If you watch a lot of movies on your PC or media center, I’m sure you’ve faced the lighting dilemma; do you completely turn off all lights? Do you keep them on full blast? Or do you use a dimmer switch to keep a dull yellow glow somewhere? Well, suffer no more. For less than $100, you can set up an amazing lighting system that’s going to reflect what’s on-screen. Welcome to world of ambient RGB lighting.

Windows RT edition was discreetly launched about a month and a half ago with the flagship Microsoft Surface RT tablet device. Though visually indistinguishable from Windows 8, there are some key differences as to what you can and can’t do with it. Today I hope to explain those to you in detail. I also did a full review of the Surface RT device, and the rest of the MakeUseOf writers have weighed in on Windows 8 in general.

Has your Arduino been sitting around gathering dust? Well, no more. Today I’ve scoured Instructables to find 8 fun, family friendly, or just really cool Arduino projects for you to have a go at these Christmas holidays, inbetween the bouts of pies and brandy of course. If you’re stuck for Christmas ideas, an Arduino might be an ideal gift for children or the hacker in your life.

The media center is the ultimate living room experience; one PC to play everything, one PC to find and download, and one PC to bring in all the family and bind them in front of a glowing widescreen TV. And if you didn’t get that reference, you ought to watch more movies. But with a few hacks, your humble media center can do so much more.

Over the past year, we’ve seen tremendous growth here at MakeUseOf thanks to all of you. There have been some hiccups along the way, but we’ve launched some fantastic new features like the game system, through which users can earn points and the most valued members of our community can claim free software and utilities. We still have some incredible new features in the works for next year – but we need help.

When it comes to internet security, everyone and their cousin has advice to offer you about the best software packages to install, dodgy sites to stay clear of, or best practices when it comes to passwords. Or perhaps you’ve never listened to others and have your own beliefs about internet security? In that case – this post is for you. Let’s take a look at some of the most common beliefs – some might say myths – about internet security.

Fancy yourself as a bit of an international super spy, do you? Or are you all fired up to do some underground reporting on misleading supermarket pricing? Did you know you already have a powerful spy device in your pocket – a smartphone? While I can’t teach you how to dress as well as Austin Powers, or give you the suave British accent of Bond, I can show you the techniques and apps you can use to take photos without being seen.

I wrote a round-up review last month for anyone interested in using their webcam as a home surveillance system, but since then we’ve had a few updates from developers so I thought it appropriate to revisit the topic and take a look at these services.

Digital Rights Management is the latest evolution of copy protection. It’s the biggest cause of user frustration today, but is it justified? Is DRM a necessary evil in this digital age, or is the model it supports no longer valid? Join me, as I explain all about DRM, why it’s needed, and why it just doesn’t work.

Japanese game shows are bit of an enigma really. While most of Japan can be said to be remarkably uncreative (Nintendo being a prime example of Japanese “creativity” on a corporate level), I have to admit that Japanese game shows tend to go where no western network would dare. Here then, is my pick of 10 of the most ridiculous game show clips from the land of the rising sun.

If you haven’t installed Windows 8 yet; don’t worry, we’re technology writers – it’s our job to test these things out for you. Quite a few MakeUseOf staff including myself have taken the plunge and upgraded to Windows 8 now – and had the chance to play with newer touchscreen models too – so let’s take a summary look at what everyone thinks of it.

Do you cry a little inside when someone tells you there’s a port forwarding problem and that’s why your shiny new app won’t work? Your Xbox won’t let you play games, your torrent downloads refuse to start, or your web server can’t be accessed? Well, I’m here to dispel the difficulty and explain just what port forwarding is, and how it can help you.

Intelligent lighting systems used to be an expensive domain for professionals only; but with the proliferation of cheaper electronics and computer control systems, incredible lighting effects are now firmly within the reach of the hobbyist. Whether you’re planning the most awesome house party ever, or want to take your Christmas or Halloween lighting to a whole new level, it might be time to invest in some DMX systems.

Regular readers of mine will know how much I’ve made fun of Windows 8 and predicted doom and gloom for the child-like coloured tile interface that Microsoft is championing. But aside from the nonsense gestures and new UI, Windows 8 actually brings some pretty nifty new features to the table for Xbox 360 owners, which can only be a good thing. Let’s take a quick look at those so you can see if it’s worth the upgrade.

Christmas is coming and we all know that men are the most difficult people to buy presents for. Unless they’ve explicitly told you what they want, reading their feelings is pretty much hopeless, and subtle hints just isn’t their style. Well, no worries – I’m a guy – and here I’ve picked out 8 of the top tech gifts for him this year, so you don’t get lost.