A HACK A DAY:Season 8
We bring you hacks and tricks to make life easier with technology around you
- How to find out if someone is stealing your Wi-Fi
- How to test your TV remote control with your smartphone
- How to lock out pests from your Wi-Fi network
- How to replace the cracked camera glass of the iPhone 6
- How to use your iPad as a second monitor for your PC/laptop
- How to convert your laptop into a desktop PC
- How to remove scratches from your smartphone's screen
- How to make fancy friendship bands within 10 minutes
- How to browse websites blocked by your ISP
- How to install Android on old PC
- How to use a steering wheel for racing games on smartphones
- How to make an LED bulb at home in under Rs 50
- How to make a cheap grinder/sander with an old hard drive
- How to make a refillable compressed air duster/blower
- How to install and run Windows 10 from a USB
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A HACK A DAY: Present running season
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Windows 10 is here and everyone is trying to get their hands on the new operating system. Even though the upgrade is free for the existing Windows users, for some people installing a new operating system seems like a better way to go about it. Therefore, today’s hack is a tutorial on how you can install and run Windows 10 from a USB flash drive. Watch and learn:
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If you are a technician, DIY enthusiast or a simple everyday craftsman, you definitely know that dust is the worst enemy of any electronic device. Be it a computer or a television, or even your microwave oven, you are destined to find it layered with dust over a period of time. Using a brush could help you get rid of the dust, but there are certain places where your brush won’t reach. There are many-a-times when your brush is obstructed by wires and other components, making it difficult to reach. And there are certain cases where you cannot touch delicate electronic components with the fear of damage. The only option is to use a powerful air blower, such as a vacuum cleaner in reverse mode, to safely blow away the dusty layers with speed and ease. But carrying around your vacuum cleaner is not practical.
There are compressed air cans or air dusters that are available in the market. However, they don’t come cheap and can cost you almost Rs 500 for a simple can which can be used for a couple of times. There is no way that you can refill these cans, forcing you to buy another one. We bring you a simple method, which will show you how you can refill these cans, or practically any pressurized spray or perfume can, to clean your electronic components. Since it is highly portable, you can also use it to clean your vehicles and other parts of your hose and outdoors too.
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Having a grinder or a sanding machine at home is a definite requirement for those who are DIY enthusiasts. Building small parts and sharpening knifes and various other tools could be a pain. Investing on a specialized grinding tool could turn out to be an expensive affair. So why not build one out of an old hard drive?
The hard drive has a powerful spindle motor with a rotating disc that can spin with speeds of more than 2600 rotations per minute. Gluing a sand paper to the disc can turn it into a powerful compact grinder. Check out how you can make this grinder within a few minutes.
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If you have the knack for DIYs, today’s hack is just for you. Here’s how you can make an LED bulb at home, without spending too anything more than 50 bucks on it. In fact, this may help you save a few bucks on your electricity bill.
The video below instructs on how to go about it. Watch and learn:
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With smartphones getting powerful by the week, playing high-end games is now better than before. Smartphone have various sensors which offer big help while gaming. However, whilst playing racing games, a smartphone in your hand tends to feel tiny, and more often, you end up tiring yourself holding it in your hand. Using a gaming wheel for the smartphone is a good choice, but this involves connecting it to the USB port or Bluetooth and draining additional battery. Today we show you a very simple hack, which involves using the gaming wheel as an accessory to simply move the smartphone in the direction you need, and with great comfort. The wheel is not connected in any way and the smartphone is just held in the centre of the wheel so that you can simply control the direction. The hack is best for those who have cheap, non-working gaming wheels. Check out the video for a very simple hack on how to use the gaming wheel for car racing games.
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After a point of time, there is not much you can do with an old computer. However, one thing that can be done is to install and run Android on it. Android requires less resources than Windows and will allows you to have access to all your favourite apps and content.
Here’s how you can go about it. Watch and learn:
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There are a few too many websites that are not available around the world since the content on these websites are only restricted for use in their own country. Websites from Netflix, BBC, etc are some classic examples. However, if you want to access these websites from another country, you will have to bypass the blocking rules and access it using a third-party are basically VPN software which uses proxy servers to create a tunnel from your device to another country, using a tunnel via the internet connection. It changes your IP address and allows you to browse the website which is blocked in your country. There are many such VPN software and proxy websites available out there. The software also helps you browse anonymously, indirectly keeping you safe too. Check out the videos below which helps you browse websites that are blocked by your country or internet service provider.
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Friends are a major part of each one’s live. They share the same level of understanding, care for each other, make good times better and hard times easier. The friendship bond that each one shares with different friends is indefinable!
Its Friendship Day! Why not make a special friendship band for him/ her, who has been a precious part of your life!
Here are 4 simple ways to make friendship bands within 10 minutes
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How to remove scratches from your smartphone's screen
Just a couple of scratches on your smartphone’s screen tends to make it look a lot older than it really is! And once you get the display scratched, there’s no going back, unless you replace it with a new display or buy a new smartphone altogether.
However, today’s hack is a demo on how you can drastically reduce the scratches from your smartphone’s display. All the things required for this DIY are mostly available at home. Watch and learn:
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There are a few too many who hate working on a laptop and prefer a desktop PC for almost every computing job. For some, a common reason could be the tiny screen, but for the masses, the tiny keyboard and the uncomfortable touchpad is most irritating. Hence many prefer to attach an external keyboard and a mouse to the laptop to work efficiently. However, you can also attach a larger display to your laptop to replicate the experience of a desktop PC. So why not use the laptop as a desktop PC when at home or office and use the laptop when travelling only. Here is what you need to do.
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How to use your iPad as a second monitor for your PC/laptop:
Using your desktop PC or laptop with a second display could give you huge benefits. Extending the display to another monitor gives you more desktop real estate, making enough room to run additional windows and applications on another display altogether. However, to do this, you need to invest on another monitor and more importantly, your PC or laptop should be able to accommodate a second display connector for the additional monitor. While most of you may already own an Android tablet or an iPad, they are mostly lying unused or may have a limited usage. So why not use the tablet as a second monitor to your existing setup? With the additional desktop space, you can now extend your existing display area to a larger one or simply duplicate your screen on the tablet. The dual-screen setup can be beneficial for researchers, writers, analysts, stock market watchers, editors, data entry professionals, doctors, and many more. All you need to do is invest on an application that costs you less than Rs 500. Watch the video to know how you can do it.
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So you dropped your precious iPhone 6 and managed to crack the camera glass that offers protection to the internal sensor? Well, replacing the glass could cost you a bomb, especially if you are getting it done from an Apple service center. The cost of the service will be higher than the price of the glass itself. And if you are planning to service it from a local vendor, then you have to be lucky to find a good enough service technician to handle the device with care. However, why not do the replacement yourself? The job is pretty simple, and all you need to do is have a steady hand and a strong heart. Check out the video below which will help you with a step-by-step procedure on how to open the iPhone 6 and replace the glass with great ease.
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Have you ever been caught in a situation where your Wi-Fi router’s security is compromised? Did someone manage to get into your network and peep into your personal files? Maybe your friend, who visited you last week, still has access to your network, and could be enjoying high-speed internet at your cost.
The best way to deal with such unwanted hazards is by enabling MAC filtering on your wireless router. By doing this, your Wi-Fi network will only allow devices who have their MAC Address listed in your router’s database. Find out how you can shoo them away from your network and enjoy peace of mind.
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How to test your TV remote control with your smartphone:
There are days when you use the standard ‘Indian remedy’ of knocking your television remote control on your thigh, in your palm or simply the sofa. The reason—it does not operate. Knocking the remote works at times, but not always. Usually, the battery is usually low, or there is a loose connection on the battery terminals, that settles when you knock it. However, in order to simplify the same, we show you how simple it is to know if your remote control works and is reliably transmitting the infrared light to the television set. All you need is to point out the remote front end to the smartphone’s camera lens and see the infra red light flickering in the display. If the purple light (infrared right is purple and not visible to the naked eye) is seen on the display, then you know that the remote functions properly. If your battery is dead or low, then you know what to do. Check out the video below to know how it needs to be done and what you should see. Do note: If your smartphone has an IR filter (for example an iPhone), then this test won’t work. Try another smartphone or any simple video camera or handycam. A remote controller uses infrared light for communication and a video camera can convert the IR light into visible light, to be monitored on the display.
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Half of our world is running on Internet right now. The first thing you think of when shifting to a new house is which Internet connection to subscribe for. And as rule, with such necessities come theft and trickery. It happens so many times, that you get a Wi-Fi connection, pay for a high bandwidth package, but you end up getting a slow Internet. Chances are, your Wi-Fi has been hacked, and one of your sucking up on your bandwidth for free.
Today’s hack is a demo on how you can find out if someone is stealing your Wi-Fi. Watch and learn: