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• Apple II Teardown and Restoration Offers a Peek at Computing History [Video]

  - by Jason Fitzpatrick

  In this extended teardown video, we’re granted a peek at the guts of an Apple IIe and treated to quite a bit of Apple IIe history in the process. Todd Harrison, via his project blog ToddFun, shares videos of his Apple IIe restoration project. The videos are lengthy, but include close up examination of all the parts and lots of information about the history of the computer and its construction. You can check out the rest of his Apple II videos and posts at the link below. Apple II Plus from 1982 teardown, repair, cleanup and demonstration [via The Unofficial Apple Weblog] 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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• Fix Google Reader Lag by Blocking Google Plus Button

  - by Jason Fitzpatrick

  Chrome: Many Google Reader fans have noticed, since the upgrades last month, that the service is unbearably slow. Speed things up by blocking the Google Plus button. Ever since the upgrade from the old Google Reader interface to the new integrated-with-Google-Plus interface, many Google Reader users were reporting a painfully long lag between reading entries in Reader. Previously hitting a keyboard shortcut or arrow button to move you through the new stories was instant with no noticeable lag. After the upgrade a lag of 3-5 seconds per individual story became common (we experienced this annoying lag around the How-To Geek office immediately after the upgrade). One of the theories was that the addition of the Google Plus button to every article was causing memory issues. Geeks Are Sexy tested the theory by blocking this address: plusone.google.com/u/0/_/+1/fastbutton using AdBlock. While people were reporting great success with that move (and you may find it works great too) we didn’t have any luck. What did work for us was installing Chromeblock and, while visiting reader.google.com, clicking on the ChromeBlock toolbar button and blocking Google +1. After that the 3-5 second lag vanished and browsing articles was as snappy as it had been. Hit up the link below to grab a copy of Chromeblock. Amazon’s New Kindle Fire Tablet: the How-To Geek Review HTG Explains: How Hackers Take Over Web Sites with SQL Injection / DDoS Use Your Android Phone to Comparison Shop: 4 Scanner Apps Reviewed

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• Hack Your Lights for Remote Control

  - by Jason Fitzpatrick

  This clever hack combines a modified wall switch with unused buttons on a universal remote to create one-touch wireless control of the lighting in a media room. Andrew, the tinker behind this home theater hack, writes: I really liked the idea of controlling my “Home Theater” lights with a remote (TV or other), this would save me the exhausting task of heaving myself off the couch to turn the lights on or off. I found one of my remotes has a spare power button, its one of those stupid “universal” remotes that comes with DVD players or TVs but only work if you have all the same brand equipment, I don’t so this made a good option for a light switch. Hit up the link below to check out more photos of his project and download the source code. 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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• Arthur C. Clarke Describe the Future Internet in 1974 [Video]

  - by Jason Fitzpatrick

  Arthur C. Clarke–futurist and Sci-Fi writer–talks to a reporter from the Australian Broadcasting Network about the future of computing and the internet in this 1974 interview. Clearly he had a pretty good handle on the direction information technology and networking was going–we’re certainly using computers largely in the fashion he describes. [via Neatorama] The Best Free Portable Apps for Your Flash Drive Toolkit How to Own Your Own Website (Even If You Can’t Build One) Pt 3 How to Sync Your Media Across Your Entire House with XBMC

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• Morning Routine Is an Alarm Clock Deactivated via Barcode Scan

  - by Jason Fitzpatrick

  Android: If you have trouble getting out of bed in the morning, Morning Routine might be just the tool you need–an alarm clock that requires you to scan a barcode to deactivate it. Similar in concept to alarm clocks which require you to solve a puzzle to shut them down, Morning Routine requires you to get out of bed and scan a barcode/QR code to turn the alarm off. If you’re worried that’s not enough you can even set it up to require a sequence of scans. In addition, you can have the scan(s) open a URL to launch your favorite news site, web radio, or other resource that serves as part of your morning routine. Morning Routine is free for a limited time, Android only. Morning Routine [via Addictive Tips] How to Stress Test the Hard Drives in Your PC or Server How To Customize Your Android Lock Screen with WidgetLocker The Best Free Portable Apps for Your Flash Drive Toolkit

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• Ask the Readers: How Do You Remote Desktop Access Distant Computers?

  - by Jason Fitzpatrick

  You’re at a computer at point A, but the computer you want to interact with is at point B, and the only thing connecting you is a series of network switches and cabling. How do you comfortably control the remote computer? While there are a variety of ways to control a computer from afar, sometimes there’s just no good substitute for accessing the user interface as if you were sitting at the computer–a feat made possibly by remote desktop software. This week we want to hear about both your favorite remote desktop tool and your best tips for getting the most out of a remote desktop session–from banishing lag to improving mouse-cursor tracking, any tips are fair game. Sound off in the comments below with your remote desktop tips and then check back in on Friday for the What You Said roundup. 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? HTG Explains: What is DNS?

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• CPU DB like IMDB for Microprocessors

  - by Jason Fitzpatrick

  If you’re interested in the history of microprocessors, the CPU DB at Stanford is a massive database of microprocessors that covers everything from code names to speed to processor families. Play with their visuals or download the entire database and make your own. CPU DB [Stanford.edu] The Best Free Portable Apps for Your Flash Drive Toolkit How to Own Your Own Website (Even If You Can’t Build One) Pt 3 How to Sync Your Media Across Your Entire House with XBMC

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• WidgetBlock Speeds Up Browsing by Removing Social Media Widgets

  - by Jason Fitzpatrick

  Chrome: If you’re tired of web pages cluttered with social media buttons, WidgetBlock bans the buttons and speeds up the load time of web pages in the process. Even on a snappy internet connection you’ve likely noticed, thanks to the deluge of social media buttons loading in the background, a noticeable lag on popular web sites. WidgetBlock blocks widgets from loading (just like popular ad blocking software blocks ads from loading). The above screenshot, taken from a popular media site, shows just how much screen real estate is taken up by social media widgets. Installing WidgetBlock banishes the social media widgets and speeds load time. Hit up the link below to grab a free copy. WidgetBlock [Chrome Web Store] HTG Explains: When Do You Need to Update Your Drivers? How to Make the Kindle Fire Silk Browser *Actually* Fast! Amazon’s New Kindle Fire Tablet: the How-To Geek Review

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• BlueNES: A Bluetooth Connector for Classic NES Controllers

  - by Jason Fitzpatrick

  If you’re looking for a DIY way to hook up your classic Nintendo controllers for use in modern emulation programs, this hack allows you to use them without modifying the original casing or cables. Courtesy of Evan Dustin, we find this guide on hacking apart a broken NES unit (to get the basic parts like the port connectors) and then binding it all together with an Arduino board. Check out the video above to see it in action and then hit up the link below to check out the notes on the YouTube video for additional information including parts and code. BluesNES: Bluetooth NES Controller [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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• Why Does 64-Bit Windows Need a Separate “Program Files (x86)” Folder?

  - by Jason Fitzpatrick

  If you’re currently using any 64-bit version of Windows you may have noticed there are two “Program Files” folders, one for 64-bit and one for 32-bit apps. Why does Windows need to sub-divide them? Read on to see why. 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. 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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• I have Ubuntu Server 11.10 64-bit . Updates were working but now fails every time after apt-get update

  - by jason pate

  This is what I get when I try to run apt-get update Err http: //security.ubuntu.com oneiric-security InRelease Err http: //us.archive.ubuntu.com oneiric InRelease Err http: //security.ubuntu.com oneiric-security Release.gpg Temporary failure resolving 'security.ubuntu.com' Err http: //us.archive.ubuntu.com oneiric-updates InRelease Err http: //us.archive.ubuntu.com oneiric Release.gpg Temporary failure resolving 'us.archive.ubuntu.com' Err http: //us.archive.ubuntu.com oneiric-updates Release.gpg Temporary failure resolving 'us.archive.ubuntu.com' Reading package lists... Done W: Failed to fetch http: //us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/oneiric/InRelease W: Failed to fetch http: //us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/oneiric-updates/InRelease W: Failed to fetch http: //security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/oneiric-security/InRelease W: Failed to fetch http: //security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/oneiric-security/Release.gpg Temporary failure resolving 'security.ubuntu.com' W: Failed to fetch http: //us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/oneiric/Release.gpg Temporary failure resolving 'us.archive.ubuntu.com' W: Failed to fetch http: //us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/oneiric-updates/Release.gpg Temporary failure resolving 'us.archive.ubuntu.com' W: Some index files failed to download. They have been ignored, or old ones used instead.

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• Newbie worried about CASE tool.

  - by Jason Evans

  Hi there. I'm looking for some guidance on CASE tools and whether my concerns are valid. Recently I was in a meeting between my employer and an external software company which have a CASE tool currently in beta. They demonstrated this tool to us, showing how you build a UML model in Enterprise Architect (or something like it) and then, through their tool, that UML model is transformed into a Visual Studio project, with C# files, stored procedures for SQL Server, code for the data layer, WCF stuff, logging code and allsorts. Now, admittedly, I don't see the point in this, as in I'm not convinced it will save that much time (plus it feels like overkill). The tool authors said that a trial of the tool at another company had saved a team there 5 weeks of development time (from 6 weeks down to about 1 week) using this tool. I find the accuracy of that estimate hard to believe. My main concern is whether using this tool is going slow down my productivity. For example - Say I have a UML model which I built a VS solution from. Now, I want to rename a class method to something else; will this mean having to update the UML model first and then rebuilding the code? Is this how case tools normally work? Something I will need to check with the authors is the structure of the generated VS solution. I like the Domain Driven Design way of project structure - Infrstructure, Services, Model, etc. I doubt very much this tool will do that. Also, I've been playing around with Entity Framework Code First and think it's a great way to build the data model. I have nice repositories, unit of work classes and other design patterns that work well with EF. I have data anootations and stuff like that working great. By not having EF (the CASE tool uses it's own data layer code) I'm concerned that this tool's data layer code might not be a nice to integrate in the UoW pattern, repositories, etc. This I will need to verify when I get a closer look at the generated code. What are other people's experiences with CASE tools? Am I being paranoid about nothing? Am I being unfair - are my negativities unfounded? EDIT: I like to use TDD/BDD for building my code, and using a CASE tool looks like it will make this difficult. Again, any feedback on this would be great. Cheers. Jas.

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• DIY Door Lock Grants Access via RFID

  - by Jason Fitzpatrick

  If you’re looking to lighten the load on your pocket and banish the jingling of keys, this RFID-key hack makes your front door keycard accessible–and even supports groups and user privileges. Steve, a DIYer and Hack A Day reader, was looking for a solution to a simple problem: he wanted to easily give his friends access to his home without having to copy lots of keys and bulk up their key rings. Since all his friends already carried a Boston public transit RFID card the least intrusive solution was to hack his front door to support RFID cards. His Arduino-based solution can store up to 50 RFID card identifiers, supports group-based access, and thanks to a little laser cutting and stain the project enclosure blends in with the Victorian styling of his home’s facade. Hit up the link below to see his code–for a closer look at the actual enclosure check out this photo gallery. RFID Front Door Lock [via Hack A Day] HTG Explains: What is DNS? How To Switch Webmail Providers Without Losing All Your Email How To Force Windows Applications to Use a Specific CPU

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• DIY $2 Flash Diffuser [Video]

  - by Jason Fitzpatrick

  This simple flash diffuser is cheap to make, easy to assemble, and offers a wide surface area to bounce your flash. The video comes to us courtesy of StepByStep Photography, building off a design by Chuck Gardner (follow the link below to read Chuck’s full tutorial and learn a bit about using a bounce flash). DIY Diffuser for Hot-Shoe Flash [via DIY Photography] 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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• Is this overkill? Using MDX queries and cubes instead of SQL stored procedures

  - by Jason Holland

  I am new to Microsoft's SQL Server Analysis Services Cubes and MDX queries. Where I work we have a daily sales table in SQL Server 2005 that already contains an aggregate of sale information per store per day. At this time it contains only 164,000+ rows. We have a sales cube dedicated to this table that about 15 reports are based off of. Now, I should also note that we generate reports based on our own fiscal year criteria: a 13 period year (1 month equals 28 days etc.). Is this overkill? At what point is it justified to begin using SSAS Cubes/MDX over plain old SQL Server stored procedures? Since I have always been just using plain old SQL am I tragically late to the MDX party?

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• New Tabs at End Opens New Tabs at the End of the Chrome Tab Bar

  - by Jason Fitzpatrick

  Chrome: If you’d prefer to have new tabs open at the end of the row instead of next to their parent tab, New Tabs at End is a simple Google Chrome extension that will scoot your tabs where you want them. It’s a minor thing, to be sure, but many users prefer to have tabs open at the end of the row–I know it took me quite awhile as a new Chrome user to get used to the default next-to-parent action. If you’d prefer to have the new tabs open at the end, hit up the link below to install New Tabs at End to tweak your tab bar workflow. New Tabs at End [via Addictive Tips] How To Be Your Own Personal Clone Army (With a Little Photoshop) How To Properly Scan a Photograph (And Get An Even Better Image) The HTG Guide to Hiding Your Data in a TrueCrypt Hidden Volume

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• AI for a mixed Turn Based + Real Time battle system - Something "Gambit like" the right approach?

  - by Jason L.

  This is maybe a question that's been asked 100 times 1,000 different ways. I apologize for that :) I'm in the process of building the AI for a game I'm working on. The game is a turn based one, in the vein of Final Fantasy but also has a set of things that happen in real time (reactions). I've experimented with FSM, HFSMs, and Behavior Trees. None of them felt "right" to me and all felt either too limiting or too generic / big. The idea I'm toying with now is something like a "Rules engine" that could be likened to the Gambit system from Final Fantasy 12. I would have a set of predefined personalities. Each of these personalities would have a set of conditions it would check on each event (Turn start, time to react, etc). These conditions would be priority ordered, and the first one that returns true would be the action I take. These conditions can also point to a "choice" action, which is just an action that will make a choice based on some Utility function. Sort of a mix of FSM/HFSM and a Utility Function approach. So, a "gambit" with the personality of "Healer" may look something like this: (ON) Ally HP = 0% - Choose "Relife" spell (ON) Ally HP < 50% - Choose Heal spell (ON) Self HP < 65% - Choose Heal spell (ON) Ally Debuff - Choose Debuff Removal spell (ON) Ally Lost Buff - Choose Buff spell Likewise, a "gambit" with the personality of "Agressor" may look like this: (ON) Foe HP < 10% - Choose Attack skill (ON) Foe any - Choose target - Choose Attack skill (ON) Self Lost Buff - Choose Buff spell (ON) Foe HP = 0% - Taunt the player What I like about this approach is it makes sense in my head. It also would be extremely easy to build an "AI Editor" with an approach like this. What I'm worried about is.. would it be too limiting? Would it maybe get too complicated? Does anyone have any experience with AIs in Turn Based games that could maybe provide me some insight into this approach.. or suggest a different approach? Many thanks in advance!!!

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• Does Bad Weather Affect Cloud Computing? [Humor]

  - by Jason Fitzpatrick

  Indian government official Vishwa Bandhu Gupta deserves a Master Class Troll Lifetime Achievement Award for his performance in this five minute video and complete bamboozling of a poor reporter. Before we ridicule the reporter for buying Gupta’s spiel, keep in mind that 51% of Americans think cloud computing actually has something to do with clouds. Cloud Computing Is Great, But What If It Rains? [via Digital Inspiration] 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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• The (Totally) Phantom Menace Takes a Hard Look at Star Wars Saber Duels [Video]

  - by Jason Fitzpatrick

  If you feel like the light saber duels in Star Wars are long on choreography and short on actual brutal combat, you’re sure to get a chuckle out of this “training” guide highlighting how not to kill your opponent. [via Neatorama] 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 How To Be Your Own Personal Clone Army (With a Little Photoshop)

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• How to Best Optimize up Model Transforms, Import 3DS Animations Into XNA 4.0?

  - by Jason R. Mick

  Relative beginner to XNA, but trying to build a multi-purpose (3D) game frameworking in XNA 4. Been using the Reed (O'Reilly) and Cawood/McGee (McGraw Hill) guides. My question is multi-faceted and involves how to most efficiently handle models. I'm using 3DS Max 2010 with kw-Xport to ship out my models as .X files. Solved an early problem by using my depth stencil state. My models are now loading properly (yay!) and I have basic bounding working, I just want to optimize transforming models and get animations working as a next step. My questions on models are: 1. Do you have any suggestions for good resources on exporting 3DS animations to XNA? I've seen some resources on how to handle animations in XNA, but most skimp on basic topics of how to convert multi-animation 3DS files. For example how do I take one big long string of keyframed animations (say running, frame 5-20, climbing frames 25-45, etc.) and turned them into named XNA animations. To my understanding every XNA animation has to have a name, but I haven't seen any tutorials on creating a new named animation from a subset of frames. 2. Is it faster to load a model once and animate/transform that base model on the fly @ draw time, or to load multiple models? My game will have multiple enemies, and I've already seen some lagginess in XNA, so II want to make my code efficient... 3. I've heard people on app hub talking about making custom content processors for models-- what is the benefit of this? Does it speed up transforming or animating the models? If so, can you point me towards any good (model-centric) tutorials? (I've built a custom height map content processor to generate terrain, following Cawood's examples, I'm just a bit confused as to how a model content processor would be implemented.)

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• Optical Illusion Freezes Water In Place [Video]

  - by Jason Fitzpatrick

  This clever optical illusion uses sound frequency and a digital camera to “freeze” water in time and space. YouTube user MrBibio explains the hack: Creating the illusion of a static flow of water using sound. Of course this isn’t my idea and plenty more refined examples already exist. I tried this same experiment years ago but using a strobe light, but it’s harsh on the eyes after a while and hard to video successfully. It only dawned on me shortly before making this that for video purposes, no strobe light is required. This is because the frame rate and shutter of the camera is doing a similar job to the strobe. The speaker-as-frequency-generator model is definitely easier on the eyes than similar experiments that rely on high-speed strobes. How to Stress Test the Hard Drives in Your PC or Server How To Customize Your Android Lock Screen with WidgetLocker The Best Free Portable Apps for Your Flash Drive Toolkit

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• Ask the Readers: Are You A Second Screen Multi-tasker?

  - by Jason Fitzpatrick

  Television watchers are no longer keeping their eyes continuously glued to the screen–increasingly smartphone, tablet, and laptop users have merged their mobile device and television time. Are you one of the second screen multi-taskers? Image courtesy of Umani, a TV-companion application for iPad. According to Nielsen user surveys, at least 80% of mobile device owners have used their device while watching television in the past month–27% said they use their mobile device alongside the television multiple times a day. What the survey results are light on, however, is an in depth look at what the users are doing with their second screen. This week we want to hear about whether or not you’re one of the second screen multi-taskers and what you use your mobile device for during your television/movie time. Sound off in the comments and then check back in on Friday for the What You Said roundup. How to Get Pro Features in Windows Home Versions with Third Party Tools HTG Explains: Is ReadyBoost Worth Using? HTG Explains: What The Windows Event Viewer Is and How You Can Use It

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• Ring in the Holiday with Papercraft Star Wars Snowflakes

  - by Jason Fitzpatrick

  Whether your holiday decorating is begging for a geeky touch (or your nieces and nephews are begging for something to occupy their time while visiting this holiday), Anthony Herrera’s Star Wars themed paper snowflakes are a perfect geeky holiday project. This year’s collection includes Admiral Ackbar, A-Wings, B-Wings, Chewbacca, Ewoks, and more. Be sure to check out the 2011 and 2010 editions, for even more characters. Star Wars Snowflakes 2012 [Anthony Herrera Designs] 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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• Repurpose a Wire Basket as a Game Controller Organizer

  - by Jason Fitzpatrick

  If you’re looking for an easy way to organize your console controllers, this simple repurposing hack turns an IKEA wire basket intended for managing cable clutter into a game controller stand. You won’t need a Dremel tool to install this hack; all you need to do to follow in the foot steps of IKEAHackers reader Leslie is to install a SIGNUM cable basket (or similar cable organizer) upside down so loom curves up instead of down. Instant wire cradle for your controllers (or possibly an open air charging station for your small electronics). Check out the link below for more details. Game Controller Management System [IKEAHackers] How To Make a Youtube Video Into an Animated GIFHTG Explains: What Are Character Encodings and How Do They Differ?How To Make Disposable Sleeves for Your In-Ear Monitors

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• What You Said: How You Keep Your Email SPAM Free and Tidy

  - by Jason Fitzpatrick

  Earlier this week we asked you to share your favorite tips and tricks for keeping your inbox tidy. Now we’re back to share your–rather aggressive–SPAM dodging tricks. HTG readers are serious about beating back SPAM. While some readers such as TechGeek01 took a fairly laid back approach to junk mail: I usually just read emails, and delete them when my inbox gets kinda full. As for spam, I mark it as such, and the automated spam filter usually catches it the next time. It’s a fairly simple method, I know, but it’s efficient, and takes almost no effort, other than a monthly cleaning. For other readers it was outright war. ArchersCall uses a system of layers and whitelists: I have a triple system and rarely see spam. How to Banish Duplicate Photos with VisiPic 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?

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