Mode articles

  • Dwarf Fortress’ Adventure Mode unlocks the game’s wild turn-based mode

    Dwarf Fortress is many things. Most fans of PC gaming know it as a byzantine simulation of a colony of dwarves. Look closer, however, and you’ll also find that it’s a byzantine simulation of geologic forces, weather systems, and tidal movements; language, psychology, and poetry; medieval combat, of course, and even siegecraft. But the reason that I love the game so much is that it also simulates its own history, with tales of epic heroes and powerful artifacts strewn all across its procedurally...
  • How to Use Sleep Mode on Your iPhone

    The iPhone’s sleep mode has a ton of features that can help you get a better night’s sleep, from silencing notifications to enabling sleep detection with your Apple Watch. Here’s a primer showing how to turn it on and off, and how to get the most out of its features.
  • How to turn on Private DNS Mode on Android (and why you should)

    Nearly everything you do on your desktop, laptop, phone, and tablet begins with a Domain Name System (DNS) query. Essentially, DNS turns domain names (such as ZDNET.com) into an IP address so web browsers and apps know where to get the information you want. Without DNS, you'd wind up having to type 34.149.132.124 every time you wanted to go to ZDNET.com. Or, if you run a Google search, DNS is at work. Also: How to change your IP address with a VPN The problem is that standard DNS isn't secure,...