Category Archives: tech tips

MacBook Neo GPU Compared: A18 Pro vs Snapdragon X2, Radeon, Arc, and RTX 5060

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The MacBook Neo is Apple’s $599 fanless entry Mac, built around the binned 5-core-GPU variant of the A18 Pro. I covered its CPU, thermal behavior, silicon economics, and 8 GB RAM tradeoff in the main MacBook Neo benchmarks article. This post is the GPU companion to that piece, and it exists for a specific reason. Why this post exists This post puts the MacBook Neo’s A18 Pro 5-core GPU against Snapdragon X1 and X2, AMD Radeon iGPUs, Intel Arc, and

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Google Drive file won’t sync? (SOLUTION)

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Recently a client had a compressed .7z file that just would not sync in Google Drive desktop edition. It was a pretty normal backup file and was not huge (just a couple hundred MB and their internet connection was fast enough to back that up without issue). It just refused to sync. I retried, restarted and everything else to no avail. Eventually, I renamed the file and that FINALLY caused it to sync successfully for the client. ✅👍 Just posting this

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How to Upgrade a Windows 10 VM to Windows 11 in VMware (Complete Guide)

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TL;DR: Your old Windows 10 PC or VM (virtual machine) doesn’t meet Windows 11 requirements? It probably needs UEFI firmware, TPM 2.0, and Secure Boot, none of which older PCs and VMs were configured with out of the box. This guide walks through the full in-place conversion for VMware VMs without reinstalling Windows, in about 45 minutes. Many of the concepts (MBR to GPT conversion, UEFI firmware, clearing update policies) apply to physical PCs as well. Microsoft ended Windows 10

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Samsung Galaxy Watch Stuck After Unlock Swipe? [SOLVED]

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Q: My Samsung Galaxy Watch accepts the unlock swipe but then just freezes on the screen and won’t go any further. How do I fix this? A: This is a surprisingly common glitch where the watch acknowledges your input but the software hangs on the transition. The good news: a forced restart fixes it almost every time, and it will not erase any of your data. How to Force Restart a Samsung Galaxy Watch (Watch 4, 5, 6, 7, and

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MacBook Neo Deep Dive: Benchmarks, Wafer Economics, and the 8GB Gamble

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Update, May 14th, 2026 with additional benchmarks New CPU benchmarks added covering: compression, crypto, integer kernels, matrix math, video transcode, and sustained thermal behavior. The short version is unchanged: at $599, the Neo is VERY fast for bursty everyday use and limited for sustained, memory-heavy, or pro workloads.  Updated: May 8th, 2026 with pricing and availability update Preface: I’m not really a Mac guy. But I have deep respect for what Apple has done with their silicon, and I’ve been

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Windows 10 printing to old/offline printer instead of new one [SOLVED]

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TL;DR: Replaced a printer but Windows 10 keeps sending jobs to the old one? Cancel the stuck jobs in the old printer’s queue, then set your new printer as the default. Two minutes and you’re back in business. 👍 So I got a message from a client’s office today. “The printer won’t print.” Classic. We had just set up a brand new Brother DCP-L5510DN to replace their old DCP-L5500DN. The new printer was confirmed working via USB the day before.

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Best Computer for Claude Code in 2026

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Updated May 11th, 2026. Originally published February 6, 2026. TL;DR: If you are looking for the best computer for Claude Code in 2026, my short answer is the MacBook Air M5 (currently $150 off on Amazon). Most people do not need a monster workstation. The AI heavy lifting runs in the cloud. Your machine handles file I/O, builds, test suites, and your dev environment. Cheapest Mac that works: the $599 MacBook Neo. Windows: a ThinkPad with 32GB of RAM. Desktop

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CTRL+V to paste images & screenshots not working in Claude Code? [SOLVED]

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So this took me a minute to realize, and if it saves even one person some frustration, it’s worth a post. I’m working in Claude Code, trying to paste a screenshot or image like I can in VS Code with Claude Extension:CTRL+V… nothing.Try again. Nothing.Different image. Still nothing. A few thoughts are running through my head? Turns out… nope. I was just using the wrong shortcut. The magic combo is: ALT + V After which you should see something beautiful

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