10 Advanced Online Searches That Make the Web a Lot Easier

How do you find the online content you’re looking for? Most of you probably rely solely on Google Search. Although the ubiquitous search engine has plenty of useful features to help you narrow down your results, it’s a poor replacement for using the dedicated in-app search tools. But even those in-app tools aren’t perfect — they’re generic. If you’re looking for a particular Facebook post, a certain user on Twitter, or even the ideal Creative Commons image, it can sometimes be tough to find the exact content you want. The solution? Dig into the advanced search functions. Some are better...

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5 Practical Ways to Make Your Life Easier by Automating Your Home

Have you been thinking about automating your home with some smart home products, but you’re not sure where to begin? Wondering whether it’s even worth doing? You’ve come to the right place. Smart homes aren’t just about being flashy, or showing off the latest gadgets money can buy. Instead, they can serve as practical solutions to annoying realities of everyday life — or even solve problems you didn’t even realize you had! In this article, you’ll learn about some practical solutions to automating your home, with real-world examples of how smart home technology can make a difference in your life....

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Intel Core i9 vs. Core i7 vs. Core i5: Which CPU Should You Buy?

The reports of the desktop PC’s death have been greatly exaggerated. Intel and AMD are back in a new battle of processors, with Intel launching a new series. It’s called the Core i9, and it’s the fastest consumer desktop processor ever. The Core i9 has a lot going for it. It starts with a 10-core CPU for $999, the Core i9-7900X, and goes all the way up to the Core i9-7980XE for $1,999 with 18 cores. That’s far higher than the dual-cores and quad-cores we are used to. So far, only the base-level 7900X is available for sale. Apart from...

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20 Nifty Gadgets, Devices, and Tech for College Students

Your college years will be some of the best years in your entire life, but they can also be quite stressful. Not only do you have coursework to deal with, you also need to juggle activities, relationships, and the whole process of growing up into a responsible adult. For the most part, you can do this without the aid of tech, but there’s no doubt that tech can make your college life much easier. Here are some of the most useful gadgets and devices to have on hand — so useful that they’ll draw the envy of all your friends....

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How to Use APT and Say Goodbye to APT-GET in Debian and Ubuntu

Linux is in a state of permanent evolution. Often the changes are hidden, such as behind the scenes developments to the kernel and other underlying code. But occasionally, the user has to adjust to a new way of working. While many enhancements in computing can be jarring and require a different mindset, this isn’t true of the development of the apt-get command. Rather than replace it completely, Debian-based systems (such as Ubuntu, Linux Mint, and the Raspberry Pi’s Raspbian) are continuing its use alongside its replacement, the simpler apt command. But why are they doing this, and what has really...

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Microsoft Invites You to Make Your Own Xbox One Game

Microsoft is opening up the Xbox Live Creators Program to everyone. The Xbox Live Creators Program allows anyone (with the skills to pay the bills) to make a video game and release it to the masses. You can even charge money for your creation if you want. If you think it’s good enough. In March, Microsoft unveiled the Xbox Live Creators Program. Now, it’s open to everyone. For budding developers this means an opportunity to get a game published on the Xbox Store (and Windows 10). And for the rest of us it means a host of new games, many...

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Create Event and Meeting Templates in Google Calendar and Outlook

If you use templates for office documents such as agendas, meeting minutes, and financial items, then you would probably love them for meeting and event invitations. The problem is, they can be tough to find and depending on the calendar you use, maybe even harder. For Google and Outlook Calendars, you can create your own handy templates in just minutes. These are perfect for non-recurring meetings when you want to repeatedly use the same outline with only minor edits. You can create as many as you like for different meeting types and then use them with a couple of clicks....

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IP and MAC Address: What Are They Good For?

If you want to send out a letter, you need the home address of the recipient. The address is an identifier that tells the mailman where the letter needs to go, so the address must be unique. No two homes have the same exact address, otherwise there’d be confusion. The internet works in much the same way as a postal service. Instead of sending mail, devices send out “data packets,” and IP addresses and MAC addresses determine where those data packets go. Keep reading to learn more about how they work in tandem. What Is an IP Address? An IP...

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The End of Gaming: Twitch and Mixer Are Changing Video Games Forever

If you play video games, there’s no doubt you’ve watched at least part of a live stream. Even for 20-somethings, the concept of the live gaming stream is somewhat foreign. Having grown up on single-player or co-op multiplayer games, I remember hooking up my original Xbox to the internet for the first time. The excitement of hearing people from other countries playing the same game was incredible. But that was then. Now, live streaming is practically a 24/7 business in itself. In fact, some owe their livelihoods to this gaming facet. Sites like Twitch, an online tool to live stream...

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How to Access Google Drive Files Offline

It often feels like technology companies are one step ahead of our internet providers. Cloud services have been relatively mainstream for a few years, but ISPs are still seemingly incapable of offering stable and fast connections. If you live outside of a major metropolitan area, this is a huge problem. If you have lots of important files and documents saved on Google Drive, you could find yourself unable to access them during periods of network instability. Unsurprisingly, the Google Drive developers have thought of this. They’ve created a solution: the ability to access your Google Drive files even while offline. Access...

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How to Try Windows 10 S for Free With No Risk

Windows 10 S is Microsoft’s new stripped-down version of Windows 10. It’s nearly identical, with the major exception that you can only run apps from the Windows Store. Traditional desktop software, like Google Chrome or Paint.NET, won’t work at all. This slimmed-down operating system is aimed at the education sphere. Yet Microsoft is selling some high-end machines, like the Surface Laptop, with 10 S installed. If you’re curious as to how it will work, or want to see if you could live on a Windows 10 S machine, you can try it out free. Microsoft has made a Windows 10...

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How to See Every Like, Post, and Comment You’ve Made on Facebook

You know that feeling when you’ve liked a link on Facebook but can’t find that link again? Luckily, it’s really easy to find every link, post, and even comment that you’ve liked. There are quite a few ways you can find anything on your Facebook timeline, but to find everything you’ve ever liked on Facebook, the easiest way to do this is to head over to your profile and click View Activity Log. In addition to seeing your likes, you can see pretty much everything you’ve done on Facebook: what you’ve posted, commented on, saved, and more. If you want to...

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Instantly Compose New Emails in Gmail With This Bookmark Trick

Gmail is fast. But when you count the number of emails you have to send every day, every saved second counts. So how can you cut short the already quick process of launching Gmail and clicking on the New button to open the Compose window? Use a bookmark! As Gmail is a cloud app, there is a URL associated with everything. It’s just a matter of picking that URL and adding a few strings that will pass on the parameters you want to send with the email. You just need to keep this URL bookmarked on your toolbar. Hats off...

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How to Use Evernote: The Unofficial Manual

In its early days, Evernote was a simple note-taking app. Since then, it’s turned into a productivity powerhouse that can help you capture, organize, recall, and work with your information. All that power is great — but it doesn’t make for an easy learning experience. Learning how to use Evernote on your own takes a long time, which is why we’ve put together this tutorial that will show you how to take full advantage of the most important Evernote features. We can’t cover everything, but we’ll highlight the main functions, the best ways to use the apps, and the basics of...

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The 3 Best Subtitle Sites for Your Movies & TV Series

While some people hate subtitles because they get in the way, I love them — and not only for foreign language films and TV shows, which absolutely need subtitles if the audio isn’t dubbed. In fact, I use subtitles even when watching stuff in my first language, English! They’re great for dialogue clarity, especially during action sequences where loud noises can drown out what the characters say. But subtitles are also useful for shows with ensemble casts (seeing names can help with tracking characters), with heavy accents (most British shows for me), and shows with lots of terminologies (sci-fi, fantasy,...

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Consumer Reports: Don’t Buy a Microsoft Surface

Consumer Reports is no longer recommending the Microsoft Surface as a worthy purchase. This is because, according to existing owners, the Microsoft Surface has a high failure rate. Microsoft is of course questioning the validity of Consumer Reports’ findings, but this is bound to affect consumer confidence regardless. The Surface line is Microsoft’s brand of laptops and tablets. This is premium hardware aimed at people who would ordinarily buy a Mac. The Surface has been generally well-received, and Microsoft’s foray into the hardware market is being viewed as a success. However, Consumer Reports thinks there’s a problem with the Surface....

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The 10 Best Extensions for Chrome Tab Management

Tabs, tabs, tabs. If you’re a multi-tasker, you love tabs. Thankfully, the days of having 30 separate Internet Explorer windows open in the Taskbar are behind us. Tabs make web browsers a lot easier to use. But that doesn’t mean you can’t improve tabbed browsing. In fact, Google Chrome – one of the trailblazers of tabbed browsing – is starting to lag behind its competitors. Edge features such as Set Aside are nowhere to be found natively in the Google browser. If you’re an avid Chrome user who doesn’t want to switch to an alternative app, you need to turn to...

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4 iOS Simulators for Testing iPhone & iPad Apps

If you’re looking for a way to test iOS apps on a Mac or PC, you’ll need to use a simulator. Simulators differ from emulators in that they aren’t designed to replicate hardware, but rather model the underlying state of the hardware. A good simulator will model these conditions so well that the simulation itself can emulate the hardware. You can simulate iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and even Apple TV environments using simulation software, though for best results you’ll need a Mac. Here are your three best choices. 1. Xcode 9 Simulator (Mac) It might seem obvious, but the best...

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The Best Ultrawide Monitor for All Budgets in 2017

An external display, or monitor, can cram loads of content into a single screen. An ultrawide monitor turns a desktop or laptop computer into a multitasking monster. But desktop users still require an external monitor. Even many laptop users may benefit from the use of a monitor. Want to maximize your viewing space? Check out the best ultrawide monitors for all budgets in 2017! Why Buy an Ultrawide Display? As many users migrate away from desktops, you might question the use of a monitor. If you’re a desktop user, it’s pretty clear: you need one. Unless you’re running a server...

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