Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.

Shutterstock/shisu_ka QR Codes can do a whole lot more than just take you to a web site. And they’re easy to create on the Linux command line too. We show you how. QR Codes Quick response (QR) codes are enjoying something of a resurgence, thanks to their use in the COVID-19 track and trace apps in…

Microsoft Windows 10 now includes a taskbar icon called “Meet Now,” giving you easy access to Skype video-conferencing features. Meet Now lets you start quick video chats through a browser without the need for Skype accounts or the Skype app. Here’s how to use it. What is Meet Now? Microsoft’s “Meet Now” is a Skype…

Suzanne Humphries, symona/Shutterstock.com When it comes to protecting your online information, you can never be too safe. While using strong passwords and software-based two-factor authentication (2FA) certainly make for a great start, you can further bolster your online security by using a hardware security key. Plus, they’re easy to use on both personal and business…

Database performance is heavily affected by the performance of the underlying memory. For reads, having a lot of RAM can speed things up, but for write-heavy operations, the bottleneck is the SSD of hard disk it runs out. AWS has plenty of options for storage, so which one is best for you? Database-Focused EC2 Instances…

Samsung/Google Have you ever noticed that Android on a Samsung phone doesn’t look like Android on a Google Pixel phone? Both use the same operating system, but look completely different. What’s the deal with that? Android Device Manufacturers Love Skins Not all Android devices look the same, but we’re not just talking about the physical…

MOFT We’re big fans of Moft around here: their slim, foldable kickstands and laptop stands are elegant and functional. The company’s releasing a new version of its combination kickstand-wallet for the iPhone 12, complete with its snap-on MagSafe attachment system. The new designs are live on the Moft site, but aren’t available for order yet.…

Apple Google’s Nest line of speakers, including the Nest Audio, Nest Hub Max, and Nest Mini are gaining support for Apple Music. Users in the U.S., U.K., France, Germany, and Japan will be able to play any of the 70 million+ songs from the service just by using your voice. To do this, simply link…

A+E Networks Look, some things don’t need to make sense to be awesome. Take the KFC Double Down, a “sandwich” that literally puts fried chicken where the bread should go. And speaking of KFC, it teamed with Lifetime to make this year’s best romance movie. A Recipe For Seduction, starring Mario Lopez as Colonel Sanders. Mark…

Hasbro Of all the weird and wild weapons wielded by The Mandalorian, the Amban Phase-pulse Blaster might be the most memorable. So why not buy one for yourself? Nerf is selling a full-sized replica of the famous rifle, giving you a chance to cut through pesky Jawas like your favorite masked bounty hunter. The $120…

Baby Yoda On the one hand, you could spend $375 on a life-sized Baby Yoda that doesn’t even move its arms. You wouldn’t regret it (I don’t). But if you’d like to spend less, and get something that moves and make noises, check out this Animatronic The Child, in variations with and without a carrier.…

IKEA After a truly impressive 70-year run, furniture titan IKEA has discontinued its printed catalog and will be focusing more on digital advertising. The company made the tough decision after seeing a decline in catalog readership, but will be commemorating its iconic catalogs with a book launching in Autumn of 2021. “For both customers and…

iOttie There’s nothing more dangerous than playing with your GPS or looking through Spotify while driving. Still, very few cars have effective or up-to-date voice controls. iOttie wants to solve the problem with its $90 Aivo Connect, a smartphone dashboard mount that doubles as a wireless charger and a hands-free Alexa Auto system. The Aivo…

Microsoft’s “Meet Now” feature in Windows 10 appears as an icon in the notification area of the taskbar that includes links to Skype teleconferencing functions. Here’s how to hide or disable the Meet Now icon and notification. What is Meet Now? The Meet Now icon looks like a small video camera symbol with curved lines…

Browser tabs can be a blessing and a curse. It’s handy to have multiple pages open at once, but if you use a lot of tabs, it can quickly become hard to manage. That’s where Google’s Chrome Tab Search comes in. Introduced in Google Chrome 87, Tab Search is exactly what it sounds like. You…

Thanks to smartphones, it’s now easier than ever to send money to people. Google Pay is a powerful service with many features, one of which is peer-to-peer payments. We’ll show you how easy it is to send others money. Google revamped Google Pay in late 2020 with a bevy of new features, but one that…

If you’re building a spreadsheet to share with others or simply one for your own tracking, using a checklist can make data entry a breeze in Microsoft Excel. Here’s how to create a checklist in your spreadsheet and make it look like your own. Why a checklist? You might use a checklist for tracking items…

Khamosh Pathak It’s very easy to get distracted when an app starts sending you annoying notifications. Right after you get an app notification, use the Notification Center on Mac to disable notifications for each app. Quickly Turn off App Notifications from the Notification Center You can disable an app’s notification from the notification itself. This works when…

Rating: 9/10 ? 1 – Absolute Hot Garbage 2 – Sorta Lukewarm Garbage 3 – Strongly Flawed Design 4 – Some Pros, Lots Of Cons 5 – Acceptably Imperfect 6 – Good Enough to Buy On Sale 7 – Great, But Not Best-In-Class 8 – Fantastic, with Some Footnotes 9 – Shut Up And Take…

Bash file naming conventions are very rich, and it is easy to create a script or one-liner which incorrectly parses file names. Learn to parse file names correctly, and thereby ensure your scripts work as intended! The Problem With Correctly Parsing File Names in Bash If you have been using Bash for a while, and…

If you’re a fan of Mozilla Firefox and you’d like to clear your browsing history quickly, there’s a simple keyboard shortcut available to help you do the job on Windows, Mac, and Linux. Here’s how to use it. First, open “Firefox.” In any open window, press one of these two keyboard shortcut combinations depending on…