Chris Pollette is the former tech editor for HowStuffWorks.com and the original co-host of the TechStuff podcast. He's written many articles on technology subjects as diverse as VPNs, Bluetooth and LEDs.
Recent Contributions
Now almost anyone can be a disc jockey, talk show host or recording artist, thanks to podcasting. Find out what a podcast is, plus how to listen to and make one.
Mac fans always talk about how easy and intuitive Apple's OS is to use. Is it really that simple to uninstall programs on a Mac?
By Chris Pollette & John Kelly
Roundup is the brand name for the chemical glyphosate, which is the most widely used weedkiller today. Some hail it, some hate it, but what does it really do?
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Streaming video and audio have come a very long way since it was first introduced in the 1990s. In fact, millions of people have gotten rid of cable and rely on streaming only for entertainment.
Electronic books have been out for years, though none of them met with much success - until the Amazon Kindle. What's so special about this little device?
A Google engineer made headlines for claiming that an AI called LaMDA had become sentient or conscious. While many AI scientists disagreed, what would it take for an AI to ever become sentient?
3D printing has made it possible to print out almost anything - including homes, medical devices, clothing, and even a human heart! But how does a 3D printer work, and what are the drawbacks?
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Your IP address is one of 4.3 billion unique numbers that identifies your computer on the internet. Learn the different IP classes and discover how your computer gets its own address.
If you're able to stream content while wandering large areas, feel free to thank mesh wifi! But what is mesh wifi, exactly? Read on to explore how wireless mesh networks deliver high-speed internet connectivity anywhere, anytime.
By Chris Pollette & Dave Roos
Chromecast is a tiny TV dongle that promises to bring you streaming media controlled via your mobile device. Can it compete with the rest of the streaming media market?
More people are using virtual private networks to establish secure communication over the internet, protecting their private information and allowing remote employees to connect to the private corporate networks.
By Jeff Tyson, Chris Pollette & Stephanie Crawford
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Short for Really Simple Syndication, RSS is a way to subscribe to a source of information, such as a Web site, and get brief updates delivered to you. So what should you subscribe to, and what happens next?
If you use the internet for any length of time, there's probably lots of information floating around out there about you. How do you find it, and can you delete it?
This person of diverse interests also invented the cowcatcher device for trains and held a distinguished mathematics professorship at the University of Cambridge.
Whether they're sorting out scrap metal or helping us unlock the secrets of the universe, electromagnets are pretty nifty devices. What's so great about magnetism on demand? We'll electrify you with the details.
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The scrum master has the very important goal of ensuring a team finishes its sprint and ultimately its project. We'll explain all about scrums, sprints and stickers.
The QWERTY keyboard dates all the way back to the first typewriters. Why are the keys arranged this way, rather than alphabetically?
Magnets produce magnetic fields and attract metals like iron, nickel and cobalt. They're used in all sorts of applications but how are they made and how do they work?
Thanks to the Faraday cage, we can control electricity and make it safer for our computers, cars and other inventions.
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Nearly everything you use to run your computer or enhance its performance is either part of the motherboard or plugs into it. But what does it actually do?
Fiber-optic lines have revolutionized phone calls, cable TV and the internet. It's a really cool technology that enables the long-distance transmission of data in light signals, and is used in many more ways than you think.
The legend of the samurai continues to permeate our culture, with countless movies and TV shows dedicated to the subject. How much of what we know about the samurai is truth and how much is myth?
How can you check the version of Android on your tablet, and how do you update it? We have some simple steps.
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A robot and a human being are made up of the same basic components. And with each passing decade, robots become more lifelike. Find out how robots operate and the marvelous things they're already doing.
By Tom Harris & Chris Pollette
Is anyone watching you now? If you have Bluetooth enabled on your smartphone, someone might know exactly where you are.