Tech updates from around the web

My old tablet does exactly one job now, and it's never been more useful

Every USB-C cable looks identical, but this tiny chip tells you which ones actually work

My favorite search engine isn't Google or Bing — it's the one that finally cut the clutter

I ran a channel scan on my router and killed the interference killing my speeds

This entire operating system fits in 12 MB, and yes, it boots faster than Windows

This small home safety upgrade could prevent a very expensive problem

That blue chat bubble in Google Messages means your texts just got a real upgrade

The free video editor Hollywood actually uses runs fine on my mid-range laptop

My downloads stopped stalling at zero after I changed two adapter settings

I used a phone with a silicon-carbon battery, and now I get why Apple and Samsung won't

I finally learned what the Ultra96 label means, and most people are about to overpay for HDMI

I self-hosted my email and finally understood why everyone warns against it