When you have more than one or two gadgets, the outlets near that kitchen counter can get very cluttered. If you want to clean things up, you can upgrade your outlets to support not just standard 120-volt power cords but 5v USB charging too. Warning: This is a project for a confident DIYer. There’s no shame in getting someone else to do the actual wiring for you if you lack the skill or knowledge to do so....
If you want to block time on your calendar to make yourself available to others, consider using appointment slots in Google Calendar. Then, share a link to your appointment page for others to reserve those times to meet with you. Appointment blocks in Google Calendar are ideal for teachers or professors who hold office hours, supervisors during review or evaluation season, and anyone else who meets with others often. The only thing you need to set up appointment slots for yourself is a work or school Google Calendar account....
Add details to your Microsoft Excel spreadsheets for cities, foods, music, plants, and more. With the data type tool, there’s no need to open your web browser. Just type in a keyword and go! When Microsoft implemented its data type tool in Excel, we showed you just how easy it is to use. You could gather geographical data or add stock details to your sheets without scouring the internet. But the tool goes beyond its early stages of a few data types to over a dozen now, including an automatic data detector....
How to Configure a Close Friends List There are a few ways you can manage your Close Friends list for Instagram Stories. You can add someone to your Close Friends list from his profile or use the dedicated “Close Friends” screen from your own. RELATED: What Are Instagram “Stories,” and How Do I Use Them? To get started, open Instagram and tap your profile picture in the bottom-right corner to go to your Profile....
A watermark is a faded background image that displays behind the text in a document. You can use them to indicate a document’s state (confidential, draft, etc.), add a subtle company logo, or even for a bit of artistic flair. Here’s how to add and manipulate watermarks to your Word document. How to Insert a Built-In Watermark With your document open, switch over to the “Design” tab. In the Page Background group on that tab, click the “Watermark” button....
One of the biggest changes in Windows 8.1 is SkyDrive integration. In Windows 8, SkyDrive was available as a Modern app and a desktop app that you could install. In Windows 8.1, SkyDrive is integrated at the system level. SkyDrive integration doesn’t just apply to Modern apps. It’s also available in File Explorer on the desktop, so this change matters to desktop users, too. SkyDrive’s File Explorer integration works a little differently from Dropbox and other cloud storage apps....
Large form factors and multiple external antennas are fine for a beefy home router but they’re quite impractical when you’re on the go. Today we’re taking a look at the DIR-510L, a travel router that packs in zippy 802.11ac speeds in a package smaller than a TV remote. What Is the D-Link DIR-510L? The D-Link DIR-510L (herein referred to as the 510L for brevity) is a travel (or micro) router intended for use by travelers, mobile professionals, and anyone who needs router functionality when they’re far from the comfort of their full size router back at home or in the office....
If you frequently send out mass email news letters and keep getting users replying to all recipients, or need to disable the ability to forward an email, Microsoft Exchange and Outlook have you covered. Exchange and Outlook enable their own special flags that can disable this functionality and it can be extremely helpful if you need more control over your sent emails. This add-in works in Outlook 2007, Outlook 2010, and Outlook 2013 if you are using an Exchange account....
With news of the NSA, GCHQ, big corporations, and anyone else with an Internet connection snooping through your online data these days, you can’t be too careful when it comes to protecting the stuff you put in the cloud. This guide will tell you what you need to do so that TrueCrypt can keep your synced files guarded from prying eyes. When is your data not your data? When your files are kept only on your computer, or on your own thumb drives or portable hard drives, you have the ability to completely control who has access to them and what they can do with that data....
Internet Explorer has had a bit of a reputation problem over the years and some people prefer to disable it on their systems. But if you have disabled it, should you continue to install security updates for it regardless? Today’s SuperUser Q&A post has the answers to a curious reader’s question. Today’s Question & Answer session comes to us courtesy of SuperUser—a subdivision of Stack Exchange, a community-driven grouping of Q&A web sites....
This pair of headphones is best known for its active noise cancelling performance, which can block out background noise when you don’t want distractions. The ANC isn’t perfect, especially against people talking close to you, but it’s still a fantastic feature for airplane trips, train rides, or anywhere else with constant ambient noise. Play Video The WH-1000XM4 isn’t a one-trick pony, though. You can listen using either a Bluetooth connection or wired audio — Bluetooth is usually more convenient, but wired audio can boost microphone quality and conserve battery life....
Change Your Wallpaper (and Screen Saver) Probably the most obvious and impactful visual decision you can make, you can change your macOS wallpaper using the System Preferences (System Settings) > Desktop & Screen Saver. You can choose from Apple’s dynamic wallpapers that change throughout the day, simple light and dark desktops that switch based on your current theme, or Apple’s included wallpapers. You can also choose from your Photos library, nominate a folder, or turn on the “Change picture” option to keep things fresh....
The Galaxy S22 is equipped with a 6.1-inch AMOLED screen, a Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chipset, a 2,700mAh battery, and a USB Type-C port for data and charging. The entry-level model on sale right now has 8 GB RAM and 128 GB storage, but the more expensive versions double the storage to 256 GB. Unfortunately, there’s no headphone jack, but that’s a rare sight on flagship phones at this point....
What Is Samsung DeX? First of all, the name “DeX” comes from “Desktop Experience,” which perfectly describes what it does. DeX transforms the interface on your Samsung phone or tablet into something that looks closer to a Windows PC or Mac desktop. The DeX software is built in to many high-end Samsung Galaxy phones and tablets. The idea is that you connect your device to a larger display, keyboard, and mouse, and then DeX Mode kicks in....
Most people upgrade from 32-bit computing to 64-bit computing to blow through the 4GB RAM limit, but how far can you blow through that limit once you’ve entered into the realm of 64-bit computers? Today’s Question & Answer session comes to us courtesy of SuperUser—a subdivision of Stack Exchange, a community-driven grouping of Q&A web sites. Image by Petr Kratochvil. The Question SuperUser reader KingNestor is curious about how much RAM a 64-bit computer can hold:...
Hang around an office long enough and you’ll see a distinct trend in network cabling. Some cables have a covered plug and some cables are naked. What’s the purpose of the little plug cover? Today’s Question & Answer session comes to us courtesy of SuperUser—a subdivision of Stack Exchange, a community-driven grouping of Q&A web sites. The Question SuperUser reader Michael Kjörling wants to know: Taking hand tools to the poor little rubber cover seems a bit extreme....
Microsoft once claimed the original 64 GB Surface Pro would have only 23 GB of usable free space — that’s more than half used for system files! But Windows now fits on 16 GB drives. These 16 GB devices even have room to spare. As part of Windows 8.1 Update, Microsoft rolled out a new feature that allows Windows to fit on drives with a very small amount of storage space....
Linux isn’t a complete operating system — it’s just a kernel. Linux distributions take the Linux kernel and combine it with other free software to create complete packages. There are many different Linux distributions out there. If you want to “install Linux,” you’ll need to choose a distribution. You could also use Linux From Scratch to compile and assemble your own Linux system from the ground up, but that’s a huge amount of work....
Windows 8 was very different from Windows 7, but change is only speeding up — Windows 8.1 has seen quite a few changes since Windows 8. You’ll have new things to learn, whichever which version of Windows you’re upgrading from. This isn’t an exhaustive list, but it will help you get to grips with Windows 8.1 and locate the settings you may be looking for — especially if they’ve moved since Windows 7 or 8....
Philips Hue lights are great to have in your house, and they can add a lot of convenience to your living space. However, what if you want to use these smart bulbs outdoors in porch lights or flood lights? Will Philips Hue bulbs work properly in an outdoor environment? RELATED: How to Get the Most Out of Your Philips Hue Lights It’s important to know that any light bulb and its circuitry that are exposed to rain and other forms of precipitation isn’t safe; those conditions can easily ruin the bulb and the wiring....
