Quick Links Summary Get a faster backup drive, avoid slower network backups, and ensure Time Machine isn’t backing up unimportant files. You can also increase Time Machine’s priority so it works faster in the background. Bear in mind that Time Machine’s first backup will take the longest and future backups will be faster. Is your Time Machine backup taking too long? Speed things up with a macOS tweak, faster external drives, or by reducing the total size of your backup....

Quick Links Summary One way to check if someone’s blocked your number is to call them, then try calling them from another phone. If the response is the same, it’s unlikely you are blocked. you’re able to also try calling multiple times, waiting before calling again, and checking their social media. Have you been trying to reach someone on their phone but to no avail? They may haveblocked your phone number....

Quick Links Summary Want to pull back avideo that you’ve reposted in your TikTok profile? If so, un-reposting TikTok videos is as easy as finding the video and tapping an option. We’ll show you how to do that on your iPhone or Android phone. Just to clarify, when you undo repost a video, the original video continues to exist on the platform. It’s just your repost of thatvideo that gets removed....

Quick Links Microsoft is testing anadvanced AI version of Bing, partially based onChatGPTtechnology, called “the new Bing.” It’s normally locked to Microsoft Edge, but there are hidden ways to use it in Google Chrome as well. The new Bing is accessible throughbing.com, but it’s blocked for all web browsers except Microsoft Edge. When you open it in Chrome, Safari, Firefox, or other browsers, you get a message telling you to “Unlock conversational search on Microsoft Edge....

If you’re experiencing unexpected Windows shutdowns or your favorite game keeps crashing, it’s time to start sleuthing. That’s where Windows Reliability Monitor can help. This native tool provides a user-friendly interface to aid in identifying and fixing system crashes, Windows update issues, hardware, and driver problems. I’ve been using the Windows Reliability Monitor since it shipped way back in 2008 when it came as part of Windows Server 2008 and Windows Vista....

Reliable internet is one of those things we’ve come to depend on day in and day out for work and leisure, but it seems like half the time I’m traveling the Wi-Fi is a pain. There aren’t any perfect solutions, but a travel router has made my life much easier, and it is only the size of a small portable battery. Wi-Fi Is Often Limited in Hotels If you’ve traveled extensively, you’ve probably encountered a Wi-Fi network that only allows a certain number of connections....

Summary macOS is packed with smooth, fluid animations that both look pretty and help guide you around the system. However, if you multitask heavily, these animations can start to feel a little sluggish. I disabled mine, and it made my system seem a lot more responsive. How to Disable Animations on a Mac I’m abig user of Spaces on my Mac. I’ve got many of these virtual desktops set up, and Iset specific apps to open in specific Spaces....

Summary Input lag and frame drops are two performance issues in games that some players get mixed up. However, while there’s some overlap, these are two completely different issues and understanding what they are and how they differ is an important step towards making your games run better. Understanding Input Lag Input lag or input latency, as it’s also known, is simply the time from where you press a button, move a stick, or any other input, and the image on screen reflects that input....

Summary It can certainly be overwhelming to pick a programming language when you’re a beginner who just wants to dive in and get started. But don’t worry, we’re here to help. Let’s look at some of the most popular options beginners have for the first steps of their coding journey. What Is a Programming Language? It might seem like an elementary question, but everyone starts somewhere. Choosing a language to learn starts withunderstanding what programming languages areand what they do....

Those who visited the Internet Archive on the night of October 9th were met with an unexpected pop-up message—the Archive had suffered from a “catastrophic data breach” that exposed the login credentials of 31 million users. Archive founder Brewster Kahle has since disclosed the breach. All Internet Archive users should reset their password and update any accounts that share their Archive login details. Email addresses, usernames, Bcrypt-hased passwords, password change timestamps, and other internal user data were exposed in this breach....

Summary Nanoleaf has been known for its distinctive smart lighting panels that can instantly change the ambiance of a room. However, it recently launched a new product that is quite different—theNanoleaf 4D Screen Mirror + Lightstrip Kit. The Nanoleaf 4D Screen Mirror + Lightstrip Kit is designed to produce dynamic light effects behind smart televisions. The light it emits reflects the colors on the screen, creating an immersive experience in some conditions....

Quick Links If you need to combine like-for-like datasets in several Excel worksheets into one table, don’t waste time and risk making mistakes by doing this manually. Instead, use Excel’s powerful Power Query Editor. If you’ve never used this tool before, you’ll be amazed by how easy it is to use! Things to Note Before You Begin Before you get started, take note of these points: To follow along as you read this guide, download afree copy of the Excel workbookused in the example....

Quick Links The earbuds that made something out of Nothing are back in theNothing Ear 2. The latest from the world’s most transparent audio brand adds a few new tricks, including sound personalization, new controls, and more polish. It’s a loaded package well worth considering, but one vexing issue remains. The Nothing Ear 2’s battery life has technically increased over its predecessors, theNothing Ear 1, offering a little over six hours withoutANC (active noise canceling)....