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Hacks & Workarounds

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All articles tagged Hacks & Workarounds.

10 Windows 11 Tweaks Every Fresh Install Needs

A fresh Windows 11 installation comes loaded with bloatware, aggressive OneDrive prompts, and default settings that prioritize Microsoft services over user productivity. Here's a practical checklist for cleaning up your install, from removing Copilot to enabling System Restore points that Microsoft quietly disabled.

Manaal Khan·27 May 2026

Hacks & Workarounds·5 min

4 Browser Console Tricks No Extension Can Match

The developer console in your browser is more than a wall of error messages. It's a live JavaScript environment with direct page access that no extension can replicate. Here are four practical techniques that give power users capabilities no add-on can provide.

Huma Shazia·27 May 2026

Hacks & Workarounds·6 min

5 Excel Mistakes That Break Your Spreadsheets

Excel looks forgiving until your data stops working. From merged cells to manual formatting, five common beginner habits silently corrupt your spreadsheets. Here's how to fix them before they cost you hours of cleanup.

Huma Shazia·27 May 2026

Hacks & Workarounds·4 min

4 HBO Max Hidden Gems to Stream This Week

While HBO Max's prestige shows dominate headlines, the platform's catalog hides genuinely creative series worth your time. Here are four underrated picks, from Rick and Morty's post-controversy comeback to a Supernatural prequel that deserved more seasons.

Manaal Khan·27 May 2026

Hacks & Workarounds·6 min

10 Most Satisfying Car Brands to Own in 2026

Consumer Reports' 2026 owner satisfaction study reveals Rivian leads with 85% of owners willing to buy again. The rankings show a shift toward tech-heavy brands over traditional reliability metrics, with Tesla, Genesis, and legacy names like BMW competing for loyal customers.

Huma Shazia·27 May 2026

Hacks & Workarounds·5 min

Strava Logs Your Home Address by Default. Here's the Fix.

Strava's social-first design exposes users' home locations unless they manually adjust buried privacy settings. One writer switched to OpenTracks, a free open-source alternative that keeps all data local.

Manaal Khan·27 May 2026

Hacks & Workarounds·5 min

Why One Writer Cancelled ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Gemini for Claude

A tech journalist shares why he consolidated four AI subscriptions into one. His reasoning comes down to context retention, coding accuracy, and honest self-assessment of what he actually uses AI for.

Huma Shazia·27 May 2026

Hacks & Workarounds·5 min

4 Features the NVIDIA App Needs After Control Panel's Death

NVIDIA has officially retired its 20-year-old Control Panel, forcing all users to the unified NVIDIA App. While the new interface looks better, power users and newcomers alike are finding gaps that need filling.

Huma Shazia·27 May 2026

Hacks & Workarounds·5 min

Claude Artifacts Replace My Multi-Tool Workflow

A developer explains how Claude's artifact system eliminated the need to juggle multiple apps for code iteration. The feature renders live previews inside the chat window, cutting context-switching time by 40% according to recent usage data.

Manaal Khan·26 May 2026

Hacks & Workarounds·8 min

CB vs GMRS vs Ham Radio: Which License Do You Actually Need?

When cellular networks fail and Wi-Fi dies, private radio services become your lifeline. The three main options in the US offer vastly different tradeoffs between ease of entry, capability, and cost. Here's how to pick the right one for your situation.

Manaal Khan·26 May 2026

Hacks & Workarounds·5 min

Ferrari Unveils Luce EV: Jony Ive's Polarizing First Electric

Ferrari has revealed the Luce, its first electric vehicle, featuring design by former Apple design chief Jony Ive. The four-door supercar blends a minimalist glass house exterior with a 1,036-horsepower quad-motor powertrain, sparking fierce debate among enthusiasts over its departure from traditional Ferrari aggression.

Huma Shazia·26 May 2026

Hacks & Workarounds·5 min

Googlebook Repeats the Same Forced AI Mistakes as Windows 11

Google's new Googlebook laptop platform pushes AI features into every interaction, from context-aware cursors to auto-generated widgets. The approach mirrors Microsoft's controversial Copilot and Recall rollouts, prompting backlash from users who want stable computing over experimental chat-bot interfaces.

Manaal Khan·26 May 2026

Hacks & Workarounds·5 min

4 Things We Know About Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' Final Seasons

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds returns to Paramount+ on July 23, 2026, for its fourth season, with a shortened sixth-episode fifth season wrapping the series in 2027. The finale promises to bridge Captain Pike's era directly to The Original Series, with returning cast members and intriguing new additions including Thomas Jane as Bones.

Manaal Khan·26 May 2026

Hacks & Workarounds·5 min

How to Find Your Android Phone's Expiration Date

Every Android phone has an end-of-support date after which it stops receiving security updates. Knowing this date helps you decide when to upgrade or whether that clearance-sale deal is actually a bargain.

Manaal Khan·26 May 2026

Hacks & Workarounds·5 min

Ventoy vs Rufus: Why Distro Hoppers Are Switching Tools

Rufus has dominated bootable USB creation for years, but hobbyists testing multiple operating systems are moving to Ventoy and Anyburn. These tools eliminate the constant reformatting that single-boot utilities require.

Huma Shazia·26 May 2026

Hacks & Workarounds·4 min

FxSound: The Free Equalizer That Fixes Thin Laptop Audio

Windows still lacks a built-in system-wide equalizer in 2026, leaving laptop users with underwhelming audio. FxSound, a free and open-source equalizer app, offers an immediate fix with simple presets and 9-band EQ tuning that requires zero audio expertise.

Huma Shazia·26 May 2026

Hacks & Workarounds·6 min

Why VLC Might Not Be the Best Media Player Anymore

VLC has dominated media playback for two decades with its universal compatibility. But mpv, a lightweight open-source alternative, offers better rendering quality and lower resource usage for users willing to trade GUI polish for performance.

Manaal Khan·26 May 2026

Hacks & Workarounds·6 min

6 3D Printer Safety Hazards Every Hobbyist Should Know

Consumer 3D printers bring industrial-scale risks into homes and offices. From nozzles reaching 300°C to ultrafine particles that penetrate deep into lungs, these machines demand more respect than most users give them. Here are six real dangers and how to mitigate each one.

Manaal Khan·26 May 2026

Hacks & Workarounds·5 min

6 Android Gestures That Make Navigation Faster

Most Android phones ship with powerful gesture shortcuts disabled by default. From one-handed mode to horizontal app switching, these six hidden settings can speed up daily phone use without installing any apps.

Huma Shazia·26 May 2026

Hacks & Workarounds·5 min

Plezy: The Open-Source Plex Client Worth Switching To

A third-party app called Plezy is gaining traction among Plex users frustrated with the official client's feature removals and paywalls. Built on Flutter, Plezy offers a cleaner experience across every major platform while keeping your existing server and libraries intact.

Huma Shazia·26 May 2026

Hacks & Workarounds·6 min

3 Free Apps That Replace YouTube TV for Cord Cutters

YouTube TV costs $83 per month. One tech writer canceled it four months ago and built a free alternative using Pluto TV, Tubi, and Peacock. Here's how the setup works and where it falls short.

Manaal Khan·26 May 2026

Hacks & Workarounds·5 min

2026 Toyota Prius Prime Still Undercuts Every PHEV Rival

The 2026 Toyota Prius Prime starts at $35,070, delivers 44 miles of all-electric range, and returns 52 mpg in hybrid mode. No other plug-in hybrid matches this combination of price, efficiency, and daily usability.

Manaal Khan·26 May 2026

Hacks & Workarounds·4 min

Why Samsung Members Isn't Bloatware You Should Disable

Samsung Members is pre-installed on every Galaxy phone, and most users ignore or disable it. That's a mistake. The app offers device diagnostics, direct support access, and the only way to install One UI beta software without touching developer mode.

Manaal Khan·26 May 2026

Hacks & Workarounds·4 min

5 Writing Habits That Make You Sound Like ChatGPT

Your writing might get flagged as AI-generated even when you wrote every word yourself. The culprit? Writing patterns you've unconsciously picked up from reading too much AI content. Here are five habits to break.

Manaal Khan·26 May 2026