mmWave Madness: No, you’re not crazy!
Ah, 5G... It's a mixture of new technologies, the most "interesting" being mmWave, or millimeter wave. If you're wondering if a particular phone actually HAS mmWave, good luck figuring it out. Even worse, in most areas it's darn near impossible to find out what flavor...
How to fix black thumbnail preview icons
This one is fun: One day, your thumbnail preview icons turn into black squares instead of showing a preview of the file's contents as usual. You may even find that the usual methods to fix the problem simply don't work. Fear not! With a few easy tricks, you can get...
Taking screenshots is easier than you think
Every now and then, you need to make a snapshot of what's on your screen - or maybe just the content of a single application window. Most people think you need some kind of special software to take screenshots, but the truth is that it's actually a whole lot easier -...
FLoC and the future of Internet Privacy
When it comes to privacy on the internet, the new word on the street is 'FLoC'. Led by Google, a group of businesses and advertisers is pushing a new standard that would have your browser identifying your particular group of interests by a unique ID number. This...
Why can’t I enable CSM on my new motherboard?
This is a fun one! You get a new motherboard with an Intel 500 Series chipset. You decide to just use the integrated graphics in the CPU, but you can't boot! It turns out your actual boot drive is missing from the Boot options menu. Gonzerooni! WTH?! The Problem I...
Why do microwave ovens use 2.4 GHz like WiFi and Bluetooth?
Microwave ovens that you use to cook food operate at a frequency of 2.45 GHz. This is the same radio band where one finds WiFi, Bluetooth, and so on. So, why is everything lumped into this one chunk of the frequency spectrum? Is there something particularly magical...
Windows won’t update? Fix it fast!
These days, you might not want too many Windows 10 updates given all the problems they tend to cause. But the fact remains that if you can't update Windows at all due to some cryptic error message, you're still in trouble. You're missing out on security and...
Blockchain and Cryptos explained for Non-Techies
Cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin are all the rage these days. All we hear is how Bitcoin has smashed another record high, cryptos are the future, don't miss this train, etc. The question is: How do you know what you're getting yourself into? Many people are talking of...
Not getting new YouTube video notifications? Do this!
You know the drill: Like, Subscribe, Click the Notification Bell. These days, it's just not enough. I've received a ton of messages saying people thought I had stopped making vids! It's the usual seesaw: we're all supposed to do BLAH, so then we do it, and then it no...
Windows Updates broke your PC? NO PROBLEM!
In recent years, Microsoft hasn't done a very good job with updating Windows 10. Even those updates that are 'fully tested' often end up royally screwing up some computers. Everyone just assumes that a new Windows Update means crashes, blue screens, and stuff that...
3 methods to print an image on multiple pages
Sometimes, you just need to Print Big. Historically, this was done with Microsoft's Paint application. But recently, they noted that Paint will be getting an update. If recent Microsoft 'innovations' are any indication, they'll remove this terribly useful feature....
No Cloud: Go for an EASY private backup!
The Cloud may be handy for backups, but what if you don't want all your stuff sitting on Big Data's servers forever and ever? In the past, the best Windows provided was Backup and Restore. Frankly, it was crap. With Windows 10, things changed: Now with a cheap...
How to fix File History backup errors in Windows 10
File History is pretty cool. It allows you to automatically and incrementally backup all your files. That means smaller backup sizes, easy restore if your puter crashes, and it's literally 'set it and forget it'. The trouble is that File History likes to crash - it...
Fluorescent to LED conversion made easy!
Most lighting these days uses LEDs. They're super-low power, provide good light, and last a long time. But you probably still have some fluorescent lights left. If you're like most people, you haven't quite gotten around to replacing them with LED tubes. You really...
Invisible Rainbow: A history of EMFs and health
I finally managed to read Arthur Firstenberg's book, The Invisible Rainbow. The well-documented book chronicles the multitude of effects of everything from the first telegraph lines and electric lighting to modern day wireless systems. The data is plentiful and the...
More ‘Big Guns’ question the safety of 5G
If you're worried that only 'crazy people' think that 5G may be dangerous to your health, don't be. Just one week ago, a new paper was published by a well-respected epidemiologist. He reviews past studies of various wireless technologies and asks quite a few...