I've always liked visual mindmapping as it lets you have a bird's eye view of all the details of any project. There are a bunch of tools out there just for that, and many people seem to reach for Miro or something similar. But for me, it's too bloated and also too business-oriented. I prefer sketching out my ideas as they come, and Obsidian Canvas is perfect for that.

I've used so many different ways of accessing my home lab content from outside my network, from Tailscale Funnel, NetBird, Pangolin, and a whole bunch of other reverse proxy solutions. But they all had one thing in common: the ability to reach the wider internet, either to communicate with management servers, my VPS, or my nameservers that point to a domain name I own. That's not usually a problem, but sometimes I prefer not to have my home lab communicate with the outside world.

The first Switch was such a hit that Nintendo decided not to mess with a good thing. Instead of releasing a successor that feels like a generational leap or a pivot in a new direction, it's following up the hugely successful original with the Switch 2 - a welcome upgrade that largely sticks to the formula. It looks about the same, works about the same, and plays most of the same games. It's the Switch, just better.Nintendo's bet is that it doesn't have to wow people all over again, and so it made a sequel that's only as good as it needs to be. After spending a week with the new console, I've realized that good enough is exactly what the Switch needed.A refined (and bigger) Nintendo SwitchFundamentally, the concept of the Switch hasn't changed. It's still a tablet with a split controller stuck on either side, with a dock that connects to your television. But the idea has been refined. The Switch 2 is much bigger, for one thing. It now has a 7.9-inch LCD panel, up from the original's 6.2 inches, making it great for playing text-heavy games. It also means the entire device has become larger as a result, now weighing in at a comparatively hefty 1.18 pounds with the controllers …Read the full story at The Verge.

Smell that? That's the sweet, sweet scent of victory, my friend. After a year of fighting against Sony's region locks, Helldivers 2 players are celebrating a big win after the gaming giant has seemingly removed them. And if what's being said is to be believed, pretty much all of Sony's published PC titles have been released from their shackles once more.

If there's one thing that Nintendo fans can agree on, it's that the Nintendo GameCube was an amazing console. The library of games that were available for the GameCube was very diverse, including multiple genres and styles of games that appealed to a wide range of people. Out of the many different consoles that Nintendo has released over the years, the GameCube gets a lot of praise from those who like to reminisce about games they played while growing up. With the Nintendo Switch 2 finally out and more features added to the Switch Online service, fans will be able to revisit some GameCube classics.

For those who can't run Ethernet cable through their home or where obstacles like thicker walls make mesh networking less viable, powerline adapters have been a handy solution to provide networking connectivity to those hard-to-reach areas. But even if your powerline adapters work well right now, there is no guarantee that they will continue to be the case, and there are a ton of potential pitfalls that will make your network drop.

I'm just gonna say it; the robots of the modern era aren't fun. Back in the 80s and 90s, we were promised full-blown, humanoid robots that could walk, talk, look at us, and perhaps save us from a problem or two. Instead, we've got chatbots generating endless images of Mickey Mouse and posting them to Facebook. Yawn.

We live fully digital lives. We store our confidential details in the cloud, and search for everything online. However, staying private and secure online feels like a constant battle. Companies track our every move, and data breaches occur frequently. Digital privacy is a constant concern. But you don't have to surrender your digital life. Numerous online security tools offer on-demand protection and enhance privacy. I actively use six of these tools to safeguard my digital privacy and security. I don't even need to install them on my system. I access them directly on the internet.

Typing for long hours with intermittent breaks is the ethos of my job description, but do it for a few years, and a few realizations start to dawn. For one, the short breaks aren't quite enough to relieve the physical strain on your back, wrists, and eyes. It didn't take me long to prioritize ergonomics in my desk setup so I could put in longer hours. However, I've noticed several peers treating desk comfort as an afterthought to basic functionality. I chose to give it equal importance as my obsession with mechanical keyboards and their comfortable typing experience set me up for several side quests, like matching custom cables, keycaps, and wrist rests.

Less than a month after making their debut, the WH-1000XM6 are on sale at Amazon in black, blue, and platinum with a $30 gift card for $448. It’s not a straight cash discount, sure, but if you were already debating picking up Sony’s latest pair of noise-canceling headphones, it makes the $50 price hike over the last-gen XM5 easier to stomach.If you were to ignore the steep price hike, the new XM6 are a welcome improvement over the XM5 in every way. They’re outfitted with Sony’s latest noise-cancellation chip, which allows them to do a better job at drowning out the ambient noise you might encounter on the street, at your local coffee shop, or on your next cross-country flight. Their transparency mode is as natural-sounding as ever, too, and thanks to a new set of drivers, they deliver clearer vocals and the same dynamic, rich sound for which the XM series is known.Design-wise, they also represent an excellent return to form, albeit with a few minor tweaks for added comfort and convenience. They sport a wider headband that’s designed to alleviate pressure during longer listening sessions, along with a redesigned power button that’s easier to distinguish from the onboard ANC button. More importantly, however, they once again collapse with the aid of a joint in each arm, allowing them to take up less room in the included carrying case. As someone who frequently travels with the XM5 — the only pair in the XM series that can’t fold down — I can say the change is greatly appreciated.Read our hands-on impressions of the XM6.More ways to save this weekend8BitDo’s Ultimate 2C Wireless Controller has fallen to its lowest price to date at Amazon, where you can grab it in green or purple for an all-time low of $25.49 (about $5 off). The 2C is a great little gamepad for Windows and Android, one you can connect via USB-C, Bluetooth, or a 2.4GHz dongle boasting a 1,000Hz polling rate. It’s also got an extra set of remappable shoulder buttons and Hall effect sticks / triggers, so you needn’t worry about the notorious “Joy-Con drift” that has plagued consoles like the Switch.When it comes to portable batteries, Anker and EcoFlow are the two biggest names that come to mind. Jackery is a close second, though, and now through June 18th, you can save up to $3,300 on various power solutions thanks to the company’s Father’s Day sale. There’s a lot on offer, but the highlight for me is the port-heavy Explorer 1000 power station, which is available for a limited time from Jackery and Amazon for just shy of $500 ($300 off).If you’re big on Android Auto but hate having to plug your phone into your car’s infotainment system, Motorola’s MA1 wireless car adapter is on sale at Best Buy for a new low of $34.99 (50 percent off). The Chromecast-looking USB dongle pairs with smartphones running Android 11 or higher via Bluetooth, allowing you to then transmit data over 5Ghz Wi-Fi. Just ensure your car or aftermarket head unit actually supports Android Auto in the first place.

I have spent a lot of time optimizing my NAS to run quietly and power efficiently. One big way to achieve that is to have the drives run as briefly as possible — I had mine set up to spin down after 20 minutes of inactivity. That way, the drives not only stay cool but also use less power. They should last longer since HDD hibernation would lower the wear and tear. They should not age as quickly if they’re not moving. Right? Well, I don’t think so anymore.

One of the biggest surprises of the Nintendo Switch 2's reveal was its proposed accessibility. For years, Nintendo has been known for accidentally stumbling on accessibility solutions while stubbornly refusing to engage with the broader subject. Yet, in the Switch 2, there appeared a more holistic approach to accessibility for which disabled players have been crying out. This was supported by a webpage dedicated to the Switch 2's hardware accessibility. However, specifics were thin and no further information emerged ahead of the Switch 2's debut. Now, having spent the last week with the Switch 2, I've found that this limited information hid, aside from a few missteps, an impressive suite of system-level accessibility considerations and advances that somewhat offset the otherwise gradual update the Switch 2 represents. But as we finally answer lingering accessibility questions over the Switch 2, there's a nagging sense that this information should have been readily available ahead of launch.How intuitive is the setup? Very, but blind players may need assistanceI tend to find setup procedures dense and unapproachable thanks to cognitive disability. Yet I was pleasantly surpris …Read the full story at The Verge.