we can use the Digispark to deliver a payload to a macOS computer that will track the Mac every 60 seconds, even bypassing security like a VPN.
If you made a resolution for 2020 to get healthier, it's essential to concentrate on your mental health just as much as you do on physical fitness. Running and exercising is great, but a sound mind is integral to a healthy and balanced life, and you can improve your emotional and physiological well-being with your smartphone.
UPDATE: The OnePlus 8 Pro has been released! Check it out on the official OnePlus website or read through the rumored specs we've left below for posterity.
While we just called the Apple Watch Series 5 the "best lifestyle assistant and fitness wearable you can get," it doesn't mean that it's the model you should get. Whether you're shopping for yourself or someone else and are on a tight budget, the Series 4 offers the majority of features that the Series 5 does at up to $300 less than the newer comparable models.
In recent years, unwanted calls have become a top priority for the FCC. In 2016, analysts estimated that US customers received over 2.4 billion robocalls per month. As a result, the FCC has provided carriers new tools to combat this problem.
Traveling abroad can be a hassle. Between the flight, hotels, food, and the languages barriers, it can be a lot to manage. There's one tool you have that can help with all of this — your smartphone. Fortunately, nowadays, you don't have to change your carrier to continue using your phone.
After poor sales of the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL, Google needs to reinvigorate its Pixel lineup, devices it's been pushing heavily over the last couple years. On May 7, Google had the eyes and ears of the technology industry at its Google I/O keynote, making it the perfect time to announce new devices that would attract a different crowd of users. Meet the Pixel 3a and 3a XL.
Google's next-gen cellular carrier, Google Fi, which replaces Project Fi, is making waves across the mobile industry. With super-cheap plans starting at only $20 and the ability to connect to millions of Wi-Fi hotspots across the globe, it's tempting many users to make the switch from AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, and Verizon Wireless.
Everyone from first responders to hotel cleaning staff use radios operating in the sub-megahertz range to communicate, often without even encoding the transmission. While encoding and encryption are increasingly used in radio communication, an RTL-SDR adapter and smartphone are all it takes to start listening in on radio conversations happening around you.
OnePlus will be releasing a new phone in the second half of 2018, specifically, an upgrade to their T-series. Over the past two years, #T versions have come out about five months after their predecessors and have included small updates that fix any problems from the previous OnePlus device. While we do know a bit about OnePlus 6T, what it could be is much more exciting.
The Play Store hasn't been the most secure place for apps lately. A quick Google search for "Play Store malware" will give you a taste of some of the malicious apps that snuck their way onto Android's official app store. Google is aware of the problem and they're tying to fix it, but their new Play Protect program doesn't have a great track record, so you might want to look elsewhere.
Surveillance is always a useful tool in a hacker's arsenal, whether deployed offensively or defensively. Watching targets yourself isn't always practical, and traditional surveillance camera systems can be costly, lacking in capabilities, or both. Today, we will use motionEyeOS running on a Raspberry Pi Zero to create a small, concealable Wi-Fi connected spy camera that is both affordable and easily concealed.
Thanks to ever more powerful smartphones — the iPhone X with its advanced A11 processor and the Galaxy Note 8 powered by Snapdragon's 835 come to mind — the mobile industry is fast closing in on consoles and PCs with regards to gaming. Game developers have been aware of this fact, and have ported many games once dedicated to computers onto our handheld devices.
Clumsiness is the great equalizer when it comes to smartphones — it makes no distinction between the most expensive flagship handset and cheaper mid-range models. A hard drop onto pavement will usually result in a shattered screen, regardless of how pricey your device is. And with a smartphone breaking every two seconds, we're truly our own handset's ultimate nemesis.
One of the most popular usages of modern-day smartphones is listening to music. It doesn't matter if you download or stream your tunes, you are part of a massive group of users who do exactly the same. While statistics are a bit foggy on how many smartphones users download music, we do know that over 68% of American smartphone owners stream music on a daily basis.
On April 7, 2017, residents in Dallas, Texas, woke to the sound of emergency sirens blaring all over the city. No one could shut them off, and after repeated efforts to contain the situation, the city had to shut down the entire system. While the media reported a sophisticated computer hack was responsible, the truth was much less high-tech.
While music may not technically be a "universe language," it is the one language listened to by all. There are over 1,500 music genres today—rap, classical, rock, jazz, trap, hip-hop, house, new wave, vaperwave, charred death, nintendocore... and the list goes on. And if you're like most people, you now probably listen to the majority of your music on your phone.
Before you figure out how to strip the paint on your car to bare metal, you should should first ask the question, should I strip all of the paint off. Depending on the type of job you're doing, it may actually be better not to strip all of the paint off.
The first written account of "stock" as a culinary staple goes back to 1653, when La Varenne's Cookery described boiling mushroom stems and table scraps with other ingredients (such as herbs and basic vegetables) in water to use for sauces. But really, the concept of stock has probably been around for as long as people have been using water to boil food.
