The first PC that I could claim as "mine" as a kid was a Windows 3.1 device. Because it was mine, the PC was subjected to all the curiosities of my younger self, who wanted to play games, draw stuff, and write an awful journal. I think the said journal is still on a floppy disk somewhere. May it never be found again.

Switching operating systems is exciting enough for enthusiasts like me, but a pain for the everyday user. As computers became more powerful, operating systems started packing more tools and robust security, all of which complemented the growth. However, the old hardware lagged behind, failing to run these modern operating systems. Windows 7 and 10 used to be my go-to operating systems for reviving old PCs, but I never thought Linux distributions would surpass them completely. Unlike Windows, this distro targets low-end systems that barely have resources to spare and don't have room for a hardware upgrade.

I've been a dungeon master for over a decade, and in that time, I've run games in every format imaginable: on forums, tabletop pen and paper with a lot of miniatures, and then once COVID hit, on Roll20. In all that time, I tracked progression and character stats in a lot of different ways. Now? I use Obsidian, and I only wish I'd found it sooner. While Roll20 does boast a few similar features, it's nothing compared to the depth I can achieve with a dedicated Obsidian vault.

Self-hosting has slowly become one of my favorite ways to stay productive. As a freelance tech blogger, I love the control and privacy that come with keeping my data local and managing my own tools. I prefer it!

Notepad has come a long way over the years, establishing itself as a trusted staple for Windows users. It changed little, remained simple and fast, and offered a user-friendly experience. But things changed quickly. When users began replacing Notepad and switching to alternatives, Microsoft, in the past few years, added a slew of features to Notepad to streamline the experience, with "Autocorrect" and "Spellcheck" being the most talked about introductions.

Microsoft Teams may not be the most loved collaboration tool worldwide, but it keeps getting new features and improvements every month to win over critics, and there are still plenty of them. While you may not see exciting features coming to Teams this month, the software giant has planned to launch several handy new features for its collaboration tool in the first few months of 2026.

If you've been thinking about moving on from Windows, this mini PC is going to make the decision pretty easy. The Mac Mini is just one of those devices that delivers so much value. We loved it in our review, praising its impressive performance, compact form factor, and fantastic port selection.

For me, Ventoy is both a blessing and a curse. It's brilliant because it allows me to have a USB stick loaded to the gills with different Linux ISOs that I can boot into at the drop of a hat. However, it's also horrible because my distro-hopping brain uses it as the perfect excuse to consider swapping what system I have on my PC every week. In a way, it makes swapping OSes so easy that it enables my bad habits.

Although wireless networks dominate most homes, wired networks definitely have an important place still. With a wired network, you get a more reliable connection that's also much faster. In addition, you can also power an entire network of devices using a PoE switch, which makes it possible to route power and data through one cable.

If you've never done it before, building your first PC can be a little overwhelming, even a tad annoying. Maybe you're switching from consoles, or getting a custom PC after years of using pre-built rigs. As a first-time builder, there are things no one tells you about PC building, no matter how much you research or how many YouTube tutorials you watch. While the learning curve isn't exactly steep, there are numerous skills you should ideally have a handle on before you embark on your first build. The alternative is to learn on the go, and I can't promise that it will be smooth or uneventful.

Video games have also included a few dominant genres that are always relevant and popular among players. Shooters are a foundational aspect of modern gaming, especially for those who like to go online and play with others around the world. There's just something fun about locking in to a target with an arsenal of powerful weaponry that never gets old. And between big games with a massive number of players to match up with, to remasters of iconic classics from a bygone era, there was plenty to shoot in 2025.

ESP32-based devices come in all kinds of shapes and sizes, but one of the most powerful you can buy at the moment combines an ESP32-P4 and an ESP32-C6. The ESP32-P4 is the most powerful ESP32 you can get, but it's aimed at Human Machine Interface devices especially, packing things like H.264 codec support, way more PSRAM, and more storage. It doesn't support wireless technologies, though, though, and bolting on an ESP32-C6 gives it the ability to communicate over a Secure Digital Input Output (SDIO) bridge and leverage that hardware for Wi-Fi capabilities instead. And with that extra power, you can build and deploy the ESP Brookesia Phone project.