The Steam Deck is a solid gaming handheld right out of the box. But if you're the kind of person who likes to tweak and personalize your tech, Decky Loader opens up a world of customization. With the right plugins, you can streamline updates, clean up storage, and even give your Steam Deck a fresh look and sound. After spending time testing various options, here are ten plugins that have become essential to my setup.

It's no secret that I have a savings fund for HDD purchases. Between work, home life, and hobbies, I create an astonishingly large amount of digital data. But not every piece of data I make needs saving for posterity, and not every byte is equal when it comes to how quickly I need to access it. Sometimes, I need things much faster than the network link to my NAS will allow, or I need local storage that's fast enough to keep up with video editing or other tasks.

I constantly change Windows 11 settings, tweaking them, so its behavior is less irksome and file management is more efficient, improving my productivity. Making specific changes on Windows often requires too many steps if done through the GUI. But I found Sophia Script (available on GitHub), which lets me fine-tune Windows more easily. It’s a PowerShell module that allows you to fine-tune Windows from the CLI.

Like most kids, the first laptop I ever got to call my own was a clunky hand-me-down from my parents. That Dell was the sole reason behind a lot of my breakdowns. For instance, it refused to work unless it was plugged in, took hours to boot up when it did manage to turn on, and even stopped connecting to Wi-Fi at one point. I had to use an Ethernet cable just to be able to work on it, imagine!

From freemium apps that charge subscription fees for additional features to FOSS solutions that can be hosted on your local hardware, the software landscape is riddled with applications designed to help you record, edit, and organize your notes. I’m more of a TriliumNext Notes fanboy, but I’ll admit that there are plenty of cool note-taking platforms out there. Obsidian is amazing for casual users who want a feature-packed platform without delving into the intricacies of self-hosting, while Vikunja is the better option for minimalist users who want a simple app to store their to-do lists.

If your Raspberry Pi is just sitting there running a static dashboard or looping a retro game, you're barely scratching the surface of its capabilities. With the Pi 4 and Pi 5 bringing serious power to the table, there's no reason not to explore projects that push performance, expand your skills, and actually do something useful (or just plain cool). Here are five standout projects that make the most of your Pi’s potential — and might become permanent fixtures in your setup.

Despite how much some of my XDA colleagues have written about NAS and home labs, I didn't think I would ever get into these topics. But, after many articles, and one in particular from Adam Conway (which I've linked below), I recently bit the bullet and finally set up a home lab and NAS for myself.

Docker has become a crucial part of modern software development and deployment. While we are all aware of Docker’s primary use cases, the flexibility of containerization opens up a host of possibilities in your workflow. Let me share a collection of the weird and wonderful ways I have personally leveraged Docker beyond its typical scope. From unexpected productivity hacks to creative solutions for everyday tech challenges, here are some of my most unconventional Docker use cases.

I never thought I was going to cancel all my Adobe subscriptions, but subscription fatigue and underwhelming updates helped me finalize the decision to pull the plug. And it turns out I didn't need Adobe software, not when there's a whole world of free and one-time purchase alternatives that are just as capable. Some of the tools aren't only "good enough," they're actually fun to use, too.

Amazon-owned Zoox says it issued a software recall for all 270 of its vehicles after an unoccupied robotaxi in Las Vegas crashed into a passenger vehicle on April 8th, Reuters reports. The update rolled out between April 16th and 17th to address a risky situation that could arise when the vehicle operating at over 40mph closed in on another vehicle that approaches its lane from a perpendicular driveway before stopping.In a press release on Tuesday, Zoox said there was only minor damage to both vehicles and no injuries were reported. Zoox shared how the incident played out in the voluntary safety recall report it sent to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) on May 1st:The incident involved a passenger car quickly approaching the lane where our purpose-built robotaxi was traveling. Anticipating that the passenger car would proceed forward, the Zoox robotaxi slowed down and steered to the right. Instead, the car came to a stop, fully yielding to the Zoox robotaxi and remaining in the shoulder lane. The Zoox robotaxi braked hard, but contact was unavoidable.The report states that, prior to the update, the company says, “In situations where Zoox vehicles are operating at speeds greater than 40mph, and a vehicle incrementally encroaches from a perpendicular driveway approaching the Zoox vehicle’s lane, the Zoox vehicle may make an inaccurately confident prediction that the vehicle is going to proceed into the Zoox vehicle’s lane.” Reacting based on that inaccurate projection could cause a crash, as happened here.A March recall notice from Zoox also notes that after two incidents where its Toyota Highlander-based robotaxis performed sudden hard braking, causing approaching motorcyclists to rear-end them, it rolled out a software update to address the problem last November.

It's rare to find a piece of tech that can do so much without taking up a lot of space. The Anker 675 docking station is a great example, taking on the role of a docking station, while also seamlessly fitting into your setup as a monitor stand. Best of all, it's not all that expensive, despite taking on all these roles, coming in at a discounted price of $190.

With episode 4 of The Last of Us season 2 now behind us, we’ve officially crossed the halfway mark. And if it wasn’t clear already, this season isn’t shy about taking big swings with its adaptation. With the adaptation comes plenty of changes and tweaks, and HBO’s The Last of Us is no stranger to that.