What Is Patreon, and How Does It Work?
Many online content creators use Patreon to supplement their income. How does it work, and should you support your favorite internet content creator on the site? Find out here.
What Does Apple’s T2 “Security Chip” Do in Your Mac?
Apple proudly advertises that its latest and greatest Mac models come with a T2 security chip, but what does it do? And, more importantly, does a T2 chip create more problems than it solves?
Can You Really “Zoom and Enhance” Security Footage?
Two cops stand at a computer. Before them is a blurry security camera image. “Enhance,” barks the senior officer to the rookie, who presses a few buttons. Suddenly, the image transforms, revealing a critical piece of evi...
Why Did the Turbo Button Slow Down Your PC in the ’90s?
In the 1980s and ’90s, many IBM PC clones included a button on the case labeled “Turbo” that actually slowed down your PC when you pressed it. We explore why it was necessary, what it did, and who put it the...
Why People Look Different in Photos Taken with Different Lenses
If you’ve ever taken a close-up portrait of someone with your smartphone’s wide-angle lens, you might have noticed they look a little . . . off. Maybe their nose seemed a bit big, or their face was just a tad too wide. Yo...
What Is DirectX 12 Ultimate on Windows 10 PCs and Xbox?
In 2018, Nvidia rolled out its RTX graphics cards, which rocked some killer features for gaming, including ray tracing and mesh shaders. However, Microsoft needed a standard that supported these features on more than just NV...
Can Law Enforcement Really Recover Files You’ve Deleted?
When you delete a file from your computer’s hard drive, it’s never really gone. With enough effort and technical skill, it’s often possible to recover documents and photos previously thought obliterated. These computer ...
Deja Vu: A Brief History of Every Mac CPU Architecture
Over the last 36 years, the Apple Macintosh has had three different CPU architectures, and it’s poised to potentially migrate to a fourth. As rumors about a switch to ARM swirl, let’s take a brief look at the hist...
What Is Harmony OS? Huawei’s New Operating System Explained
After years of speculation and rumor, Chinese tech giant Huawei formally unveiled its Harmony OS operating system in 2019. It’s fair to say that more questions have been raised than answered. How does it work? What problems...
Celebrities on Demand: What Is Cameo?
I grew up watching Star Trek: The Next Generation. Some of my fondest childhood memories involve being sat cross-legged before a cathode ray tube, where I’d watch Picard and the crew save the galaxy from Borg and Romulan ho...
Does It Really Take 60 Seconds to Trace a Phone Call?
How do you trace a phone call? According to TV shows and films, you just have to keep someone talking long enough for a detective to pinpoint his location. While this overused trope can add some tension when paired with a tim...
What Does “IDK” Mean, and How Do You Use It?
One fantastic thing about the internet community is how rapidly it pushes the boundaries of language. Twitter-born words, phrases, and #hashtags emerge constantly in response to news and social media. IDK is one of the more p...
Decoding CPU Reviews: A Beginner’s Guide to Processor Terms
CPU reviews are complicated. Before you even get to the performance benchmarks, you have to navigate a maze of terms, like silicon, die, package, IHS, and sTIM. That’s a lot of jargon with little explanation. We’l...
Can Hackers Really “Bounce” Their Signal All Over the World?
TV shows and films rarely represent hackers accurately. We’re all familiar with the old trope of the hoodie-clad digital criminal frantically typing into a black terminal before triumphantly whispering, “We’re in.&#...
What Is Fast Charging, and How Does It Work?
Most major phone releases nowadays come with improved charging speeds. How do fast chargers work, and how are they getting even faster? Find out here.
What Was the Y2K Bug, and Why Did It Terrify the World?
Billions of dollars were spent addressing the Y2K bug. Government, military, and corporate systems were all at risk, yet we made it through, more or less, unscathed. So, was the threat even real?
What Is a Man-in-the-Middle Attack?
A man-in-the-middle (MITM) attack occurs when someone sits between two computers (such as a laptop and remote server) and intercepts traffic. This person can eavesdrop on, or even intercept, communications between the two mac...
Why Did Dial-Up Modems Make So Much Noise?
Screeeech . . . hisss . . . squaawk. These are familiar sounds to anyone who’s ever used dial-up internet or called BBSes. It seemed especially noisy late at night. Have you ever wondered why all that noise was necessar...
Should You Use HDMI, DisplayPort, or USB-C for a 4K Monitor?
If you’ve bought a new 4K monitor recently, you might have been puzzled by the array of ports on the back. HDMI, DisplayPort, USB-C, and Thunderbolt are all commonplace now, but which is the best, and why?...
How to Protect Yourself From SIM-Swapping Attacks
You think you’re making all the right moves. You’re smart with your security. You have two-factor authentication enabled on all your accounts. But hackers have a way to bypass that: SIM swapping.
How to Read a Floppy Disk on a Modern PC or Mac
Remember floppies? Back in the day, they were essential. Eventually, they were replaced, and floppy disk drives vanished from new computers. Here’s how to access a vintage 3.5- or 5.25-inch floppy disk on a modern Windo...
Why Do Apps Disappear From the App Store and Play Store?
Have you ever tried to look for an app and realized it wasn’t there? Here are the reasons an app might disappear from Apple’s App Store or Google’s Play Store.
What Is a “Surveillance” or “NAS” Hard Drive?
Capacity isn’t the only thing that differentiates one hard drive from another. Yes, they’re all spinning platters that use magnetic storage to save data. However, some are marketed as “Surveillance” or...
How Do Music Identification Apps Like Shazam Work?
Music identification apps seem like magic at first, but underneath the hood is a sophisticated algorithm that can find songs in an instant. Here’s how they work.
What Is Dropshipping, and Is It a Scam?
The internet has radically changed how retailing works thanks to companies like Amazon and eBay. If you’re on Instagram or Facebook, though, you’ve probably also encountered advertisements for shockingly cheap bou...
