▸ Technology in practice

How machines really work systems, devices and people

Operating systems, hardware, mobile devices and interfaces: the technology we use every day, taken apart and explained piece by piece.

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Arduino for beginners: microcontroller, IDE and first projectHow to use a multimeter: voltage, continuity and resistancePC noises: fans, coil whine and drives, how to recognise themSoldering: tools, temperature and proper techniqueESP32: the microcontroller for DIY IoT projectsNFC: how it works and how to use it beyond contactless paymentsHow your smartphone knows where you are: GPS, GNSS, Wi-FiZigbee, Z-Wave or Wi-Fi: choosing a smart home protocolArchives and compression on Linux: tar, gzip, xz, zstd and zipLinux permissions: read, write, execute and chmodSSH on the client side: keys, config file, scp and rsyncCaptions and transcripts: video and audio accessible to allError messages that help: how to write and display themOn-screen text readability: line length, leading and sizeArduino for beginners: microcontroller, IDE and first projectHow to use a multimeter: voltage, continuity and resistancePC noises: fans, coil whine and drives, how to recognise themSoldering: tools, temperature and proper techniqueESP32: the microcontroller for DIY IoT projectsNFC: how it works and how to use it beyond contactless paymentsHow your smartphone knows where you are: GPS, GNSS, Wi-FiZigbee, Z-Wave or Wi-Fi: choosing a smart home protocolArchives and compression on Linux: tar, gzip, xz, zstd and zipLinux permissions: read, write, execute and chmodSSH on the client side: keys, config file, scp and rsyncCaptions and transcripts: video and audio accessible to allError messages that help: how to write and display themOn-screen text readability: line length, leading and size

Topics

Operating systems, hardware, mobile devices and interfaces: the technology we use every day, taken apart and explained piece by piece.

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Operating systems & Linux

Shell, permissions, processes, filesystems, boot and maintenance of Linux, Windows and macOS.

25 articles →
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Hardware & electronics

CPUs, memory, drives, power, Raspberry Pi, Arduino, diagnosis and repair.

25 articles →
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Mobile & IoT

Smartphones, batteries, connectivity, home automation, sensors and Internet of Things protocols.

25 articles →
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UX & accessibility

Usability, interfaces, digital accessibility, readability and user research.

25 articles →

Featured articles

>_ Operating systems & Linux

Bash scripting basics: variables, conditions and loops

How to write your first useful Bash scripts: shebang, variables, quoting, arguments, if, for and while loops, exit codes and safer script options.

5 min read →
⌁ Hardware & electronics

Arduino for beginners: microcontroller, IDE and first project

What Arduino is, how it differs from a computer, how setup and loop work, and how to read a button and light an LED without damaging the board.

4 min read →
◉ Mobile & IoT

4G and 5G: bands, frequencies and why the signal varies so much

How 4G and 5G networks work: low and high bands, 5G NSA and SA, carrier aggregation, and why real-world speed varies between rooms, cities and times.

4 min read →
◧ UX & accessibility

Accessibility audit: a method for checking a website

How to carry out an accessibility audit: page sample, automated tools, manual checks, a prioritised report and a realistic plan for fixing the issues.

4 min read →
>_ Operating systems & Linux

First Linux shell commands: moving between files and folders

The essential Linux terminal commands explained with examples: pwd, ls, cd, mkdir, cp, mv, rm, absolute and relative paths, completion and history.

5 min read →
⌁ Hardware & electronics

Graphics cards: integrated vs dedicated, VRAM and how to choose

When integrated graphics is enough and when you need a dedicated GPU, how much VRAM you need, what to check beyond the model, and how to avoid bottlenecks.

4 min read →
◉ Mobile & IoT

Home Assistant: building a local, independent smart home hub

How Home Assistant works, which hardware to run it on, how to integrate Zigbee and devices of different brands, and how to handle backups and remote use.

4 min read →
◧ UX & accessibility

Color and color blindness: designing interfaces that include

How to design interfaces that work for people with color vision deficiencies: redundancy, contrast, charts, interactive states and simulation tools.

4 min read →
>_ Operating systems & Linux

Memory and swap on Linux: reading free and the OOM killer

How Linux uses RAM: cache, available memory and swap, how to read free, create a swap file, tune swappiness and understand when the OOM killer steps in.

5 min read →
⌁ Hardware & electronics

Choosing a monitor: panel, resolution, refresh rate and ports

How to choose a monitor: IPS, VA and OLED panels, resolution and size, refresh rate, HDR, HDMI and DisplayPort connections, and a good ergonomic stand.

4 min read →
◉ Mobile & IoT

NFC: how it works and how to use it beyond contactless payments

How 13.56 MHz NFC technology works, why devices must be so close, how phone payments are protected and how to use NFC tags for everyday automations.

4 min read →
◧ UX & accessibility

Image alt text: how to write it well

How to write alt text for photos, icons, charts and decorative images: what to describe, what to leave out, concrete examples and mistakes to avoid.

4 min read →