Home Assistant is incredibly versatile through the use of automation. It's easy to configure a few with nothing but a sensor or two and some integrations. Throw some Philips Hue bulbs, a Ring alarm system, and some smart plugs, and you've got the necessary hardware to have some fun and show off to guests who pass through the front door. Here are some ways I've been using Home Assistant automation to show off to others.

Most games build on ideas that came before, genres that have been around for ages. But every now and then, a single title does something so radically different that it spawns an entirely new genre. These five games didn’t just raise the bar; they created an entirely new one.

When it comes to running a home server, there’s no shortage of excellent options to choose from. Over the years, I’ve tried both Proxmox and Ubuntu Linux in various configurations. While Proxmox has a lot going for it, I keep coming back to Ubuntu for my own setup. It simply offers a combination of flexibility, ease of use, and compatibility that fits the way I like to run things.

PowerToys is a comprehensive package of tools that enable Windows to do what you want. You are likely familiar with its 20-plus tools that help make your workflow more efficient. However, I wish I had been aware of some lesser-known features in the utility suite sooner.

Linux has always struggled to attract enough mainstream PC owners to make the switch from Windows. Traditionally, the operating system has always been viewed as one reserved for tech-savvy individuals and those who could be considered enthusiasts. What is changing, however, is how approachable Linux is becoming to mainstream audiences. Gaming is a huge portion of the Windows market and is now more viable than ever.

I love my Flipper Zero, and it's packed to the gills with tools for testing your hardware and software. However, its ESP32-based Wi-Fi Devboard is just an ESP32 at heart, which is why you can utilize the same tools on other ESP32-based chips, too. A custom firmware for the Flipper Zero's ESP32, Marauder, enables all kinds of attacks from Wi-Fi de-auths to packet sniffing. However, with an ESP32-powered display, you can get all of the same functionality, too. I installed it on my Cheap Yellow Display (CYD), and it can do everything the Flipper Zero's Wi-Fi Devboard can do, while being more versatile, too.

External GPUs have been around for decades, but despite an influx of mainstream options with the release of Thunderbolt 3 nearly a decade ago, eGPUs haven't really caught on. Despite how simple eGPUs seem as a solution — you literally plug more power into your PC — they're surprisingly complex. Different interfaces passing data over cables that weren't designed for it naturally lead to some issues when using an eGPU. You can still get great performance out of an external graphics card, but there are some common misunderstandings you need to keep in mind.

Monotype is keen for you to know what AI might do in typography. As one of the largest type design companies in the world, Monotype owns Helvetica, Futura, and Gill Sans - among 250,000 other fonts. In the typography giant's 2025 Re:Vision trends report, published in February, Monotype devotes an entire chapter to how AI will result in a reactive typography that will "leverage emotional and psychological data" to tailor itself to the reader. It might bring text into focus when you look at it and soften when your gaze drifts. It could shift typefaces depending on the time of day and light level. It could even adapt to reading speeds and emphasize the important portions of online text for greater engagement. AI, the report suggests, will make type accessible through "intelligent agents and chatbots" and let anyone generate typography regardless of training or design proficiency. How that will be deployed isn't certain, possibly as part of proprietarily trained apps. Indeed, how any of this will work remains nebulous.Monotype isn't alone in this kind of speculation. Typographers are keeping a close eye on AI as designers start to adopt tools like Midjourney for ideation and Replit …Read the full story at The Verge.

Andru Marino is an audio and video producer at The Verge. “I make videos on our YouTube / TikTok / Instagram channels, and have produced our podcasts like Vergecast, Decoder, and Why’d You Push That Button?” He also keeps a lot of notes, and his latest favorite places to keep them are the Triangle and Sidekick notebooks. I asked him about them.Where did you first hear about these notebooks?I don’t really remember when I first saw the Triangle Notebook. It was probably an Instagram ad. I had kept a link to the notebook’s website in a browser tab on my phone for a few months and kept thinking about it. When did you buy it, and what went into the decision?I bought it in April, and what really attracted me was how weird it was. Why does the notebook need to be a triangle? Oh, it opens up into a square! Wow, I love that! The main reason I use paper is to doodle, and I thought this shape would inspire me to doodle differently. And then I saw this company also made another notebook called the Sidekick that basically looks like an L when opened, so it is angled alongside your computer keyboard. That was so wacky to me. So I bought that one too. What do you like about them?This seems more like an art experiment than anything. I love objects that make you rethink how they are used. I typically have Post-it notes or a spiral notebook on my desk so I can write something down or doodle during a meeting. The Sidekick doesn’t take up a ton of space on my desk either opened or closed. The Triangle Notebook is actually great for using on your lap or other unconventional surfaces, as it is pretty sturdy and lays flat on its spine. Both notebooks also encourage me to use my handwriting more, which was a New Year’s resolution I had. View LinkIs there anything about them that you dislike, or that you think could be improved?I am not entirely sure if it makes sense to take notes on an L-shaped piece of paper, but that is just what makes the Sidekick different. The Triangle Notebook could have a few more pages in it. It is nicely bound and sort of expensive ($33), so I would like to get more use out of it. Also it is so long! I don’t know where to store it. And the pages don’t tear out very easily. I’d love to give someone a note on a weird-shaped piece of paper. Who would you recommend it to?I’d recommend the Sidekick to an artist who wants to doodle during meetings — which is why I bought this. But I can also see it working for someone who draws on a tablet and wants to briefly write down some notes about what they are working on. I don’t know who I would recommend the Triangle Notebook to besides someone who likes weird objects. I’d love to know if someone feels like they do their best work on a triangle-shaped notebook. You started this by saying you hoped these notebooks would inspire you to doodle differently. Have they?So far, no. My notes look the same mess as ever, but it has encouraged me to doodle more and write more, so that makes me happy. 

The Nintendo Switch 2 has finally launched and is a massive hit. The Switch 2 is the fastest-selling Nintendo console of all time, and the upgraded performance over its predecessor has impressed critics. That said, the Switch 2 launch also shares some similarities with another Nintendo console, the 3DS. The Nintendo 3DS sold incredibly well out of the gate (via GamingBolt) but tapered off later, partially due to a lackluster launch year in terms of both first and third-party support. While the Nintendo Switch 2 launch is in much better shape, thanks to a slightly better launch day line-up, with more heavy hitters set to release soon after launch, it might be more similar than you expected.

Being the most tech-savvy member of the extended family, I'm often the first port of call for support tickets. My brother is the latest to approach with a problem regarding his Windows 10 PC and some memory trouble. The issue turned out to be a dead CMOS battery, causing settings to be lost on power loss, resulting in failed boots and borked Windows installation. We thought, "What a brilliant time to upgrade to Windows 11!" Turns out, the Intel Core i5-7600K isn't supported by Microsoft's latest OS.

The standard Windows 11 does the job, but requires some customization out of the box to run at its best and become more user-friendly. I usually use apps like Winhawk or PowerToys to do this, and have never tried Winaero Tweaker until now. Winaero Tweaker is a free application that provides numerous tools for customizing Windows functionality, organized into several sections for appearance, behavior, and more.