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Hacks & Workarounds

1187 articles

All articles tagged Hacks & Workarounds.

How to Run Claude Code Locally Without API Costs

A MakeUseOf writer built a fully local AI coding setup by pairing Claude Code with Ollama, eliminating recurring API bills. The approach swaps Anthropic's cloud models for open-weight alternatives that run entirely on your machine.

Manaal Khan·23 May 2026

Hacks & Workarounds·4 min

2027 Kia Seltos vs Audi Q3: Premium Tech at Half the Price

Kia's redesigned 2027 Seltos delivers a dual-screen cockpit and premium features that rival the 2026 Audi Q3, but starts nearly $20,000 cheaper. The second-generation compact SUV debuted at the New York Auto Show with a new platform and technology suite that blurs the line between mainstream and luxury.

Huma Shazia·23 May 2026

Hacks & Workarounds·5 min

Libby App: How to Read Thousands of Books Free

The Libby app connects to your local public library, giving you free access to ebooks, audiobooks, and magazines. If you have a library card, you already have a subscription to thousands of titles. No late fees, no upselling, just reading.

Huma Shazia·23 May 2026

Hacks & Workarounds·5 min

Shotcut: A Free Video Editor That Handles 4K Without Fees

Adobe Premiere Pro costs hundreds per year and locks users into contracts with early termination fees. Shotcut, an open-source alternative, handles 4K editing without subscriptions, watermarks, or export restrictions. For creators who edit a handful of videos annually, the free option makes the paid one hard to justify.

Huma Shazia·23 May 2026

Hacks & Workarounds·6 min

5 Android Permissions That Act Like Backdoors for Malware

Not all Android permissions are equal. Five specific ones give apps so much control over your phone that banking trojans and stalkerware actively exploit them. Here's what they are and how to check if you've already granted them.

Manaal Khan·23 May 2026

Hacks & Workarounds·4 min

3 Claude Features to Enable Before You Waste Your Subscription

A tech writer shares hard-won lessons from her first months with Claude Pro. The AI assistant works better when you configure memory, understand its workflow tools, and stop treating it like a disposable chatbot.

Manaal Khan·22 May 2026

Hacks & Workarounds·5 min

5 Pixel Settings to Disable for Better Battery Life

Google's Pixel phones ship with convenience features that drain battery in the background. Here are five settings to turn off in your first hour with the phone, plus smarter alternatives that preserve the functionality without the power cost.

Huma Shazia·22 May 2026

Hacks & Workarounds·4 min

Windows 11 God Mode: How to Create One-Click Setting Shortcuts

Windows 11 scatters system settings between the modern Settings app and Control Panel, making simple tweaks tedious. God Mode consolidates hundreds of options in one folder, but you can take it further by creating desktop shortcuts for your most-used settings.

Huma Shazia·22 May 2026

Hacks & Workarounds·5 min

5 Sound-Reactive ESP32 Projects to Build This Weekend

The ESP32 microcontroller paired with a simple microphone can create surprisingly clever audio-responsive gadgets. From portable party lights to Home Assistant integrations, these five weekend projects turn sound into action without breaking the bank.

Huma Shazia·22 May 2026

Hacks & Workarounds·5 min

5 NAS Upgrades You Can Do This Weekend for Almost Nothing

Your network-attached storage doesn't need expensive hardware to become more useful. Five practical upgrades, most of them free, can improve reliability and add new capabilities without eating your entire Saturday.

Huma Shazia·22 May 2026

Hacks & Workarounds·6 min

3 Ways Your Browser Leaks Data and How to Stop Each One

Every website you visit learns your IP address, browsing history via cookies, and unique device fingerprint. These three data leaks happen silently, but each has a practical fix that takes minutes to set up.

Huma Shazia·22 May 2026

Hacks & Workarounds·4 min

ChatGPT vs Claude: Why One Writer Switched After 3 Tests

A tech journalist ran identical prompts through both AI assistants and found ChatGPT falling behind on basic tasks. The comparison reveals growing quality gaps in daily workflow scenarios.

Manaal Khan·22 May 2026

Hacks & Workarounds·4 min

3 Netflix Shows to Binge This Weekend (May 22-24)

Netflix closes out May with a strong weekend lineup. Wanda Sykes returns with her third standup special, the Duffer Brothers debut a sci-fi thriller, and the Big Mouth creators launch a new adult animated series.

Manaal Khan·22 May 2026

Hacks & Workarounds·5 min

Excel Conditional Formatting: 5 Rules That Fix Ugly Spreadsheets

Most beginner spreadsheets fail for the same reason: they lack visual structure. Excel's conditional formatting applies rule-based styling that updates automatically, turning walls of numbers into readable data. Here's how to use it without touching a formula.

Manaal Khan·22 May 2026

Hacks & Workarounds·5 min

How to Stop Your Smart TV From Tracking Your Viewing Habits

Your smart TV logs every show you watch and sells that data to advertisers. The technology behind this, called Automatic Content Recognition, runs on every major TV brand. Here's what ACR collects and how to disable it.

Huma Shazia·22 May 2026

Hacks & Workarounds·5 min

Android 17 Beta: 3 Features That Make Old Pixels Feel New

Google's Android 17 beta introduces smarter memory management, per-app theme control, and improved chat bubbles. These under-the-radar changes address long-standing Pixel pain points without flashy AI announcements.

Huma Shazia·22 May 2026

Hacks & Workarounds·4 min

OnlyOffice vs LibreOffice: Which Free Word Alternative Works?

Microsoft Word alternatives promise freedom from subscription fees, but most break when you need to share .docx files with colleagues. One tech writer tested both LibreOffice and OnlyOffice to find which actually maintains formatting compatibility.

Huma Shazia·22 May 2026

Hacks & Workarounds·4 min

Phyphox Turns Your Android Phone Into a Physics Lab

Your smartphone already has accelerometers, gyroscopes, magnetometers, and barometers. Phyphox, a free open-source app from RWTH Aachen University, lets you access these sensors directly to run real physics experiments, graph data in real time, and export results for analysis.

Manaal Khan·22 May 2026

Hacks & Workarounds·4 min

Google's New Gemini Limits Spark User Backlash

Google overhauled Gemini AI's subscription tiers and usage limits after I/O 2025, shifting from daily prompts to compute-based quotas. Users report restrictive throttling and claim the new 3.5 Flash model underperforms the older 3.1 Pro it replaces.

Manaal Khan·22 May 2026

Hacks & Workarounds·4 min

Why the Toyota Camry Keeps Outselling SUVs

While crossovers dominate American roads, the Toyota Camry has held its position as America's best-selling sedan for over two decades. The hybrid sedan's combination of efficiency, affordability, and reliability continues to attract buyers who aren't sold on the SUV trend.

Huma Shazia·22 May 2026

Hacks & Workarounds·5 min

6 Star Wars Comics Worth Reading Before Mandalorian & Grogu

With The Mandalorian and Grogu hitting theaters soon, it's a good time to explore Star Wars stories beyond the screen. These six comic series fill gaps in the saga, from Qi'ra's post-Solo arc to Clone Wars battles that predate the animated series.

Manaal Khan·22 May 2026

Hacks & Workarounds·4 min

Why Samsung Should Build a Foldable E-Reader

Samsung already manufactures e-paper displays for commercial signage. A consumer foldable e-reader could leverage that expertise and challenge Amazon's Kindle dominance. The company that popularized book-style foldable phones seems well positioned to reimagine digital reading.

Huma Shazia·21 May 2026

Hacks & Workarounds·5 min

Claude Projects vs NotebookLM: When Reasoning Beats Retrieval

NotebookLM excels at source-grounded research, but it struggles when you need reasoning and contextual analysis. Claude Projects fills that gap with custom instructions and deeper analytical capabilities.

Huma Shazia·21 May 2026

Hacks & Workarounds·5 min

3 Homelab Projects to Build This Weekend

Looking for something practical to do with your home server? Here are three weekend projects: a home energy monitoring dashboard, a private Pastebin alternative, and a retro LAN party gaming box.

Huma Shazia·21 May 2026