If you’re a human person who occasionally engages in commerce, hackers are probably targeting you. This year, resolve to do something about it. You know you need to take better care of your personal information, but you keep putting it off. It’s understandable, but this is the year you take your security into your own hands. Here are seven resolutions you can make to lock down your data in 2018....

Not sure where that file you just downloaded to your Mac actually came from? There’s a quick way to check in macOS. When you’re installing software on your Mac, it’s a good idea to make sure you know where the file came from, because some sites bundle malware with downloads. But it’s also just plain interesting to see where various sites are directing you when you download something. Checking this out isn’t difficult....

US students can get Spotify Premium for $5 a month, with Hulu and Showtime thrown in. Spotify Premium alone usually costs $10 a month, so this is already a good deal. Access to Hulu Limited Commercials normally costs $8 a month, and Showtime normally costs $11 a month, so if you were going to subscribe to all of this anyway you could save $24 a month. Even better: the first three months only cost $1 a month....

If you’re a Windows user, you probably need to install a tool for creating and extracting archive files. Windows only features built in support for ZIP files, but third-party tools add support for other common types of archives like RAR and 7z. They also offer built-in encryption features, allowing you to securely protect archives you create with a passphrase. 7-Zip: The Best For Most People WinZip and WinRAR may be household names, but we recommend against using them....

In addition, you may want to look for features such as waterproofing, built-in GPS, and the ability to sync with your favorite fitness app, depending on your needs. If you plan on swimming, for example, you’ll want a tracker that can handle being in the water so you can monitor your workout. Once you are clear about what you are looking to monitor and how detailed you want the data to be, you can check for those features in your prospective fitness trackers....

There’s no shortage of podcast apps in the Play Store, so finding a good one can be a challenge—especially if you’re shelling out a few bucks for it. Here are a few deserving of your attention. And dollars. The Best for Everyone: Pocket Casts ($4) Whether you’re a podcast newcomer or a veteran listener, Pocket Casts is the top choice across the board. It’s simple enough for everyone to use, but offers pretty much all the features power users could want....

The more smarthome products you pile onto your house, the more complicated it gets to integrate all of them together and seamlessly control them. If you’re in this situation, here are the best ways you can control all of your smarthome devices. The Problem Smarthome is still a very new and sometimes confusing area of technology, and there’s no single standard for integrating all of your smarthome gadgets so that you can control them from one simple interface....

Modern wireless routers often promise “beamforming” technology for improving your Wi-Fi reception and reducing interference. But what exactly is beamforming, how does it work, and is it really helpful? In summary, beamforming is a useful feature, though you’ll only really get all the benefits with new 802.11ac devices. You shouldn’t necessarily pay a lot more for a beamforming-enabled router. Beamforming Basics RELATED: How To Get a Better Wireless Signal and Reduce Wireless Network Interference...

More and more, the internet becomes central to everything we do at home. Watching movies, playing video games, and video chatting with family all require constant access. But with so much extra bandwidth necessary to push data to your wireless laptops, desktops, streaming devices and Smart TVs, will the routers of today be able to handle the demands of tomorrow? Enter MU-MIMO technology, a new feature that our soon-to-be overtaxed routers will need to evenly divide bandwidth among your devices....

Not all smart light switches are created equal. And while many of them have mostly the same features, there are some things you should know about smart light switches so that you can pick the best one for your needs. RELATED: Smart Light Switches vs. Smart Light Bulbs: Which One Should You Buy? You could just go with some smart light bulbs (we’re big fans of Philips Hue), but if you really don’t need the fun, color-changing bulbs for your house parties, smart light switches can be just as good (if not better) and cheaper than smart bulbs....

Windows has a hidden setting that will enable only government-certified “FIPS-compliant” encryption. It may sound like a way to boost your PC’s security, but it isn’t. You shouldn’t enable this setting unless you work in government or need to test how software will behave on government PCs. This tweak fits right alongside other useless Windows tweaking myths. If you’ve stumbled across this setting in Windows or seen it mentioned elsewhere, don’t enable it....

Instagram is an interesting social network, with a different set of rules and requirements than other networks. It’s almost like it’s more thoughtful. Tips for Better Posts Some people post a lot. Others, not so much. Regardless of where you fall on this range, there are a handful of things you can do to improve your posting experience. Start with Better Pictures It probably goes without saying, but if you want to offer a better, cleaner feed for your followers, you’ll need to start with better pictures in the first place....

You’re probably familiar with the basics of Google Sheets, but Google’s spreadsheet offering boasts loads of features that aren’t obvious at first glance. Here are some of our favorites. Of course, you probably are already familiar with some basic formulas, like SUM and AVERAGE. And it’s likely you’ve gotten to know the toolbar fairly well, but it’s pretty amazing just how deep it all goes. I love spreadsheets, but even to this day I’m still discovering new tricks within Google Sheets....

Android is fun. Its versions are named after desserts, and Google often sprinkles little Easter eggs throughout. None are more popular than the Easter egg associated with each Android version, however, so here’s a bit of history. What Are These Easter Eggs and How Do You Find Them? Starting with Gingerbread, Google put a hidden piece of art in the About Phone section. Since then, every version of Android has had its own little Easter egg—some related to the version, and others not so much....

The Surface Laptop 5 is only a marginal upgrade over last year’s version (and the one featured in today’s sale). Both feature similar form factors, build quality, and materials. In fact, the new Sage green colorway, an updated processor, Thunderbolt 4, and a few other tweaks are the only real differentiators. If you don’t care about paying extra for these things, the Surface Laptop 4 for $300 off is a fantastic bargain....

Spam seems to arrive in every single email account we use, no matter how careful we are. How are spammers getting all our email addresses? And can we do anything to hide our email address from spammers? Unfortunately, there’s not a lot you can do to prevent spammers from bombarding you with emails. There are some tips that will help protect you, but spammers will probably find your email address eventually....

What do you do when you have an awesome image that you downloaded long ago, but are unable to remember the website you found it on? Are there any easy ways to find the original website again? Today’s Question & Answer session comes to us courtesy of SuperUser—a subdivision of Stack Exchange, a community-driven grouping of Q&A web sites. The Question SuperUser reader temerariomalaga wants to know how to find the original website he downloaded an image from long ago:...

Utilizing your Calendar to maximum effect on your Mac or iPhone can really keep you on top of things. Today, we want to discuss how to add, share, and sync calendars on your Mac and iPhone so your agenda follows you wherever you go. The Calendar that comes with your Mac and iPhone has everything you might need to create appointments, set reminders, and basically organize your life so you don’t miss important events and happenings....

Docker volumes are used to store persistent data separately from your containers. Data that’s kept in a volume remains accessible after your containers stop, allowing you to containerize stateful workloads. Although volumes outlive containers, this isn’t enough protection for production applications. You should back up your volumes so you can recover them after a disaster. Creating regular volume backups ensures you’re able to restore your environment if your Docker host is compromised or data is accidentally deleted....

There are three different types of online battles (all of which require a Nintendo Online subscription): single battles, double battles, and multiplayer battles. Single and double battles are two-player battles, while a multiplayer battle will require four players. If you choose a single-player battle, both players will send one Pokémon from their party out at a time. If you choose a double-player battle, both players will send two Pokémon from their party out at a time, which effectively increases the level of difficulty....