Explainers
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Why restarting fixes things
Restarting fixes some problems because it removes temporary state. It does not repair hardware, improve a weak signal, or negotiate with a billing system. It just gives a confused process fewer things to remember. That is why turning something off and on again is both a tired joke and a reasonable first step. Computers spend…
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DNS is a phone book. It does not load the page.
Your browser asks for a name. DNS returns a number. The page still has to come from whoever lives at that number.
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Wi-Fi is the last hop. It is not the internet.
Wi-Fi is the radio between your device and a box in the room. The internet is everything after that box. They fail for different reasons.
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Cache is leftover copies. Clearing it is not a repair.
Support loves “clear your cache.” Cache is leftover copies of pages and files. It is not a virus, and emptying it is not a repair.
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Two-factor is a second check. It is not a force field.
Two-factor authentication asks for something besides the password. It is useful. It is also still a code someone can trick you into typing.
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A VPN hides your address. It does not hide you.
A VPN is a middle computer that changes who can read the envelope. It is not an invisibility cloak, and the ads keep pretending it is.
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A passkey stays on the device. A password goes for a walk.
Websites have started asking you to “create a passkey.” The popup looks like a login, plus a fingerprint, plus a small lecture about the future. It is easy to assume they invented a fancier password and hid the letters. They did not. A password is a secret you can type, paste, reuse, and accidentally hand…
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The padlock does not mean the website is honest
HTTPS encrypts the pipe. It does not vouch for the shop, the login page, or the logo.
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Incognito does not make you invisible
Private browsing throws away that window’s notes on your computer. The rest of the internet still saw you.
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A cookie is a note the website left in your browser
When a site sets a cookie, it is asking your browser to remember a small string of text and send it back next time.