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Justin Pot

Justin Pot is a freelance journalist who helps people get more out of technology.

If you've ever searched online for a specific tech problem you've read Justin's work, because he's been doing it for a long time. Since 2009, he has written tutorials and essays about technology for outlets including WIRED, The Atlantic, PCMag, Popular Science, How-to Geek, and The Wall Street Journal. For Lifehacker, he mostly writes about software, with a particular focus on open source programs and indie apps.

Justin has a bachelor's degree in Communications and International Relations. He once worked in marketing for a software company and hated it, but it did teach him a lot about why software tends to get worse over time in large companies. He lives in Oregon with his cat (and his wife). He enjoys brewing beer, exploring nature, and spending time with friends. You can follow Justin on Mastodon and Bluesky, or sign up for his newsletter, Connectivity.

MORE BY Justin

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This App Can Change Where Your macOS Notifications Pop Up
 
YouTube Music running in its own app, playing The Marias' No One Noticed.
Use This YouTube Music App for a More Spotify-Like Experience on Desktop
 
A pink folder on the macOS Desktop. It's shown next to the "Get Info" panel for the folder.
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The simple homepage for seven39, showing a countdown of how many hours are left and a box for posting.
I Tried Seven39, the Social Network That's Only Open Three Hours a Day
 
The time zone for three co-workers in the Mac menu bar
Seven of the Best Mac Menu Bar Applications
 
An icon in the macOS menu bar, which looks like a map, is clicked to reveal a search for "brookwood library". A map shows where that is.
This App Can Search Maps and Addresses Right From the Menu Bar
 
A screenshot of PowerToys offering to transcode a video to either MP3 or MP4
PowerToys Now Converts Videos and Audio Too
 
The settings for RetroBar, which offer taskbars from Windows 2000, XP, and Vista
This Free App Brings Back the Windows 2000, XP, or Vista Taskbars
 
illustration of a man overwhelmed by internet ads
What You Gain (and Lose) by Using Ad Blockers
 
Illustration of a mysterious silhouette of a man representing invisibility on the internet
The Best Internet Browsers for Protecting Your Privacy (and the Worst One)
 
Two screenshots of OneNote on Windows.
No, Microsoft Isn't Shutting Down OneNote (Just One Version of It)
 
A screenshot of Task Till Dawn running on Windows.
'Task Till Dawn' Is a Simple Automation Tool for Windows and Mac
 
A screenshot of the website file.pizza, which features a pizza icon and an upload button.
Use This App to Send Someone a File Without Using Any Cloud Storage
 
A HUD pop-up with a heart icon. It says "You have been active for 25 minutes".
This Free App Shows How Long You've Been Using Your Mac
 
A screenshot of GIMP's new welcome screen, complete with a sunset image.
GIMP 3's New Features Make the Best Free Image Editor Even Better
 
A screenshot of Redact running on Mac
'Redact' Can Delete Your Posts From 28 Different Social Networks
 
A screenshot of an Obsidian window. The header in the note says "The windows behind this one are blured" then "here's a picture of my cat". Below that is a tuxedo cat sitting on a bamboo desk in front of a computer monitor. She is the cutest cat in the world.
This Mac Screen Blurring App Actually Helped Me Focus
 
A screeenshot of winget installing Zoom in Powershell. The command is "sudo winget install zoom.zoom". Ther's a progress bar for the downloaded followed by lines explaining that the application is installed.
Windows Has a Hidden Package Manager
 
A simple text document, open on a Mac. The format uses each line as a single date.
This Simple Text Document Could Replace Your Calendar App