Gadget Hacks How-Tos

How To: Test a starter capacitors in your car

If you're looking to see if you're working with a live, dead, or leaking capacitor, this video is just what you need. You'll want to have a multimeter and you need to remember: capacitors can be dangerous things. They hold and release electricity very rapidly, so you can get shocked or electrocuted if you don't exercise caution.

How To: Test an electrolytic capacitor with a digital multimeter

If you're working with a capacitor and wondering whether it's working or not, this video will help you find out. You're going to need a multimeter, available at any good electronics store. This device is capable of testing many different electric devices, and capacitors are one you can test. Set the dial, hook it up and see if things are working! These multimeter devices are essential in the world of home electronics, so put one in your tool kit today!

How To: Use a Newstweek to change the news read by others on a wifi network

The Newstweek might be the coolest new device of 2011 that no one is talking about. It's a pocket-sized device that allows you to access the data streaming through a wireless internet access point and change the news being read by fellow users at the hotspot, from any site, however you want. It allows you to do some amazingly inspiring and sinister things, like any really progressive technology, and this video will show you how to use it.

How To: Hack a Friendster account password

Looking to do a little Friendster account hacking? Well, this video will show you how to hack into anyone's Friendster account after getting their password. Friendster was Facebook before Facebook was around, and beleive it or not, people still use it! You'll need a little tool to do the work, which you can find here. After that, follow the steps and get into any Friendster account. Remember, hacking is illegal, so be responsible out there.

YouTube Phreaking: How to Extract a Phone Number from a YouTube Clip

Every key on a telephone keypad has its own sonic signature, a sort of calling card composed of two distinct tones: one high, one low. While it's easy to tell the difference between the individual pitches in a single row—see, for example, this article on using your cell phone as a musical instrument—, it's often difficult to differentiate between notes within the same column. Unless, of course, you outsource the work to a computer! Which is what Uruguayan hacker [Charlie X-Ray] recently set o...

How To: Use the Hidden Smileys in Skype

In this instruction, you will find out how to use the hidden Skype smileys and emoticons. You can not find this smileys in the standard Skype smiley menu. To use these smileys you need to memorize some words and put them in parentheses (). These words you can find in table below. There are 15 hidden Skype smileys. Also, there are a lot of flag emoticons, which you can get by typing flag, colon and international country code in parentheses, e.g. (flag:us) or (flag:uk). Here is the table of sec...

How To: Use ShowMyPc.com to hack into someone's computer remotely

Want to be able to hack into a computer remotely? This method takes a little extra time and cunning to set up, since you will need to first install the ShowMyPc program on your target computer. Once you have installed this program, however, you will be able to go to the website ShowMyPc.com and be able to see what your target has been up to. Even better, you can use that computer and the files on it as if it were your own desktop!

How To: Bypass Facebook's privacy and Like to See settings

Tired of clicking on interesting looking links in Facebook, only to discover that they are hidden behind a page you have to 'Like' before you can see? If you're surfing using Google Chrome, you can completely bypass this privacy setting. When you get to the page, go to the menu bar and click on 'Inspect Element.' Then you'll see the code for the page, and you'll be able to get around the block to see the page you want.

How To: Make a blue cast as a fashion accessory or prop

As if the world of high fashion wasn't weird enough, now it looks like casts are in this season. Fortunately, you don't need to break your arm or leg in order to get this hot new accessory - this video shows you a simple process for making your own fake cast at home. You can also use this if you need a cast for a film prop... or if you just want to wear it and get sympathy from other people.

How To: Block someone from calling or texting you on your iPhone

If there are people you just don't want to talk to, or texts you want to stop recieving, you can use the MCleaner app for iPhone. This app has a white list of approved numbers and a black list of disallowed numbers. You can even choose to let in phone calls from one number while letting in their text messages, or vice versa. MCleaner will also log your blocked calls, so you can see who has been trying to get through.

How To: Block Unwanted Calls or Text Messages on Your iPhone

Trying to get rid of an ex or clingy friend? Just want to keep telemarketers from calling you all the time? You can use the iPhone app iBlacklist (for jailbroken iPhones) to create a list of blocked calls for your iPhone. Blacklisted phone numbers will not be able to send you either phone calls or SMS text messages, so you can continue to use your iPhone in peace. Customize your phone's reaction to blacklisted numbers and adjust the filters for your blacklist, as well.

How To: Track visitors to your Facebook page and set up a custom profile

Want a way to monitor who is coming onto your Facebook profile? You can use a third party app, the FBspace Tracker, to enable your profile to secretly log who is viewing you. Even better, FBspace Tracker lets you set up your profile with custom HTML code. This video shows you where you can download the app, then how to install it and set up your Facebook profile through the app. Make your profile not only unique, but secure as well!

How To: Hack the Pantech C530 Slate cell phone

This video is specifically for the C530 Slate cell phone from AT&T, though this procedure will probably work on similar models of phone. You can hack, or jailbreak, your phone to allow you to use third party apps or switch to a different service provider. You will need a non-AT&T sim card for this hack to work (T Mobile is shown in the video). Then turn it on, hit the unlock key and then enter in your unlock code. Make sure you get it right!

How To: Set up distribution lists for mass emails on your iPhone

If your iPhone is a business tool for you, you'll want ways to send out mass e-mails, either to your customers or employees and coworkers. You can use the iEDL, or Email Distribution App, published by MerckTech, to set up a distribution list that will let you send out mass emails as often as you need. This video shows you all the ins and outs of this awesome little app. Expand your productivity and marketing reach for your business and personal projects!

How To: Set up a distribution list for your iPhone using Group Text

With the Group Text app, you can easily set up a distribution list so you can send out text messages to large numbers of people at once. You can also set up form templates, which are useful if you tend to send out a similar text message each time. This short tutorial shows you how to set up the distribution list, and how to get the most out of your Group Text. You can even set up multiple distribution lists for different topics or texts!

How To: Tether your iPhone to a Playstion 3, Xbox or other Internet-capable device

You will need a jailbroken iPhone to make this work (won't work for iPod Touches, sorry). When you get the MyWi app from Cydia, you can turn your iPhone into a mobile hotspot using the 3G network. You can even set up your new hotspot to have a password and protect it. This connection will be a little slow, and is dependent on your reception as well. But now you can take an Internet connection with you wherever you and your iPhone go!

How To: Hack your Facebook status updates and profile page

Want to add a dislike button to your page? Or want to make an update about what you did last night, but don't want your grandmother to read it? This video shows you ten ways you can hack your Facebook page. You can also pre-schedule certain status updates, set your Facebook language to 'Pirate English', create a status update word cloud, tag your friends in updates, add symbols to updates, and even redirect your friends back to their own profile page!