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Chris Hoffman

Chris Hoffman is a technology writer and all-around computer geek. He's as at home using the Linux terminal as he is digging into the Windows registry. Connect with him on Twitter.

Make GNOME Shell Your Own: 10 GNOME Shell Extensions to Install

GNOME Shell has been criticized for lacking many familiar features found in GNOME 2, but you can add them yourself with extensions. If you’ve installed GNOME Shell and didn’t like it, don’t write it off until you try some extensions.
May 5th, 2012 - by Chris Hoffman | Comments (6)

How to Get the Old Gmail Look Back

Gmail’s redesign is now mandatory — the opt-out option is gone. Use a third-party style sheet to get the old Gmail look back or tweak Gmail’s settings to undo some of the changes.
May 4th, 2012 - by Chris Hoffman | Comments (14)

How to Customize Ubuntu with Ubuntu Tweak

Ubuntu’s default configuration tools don’t expose a lot of options for customizing your Ubuntu desktop. Ubuntu Tweak fills the gap, exposing a wide variety of settings unavailable in the default interface.
May 3rd, 2012 - by Chris Hoffman | Comments (4)

How to Free Up Space in Gmail: 5 Ways to Reclaim Space

Gmail provides a high storage limit – 10 GB and counting – but it doesn’t help you much if you’re close to reaching it. You’ll need to know some tricks to free up space in your Gmail account.
May 1st, 2012 - by Chris Hoffman | Comments (12)

How to Create Advanced Firewall Rules in the Windows Firewall

Windows’ built-in firewall hides the ability to create powerful firewall rules. Block programs from accessing the Internet, use a whitelist to control network access, restrict traffic to specific ports and IP addresses, and more – all without installing another firewall.
April 30th, 2012 - by Chris Hoffman | Comments (12)

How to Install & Use GNOME Shell on Ubuntu

Give GNOME Shell a spin if you’re looking for a slick, new Linux desktop environment. It’s similar to Unity in some ways, but more flexible in others – GNOME Shell supports extensions, which can add missing features.
April 30th, 2012 - by Chris Hoffman | Comments (9)

Supercharge Ubuntu’s Unity Dash with Lenses & Scopes: 5 Lenses to Install

The dash on Ubuntu’s Unity desktop allows you to search for applications, files, music, and videos – but you’re not just limited to these. Install custom lenses and scopes to extend the dash with more features.
April 29th, 2012 - by Chris Hoffman | Comments (6)

8 New Features in Ubuntu 12.04, Precise Pangolin

Ubuntu 12.04 is upon us. Aside from the usual assortment of bug fixes and updated software, Ubuntu’s Unity desktop environment has been polished and offers new features and more configurability.
April 28th, 2012 - by Chris Hoffman | Comments (20)

How to Sync Files & Fetch Unsynced Files with SkyDrive

The new SkyDrive is a compelling product from Microsoft. With an ample 7 GB of free storage, a slick interface, and the ability to download unsynced files from any connected computer, SkyDrive gives Dropbox a run for its money.
April 26th, 2012 - by Chris Hoffman | Comments (29)

How to Easily Customize Your Windows Explorer Context Menus with FileMenu Tools

We’ve previously covered customizing Windows Explorer’s context menus by adding custom shortcuts and removing existing shortcuts with the Registry Editor. FileMenu Tools is an easy-to-use, graphical alternative to these fairly complicated registry hacks.
April 25th, 2012 - by Chris Hoffman | Comments (13)

How to Sync & Quickly Reinstall Applications on Ubuntu

The first thing any Linux user does after installing Linux is installing their favorite packages. Ubuntu makes this easy by syncing your installed applications between computers. And terminal users can install their favorite packages with a single command.
April 23rd, 2012 - by Chris Hoffman | Comments (13)

How to Create Custom Smart Bookmarks Folders in Firefox

Have you ever wondered how the “Most Visited” bookmarks folder included with Firefox works? It’s not just a special-cased folder – it takes advantage of the Places database introduced in Firefox 3, and you can create your own smart bookmarks.
April 22nd, 2012 - by Chris Hoffman | Comments (7)

How to Recover Accidentally Deleted Bookmarks in Chrome & Firefox

Both Chrome and Firefox can restore bookmarks you’ve deleted, but Chrome doesn’t make it easy. Chrome contains a single, hidden bookmark backup file. You can only restore the backup file manually, and that file is frequently overwritten.
April 21st, 2012 - by Chris Hoffman | Comments (13)

How to Benchmark Your Linux System: 3 Open-Source Benchmarking Tools

Linux’s command-line utilities can do anything, including perform benchmarks – but using a dedicated benchmarking program is a simpler and more foolproof process. These utilities allow you to perform reproducible tests across different systems and configurations.
April 19th, 2012 - by Chris Hoffman | Comments (2)

How to Benchmark Your Android Device: 5 Free Apps

Why guess at the performance of your device when you can run some tests and get detailed statistics? These apps test your device’s CPU, GPU, and other hardware components – in addition to your browser.
April 18th, 2012 - by Chris Hoffman | Comments (2)

How to Benchmark Your Web Browser: 4 Free Tools

Whether we’re comparing Firefox to Chrome or testing the real-world speed benefits of a 64-bit browser, I see a lot of comments saying one browser feels faster. When people compare web browsers, they don’t usually perform rigorous benchmarks.
April 16th, 2012 - by Chris Hoffman | Comments (15)

How to Multitask in the Linux Terminal: 3 Ways to Use Multiple Shells at Once

The Linux terminal has rich multitasking capabilities. You can switch between the virtual consoles already running on your system, use Bash job control to run processes in the background, and take advantage of GNU screen, a terminal “window manager.”
April 16th, 2012 - by Chris Hoffman | Comments (10)

Use Classic Shell to Get a Classic Start Menu & Explorer Toolbar in Windows 8

Classic Shell is an open-source utility that brings classic Windows features to newer versions of Windows. It offers the most classic Start menu for Windows 8 yet, and it lets you avoid the ribbon with a Windows Explorer toolbar.
April 12th, 2012 - by Chris Hoffman | Comments (19)

How To Send eBooks & Other Documents To Your Kindle

Send to Kindle for PC makes it easy to put content on your Kindle, whether it’s a free ebook or a Word document. You can also email files to @Kindle.com or transfer them over USB, the old-fashioned way.
April 10th, 2012 - by Chris Hoffman | Comments (0)

How to Back Up Your Linux System With Back In Time

Ubuntu includes Déjà Dup, an integrated backup tool, but some people prefer Back In Time instead. Back In Time has several advantages over Déjà Dup, including a less-opaque backup format, integrated backup file browser, and more configurability.
April 4th, 2012 - by Chris Hoffman | Comments (9)

Here’s 6 Great Tricks for Windows 8 that You Probably Don’t Know

We’ve covered a lot of tips, tricks, and tweaks for Windows 8, but there are still a few more. From bypassing the lock screen to instantly taking and saving screenshots, here are a few more hidden options and keyboard shortcuts.
April 3rd, 2012 - by Chris Hoffman | Comments (34)

Become a Linux Terminal Power User With These 8 Tricks

There’s more to using the Linux terminal than just typing commands into it. Learn these basic tricks and you’ll be well on your way to mastering the Bash shell, used by default on most Linux distributions.
April 3rd, 2012 - by Chris Hoffman | Comments (16)

6 Great Alternative Browsers for Your Android Device

Android’s default browser, named “Internet,” is a very simple browser that’s tied to your Android OS version. Other, third-party browsers offer more powerful interfaces, greater configurability, and more frequent updates.
April 2nd, 2012 - by Chris Hoffman | Comments (29)

How to Install the MATE Desktop & Go Back to GNOME 2 on Ubuntu

If you long for the days of GNOME 2 and just can’t get along with Unity or GNOME 3, MATE is here to save you. It’s an actively developed fork of GNOME 2, and it’s easily installable on Ubuntu.
March 30th, 2012 - by Chris Hoffman | Comments (17)

How to Back Up & Restore Your Installed Ubuntu Packages With APTonCD

APTonCD is an easy way to back up your installed packages to a disc or ISO image. You can quickly restore the packages on another Ubuntu system without downloading anything.
March 30th, 2012 - by Chris Hoffman | Comments (9)
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Despite their reputation as deadly spiders, there are only three known cases in all of medical literature of fatal Black Widow spider bites.

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