Use Your Coding Skills to Help Solve Civic Problems at Code for America

The non-profit provides a way for citizens to get more involved in their government.

July 30, 2015 · 1 min · 14 words · Andrew Wilson

What's The Best Record Player?

Vinyl records are still a small part of music sales, but they are on the rise. For those of us who have always loved them, thats welcome news. Were willing to bet you have some suggestions for us that are reliable, durable, and/or affordable. Lets hear them in the discussions! Maybe you own it and you love it. What makes it the one youd recommend to others, and why? If youre not sure what we mean, just check out the nominations by our writers below....

July 30, 2015 · 1 min · 97 words · Aaron Chavez

Windows 10 Uses Your Bandwidth to Distribute Updates, Disable It Here

Every time Microsoft releases a new version of Windows, its servers get slammed. To help alleviate this burden, Windows 10 can download updates from other users computers. The problem is, it can use up your bandwidth and data caps to do so. Heres how to turn it off. This new distribution method works a lot like torrents do. This is a great feature for those who have no data cap and want fast updates....

July 30, 2015 · 1 min · 193 words · Matthew Combs

Check If Oil Is Ready for Frying with a Couple of Breadcrumbs

When frying foods, your oils temperature can mean the difference between perfectly crisp foods and soggy ones. Drop a couple of breadcrumbs into the oil. If they sink, the oil is not hot enough. If they quickly burn up, the oil is too hot. PANKO Japanese-style breadcrumbs| Yutaka Photo byperpetualplum.

July 29, 2015 · 1 min · 50 words · Kristen Myers

Deep Clean Your Porcelain Fixtures with Baking Soda and Ammonia

If you have a porcelain bathtub or sink, you know how dingy they can get over time. you’re free to keep them looking their best with a simple mixture of baking soda and ammonia. Cast iron fixtures typically have a baked-on porcelain enamel. You cant use abrasive cleaning products because they can damage the finish. Just mix 1/4 cup of ammonia and 1/4 cup of baking soda into a paste....

July 29, 2015 · 1 min · 110 words · Kathryn Perez

Fantastical for iPhone Adds a New Drafts Mode

When you create a new event, drag down on the screen to enter the drafts mode. Here, you might look through your calendar to see if your new events is conflicting with something. Fantastical 2($4.99) | iTunes App Store

July 29, 2015 · 1 min · 39 words · Traci Pitts

Find Hidden Nails in Reclaimed Lumber with Rare Earth Magnets

Heres a trick using rare earth magnets to locate the hidden buggers before they destroy your saw blade. The eye test simply isnt good enough when checking for nails in pallets or reclaimed wood. Nail heads can easily shear off leaving a hunk of metal buried deep inside the wood. Use a cluster ofrare earth magnetstied to a fishing line to detect unseen nails. Pass it directly over the lumber and look for it to pull one way or another....

July 29, 2015 · 1 min · 90 words · Lindsay Gilbert

Finding a Perfect Work-Life Balance Is Impossible, and That's Okay

But that frantic, unbalanced feeling you get when you constantly stumble? That means youre doing itright. Always strive to be better, but dont get discouraged when you arent perfect. Work-Life Balance| The School of Life (YouTube) via99u

July 29, 2015 · 1 min · 37 words · Toni Warren

Focus Is a Slick, Tag-Based Gallery App With Built-In Snoop Protection

Android: Gallery apps are typically a dime a dozen. There are only so many ways to display a bunch of pictures, right? Focus manages to actually give other apps a run for its money. It offers tag-based organization, intuitive sorting, and even a built-in snoop protection feature. you might also add tags to pictures to help organize them. Focus also has a no-snoop mode. This can help check that a nosy friend doesnt discover yoursensitive pictures....

July 29, 2015 · 1 min · 76 words · Jacob Deleon

How Long It Takes to Get Back on Track After a Distraction

Its important to pull yourself away from work every now and then. Breaks are one thing, but distractions are another. Breaks are focused and deliberate. Distractions catch you off guard and derail your task entirely. Weve told you howdistractions can cause errors. Even after youve removed the interruption, youre not working at the same capacity you were pre-distraction. In astudy from the University of California Irvine, researchers shadowed workers on the job, studying their productivity....

July 29, 2015 · 1 min · 195 words · Joshua Johnson

How to Do a Clean Install of Windows 10

Windows 10 is finally here, and your rig will automatically prompt you to upgrade. Doing a clean install is quite simple, as long as you double-check you have a valid license. So, we do not recommend continuing until you have backed up any and all of your data. However, according to Microsoft, you have to upgrade an existing computer to do so. Launch it when it finishes downloading. Choose your language and edition of Windows....

July 29, 2015 · 1 min · 211 words · Jessica Fitzpatrick

How to Skip the Line and Upgrade to Windows 10 Now

Once youre ready to upgrade, head tothis pageand download Microsofts Media Creation Tool. Launch it when it finishes downloading. pick the Upgrade This PC option and click Next. Let the Creation Tool run through its process. It should do almost everything automatically from here on out. After a few minutes, your box will reboot and execute the upgrade. And, like we said before, this likely wont work forclean installationsonly upgrades....

July 29, 2015 · 1 min · 117 words · Maria Hatfield

I'm Linus Sebastian of LinusTechTips, and This Is How I Work

We caught up with Linus to learn about his current setup and how he works. I havent spent much time on Win10, but Im hearing really great things about it. What apps, software, or tools cant you live without? Dropbox and Teamviewer make my life good. Whats your workspace setup like? I think the only way to describe my workspace is with a picture. Whats your best time-saving shortcut or life hack?...

July 29, 2015 · 2 min · 315 words · Brittany Sandoval