Justin Garrison

Your Slop, My Sludge

Throwing shit at the wall. I'm the wall.

Kubernetes Carrier V2

New and improved mobile Kubernetes cluster

The State of Immutable Linux

Lies, damn lies, and read only filesystems

Favorite Books and Papers of 2025

My most memorable and recommended reads.

PETaflop cluster

AI is a pain in the back.

Dollar Driven

The only data that matters

Signal Domain Shortcut

Send people to your domain to start a Signal chat.

Get Started With Self-Hosting

Taking ownership of your data and services

Run a Bluesky PDS From Home

Take ownership—and responsibility—of your social data

Platforms Engineering

The idea that you can build a single platform is making it worse

21 More AWS Services They Should Cancel

Please Amazon 🙏 kill these services too.

Cloud Customer Patterns

Learned behaviors based on years of training.

The World Is Eating Software

The software industry is at the top of valuation, but the tail is wagging the dog.

Kubernetes 2.0

Breaking changes I would like to see in Kubernetes 2.0

Ten Years of Kubernetes

How I got started with Kubernetes and where it has taken me.

How to Grow Your Infrastructure

It's harder to simplify something complex than complexify something simple.

Fargate Is Not Firecracker

A common misconception that AWS never corrected anyone about.

Hello Sidero

I've joined Sidero to help companies realize the full potential of Kubernetes on-prem

The other SDLC

Right now I'm between farms and making computers do a think

Nu Shell Is Cool

Converting a file is a common task and nu shell was the most intuitive way to do it.

Amazon's Silent Sacking

Companies are fighting back for quiet quitting and it's having a big impact.

How I Track My Resume in Git

My workflow for resume and application tracking with branches based on roles and companies.

4 Tips for a Better Conference Experience

How I get the most out of attending technical conferences.

The Data Driven Falacy

Lies, damned lies, and data driven.

Terraform vs. GitOps vs. System Initiative

What are key differences between infrastructure management options in 2023

Document Driven Meetings at Amazon

How Amazon uses document reading to conduct meetings and stay focused.

Patterns vs Platforms

You don't have to build a platform.

Zsh Global Aliases

My favorite zsh feature no one uses

Mastodon Is Doomed

Mastodon won't be the next Twitter, and it's not because of Bluesky. The ideals and execution won't scale.

Launch Flatpak apps easily from your terminal

How to make it easier to launch command line utilities and GUI applications installed with flatpak

Content was king

Judging a book by its cover is a great idea. Until content makes a comeback.

Amazon EC2 names explained

Decoding EC2 instance type names to understand which is best for you. With free infographic.

2022 was the year of Linux on the Desktop

It finally happened!

Mastodon instance with 6 files

How to make a single user, publish only, mastodon instance with four json files and two pictures

Hugo RSS Improvements

Making RSS feeds better for hugo static generated sites

Application environments

This game was easier when I was a kid

Automated, immutable, and declarative

The infrastructure lies we tell ourselves, and why they're useful.

Devops vs SRE

Should you be doing Devops or SRE? The answer is yes!

Cubernetes

Parts list and process for creating a retro Kuberenetes cluster

Infrastructure as software

What is beyond infrastructure as code?

Reverse engineering a chrome extension

Finding hidden APIs for fun and flexibility

Lessons learned from 123dev newsletter

One year of failures and tips for new and existing newsletters

GitHub URL Hacks

Handy tricks and shortcuts while using GitHub

Making 123dev Website

Problems I figured out when creating 123dev.email

One year as a developer advocate

My experience switching from an engineer to a developer advocate

Dvorak: the good, bad, ugly, and recommendations

What it's really like to use Dvorak

Whiteboarding software and hardware

Options for personal and shared whiteboarding

Getting started with signal

How to take advantage of Signal for secure messages and calls

Breaking into tech

Resources and advice for beginning a career in tech

How to On-board New Hires Remotely

Tips for new employee's first week

From Dev to Devrel

My experience switching from an engineer to a developer advocate

Snap out of it

How to uninstall and block snapd on Ubuntu

Shell Shortcuts

My experience switching from an engineer to a developer advocate

The WFH Survival Kit

What you need to survive, be productive, and collaborate remotely

Palm Companion Phone Review

Palm Companion Review: Mission Accomplished

Rate of Successful Retire

Rate of Successful Retire

Experience from Six Months of Remote Work

Things I've learned from working remote full time for 6 months

Here’s to you

Here’s to the people I can relate to. The people that I don’t know, but I understand. For those who feel like you don't belong.

The Economics of Writing a Technical Book

What I learnt as a co-author of the book 'Cloud Native Infrastructure' for O’Reilly Media.

A Nitpicky ChromeOS Review

I've been using a Pixelbook as my main mobile computer for a little over a month now

Dear Kubernetes Community

Dear Kubernetes Community, KubeCon and CloudNativeCon were an absolute blast!

Infrastructure Survey Results

I recently ran a survey about infrastructure and applications for some research.

Which Linux File System Should You Use?

If you’re not sure which Linux file system to use, use Ext4

How-to Debug a Running Docker Container from a Separate Container

Debugging a stripped down Docker container from a separate container

On-Prem Development Kubernetes Cluster Options

Kubernetes has a lot of options for running in cloud environments.

2017 Predictions

After 9 years of predictions I've been wrong with my predictions more often than I've been right.

Why Kubernetes is Abbreviated k8s

Some times people will join the Kubernetes community and get confused on what the “k8s” is all about.

Nest Cam Outdoor vs. Ring Stick Up Cam

The outdoor security camera market didn’t exist much before this year

What Kind of Ethernet (Cat5, Cat5e, Cat6, Cat6a) Cable Should I Use?

Not all Ethernet cable is created equally. What’s the

Google OnHub Feature Requests

Large scale DDoS are not rare occasions anymore. What we need to help protect the Internet is to make home routers

How to Quickly Switch to a Different Month or Year in the Windows 7 Calendar

Windows 7 gives the ability to quickly pull up a calendar from the taskbar by clicking on the time.

Space Computing 🚀 and Orbit Native Applications

Forgive the analogies, I read Breaking the Chains of Gravity

What Is a Virtual Machine Hypervisor?

Hypervisors are what make virtual machines possible, and they aren’t just for servers

No SDN Kubernetes

Kubernetes networking has a few requirements.

Wordpress in Docker on a Raspberry Pi

Docker has been available on the Raspberry Pi for a while but 1.12 makes installation much easier.

Exposing Services using Ingress with Kubernetes <= 1.5

This article has not been updated for Kubernetes clusters that use RBAC for API authentication (versions 1.6+).

Linux on Windows Doesn’t Matter

Microsoft recently announced Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) which allows you to run some Linux binaries

Major Linux Successes on the Desktop: 2016

After reading the Major Linux Problems on the Desktop article I thought

Nexus Player vs. Roku 4 vs. Apple TV 4

This article is in reply to a post on Lifehacker

Config Management Sucks Recording

Here’s my talk from the Southern California Linux Expo 14 (SCALE14x) this weekend.

Getting the Most Out of Twitter

I’ve been using Twitter for a long time now. I’ve gone through many 3rd party apps, used it over SMS, and have tried various things.

2016 Predictions

In a tradition that is now 8 years running 2009, here are my predictions for 2016.

2015 Predictions Follow-up

My predictions for last year I was right about a lot but not always in the way I was hoping.

iPhone vs. Android vs. webOS: A Counterpoint

Earlier this week, we compared the iPhone and Android in a knockdown showdown of features that matter to us.

Crowd Surfing

Windows vs. Linux Hardware Support

Recommended Reading (or listening)

At my current job I have the luxury of a typical Southern California commute.

What It’s Like to Interview for Tech Jobs

2015 Predictions

That’s right, I took “technology” out of the title. Why, because I didn’t want to limit myself. As before,

10 Minute Monitor Ambient Light

Ambient lights help with eye strain and glare from overhead lights. This is a simple light you can install

Prevent People from Forwarding or Replying All in Outlook

If you frequently send out mass email news letters and keep getting users replying to all recipients, or need to

What Does “Free as in Speech” or “Free as in Beer” Really Mean?

In the open source community you’ll often hear the phrase “free as in speech” or “free as in beer” in

Nexus 5 or Moto X? Review and Comparisons from a Past iPhone User

TL;DR — I was using an iPhone 4s for two years, an iPhone 5c for a few months, I really liked how fast and small

2014 Technology Predictions

A new year is here so I’ll take another swing at how technology will change in the year 2014. This will

How To Be Successful with a Standing Desk

In January 2014 I will have been using a standing desk as my main desk for three years. Here are three tips

Turning 30

I just turned 30. I wanted to share 30 things I’ve learned in the past 30 years. Or at least the things I

What is Pulp, Candlepin, Foreman, and Katello

I have been working with some of the above products at work for the past couple of weeks and I just cam

Version Number 0: A New Way to Do Software Versions

I had this idea while driving into work with a friend and, like a lot of my ideas, I just wanted to

Make Domain Users Part of Local Admin Group in OS X

I came across this and thought it may be helpful for someone. OS X only uses the traditional

Slim Wallet Comparison

As a follow-up to my recent article about the best wallet ever, I was given the opportunity to test some of the slim wallets

Why a Rubber Band Is the Best Wallet I’ve Ever Had

I have always had a bad relationship with wallets. It was just one more thing I had to carry because there

A Better Way to Handle Multi Sign In

Google has a cool feature to let you sign into multiple accounts at once, but in practice it really sucks.

Azusa Pacific University Counter-Strike Map

A while ago a friend of mine set out on a quest to make a 3D map of my work.

Microsoft Surface RT Review

I was going to write a full review of the Surface RT but I just couldn’t bring myself

2013 Technology Predictions

Yay! Another year and another post for my technology predictions.

Google Mini Search Appliance Teardown

Google has search appliances available for enterprise customers to house in their data centers to take

Boxee TV Review

It’s not very often that I am so excited for a product that I go get it on launch day.

IFTTT Belkin Video Recipes

First step is to tag a picture with #movietime in Instagram. This recipe uploads the picture to Facebook.

How To Use the Restore Partition to Break Into a Mac Running OS X Lion

It’s trivial to break into a Mac using an OS X boot disk, but new Macs use a restore

How to Install Alternate Media Players on Your Apple TV (XBMC, Plex)

The Apple TV is one of the best media streamers on the market, but if you don’t buy into Apple’s

How to Jailbreak Your 2nd Generation Apple TV for Extra Functionality

Jailbreaking your iDevices allows for more options when it comes to software and usage. The Apple TV

15 Ideas to Buy or Build Your Perfect Standing Desk

Once you’ve tried using a standing desk for yourself and decided you want something

Tiny Towers Strategy

I recently started playing Tiny Towers (a couple weeks ago) and although I’m not an expert at the game, I found

2012 Technology Predictions

As usual, here are my predictions for what will happen in 2012. Last year I played it pretty safe and was right on

How To Modify Your Existing Desk to Make It a Standing Desk

Whether you want to stand because it’s trendy, or you want to test the benefits,

How to Search for Text Inside of Any File Using Windows Search

Many of us rely on Windows Search to find files and launch programs, but

How To Sync Your Shared Google Calendars with Your iPhone

Smartphones are essential to our daily lives. They help us stay connected

What Is Chime.in and How Is It Different from Facebook/Twitter/Google+?

Chime.in is a social network brought to you by UberMedia;

How to Install Android on Your HP Touchpad

What’s better than a $100 tablet? A $100 tablet that can

How to use Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and Foursquare via SMS

Staying social while your mobile doesn’t mean you have to pay for a data plan.

How to Control a Remote Computer Using Only Your Chrome Web Browser

oing remote with friends and family is helpful when you need to show them how to

What is Arduino? Learn About This Open-Source Electronics Platform

Arduino is an open-source electronics prototyping platform based on flexible, easy-to-use

How to Automatically Cool Your Entertainment Center When It Gets too Hot

Keeping your home stereo in a cabinet helps with noise and protects

9 HTPC Plugins that Should Exist

Much of my site is dedicated to home theater computers because it is one of those hobbies that

When Should You Properly “Eject” Your Thumb Drive?

When do you safely remove a device? Some users put caution

Samsung Chromebook Review

I spent a weekend with the latest Google Chromebook and wanted to update real quick with my impressions.

Learn How to Upgrade and Manage Your Amahi Server Storage

We have just shown you that you can upgrade your Windows Home Server for free

Upgrade your Windows Home Server with Amahi

Windows Home Server (WHS) is one of the most reliable and feature rich network

How to Migrate from Facebook to Google+

If you have a lot of time and information invested in Facebook, it’s not easy

How to Clean Your Dirty Smartphone (Without Breaking Something)

We have already shown you how to [clean your keyboard without breaking it

How to Create a Live Ubuntu USB Drive With Persistent Storage

A Linux live USB drive is normally a blank slate each time you boot it.

Cleanup Your Windows 7 Login Screen and Remove Unwanted Logon Items

Windows 7 adds functionality to your login screen to give you additional logon options

Sync Encrypted Files with Dropbox and SecretSync

Cloud storage is a must have for any geek, and Dropbox is leading the

How to Upgrade your Ubuntu ISO Without Re-downloading

Ubuntu 11.04 is finally here and you can’t wait to download it

Enable Editing for All Office 2010 Documents by Disabling Protected View

Protected View can stop viruses from installing onto your computer but

How To Make Windows Home Server into a Domain Controller

Active Directory lets companies manage users, computers, printers, and

How to Disable Pidgin Notifications in Ubuntu

Ubuntu notifications are great, but some applications can get annoying

How to Transfer All Your Information to a New PS3: Video Tutorial

We have already shown you the steps needed to transfer all your

How to Transfer All Your Information to a New PS3

The PlayStation 3 now costs half the price, has double the storage

Have You Ever Wondered How Your Operating System Got Its Name?

Have you ever wondered what “XP” stands for or where “Ubuntu” comes from?

How to Install a Wireless Card in Linux Using Windows Drivers

Linux has come a long way with hardware support, but if you have a wireless card

How to View Netflix Watch Instantly in XBMC

Netflix streaming isn’t just a feature that is nice to have, for many people

How to Manage and Use LVM (Logical Volume Management) in Ubuntu

In our previous article we told you what LVM is and what you may want to use it

How to Use Linux Commands in Windows with Cygwin

Windows command-line tools have advanced a lot with PowerShell, but Linux

How to Print from Gmail on Your Android or iPhone Using Cloud Print

Google recently launched the ability to print to your local printers from anywhere

How to Customize Your Mac OS X Boot Logo

Tired of the grey Apple logo on your Mac? Why not “think different”

What is Logical Volume Management and How Do You Enable It in Ubuntu?

Logical Volume Management (LVM) is a disk management option that every major Linux

The Worst of CES (Consumer Electronics Show) in 2011

This year, How-To Geek’s own Justin was on-site at the Consumer Electronics Show

The Best of CES (Consumer Electronics Show) in 2011

This year, How-To Geek’s own Justin was on-site at the Consumer Electronics Show

2011 Tech Predictions

After doing this two years I figured I needed to continue my tradition. If you want to see how right or wrong I

Use Your PC to Keep Yourself Entertained While Traveling for the Holidays

Staying connected may be hard no matter what network you are on

How to Share Links Between Any Browser and Any Smartphone

It happens all the time, you find an article to read but then nature calls.

How to Create a Software RAID Array in Windows 7

Instead of having a bunch of separate drives to deal with, why not

9 Alternatives for Windows Home Server’s Drive Extender

Now that Microsoft has officially killed off the best part about Windows

Disable Scan and Fix for Removable Drives in Windows

Sometimes you’ll be prompted to scan and fix a removable disk before

How to Cross-Reference Actors/Movies (or Cheat at the Kevin Bacon Game)

If you have ever wanted to cross-reference two actors or crew members

Manually Restore System Files from Your Windows Installation Media

If you’ve ever had a missing or corrupt system file in Windows

How to Recover Specific Files from a Windows System Image

Windows provides a fail safe way of recovering your entire hard drive

Consolidate Movie Collections in XBMC with Movie Sets

XBMC already has an advanced movie library that can gather fan art

Mount USB Devices in Virtualbox with Ubuntu

Mounting a USB device inside a virtual machine is often a tool that

Never Run Out of Minutes Again: Make Free VoIP Calls on Android Phones

Android phones with Google Voice can make and receive calls at an extremely disounted

How to Crack Your Forgotten Windows Password

Here at How-To Geek, we’ve covered many different ways to reset your password

How to Backup Your Linux PC with Simple Backup

It doesn’t matter if you are using Windows, OS X, or Linux, everyone should do

3 Easy Ways to Connect to Windows Shared Folders from Linux

Connecting to file servers is something most people do on a daily basis

Record Videos of Your Desktop on Any OS for Free

Sometimes screen shots just aren’t enough to explain how to do something

Copy and Paste in Outlook Without Messing Up Your Formatting

Often times you will need to copy and paste text into an email from

Upgrade Your old iPod with Rockbox

If you are tired of trying to keep up with Apple’s new iPod releases

Help Computer Users Remotely with TeamViewer

Before remote software, helping your friends and family with computer problems

Build Your Own Personal Wiki Accessible from Any PC

A personal wiki is an amazing place to store all of your notes, to-do lists

How to Create a Wallpaper Slideshow in Ubuntu

Just like Windows 7 and OS X, Ubuntu has the ability to create a slideshow

Create a Windows 7 Theme Pack From Scratch

Windows customization isn’t anything new, but with Windows 7, customization

Test Drive webOS Without Buying a Phone

With all the new mobile operating systems how do you to know which

Four Ways to get Instant Access to a Terminal in Linux

If you have ever found yourself in need of a terminal available at

Tag and Rename Music with TagScanner

There are plenty of automatic music organization tools but for those

Run Android on Your Windows Mobile Phone

Interested in Android but think you need to buy a new phone to

How to Batch Edit Photos with Phatch

If you have ever needed to edit a whole folder of photos with the same effect or

Use Ctrl+Alt+Del for Task Manager in Linux to Kill Tasks Easily

In Windows you can easily kill any task by pressing Ctrl+Alt+Del and bringing

Rip Audio CDs in Linux with Sound Juicer

There are a plethora of programs that can rip audio CDs on Linux, but

Making of webOS (r)evolution commercial

I would like to take a couple minutes to share with everyone how she made it, and what software I used

2010 Tech Predictions

It was fun doing this last year. So I thought I would have another go at it and see what I come up with.

2009 Predictions Follow-up

I thought I would follow up on my predictions for last year and see how I did.

Tesla Roadster

For my birthday this past weekend I treated myself to something I wouldn’t normally do.

Software Recycler

I had an idea a while ago for a website that I know I will never be able to act on so I thought

2009 Predictions

I have never done this before but I thought I would take a swing and making some predictions

Camera Zoom hack

Recently hack a day had a article about enhancing your Canon

IT Crowd Cross-stitch

I have mentioned the IT Crowd before and if you haven’t seen it yet you need to check out

Is 55 the Answer?

Experimenting with fuel efficiency at 55 MPH