Articles (page 8 of 50)
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Android Power User: How to Flash an Image with Fastboot
We've talked about how to flash an image using ROM Manager, but if you're more comfortable with a keyboard and mouse, fastboot might be easier for you to use. You'll need to be…
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How to Remove the RAZR M’s Unlocked Bootloader Warning
There are two kinds of Android users: Android Power Users , and everyone else. This tip is specifically for the former group, but "everyone else" will probably get a laugh out of…
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How to Root Your Galaxy Nexus Without Unlocking the Bootloader (Video)
Root is one of those Android Power User things lets you do all kinds of cool things. Unfortunately it usually involves unlocking the bootloader and installing an SU hack. This can…
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Android Power User: What is the System Image? (Video)
Android is made up of a small collection of "images", each with its own specific job. Last time we talked about the Recovery Image, today we're going to dig into the System Image…
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How to Customize your Android with “Pimp My ROM” (Video)
Pimp My ROM is not a custom ROM, rather, it's an installer-based script that let's you quickly and easily pick from dozens and dozens of tweaks, mods, apps, themes, and various…
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Google’s Self-Driving Cars and Some Android Tech That You Can Use Today (Video)
A couple states have passed (or are working on) legislation to "license" cars that can drive all by themselves. No, really! Google is at the forefront of this technology, but it's…
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Move Over Secure Digital Cards, I’m Storing My Data in Crystals!
Data storage has come a long way from the early days of computers. Long ago we had spools of tape and punch cards. Neither were particularly efficient. Soon we left those formats…
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If You Had To Keep Your Phone For Five Years, Which Would You Get?
Since I'm somewhat of a penny-pincher I tend to look at all of my purchases from a perspective that's a little different than other people. Let me start off by breaking the bad…
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Android Power User: What are ODEX, DEODEX, and Zipalign? (Video)
ODEX and DEODEX are terms that are thrown around a lot when we're talking about Custom ROMs. Some ROMs are DEODEXED, others are not. What does that mean and why do we have them?…
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Android Power User: What are the Dalvik VM and Dalvik Cache? (Video)
In today's episode of Android Power User we're going to learn about the Dalvik VM and Dalvik Cache, why they're named the way they are, what they do, and how they do it. "Dalvik",…
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Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 Review
Despite the iPad having been on the market for some time now, tablets in general are on the cusp of an evolution. They're trying to find out just how big their screens should be,…
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How to make a Solar-Powered "Sun in a Jar" LED lantern for under $5
One of the important items to include in any Prepping Plan™ is light . Light can help extend the hours that we can work by letting us see before and after the sun goes down…
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How to Get Motorola’s Cool Circle Clock Widget on Your Android (Video)
Have you seen the cool "rings" widget on the newer Motorola smartphones? Time, weather, battery status all in one place! What could be cooler?! Apparently I wasn't alone in…
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Android Power User: What is JIT and What Does it Mean for Android? (Video)
JIT is one of those newfangled acronyms that are used in business today. It builds on the concept that having inventory on-hand is expensive, and in an effort to cut costs,…
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Here’s How to Get Soft-Buttons on Ice Cream Sandwich and Jelly Bean
When Android-powered smartphones first came around they had hardware buttons: home, back, menu, answer, hang-up, and many even a had a scroll-ball. It wasn't long before the…
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Android Power User: What is a Kernel?
What is the "kernel"? We have thrown the term around quite a bit, but we haven't really dug into what it is and what it means, and why is it called that? The term doesn't derive…
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Raised Bed Gardening: Fall Tips
Now that the heat of summer is drawing to a close, cooler weather is on its way. Your summer plants have hopefully given you quite a bit of food, and your beds are starting to…
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Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 Unboxing (Video)
The FedEx guy was kind to us this week and dropped by our very own Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 to review! This is Samsung's latest tablet offering, it comes with 16GB storage…
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Which is Better, a Screen That Doesn’t Scratch or Doesn’t Shatter?
We've come a long way since the plastic touch screen of yesteryear. They were soft, resistive, scratched easily, and all but gave rise to the screen-protector industry. Today…
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Elite Kernel Turns Your Nexus 7 Into a Completely New Device (Video)
You're not going to find much of an argument from anyone that the Nexus 7 is one of the best tablets for your dollar that you can buy today. There's a fair amount of speed tucked…
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Android Power User: What are Unlocking and Rooting?
Unlocking and Rooting. They're two words that we throw around all the time, and sometimes it seems like they're used as synonyms. They aren't the same thing, but it's not hard to…
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How To Get Easy Updates for Custom ROMs with OTA Update Center
If you’re running the ROM that came on your phone you’ve probably seen at least one update come over-the-air (or OTA). These updates are built, tested, refined, packaged, and…
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Infrared is Dead, Why Would Samsung Put it in Their New Tablet?!
Samsung is doing something right. They've reportedly sold 10 million Galaxy Notes worldwide. That's pretty noteworthy, if you'll pardon the pun. Earlier today Michael Fisher gave…
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Android Power User: What is the Bootloader?
This is the first episode of our new series, Android Power User , where we talk about technology, definitions, and concepts to help regular Android users become Android…
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Why the Hardware Home Button Needs to Go Away
The home button. Every modern smartphone and tablet has one. Some are physical buttons that sink into the the front of the device, others are physical buttons that stand out from…
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Street Racing, Prowling, and Suspicious Activity — in My Neighborhood!
I'm a very sound sleeper. I can sleep through baby's crying. I can sleep through conversations. I can sleep through almost anything. Early Sunday morning I was jolted out of my…
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WiFi vs. Data, Speed vs. Battery Life
With recent polls showing that people use their phones less and less for calling, data is becoming more important than it's ever been. It's no longer the slow EDGE (or even GPRS)…
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Emergency and Disaster Relief Tactics
Kris Ackerman, Emergency and Disaster Relief Supervisor for HAFB, will be teaching a class in which he will cover tactics to assist our families and neighbors during times of…
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How to Remove the Persistent Search Bar from Ice Cream Sandwich and Jelly Bean
If you don't like looking at that Google search bar that's always sitting across the top of your screen and you're using Ice Cream Sandwich or Jelly Bean, there are various ways…
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How to Use Compost Tea
What is "compost tea"? There are a few different definitions of compost "tea". Essentially, "compost tea" is liquid compost. Some people make compost tea by filling a bag…
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Why do we prep?
"... nuclear warfare is not necessary to cause a breakdown of our society. You take a large city like Los Angels, New York, Chicago -- their water supply comes from hundreds of…
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Why don't I celebrate the 4th of July?
Do you celebrate the 25th of December? Do you celebrate the 31st of October? Do you celebrate the 14th of February? Probably not. Instead, you probably celebrate Christmas…
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Site Update: Newsletter sign-ups!
If you'd like us to tell you when we've posted a new prepper article to make sure you don't miss some important tip, trick, or Prepper Perspective™ topic, please take note of our…
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Common Utah Non-Emergency Contact Numbers (by county)
Sometimes you need to report something to appropriate authorities, but it's not an emergency. In those cases calling 9-1-1, or the local emergency number can tie up emergency…
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Cooking Sunday Dinner in the Sun Oven
Cooking takes energy, a LOT of energy! Where that energy is sourced varies. You might cook with gas or electricity on a daily basis. You might use electricity converted into…
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Why Project Butter in Jelly Bean Makes Android Faster
At this year's Google I/O conference we were shown what promises to address one of the biggest complaints of Android users: lag. Google's Project Butter addresses speed to make…
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Water Storage: How do I treat water before I store it?
Water that you're going to store for long-term (6 months or more) needs to be treated before it's stored. As we've discussed previously, some water comes pre-treated from the…
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Water Storage: Should water for long-term storage be treated?
Many people exhibit some level of confusion when it comes to "treating" water for storage. Let's see what we can do to eliminate some of that confusion! Put simply, the way you…
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Water Storage: Where should I store all my water?
Drinking water can (and should) be stored for easy access should an emergency arise. Emergencies could range from floods, to storms, to simple contamination of your culinary…
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First-Look at the New Lifetime Dual Compost Tumbler
Any backyard gardener knows the value of fresh, nutrient-rich compost. Using scraps from your own table and trimmings from your yard and garden, then turning them into rich…
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Top Smartphone Apps that Keep You Healthy
by Natalie Bracco, guest author Technology is an aspect of life that we have grown to rely on. From the vast databases that safeguard our personal information to the computerized…
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12-Steps to Prep: You're invited!
Those of you who are in Northern Utah and have some free time this weekend, we're hosting a "12-Step Prep" class at our home. Topics will cover water, sanitation, fuel, cooking…
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How to secure your house against home invasion -- before it happens
The Home Defense Association of America (HDAA) has compiled a guide to securing your home against break-ins . Think of it as "home defense blueprints". What's included in this…
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Why should you grind your own wheat now?
Everyone always says you should store wheat as part of your long-term food storage. It's cheap, it's got a lot of uses, it stores for decades under the right conditions. Could…
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Rest in Peace, Dad
My Dad, Lawrence Leo Damewood, Sr., passed away in his sleep one year ago. He taught me many, many things about taking care of a yard and garden, and how to make do with what you…
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Do You Really Need HDMI-Out On Your Device?
I've got a smartphone (a couple of them). I've got a tablet (a couple those, too). I've even gone through more than a few smart watches (though I'm not wearing one now while I…
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Launcher Wars Part 6: Trebuchet, the New Launcher in CM9
The easiest way to customize your Android-powered phone or tablet is to install a 3rd-party launcher to replace that which comes pre-installed on the device. In previous episodes…
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Android Guy Weekly: Everything You Need to Know About SD Cards
Many smartphones and tablets come with a microSD card slot as a means to expand their storage from their stock capacity up to an additional 32GB. There are many different sizes,…
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Open Letters to Representatives Chaffetz and Matheson about their votes supporting legalized kidnapping
Dear Representatives Chaffetz and Matheson, It is Memorial Day weekend. I am angered. You cast a troop-dishonoring vote against the Smith-Amash Amendment that would end…
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Thank you, Rep. Bishop, for supporting the Smith-Amash Amendment to the 2013 NDAA
Dear Representative Bishop, Thank you for supporting the Smith-Amash Amendment to the 2013 NDAA. Last week a federal judge agreed with my concerns (that I voiced to you before…