Home, Auto, & Hobbies Articles

Cheat Sheet / Updated 05-23-2025

Creating a video game can feel as challenging as mastering a final boss fight. Whether you’re just curious about how video games are built or dreaming of designing your own, the process is full of moving parts, creative choices, and technical steps. This cheat sheet outlines the game design skills, tips, and resources you'll need to bring your video game vision to life.

Cheat Sheet / Updated 05-23-2025

Want to try using a Cricut, but feeling intimidated? No worries! This Cheat Sheet provides essential tips on must-have supplies, vinyl decal sizing, and mat usage to help both beginners and experienced crafters equip themselves with the necessary tools and knowledge to confidently tackle any Cricut project.

Cheat Sheet / Updated 05-22-2025

The Fantastic Four! Created by comic book legends Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in 1961, Marvel’s First Family is the foundation upon which the Marvel Universe has been built. Following are quick answers to some common questions about the Fantastic Four as well as guidance on where you need to go to learn more.

Cheat Sheet / Updated 05-12-2025

Moving abroad comes with a lot of decisions, but having the right information can make the process smoother. This Cheat Sheet covers key topics to help you get started.

Video / Updated 05-02-2025

Want to be the life of the party? Learn how to make a margarita that’s sure to be a hit! This margarita recipe is easy to follow and will have your guests coming back for more. Whether you’re a professional bartender or just want to impress your friends, this classic drink is a must-have in your repertoire. Ingredients 1 oz. tequila 1 oz. Cointreau or triple sec 1 oz. sweet & sour mix or lime juice 1 cup of crushed ice Lime wheel for garnish Directions Blend with crushed ice. Serve in a salt-rimmed glass. Garnish with a lime wheel. Want to explore even more bartending tips and discover popular cocktails to elevate your hosting game? Check out Bartending For Dummies for all the expert advice you need to create unforgettable drinks and experiences.

Article / Updated 04-29-2025

One of the most popular games of the year is the new Assassin's Creed II. The following game cheats for Assassin's Creed II will help you get the most out of your gaming time and unlock many hidden abilities, tools and even an Easter egg or two. In the latest edition to the Assassin's Creed saga, you follow Desmond through the Renaissance streets of Venice. The city is completely explorable, and the gameplay is more challenging this time away. Throughout your missions you'll be scouring the city for hidden glyphs that help you unravel the puzzles along the way. The following game cheats apply to PC, PS3 and Xbox 360. Hints Loot the dead bodies you come across for medicines and throwing knives that you can add to your inventory If you use an axe or spear to kill an enemy, you'll find that the weapon often gets stuck in the opponent. To free the weapon, pick up the body and drop it. The weapon will pop out. Easter eggs Super Mario Brothers reference: The character Mario says “Itsa me, Mario!” at the beginning of the third sequence. It is speculated that this is either a reference to Super Mario or to Mario Cuomo, former governor of New York. From the Deep: In a large flooded room in the Assassin's Tomb at Santa Maria Delle Visitazaione. Pull the lever and look into the water. When you see the shadow, pull the lever again and a tentacle will pop out from the deep water and make a grab for Ezio. Unlock abilities Climb Leap Ability: If you complete Rosa's "Monkey See, Monkey Do" mission in Sequence 7, you can earn the ability to leap while climbing. This ability allows you to jump further from handhold to handhold than you would normally be able to. Disarm Combat Technique: If you complete Mario's "Evasive Maneuvers" mission in Sequence 5, you can unlock the disarm ability. This ability allows you to counter incoming heavy weapons attacks. Condottiero War Hammer: When you collect 50 of the hidden feathers, you can go to the blacksmith's shop in Villa Monteriggioni and collect the Condottiero War Hammer. Auditore Cape: When you collect 100 hidden feathers, you can go and talk to Mario at Villa Monteriggioni and he'll give you the Auditore Cape. Unlock equipment The following cheat works when you attach a PSP running Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines to your PS3 console. If you have defeated the following characters in Assassin's Creed Bloodlines, you can use that experience to unlock additional weapons in Assassin's Creed: II. Defeat Armand Bouchart in Assassin's Creed Bloodlines to unlock Bouchart's Blade Defeat the Dark Oracle in Assassin's Creed Bloodlines to unlock Dark Oracle's Bone Dagger Defeat Fredrick the Red in Assassin's Creed Bloodlines to unlock Fredrick's Hammer Defeat the Bull in Assassin's Creed Bloodlines to unlock Mace of the Bull Defeat Maria Thorpe in Assassin's Creed Bloodlines to unlock Maria Thorpe's Longsword Defeat the Twins in Assassin's Creed Bloodlines to unlock Twins' Blade To unlock your weapons, connect your PSP and PS3 together using the USB cable. Turn on both games and select "Connectivity" in Assassin's Creed II's options menu. Choose "Connect to PS3" from Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines. After a moment, the weapons will appear in your inventory.

Article / Updated 04-29-2025

One of the most popular games of the year is the new Uncharted 2: Among Thieves. The following game cheats for Uncharted 2: Among Thieves will help you get the most out of your gaming time and unlock many hidden abilities, tools and even an Easter egg or two. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves is the sequel to Uncharted: Drake's Fortune. It's an action-adventure game that follows the exploits of Nathan Drake as he tries to unravel the mystery behind Marco Polo's doomed trip home. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves is available only for PlayStation 3. Hints Marco Polo's Rich Legacy: In Chapter Six, find the pool on the hotel roof. If you jump in and swim around Chloe and Nate will play Marco Polo. By participating in this side game, you'll earn $10,000 to spend on bonuses. Run While Crippled: If you Nate gets injured, pick up a propane tank and carry it. You'll be able to run as if you're not injured. The Strange Relic: You can find the Strange Relic (a holdover from Uncharted: Drake's Fortune) in the sewer in Chapter Five. Infinite Enemies: To build up your kill stats per weapon or to earn shooting trophies, don't lose heart. You can earn your stats in Chapter 19. Near the beginning of Chapter 19: The Siege, there is a sloping alley that leads to a courtyard. Head down the alley, but watch out — there is a machine gun uphill that is shooting at you. Make your way to the building nearest the cliff on your right and climb up to the right of the door. Take cover in a position where you can see the machine gun. If you go too far to the right, the scene will end with a cut scene. Use a grenade to take out the machine gun and then keep watch over the grassy area just before the next building. As you watch, enemies will come from the right trying to reach the machine gun. From the safety of your cover, you can pick off the enemies as they approach. If you've already finished Chapter 19, you can go to the store and purchase more weapons. Then unlock the "Infinite Ammo" cheat and use these to get the weapon/kills Trophies. Easter egg Uncharted 1 Signage: The names on the climb-able signs in Chapters 5 and 7 are references to places in Uncharted: Drake's Fortune. Infinite Money: Once you beat the game, you can make more money by finding more treasures etc. Once you earn a lot of money, save the game and then quit back to the main screen. Reload the saved game and you'll keep getting the reward each time you do it. Tweaks When you complete the game at a certain difficulty level, you can enable Tweaks. However, when you go back to playing on a different level, these Tweaks go away. You can easily add them back again at the new difficulty level. Just play the game at the new level until you get a gun, and then switch the difficulty to a level that you've already won and turn on the Tweaks. Next, save and quit the game. Go to the Main Menu and change the difficulty back to the harder level and reload the saved game. You now have the Tweaks on the harder level. Unlock Crushing Difficulty: When you beat the game on the Hard Difficulty level, you unlock a new Crushing Difficulty level. Multiplayer Taunts: When you reach the following levels in the game, you can unlock taunts that can be purchased in the Multiplayer Store. Reach Level 20, then purchase the "Flex" taunt for $50,000 Reach Level 30, and then purchase the "Flurry" taunt for $100,000 Reach Level 10, and then purchase the "Kiss" taunt for $10,000 Reach Level 53, and then purchase the "Pump" taunt for $500,000 Reach Level 40, then purchase the "Yes" taunt for $250,000 Multiplayer Characters/Skins: When you reach the following levels in the game, you can unlock characters and skins that can be purchased in the Multiplayer Store. Reach Level 30, and then purchase Cameraman Jeff for $100,000 Reach Level 60, and then purchase Doughnut Drake for $2,000,000 Beat Crushing Difficulty, and then purchase Genghis Khan Villain Skin for $1,500,000 Reach Level 20, and then purchase Harry Flynn for $50,000 Reach Level 10, and then purchase Heist Drake for $20,000 Reach Level 20, and then purchase Heist Flynn for $50,000 Reach Level 50, and then purchase Karl Schafer for $1,000,000 Reach Level 50, and then purchase Lieutenant Drama for $1,000,000 Reach Level 60, and then purchase Skelzor for $2,000,000 Reach Level 20, and then purchase Winter Chloe for $50,000 Reach Level 40, and then purchase Winter Drake for $250,000 Reach Level 30, and then purchase Winter Elena for $100,000 Reach Level 30, and then purchase Winter Flynn for $100,000 Reach Level 40, and then purchase Zoran Lazarevic for $250,000 Reach Level 10, and then purchase Zorskel for $20,000 If you earn the Platinum trophy, you can get the Marco Polo Hero Skin at the Multiplayer Store for Free. Multiplayer Boosters: When you reach the following levels in the game, you can unlock these boosters that can be purchased in the Multiplayer Store. Reach Level 2, then purchase the Point and Shoot (Booster Slot 1) for $2,000 Reach Level 4, and then purchase the Bandoleer (Booster Slot 2) for $2,000 Reach Level 6, then purchase the From the Hip (Booster Slot 1) for $5,000 Reach Level 8, and then purchase the Scavenger (Booster Slot 2) for $8,250 Reach Level 10, and then purchase the Break Up (Booster Slot 1) for $11,250 Reach Level 12, then purchase the Keep Firing (Booster Slot 2) for $14,250 Reach Level 14, then purchase the Down the Irons (Booster Slot 1) for $18,750 Reach Level 16, and then purchase the Fleet Foot (Booster Slot 2) for $23,250 Reach Level 18, and then purchase the Hell Blazer (Booster Slot 1) for $27,750 Reach Level 20, and then purchase the Explosive Expert (Booster Slot 2) for $32,250 Reach Level 22, and then purchase the Turtle (Booster Slot 1) for $40,500 Reach Level 24, and then purchase the Treasure Bearer (Booster Slot 2) for $43,500 Reach Level 26, and then purchase the Sure Foot (Booster Slot 2) for $52,500 Reach Level 28, then purchase the Launch Man (Booster Slot 2) for $58,500 Reach Level 30, then purchase the Sure Shot (Booster Slot 1) for $64,500 Reach Level 32, then purchase the Monkey Man (Booster Slot 2) for $72,000 Reach Level 34, and then purchase the Walk Softly (Booster Slot 1) for $79,500 Reach Level 36, and then purchase the Scoped In (Booster Slot 2) for $87,000 Reach Level 38, and then purchase the Juggler (Booster Slot 1) for $94,500 Reach Level 40, and then purchase the Deposit (Booster Slot 2) for $98,250 Reach Level 42, and then purchase the Rapid Hands (Booster Slot 1) for $111,000 Reach Level 44, then purchase the Rocket Man (Booster Slot 2) for $120,000 Reach Level 46, and then purchase the Situational Awareness (Booster Slot 1) for $129,000 Reach Level 48, and then purchase the Revenge (Booster Slot 2) for $134,250 Reach Level 50, and then purchase the Evasion (Booster Slot 1) for $210,000 Reach Level 51, and then purchase the Veiled (Booster Slot 1) for $300,000 Reach Level 52, then purchase the Invalid (Booster Slot 1) for $350,000 Reach Level 54, and then purchase the Half Loaded (Booster Slot 2) for $400,000 Reach Level 56, and then purchase the Glass Jaw (Booster Slot 1) for $1,500,000 Reach Level 58, then purchase the Come Get Some (Booster Slot 2) for $2,000,000 If you have game saves from Uncharted: Drake's Fortune on your hard drive, you'll earn a $20,000 bonus in Uncharted 2: Among Thieves. And, if you completed Uncharted: Drake's Fortune and still have the game save, you'll get an $80,000 bonus. To get your bonus, go to the Store and press the Square button.

Article / Updated 04-29-2025

One of the most popular games of the year is the new Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. The following game cheats for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 will help you get the most out of your gaming time and unlock many hidden abilities, rewards, equipment, and tricks. The latest entry in the Call of Duty series, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, is actually a direct sequel to Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare and begins five years after the Call of Duty 4 left off. The gameplay in the latest installment jumps between a group of US Army Rangers trying to stave off a Russian invasion of the United States and Task Force 141, which is a counterterrorist group trying to eliminate a Russian terrorist. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is available for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC. The cheats and tips below apply to all three formats, except for two cheats that are exclusive to PC. Unlock Killstreak rewards When you meet the following Killstreak requirements, you can unlock these rewards. Killstreak Rewards in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Length of Killstreak Your Reward What It Does 3 UAV Reveals enemies on minimap 4 Care Package Ammo/Killstreak air drop. Can be collected by anyone 4 Counter UAV Disable enemy maps 5 Sentry Gun Airdropped to player 5 Predator Directed missile 6 Precision Airstrike Choose a location to bomb 7 Harrier Strike Choose a location to bomb and defend with a Harrier 7 Attack Helicopter Helicopter backup 8 Emergency Airdrop Four ammo/Killstreak air drops. Can be collected by anyone 9 Pave Low Armored helicopter backup 11 Chopper Gunner Operate a helicopter gun 11 AC130 Operate a plane gun 15 EMP Disable enemy electronics 25 Nuclear Strike Kills all members of both teams Unlock camo gear Complete the Ghillie in the Mist challenge to unlock different camos (ghillie suits) for use with your sniper classes: Get Arctic camo by getting 50 one-shot kills with sniper rifles Get Urban camo by getting 100 one-shot kills with sniper rifles Get Desert camo by getting 200 one-shot kills with sniper rifles Unlock the museum stage When you complete the campaign at any difficulty level, you can unlock the museum. Once the museum is unlocked, you can wander the exhibit halls with character models. If you press the red button (the one that says "Do NOT Press ..."), the character models will come to life and attempt to kill you. Unlock an extra custom class slot when you reach level 70 in multiplayer mode. Enter Prestige Mode to unlock an additional custom class slot for a total of six. Unlock equipment You can unlock the following weapons and equipment by attaining the (multiplayer) levels below: Unlock Equipment in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Equipment/Weapon Type Model Level to Attain Assault Rifles FAMAS 1 M4A1 Carbine 4 SCAR-H 8 TAR-21 20 FAL 28 M16A4 40 ACR 48 F2000 60 AK-47 70 M14 EBR Campaign only G3 Campaign only Submachine Guns UMP .45 1 MP5k 4 Vector 12 P90 24 Mini Uzi 44 Light Machine Guns L86 LSW 1 RPD 4 MG4 16 AUG HBAR 32 M240 52 Sniper Rifles CheyTac Intervention 1 Barrett .50 Cal (AKA M107) 4 WA2000 36 M21 EBR 56 Dragunov Campaign only Secondary Weapons PP-2000 Machine Pistols 1 Glock 18 22 M93 Raffica 38 TMP 58 Shotguns SPAS-12 1 AA-12 12 Striker 34 Ranger 42 M1014 54 Winchester 1887 67 W1200 Campaign only Handguns USP .45 1 .44 Magnum aka Colt Anaconda 26 M9 46 Desert Eagle 62 M1911 Campaign only Launchers AT4-HS 1 Thumper x2 aka M79 grenade launcher 14 Stinger 30 Javelin 50 RPG-7 x2 65 Miscellaneous Frag Grenade 1 Semtex 1 Throwing Knife 7 Tactical Insertion 11 Blast shield 19 Claymores 31 C4 43 Unlock professional perks Unlock the following perks by performing the necessary tasks. Professional Perks in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Perk What It Is How to Get It Bling Pro 2 Primary Weapon Attachments and 2 Secondary Weapon Attachments Get 200 kills with a weapon with two attachments Cold-Blooded Pro Hidden from UAV, air support, sentries, and thermal imaging. Also, when you’re targeted there is no red crosshair or name displayed Destroy 40 enemy Killstreak Rewards with Cold-Blooded Perk Commando Pro No falling damage and increased melee distance Get 20 Melee Kills using Commando Perk Danger Close Pro Extra air support damage and more explosive weapon damage Get 100 Kills with explosives while using Danger Close Perk Hardline Pro Killstreak rewards require 1 less kill and Deathstreak rewards require 1 less death Get 40 Killstreaks (2 or more in a row without dying) with Hardline Perk Lightweight Pro Move faster and aim quicker after sprinting Run 30 miles with Lightweight Perk Marathon Pro Unlimited sprint and the ability to climb faster Run 26 miles with Marathon Perk Ninja Pro Silent footsteps and invisible to heartbeat sensors Get 50 close range kills using Ninja Perk Scavenger Pro Resupply from dead enemies and get extra mags Resupply 100 times with Scavenger Perk Scrambler Pro Jam enemy radar near you and delay enemy claymore explosions Get 50 close range kills using Scrambler Perk Sitrep Pro Detect enemy explosives and tactical insertions and make enemy footsteps louder Destroy 120 detected explosives or tactical insertions with Sitrep Perk Sleight of Hand Pro Faster reloading and aiming Get 120 kills with Sleight of Hand Perk Steady Aim Pro The ability to hold your breath longer and improved hip shot accuracy Get 80 hip shot kills using Steady Aim Stopping Power Pro Extra bullet damage and extra damage to enemy vehicles Get 300 kills with Stopping Power Perk

Cheat Sheet / Updated 04-11-2025

Getting your kid out onto the soccer field for organized play takes some planning. Most areas have multiple programs to choose from with different levels of play at different age groups. This Cheat Sheet gives you some tips on what to look for in available soccer programs to help you pick the right one. Then, there’s a guide on the basics your kid needs to get out there for the first game or practice. Finally, you have a role to play on game day itself: Take a look at ten things to do and not to do as a soccer parent.

Cheat Sheet / Updated 03-20-2025

With the D5200 camera, Nikon proves once again that you don’t have to give an arm and a leg — or strain your back and neck — to enjoy dSLR photography. The D5200 addition to the Nikon family of dSLRs doesn’t skimp on power or performance, offering a great set of features to help you take your photography to the next level. To help you get started using your camera, here’s a handy reference to your camera’s buttons, dials, and exposure modes.