Setting Up Your Home Office

The totals are in for 2025, and it's been a great year for measles. According to the CDC, the number of cases of the disease identified in the US has risen from 285 in 2024 to 2,144 in 2025, the highest number of measles cases since 1990. We've already seen at least 171 measles cases in the first two weeks of 2026. As you'd probably guess, experts pin the rise in measles to lower vaccination rates. I covered a number of vaccination and measles myths in this column months ago, but there is a new spin on measles that seems to be gaining some traction: A lot of people think contracting measles is good for your heath. “There’s a lot of studies out there that show that if yo…

The latest craze in the fitness world—from gym culture, to nutrition planning, to recovery protocols— is hyper-personalized optimization. But is there really a benefit to at-home microbiome tests that reveal the optimal diet for your gut bacteria? How about a device that tells you whether you're burning carbs or fat with each breath? Personalized fitness advice used to be largely limited to factors like height and weight, but now you might have a Whoop, Oura, or Apple Watch wearable tracking your track heart rate variability, skin temperature, blood oxygen, and so much more. Continuous glucose monitors, once reserved for diabetics, are now worn by biohackers and CrossFit…

Another wave of malicious browser extensions capable of tracking user activity and compromising privacy have been found across Chrome, Firefox, and Edge, some of which may have been active for up to five years. The campaign, known as GhostPoster, was identified by Koi Security in December and included 17 Firefox add-ons designed to monitor users' browsing activity. Threat actors planted malicious JavaScript code in the extension's PNG logo, which served as a malware loader to retrieve the main payload from a remote server. Researchers at LayerX have found an additional 17 malicious extensions across multiple browsers that have collectively been installed more than 840,00…

If you just tried to open Instagram on your phone or computer, only to find that nothing would load, don't worry: It's not your wifi, nor is Verizon experiencing another outage. The fault instead lies with Meta, as Instagram is currently down. That's according to Downdetector, owned by Lifehacker parent company Ziff Davis, which shows over 2,000 user reports of issues with Instagram at the time of this writing. The issues seem to affect Instagram in all forms. While the mobile app was working last time I checked, I couldn't get it to load in Safari. That means you might not be able to check out posts, add new posts, or send and receive DMs—at least until Meta figures out…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. It's Oscar season! By which I mean, it's that time of year when movie dorks are in a rush to catch up on as many Oscar-nominated films as is feasible before the awards ceremony kicks off—which, this year, will be on March 15 on ABC. If box office and streaming numbers are any indication, there's a good chance you've seen this year's nominations front-runner, Sinners, which didn't just receive the most nominations in 2026, but received the most nominations ever (can't say I'm mad about it), but the second-most nominated movie of the year, Paul Thomas Anderson's One Battle After Another, is also readily available. Unfortuna…

Selling a house is one of the largest transactions most of us will ever make. Considering how much you’ve invested in the place in terms of both money and sweat equity, it’s natural to want to get as much profit from the sale as possible. One strategy to maximize profits that most real estate professionals will recommend is staging: temporarily dressing, furnishing, and arranging the home to make it as appealing as possible. Staging works—it’s been shown to speed up the time to sale and to increase the sale price of a house. But it’s not magic—there’s a specific psychology to staging a house that you have to keep in mind, especially if you’re choosing to do it yourself in…

It's not just you. Google Search has become significantly worse in recent years. In the past, you only had to watch out for low-quality content filled with SEO-bait keywords. Today, you have to be wary of AI-generated garbage, misinformation, and a generally worse UI. Still, it's not impossible to find good search results on Google. I've found a number of tricks that have helped me reduce the number of low-quality entries Google returns for my searches. Here are 10 such tips everyone should know about before their next search: Remove AI from results Cre…

Tech companies are getting increasingly pushy with their large language models—prominent buttons for these AI features coat every surface designers can think of, including in three of the most prominent browsers: Chrome, Edge, and Firefox. If you want these AI features to go away, and stay away, there's a script for that. JustTheBrowser is a free and open source tool from developer and tech blogger Corbin Davenport that removes AI features, telemetry data reporting, sponsored content, product integrations, and other annoyances from Chrome, Firefox, and Microsoft Edge. Basically, you can run this once and never think about these features again. To get started, head to the …

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. Samsung announced the Galaxy Watch Ultra in the summer of 2024, and then refreshed it last August with double the storage and new color options. As we all know, older versions get big discounts, and if the extra storage and colors aren't a big deal to you, you could be in a great position to get a flagship Samsung smartwatch at a big discount. The 2024 Bespoke Edition 47mm LTE Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra is selling for $389.95, originally $649.99 at launch. This is the lowest price it has reached, according to price-checking tools. The Galaxy Watch U…

Forming a habit is a powerful tool. You work the new thing into your daily routine, and soon enough, it becomes automatic. That's the dream, anyway—in reality, you have to work at it. But how long does it take to fully form a habit? Despite what you may have heard, it’s not necessarily just 21 days. The number of days it takes to form a new habit depends on the habit, on you, and on what strategies you’re using to build and maintain that habit. Scientific estimates have ranged from as little as 21 days, to eight months or more. Let’s look at why that range is so big, and what you can do to build habits faster. The myth of the 21 day habitThe idea that a habit takes 21 day…

If you're a Pixel owner, you may want to update your settings for Phone by Google. 9to5Google reports that a handful of users have experienced a bug with the Take a Message feature that records and sends audio to callers as they are leaving a voicemail. Take a Message is a recently introduced feature for the Phone app that activates when the recipient is not available to answer (or declines the incoming call). The caller hears the following: “The person you have called is not available. Please leave a message after the tone.” If you, as the recipient, tap the Take a message notification on your device, you can see a transcript of the audio in real time and hit Answer if …

I’m sure you’ve seen the studies that come out from time to time showing that diet sodas are arguably kinda-sorta bad for you. (Their evidence is never very strong.) But did you see the new study that found diet soda was better than water for people with type 2 diabetes? Not only is it a real study, it was well-designed and we should be paying attention to it, according to an epidemiologist I talked to who was not involved in the study. That epidemiologist is Gideon Meyerowitz-Katz of the University of Wollongong, who wrote about it here. When I asked him if it was a good or a bad thing that this study had mostly escaped notice by news media, he said “this is far more ro…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. The Sony ULT Field 3 is part of Sony’s newer ULT lineup from 2025, alongside the larger ULT Field 5 and the ULT Tower 9. This is the smallest and most portable of the three, clearly aimed at people who want something tough, loud, and easy to carry. Right now, Woot is selling a refurbished unit for $99.99, with free shipping for Prime members and a $6 fee for everyone else. As a “Grade A” refurbed unit, it’s been inspected, tested, and guaranteed to work like new, with cosmetic wear that isn’t noticeable from arm’s length. It also comes with a one-ye…

You may have heard of people—elderly folks in particular—getting a heart attack from shoveling snow. This is a real risk for a lot of people, especially if you are sedentary and have certain health conditions. Here's a breakdown of what’s so dangerous about shoveling, and who's most at risk. Snow shoveling is hard exerciseThe connection between shoveling and cardiac events is real: The American Heart Association cites several studies that found higher rates of heart attacks and sudden cardiac deaths after snowstorms. Shoveling is hard work, and it can cause your blood pressure and heart rate to rise far higher than levels that are considered safe for sedentary people wit…

Ideally, a winter storm is merely uncomfortable and annoying, but they can sometimes be dangerous for you and your home. This weekend, a potentially historic winter storm is bearing down on some 200 million Americans, who may face dangerously icy conditions and significant snowfall. It's important to know your area's risk and understand the meaning and potential impact of different weather terms (advisory, watch, and warning) so you can respond quickly in the event of an emergency. You should also use the next few days to take steps to prepare your home and lower the chances of damage and danger. Winter prep starts with a thorough inspection of your property, both inside …

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. Two-in-one laptops are an adaptable tech essential for anyone who’s waffling between a laptop and a tablet—they’ve changed how people tackle workflows and consume entertainment, and are a more portable option for commuters or anyone who wants the perks of a touchscreen with their laptop. The 14-inch Asus Chromebook Flip CX1 is a sturdy, entry-level 2-in-1 for those on a budget, and according to price trackers, it’s at its lowest price ever—$279, down from $369.99. ASUS Chromebook Flip CX1 Conve…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. When nature dumps a load of snow onto your driveway, it’s a free workout in disguise—but maybe not one you’re really in shape to tackle. If you’re always sore (or, worse, injured) after the first big storm of the season, read these tips on how to make shoveling easier on your body. Recognize what you’re asking your body to doLook, just because shoveling is a common chore doesn’t mean it’s one that everyone’s body is automatically ready for. Be honest about whether you’re trained for this. You wouldn’t ask “how can I run a marathon without my legs being sore the next day?” if you haven’t done any running at all in the past …

Dedicated runners and winter athletes will tell you that exercising in the cold is not as tough as it looks. Personally, I'd rather risk frostbite over any treadmill run that lasts longer than 20 minutes. But is there a point where winter runs cross over from difficult to dangerous? There is no clear cut-offMost experts suggest that the danger zone begins around -18°F (-28° Celcius), particularly when factoring in wind chill. At these extreme temperatures, the risk of frostbite increases dramatically, and breathing frigid air can become uncomfortable or even harmful to your lungs and airways. But beyond the raw temperature, certain conditions should prompt you to choose …

If you're in the market for a new Tesla, your fancy new electric car is going to be a little less smart—unless you pony up for a subscription. According to reporting from Elektrek and buying experiences from drivers, the company is ditching the basic Autopilot mode that used to come standard in new vehicles, and is now pushing buyers to subscribe to Full Self-Driving instead. Before, Autopilot consisted of two minor but helpful driving assist features. The first was Traffic Aware Cruise Control, which automatically adjusts speed based on the speed limit and surrounding cars, and the second was Autosteer, which helps keep you in the center of your lane. The idea was that, …

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Taylor Sheridan and Billy Bob Thornton are such a natural pairing that it's not at all surprising that Landman has been yet another hit for the creator behind Yellowstone and it's many spin-offs. Thornton plays Billy Norris, a crackerjack consultant, fixer, and general hired gun for a major oil conglomerate in present-day West Texas. Beyond the complicated economics and politics of the oil industry, the poor guy's also dealing with extremely complicated family drama, debt, criminal ties, and substance-abuse issues. Call it Dallas for a new generation. You can stream Landman on Paramount+, and check out these similar shows …

With a historically bad winter storm expected to bring snow, ice, and sub-zero wind chills to many parts of the United States this weekend, it's a good time to make sure you're prepared for a potentially life-threatening disaster. While winter storms are generally less deadly than hurricanes and heat waves, they can be extremely dangerous, particularly when extremely cold, wind, and ice storms cause power outages. But with a little preparation and common sense, you should be all right when it gets extra snowy and cold. Here are some tips and instructions for blizzard and winter storm survival. Who is the winter storm likely to affect? …

Nothing lasts forever, and technology is no exception. As shiny and new as your computer was when you first bought it, eventually, developers will drop support for it. There's no telling when exactly, but at some point, you'll open an app to find a message that reads something like: "This device does not support the latest version of this app. Please update your hardware." That goes for Macs, as well. You might forget that fact, since Apple's computers tend to stick around for a long time. But inevitably, the shadow of end-of-life policies comes for them, too. If you're still rocking an older Mac, I have some bad news, specifically if you use Chrome: Google is officially …

Last month, Google told online publishers that it had started testing AI-generated headlines in Google Discover, replacing stories' carefully handcrafted titles with truncated alternatives made up by Gemini. Some journalists were predictably unhappy, but now, the company says that the AI headlines are no longer an experiment—they're a "feature." Back when the testing began, the results ranged from poorly worded to straight up misinformation. For instance, one AI-generated headline promised "Steam Machine price revealed," when the original article made no such claim. Another said "BG3 players exploit children," which sounds serious, until you click through to the article a…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. 360-degree cameras like the GoPro Max2 are designed for creators who want to capture more than what a single-lens camera, like the GoPro Hero series, can handle. Right now, the GoPro Max2 action camera is down from $499 to $399 on Amazon, marking its lowest price ever. GoPro Max2 Action Camera $399.00 at Amazon …

The 2026 tax filing season—for 2025 returns—begins on Jan. 26, which means scammers are ramping up efforts to steal taxpayers' information and money. These are a few of the tax-related schemes to watch out for this year. 'Tax resolution' scamsThe Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is alerting consumers to a phone scam currently circulating in which callers claim to be from the “Tax Resolution Oversight Department," “Tax Mediation and Resolution Agency,” or some similar official-sounding (but fake) government organization. They will claim that you owe back taxes and say they will help you apply for an “IRS liability reduction program” (also fake). The scammers' aim here is t…