Failed 3D prints are a natural part of the process, often due to clogged nozzles, bed adhesion issues, or slicing errors. Instead of tossing them out, I've started finding ways to repurpose these leftovers into handy tools for my home and workspace. It's become a satisfying habit that not only saves plastic from the landfill but also adds function where I least expected it. Here are some real-life examples of how I've transformed broken or unfinished prints into something useful.

Whenever I stumble upon an interesting article while browsing, I prefer saving it to read later. For the longest time, I used Pocket as my read-it-later app, but since it is shutting down, I set out to explore my options. I didn’t have to look far since the ReadItLater plugin for Obsidian makes it possible to save and catch up with all the content I plan to read. The free plugin lets me save a variety of web content as a Markdown note inside Obsidian and also includes templating features.

If you’ve ventured into the world of NAS operating systems, you may already be familiar with the Unraid vs. TrueNAS Scale debates. Both distros have their followers, and for good reason. Unraid combines a simple UI with a plethora of apps and file systems, though it can cost a pretty penny to set up. Meanwhile, TrueNAS Scale offers top-tier performance alongside terrific support for ZFS and (more importantly) doesn’t charge for a paid license – but its interface has a rather steep learning curve.

Back in 2010, my parents got me a PlayStation Portable—more commonly known as the PSP — for my eleventh birthday. To date, it remains one of the best gifts I've received. I spent hours every day playing GTA Liberty City, Chinatown Wars, FIFA, God of War, and a ton of other games on the console. It was a massive upgrade from the Nintendo Game Boy Advance SP I had earlier — in terms of graphics, screen size, and the overall experience. As I grew older, though, I built a custom PC and moved to PC gaming, which meant that my PSP was now lying unused in the closet. It stayed like that for over a decade, until I recently unearthed it while moving out of my current house.

Nvidia's AI-powered DLSS technology has been a heated topic among gamers lately. If you're catching up with all the new tech, DLSS is a relatively new tech that takes a low-resolution frame and upscales it using AI to make it look better. The idea is that you set the game to run at a lower resolution, which takes the heat off of your GPU and improves framerates; then, DLSS kicks in and upscales the frames to your chosen resolution. In a perfect scenario, this will allow you to get an FPS boost with little to no sacrifice in image quality.

With Windows 10's end-of-life date fast approaching, Microsoft would really like it if everyone who still runs the operating system would hurry up and upgrade to Windows 11, preferably by purchasing a new PC. We've seen the company use a few tactics, such as pop-up notifications in Windows 10 and avideo vaguely threatening owners of older hardware to upgrade for security's sake.

Unlike Notion, Evernote, or OneNote, Obsidian doesn’t offer a built-in templates library. You need to create and configure a specific folder, add notes, and use the Templates plugin to insert them with a single click. The templates below aren’t just pre-formatted pages; they are the blueprints that transformed my notes into a highly efficient and interconnected personal knowledge management system.

A decade ago, if you wanted to play games on your PC, you went with Windows. Linux didn't cut it, and Mac wasn't quite there yet, so Windows it was. However, the Linux camp has been slowly gaining on Windows, and while it may not be there just yet, it's still taking wins against Microsoft's operating system.

It's only natural to dream about how fast a Beyblade can go. I mean, even the launchers that came with the toys could get them spinning at a finger-smacking speed. So, what if you went beyond the default launchers and created something devious, something so powerful that nobody would even think about challenging you to a Beyblade battle ever again?

I have been using Proton VPN for a couple of years now due to Proton’s privacy-focused and encrypted zero-knowledge architecture. Like other VPN clients, it includes optional features that can optimize security and improve connectivity performance. Not all the features are enabled by default, but there are some great ones that I wish I had started using sooner. All the following features are available with a subscription to one of the available tiers. Also, since Proton VPN is cross-platform, you can use it on Windows, Linux, macOS, Android, and iOS.

Handheld gaming is about the only time I get the chance to work through my ever-growing library of games, whether it's on the Legion Go, Switch, or Switch 2, or even on my phone with a clamp-style controller. It's not the portability, although that helps, but most of them have some pause and resume function, so I can get a few minutes when I have time and get back to whatever needs doing.

As a visual thinker, I love a good diagram, especially mind maps and flowcharts. They allowed me to gain an overview of all the details, draw connections, summarize information, and identify problems. However, diagramming tools (or using a design app as a diagramming tool) can feel like navigating a messy whiteboard. I end up spending too long placing and aligning elements to nail the aesthetic, rather than focusing on the content of the diagram.