Setting Up Your Home Office

The pre-Super Bowl hype weeks have begun, and with them comes the annual American tradition of calling the NFL rigged. Local drunks, AM radio sports show hosts, and message board experts are all in agreement: The fix is in. Last year, the most interesting conspiracy theory held that the Pentagon rigged the entire 2024 NFL season so the Chiefs could appear in the Super Bowl and Taylor Swift could help Democrats get re-elected in 2024. (Oops.) This year's football truthers have a less esoteric theory for why the Chiefs are definitely going to win the Super Bowl: Follow the money. They make a compelling case, but they're wrong. Why "they" would fix the Super BowlThe rough …

Studies have shown that napping improves both cognitive performance and physical brain health, so it’s no surprise that it also means a brief nap translates to a boost in productivity on the job. That explains why nearly half of workers in the U.S. sleep during work hours—and a third admit to literally sleeping on the job. Our employers, however, haven’t gotten the memo, and being caught sleeping on the job can put you in a tricky situation. If you’re stuck between nodding off in meetings or being fired when you’re discovered sprawled under your desk, you need a napping strategy at work. Here’s your guide to sawing some logs on the clock (without getting caught). Before w…

Starting with the Galaxy S24 series, Samsung has started a big push for Galaxy AI on its devices, adding features like Live Translate and Note Assist to all of its most recent mobile releases. A majority of the time, these AI-powered features are processed in the cloud in order to work more efficiently. However, there is a way for privacy-conscious users that want to try out Galaxy AI's features but don't want their data sent to Samsung's cloud servers to do just that. Here's how to enable on-device processing for Samsung's Galaxy AI features. Why enable on-device processing for Galaxy AI?The biggest reason to enable on-device processing for Galaxy AI is privacy. By hav…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Welcome to “Cookbook of the Week.” This is a series where I highlight cookbooks that are unique, easy to use, or just special to me. While finding a particular recipe online serves a quick purpose, flipping through a truly excellent cookbook has a magic all its own. I’m always happy to see new cookbooks on the scene, but in truth, most weeks I’m flipping through my archives; revisiting older books I’ve picked up along the way. Some cookbooks I keep because they’re a treasure trove of reliable recipes (like this one), and others I keep because there are a few dishes in there that I’ve always loved. One of the latter is Miet…

Gina Trapani, founder of the website you're reading right now, popularized a plaintext format for to-do lists way back in 2006 (please excuse any weird formatting on that nearly 20-year-old article). Called Todo.txt, it is used by many people to this day, in part thanks to an ecosystem of applications built around the format. I recently stumbled on Calendar.txt, by author and teacher Tero Karvinen. It's a text document based on a similar philosophy—a stripped down, just-the-basics take on your overloaded calendar app. It's a concept worth considering. We're at least a decade into the "using a separate app for everything" era, and sure, a lot of those apps are pretty great…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. Bone conduction headphones are ideal for activities where it is vital to your safety to hear your surroundings. That's because they use a technology that sends audio vibrations through to the inner ear while leaving your ear canals open. Shokz is one of, if not the best, brand making bone conduction headphones right now; at the high end of Shokz's offerings is the OpenRun Pro 2, which I got to review and put to the test. But the OpenRun Pro are also quality headphones and are currently discounted on Best Buy for $99.99 (originally $179.95), the lowe…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Heart rate variability (HRV) and resting heart rate (RHR) are the metrics that most wearables' "recovery" numbers are based on. I wore five devices to bed for two weeks to see how their readings compared. Those devices were an Apple Watch Series 10, a Fitbit Charge 6, a Garmin Forerunner 265S, an Oura Ring 4, and a Whoop 4.0. Why these five? Well, they're the major brands that people tend to gravitate toward when they want to track sleep, and for each I chose the best (in my opinion) of each company's current offerings. I had most of them on hand due to testing them for recent or upcoming reviews. The Apple Watch Series 1…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. The Apple Watch—and other smartwatches—are designed to be worn on your wrist. But why not wear it elsewhere? I’ve worn an Apple Watch on my ankle to keep it out of the way during kettlebell workouts, and that’s also a common placement for people who walk while they work, or who have a job or hobby that isn’t compatible with constant watch-wearing. So how do you do this, why might you do this, and is the data really just as accurate? Here’s what you need to know. How to wear your Apple Watch on your ankleLet’s get the “how” out of the way first. If you have small feet (and ankles), you can just slip your regular wristband …

Microsoft's released its monthly Patch Tuesday update for March 2025 to fix 57 bugs across Windows, Office, Azure, and other Microsoft systems. Seven of the patches address zero-day vulnerabilities, six of which have been actively exploited. According to Bleeping Computer, this month's update fixes 23 elevation of privilege flaws, three security feature bypass flaws, 23 remote code execution flaws, four information disclosure flaws, one denial of service flaw, and three spoofing flaws. Microsoft also released patches to numerous vulnerabilities in Mariner and Microsoft Edge this month. Patch Tuesday fixes for MarchSeven of the flaws fixed were zero-day vulnerabilities, …

After OpenAI, Perplexity AI is joining the "deep research" bandwagon. And it's doing it in a fairly interesting way. Following in the footsteps of DeepSeek's "reasoning" model, Perplexity is the first major AI provider that's offering a Deep Research feature for free users, too. By comparison, OpenAI's Deep Research feature is only available in the $200/month Pro subscription. Deep Research is an upcoming AI feature that takes a bit of time, but performs dozens of related searches, goes over hundreds of resources, and uses a reasoning model to logic out each prompt in a step-by-step process. You can get similar results from tools like Copilot's "Think Deeper" feature, sur…

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 …

The average balance per consumer now stands at $6,580—up 3.5% year over year, according to a recent report from TransUnion. Altogether, consumers owe a record $1.21 trillion on their credit cards, according to a separate report from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. If you're struggling with credit card debt, it's safe to say you're not struggling alone. Carrying a growing balance on high-interest credit cards can put a huge financial strain on your monthly budget. Whether it's an unexpected expense—like a car repair or medical bill—or you're going through a period of reduced income, being saddled with credit card debt can make it feel impossible to get ahead financia…

Weeks ago, my partner suggested I develop a recipe for doughnuts made in the air fryer. I tried to explain to him how deep fried doughnuts are always better than baked ones, adding, “unless you wanna throw some Entenmann’s in there.” I laughed, and then shook my head, because I had sealed my own fate. Once it occurred to me, I absolutely needed to test the idea. I bought a variety pack of Entenmann’s doughnuts (including chocolate glazed, powdery crumb nubbins, and classic glazed). I fearfully placed one of each into the basket of my air fryer and pressed Start. I experienced a range of emotions during the next seven minutes, pinging from worry, to hope, to, finally, di…

You've no doubt explored the app that came along with your smart lights, and found several handy tricks within—from getting your lights to turn on at scheduled times, to cycling between different colors and brightness settings over the course of the day. There's plenty more you can do, however, with the help of IFTTT. IFTTT (If This Then That) is a long-established web and mobile app for plugging different services into each other. It can, for example, automatically share Instagram photos to X (but only when a specific hashtag is used); forward SMS messages to your email; export Fitbit stats to Google Sheets; and plenty more—there are a wealth of options to explore. The t…

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 …

Prime Video has new installments of two familiar series coming in March. First up is season three of The Wheel of Time (March 13), an adaptation of Robert Jordan's fantasy books of the same name. Rosamund Pike stars as sorceress Moiraine Damodred, a member of the powerful Aes Sedai. The season opens with a magical battle between members of the order—viewers will get a three-episode premiere with five weekly episodes to follow. Also in its third season is Bosch: Legacy (March 27)—also an adaptation, this time of Michael Connolly's crime novels. A sequel to Prime Video hit Bosch, the series was originally canceled after its second season but was revived for a third and fi…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Americans are predicted to spend a whopping 2.5 billion dollars on flowers this Valentine’s day. If you are one of the people who are considering such a gift to your paramour, you may want to stop for a moment and consider your beloved’s beloved: Many popular flower choices are toxic for dogs and cats. Here's what to know before you choose your bouquet so you won’t have to apologize for a vet visit later. Flowers that aren't safe for petsFirst, consider whether your intended recipient has a cat or dog (or both), as they can have different reactions. For instance, lilies, a common Valentine’s Day choice, can be lethal to c…

The Beats Solo 4 came out last summer—they're Beats' latest headphones. Beats are a more affordable alternative to Apple headphones, and you can often find them with substantial discounts. You can now get the Beats Solo 4 for $99.95 (originally $199.95) after a 50% discount. This is matching the lowest price they've been since their release, according to price-checking tools. The Solo Buds and Studio Buds + are also both also seeing their lowest price right now. Beats Solo 4 …

Renovating your house has serious upsides in terms of your enjoyment of the property and the return on your investment—but there’s a price to be paid in time and discomfort. Renovation projects can take weeks or months to complete, and during that time your home will mostly likely be filled with dust, debris, and workers. It’s little wonder people choose to move out of their homes and live in a rental while the work is being done. Not everyone can do that, of course—and not everyone can spend the next few months living in a construction zone. If you’ve got limited time (and limited tolerance for the mess and disruption), you might choose to put off home improvement projec…

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 th…

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 yo…

Software updates are supposed to introduce new features while improving the stability of the operating system. Occasionally, however, additional bugs and glitches can slip through the cracks. That's the case with the latest Pixel update: While Google added a number of new features to Android and patched 43 security vulnerabilities, users who have installed it are complaining of strange glitches on their Pixel phones. March 2025 Pixel drop glitches: Brightness, vibrations, and moreFirst up, as spotted by 9to5Google, some Pixel users are experiencing brightness variations while using their phones—without touching the brightness settings themselves. The issue seems to be li…

When Apple announced the iPhone 16E yesterday, it also confirmed that the new budget phone will get Apple Intelligence’s “Visual Intelligence” feature, marking the first time the AI trick will come to a phone without a “Camera Control” button. While the other iPhone 16 series phones use their Camera Control buttons to access Visual Intelligence, the iPhone 16E can instead map it to its Action Button, a simple change that raises the question: why not the iPhone 15 Pro, too? Personally, as an iPhone 15 Pro owner, I’ve been asking that question for months now, as I’ve long suspected my phone’s internals were definitely capable of it—it can run every other Apple Intelligence …

Android, unlike some phone operating systems, allows users to install software from outside the default app store (even if you don't live in Europe). And that's good, because there's all kinds of great software that you can't get on Google Play. The game Fortnite is a prominent example—that game's developer, Epic, doesn't want to pay Google a cut of sales and as such isn't available on Android's main app store. Other apps aren't available because of Google's interests—for example, there's an ad-free, privacy respecting YouTube client that you can't find on Google Play. If you've never installed Android software without using Google Play, however, you might not know where …