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Security Council resolution calling for ‘swift end’ to conflict deals further blow to western unityView the full article

We may earn a commission from links on this page. I am always down to try a new social app (a face I have made so, so clear), especially when it involves sharing photos. And the trendy photo-sharing app of the the moment is Yope (available on iOS and Android). Launched in September 2024, it currently has 2.2 million monthly active users and 800,000 daily active users, many of whom are in the investor-coveted Gen Z demographic. I am not a part of Gen Z, but as of today, I am one of the millions of people who used the app this month. It's fun and all, but I'm not sure I'll make it into that 800,000+ cohort of daily users. Here's why, and what you need to know about Yope. So, what's Yope?The easiest way to describe Yope is to say it's kind of like a private Instagram crossed with a group chat. (I have never understood the appeal of having a private Instagram account, so I likewise don't see the appeal of posting to an app designed to hide your content from the majority of users, but that's me.) You can create and name groups, add friends to them, and then post your pictures to those groups. And that's basically it. The pics create a stream that anyone in the small group can look at, and you can choose to have them appear on your lock screen. It that sense, it reminds me of Locket, an app I tested out three years ago that also sent your photos to your friends' lock screens. The problem for me was a lack of friends to put into a group. I synced my contacts right away, but out of 1,500 people on my phone, exactly zero of them were already on the app, signaling that all the hype around this being big for Gen Z might be true—though I definitely have some Gen-Z cousins saved in my phone, and none of them had it either. To put the app through its paces, I had to send my referral link to a bunch of my friends and plead with them to download it, which they are sick of doing, given I am cajoling them into a new app every other week or so as it is. Only one, my lovely friend Danielle, agreed to it. This, at least, allowed me to create my first group. I named it "pals" and Dani and I spent some time uploading pictures to the stream. It was cool for a few minutes, but with just two people, it got old quickly. It honestly wasn't too different from how we used to use Snapchat, ages ago: Here's a picture of what I'm looking at. There's a picture of your face. OK, here's one of my face. You can respond to a photo without sending a photo, so the stream also functions as a basic chat. You can send real-time photos or pics from your camera roll, but that's about it. Is Yope worth downloading? Yope is easy to use, but this is basically all it does. Credit: Yope/Lindsey Ellefson I've read a lot of discourse over the past few years about how the pendulum is swinging away from a cultural desire to post for the masses, and back to a compulsion to post for and interact with more tight-knit groups. Instead of tweeting or posting to a public Instagram, a lot of people do seem to enjoy being in small, interest-specific Discord or Telegram channels, in a way reminiscent of an earlier internet era that required one to seek out chatrooms to find like-minded people. Personally, I am not one who desires a more curated online interactive experience, so I don't really Vibe with Yope. Even if a lot of my friends were using it, I'd prefer to see everything in a jumble than sift through curated group feeds. But maybe that sounds good to you. Yope positives:Account setup is easy The contact-syncing function is seamless (provided you have contacts who actually use the app) There aren't any filters, and there's minimal risk your photos will be seen by anyone you don't want to see them, unless your friends screenshot and share them (taking a screenshot does not trigger a notification to the group) The lock screen function works well and updates immediately There lack of features means it doesn't feel overwhelming; all you can do is post photos into your group stream It's free Yope negatives:It gets a little boring if you don't have a lot of people to share photos with It's yet another photo-sharing app to add to the list of ones you already have, each of which probably already includes the same group of friends you'd be sharing with on Yope The bottom line: NopeI personally won't keep using Yope, at least not the way I used the similar BeReal for a long stretch in the summer of 2022. That doesn't mean it won't continue to gain traction with users who actually want an app that mixes Instagram with a group chat. It seems to have enough momentum to drum up investor capital, which could result in increased visibility and attract more users. Someone you know might even be using it by next month, even if you're older than 27. View the full article

A first-of-its-kind project will use a swarm of small, independent submersibles to monitor, protect and provide data on offshore artificial reefs whose purpose is to attract new marine life in otherwise barren sections of sea, officials said Monday. The small, autonomous underwater vehicles, or AUVs, hailed as the “future of underwater surveillance” will be equipped with sensors and high-definition cameras to give scientists at the Cyprus Marine and Maritime Institute a clear picture on the effectiveness of their intricate artificial reefs designed and built using 3D printing. Made of an environmentally friendly cement mixture, the artificial reefs will be embedded with a docking station at which the AUVs can recharge and transmit collected data including video, said CMMI CEO Zakarias Siokouros. The advantage of the AUVs lies in their ability to loiter underwater for as long as a month at a time and provide a continuous flow of data while “protecting” the reefs by alerting scientists to any disturbance in protected waters from illegal fishing and encroaching boats. Scientists would, in turn, notify local authorities. A trial run of the project, dubbed EONIOS, is currently underway off Cyprus’ Ayia Napa marina. Scientists plan to place the artificial reefs in waters off Cyprus’ southern coastal town of Limassol at a depth of around 20 meters (66 feet) where sunlight can still reach the seabed. “The reefs attract everything from vegetation to large fish and for waters off Cyprus where there isn’t enough food for fish, we aim to create the appropriate environment to bring such fish there,” Siokouros told The Associated Press following a demonstration of the AUVs’ capabilities at the Ayia Napa Marina. EONIOS is a partnership between the CMMI, AUV makers Arkeocean of France, Cypriot tech company SignalGeneriX and French consultancy company Lanego. Siokouros said the partnership aims to market EONIOS to other countries who would want to build up their fish stocks using artificial reefs. A key selling point for the AUVs is that they can provide surveillance, 3D data collection and area protection at a significant discount compared to tethered submersibles, said Arkeocean official Tamara Brizard. “Our goal is to make a system under which six of our mini-drones can do the same work for the price of one conventional drone,” Brizard said. Arkeocean AUVs can currently pack a maximum 5 kilograms (11 pounds) of sensors and other gear and can operate to a depth of 300 meters (984 feet) although newer versions are being designed to reach 3,000 meters (9,842 feet). The AUVs receive commands through an attached acoustic antenna and can pinpoint their location. Battery-powered thrusters make the AUVs very stealthy and nearly undetectable, Brizard said, making them extremely useful for defense purposes such as surveillance in restricted waters. The AUVs can operate anywhere in the world thanks to an Iridium satellite antenna. The AUVs can also use undersea currents to roam, extending battery life. Another application is in the energy field where the submersibles can be used to detect seismic activity for offshore oil and gas exploration as well as finding suitable areas on which to build offshore wind and solar farms, said Brizard. —Menelaos Hadjicostis, Associated Press View the full article

Last week, Apple launched their developer beta for iOS 18.4. The update brings fresh changes to iOS, including Priority Notifications, a new Genmoji button, and additional supported languages. While it may be some time before iOS 18.4 is launched to all iPhone users, those curious to try out the new features can do so by installing the beta. However, doing so may cause some issues, so proceed with caution. How to install the iOS 18.4 developer betaIt's worth mentioning that there is some risk involved in installing a developer beta. The software can be unstable, as it is currently in testing and designed mainly for developers to make sure their apps are compatible with the latest iOS update. There are also likely bugs and glitches in this developer beta, which Apple is still working on fixing ahead of the public rollout. Those bugs can lead to data loss if you don't properly back up your device before installing the beta. If you have a idea of what you're doing and still want to try the new features, then go forth and have fun with the beta. However, it may not be a great idea to install the beta on your main iPhone. As mentioned, you should back up your iPhone before installing the iOS 18.4 beta on your iPhone. I recommend backing up with your Mac or PC using Finder or iTunes. While you can use iCloud to back up your iPhone, this can be tricky with betas: If your iPhone backs up to iCloud while running iOS 18.4, you won't be able to retrieve the data should you need to downgrade to the public iOS version. Backing up to your computer helps to ensure all your data from your iPhone stays intact. Next, you'll need to enroll your Apple ID in Apple's developer program. To do so, first head to the Apple Developer site, then select Enroll. Log in to your Apple ID, fill out your information, and agree to Apple's terms and conditions. While Apple has made it free to access developer betas, if you want to publish apps to the App Store, you'll still need to pay Apple's $99 yearly fee for full access to their developer program. Once you've backed up your iPhone and enrolled your Apple ID, you're ready to install the new developer beta. To install the beta, open Settings > General > Software Update. Below Automatic Updates, you should see an option for Beta Updates. Choose iOS 18.4 Developer Beta, then hit Back. Let iOS load for a moment, and you'll see an option to Download and Install the beta. View the full article

Cryptocurrency exchange Bybit said last week hackers had stolen digital tokens worth around $1.5 billion, in what researchers called the biggest crypto heist of all time. Bybit CEO Ben Zhou said the crypto was taken from a “cold wallet” – a digital wallet usually stored offline and so supposedly more secure – that was used for ether tokens. Blockchain research firm Elliptic said the hack was more than double the last-biggest crypto heist and “is almost certainly the single largest known theft of any kind in all time.” The crypto industry has suffered a series of thefts, prompting questions about the security of customer funds, with hacking hauls totalling more than $2 billion in 2024 – the fourth straight year where proceeds have topped more than $1 billion. Here are some of the other major thefts to have plagued the industry since bitcoin was born in 2008. Poly network Hackers stole around $610 million in August 2021 from Poly Network, a platform that facilitates peer-to-peer token transactions. The hackers behind the heist later returned nearly all of the stolen funds. The hack underscored vulnerabilities in the burgeoning decentralised finance – DeFi – sector, where users lend, borrow and save in digital tokens, bypassing the traditional gatekeepers of finance such as banks and exchanges. Ronin Network Hackers stole cryptocurrency worth – at the time of the hack – around $540 million from a blockchain project linked to the popular online game Axie Infinity in March 2022. Ronin, a network that allows the transfer of crypto coins across different blockchains, said that hackers stole some 173,600 ether tokens and 25.5 million USD Coin tokens. Coincheck In January 2018, hackers stole cryptocurrency then worth around $530 million from Tokyo-based exchange Coincheck. The thieves attacked one of Coincheck’s “hot wallet” – a digital folder stored online – to drain the funds, drawing attention to security at exchanges. South Korea’s intelligence agency said at the time that a North Korean hacking group may have been behind the heist. Mt. Gox In one of the earliest and most-high profile crypto hacks, bitcoin worth close to $500 million dollars was stolen from the Mt.Gox exchange in Tokyo – then the world’s biggest – between 2011 and 2014. Mt.Gox, which once handled 80% of the world’s bitcoin trade, filed for bankruptcy in early 2014 after the hack was revealed, with some 24,000 customers losing access to their funds. Wormhole DeFi site Wormhole was hit by a $320 million heist last month, with the hackers making off with 120,000 digital tokens connected to the second-largest cryptocurrency, ether. The crypto arm of Chicago-based Jump Trading, which had the year before acquired the developer behind Wormhole, later replaced the funds “to make community members whole and support Wormhole now as it continues to develop.” —Tommy Reggiori Wilkes, Tom Wilson and Elizabeth Howcroft, Reuters View the full article

We may earn a commission from links on this page. I wear my Apple Watch continuously, only removing to to charge it or when I'm showering. I wear it to sleep and to work out, under heavy sweatshirts, on the beach—basically anywhere and everywhere. As you can imagine, the device gets dirty. But as you might also imagine, I have no interest in cleaning my expensive smartwatch in a way that might damage it. Here are the two methods I use to clean my fitness tracker without harming it—plus some other things to keep in mind when cleaning yours. Before doing any kind of cleaning, remove your watch band to make it easier to access all of its crevices. It's also a good idea to power it off; even if it's waterproof, cleaning can result in unintended button presses. Smartwatch cleaning method #1: Soap and waterThough the device is high tech, the simplest cleaning method isn't at all: You can use water and a drop of mild soap to help scrub away any dirt or grime. If you're confident the device is waterproof, you can actually dunk it in a bowl full of warm water and a drop or two of dish or hand soap. If it's not, or you'd rather not risk it, you can also use a q-tip or soft cloth dipped in a soapy mixture. (I prefer the q-tip because it's easier to get in and around the buttons and the crevices where the band connects to the device.) Smart watch cleaning method #2: Isopropyl alcoholSoap and water works fine for me when it comes to general cleaning, but from time to time, I like to use 70% isopropyl alcohol to remove oils or more serious grime. Again, I use a fresh q-tip and focus my attention on the face of the watch as well as the sensor underneath. To the extent possible, I avoid scrubbing around holes or buttons with the wet end. Instead, I use the dry end to dislodge any dirt in those areas. Even if your watch is extremely dirty, use soap and water first. The alcohol should only be dabbed quickly on the exterior, then left to air dry. Those little alcohol pads can come in handy here. Before and after some soap and water followed by isopropyl alcohol. Credit: Lindsey Ellefson Different companies recommend different cleaning techniques I use the methods above to keep my Apple Watch clean, and they're pretty broadly applicable across other devices. However, some brands get more specific about what you should or shouldn't do to clean their watches. Google Pixel users, for instance, are advised by the company not to use anything but fresh water on a damp cloth to rub the Pixel down, while Withings and Samsung recommend the same. Why? As Samsung advises, "Do not use soap, cleaning agents, abrasive materials and compressed air when cleaning your Galaxy Watch and do not clean it with the external heat sources. Doing so may damage the Galaxy Watch. Skin irritation may be caused by soap, detergents hand sanitizers, or cleaning agents left on the Galaxy Watch." Considering the watch is waterproof, it seems the warning about skin irritation is more relevant, but as long as you rinse it well, it shouldn't be a problem. Spend some time reading the specific information related to your own device, but if it's really dirty, consider some tech cleaning wipes. The way I see it, you're not introducing any more soap and water than you would be if you, say, took a shower or washed your dishes while wearing the watch. Other things to keep in mind when cleaning a smart watchIf you have visible gunk in the tiny holes on your watch, gently (very gently!) try to dislodge it with a soft toothbrush or blow on it at an angle. If that doesn't work, wipe gently with a dry cloth. There really aren’t any holes big enough on an Apple Watch to cause problems, but if your device has some, be careful not to push the icky stuff further inside. Get in the habit of running a damp cloth over your watch after a sweaty workout or before you put it on the charger to stop it from getting quite so dirty before you next clean it. Allow it to dry before you power it back on, charge it, or wear it. You should also clean your watch band regularly, but how you do that will depend on what it’s made of. Most of mine are fabric, so they go in the washing machine, but rubber or silicone ones can be cleaned with soap and water or disinfectant. If it’s leather, wipe it with a dry cloth, then use a drop of gentle soap (like hand soap) on a damp cloth to rub any messy spots. Use a clean, damp cloth to wipe away any soap residue and let the leather air dry, then hit it with some leather conditioner. View the full article

Most of my adolescent free time was spent in the kitchen making Thai food with my mom. She was firm in the practice of using up every last bit of an ingredient. If there was any leftover coconut milk, it went in the fridge and we used it for random stuff (coffee, cereal, rice) until it was done within a day or two. It never went in the freezer because it would become a disgusting, curdled mess upon defrosting. I’ve previously addressed what a person should do with a leftover half-can of coconut milk before it spoils, but it turns out I’ve been thinking about the conundrum all wrong. My entire life, I believed freezing it was not an option. But it is. Yes, you can (and you should) freeze your leftover coconut milk. I wasn't wrong in thinking it looks like hell when it’s defrosted—gritty and broken, like cottage cheese gone wrong—but it’s not actually ruined. What my mom and I didn’t know at the time is that thawed coconut milk can be perfectly rejuvenated with a little heat. Those clumps and clusters are merely ice crystals and coagulated fat, and heat melts them both. I came across this important truth from one of my most trusted Thai food sources, Hot Thai Kitchen on Instagram. (In case you were wondering, when I shared this revelation with my mom, she acted like she’d known about it this whole time. Parents.) How to freeze coconut milkAny coconut milk that you don’t plan on using in the next five days or so can be frozen. First, I like to pour the contents of the can out into a freezer-friendly bag or container. (I put the bag in a measuring cup so I don't have to hold it open.) If you opt for a container, it might be worthwhile to separate the milk into smaller portion sizes for easier thawing. Credit: Allie Chanthorn Reinmann If you’re using a freezer-safe zip top bag, squeeze out as much air as possible and seal the top. Lay it flat on a small metal baking sheet and put the whole thing in the freezer. Freezing it flat allows the milk to freeze faster, and it will be easier to break into portions later. Flat objects also stack more easily, so you can your optimize freezer space. How to thaw frozen coconut milkWhen you’re ready to use frozen coconut milk, remove it from the freezer and bend the icy plank to break it up into chunks while it’s still in the bag. Pour as much of the frozen coconut milk as you want into a pot or a microwave-safe measuring cup. Heat the milk over low heat, or on 15 to 30-second blasts in the microwave until it melts and it returns to its normal smooth and silky consistency. Alternatively, you can just drop the frozen chunks directly into the food you’re cooking. For example, if I’m putting together a curry dish, I can add the frozen pieces of milk just as I’d normally add liquid coconut milk. It’ll take an extra minute or two to warm up and incorporate, but then you can proceed as usual. I’ve used coconut milk after it’s been frozen for a few weeks and detected no texture problems or decline in the taste. According to Medical News Today, most milks (both dairy and non-dairy) can be frozen for up to three months. That should be plenty of time to make another batch of Thai curry spaghetti and meatballs. View the full article

Through 1stResponder+, Rate is offering a complimentary one-year accidental death insurance policy that covers the mortgage balance up to $650,000. View the full article

The ubiquitous food delivery app DoorDash will pay almost $17 million to settle claims that it unfairly used customer tips to subsidize the wages of its delivery workers in New York City, rather than letting drivers keep the tips on top of their guaranteed pay, Attorney General Letitia James said Monday. James said DoorDash used the wage model between May 2017 and September 2019. The company would guarantee workers a base payment for each delivery but was factoring tips into that equation, only paying workers for whatever the tips didn’t cover, according to the attorney general. DoorDash also did not make it clear to customers that their tips were being used to offset worker wages, said James, a Democrat. “This is just fundamentally unfair,” she said at a news conference in Manhattan. ”Customers had no reason to believe that these tips were being used by DoorDash to reduce its costs.” The company will pay $16.75 million in restitution that will be distributed to DoorDash workers who made deliveries between May 2017 and September 2019 in New York. Eligible workers will be contacted by a settlement administrator. In a statement, DoorDash said, “While we believe that our practices properly represented how Dashers were paid during this period, we are pleased to have resolved this years-old matter and look forward to continuing to offer a flexible way for millions of people to reach their financial goals.” The company said the old pay model is no longer in use. View the full article

Momentum against Maryland guidance that extends licensing requirements to securitization trusts is growing and some legislators want to scale it back. View the full article

We may earn a commission from links on this page. When you’re feeling awful because of a cold, you just want something to fix you—if not to cure you, at least to help you temporarily feel better. Unfortunately a lot of remedies are placebos, but some things in the drugstore work better than others. Before we talk about which medicines are best, here's an important note to consider: Cold medicines do not cure your cold, nor do they shorten its duration. If you're reading this because you want to know how to get rid of a cold fast, or what a doctor would prescribe you to get rid of a cold—sorry. Colds are caused by viruses, and there's no medication that will kill them off the way that antibiotics can kill off bacteria. The point of cold medicines is to help you be a little less miserable while you wait for your immune system to fight it off. Ignore brand names on cold medicinesThe companies that make cold medicines rely on our stuffy-headed memories. If you bought Sudafed (or Mucinex, or Dayquil) the last time you had a cold, they hope you'll buy the same thing this time, while makers of store brands are hoping you buy something the same color and figure it's good enough. But the brand name tells you next to nothing about what's actually inside the package. Each of the major cold medicine brands sells a variety of products with completely different ingredients. Sometimes, there are so many that the same brand will sell the same thing under two different names. My favorite example of this is the labyrinth of Mucinex products: Their Maximum Strength Fast-Max Severe Congestion and Cough has the same dosage and ingredients as their Maximum Strength Sinus-Max Pressure, Pain, & Cough. Meanwhile, Maximum Strength Sinus-Max Severe Congestion & Pain—which sounds like it should be very similar to the other Sinus-Max product—takes out a cough-related ingredient and swaps in some acetaminophen (that's Tylenol). You are never going to have much luck navigating the cough and cold aisle on brand names and symptoms alone. So where to go instead? Well, for quick relief of congestion, you'll need the good stuff they keep behind the counter. Pseudoephedrine (original Sudafed) is the good stuffIf you have a stuffy nose, pseudoephedrine is the real deal. In the old days, you could find it on the store shelves. Sudafed was one brand name. (Sudafed, pseudoephedrine, get it?) But pseudoephedrine can be converted into methamphetamine, so a 2006 law restricted its sale. It's still an over the counter medication, but you'll need to take the time to show your ID to the pharmacist if you want to buy some. Studies have shown pseudoephedrine to be effective at clearing nasal congestion. When you feel like your nose is “stuffed” with dried or gooey mucus, that’s not literally true. Blood vessels in the lining of your nose and sinuses swell up, and that’s what narrows the air passages. Pseudoephedrine makes those blood vessels constrict, reducing the swelling and opening your airways so you can breathe easier. (Pseudoephedrine also constricts blood vessels in other parts of the body, which is why it can increase blood pressure in some people, and why it is sometimes used off-label for priapism, also known as prolonged erections.) Anything with "PE" in the name isn't worth buyingPhenylephrine is the decongestant that replaced pseudoephedrine in over-the-counter products. Phenylephrine, the "PE" ingredient, has been known for years to be useless at treating cold symptoms when taken by mouth. This led two pharmacists to write a paper in 2022 entitled “Why Is Oral Phenylephrine on the Market After Compelling Evidence of Its Ineffectiveness as a Decongestant?”) Finally, as of November 2024, the FDA agreed that phenylephrine products will (eventually) be removed from store shelves. Phenylephrine is what’s in Sudafed PE. This is another case of brand names leading you astray—regular Sudafed is the good stuff, but Sudafed PE has the ineffective ingredient. Don’t be fooled—anything with a PE in the name won't work. Most cough medicines don't work, eitherBut that's not the only cold medicine that probably does little to nothing for your cold. The "active" ingredients in cough medicines are probably useless too. Dextromethorphan is considered a cough suppressant, though there's not much evidence to suggest it actually does its job. Nor does guaifenesin, an “expectorant” that’s intended to thin out mucus to make it easier to cough up. A Cochrane review concluded that there’s not enough evidence to say whether these or any other over-the-counter cough medicines actually work. By the way, children under 4 years of age should not use any of the cough or cold medicines we’ve mentioned so far, according to the FDA. Fortunately, home remedies like drinking fluids and getting their snot sucked out with a bulb syringe are safe, and tend to bring actual relief. Tylenol and ibuprofen can help with fevers and painThere is one more category of over-the-counter medicines that may actually help you feel better when you have a cold, although they’re probably not what you’re thinking of when you think of cold medicines. Acetaminophen (regular Tylenol) and ibuprofen (Motrin or Advil) are known as pain relievers and fever reducers. They do work for these jobs, and they are considered safe to use even in young children. That said, the American Academy of Pediatrics warns that you should always contact your pediatrician for a fever in a baby less than 3 months old, and not give medication unless directed, since fevers at that age can be life threatening and need to be evaluated in a healthcare setting. If you’re used to looking at brand names, please make sure you turn the package around and make sure it contains what you’re expecting on the ingredients list. Regular Tylenol is just acetaminophen, but the company also makes a Tylenol Cold and Flu that contains all three of the ingredients mentioned above that do not work for colds or coughs. Advil makes a similar product. These aren’t the ones you want. Another important note: Tylenol, or acetaminophen, is in a lot of cold medicines as part of a mixture of ingredients. It’s also potentially toxic if you take more than the recommended amount. If you’re combining medications, make sure you’re not double-dosing on this ingredient. The best cough syrup is honeySo you have a decongestant that works (pseudoephedrine), and something to bring your fever and headache under control (acetaminophen or ibuprofen). Is there anything we can do about that nasty cough? There is, but you’ll want to leave the pharmacy aisles and head over to the grocery shelves. Honey isn’t going to cure your cold, but it seems to soothe sore throats and relieve coughing, at least a little bit. Studies often show it works better than over-the-counter cough syrups. (Is this because honey is great or because cough syrups kind of suck? Possibly the latter, to be honest.) But don’t bother with honey-based cough syrups—yes, these are a thing—just grab some actual honey and mix it into some hot water or tea. That’s cheaper and easier. An important caveat on honey, by the way: honey is not considered safe to give to babies under 1 year old. There’s a small risk of botulism, and babies are particularly susceptible. Honey isn’t going to help that much, so it’s not worth the risk. Children's cold medicines are almost all scamsPretty much every “children’s” cold medicine is garbage. After all, the ones with decongestants and antihistamines aren’t considered safe for kids under 4. But since you’re in the medicine aisle anyway, “natural” brands are there to fill that gap with concoctions of vitamins, honey, and herbal supplements. These don’t really do anything, either, but somehow they cost like eight bucks a bottle. But it gets worse. In both the kids’ and adults’ sections, you’ll find homeopathic remedies, which are pretty much scams and should be illegal. Watch out for anything that says “homeopathic” or that has ingredients measured in “X” or “C” instead of a real unit like milligrams. These aren’t simply natural supplements, as the labels sometimes suggest, and homeopathy is not another word for home remedy. Homeopathic “drugs” are beneficiaries of a bizarre loophole in FDA and FTC policy that allows them to be marketed as drugs while claiming to work by magic. I wish I were making this up, but I’m not. Save your money. View the full article

On Saturday evening, a group of Yosemite National Park employees hung an upside-down American flag 3,000 feet in the air, at the top of El Capitan summit. The display was absolutely not missed. It happened in the midst of this year’s Firefall at Horsetail Fall, a popular event at the Mariposa County, California, national park, when between mid- to late February, the waterfall begins to light up 5 to 15 minutes before sunset, looking almost like molten lava. Hundreds of photographers and observers were in the park when the upside-down flag, known as a “distress flag,” according to American flag code—a sign that something is desperately wrong—hung from the mountain top. The act came shortly after Elon Musk’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) fired more than 1,000 National Park Service rangers amid drastic cuts to the federal budget. The message was clear: America’s parks are in trouble. “We’re bringing attention to what’s happening to the parks, which are every American’s properties,” Gavin Carpenter, a maintenance mechanic at the park, told the San Francisco Chronicle. Carpenter was central to the employees pulling off the feat, supplying the flag and helping to get it to the top of El Capitan. “It’s super important we take care of [the parks] and we’re losing people here, and it’s not sustainable if we want to keep the parks open,” Carpenter told the paper. National Park Service rangers are massively important to the preservation of our national parks. Their duties range from running programs and camps for children to maintaining the cleanliness and upkeep of trails, as well as staffing visitor centers and helping to keep visitors safe from wild animals and other dangerous natural elements. But as DOGE’s federal firings continue, many are expressing huge concerns over how parks will be maintained if there are not enough employees to manage them. Some parks have already begun trimming their hours, cancelling tours and other events, and closing visitor centers. In a post on Facebook, which has garnered more than 20,600 comments, the Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument in Florissant, Colorado, announced it would be forced to cut hours. “Due to a lack of staffing, effective Monday, February 24, 2025, Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument will be closed Mondays and Tuesdays. There will be no access to the visitor center, trailhead parking, or public restrooms,” the post read. Social media posts from devastated park employees who have been let go in recent weeks have gone viral, too. “I am absolutely heartbroken and completely devastated to have lost my dream job of an education park ranger with the National Park Service this Valentine’s Day,” former ranger Brian Gibbs wrote in a February 14 post on Facebook. “My position was ripped out from under my feet after my shift was over at 3:45 p.m. on a cold snowy Friday.” The post went on to detail the many irreplaceable roles of a national parks ranger: “I am my son’s ‘Junior Ranger’ idol . . . I am a college kid’s dream job . . . I am the smiling face that greets you at the front door . . . I am your family vacation planner . . . I am a voice for 19 American Indian cultures.” DOGE’s alarming layoffs have not been limited to park workers. Last week, the administration also fired more than 300 National Nuclear Security Administration workers, then quickly rehired most of them over major national security concerns. And on Sunday, approximately 2,000 employees at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) were informed they were being laid off. The majority of full-time staff were put on administrative leave. View the full article

Maintaining a home is expensive, with many financial advisors recommending you set aside around 2% of its purchase price for upkeep each year. That cost is well worth it, as it prevents small problems from becoming bigger ones, and keeps your home in good shape so you can actually enjoy living there. It’s reasonable to assume that if you’re doing at least the bare minimum home maintenance tasks, you can rest easier. But even if you repair stuff as needed and do all the recommended annual checks and upkeep, you might still be damaging your house in a myriad of ways. That’s because many things homeowners without thinking about it can actually damage a house over the long term. Doing these 10 things occasionally likely isn't a big deal, but over time and with repetition, they can contribute to some major headaches. Using too many bath bombsIf you soothe the stress of home ownership with a nice hot bath spiced up by a fizzing, colorful bath bomb, you may be slowly ruining your home’s plumbing. Bath bombs typically contain stuff like citric acid, cream of tartar, Epsom salts, and baking soda, not to mention scented oils, glitter, or other decorations intended to give your bath a whimsical or romantic vibe. Over time, all that stuff can easily congeal in your pipes, or get caught on existing clogs, making them worse. A bath bomb once in a while won’t cause much trouble, but if you have a regular habit, you’re risking paying a plumber a lot of money sooner rather than later. Using chemical drain cleanersIf you have a clogged drain and you turn to a chemical drain cleaner to open it up, you’re probably not going to destroy your house in the process. But if you have frequent clogged drains that you use drain cleaner to clear, you’re not only putting a band-aid on a bigger problem (why are your drains always clogged?) you’re probably damaging your pipes. Most of the drain cleaners you buy in a store are either caustic or oxidizing, and both release heat as part of the process of turning clogged material into something more easily dissolved and cleared away. That heat can soften PVC pipes and warp metal pipes over time. If your drains are always clogged and slow, it’s probably better to call a plumber and implement some basic drain maintenance steps. Putting your appliances in the wrong spotJust about every appliance in your home, from the refrigerator to the television, generates heat as a byproduct. If you place an appliance or two near your home’s thermostat, this can have a real negative impact on two things: Your heating or cooling bills, and your HVAC’s lifespan. That’s because the heat from the appliance will fool the thermostat into thinking your home is hotter than it actually is, causing the air conditioning to run more in the summer and the heat to run less in the winter. With the former scenario, your HVAC system will suffer more wear and tear, leading to a shorter lifespan, more repair bills, and more frequent replacement costs. In the latter scenario, you’ll find yourself turning the heat up to compensate, leading to a similar situation. Painting over brickIf you’ve got exposed brick in the interior of your home that you’ve painted, congratulations: You may have just lit the fuse on an expensive home repair bomb. Brick is a porous material, and it needs to “breathe” properly. Paint can seal the brick, trapping moisture within, which can lead to deterioration of the brick, mold growth, peeling paint, and spalling. The problem is worse when it’s an exterior brick wall, but even a totally interior wall can be slowly destroyed if improperly painted. If you must paint that wall, prepare the surface carefully and use a paint designed for masonry work. Then keep an eye on it. Inspect it regularly for bubbling, peeling, and brick dust—all evidence that moisture is doing your walls dirty. Painting over rotSpeaking of paint, it’s important to note that it’s not magic. If you notice that wood in your home’s interior or exterior is suffering a bit of rot, cleaning it up and painting over it will absolutely not arrest the progression. It will, in fact, make things worse as the paint traps moisture, likely accelerating the process of rot that is eating your house alive—plus, that trapped moisture will cause the paint to bubble and peel soon enough anyway. Even if the rot you’ve discovered is minor, you have to figure out where the moisture is coming from and address that, then repair or replace the wood as needed before painting. Flushing wipes down the toiletIt’s a weird fact of late-stage capitalism that items clearly marked “flushable” on their packaging are often not flushable at all. Neither is a long list of stuff that seems like it should be flushable, like food (which can persist a long time in your pipes, forming cement-like clogs) or kitty litter, including the clumping kind. If you’ve been flushing “flushable” wipes down the toilet, you’re on a countdown to plumbing disaster. Using the wrong cleanersCleaning your house requires time, elbow grease, and the right cleaning products—which is more important than you think. Vinegar can be an effective cleaner, to the point where it’s suggested for just about any cleaning job. But vinegar is a weak acid, and as such it can damage surfaces like natural stone, television and monitor screens, hardwood flooring, and wood furniture. It can also do a lot of damage to washing machines and dishwashers if you toss it in to freshen things up, because the vinegar will weaken the rubber seals inside those appliances over time. Similarly, bleach is a powerful cleaning agent—but it's powerful it can actually corrode metal surfaces (like those on your kitchen appliances) and natural stone. If you’re cleaning your house with vinegar and bleach regularly, you’re basically slowly dissolving big parts of it over time. And if you’re using a steam cleaner on wood or laminate floors, you’re probably slowly ruining them, too. Unlike a spilled liquid, steam is pushed under pressure into the tiny seams in your floor, infiltrating the wood and making it swell-resulting in permanent and irreversible damage. Not sweeping enoughEven if you’re not steaming your floors, you might be ruining them by not doing something: Sweeping (or vacuuming) regularly. As in, daily. Even if the floors look superficially clean, dirt that’s invisible to you is busily destroying your floors. It gets pushed into the tiny cracks and seams, dulling the finish and discoloring the floor. And the tiny particles of dirt and debris act like sandpaper, and as you walk around you’re grinding that stuff into the floor, creating scratches. When you do sweep, notice how much stuff you’re cleaning off a floor that didn’t look dirty to the naked eye, and realize that you’re scraping that stuff along your floors all the time. Planting climbing vinesIf you think a vine enveloping your house is charming, think again: Creeping and climbing plants that grow up and over homes are eating those homes bit by bit. They trap moisture and open up cracks in your home’s exterior that allow that moisture to infiltrate, their weight can damage siding and other exterior cladding, they offer shelter to damaging insects and small animals—they can even tear stuff off your house, like gutters and downspouts. Misusing your garbage disposal Garbage disposals are garbage (if you ask me, anyway), but if you have one, you probably use it. And if you use it, you might be setting yourself up for a big repair bill in the future because people seem to believe that garbage disposals are magical bags of holding that simply make anything disappear. The list of stuff that will wind up clogging your pipes and/or septic system includes most fats, oils, and grease (including stuff like peanut butter or heavy cream), egg shells (or any kind of shell, actually), vegetable peels, and corn husks. The list is so long you might wonder what even is the point of a garbage disposal, anyway, and you would not be wrong. View the full article

Starbucks plans to lay off 1,100 corporate employees and eliminate hundreds of open and unfilled positions, CEO Brian Niccol said on Monday. In a memo, Niccol said the cuts will remove duplication “to create smaller, more nimble teams,” and the company will inform employees who are being laid off by midday Tuesday. Starbucks, which has 16,000 corporate employees, said the cuts will not affect staff at cafés. “We believe it’s a necessary change to position Starbucks for future success,” Niccol said in the statement. “Our intent is to operate more efficiently, increase accountability, reduce complexity, and drive better integration.” Shares of the coffee giant (NASDAQ:SBUX) rose nearly 2% on the news in midday trading Monday. Like many fast-food chains and retail stores, Starbucks has been struggling with declining in-store sales as customers are less interested in the chain’s high-priced drinks. The cuts come just one month after the Seattle-based coffee chain reversed its popular open-door policy, which allowed anyone to sit in its cafés or use the bathroom without making a purchase. Last week, Niccol told the Wall Street Journal he plans to speed up wait times and improve mobile ordering. He also said Starbucks will be offering smaller menus in the future. According to Today.com, starting March 4, these 13 drinks will be off the menu: Iced Matcha Lemonade Espresso Frappuccino Caffè Vanilla Frappuccino White Chocolate Mocha Frappuccino Java Chip Frappuccino Chai Crème Frappuccino Caramel Ribbon Crunch Crème Frappuccino Double Chocolaty Chip Crème Frappuccino Chocolate Cookie Crumble Crème Frappuccino White Chocolate Crème Frappuccino White Hot Chocolate Royal English Breakfast Latte Honey Almondmilk Flat White The chain will instead focus on customer favorites like the new Cortado and will be bringing back the Iced Cherry Chai and Jalapeño Chicken Pocket this spring. View the full article

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. Party speakers hold a special place in my heart. I love hosting people and music, so I'm always on the lookout for the next best thing, which at the moment, it's the JBL PartyBox Stage 320. But not everyone has over $500 to spend on a party speaker. If you're looking for a budget option that still has great features and packs a punch, consider Hisense's HP100 Party Rocker Speaker, currently $149.99 (originally $299.95) on Woot, the lowest price it has been according to price-tracking tools. Remember Woot only ships to the 48 contiguous states in the U.S. If you have Amazon Prime, you get free shipping; otherwise, it’ll be $6 to ship. Hisense Party Rocker Speaker HP100 2.0CH, 300W, IPX4 Waterproof, 15 Hour Long-Lasting Battery, Bluetooth 5.0, DJ and Karaoke Mode. $149.99 at Woot $299.95 Save $149.96 Get Deal Get Deal $149.99 at Woot $299.95 Save $149.96 The HP100 has been around since 2022, but it was ahead of its time when it comes to features for party speakers. It has a waterproof IPX4 rating, a 15-hour battery (with no lights and 50% volume), a two-channel system so you get stereo sound, and features to set it up for karaoke. One of the most important things for a party speaker is its output power. The HP100 has 300W of output power, which beats the PartyBox Stage 320's 240W, meaning it can get loud and not sound edgy (of course, the quality of your media also plays a role). You'll also be limited to Bluetooth 5.0, so your range, codec support, and other features will be affected (the JBL has Bluetooth 5.4). The HP100 has a microphone and guitar in port, so you can set up karaoke and control those inputs with the speaker. The control panel on the top has a wireless charging pad for supported phones, a slot to place phones so they're propped up, a battery indicator, controls for playing FM radio, light controls, and other physical buttons. The HP100 is a respectable speaker in 2025, just don't expect any fancy features like an app companion and everything that comes with that. However, this is a great opportunity at just $150 for a quality party speaker. View the full article

Want more housing market stories from Lance Lambert’s ResiClub in your inbox? Subscribe to the ResiClub newsletter. National home prices have risen by 2.6% year-over-year from January 2024 to January 2025, according to the Zillow Home Value Index, a slightly decelerated rate from the 4.6% year-over-year rate last spring. However, not every housing market is seeing rising home prices. Among the 300 largest metro area housing markets, 31 markets are seeing falling home prices on a year-over-year basis. While home prices continue to rise in regions with tight inventory—such as much of the Northeast, Midwest, and Southern California—some housing markets in states like Texas, Florida, and Louisiana, where inventory has now surpassed pre-pandemic 2019 levels, are experiencing modest price corrections. These year-over-year declines are evident in major metros such as Austin (-3.4%); Tampa (-2.8%); San Antonio (-1.8%); New Orleans (-1.1%); Jacksonville, Florida (-0.9%); Phoenix (-0.8%); Dallas (-0.7%); and Orlando (-0.6%).\] The markets seeing the most softness, where homebuyers are gaining leverage, are primarily located in Sun Belt regions, particularly the Gulf Coast and Mountain West. These areas saw major price surges during the pandemic housing boom, with home price growth outpacing local income levels. As pandemic-driven migration slowed and mortgage rates rose, markets like Tampa and Austin faced challenges, relying on local income levels to support frothy home prices. This softening trend is further compounded by an abundance of new home supply in the Sun Belt. Builders are often willing to lower prices or offer affordability incentives to maintain sales, which also has a cooling effect on the resale market. Some buyers, who would have previously considered existing homes, are now opting for new homes with more favorable deals. Will this softening continue this year? A key indicator to watch will be active inventory levels. If weaker markets like Tampa continue to see substantial increases in active inventory—already above pre-pandemic levels—it may signal ongoing softening, potentially creating more opportunities for homebuyers. View the full article

Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company has introduced the Cooper WORK Series Regional Haul All-position (RHA) 2, a commercial truck tire designed to balance fuel efficiency with durability for super-regional and regional fleets. The SmartWay-verified tire is engineered to deliver long miles to removal and even wear, addressing the evolving demands of Less-than-Truckload (LTL) carriers and super-regional operations. Addressing Efficiency and Durability in Super-Regional Transport As shipping hubs move closer to last-mile delivery networks, the demand for commercial tires that can withstand both highway and urban driving conditions is increasing. Joe Burke, vice president of North America Commercial at Goodyear, emphasized the importance of adapting to these trends. “The super-regional category is evolving with shorter routes between shipping hubs and a focus on improving efficiency by being closer to last-mile delivery fleets,” says Joe Burke, vice president, North America Commercial at Goodyear. “The new Cooper WORK Series RHA 2 helps address these needs by combining a long-haul tread with a scrub guard compound, creating a tough tire that can handle everything from long trips to urban traffic.” Key Features of the Cooper WORK Series RHA 2 The RHA 2 is designed to provide fleets with both performance and longevity, featuring: Balanced long-haul and regional tread compound for improved fuel efficiency and extended mileage. Scrub guard compound to resist wear in high-scrub environments. Five-rib tread with a wide footprint and solid shoulder to promote even wear and long tread life. Stone protector ledges to reduce stone retention and improve retreadability. Cooper Wear Square indicator for quick assessment of remaining tread life. Expanding the Cooper WORK Series Portfolio The RHA 2 joins Goodyear’s Cooper WORK Series, SEVERE Series, and PRO Series in providing commercial fleets with high-value tire solutions. Each line is designed to optimize total cost of ownership while meeting the durability needs of modern trucking operations. The Cooper WORK Series RHA 2 is available now. This article, "Goodyear Unveils Cooper WORK Series RHA 2 Tire for Super-Regional and Regional Fleets" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company has introduced the Cooper WORK Series Regional Haul All-position (RHA) 2, a commercial truck tire designed to balance fuel efficiency with durability for super-regional and regional fleets. The SmartWay-verified tire is engineered to deliver long miles to removal and even wear, addressing the evolving demands of Less-than-Truckload (LTL) carriers and super-regional operations. Addressing Efficiency and Durability in Super-Regional Transport As shipping hubs move closer to last-mile delivery networks, the demand for commercial tires that can withstand both highway and urban driving conditions is increasing. Joe Burke, vice president of North America Commercial at Goodyear, emphasized the importance of adapting to these trends. “The super-regional category is evolving with shorter routes between shipping hubs and a focus on improving efficiency by being closer to last-mile delivery fleets,” says Joe Burke, vice president, North America Commercial at Goodyear. “The new Cooper WORK Series RHA 2 helps address these needs by combining a long-haul tread with a scrub guard compound, creating a tough tire that can handle everything from long trips to urban traffic.” Key Features of the Cooper WORK Series RHA 2 The RHA 2 is designed to provide fleets with both performance and longevity, featuring: Balanced long-haul and regional tread compound for improved fuel efficiency and extended mileage. Scrub guard compound to resist wear in high-scrub environments. Five-rib tread with a wide footprint and solid shoulder to promote even wear and long tread life. Stone protector ledges to reduce stone retention and improve retreadability. Cooper Wear Square indicator for quick assessment of remaining tread life. Expanding the Cooper WORK Series Portfolio The RHA 2 joins Goodyear’s Cooper WORK Series, SEVERE Series, and PRO Series in providing commercial fleets with high-value tire solutions. Each line is designed to optimize total cost of ownership while meeting the durability needs of modern trucking operations. The Cooper WORK Series RHA 2 is available now. This article, "Goodyear Unveils Cooper WORK Series RHA 2 Tire for Super-Regional and Regional Fleets" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

The new iOS 18.4 beta is still missing an AI-overhauled Siri, on-screen awareness, and the app integrations feature we were promised all the way back in June at WWDC. If you're waiting for those features, try your luck with iOS 18.5. However, 18.4 isn't an empty update. The first beta introduces Priority Notifications, and Apple Intelligence now supports more languages—which is great news for Apple users across the globe. In addition, Apple Intelligence is now accessible in the European Union for the first time. Here's everything that's new with iOS 18.4. Priority NotificationsOne of the new highlight features in iOS 18.4 is Priority Notifications. When enabled, your iPhone will use on-device intelligence to figure out which notifications are truly important, and will highlight them in a new Priority Notifications box at the top. However, in this beta, it's not enabled by default. Go to Settings > Notifications > Prioritize Notifications and then enable the feature. Credit: Khamosh Pathak Sketch style in Image Playground Credit: Khamosh Pathak When you're creating an image in Image Playground, you'll see a new style option called Sketch. This style makes it look like your AI-generated image was sketched on a paper. If that sounds familiar, that's because we also saw this back at WWDC, but Apple only just added it to iOS with this update. New Ambient Music feature in Control Center Credit: Khamosh Pathak Apple already has a background sounds feature that generates nature sounds for ambient playback. However, in iOS 18.4, you'll find a new Ambient Music section in Control Center. There are four options: Sleep, Chill, Productivity, and Wellbeing. Tap one, and it'll play a corresponding playlist from Apple Music. Credit: Khamosh Pathak Apple has mapped a playlist to each button by default, but you're not locked to any. If you go into the editing view and then tap on a control, you can choose a different playlist (Apple gives you four different options for each control), or you can choose any playlist from your own collection. Apple Intelligence comes to the EUApple Intelligence now supports French, German, Italian, Portuguese (Brazil), Spanish, Japanese, Korean, and Chinese (simplified), plus there's now support for localized English language in both India and Singapore. Recipes come to the News+ appThe News app has a new Apple News Food+ section for paying subscribers. Here, you can access tens of thousands of aesthetically pleasing recipes. There are also stories, restaurant reviews, and more. The new Mail app comes to iPad and MacWith iPadOS 18.4 beta and macOS 15.4 beta, the redesigned Mail app is coming to the iPad and the Mac. Once you update, you'll get access to email categories and other AI features on your tablet and computer. A much better Genmoji button Credit: Khamosh Pathak When I wrote about Genmoji, I was tempted to call it a hidden feature, because that's what it felt like. Genmoji was just a multicolor smiley face tucked in the corner of the Emoji keyboard. Apple seems to have learned its lesson: With 18.4, the new icon says "Gemoji" right next to the smiley face rainbow icon. New Podcasts widgets Credit: Khamosh Pathak The Podcasts app has two new widgets: one for Library, and for Shows. The Library widget can show you all saved episodes, downloaded episodes, or latest episodes. The Shows widget is for highlighting all episodes from a single show. You can choose a show, and then access all the latest episodes from the show from the Home Screen. More choices for default apps Apple's selection of default apps options is growing. You can now set a different Translate app by default, and if you're in the EU, there's now support for choosing a default navigation app, too. (If you're not in the EU, try using Map Redirect as a workaround.) CarPlay changesFor some users, it looks like CarPlay is adding a third row of app icons on the Home screen. Other small changesMajor app updates like iOS 18.4 typically include a number of smaller changes in addition to more notable ones. Here's what else iOS 18.4 updates on your iPhone: When you're setting up a new device with iOS 18.4, you'll be prompted to select an age range. You can choose between Child (12 or younger), Teen (13 to 17), and Adult (18 or older). Apple says that it will use this data only to help set up parental controls. There are two new Shortcuts actions for the Messages app: Open Conversation, and Send Message. When you go to edit your Albums, you'll see a new List View option, hopefully making it easier to rearrange albums. View the full article

After nearly 40 years providing decor for countless birthdays across the United States, Party City is entering its final days of operations. And as the company’s last storefronts close their doors, competitors including Five Below and Dollar Tree are vying to move in for majorly discounted prices. Party City filed for bankruptcy twice—first in 2023 and again this past December—before ultimately announcing at the end of 2024 that it could not recover its losses and would be permanently shutting down its 800 locations. In a memo sent to employees at the time, the company listed February 28 as its last day of operations (though, since then, some Redditors have noted extensions at their local locations). While most Party City stores are living out their last hurrah this week, the company itself is working down to the wire to sell designation rights for more than 200 existing leases. Discount retailers are stepping up According to documents submitted to bankruptcy court in the southern district of Texas, Party City is currently hoping to secure deals with two new tenants: Five Below and Dollar Tree. Per a memo submitted on February 19, the proposed Five Below deal would include 44 storefronts in exchange for a $2 million upfront payment, followed by an additional $70,000 for each lease agreement signed after 29 leases. Likewise, the proposed Dollar Tree deal (submitted to court on February 21) would include 148 storefronts for a $1 million upfront payment, followed by an additional $65,000 for each lease agreement over 10 leases. In both cases, Party City’s legal representation noted, the company has “an urgent need” to close the transactions quickly, given that its dwindling budget “does not provide for continued payment of rent.” Both proposals are expected to be heard in court this week. Fast Company reached out to Party City, Five Below, and Dollar Tree for more information on the deals, and did not hear back from any of the parties involved at the time of publication. Many legacy retailers are struggling in 2025 Party City’s final woes come amidst a larger “retail apocalypse” affecting stores like 7-Eleven, Big Lots, and Joann Inc. (which also just announced it will permanently cease operations). As inflation persists and e-commerce continues to gain ground as consumers’ preferred method of shopping, physical retail locations are taking a major hit. According to a report from Coresight Research, this year could be the worst yet for U.S. retailers (including pandemic years), with an estimated 15,000 closures on the near horizon. Based on a report from The Independent, while the Party City corporation’s days are numbered, the store won’t entirely fade into oblivion just yet. Currently, nine franchisees representing 29 Party City locations are planning to run their stores independently for the foreseeable future. A similar phenomenon has kept the last remaining Blockbuster store open years after the company itself died off—preserving a beloved site of retail nostalgia against all odds. View the full article

Anthropic released on Monday its Claude 3.7 Sonnet model, which it says returns results faster and can show the user the “chain of thought” it follows to reach an answer. This latest model also powers a new coding tool called Claude Code that can perform some development tasks autonomously. Claude 3.7 Sonnet offers an “extended thinking” mode that engages in a more detailed “chain of thought” reasoning but takes longer to generate a response. For simpler questions it eschews this mode and instead focuses on speed. Other models offer their own versions of “thinking” mode, but typically the user has to select that feature for harder problems; Anthropic says Claude 3.7 Sonnet is the first publicly available model with the capability to choose the best mode based on the user’s question. If Grok 3 and DeepSeek-R1 are stick shifts, then Anthropic’s new model is an automatic. “Just as humans use a single brain for both quick responses and deep reflection, we believe reasoning should be an integrated capability of frontier models rather than a separate model entirely,” Anthropic says in a blog post. Claude 3.7 Sonnet outperforms other “thinking” models in some important benchmark tests. On SWE-bench, which evaluates AI models’ ability to solve real-world software issues, the model beat OpenAI’s o1 and o3-mini and DeepSeek-R1 by a comfortable margin. It was the same story on TAU-bench, which tests AI agents on complex real-world tasks with user and tool interactions. However, OpenAI’s o1 model still edges out Claude 3.7 Sonnet in math problem solving, visual reasoning, multilingual Q&A, and graduate-level reasoning benchmarks. Anthropic describes the Claude Code tool as an active collaborator that can search and read code, edit files, write and run tests, and commit and push code to GitHub. The company says the tool has already become “indispensable” for its own coders, completing tasks in a single pass that would normally take 45 minutes or more of manual work. Claude 3.7 Sonnet is now available on all Claude subscription plans—Free, Pro, Team, and Enterprise–but the extended thinking mode isn’t available to users of the free tier. Claude 3.7 Sonnet is also available to developers as an API for the same price as earlier Claude models. View the full article

Sir Keir Starmer reiterates that Britain is ‘ready and willing’ to put troops on ground in Ukraine to secure peaceView the full article

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 a budget-friendly phone that gets the job done, the Motorola Moto G Power 5G (2024, Unlocked) is currently $179.99 (down from $299.99)—its lowest price ever, according to price-trackers. Available in midnight blue and pale lilac, this PCMag Editor’s Choice winner features a vegan leather finish, which while giving it a premium feel tends to attract dust and pet hair (so a case might be a smart investment). On the upside, the textured surface provides a secure grip, making accidental drops less likely. It also packs a side-mounted fingerprint scanner in the power button, a decent single speaker with Dolby Atmos support, and a 3.5mm headphone jack for those who prefer wired audio. Moto G Power 5G | 2024 | Unlocked | Made for US 8/128GB | 50MP Camera | Midnight Blue $179.99 at Amazon /images/amazon-prime.svg $299.99 Save $120.00 Get Deal Get Deal $179.99 at Amazon /images/amazon-prime.svg $299.99 Save $120.00 For an affordable device, it performs surprisingly well, thanks to its MediaTek Dimensity 7020 processor and 8GB of RAM. Everyday tasks feel smooth, and its 6.7-inch 120Hz display makes scrolling and animations feel more fluid than you’d expect at this price point. Additionally, its 128GB of storage (expandable up to 1TB via microSD), gives you plenty of space for apps and media. And with NFC support for mobile payments, it adds a small but significant convenience that’s often missing in budget phones. Battery life is another strong point, with a 5,000mAh capacity lasting well over 12 hours. And when it’s time to charge, 30W wired charging and 15W wireless charging ensure you’re not stuck waiting for too long. Where the Moto G Power 5G (2024) starts to show its budget roots is in the camera department: Its 50MP main sensor with optical image stabilization sounds promising, but the results can be inconsistent, with oversaturated colors and pixel blurring, notes this PCMag review. If capturing crisp, high-quality shots is a priority, the OnePlus Nord N30 5G ($299.99) might be a better option. View the full article

The real estate company's latest move leverages artificial intelligence to optimize and simplify the entire home-buying journey for consumers. View the full article

There are multiple ways to run a salon business. The owner can rent or buy a space and hire employees who work for a set wage. Or they can set up a salon booth rental arrangement. The latter option provides some unique benefits both for business owners and those who rent the space. The following post is your complete guide for finding a booth and/or renting booths to stylists. What is Booth Rental? With a booth rental salon, the salon owner simply rents chairs to other licensed cosmetologists instead of hiring them to work for a set wage. The owner gets the profits from renting the space. And those who rent the space essentially run their own business within the larger salon. They can set their own schedule and are responsible for their own marketing and client management. But they benefit from having the space and amenities of the established salon. How Much Does Booth Rental Cost? The precise cost of salon booth rental depends on the salon’s location and the amenities available. Typically, the average cost is about $400 to $600 monthly. However, salons situated in upscale neighborhoods and high-traffic locations such as Manhattan can demand thousands per month. In contrast, salons located in areas with lower traffic may have rates as low as $200 per month. How Does Salon Booth Rental Work? If you are in the process of finding out how to open a hair salon or how to open a nail salon, or you already own a salon, booth rental would simply allow you to earn income from renting each chair in your location. Each stylist pays a monthly fee and/or a percentage of their earnings. If you’re a stylist, salon booth rental allows you to essentially start your own business without setting up your own location. You simply rent the space from a booth rental business and start bringing in clients. You pay a monthly fee or a small percentage of earnings and keep the rest. Why You Should Consider Renting a Booth as a Stylist If you’re starting out as a stylist, you have to consider whether to rent a booth or look for more traditional employment. Here are some reasons to go with a booth rental business. Be Your Own Boss When you rent a booth from a salon, you’re basically an independent contractor instead of an employee. This means you get to book your own clients, set your own hours, and build a brand that’s entirely your own. As long as you follow the rules of your rental contract, you don’t have to worry about traditional employment constrictions. Set Your Own Schedule Salon booth businesses don’t operate like other local businesses. Since you’re not an employee, you can schedule clients only for the times you’re available. If you’re a busy parent, you can just schedule clients when the kids are in school. If you want to build a robust business, you decide how many clients you can handle each day. Save on Startup Costs For those who know they want to start their own beauty business, booth rental provides a low-cost way to build a client base. You don’t need to secure an entire building, purchase all your own supplies, and go through complicated permitting processes. You only rent the space. Have Your Own Clients However, you’re still responsible for booking your own appointments. And your clients are your own – not the salon’s. So if you ever choose to start your own full salon or move to a different location, you can easily keep your customers. Be Based in an Established Salon with Your Own Business An established beauty salon can also provide some important authority for your new business. It provides a professional setting to host your appointments. And the brand name may even carry some weight. What are the Disadvantages of Booth Renting? Renting a salon booth provides a lot of benefits for certain stylists. But it’s not right for everyone. Carefully consider the following elements before signing on. You’re Paying Rent as a Salon Booth Renter When you work for a salon, you receive a paycheck without having to invest anything upfront. But as a booth renter, you pay for the space and amenities. This may be worth it for some, but it could be difficult for those without any startup cash or clients. Less Name Recognition than Larger Salons Your salon booth is its own business. So you’re still going to be up against larger competitors. Your business model as an independent stylist needs to be able to gain clients steadily through the years. You are Responsible for Your Own Supplies The salon you rent space from will likely provide large items like chairs and access to sinks and phones. However, salon renters normally use their own tools. So you do need to budget for these purchases. Booth Rental Tips for a Profitable Business If you do decide that a salon booth rental business is right for you, a well thought out business model and plan can keep you on track. Here’s how to maximize profits while growing your clientele. Plan Your Business Model Working as a stylist in a booth rental salon is akin to running your own business. You set your own services and prices, decide your working hours, and choose whether to accept walk-ins. To remain organized and focused, outline your services, policies, expenses, and projections from the beginning. Develop a Pricing Strategy Part of your business model should include prices for all your services. This helps you customers know what to expect and can help you determine how much you need to work to meet your earnings projections each month. Get Your Record-Keeping Right Once you get started, you need a way of tracking earnings, expenses, and customers. Some new stylists just use spreadsheets. But you may want actual accounting software to manage finances, a CRM to track customer interactions, and a calendar to book appointments. Marketing and Promotion Invest in promoting your services. Leverage social media, local advertising, and word-of-mouth to enhance your visibility. Specialize in a Niche Consider specializing in a specific niche or style that sets you apart from competitors and attracts a dedicated clientele. Maintain a Professional Image Keep your booth clean, organized, and professional. This reflects on your business and can significantly impact customer perceptions and satisfaction. Continuously Upgrade Your Skills Stay updated with the latest trends and techniques in the industry. Consider attending workshops or training sessions to enhance your skills. Build Strong Customer Relationships Focus on building lasting relationships with your clients. Personalized service and understanding their preferences can lead to repeat business and referrals. Know Your Products and Services Many stylists offer a variety of hair care products along with their services. Keep a list of everything handy at your booth. And get to know each item and its price so you can speak intelligently when customers ask. Schedule Your Appointments and Consider Salon Software Appointment scheduling is a major factor that stylists work on daily. A calendar system or salon software can help you manage these. For example, Salon Iris allows you to customize forms to send to customers and easily collect data and complete transactions. And Boulevard is a business management solution that automates booking and personalizes appointment data. Understand that Marketing Your Business is Incredibly Important Marketing is a pivotal aspect of running a booth rental business. As a booth owner, you’re not just managing a physical space but also building a brand and attracting customers. Here’s a deeper dive into why marketing is essential and the strategies you can employ: The Significance of Marketing for Your Booth Business: Self-Reliance: Unlike working within a larger store or establishment, booth owners typically do not gain from the broad marketing strategies employed by bigger brands. As a result, individual marketing becomes essential. Building Brand Identity: Marketing helps carve out a unique identity for your booth amidst potential competition. Attracting and Retaining Customers: Regular marketing initiatives help in not only attracting first-time customers but also retaining them and encouraging repeat business. Effective Marketing Strategies for Booth Owners: Social Media Presence: Platforms: Utilize platforms like Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, or even TikTok, depending on your target audience and product offering. Engagement: Regularly post updates, promotions, or behind-the-scenes content to engage your audience. User-Generated Content: Encourage satisfied customers to share photos of their purchases, which can serve as organic testimonials. Local Search Ads: Google My Business: Ensure you have a listing on Google My Business to appear in local searches. Pay-per-click (PPC) Campaigns: Invest in ads that target local keywords related to your booth’s offerings. Sponsor Local Events: Visibility: This can offer significant visibility, especially if your target audience aligns with the event’s attendees. Partnerships: Collaborate with event organizers for special promotions or booth placements. Loyalty Programs: Encourage repeat business by offering loyalty cards or discounts for regular customers. Email Marketing: Newsletters: Regular updates about new arrivals, special promotions, or events can keep your audience engaged. Personalization: Send personalized recommendations or offers based on past purchases. Collaborations and Partnerships: Partner with complementary businesses or local influencers for shoutouts, giveaways, or collaborative events. Make Sure You Choose the Right Salon The salon you choose should match your values and goals for your business. For example, if you plan to start a luxurious brand, choose a salon that is in an upscale neighborhood with modern decor and amenities. Choose a Salon in the Perfect Location You also need a salon that is convenient for both you and your customers. Distance is important, but also consider the types of customers in the area and local amenities like parking and walkability. Starting a Booth Rental Business as a Salon Owner If you’re a salon owner, offering booth rental to stylists can provide a consistent source of income. Here are several strategies to enhance this business model. What to Include in Booth Rental Before collaborating with stylists, it is important to clearly communicate their expectations. For instance, your booth rental fee may cover: salon chair mirror sinks hair dryers towels coffee, water, and snacks office tools like a phone and printer How to Make Booth Rental Profitable for Your Business When you own a booth rental salon, you turn a profit based on your ability to attract stylists. You can attract more stylists by offering features that may help them attract customers. For example, salons in high-traffic areas tend to be popular. However, if you don’t have the best location, offer more options like spa services that renters can offer their clients. Deciding on the Rental Rate The rental rate needs to be enough for you to turn a profit. But it also needs to be low enough that stylists are willing to pay it each month. If you have trouble attracting enough stylists, you may need to offer more amenities or improve your storefront so it appeals to more customers. If you have too many stylists interested in booth rental, you may want to raise rates. Advantages of Renting Chairs in Your Salon Running a salon rental business can be significantly less involved than running a traditional salon. Here are some top advantages: No need to hire and train employees Ability to earn passive income through monthly rent Easy to predict income each month No need to build a full service and pricing list Disadvantages of Renting Chairs in Your Salon However, renting chairs to independent stylists can also have drawbacks. Here are some to consider: Lack of control over services offered at your location Damage to reputation if customers have a bad experience with a stylist Complications with employment law over dealing with independent contractors Losing customers to chair renters in your salon, if you also provide stylist services there The Legal Aspects of Booth Rental Before you can start a salon using this business model, it’s important to get the legal aspects right. Here are some issues to consider. Contracts and the Booth Rental Salon Agreement Your rental agreement should lay out what space they’re provided and any add-ons that are included. It also needs to state exactly what they can and can’t do. For example, are they responsible for doing their own laundry? Can they sell their own products? What behavior is not tolerated around other renters and their clientele? A signed agreement with all this outlined may help you cut ties with any contractors who don’t follow the rules. State Laws Each state has its own regulations regarding booth rental. For instance, you might need to fulfill specific criteria related to collaborating with contractors or providing physical space. It’s advisable to consult your state’s business office for detailed information. Protecting Yourself Stylists who rent booths are generally responsible for their own insurance. Professional liability can protect against some legal action from clients. For salon owners, general liability can protect against injury on-site. Taxes Chair renters are responsible for tracking and paying taxes based on their earnings. And salon owners must also pay taxes on their rental income. Specific rates vary by state. Developing Your Own Company Policies Each salon needs policies for what stylists are allowed to do and what’s included in rental agreements. And then renters need policies for what services are offered and how customers can book and keep appointments. For example, write out rates for all services and let customers know when payment is expected and how and when appointments can be canceled. How do I start booth renting? First, find a salon in your area that suits your needs. For example, if you need to bring in new customers, look for salons in high traffic areas. Then compare prices and amenities. Once you find a salon, invest in the tools and supplies that are not included, like hair tools and beauty products from your favorite brands. What are booth renters responsible for? Booth renters are usually responsible for running most aspects of their business, including: Finances Marketing Creating service lists and prices Communicating with customers Appointment scheduling Providing services Should I charge booth rent or commission? When renting chairs in a salon, you have the option to charge either a flat monthly fee or a percentage of each renter’s commission. A flat rent structure offers more predictability, while a commission-based approach could potentially yield higher earnings if your renters generate significant income. Think about the level of accounting work you’re prepared to handle and how much predictability matters for your business model. CriteriaFlat Monthly FeePercentage Commission PredictabilityHigh - You know the exact amount you'll receive each month.Variable - Depends on the renters' income for that period. Potential EarningsFixed - You earn the same regardless of the renters' income.Flexible - Earnings can increase if renters have a good month. Accounting ComplexityLow - Simple and consistent tracking of fixed rental amounts.Higher - Need to calculate and track variable amounts regularly. RiskLower - Assured income irrespective of the renters' business.Potential for lower income during slow periods for renters. Incentive for RentersNone - Renters pay the same regardless of their earnings.Renters might be more motivated to earn more, as it also affects their own take-home amount. Business Model AlignmentSuitable for those prioritizing stability and simplicity.Works best for salons willing to share risks and rewards with renters. Are booth renters considered employees? No, booth renters in a salon are independent contractors. They basically run their own business. But they use some amenities at the salon. How do I prepare for a booth rental? If you’re thinking about renting a booth at a salon, here are some things to consider: Read your rental agreement to learn exactly what is included Invest in your own tools Market your services online or locally Get a salon software Schedule appointments Image: Depositphotos This article, "Booth Rental Guide for Salon Owner and Stylists" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article