Personal Tech: What Geeks are talking about from The New York Times

Here is the latest Personal Tech News from The New York Times.

Tech Tip: Logging Into Windows 10 With a Favorite Photo
You can log into Windows 10 by making a few gestures over a picture instead of typing a password.

Video Games Where Hearts, Not Guns, Drive the Action
In one of the top-selling games right now, you are a lonely forest ranger looking for friendship. Here’s how the “walking simulator” went mainstream.

Framing Your Digital Art: Meet the eWilner App
Eli Wilner, a framer of priceless art, has an app, eWilner Frames, that lets users choose a virtual copy from his inventory and apply it to a photo.

Even if You Can’t Afford Designer Clothes, Your Bitmoji Can
Michael Kors, Zac Posen, Alexander McQueen, Calvin Klein and Diane von Furstenberg have all created looks for the popular avatar app. More to come.

Noted: Beyond Swipe Right: The Pickup Line Gets a Makeover
The migration of courtship online has resulted in a refinement of pickup lines far beyond ’70s singles-bar relics like “Hey baby, what’s your sign?”

Tech Fix: Samsung’s Smartphones Aren’t the Problem (Just Prune the Bad Apps)
Unlike its rival iPhone, Samsung burdens its devices with carrier bloatware and inferior apps. But this is easily remedied, just in time for the new Galaxy S7 models.

Disruptions: Why Vinyl Records and Other ‘Old’ Technologies Die Hard
We may be obsessed with new gadgets, but we still cling to outdated items like turntables, film cameras and books.

Tech Tip: Getting the Weather Report From Windows
Windows 10 offers several ways to get a forecast on your screen.

Tech Tip: Recording Live Television in Windows 10
If you miss the digital-video recording functions of Windows Media Center, you can find other ways to watch and record your favorite broadcast shows.

Tech Tip: Marking Up a Mac’s iBook Pages
Apple’s e-books program for OS X includes tools for making margin notes, highlighting passages and sharing your favorite parts of the story.

State of the Art: At SXSW, a Shift From Apps to a Tech Lifestyle
Tech has become a lifestyle brand, and products at the tech festival are more informed by the theories and practices that have ruled the business.

Tech Tip: Speaking Your Mind to Google Docs
An external microphone can help you be better understood by Google’s online word-processing program when you type by talking.

App Smart: Checklists and Tips to Help Streamline Spring Cleaning
It’s time for spring cleaning again, and some apps can help users stay organized while getting their homes in order.

Instagram May Change Your Feed, Personalizing It With an Algorithm
As our online networks of friends have grown and the social media companies have matured, feeds are evolving, too.

Tech Tip: Step-by-Step Fitness History on an iPhone
Apple’s Health app can store a comprehensive record of your fitness activity.

Tech Tip: Counting Characters in Twitter
There is a reason Twitter allows 20 fewer characters in a post than a standard SMS text message.

Tech Tip: The End of the Road for Picasa
Google is retiring the free photo-editing program and urging its users to give the newer Google Photos software a try.

The Getaway: Your Next Trip, Courtesy of Google Search
The online search giant wants to make it easy to use your mobile phone to search for the perfect vacation.

Tech Tip: Setting Hourly Alarms on Apple Devices
If you need an hourly reminder to do something, you can get a third-party app or just use software included with your Apple device.

Tech Tip: Understanding Messages From the DVR
Your cable converter box has its own operating system software, just like your computer does.

State of the Art: The Echo From Amazon Brims With Groundbreaking Promise
The voice-controlled computer has the potential to become a dominant force in the most intimate of environments: our homes.

App Smart: Mobile Games to Make Time Fly
Here are some of the best games to take the boredom out of unexpected lulls in your day.

Gadgetwise: Create YouTube-Worthy Videos With a Few Simple Tools
Expensive equipment isn’t necessary to make videos that attract million of views. Gadgets starting at less than $50 will do just fine.

Disruptions: The Risks in Hoverboards and Other Lithium-Ion Gadgets
Inexpensive battery-powered devices are catching fire and exploding, but there are ways to protect yourself.

Tech Tip: Giving an Android App Permission to Play
Google’s Android 6.0 operating system, known as Marshmallow, gives its users control over their apps.

Amazon to Add Two Alexa Voice-Controlled Devices
The new devices, the Amazon Tap and Echo Dot, expand what appears to be a successful product line for the Internet retailer.

Tech Tip: Making the Mac Ignore Those Phone Calls
Apple’s Continuity software makes it easy to get iPhone calls on your Mac and other iOS devices, but you can turn it off.

Tech Tip: Keeping Track of Windows Updates
You can see what software and security patches Microsoft has pushed out to your PC by looking in the Windows Update history.

Tech Tip: Checking the Graphics Card Specifications on Your Computer
If you have no idea what kind of graphics card is under the hood of your computer — PC or Mac — there is an easy way to find out.

Tech Fix: For Some, iPad Pro Can’t Match PC Strengths
A panel of design professionals found that despite the tablet’s size, they still had to turn to a computer for more powerful apps.

App Smart: Keep Tabs on the SXSW Interactive Scene
Apps to read about the start-up world before the South by Southwest Interactive event begins later this month.

Tech Tip: Clearing Clutter From the YouTube Video Screen
If you find the annotations that pop up on top of certain YouTube videos annoying, turn them off in your YouTube account settings.

Tech Fix: Tips and Myths About Extending Smartphone Battery Life
We teamed up with the Wirecutter to determine the best methods for preventing your phone from going dark.

Tech Tip: Loading the Kindle Library on an iPad
If you have purchased books on an Amazon Kindle e-reader, you can download the collection onto your iPad with the iOS Kindle app.

Trilobites: Reading This While You Drive Could Increase Your Risk of Crashing by 10
Researchers found that dialing a phone was the most dangerous distraction, followed by reading or writing.

State of the Art: The Apple Case Will Grope Its Way Into Your Future
In an Internet of Things world, every home appliance could be turned into a listening post. That’s why the Apple case matters.

Tech Tip: Watching DVD Movies on Windows 10
Windows 10 does not come with a program to play DVD movies, but you can find free software online to do the job.

App Smart: The Best Apps for Delivering Celebrity News
As the 88th Academy Awards fast approaches, here are a few ways to keep up with the latest news in the entertainment industry.

Tech Tip: Starting Windows 10 Without a Password
You can automatically sign into Windows 10 without having to type in your password every time, but make sure your computer is in a secure location.

Tech Tip: Moving Music Between iPads
There are several ways to transfer your old tablet’s music files to a new model.

Tech Tip: Fighting Fraud on Multiple Fronts
Fake text messages about your financial accounts are just some of the many schemes going around.

Tech Tip: Windows 10 Upgrade Options for Vista Users
Moving on up from Microsoft’s 10-year-old operating system is not impossible, but it takes time, money and patience.

Tech Fix: Free Tools to Keep Those Creepy Online Ads From Watching You
Ads that seem to know what you’re searching the Internet for can send a shiver down your spine. We rated four free tracker blockers that can give you some privacy.

Should the Authorities Be Able to Access Your iPhone?
An act from the 18th century helped the Justice Department in its push to make Apple help write software to disable privacy defenses in its phones.

App Smart: Find Out What’s New in Smartphones at Mobile World Congress
Tech news apps can be used to keep up with what’s new and on the way, as seen at the mobile industry’s annual trade show in Spain.

How Smartphones Are Killing Off the Fashion Show
The system of showing clothes on a runway, then selling them in stores six months later, seems increasingly irrelevant in the age of social media.

Fashion Industry Scrambles to Find a Use for Snapchat
Lured by the attention garnered by the likes of Gigi Hadid, Kylie Jenner and DJ Khaled, big brands have clamored to build a presence on the messaging app.

App Smart: Filters That Add a Dash of Dazzle to Smartphone Photos
Several inexpensive or free apps offer an array of options for images.

N.H.T.S.A. Blurs the Line Between Human and Computer Drivers
In a letter to Google, the agency’s chief counsel seemed to accept that the computers controlling a self-driving car are the same as a human driver.

Gadgetwise: Streamlining the Universal Remote Device
Many so-called universal remotes are hard to set up, and bury important commands in a remote screen’s submenus.

Disruptions: The Temptation of Co-Working Spaces
The number of such spaces has multiplied in recent years, especially in the Los Angeles area, where each profession and neighborhood seems to have its own.

On Pro Football: In Silicon Valley, a Time-Honored Sport Looks to the Future
A new wave of technology could change the way N.F.L. fans experience a sport that is analog to its core.

Tech Tip: Reinstalling Windows 10
Even if you upgraded to Windows 10 by downloading the software free on your PC, you can still reinstall the whole operating system if needed.

Tech Tip: Creating a Family Website
You don’t have to be a full-fledged webmaster to share photos, videos and news with family and friends in your own private corner of the Internet.

Tech Tip: Taking Texts Back From iMessage
If you make the move from an iPhone to an Android handset, don’t forget to sign out of Apple’s iMessage service before you go.

Tech Tip: Silencing Noisy Web Pages
The latest edition of the Safari browser makes it easy to mute unwanted audio blaring from open tabs.

App Smart: An Expanding Universe of Space Apps
While becoming an astronaut is out of reach for most of us, there are plenty of apps that can take your mind on a journey to the final frontier.

Tech Fix: How to Watch the Super Bowl When You Don’t Have Cable
A variety of easy — and legitimate — ways are now available for watching the biggest football game of the year.

Tech Tip: Adding Menus and Buttons to Firefox
Firefox can be customized in several ways, so checking program settings will ensure that the browser is uniform, whether you’re using a Mac or a PC.

App Smart: Video Feature: Some Standouts at the International CES
CES, the consumer electronics show held last week in Las Vegas, featured a number of apps, including a new entrant in the live streaming category.

Gadgetwise: Gear for the Next Level of Mobile Games
Among the equipment available for smartphones and tablets are a controller, power source, headphones and backpack.

Bronx Science Bans Cellphones From Wi-Fi as Students Devour It
Since New York City lifted its long-held prohibition on cellphones in schools, teenagers have been eating up their schools’ bandwidth.

State of the Art: Why Media Titans Would Be Wise Not to Overlook Netflix
Although Netflix’s strategy is not without a fair amount of risk, it just keeps working — and the company’s prospects are steadily brightening.

Feature: The Happiness Code
A new approach to self-improvement is taking off in Silicon Valley: cold, hard rationality.

Tech Tip: Amazon Prime Video, Home and Away
Access to Amazon Instant Videos can be gained in many ways, including via game consoles and devices that connect to your TV set.

Wheels: From Tesla, a New Car Smell That Vegans Can Get Behind
Tesla, which has introduced synthetic leather interiors, is the latest automaker to join the industry’s push to project a more environmentally responsible image.

Tech Tip: Sticking With Windows 7
Microsoft has been enthusiastically recommending upgrading to its Windows 10 operating system. But what if you’d rather not?

Tech Tip: Posting Animated GIFs on Facebook
GIFs cannot just be uploaded directly to Facebook. Instead, they need to be linked to from their location on the web.

Tech Fix: Apps to Manage Passwords So They Are Harder to Crack Than ‘Password’
Evaluating the merits of Dashlane, 1Password, LastPass and other methods of keeping long lists of increasingly complex passwords safe and accessible.

App Smart: Video Feature: ‘Quantified Self’ Apps to Help Track Habits and Identify Patterns
As using technology to monitor sleep and other activities rises in popularity, these mobile applications can help you gather and assess this information.

White House Letter: For Gadget Geek in the Oval Office, High Tech Has Its Limits
President Obama has an affinity for cutting-edge personal technology, but security concerns mean his devices must have certain features disabled.

Making Music on an Android Tablet
Apple’s GarageBand is not the only show in town.

Tech Fix: Siri, Alexa and Other Virtual Assistants Put to the Test
Virtual assistants from tech behemoths including Apple, Microsoft, Amazon and Google are graded on their abilities to actually be of assistance.

Tech Tip: Protecting Personal Information From Virtual Assistants
In order to be of use, assistants like Cortana and Siri need to know a lot about you. Reading the companies’ privacy statements can give you an idea of how much.

Disruptions: When Your Neighbor’s Drone Pays an Unwelcome Visit
Spats over trespassing, privacy and air rights are heating up as the little copters become more popular.

App Smart: Video Feature: Finding a Valentine, With a Tap or a Swipe
Whether you’re looking for a date for Valentine’s Day or a long-term relationship, dating apps can make it easier to find a match.

Bits Blog: Alphabet Program Beats the European Human Go Champion
DeepMind, a research organization, said that a program combining two separate algorithms had soundly defeated a high-ranking professional Go player.

Tech Tip: Disconnecting From a Virtual Private Network
If you do not want your VPN app to start up every time you use the Internet, you can adjust its settings.