Home Office Setup & Equipment

Do you have a missing 401(k)? It’s more common than you might think. One U.S. Labor Department study suggests that people will have worked a dozen jobs by their mid-40s, with most of those barely lasting a few years. While you have a few options for handling an old 401(k), some strategies are better than others. The wisest path forward is typically to consolidate your old 401(k) into another qualified retirement plan. But what if you can't locate your old 401(k)? Did you forget which company was managing your retirement account? A new federal database should make it easier to track down. Use this new government databaseThis new tool been years in the making, as a part of …

Are you ready to pay for Amazon Alexa? With the addition of AI to the assistant, Amazon thinks you are. Announced in a closed-doors meeting with press and business partners today, Amazon’s Alexa+ is bringing AI to the familiar digital assistant, plus a new $20/month price tag. The secret? If you have Prime, you’ll get access to it at no extra charge. Credit: Amazon As with standard Alexa, the assistant is built around vocal prompts, but is designed to be more conversational and personalized, and will supposedly be able to act …

Netflix's March slate has plenty of variety, from reality TV to true crime docs to sci-fi comedy. John Mulaney is back this month with a new live weekly talk show, Everybody's Live with John Mulaney, a sequel to his 2024 live event Everybody's in L.A. The show, which will include on-screen guests and live calls from the audience, will premiere on March 12 at 10 p.m. ET with 12 weekly episodes on consecutive Wednesdays. Netflix also has new comedy hours in March from Andrew Schulz (LIFE, March 4), Bert Kreischer (Lucky, March 18), and Chelsea Handler (The Feeling, March 25). For reality TV fans, there's a new installment of Love is Blind: Sweden (March 13) as well as the…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. I've been a fan of Ultimate Ears (UE) outdoor speakers since I first got the Megaboom 3 back in 2018, and I'm still using it as my personal go-to portable speaker. The Megaboom 4 is its newer version, which came out last year, but it's already 32% off, bringing its price down to $135.44 (originally $199.99). This is the lowest price it has reached according to price-tracking tools, and it's cheaper than the Megaboom 3. Ultimate Ears MEGABOOM 4 Protection: Wa…

If you’ve been living your life severed from Apple TV because you’re on an Android phone, then Apple has some good news for you, refiner. Starting today, the Apple TV app is available on Pixels, Samsung Galaxies, and all other Android phones and tablets, complete with the ability to subscribe to Apple TV+ and the MLS (Major League Soccer) Season Pass. That’s great news for anyone who, like me, can’t stop thinking about Severance, and Apple’s doing its best to make the sign-up process as easy as possible. According to a press release sent to journalists, Android users are able to sign up for Apple TV’s various subscriptions using their Google Play account, rather than need…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. I'll download any app. If I see an ad or hear about an app, it's going right on my phone. I don't care at all if it's all a scheme to get my data. My data is out there, baby, and it's too late to care, so I might as well reap all the benefits these flash-in-the-pan, VC-bolstering apps can give me. Most of the time, I don't get much. But sometimes, I get free stuff! I love trading my data and precious, finite time on this earth for meager rewards. Here are my favorite ways to do it. The best ways to get free food or drinksI've mentioned this before, but the Dunkin' Donuts app is elite in terms of rewards. The powers that b…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. Like Apple, Samsung prefers its customers stay within their ecosystem, and offers them a better user experience in return. The Galaxy Buds2 Pro are a good example: They provide higher resolution audio and a better listening experience if used with a Samsung phone. If that sounds good to you, right now you can get the Samsung Galaxy Buds2 Pro for $99.99 (originally $229.99), thanks to an automatic $80 discount at checkout (look for the green font under the listing price). This is the lowest price they have reached since their release, according to p…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. They don't make movie stars like they used to, but they only made a movie star like Gene Hackman once. Born in 1930, Hackman served as a marine and studied journalism in college before dropping out to work as an actor, earning acclaim on Broadway and in television roles but not breaking out in films until his late 30s, when he earned a Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination for playing Warren Beatty's brother in the crime classic Bonnie and Clyde. It proved to be the start of an eclectic big-screen career that would see him earn four more Oscar nominations (and two wins, for 1971's The French Connection and 1992's Unforgi…

Screenshots are a core pillar of the smartphone experience. When you come across something you simply must share with friends, family, or followers, taking a screenshot is often the fastest way to do so. But if you recently bought a brand-new Android phone, and especially if you’re coming from an iPhone, you might have no idea how to take screenshots. Unlike iPhones, which are all made by Apple, Android phones come from many different manufacturers. You might be trying to figure out how to take a screenshot on your Google Pixel, Samsung Galaxy, OnePlus, Nokia, or Motorola. All are running Android, but each deals with Android in its own unique way. Luckily, screenshot sho…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. If you’re looking for premium noise-canceling earbuds at a more affordable price, a Grade A refurbished pair of Sony WF-1000XM5 is going for $164.99 on Woot—a big drop from the usual $299.99 for a new pair on Amazon, but only for the next nine days or until stock runs out. Sony WF-1000XM5 (Refurbished) $164.99 at Woot …

Usually, it’s the businesses that are behind robocalls, but if you work at a nail salon or an auto repair shop, get ready for customers to start sending hordes of AI Karens your way. Google’s latest experimental AI feature, available to those who sign up for “Ask for me” on Google Search Labs, is aiming to be a sort of personal AI secretary for you. Once enabled, it’ll pop up an “Ask for me” button under certain searches, promising to call local shops for you to help you figure out availability, service costs, and the like. Clicking the “Ask for me” button will take you to a form, where you’ll fill out, for example, the make and model of your car, what services you need, …

We may earn a commission from links on this page. If you tend to get overwhelmed by the prospect of cleaning your house, here’s some good news: One of the best cleaning methods out there is designed for people like you. Called the 20/10 rule, it’s been around for a few years, but has really withstood the test of time because of its simplicity and how effective it is. What is the 20/10 method of cleaning?The 20/10 method comes from Rachel Hoffman’s 2017 book, Unf*ck Your Habitat: You’re Better Than Your Mess. The title is at once bracing and comforting, just what you need as motivation to clean your place and keep it clean. While the book goes into a lot of detail about al…

Scammers are getting increasingly clever about injecting apps with malware. Certainly it's nothing new that malicious apps are littered across the internet, but lately they've been popping up with alarming frequency even in theoretically safe spots like the Google Play Store and even Apple's App Store. Malware is even showing up on Steam, serving as a reminder that we all need to be careful with each and every app (or game) we choose to download onto our devices. As reported by GameRant, Valve recently removed a title called PirateFi from Steam. Created by developer Seaworth Interactive, the game was free to play, and was advertised as a survival adventure that let playe…

Netflix's May slate kicks off with a new comedy miniseries starring Tina Fey and Steve Carell: The Four Seasons (May 1) is an adaptation of Alan Alda's 1981 film in which three married couples take one of their quarterly weekend getaways, on which they discover that one is about to divorce. The series also features Marco Calvani, Colman Domingo, Will Forte, Erika Henningsen, and Kerri Kenney-Silver. Also on the comedy slate is black comedy series Sirens (May 22), in which Julianne Moore plays a socialite with a cult-like life of luxury. Kevin Bacon also stars. May brings the eighth and final season of adult animated sitcom Big Mouth (May 23), which includes a lo…

It can be alarming to find an unknown folder or file on your computer, not least because malware can install temporary files without your knowledge that allow an infection to hide or spread. If you're a Windows 11 users, the empty "inetpub" that recently appeared on your computer isn't malicious—and it's actually critical to patching a security flaw in your system. The folder, spotted last week by Windows Latest, was created on users' devices during the most recent Window 11 Patch Tuesday update. It is part of a security fix for an elevation of privilege vulnerability (labeled CVE-2025-21204) in the Windows Update Stack that allows attackers access to modify system file…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. The Max streaming app has always benefitted from being the home for HBO hits like Game of Thrones, The White Lotus, and The Last of Us, but the streamer has also produced some quality original programming. Hacks is a buzzy award winner, and shows like Peacemaker and The Sex Lives of College Girls have drawn eyeballs toward the former "HBO Max." More recently, The Pitt is burning up social media, and Spanish-language import When No One Sees Us is drawing critical acclaim. Given the volume of streaming content out there, and the number of shows Max has already produced, there are some great choices that might have flown unde…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. It's a potentially concerning sign of the times, but my morning is dictated by my apps. On an average day, I start off by putting in a mobile Dunkin' order, checking my sales on Poshmark and my rentals on Pickle, and playing the New York Times games before shifting over to the more serious work apps. As of last week, I added a new app to the morning mix: Finch, which is sort of like a to-do list mixed with a Tamagotchi. My ultimate goal with this whole morning app rotation is to resist the siren call of social media and, with it, an unproductive start to the day. This app, I reasoned, would help me be even more productive …

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. As tech reviewers get their hands on the latest TVs and write their reviews, a picture starts to take shape on which are the best TVs for every category. For those looking for the best bang-for-your-buck a tier above "budget TVs," the jury is still out between TCL's QM7 and Hisense's U7N. Really, it comes down to preference or a good deal—and right now, Hisense's U7N lineup is seeing great discounts. The best one is the 75-inch U7N currently going for $859.99 (originally $1,499.98) after a 43% discount, its lowest price ever, according to price-trac…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. The Apple Watch Series 8 (GPS + Cellular, 45mm) is now $329.99 on Woot, down from its original price of $749—a $419 discount available for four days or until it sells out. This model comes in a silver stainless steel case with a white band that gives it a premium look and includes a one-year Apple limited warranty. Plus, Prime members get free standard shipping (while non-Prime users pay $6); note that shipping is not available to Alaska, Hawaii, PO boxes, or APO addresses. Apple Watch Series 8 (GPS + Cellular…

May's sky watching calendar includes planetary viewing, prime stargazing, and a meteor shower peak, so you have plenty of reasons to head outside and look up this month. Here's what's coming to the night sky. May 3: Mars and MoonThe first quarter moon this month will appear right next to Mars on the evening of May 3. Look toward the western sky in the first half of the night. You may also be able to see the Beehive Cluster (Messier 44), a cluster of 1,000 stars that's around 600 light years away, lit up by the glow of the Red Planet. May 5: Eta Aquarid peakThe Eta Aquarid meteor shower has been active since mid-April, but it will peak on the night of May 5–6. This event…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. Samsung's Galaxy Buds 3 are down to $79.99 (from $119.99) on Woot for the next five days or until they sell out. If you’re a Prime member, you also get free shipping; otherwise, it’ll cost you an extra $6 (just a heads-up, though: These won’t ship to Alaska, Hawaii, or any P.O. B\boxes). Samsung's Galaxy Buds 3 at Woot …

The alphabet soup of TV terminology is overwhelming enough, but you might have seen a particularly confusing term pop up lately: mini-LED. LEDs are already tiny, so what exactly could the "mini" here even mean? It turns out, quite a lot, and that distinction can mean the difference between washed out colors and a more vivid display. The thing is, almost every TV you see is technically some kind of LED display. Most use bright white LEDs as a backlight, which shines through an LCD matrix and color filter to produce a coherent image. (The exception is OLED, which lights up each pixel individually and thus doesn't require a backlight.) Mini-LEDs are an improvement over the b…

Do sweet and salty foods taste good to you? Is your sleep maybe not the best? Do you have some belly fat? The answer to these questions is probably yes, because you are human, but that’s not important right now! TikTok influencers would like you to consider another possibility: that your cortisol is too high, and that you should buy their supplements (link in bio!) to control it. Then you’ll be relaxed at night and energetic in the morning, you’ll enjoy the taste of kale, and—most importantly—you’ll become thin and beautiful. This cortisol dysregulation idea has become a sort of mega-phenomenon, absorbing the power and anxieties of anything it touches. If you look up cort…

On Feb. 11, "volunteer IT consultant" Elon Musk appeared at an Oval Office event to discuss the findings of the newly formed Department of Government Efficiency. Among other claims, Musk said that a "cursory examination of Social Security” revealed that people who are clearly dead may be receiving social security benefits. “We’ve got people in there that are 150 years old,” Musk said “Now, do you know anyone who’s 150? I don’t, OK… I think they’re probably dead, is my guess, or they should be very famous, one of the two.” In a later post on X, Musk provided some numbers and joked, "Maybe Twilight is real and there are a lot of vampires collecting Social Security." …

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Many of us have stairs in our home that could use a bit of a makeover, either due to wear and tear over time or because they’re builder-grade basic and didn't have much style to begin with. If you don't want to spend a lot of money upgrading a space meant to simply get you from one floor to another, though, there are ways to jazz your existing stairs without spending a lot. If you’re suddenly thinking that your boring stairs need a glow-up, here are some ways to accomplish that without cleaning out your bank account. PaintPaint is always the easiest and cheapest upgrade you can do, and that applies to your stairs as well.…