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• Can Dust Actually Damage My Computer?

  - by Jason Fitzpatrick

  Thousands of hours per year of fan-driven air movement combined with electrostatic charges make computers veritable dust magnets. Is all that dust simply a nuisance or is it actually harmful? Today’s Question & Answer session comes to us courtesy of SuperUser—a subdivision of Stack Exchange, a community-drive grouping of Q&A web sites. What To Do If You Get a Virus on Your Computer Why Enabling “Do Not Track” Doesn’t Stop You From Being Tracked HTG Explains: What is the Windows Page File and Should You Disable It?

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• How an LED-lit LCD Monitor Works [Video]

  - by Jason Fitzpatrick

  There’s a good chance you’re staring at one right now, the common LCD monitor. How exactly does it work? Find out by watching this informative video. Bill Hammack, the engineer behind the Engineer Guy video series, takes apart an LCD monitor and gives a detailed analysis of what’s going on inside as he rebuilds it–including how the pixels function, what the screen is constructed off, and how the light is diffused. LCD Monitor Teardown [YouTube via Hack A Day] HTG Explains: What’s the Difference Between the Windows 7 HomeGroups and XP-style Networking?Internet Explorer 9 Released: Here’s What You Need To KnowHTG Explains: How Does Email Work?

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• Keep Your Data Local: Free Offline Alternatives to 6 Popular Web Apps

  - by Chris Hoffman

  Web apps are all the rage, but offline apps still have their place. Whether you want better offline support or you just want to keep your sensitive data on your PC, there’s a free desktop app that can replace your web-based productivity app. We’ve looked at web-based alternatives to desktop apps, and now we’ll do the opposite. Here  are some solid — and completely free — offline desktop alternatives to popular web apps. Be sure to perform regular backups if you store your only copies of important data locally. You wouldn’t want to lose it all when your hard drive inevitably bites the dust.    

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• Inverted LACK Table Serves as a Perfect Gear Rack [DIY]

  - by Jason Fitzpatrick

  We’ve seen IKEA gear hacked to hold audio and computer gear before, but this mod adds in a simple and effective twist. LACK end tables are, conveniently, the same width as a standard server rack. This makes it super simple for DIYers to mount their gear right into the legs of the table with no modification necessary. In this case, however, Winston Smith included a clever update to the mod. Rather than leave it like a standard table, he flipped the table upside down for increased stability and a stronger connection between the legs of his improvised audio rack and the table-top-turned-floor-plate. He then finished it with a matching LACK shelf piece to serve as a turn-table stand. His gear is stored cleanly, off the floor, and in a sturdy container all for about $25–a definite bargain when it comes to storage racks. Hit up the link below for more information and pictures. LACK Rack & EXPEDIT Desktop [IKEA Hackers] HTG Explains: How Windows Uses The Task Scheduler for System Tasks HTG Explains: Why Do Hard Drives Show the Wrong Capacity in Windows? Java is Insecure and Awful, It’s Time to Disable It, and Here’s How

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• HTG Explains: How the SmartScreen Filter Works in Windows 8

  - by Chris Hoffman

  Windows 8 includes a SmartScreen filter that prevents unknown and malicious programs from running. SmartScreen is part of Internet Explorer 8 and 9 – with Windows 8, it’s now integrated into the operating system. SmartScreen is a useful security feature that will help prevent bad applications from running, but it may occasionally prevent a legitimate application from running. SmartScreen reports some information to Microsoft, so it may have some privacy implications. HTG Explains: Is ReadyBoost Worth Using? HTG Explains: What The Windows Event Viewer Is and How You Can Use It HTG Explains: How Windows Uses The Task Scheduler for System Tasks

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• The Science Behind Technological Moral Panics

  - by Jason Fitzpatrick

  Why do some new technologies cause ripples and reactionary backlash in society but others slip into our daily lives almost entirely uncontested? It turns out there’s a rather specific combination of things the new technology must do to upset the public. At Wired they highlight the work of Genevieve Bell and her studies of how society reacts to new technology: Genevieve Bell believes she’s cracked this puzzle. Bell, director of interaction and experience research at Intel, has long studied how everyday people incorporate new tech into their lives. In a 2011 interview with The Wall Street Journal‘s Tech Europe blog, she outlined an interesting argument: To provoke moral panic, a technology must satisfy three rules. First, it has to change our relationship to time. Then it has to change our relationship to space. And, crucially, it has to change our relationship to one another. Individually, each of these transformations can be unsettling, but if you hit all three? Panic! Why We Freak Out About Some Technologies but Not Others [Wired] How To Play DVDs on Windows 8 6 Start Menu Replacements for Windows 8 What Is the Purpose of the “Do Not Cover This Hole” Hole on Hard Drives?

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• The Birth and Life of a Disk Galaxy [Video]

  - by Jason Fitzpatrick

  In this video, rendered over a million CPU hours by the Pleiades supercomputer at NASA’s Ames Research Center, we see the birth and life of a massive disk galaxy. Computer Model Shows a Disk Galaxy’s Life History [via Geeks Are Sexy] HTG Explains: Why It’s Good That Your Computer’s RAM Is Full 10 Awesome Improvements For Desktop Users in Windows 8 How To Play DVDs on Windows 8

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• Desktop Fun: Foggy Mornings Wallpaper Collection Series 2

  - by Asian Angel

  All is calm and quiet as the sun peeks over the horizon, lighting up the fog-filled world of nature surrounding you. Wander through these wonderful morning mists on your desktop with the second in our series of Foggy Mornings Wallpaper collections. Why Does 64-Bit Windows Need a Separate “Program Files (x86)” Folder? Why Your Android Phone Isn’t Getting Operating System Updates and What You Can Do About It How To Delete, Move, or Rename Locked Files in Windows

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• 100+ Science Fiction Movies Supercut [Video]

  - by Asian Angel

  If you were looking for inspiration for a weekend sci-fi movie watching marathon, then this awesome supercut video of 100+ sci-fi movies is the perfect place to start! Now all you need is a nice tub of popcorn to round things out… Science Fiction: A Supercut (Glitch Mob remix “Monday”) [via Geeks are Sexy] Why Does 64-Bit Windows Need a Separate “Program Files (x86)” Folder? Why Your Android Phone Isn’t Getting Operating System Updates and What You Can Do About It How To Delete, Move, or Rename Locked Files in Windows

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• How to Automatically Run Programs and Set Reminders With the Windows Task Scheduler

  - by Chris Hoffman

  Do you want your computer to automatically run a program, remind you about something, or even automatically send emails? Use the Task Scheduler included with Windows – its interface can be a bit intimidating, but it’s easy to use. The Task Scheduler has a wide variety of uses – anything you want your computer to do automatically, you can configure here. For example, you could use the task scheduler to automatically wake your computer at a specific time. HTG Explains: Why Do Hard Drives Show the Wrong Capacity in Windows? Java is Insecure and Awful, It’s Time to Disable It, and Here’s How What Are the Windows A: and B: Drives Used For?

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• How to View That Forgotten Wireless Network Password in Windows

  - by Taylor Gibb

  Did you have someone else set up the wireless network in your house, and can’t for the life of you remember the password? If so read on to see how you may still be able to recover it. Note: Unfortunately this trick will only work if you are a local administrator on your machine, if you are not you will be prompted by UAC for administrative credentials. How to Make Your Laptop Choose a Wired Connection Instead of Wireless HTG Explains: What Is Two-Factor Authentication and Should I Be Using It? HTG Explains: What Is Windows RT and What Does It Mean To Me?

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• 4 Places To Find Up-To-Date Antivirus Test Results Online

  - by Chris Hoffman

  Everyone wants to be using the best antivirus and wants to know how they perform, so a list of places you can find this information would be useful. It’s not really reasonable to do any testing yourself; way too time-consuming. x places you can find antivirus test results – av comparatives, av test, http://www.westcoastlabs.com/realTimeTesting/article/?articleID=1   Do you know how effective your antivirus programs is? A variety of organizations regularly compare antivirus programs, throwing a large amount of malware samples at them, seeing how they perform, and ranking them in comparison to each other. It would be very time-consuming to test 30 different antivirus programs in virtual machines with a large amoutn of malware samples yourself, which is why these test results are so useful. Why Does 64-Bit Windows Need a Separate “Program Files (x86)” Folder? Why Your Android Phone Isn’t Getting Operating System Updates and What You Can Do About It How To Delete, Move, or Rename Locked Files in Windows

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• Humble Bundle Gives You DRM-Free Games at Pay-What-You-Want Prices

  - by Jason Fitzpatrick

  The Humble Bundle is back–score cross-platform games at a pay-what-you-want price and even send the proceeds to charity in the process. Between now and April 2nd, score great independent games like Zen Bound 2 and Avadaon: The Black Fortress with a name-your-price deal courtesy of The Humble Bundle. You pay what you want and specify how you want the money divided among the developers and the Electronic Frontier Foundation/Child’s Play charities. Check out the video above to see the games included in the bundle. All games are cross-platform, available for Windows, Mac, Linux, and Android, and DRM-Free. The Humble Bundle The HTG Guide to Hiding Your Data in a TrueCrypt Hidden Volume Make Your Own Windows 8 Start Button with Zero Memory Usage Reader Request: How To Repair Blurry Photos

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• BlissControl Is a Settings Management Dashboard for Popular Social Networks

  - by Jason Fitzpatrick

  BlissControl is a simple web app that organizes the different settings menus of over a dozen social networks and services into a streamlined dashboard to help you change your profile pic, privacy settings, and more. Much like previously reviewed NotificationControl and MyPermissions (which help you check and set email notifications and app permissions, respectively), BlissControl also takes the very convoluted menus of web-apps and social media sites and makes them super easy to navigate. You can easily click right through the page you need on Facebook, Flickr, Twitter, and more–you’ll no longer need to visit each service and click through a maze of menus to get to the right place to change your password or swap your profile pic. BlissControl is simply a dashboard that directs you to the appropriate page within the service you already use–you never share your login credentials with BlissControl. Hit up the link below to take it for a spin. BlissControl [via AddictiveTips] How to Own Your Own Website (Even If You Can’t Build One) Pt 1 What’s the Difference Between Sleep and Hibernate in Windows? Screenshot Tour: XBMC 11 Eden Rocks Improved iOS Support, AirPlay, and Even a Custom XBMC OS

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• 4 Places To Find Up-To-Date Antivirus Test Results Online

  - by Chris Hoffman

  Do you know how effective your antivirus programs is? A variety of organizations regularly compare antivirus programs, throwing a large amount of malware samples at them, seeing how they perform, and ranking them in comparison to each other. It would be very time-consuming to test 30 different antivirus programs in virtual machines with a large amount of malware samples yourself, which is why these test results are so useful. Why Does 64-Bit Windows Need a Separate “Program Files (x86)” Folder? Why Your Android Phone Isn’t Getting Operating System Updates and What You Can Do About It How To Delete, Move, or Rename Locked Files in Windows

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• How to Make a 9 Layer Density Column [Video]

  - by Jason Fitzpatrick

  Density columns, layers of varying density liquid in a glass cylinder, are nothing new in the world of science demonstrations, but this nine layer one with seven floating objects is something to see. Courtesy of Steve Spangler Science, the experiment goes above and beyond the traditional five layer column by adding another four layers and sinking objects of varying density into the column. The end result is a colorful demonstration of the varying densities of liquids and solids. [via Boing Boing] How To Get a Better Wireless Signal and Reduce Wireless Network Interference How To Troubleshoot Internet Connection Problems 7 Ways To Free Up Hard Disk Space On Windows

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• How To Create a Full Android Phone or Tablet Backup Without Rooting or Unlocking Your Device

  - by Chris Hoffman

  Android includes a built-in way to back up and restore the contents of your phone or tablet. All you need is a computer and a device running Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) or newer. We’ve also covered backing up and restoring your Android phone with Titanium Backup. Titanium Backup is a great app, but it requires rooting your Android. This feature isn’t exposed in Android’s user interface, so you should consider it experimental. 8 Deadly Commands You Should Never Run on Linux 14 Special Google Searches That Show Instant Answers How To Create a Customized Windows 7 Installation Disc With Integrated Updates

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• Build Your Own Adapter For Cheap Mains Power on Portable Devices

  - by Jason Fitzpatrick

  If you’re looking for a way to build a battery-to-wall-power adapter for one of your portable devices, this tutorial can serve as a template for your DIY adventures. Mike Worth wanted an outlet adapter for his Canon camera, but Canon wanted $75 for it. Not looking to spend that kind of cash on a very simple adapter, he set out to build his own. The build is quite simple, consisting of a transformer with the proper voltage, and a set of dummy battery casings with thumb tacks and washers to serve as the negative and positive leads. Hit up the link below to see the full build. Making a Mains Adapter [via Hack A Day] HTG Explains: What Is RSS and How Can I Benefit From Using It? HTG Explains: Why You Only Have to Wipe a Disk Once to Erase It HTG Explains: Learn How Websites Are Tracking You Online

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• The Best Articles for Backing Up and Syncing Your Data

  - by Lori Kaufman

  World Backup Day is March 31st and we decided to provide you with some useful information to make backing up your data easier. We’ve published articles about backing up various types of data and settings both offline and online. There’s all kinds of settings on your computer to backup in addition to your personal data, such as Wi-Fi passwords, drivers, and settings for programs like web browsers, Office, and Windows Live Writer. There are also many tools available to help you keep your data and settings backed up. Make Your Own Windows 8 Start Button with Zero Memory Usage Reader Request: How To Repair Blurry Photos HTG Explains: What Can You Find in an Email Header?

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• Image Collector Rips Web Page Images to Your Dropbox Account

  - by Jason Fitzpatrick

  Chrome: Image Collector is a simple Chrome extension that rips the images on the page you’re visiting to your Dropbox (or Google Drive) accounts. Just click the icon, uncheck any images you don’t want it to download, and click save. You can, technically, modify the script to download the images directly to your hard drive, but modifying it was a bit of a hassle and the default save-to-Dropbox action is so smooth we saw little reason to do so. Hit up the link below to grab a free copy. Image Collector [via Freeware Genuis] How to Make Your Laptop Choose a Wired Connection Instead of Wireless HTG Explains: What Is Two-Factor Authentication and Should I Be Using It? HTG Explains: What Is Windows RT and What Does It Mean To Me?

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• eBook Exchange Helps Kindle and Nook Owners Swap Books

  - by Jason Fitzpatrick

  If you have a Kindle or Nook and are looking to do a little free reading, eBook Exchange makes it easy to borrow books from others and to share your books in turn. The service is completely free; in order to use it you simply sign up for an account and begin listing books you have to share. Even if you have no books to share at the moment you can still use the service (although be aware that eBook Exchange ranks requests and in the case of multiple users requesting the same book the system will favor a user who has shared the most). Hit up the link below take eBook Exchange for spin. eBook Exchange [via Gadgetopia] How To Delete, Move, or Rename Locked Files in Windows HTG Explains: Why Screen Savers Are No Longer Necessary 6 Ways Windows 8 Is More Secure Than Windows 7

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• How To Properly Scan a Photograph (And Get An Even Better Image)

  - by Eric Z Goodnight

  Somewhere in your home, there’s a box of old analog photographs you probably want digital copies of. Unless you know how to use your scanner correctly, the image quality can turn out poor. Here’s how to get the best results. If your memories are important to you, then it’s worth taking the time to do them right. Today we’re going to look at the largely overlooked tools and methods that’ll give you the best possible quality out of a scan of a less than perfect photo. We’ll see how to make the most of the scanning software and how to use graphics programs to make the image look better than the original photograph. Keep reading! How To Properly Scan a Photograph (And Get An Even Better Image) The HTG Guide to Hiding Your Data in a TrueCrypt Hidden Volume Make Your Own Windows 8 Start Button with Zero Memory Usage

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• Open Your Desktop to Nature with the Magic Landscapes Theme for Windows 7

  - by Asian Angel

  Are you looking for a nature filled theme for your desktop? Then the Magic Landscapes theme may be just what you are looking for. This terrific theme comes with seventeen wallpapers showcasing the work of photographer Michael Breitung. Download the Magic Landscapes Theme [Windows 7 Personalization Gallery] How To Properly Scan a Photograph (And Get An Even Better Image) The HTG Guide to Hiding Your Data in a TrueCrypt Hidden Volume Make Your Own Windows 8 Start Button with Zero Memory Usage

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• The Dangers of Vertical Video; A Public Service Announcement [Video]

  - by Jason Fitzpatrick

  According to the puppets in this tongue-in-cheek PSA, you’d better start shooting your video in the right orientation or very bad things–potentially involving George Lucas–will come to pass. [via Mashable] HTG Explains: What Is Windows RT and What Does It Mean To Me? HTG Explains: How Windows 8′s Secure Boot Feature Works & What It Means for Linux Hack Your Kindle for Easy Font Customization

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• From the Tips Box: Drone Hacks Galor, DIY Solder Dispensers, and Mood-based Music

  - by Jason Fitzpatrick

  Once a week we round up some of the great reader-submitted tips and share them with everyone. This week we’re looking at AR Drone hacks, crafting a DIY solder dispenser, and enjoying mood-based music. HTG Explains: Why Do Hard Drives Show the Wrong Capacity in Windows? Java is Insecure and Awful, It’s Time to Disable It, and Here’s How What Are the Windows A: and B: Drives Used For?

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