I've found much of what makes computers possible isn't appreciated or understood by the general public. I'm going to help you understand some basic elements and terms of modern computers that are necessary in daily life.

Interface

Pixel: A tiny square on your display that only shows one color at a time.
Resolution: The amount of pixels something is. A general computer monitor is around 1920x1080 pixels, the more pixels the clearer your picture will be. Popular resolutions include, in order of largeness: 480p, 720p, 1080p, and 4K. There are resolutions different from these as well.
Bitmap: An image created out of specific pixel placement. A bitmap will look blurry if it is stretched out at a larger size than it was created.
Vector: An image created out of equations. These are generally simple and flat, used namely for icons. No matter what size they are stretched, they will always display as clearly as the resolution of the display allows.

Software

Operating System/OS: The underlying software that your computer runs. Desktop OS's include Windows, OS X, and Linux. Mobile OS's include Android, iOS, and Windows Phone.

Kernel: The software that allows the OS to communicate with the hardware. Decides sensitivity of touch input, how much power should be used for different tasks, etc.

Program: Coded object on a computer meant to preform a specific function.

Browser: A program that renders websites.

Hardware

Motherboard: Allows communication from all the different parts of the computer.

CPU/Processor: Preforms arithmetic functions.

GPU/Graphics card: Renders graphical interfaces.

RAM/Memory: Temporary memory of the computer. Holds things short term.

HDD/Hard drive: Stores large amounts of data for indefinite amounts of time. Uses moving parts, so it may be slower.

SSD/Solid state drive: Similar to HDD, but much faster. SSD's have no moving parts and are usually much more expensive.

Image source: American Museum of Science and Energy Oak Ridge Tennessee

If you're a root user, Tasker is definitely one of the apps you should be taking advantage of. Tasker is an app that in simple terms, tells your phone to automate certain things. This is extremely useful with infinite possibilities. Currently, I have Tasker profiles to turn my notifications off if my phone is in proximity to school WiFi, make notifications priority mode when my phone is face-down, turn auto-rotate on when in certain apps like YouTube or Gallery, auto-connect my VPN, and more.

Tasker is currently $2.99 on the Play Store, but it's quite a deal for what it does.

So you can see why Tasker is such a big deal for a phone of mine. It's gotten to the point where I'd consider it one of the best reasons to root your device. With Tasker, you can tell your device if "this" happens, then do "that."

I'm going to explain how to make your device silent when in proximity to a certain WiFi network. Once you open Tasker, hit the + button on the bottom-right corner. Select "State" > "Net" > "WiFi Near." You should be met with a screen to edit this state. This is the "this" action, meaning that Tasker is waiting for this to happen before it preforms the next action. In the text field called SSID, put the exact name of the WiFi network you wish to be silent around. If you want to put multiple WiFi networks, separate them with a forward-slash. ("School WiFi/Work WiFi") Once you're done with that, hit the back button. A screen should pop up with a "New Task" option. The task is the "that" action, meaning once "this" happens, the task will happen. Tap New Task, then name it "Mute." Click the + on the bottom, go to "Audio" > "Notification Volume" and set the level to zero. Go back, and do the same for alarm volume or media volume if you wish. Finally, if you're on Android 5.0 or above, add "Interrupt Mode" and change it to either "None" or "Priority" depending on how many notifications you want to get through. If you're on Lollipop you should be familiar with these settings. Lastly, go back to the profiles screen and hold down on the profile you made. Press the settings icon at the top and make sure the "Restore Settings" option is checked. This causes the changes you've made through the task to be reversed if you are no longer near that WiFi.

And you're done! Now that you've made one Tasker profile, it should be fairly easy to create more. Explore all the options for profiles and tasks and think about some things you do every day that could be automated. It takes a bit to set up and understand how to use it, but in the end it saves a lot of time and hassle.

If you're an Android user who has never heard of "rooting" your device, you're most likely in the majority. Jailbreaking is a much more famous term, referring to the similar process on iOS. Rooting your device is the act of gaining root privileges, or admin access. This allows you to change quite literally any part of your phone's OS. Why isn't this enabled by default? Well, because you can change anything, it's also possible to break your OS by tampering with the wrong thing. Because of this, many manufacturers also make the act of rooting your device void your warranty, so proceed with caution.

There are a number of reasons why you might want to root your Android device. Firstly, many phone companies and carriers add what's called "bloatware" to your phone, or apps you'll never use that simply take up space. Rooting allows you to remove these apps. Customization is also a major feature, from being able to change minute parts of the OS using things like the Xposed Framework, to completely installing a new one. Rooting can even let you gain better battery life through apps like Greenify, automate processes using Tasker, and even block ads.

Depending on your device, there are different methods for rooting out there. I'll get into how to root in a later post. First I'll introduce you to some common terminology you'll need so you won't be completely lost.

• Rooting - The act of gaining administrator access on your device.
• SuperSU - An app that manages which apps on your device have access to root privileges.
• Bootloader - The piece of software inside your phone that decides which OS to boot into.
• Knox - Samsung's security software that makes rooting more difficult.
• Flashing - The act of installing software outside of the OS.
• Sideloading - Installing apps without using the Google Play Store. (via USB, ADB, or APK.)
• ADB - Android Debug Bridge. Lets you control your phone by plugging it into your computer.
• Recovery - Booted outside of the OS from the bootloader, lets you flash, backup, etc. without connecting to a computer.
• ROM -  Custom variant of Android that can be installed instead of the stock version.
• Kernel - Software that communicates from your hardware to your OS. (CPU/GPU calibrations, battery enhancements, etc.)

This is a lot to remember when you're first getting into rooting, but it's all very important. There are multiple methods to root, but if you have a device where it is possible to root using ADB, I recommend that completely. ADB is a simple command-line interface, and while it may not be the easiest to do, it will help you gain an understanding of what you're doing so you know how to fix your device should things go wrong. Use those one-click root options as a last resort, or if you're already aware of how rooting works.

Like I said, I'll get into how to root in a later post, but hopefully this post will help you understand whether you want to root as well as some common terms used.

Have you ever seen a gorgeous looking homescreen and wished that your phone could have the same level of personality? I can't tell you how often I look around and see Android homescreens where all that's been changed is the wallpaper and icon positions. While that may be the majority of customization options on iOS, that is certainly not the case with Android.

First, I'll go over launchers. "Launcher" is a fancy word for homescreen. Every Android device has one, but did you know you can download new ones? Or even have multiple launchers on your device at the same time? Some top launchers include:

• Google Now Launcher (The official launcher from Google. Includes Google Now right on your homescreen.)
• Nova Launcher (Similar to Google Now launcher, meant to give a "stock" feel with lots of customization.)
• Apex Launcher (A competitor to Nova.)
• Action Launcher 3 (Side-menu drawer of all your apps, as well as other nifty features.)

All of these launchers are almost guaranteed to be better than the stock launcher your device comes with. They're usually faster, more stable, with more features and customization. For the sake of this tutorial, I'm going to use Nova Launcher, since that's my daily driver. Download Nova Launcher from the Play Store just as any other app, and once it's downloaded, press your home button. Your device should prompt you asking whether you want to use Nova or the launcher your device came with. Select Nova, and always. 

Once that is done you'll see options to import data from previous launchers. If you don't know what to do here, just skip it. You'll be met with a fresh homescreen that resembles that of Google's newest devices. But it still looks pretty plain, doesn't it? Find the "Nova Settings" app or swipe up from the app drawer button to bring up the launcher's settings. Here you'll find ways to customize it to your heart's content. App grid size, colors, styles, gestures, animations, folders, and more! You can go through this and customize whatever you'd like, but I'm going to move on to icon packs.

Icon packs are just what you'd expect. They change the look and theme of most of your icons. Some top icon packs include:

• Moonshine (Material design themed.)
• Iride UI (Moonshine competitor.)
• Cryten (Flat, pastel colored circles.)
• Click UI (Circular icons using shadows.)
• Stark (Flat square icons.)

Keep in mind many icon packs are paid, which is justified considering the developer has to redesign hundreds of app icons. Once you've downloaded the one you want, go back into Nova. Under Nova Settings, go to Look & Feel. There should be an option for the "Icon theme." Simply select what icon pack you want and go back home. All your apps should be updated.

Finally, I'm going to talk about widgets. Most people I see don't take full advantage of this feature. Again, just because iPhones don't have it, doesn't mean you can't. Head over to the Play Store and search for "Widget." You'll find many helpful widgets that allow you to view information at a glance without opening any apps. Some great widgets include:

• Today (Calendar widget.)
• UCCW (Ultimate custom widget.)
• Zooper (Similar to UCCW.)

This list may look short, but that's because most of the apps you download have widgets bundled along with them. Twitter, Messenger, Google Calendar, Google Now, even Settings has its own widget to toggle options. To get to all the widgets you have, hold down on an empty space on your launcher and select "Widgets." Hold down on one to pick it up, and release it to place it on your homescreen and edit its settings.

Using these three fairly simple customization tools, you can definitely add personality to your device other than just the wallpaper and app positions. So get to customizing!