Increase your tech IQ with video instead of words
Get your fill of old skool hacking tips at Hak5
A picture is worth a thousand words.
Therefore, a video should be worth a thousand pictures. Right?
A video tutorial is a great way to learn a new skill because you can see rather than imagine.
Here are 10 video sites that will improve your tech knowledge, starting from amateur tips and tricks at the top, to more advanced techniques and tech skills towards the bottom of the list.
1. Videojug
Basic tasks like connecting your laptop to a TV cannot be easier with the unique, informative, structured and humorous video tutorials at Videojug.
The sheer simplicity in the videos along with the cheesy voice and acting of the Videojug staff is sure to keep you entertained throughout your learning process.
There are numerous articles, but this site is aimed at beginners and hobbyists rather than pros, so it's probably a good one to suggest to less tech savvy friends who could benefit from learning how to clean a laptop, install more memory and speak geek (yes, it's now a language).
2. PC World
The PC World website (not to be confused with the PC World store in the UK) is a great place to find video tips and fixes for common problems such as how to salvage a wet gadget and how to undelete photos on a digital camera.
The videos themselves are pretty straightforward, focusing only on the important steps to ensure your problems are solved.
3. WonderHowTo
Ever wondered how to defragment your computer while idle, or develop content for the Google Android platform?.
WonderHowTo is designed for PC beginners and aspiring programmers on the preliminary stages to becoming a fully fledged geek.
4. Howcast
Howcast is filled with tutorials about gadgets and gizmos. It's all about keeping up with modern tech habits such as setting up a wireless network at home, building a home laser security system and creating 3D effects in Photoshop.
5. CNET TV
CNET TV is the most varied of all of the tech video sites listed here with simple basic tutorials on using MMS on the iPhone to more advanced tasks like getting subscription music rentals from Napster and other services onto your mobile phone.
6. Tekzilla
The tyrannosaurus of tech video sites, Tekzilla has a new daily video tip every weekday (about two minutes long).
This site isn't full of 'how to charge your iPod' sort of tips. Instead it's got auto-refresh Firefox, create custom fonts in Windows and a load of handy hidden features in Windows, OS X and web browsers.
Every tip is genuinely useful and with 454 daily episodes released, there is plenty to catch up if you have never previously visited Tekzilla.
7. Instructables
Instructables focuses largely on the weird and DIY aspect of tech such as removing speakers and Bluetooth chips from a MacBook and how to load a DS game. The majority of the content is user-made so there are pretty unusual topics to find.
8. Adobe TV
If you have Adobe software on your computer at work or home, and ever wondered how to get the most from the apps, Adobe TV is one of the best places to learn. Discover how to create fantastic photographic effects with Photoshop and create clever animations and games with Flash.
The video tutorials consist of tips, tricks and new features by the creators and professionals at Adobe, showing off the software at its best helping you to produce something you never thought you could.
9. Ideal Programmer
With over 800 hours of programming videos, Ideal Programmer is a budding programmer's dream.
The impressive collection includes tutorials from Stanford (such as the introduction to C++) and various other sources. Be warned, though, that while most of the videos are free, some require a payment.
10. Hak5
Hak 5 is a unique tech show, and is definitely not for the amateur. From building a free VPN (Virtual Private Network) on Linux or Windows, to extracting Windows executables from packet captures, these videos are for the hardcore geeks and the software DIY fanatics who only care about getting past their university's firewall and creating Google Maps GPS mashups during their spare time.
