Setting Up Your Home Office

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. You get a one-year Costco Executive Gold Star Membership plus a $60 Digital Costco Shop Card on sale for just $130 on StackSocial right now. The card works both online and in-store, and it arrives via email within two weeks of activation, providing an immediate way to recoup nearly half of the membership cost. This offer is available to new members only, or to those whose membership expired at least 18 months ago, and must be redeemed online before visiting a Costco location. The offer is valid until January 21, 2026. Once activated, you can shop at…

Plex has been rolling out a new user interface for a while now, and to say it's been divisive among users would be an understatement. Users on Reddit regularly complain about the interface being confusing and slow; others wish the application would focus on personal media servers instead of things like movie rentals. Plezy is an alternative Plex client that solves these issues. The application, which is available for Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and iOS, focuses entirely on personal media servers. Plez has a simple user interface, but the real advantage over the official Plex app is its speed. Everything about Plezy is faster than the official Plex app—it launches fast…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. The Microsoft Surface Book 3 isn't the newest model on the market, but it's one of the few laptops that can serve as both a tablet and a creative workstation, which helps explain why it initially launched at nearly $1,700. Currently, StackSocial is offering the 15-inch 2020 Surface Book 3 on sale for $929.99, equipped with 32GB of RAM and 512GB of SSD storage, or on sale for $999.99 for the 1TB version. The smaller 13.5-inch models are also available, priced between $699.99 and $799.99. Each one is refurbished to Grade A condition, meaning it looks …

Two years ago, Peloton recalled seat posts on its classic Bike models. Now, the brand is doing the same for seats on its older Bike+ models (but not the new Cross Training Bike+ that came out a few weeks ago). If you have the old model of Bike+, you'll need to reach out to Peloton to arrange a replacement. Which Peloton models are affected by the recall?Per Peloton, this is a voluntary recall of seat posts for Bike+ models made between December 2019 and July 2022 and sold in the U.S. and Canada. If your Bike+ has a PL02 model number on the label inside or behind the front fork or behind the flywheel, it is impacted by the recall. If you've checked and you're still not s…

iPadOS 26 is a huge deal for anyone who wishes Apple would just make a touchscreen MacBook already. The update rolls out a major multitasking redesign that introduces macOS-like windows, a macOS-like menu bar, and a macOS-like file management. The iPad even has the Preview app, for crying out loud—though, to be fair, so does the iPhone. Apple has toed the line with its tablets over the years, introducing features and functions that make the experience more like using a computer, while never really committing to the bit entirely. To that point, iPadOS 26 probably won't replace your MacBook, but it comes pretty close. If your major concerns have to do with things like win…

Flight cancellations under the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) government shutdown order have begun, with hundreds of flights and thousands of travelers across 40 U.S. airports affected. This could continue for as long as the shutdown lasts (and potentially impact many more travelers as the busy holiday season approaches). While flight cancellations are never fun, the cascading effect of due to the government shutdown could make dealing with one even more frustrating. Here are four actions you should take right away if your itinerary is cut. Enable alerts from your airlineFlight cancellations often happen with little to no notice, sometimes when you're already e…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Thanksgiving should be one of the least stressful holidays—the sole achievement you’re trying to unlock is to eat yourself into a coma, which many of us can do any time, with zero prep. But there are some sneaky sources of stress, from the expense of pulling it all together to the travel arrangements needed to make sure everyone arrives in time for appetizers—not to mention the stress of cooking Thanksgiving dinner. The unlucky host has the responsibility of not only feeding a large group of people, but making sure everything comes out more or less on time—and then cleaning up the spectacular mess afterward. Luckily, moder…

The New York Times has announced a new feature that allows you to make your own Wordle puzzle to share with friends. You need to be a Games or All-Access subscriber to create puzzles, but no subscription is needed to solve them. You aren't roped to regular Wordle's five-letter structure, either: Allowable puzzles can be anywhere from four to seven letters long. They must be on an allowable word list; as with regular Wordle, this means no proper nouns, for the most part. Profanity is not allowed, nor are gibberish entries like “ASDFGJ” (I tried). Here’s a link to a Wordle-style puzzle with four letters that I created for you—because I consider all of you my friends. (Thi…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Creator/writer/star Mae Martin's Wayward is Netflix's biggest show right now. It's a sly mystery involving cult behavior and cycles of trauma at a school for troubled teens, given added relevance by its proximity to real-life stories of abuses at similar facilities. Wayward does a few different things well: It's a mystery box show, first of all—meaning that we're presented with not just one but several intriguing puzzles right off the bat, with resolutions handed out frugally. It's also a great example of the "small towns are weird" subgenre, one that likes to remind us that there are strange and ominous doings in even the…

Poshmark has been implementing a lot of changes lately, like lower shipping fees (that come with a downgrade from USPS Priority mail to standard ground mailing) and Smart Sell features. It's most recent change, though—the removal of the bulk-share option—has many users (including myself) frustrated. The removal of bulk sharingPoshmark has long functioned in a more social way than other resale platforms like Depop or Mercari. You can follow sellers the same way you can on Instagram or X, for instance. Notably, users have always been encouraged to "share" their own listings and others' listings, which would then appear in the homepage feeds of anyone who followed them. A fe…

On Tuesday, Apple dropped the first developer betas for iOS 26.2 and macOS 26.2. While these updates aren't as massive as iOS 26 or macOS 26 were, 26.2 includes a number of new features and changes, including the ability to add alarms to reminders, and changes to how Apple calculates the Apple Watch's new Sleep Score. Despite these fun adjustments, I couldn't recommend that users install the new updates on their personal devices. Three days later, I still don't recommend it, but I won't necessarily dissuade you from it either, as the public betas for both updates are now available. Developer vs. public betasBefore Apple releases any major software update to the general p…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. A Costco membership usually pays for itself, but this deal makes it even easier to justify: You can get a one-year Costco Gold Star Membership, plus a $40 Digital Costco Shop Card, on sale for just $65 on StackSocial right now. That effectively drops the cost of membership to just $25 for the year, and it's sent straight to your inbox within two weeks of redemption. If you were planning to shop there anyway, it’s a no-brainer, but this offer is only available to new members or those whose membership has expired for at least 18 months. The Gold Star …

This morning, orders from the Federal Aviation Administration led U.S. airlines to cancel hundreds of flights across the country. The FAA's unprecedented orders are due to air traffic controllers missing their paychecks, which is due to the unprecedented government shutdown (now the longest in U.S. history). These air traffic control staffing shortages have been disrupting flights at 40 major U.S. airports, leaving thousands of passengers scrambling to figure out backup plans. Unlike weather delays that clear up on their own, this could continue as long as the government shutdown continues. Airlines are scrambling to adjust schedules on short notice, which means chaos and…

There are times when I feel like my AirPods are pure magic. It's always impressive how they automatically shift from my Mac to my iPhone when I get a call, or how I don’t need to reconnect them to my iPad when I want to start watching a show. But when it comes to automatically swapping my audio over to Bluetooth speakers, they can get pretty jarring. Often, speakers and audio outputs will take over audio from my AirPods when I’m wearing them. This happens every time I get in my car while wearing a single AirPod, usually while listening to music or podcasts (I would not recommend driving while using both AirPods). As soon as I turn on my car, bam, the media starts blaring…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. Amazon is already rolling out early Black Friday deals, and Google’s unlocked Pixel 9 just dropped to $499—a solid $300 off its original $799 price. Google Pixel 9 $499.00 at Amazon $799.00 Save $300.00 …

How you allocate and use your time every day is as important to productivity as the work you actually do, which is why it's important to pre-plan your schedule down to the minute. You have to be smart and strategic about when you work, what you work on, and how long you do it—otherwise, some of your time may be wasted. Illich’s Law, or the Law of Diminishing Returns, says that after working for a while, your productivity decreases—then becomes negative. What does Illich’s Law mean?We often think of being productive as getting a lot done, but productivity can—and should—also focus on the quality of that work, too. Some good work is, in most cases, better than a lot of sho…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Studies have shown that a decluttered workspace can decrease stress and increase focus—and that stress at work can actually result in more clutter. It's important to clean up your environment so the place you work is comfortable, calm, and sanitary. If you want to get more done, you need to be working in a tidy, welcoming space. Borrow the 5S method to get it done most efficiently. What is the 5S method of workspace cleaning?The 5S method, like Kanban and Kaizen, comes from Japan, where organizational processes developed in factories and were so useful that their use expanded well beyond Toyota and other manufacturers. Th…

The FBI is targeting a popular website for snapshotting websites on request, and may soon make it harder to get past paywalls online. The domain registrar of the site Archive.Today has reportedly been subpoenaed in an attempt to uncover the archive's owner, as first reported by 404 Media. A PDF of the subpoena posted to the Archive.Today X account late last week. The site is similar to the Internet Archive's Wayback Machine, but is intended more for immediate short term access rather than maintaining a longterm record. As opposed to the Internet Archive's methodical web crawlers, Archive.Today's work quickly in response to user requests, but don't make any promises to kee…

Sleep patterns. Heart rates. Menstrual cycles. Weight fluctuations. Medication schedules. The location of major world leaders. Every morning, millions of people strap on smartwatches, open period-tracking apps, and upload their most intimate details to the cloud. We're told this data will optimize our health, help us live better lives. But there's a darker question lurking beneath the surface: Who actually owns all this information, and where exactly is the line between optimization and surveillance? First things first: What HIPAA actually protectsIn discussing this topic with friends and family, most everyone I know assumed their health data enjoys robust federal protect…

When I reviewed the Nintendo Switch 2 launched earlier this June, my assessment was that it would be worth buying eventually, but probably not right away. The console then went on to have the biggest gaming launch of all-time, so there's egg on my face, but I stand by what I said: Until now, the Switch 2 has been a great way to play enhanced Switch 1 games, but hasn't had many exclusives, so you could generally still play Nintendo's newest titles without upgrading your device (unless you're an impatient Mario Kart or Donkey Kong fan). But now, it seems that's about to change, and if you haven't gotten the Switch 2 yet, it might finally be time to take the plunge. In a f…

Google's NotebookLM, by far my favorite AI tool, rolled out two new features this week. The app that can turn your notes into a podcast can now generate an educational video based on your study materials. It can also create a report or document from suggested, pre-made templates. How the new NotebookLM tools workIf you're unfamiliar, NotebookLM is a large language model akin to the better-known chatbot ChatGPT, but instead of pulling information from all over the internet (with all the risks of inaccuracy that creates), it relies only on material you input directly. You can upload PDFs, links, YouTube videos, plain text, and more, then ask the chatbot questions and it wi…

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 new QLED TV for everyday gaming and watching TV shows and movies, the 2025 Samsung 50” QN90F Neo QLED TV is a smart option, offering high-end picture performance for an LED TV. Right now, it’s $997.99 (originally $1,397.99) on Amazon, marking a 25% discount and its lowest price ever, according to price tracking tools. Samsung 50-Inch Class Neo QLED 4K QN90F Series …

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. It's not Black Friday yet, but OLED TVs are already dropping to new record-low prices. Last week, the LG G5 OLED TV dropped to its lowest price, and now, Samsung's OLED S95F TV has followed suit. You can get the 65-inch for $2,297.99 (originally $2,997.99), the lowest price, according to price-tracking tools. The 55-, 77-, and 83-inch models also have good discounts right now. 55" Samsung OLED S95F 4…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Your house is supposed to be your refuge from the weather, a place where you can feel comfortable no matter how frigid it gets outside. But with rising utility costs, keeping your house warm can be more of a challenge than it used to be—and even if you’re proactive about defending against the cold, your home can still take a wintry beating. Now’s the time to take action. Home maintenance products designed to defend your home against freezing temperatures, blowing snow, and freezing damage will not only make your home more comfortable, but also hardened against winter damage. The basicsThere are a few simple purchases you…

Finally—two years after its release, and one year-long beta later—the PlayStation Plus handheld can finally officially play games without needing to connect to a PS5 console first. The portable machine is not strictly playing them all by itself, and you do need a PlayStation Plus Premium subscription to do it, but the latest system update brings the PlayStation Portal a lot closer to being a true PSP successor. The news came earlier today via the official PlayStation blog, where Sony announced that cloud streaming for the PS Portal will soon officially go live for everyone with a compatible subscription, a little less than a year after the company started testing it with …