How-To Geek

How familiar are you with matrices? Did you know that they are used all around us in business, economics, cryptography, physics, electronics, and computer graphics? Learn how matrices work, how to work with them, and more in this fascinating TedEd talk by Bill Shillito.

Our first edition of WIG for March is filled with news link coverage on topics such as some new Macs are unable to reinstall Mountain Lion, Facebook is giving advertisers more opportunities to target users, Pandora has capped free mobile listening at 40 hours a month, and more.

Sometimes an inspiring background can be the perfect way to kick-start your imagination and get your browsing or work off to a great start. Take your iPad to whole new worlds with the first in our series of Fantasy Wallpaper collections.

Did you ever wonder how scientists discovered what cell membranes are made of and how they work? Would you believe that research into cell membranes got its start with a tray of dishwater in the late 1800s? Learn more about Agnes Pockels initial experiment and the history of cell membrane research in this interesting TEDEd presentation by Ethan Perlstein.

How big do you think the Universe is? Does it have a center and an edge? Is it getting bigger? These questions have different answers depending on how you look at the Universe. Will you look at things from the perspective of the observable universe or think bigger and consider the Whole Universe? Sit back and enjoy watching as Minute Physics tackles the discussion in their latest video.

How much do you actually know about genetically modified food? Did you know that you may be consuming a much higher quantity of genetically modified food than you are aware of? Learn what genetically modified foods really are, how they are made, just how prevalent they have become, and more in this terrific video from SciShow.

During the first week of April Mozilla will introduce a patch into the dev release of Firefox 22 that will block third-party cookies by default. The move is meant to help better protect users’ privacy from advertising networks who add cookies to browsers and track browsing habits across the web.

Last week Oracle released its latest update for Java, but another security hole has just been found that could allow a complete bypass of the security sandbox feature. Details of the latest exploit have been sent to Oracle and the waiting game for a new update starts all over again.

Our last edition of WIG for February is filled with news link coverage on topics such as identity fraud is on the rise in the U.S., a security flaw let a hacker access any Facebook profile, the PlayStation 4 will play used games, and more.

There is nothing quite like being able to relax as you walk through open spaces enjoying the warmth of the sun and feeling the wind on your face. Roam through these open and peaceful meadows on your desktop with the second in our series of Meadows Wallpaper collections.

What is the Universe? When someone says that the Universe includes ‘everything’, just what do they include in their definition of ‘everything’? Minute Physics tackles the topic in this video about the observable universe versus The Whole Universe.

Starting today Google has made the App Launcher feature built into Chromebooks available on Windows in the Chrome Dev Channel and Chromium releases. Read on to see what the new App Launcher feature looks like and how you can activate it on your Dev Channel or Chromium installation.

How much do you know about the ‘phenomenon’ known as light? Do you think it is made up of waves or particles? Learn more about this common ‘phenomenon’ we take for granted every day with Veritasium’s reproduction of Thomas Young’s 1801 Double Slit Experiment.

After last week’s meteorite strike in Russia there has been a renewed interest in meteorite activity across the globe. Now you can view the impact locations of 34,513 recorded meteorite strikes dating back to 2,300 B.C. with this awesome map created by Javier de la Torre.

How much do you really know about color? Do we all see a particular color the same or differently? Consider how people who experience color blindness have a different experience or those who have been blind from birth deal with the concept of colors. Learn more about color and the science behind it with this informative video from Vsauce.

Our latest edition of WIG is filled with news link coverage on topics such as 2012 set a new record for reported data breaches, Minecraft: Pi Edition is available for free on Raspberry Pi, Oracle is due to release a new Java patch this week, and more.

Using the stock backgrounds for a bit when you purchase a new Nexus 7 is fine, but sooner or later you will definitely want something new to look at. Add a unique look to the screen of your Nexus 7 with the first in our series of Abstract Mix Wallpaper collections.

Comic Sans is a font that many people love to hate, but do you know the history behind this font or that its popularity as a favorite is coming full-circle once again? Learn about the history of Comic Sans along with some fun historical facts about typefaces and fonts in this terrific video from Vsauce!

A new security hole has been found for multiple versions of Adobe Reader and Acrobat, so how do you protect your system until Adobe releases a new update? Our quick tutorial today will show you how to do just that with a quick tweak in the settings for Reader and Acrobat.

Valentine’s Day and chocolate go hand-in-hand, but did you know about the health benefits gained when chocolate is eaten in moderation? Learn more about the chemistry and beneficial properties of this wonderful sweet treat in this video from Bytesize Science.

If you have been an avid user of the Live Mesh service, then your time is up. As of February 13th you will need to make the switch to SkyDrive or a similar service for online storage and syncing on your computers.

Were you lucky enough to get a new Surface Pro over the weekend or are just curious about Microsoft’s latest hardware offering? Then you will definitely want to grab a copy of the new ‘Getting Started Guide’ available for download from Microsoft.

This week’s edition of WIG is filled with news link coverage on topics such as the $25 Raspberry Pi has finally gone on sale, a new malware is sleeping its way into financial institutions, SkyDrive users are now able share Office documents with non-Microsoft account holders, and more.

Romance is in the air as Valentine’s Day approaches and our thoughts turn to that special someone in our lives. Add some heart-filled cheer to your favorite desktop with our Valentine’s Day 2013 Wallpaper collection.

Have you ever wondered why ice floats in liquids, how small insects can walk on water, or why water in a lake freezes from the top downward? Learn what makes water behave the way it does in this fascinating TED-Ed talk given by Christina Kleinberg.