Setting Up Your Home Office

Is it still January? Barely, but yes. Is it still dry? Well, that all depends on how you look at it. Maybe you’re interested in incorporating a teensy bit of alcohol back into your life, or maybe you’ve never enjoyed an overly potent drink regardless of the month. I think the answer in both of these scenarios is the same: Switch to low ABV (alcohol by volume) cocktails. They’re light, easy-going, and there is a wide world of options to suit your preference. I've got three recommendations to get you started. What is a low ABV cocktail?First of all, let’s get our terminology straight. Again, ABV stands for alcohol by volume. This is usually understood as what percent of a …

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

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. Bose is a recognized name in audio tech and has been making capable active noise-canceling (ANC) headphones since 2016, when the company launched the QuietComfort line of devices. Right now, you can pick up the Bose's QuietComfort headphones for $179, $170 off the original price of $349. This is the lowest price they've reached, according to price-tracking tools, making them a good bet if you're looking to get a high-performance pair of ANC headphones without spending a fortune. You can get them "unopened" (which is exactly what it sounds like) from…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Two weeks ago, there was a blanket of snow across most of the country. That melted into what feels like an early spring, with occasionally clear days and warm(ish) weather. The irises and tulips have begun to emerge in some areas, the surest sign that planting season is around the corner. This is the time to get organized and get ready, because by the time we talk again in April, we will be in it. Start garden and lawn cleanup in MarchNow is the time to get out there and start your spring clean up. You don’t want to get rid of the leaves—there are still insects slumbering, and they will be until spring temperatures hit.…

You can now use a feature that's very similar to Android's "circle-to-search" on iPhone. While it's not exactly called that, both the Chrome app and the Google app will now allow you to circle text or images to search whatever's in your selection using Google Lens. The limitation? On Android, you can use the circle-to-search feature across your entire phone, but on iPhones, this feature is limited to the Chrome and Google apps. When you've got a webpage loaded in the iPhone Google app, press the three-dots button in the top-right corner and tap Search this Screen. In Chrome for iOS, open any webpage, tap the three-dots button in the bottom-right corner, and select Search …

As much as Apple would like it, iMessage is not the only messaging platform in the world. Yes, RCS is nice, but a lot of people prefer using WhatsApp and Telegram instead. And given the divisive state of world politics right now, secure apps like Signal have their own appeal. The reality is that, instead of just sticking to your default texting program, you're probably juggling between multiple messaging apps right now. Unfortunately, the iPhone doesn't really make this process easy. Now, there's a new app called DefaultSMS that's trying to bridge this gap. DefaultSMS uses a new, obscure iPhone setting to change your default messaging app for you. It'll kick in whenever y…

Good news: Spring is around the corner. By the time the ground is warm enough to receive your flower, vegetable, and herb starts, it’s a race to see how much production you can get from these plants before the season is over. The bigger the plant you start with, the better. That’s why I give my plants a head start by growing seedlings inside. Here's everything I'm starting indoors this month, and a few seeds you can direct sow outside, too. (If you've never grown from seed indoors before, don't be intimidated. It's incredibly rewarding, saves money, and will give you the gardening high you need while the weather is still terrible.) Start long-germinating flowers todayIt…

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

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

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. The Samsung Galaxy S22 (Factory Unlocked) is up for grabs at $347.99 on Woot—way down from its original $849.99. That’s a massive $500 price drop, but it’s only around for four days (or until it sells out). Prime members also get free shipping, while non-Prime shoppers will have to pay $6 (unfortunately, shipping isn’t available to Alaska, Hawaii, or PO boxes). Samsung Galaxy S22 (Factory Unlocked) …

With the April 15 deadline right around the corner, you want to ensure you're taking advantage of all the deductions you can. Andy Phillips, Vice President of H&R Block’s Tax Institute, says his tax experts are getting plenty of questions from filers looking to maximize every deduction available to them. I wrote about some wacky and unexpected tax deductions last week, but what about the most common ones that filers just don't fully understand? From gig worker perks to retirement contributions, here are the tax deductions every filer needs to know. Retirement contributions and traditional IRA deductions Phillips says that if you contribute to a tax-advantaged traditio…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. If you're looking for a new show to watch this week, I got your back. I've scoured the schedules of Netflix, Prime, Max, Hulu, and other streaming platforms to bring you the best and most notable shows streaming this week. The Traitors, season 3 From its top notch host Allan Cummings to its cast of hardcore reality show veterans, to its classy Scottish castle setting and stylish presentation, reality TV rarely rises to the heights of The Traitors. If you like conniving on a grand scale, and you didn't come here to make friends, check out The Traitors. Where to stream: Peacock SNL50: Beyond Saturday Night …

OpenAI is trying really hard to make ChatGPT Search into a viable product. It's available for free, to all users, without limits. And now, just like with Google Search, it can be used without logging into an account. But even with all it AI features, Google Search still focuses on giving you links to pages directly, while ChatGPT Search instead uses online sources to give you an answer, backed up by links. You can click the links in your answer's sources to open a website (and you really should check ChatGPT's homework, as it tends to hallucinate quite a bit), but the question remains: is ChatGPT Search worth making your default search engine, and is that even possible? …

Kickoff for the Super Bowl LIX matchup between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles is set for 6:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, Feb. 9. Fox is broadcasting the game live from Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, so anyone with a cable or broadcast TV subscription (or an OTA antenna) can view the game via Fox, Fox Deportes, or Telemundo. If you don't have cable, you can still stream the game to your computer, mobile device, or smart TV—even if you're outside the U.S. Here's how. Where to stream Super Bowl LIX in the U.S.Fox-owned Tubi is streaming Super Bowl LIX for free in the U.S. and Canada. The platform supports a wide range of streaming devices and smart TVs as we…

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

Microsoft just dropped its Patch Tuesday security update for February 2025. This is a monthly update for Windows that includes all of the security patches and stability fixes Microsoft has been working on since the last release. But just because these updates arrive without any new user-facing features, that doesn't mean they're not equally as important—if not more so. As reported by Bleeping Computer, this latest Patch Tuesday update fixes 55 security flaws throughout Windows. That includes 22 remote code execution flaws, 19 elevation of privilege flaws, nine denial of service flaws, three spoofing flaws, two security feature bypass flaws, and one information disclosure…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. There is a surprising number of products that come with into your home with stubborn stickers. A lot of stores still use price stickers, for instance, and glassware almost always has a sticker that gives you some kind of information about your item. Peeling them off is laborious and can leave residue behind—but I found a couple of tips on social media, both of which work fabulously. Adhesive removal hack 1: The melamine spongeI don't even remember where I first heard that you should use a melamine sponge, like a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser, to quickly do away with stickers and adhesive residue, but I do know it was somewhere o…

There are many alternatives to dining out on Valentine’s Day, but none as classic as simply cooking a cozy meal at home. While you and your partner might find ordering Taco Bell to be meaningful and romantic (I know a couple that celebrates with chicken nuggets and champagne), if you’re interested in cooking, I’ve got some simple and budget-focused meal suggestions that are still pretty darn romantic. Air fryer stuffed mushroomsThese savory mushroom bites are some of my favorite things on planet Earth. They make for a great appetizer or side dish, and using the air fryer means you can have them on the table in about 10 minutes. Sausage, cream cheese, and some minced arom…

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

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

There are a lot of music streaming services to choose from right now. Many of us subscribe to Spotify or Apple Music, but still others may use YouTube Music, Amazon Music, or Tidal. They all have their pros and cons, but if price is the most important factor for you, it's a good time to check out Apple's offering. Apple Music usually costs $10.99 for individual users, $16.99 for families, and $5.99 for students—pretty standard for music streaming pricing. Today, however, Apple announced an impressive deal for eligible new subscribers: Six months of Apple Music for $2.99. That's not three dollars per months, but three dollars total. Who's eligibleThat's a pretty great val…

As a big fan of background music, I was intrigued by iOS 18.4's Control Center changes. It adds a new tab called Ambient Music to Control Center's list of customizable controls. You can use this to add one of four pre-selected Apple Music playlists (or your own) to the Control Center, your lock screen, or the Action Button (provided your iPhone has one). Up until now, you could play music via the Now Playing widget in the Control Center, but dedicated controls to launch playlists were missing. This feature is different from Background Sounds, which lets you play nature sounds on your iPhone in order to help you focus better. Even though Background Sounds is useful for eve…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Like it or not, Valentine’s Day is right around the corner. “But the holiday is made up!” you cry. “All holidays are made up,” I reply. “You need to get your partner a gift." No matter how badly you want to stick it to the Hallmark industrial complex, and no matter how much your loved one assures you they “really don’t want gifts,” the fact of the matter is that we’ve all been conditioned to feel the need to meet a bare minimum for romantic gift-giving every Feb. 14. And no, you’re not going to successfully overcome a lifetime of Valentine’s propaganda by deciding to stiff your partner on the gift front. Hallmark will neve…

It’s not just eggs—all the basics we need to live our lives are getting more expensive, including the energy we use to run our appliances, heat our homes, and do just about everything else. The average monthly cost for electricity and gas is already over $200, so when your utility bill spikes, it’s often a cause for panic. After all, you can only do so much to cut down on your usage. If you’re looking for ways to manage your utility bills, there is one option worth investigating. Check with your local utility company to see if it offers what’s known as a Time of Use (TOU) plan. While these plans require some adjustment and a healthy dose of personal discipline, they also …

We may earn a commission from links on this page. During his Presidential campaign, new Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. promised an eight-year halt on infectious disease research, presumably because our chances of encountering any sort of infectious disease will be nearly zero once the fluoride is gone from our water supply. As we celebrate the disease-free world of the very near future, let's take a look back at movies that explore worlds in which viruses and diseases (or related metaphors) run rampant. These movies vary wildly in their tones and styles, but there are some recurring themes: Science and scientists (however flawed) are almost alwa…