Setting Up Your Home Office

Short form videos are addicting. They're also often low quality, AI-generated, misinformation, or some combination of the bunch, and may have a negative impact on our attention spans and mental health. In short, they're just not that good for us. It's bad enough for grown adults to control their scrolling habits, but it's another thing entirely for children, which poses quite the a challenge. It's easy enough to ban short-form video apps entirely, like TikTok. But what about apps that have short-form content as just one pillar of the overall package? Take YouTube: You might not mind your child having limited access to the app or site to watch long-form content you approve…

Scroll through TikTok or Instagram, and you'll find influencers swearing by unconventional treatments, posting dramatic before-and-after photos and glowing testimonials about their rejuvenated skin. And the skincare "It Girl" of the moment? It's salmon sperm. Yeah. As we kick off the new year—prime time for beauty resolutions!—a growing number of people are seeking out "salmon sperm facials." Before your imagination paints an extra fishy picture (pun intended), understand that people aren't really smearing straight-up salmon sperm on their face. The secret ingredient is something called PDRN, or polydeoxyribonucleotide, a compound extracted from salmon DNA. So, what exact…

Since the days when Google Gemini was still called Bard, it's been able to connect with the company's other productivity apps to help pull context from them to answer your questions—but you still had to connect those apps to the AI manually using extensions. And even after bringing your apps together, you usually had to tell Gemini where to look for your data to get much use out of its abilities. For Instance, if you wanted it to pull information from your emails, you might have started a prompt with "Search my email." Now, Google is making it easier to connect Gemini to its various services, and adding "reasoning" when pulling context from across your Google Workspace. …

As someone who regularly switches between the Mac and PC, I really can't live without the PowerToys app on Windows. It adds little missing features that I really like on the Mac, like a Spotlight Search alternative, auto dark mode, screen awake, on-screen OCR (which lets you pull text from images), and more. But the reverse is also true. When I'm on MacOS, I start to miss the little features and commands that I've been used to Windows having for decades now (I started using Windows in school, but was only exposed to macOS when I was in college). It's the little things, like not being able to cut and paste files in Finder. And why must I accidentally open the Music app eve…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. The expected release of glasses from huge players like Apple and Google has industry analysts predicting sales of smart glasses will rise from six million units in 2025 to 20 million in 2026. In other words, this year is looking like an inflection point, where tech-enabled spectacles make the transformation from tech wear for early adopters to everyday gear for regular folks. Whether you're looking for a pair of audio-first glasses, display glasses, or full augmented reality, here's what to expect from the major players and smaller operators in the smart-glasses space. CES's major smart glasses announcementsThis year's Con…

Customers of automated investment platform Betterment are being targeted with a cryptocurrency rewards scam following a data breach that allowed threat actors to obtain some user data and send fake emails promising huge returns on Bitcoin and Ethereum deposits. According to a Jan. 12 security update posted on Betterment's website (and sent to users via email), hackers gained unauthorized access on Jan. 9 to a third-party platform used for marketing and operations. Following the breach, they sent fraudulent messages to some customers with offers to triple crypto investments. Betterment crypto rewards scamThe scam emails were sent to Betterment users on Jan. 9, soon after…

Microsoft has released its "Patch Tuesday" update for January, and you should ensure your computer receives these security fixes as soon as possible. This update addresses 114 vulnerabilities in total, including three zero-days (bugs that have been actively exploited or publicly disclosed before an official fix is available from the developer). As reported by BleepingComputer, security flaws were found across the following categories: 57 elevation-of-privilege vulnerabilities, three security feature bypass vulnerabilities, 22 remote code-execution vulnerabilities, 22 information disclosure vulnerabilities, two denial of service vulnerabilities, and five spoofing vulnerab…

Are you tired of every application you open offering to install an update before you can use it? Do you wish you could take care of all those updates at once? Updatest is an application made for exactly this. I've talked about Homebrew for Mac, which is a command line tool for installing and updating Mac software. Updatest scans all the software on your computer and updates it using Homebrew, even if you didn't initially install it that way. But there's more. Many applications use an open source tool called Sparkle to offer updates, and Updatest can find and update all of them. The application can also identify applications downloaded from GitHub that have newer releases,…

If you have a Family Account through Google, you might assume you can control what your child can see or do on their device. You can, but, as it happens, only up to a certain point. When your kid turns 13, Google will send them an email, letting them know they can choose to disable your supervision over their account. You get an email too, but they don't need your permission to lock you out of their device. Once they decide they're ready for a relatively complete Google Account experience, it's their choice to make. Despite being Google's official policy, this situation was not common knowledge. Following a relatively viral LinkedIn post about the subject, parents were p…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. A rugged mini speaker is an essential you’ll get use out of all year, from house parties to camping trips. In the warmer months, you can take it to the beach or BBQs, and in the winter, it’s durable enough to handle snowy adventures and warm up with your favorite playlist during a hot shower. The Bose SoundLink Micro 2nd Gen Bluetooth Speaker is a tiny yet powerful option that fits the bill for all of the above, and right now it’s 23% off at its lowest price ever: $99 (originally $129). Bose So…

Hey, would you mind doing me a favor real quick? If you're on an iPhone, can you double check that you've got RCS chat enabled for me? Thanks, I appreciate it. See, as an Android user, I don't get to use all the fun iMessage features, but RCS lets us share some of them. The only problem is, iPhones seem to sometimes disable RCS for some chats after an update. Or for no reason at all. RCS has been around for a while, but since it needs to be supported on both the carrier and device level, it's taken some time to reach ubiquity. Understandably, you might have seen some chat conversations between iOS and Android users that still default to the older SMS-style texting, and ju…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. Budget TVs have improved dramatically over the years, and the Hisense U6 Series is a great example of what you can get today for a "budget" price. This is a QLED Mini LED TV, so while it's not at the quality that OLED TVs can offer, it makes up for it with a much lower price. Right now, the 65-inch Hisense Class U6 Series TV is $529.96 (originally $847.99), the lowest price it has been, according to price-checking tools. 65" Hisense U6 Series 4K Mini-LED QLED Smart TV (2025 Model) …

We all know how annoying unwanted notifications are, especially when you're trying to focus. But turning notifications off entirely for a given app potentially means missing important messages. That's where the free Android app DoNotNotify comes in—with it you can set up custom filters for notifications. Maybe you're in a group chat that is, for the most part, useful, but includes one person who talks too much. With this application, you could filter that person out, meaning you'd only get notifications when anyone else sends a message. You could also use this to filter news notifications about particular subjects or public figures you'd rather not see pop-ups about. You…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Oura announced last week that its long-awaited charging case is finally shipping. I got one to try out, and can confirm that it works well and is arguably better designed than those of its competitors. That said, is it really worth $99? The charging case works with the Oura Ring 4, not the older models like the gen 3. I’ve previously reviewed the Oura Ring 4, and it’s probably the best smart ring out there right now. You pay a premium for it, though—not only are Oura’s prices higher than many of its competitors ($349 to $499), Oura also requires a $5.99/month subscription to access nearly all of its features. The standar…

I have taught spin classes for four years, but the majority of my friends have never taken one—they're just not "class" people. Everyone works out differently and classes are a very specific kind of experience. I take a class nearly every day, whether in-person or using my Peloton, so obviously I am firmly in the pro-class category, but I can understand why being blabbed at by an instructor wouldn't motivate some people. I learned recently, though, that Peloton offers a solution to those who don't enjoy all the yap: You can actually customize how much of their in-app instructors you hear, so whether you want to pay close attention to cues or hear practically nada from the…

The internet is a wild place, and not particularly kid-friendly. Unfortunately, it's highly impractical to keep your kids entirely off the web. That's where family accounts come in handy: Parents can set their kids up with supervised accounts, giving them access to essential apps and services, without allowing unfettered access to the entire net. It's often imperfect, and kids find workarounds for the guardrails, but still; it's better than nothing. Every company that offers a family account handles things differently. Meta, for example, continues to update their policies in the wake of criticism surrounding how addictive and harmful their apps can be for children. These…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Every self-respecting DIYer eventually buys a tool box—a sturdy place to store, organize, and protect your valuable tools. A quality metal tool box instantly ups your home maintenance and repair game—suddenly, you no longer have to spend twenty minutes rooting around for that pair of pliers or that box of random screws, because everything is in its place. And that place can often roll around and follow you to wherever you need to work. Tool boxes are terrific, but that doesn’t mean they can’t be improved and augmented. Whether your tool box is a small, efficient unit or a behemoth with deep drawers and pull-out trays, you …

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. When it comes to gaming monitors, having an ultra-wide curved screen takes the experience to the next level, with a more immersive experience than a regular monitor. Unfortunately, that improved experience tends to come at a much higher price. But there are budget monitors that go on sale, making it much more affordable to upgrade your gaming without hurting your wallet too much. Samsung is currently selling its 34-inch Samsung Odyssey G5 for $279.99 (originally $399.99). Samsung 34-Inch Odysse…

I've used my main Gmail account for about 20 years now, and I'm quite proud of how I've maintained it. My inbox isn't overflowing with unread emails, my storage has never been full, and I've set up hundreds of filters to directly send useless emails right to the trash. I don't use any third-party tools to tame that chaos, and I'm here to share all the hacks I've set up to keep my Gmail inbox under control. Manage email subscriptions to tame your inbox chaosYou should start clearing out your inbox by looking at all of your email newsletter subscriptions. In the past, I've been guilty of subscribing to way too many newsletters and cluttering my inbox. What started out as a …

It's not just you: X is down, and will not load. I discovered the issue myself just after 9:30 a.m. ET. I was scrolling on my feed, when all of a sudden, new posts wouldn't load, and I was greeted by an option to refresh. When I did, the site reloaded, but now without any posts—only the futile option to try reloading again. You can see a steep spike in user reports on Downdetector (which, for full disclosure, is owned by Lifehacker parent company Ziff Davis). At the time of writing, roughly 25,000 users had reported issues with X, I among them. There are a number of potential reasons why X won't load this morning, but it doesn't appear to be a larger issue with a cloud h…

Google Maps is the only navigation service I use, and I've learned many of its tricks over the years. The default settings do a good enough job for most people, but it's worth reviewing all of its features to ensure that you're getting exactly what you need. For instance, avoiding tolls may be great where you live, but if you're driving in a different state or country, that same feature could land you in some serious trouble. These tips will help you make the most of Google Maps' many features, and reduce the chances of losing your way while using the app. Double-check route settings before leavingEven if you ignore everything else in this article, don't ignore this. I've…

I love movies, and especially when I can watch them for free: And while streaming the latest Hollywood blockbusters might come at a price (at least for those wanting to stay on the right side of the law), there's an ever-growing collection of older films that you can get at online without paying a dime. The site WikiFlix (as spotted by the fine folks at Gizmodo) lists movies available to stream that are now in the public domain. The way that copyright works in the U.S. basically means that copyright expires on films after a period of 95 years—so with every year that passes, a batch of new flicks become available to view by anyone, free of charge. If you're looking for som…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. A comfortable, good-looking pair of headphones with bass-forward sound and deep Apple integration doesn’t usually dip below the $100 mark, but this one just did. The Beats Studio Pro headphones in factory-reconditioned condition are down to $94.99 on Woot. Beats Studio Pro headphones $94.99 at Woot …

Nothing lasts forever. Devices lose support, standards are replaced, and software becomes obsolete. So it is with Microsoft Lens, whose days are numbered. Keen observers have known about this since August, when Microsoft first announced that Lens would be retired in September and removed from app stores in November. That obviously didn't happen, as the company adjusted the deadline to Dec. 15, which also came and went. Microsoft kicked the retirement can down the road—that is, until now. Microsoft Lens was Microsoft's solution for anyone in the mid-2010s who didn't own a scanner. Rather than buy an expensive piece of hardware to digitize documents, Lens allowed people to…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. Sony might be better known for its headphones, but it also makes decent speakers. Its latest flagship portable speaker is the ULT Field 5, which launched along with the ULT Field t and ULT Tower 9 last spring, all made to be portable and rugged. This speaker falls between the ULT Field 3 and the ULT Field 7, giving a good middle ground of portability and power. Right now, you can get the biggest one of the lineup for $219 (originally $329.99), the lowest price it has been, according to price-tracking tools. …