New gadget? Now it's time to learn how to use it

Know Your Stuff is a new column that unlocks the hidden secrets about the everyday products you own. You've finished opening gifts and now you're the proud owner of a new…gadget. Maybe you asked for it specifically or maybe it was just a well-intended notion. Either way, now it's yours, it looks expensive, and you don't have a clue how to use it. This is the point at which many of us throw in the towel.