Setting Up Your Home Office

The last time we talked about 23andMe’s bankruptcy sale, we suggested you might want to delete your genetic data from the site, since we didn’t know who would end up owning it. Now, a buyer has been announced, and they’re promising to “prioritize the privacy, security and ethical use” of customer data and to keep offering the company’s services uninterrupted. This is all—probably—good news. I'm feeling cautiously optimistic, anyway. Regeneron will be 23andMe’s new owner23andMe’s new buyer, paying $256 million for the company’s assets, is Regeneron. Regeneron is a biotech company perhaps best known for developing an antibody treatment for COVID early in the pandemic. (Dona…

Hulu's May lineup brings viewers back into the world of Mormon "MomTok" with the second season of cult reality show The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives (May 15). The series centers on eight Utah-based, Mormon TikTok influencers navigating ongoing relationship drama. Also back for a second season is reality series Vanderpump Villa (May 8), which follows the staff at Real Housewives and Vanderpump Rules star Lisa Vanderpump's French estate. Nine Perfect Strangers (May 21), originally produced as a miniseries, is returning with another installment as an anthology series starring Nicole Kidman and ensemble cast that includes Annie Murphy, Christine Baransky, and Murray…

If you're trying to get your finances back on track—and who isn't?—you're sure to see "no-buy months" and "low-buy years" all across social media. No-buy challenges ask participants to eliminate all non-essential purchases for a set period. While the concept seems straightforward, these challenges often fail because they don't address the psychological aspects of spending or provide realistic frameworks for long-term financial habits. I've written before that sticking to a budget can feel a lot like sticking to a diet. A strict approach is not only too difficult to maintain, but it can backfire. The all-or-nothing mentality is frustrating and demoralizing, and you might …

If you own a pair of AirPods, you might have quite the futuristic upgrade arriving later this year. That is, unless you're a former Google customer—otherwise this will seem a bit like old news. According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, Apple is working on a live translation feature for AirPods with the release of iOS 19. Gurman's sources appear to be keeping as quiet as possible, as the feature is still quite secret, so it's not clear exactly which AirPods models are going to be compatible with this feature, should it arrive with the update. But seeing as most new AirPods features seem to hit the second-gen AirPods Pro these days, my guess would be those buds—maybe AirPods 4…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. Anker has been on a roll slashing prices off their portable projectors, with the powerful Mars 3 Air reaching its lowest price earlier this month, the mid-size Nebula Capsule 3 still at its lowest price, and now their smallest portable projector, the Nebula Capsule Air down to $269.99 (originally $399.99) after a $100 discount and a 10% on-page coupon on Amazon. This is the lowest price this portable projector has been, according to price-tracking tools. Nebula Capsule Air Projector …

Zelle has been around as a convenient digital payment platform since 2017, but has now closed down payments inside its standalone apps for Android and iOS, as it promised it would last October—though the move is a sign of Zelle's success rather than its failure, and most Zelle users aren't going to need to change anything. If you're one of the 150 million or so people who make use of Zelle, you're no longer going to be able to use the Zelle app to send money to friends, family, and businesses. However, Zelle lives on as a platform: It's now integrated into the operations of more than 2,200 financial institutions, so you'll still be able to use it through your banking app.…

Installing software on Windows can be a pain. You'll find some things for download in the Microsoft Store, sure, but a lot of other applications require you to find the official website and download an executable. It's an annoying process, especially if you have a bunch of software you need to install all at once—a lot of waiting around and clicking "Next." Manually downloading software is also a security risk. The increasing unreliability of Google search results means it's harder to find a legitimate sources for a given app, increasing your odds of downloading malware. Linux users don't have to deal with this cumbersome process—they install software using a package mana…

While I’ve known about the aquafaba (chickpea brining liquid) hack for a while, I’ve always thought of it more for folks with food allergies. Why would I, a happy egg eater, ever need to use it to replace eggs? Well, here we are. Egg prices don’t seem to be coming down anytime soon, and if you’re as reliant on the ovum as I am, you may be looking for ways to cut costs. While I’ll still be splurging on the real thing for perfect, jar-scrambled eggs, I’ll be using aquafaba for these other egg-related recipes. Chickpea liquid gets its magical binding properties from the starches that leach out of the bean and into the brine. When cooked, the water evaporates and you’re left …

Max is joining the lineup of streaming platforms limiting users sharing a single subscription to those in the same household—unless you pay $7.99 per month for an "extra member" add-on. Adding an extra member to an existing streaming plan costs a little bit less than purchasing a new, separate subscription, though these users are limited to one profile and one supported device at a time. The best value for extra members typically comes with the most expensive plans. On Max, that's Premium, which costs $20.99 per month. How Max's "extra member" option stacks upMax subscribers on any plan (except Disney+/Hulu/Max bundles) can add one extra member at $7.99 per month if the…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. If you've been looking for a solid pair of workout earbuds that won’t slip out mid-burpee, the JBL Endurance Peak 3 is down to $39.95 on Woot (originally $99.99) this month (or until they sell out). That’s a steal for earbuds that scored an Editor’s Choice from PCMag for their workout-friendly design and secure fit. This deal includes a one-year JBL manufacturer warranty, and if you’re an Amazon Prime member, you get free standard shipping (otherwise, it'll cost you $6). JBL Endurance Peak 3 True Wireless Spo…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. The Apple Watch has a built-in sleep tracker, but it can be hard to find. Here’s how to access it, how to set it up so that it properly records how much sleep you’re getting, and how to understand the results. Does my Apple Watch support sleep tracking? Sleep tracking was introduced with WatchOS version 7 (released in 2020). That version of WatchOS works on watches from Series 3 and newer, paired with an iPhone 6S or newer, with iOS 14 and newer. In other words: The oldest devices that will work are a 2015 phone, a 2017 watch, and 2020 releases of the software that run on them. As long as your Apple Watch isn’t truly anc…

Some people have fully stocked bars—the rest of us make do with a rotating cast of liquors and ingredients. If that's you, Drinkable is a totally free app that tells you which cocktails you can make with the ingredients you have on hand. Even better: it works offline, perfect if you're stranded in a cabin with a well-stocked bar but no wireless signal (it happens, believe me). This application, available for iOS and Android with no ads or in-app-payments, includes a catalogue of over 150 drinks. This means you could use it to quickly look up the recipe for all of the common cocktails. To get started, install the app from Google Play or the App Store. You can start searchi…

Priority Notifications is a new Apple Intelligence feature that's rolling out with the iOS 18.4 update, which is currently in beta. It's one of the last AI features that we will see with the iOS 18 update cycle, and it goes hand-in-hand with Apple's Notifications Summary feature, though they are distinct. Perhaps because of the backlash Apple got to Notification Summaries, this feature isn't even enabled by default. You have to enable it instead. How Priority Notifications WorkLike many new Apple Intelligence features, Priority Notifications uses on-device AI processing to figure out what your most important notification is at any given point. Then, it surfaces those noti…

When Apple first revealed Apple Intelligence, its slate of generative AI features, a huge part of that announcement was a super-charged Siri. No longer would Apple's digital assistant be lagging behind competitors like Google: With the power of AI, the new Siri might actually be useful. When Apple Intelligence drops in full, Siri will reportedly be much more contextually aware, and be able to scan what's on your phone to understand and answer questions you ask. If your friend sends you their new address, you can ask Siri "add this address to their contact card." You don't need to specify which address or which contact, because the assistant will, according to Apple, be ab…

Are you tired of the annoying "AI overview" at the top of your search results? Turns out you can get rid of it by starting your search with the word "fuck." The trick spread thanks to a now-viral thread on Tumblr and it works wonders. I've been trying it out all morning: the AI disappears but the results are otherwise more-or-less the same. Is this the best way to stop seeing AI in search results? No. We've talked about how to disable Google's AI search results by changing the default search engine in your browser to only pull in web results, and that's better. But is this the funnest way to stop seeing AI in search results? Fuck yeah it is. And it's perfect if you someti…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Garmin is now offering a $6.99/month subscription called Connect+ that provides “premium features,” including AI, on top of what you already get for free with the Garmin Connect app. So far, nothing is being paywalled, but it feels like the end of an era. Garmin watches were some of the last few wearables where you pay for a device and then all of its features are free to use forever. (The hardware has impressively long lifespans, too.) I signed up for Connect+ to see what’s inside, so let’s take a look. Subscription detailsThe new Connect+ subscription costs $6.99/month or $69.99/year. It only adds features on top of wha…

Most people still rely on banks for most of their financial needs: In fact, 96 percent of the country has at least one bank or credit union account. (And if you use a bank to deposit your salary and pay your bills, you should even consider having a second bank, just in case something goes wrong.) But what happens if your bank fails? Bank failures aren’t common, but they do happen—two failed just last year, and 2025 has already seen one bank failure back in January. While your money is probably generally safe even if your bank fails, a bank failure can still cause you a lot of trouble because your funds may be unavailable for days (or longer) as the Federal Deposit Insuran…

Like the first few months of the year, April is a relatively quiet month for sky watching, but it does bring one of the oldest meteor showers and a micromoon. April 13: Pink MoonApril's full moon is known as the Pink Moon, so named for the color of ground phlox, a wildflower that blooms during the month—though the moon itself doesn't actually appear pink in the sky. The Pink Moon is also a micromoon, meaning it occurs at that furthest point from Earth. The opposite of a supermoon, it will look about 5% smaller in diameter than usual. April 21: Lyrid meteor shower peakThe main event in April is the Lyrid meteor shower. It starts mid-month (around April 17) and will peak …

We're now starting to see some rudimentary AI agents appear: tools that can not only write code and solve math problems, but also perform actions on your behalf. And Opera has announced the first AI agent for its browser, the aptly named Browser Operator. The idea is that Browser Operator can take care of some tedious online tasks for you, saving you time and clicks. It could arrange your next grocery order, for example, or check out hotel prices in a place you're thinking of visiting. "For more than 30 years, the browser gave you access to the web, but it has never been able to get stuff done for you," says Opera's Krystian Kolondra. "Now it can." Right now the feature i…

Each year, Samsung takes what Google has made with the annual Android update—the Android Open Source Project (or AOSP) to be precise—and builds a fresh version of One UI, its bespoke mobile operating system complete with all the extra Samsung bells and whistles. This year, we're getting One UI 7, which is based on Android 15. One UI 7 comes preinstalled on the new Galaxy S25 phones, including the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra, but the rest of us are still waiting for it to roll out at the time of writing. Here's everything new that's coming with the software update, and when you can expect it to make its way to your Galaxy handset. Best new features in One UI 7Perhaps the most…

More Android users will be able to use their phones to verify their identities instead of their drivers licenses or passports, as Google Wallet is expanding its digital ID features to more U.S. states and the UK. In an April 29 blog post, Google announced that residents in Arkansas, Montana, Puerto Rico, and West Virginia will soon be able to add their government-issued IDs—drivers licenses and state identification cards—to Google Wallet. This feature has already rolled out for those who live in Arizona, California, Colorado, Georgia, Maryland, and New Mexico. ID pass, Google Wallet's digital passport feature, will also be expanded to UK residents. What you can do with …

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. If your current Windows setup is feeling a bit outdated or you’re setting up a brand-new PC, you might want to check out this Microsoft Windows 11 Pro deal on StackSocial—you can get this single-device lifetime license for just $15, which would usually cost you $200 at the Microsoft Store. Once you buy, the redemption code and setup instructions hit your inbox instantly. That said, make sure your system is eligible before you hit purchase. This isn’t an upgrade path for unsupported PCs—it’s a fresh install for machines that meet the full list of Win…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Welcome to “Cookbook of the Week.” This is a series where I highlight cookbooks that are unique, easy to use, or just special to me. While finding a particular recipe online serves a quick purpose, flipping through a truly excellent cookbook has a magic all its own. I love cookbooks that combine comfort food with a smattering of unfamiliar recipes that make me think, “Ooh, I wonder what that's like.” This mingling of brand-new dishes with ones that stir a bit of nostalgia is usually a hit for me. This week, I chose Salt, Sugar, MSG to feature for my cookbook of the week. Not only does it tick those boxes above for this As…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. When my wife and I bought our house two decades ago, one of the most exciting things about the process was finally having in-house laundry after spending our whole lives (almost literally) sitting in laundromats. The laundry center in the house wasn’t fancy—and it was small—but it represented freedom and we were excited. Of course, upon moving in, the laundry machine was instantly non-functional, so we had to scrape out the bottom of our bank account and buy a new one. And that machine has been humming along for 20 years, and might still be running when the sun swells into a red giant and destroys the planet. Considering t…