Setting Up Your Home Office

Raycast, which is a more fully featured alternative to your Mac's Spotlight Search, has finally added a "hyper key" to its long list of features. The idea behind a hyper key is simple: you press one button, but your computer thinks you've pressed multiple buttons. Raycast lets you map the Hyper Key to all of your Mac's modifier keys, which means you can use it to press Command-Control-Option-Shift without mastering some kind of complex finger yoga. Just hit the one button and your Mac will think all the modifier keys are being pressed at the same time. Why would you want to do that? Well, it means you can create completely new keyboard shortcuts that don't interfere with …

I never enjoyed the experience of reading long threads on Twitter (the same goes for X), and I don't think any of its successors have done a particularly great job making them easier to read. Since Bluesky is the preferred home of X-pats, I've been reading a number of lengthy threads there, and after I encountered multiple threads with 10+ posts, I went looking for a tool that would make it easier to follow along. That's when I came across Skywriter, a utility that unrolls long threads and converts them into an article format. Skywriter turns Bluesky threads into articlesThe next time you encounter a long thread on Bluesky, drop the link to the first post on Skywriter's …

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Air travel may be fast, but it’s also often a source of stress and discomfort. Aside from tight seats, delays, and generally uncomfortable accommodations, airlines have been nickel-and-diming us with fees for just about everything, including luggage. Checked bag fees range around $30 to $40 to start, so it’s not surprising that more and more people are trying to travel with just their carry-on. Restricting yourself to a single carry-on is liberating—no more waiting at the luggage carousel, no more dragging a bulky, heavy roller behind you everywhere—but also limiting in terms of space. Clever packing, like rolling your clo…

Notion Mail is finally out in the wild, for anyone who has a Gmail account. And it's quintessential Notion. If you've used the standard Notion app, you really can't confuse it for anything else. Notion Mail is a minimalist and text-based take on the Mail app that isn't trying to do anything revolutionary. There are no AI summaries, and no complicated split views like in Superhuman. It's just your email, sorted in a way that you like. What does it mean, though, to apply the Notion philosophy to email, and is it good enough for you to make the switch? That is, if you even can. Currently, Notion Mail only works on the Web and on Mac, and it only supports Gmail accounts (leav…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. The Apple Watch has a built-in sleep tracker, but it can be hard to find. Here’s how to access it, how to set it up so that it properly records how much sleep you’re getting, and how to understand the results. Does my Apple Watch support sleep tracking? Sleep tracking was introduced with WatchOS version 7 (released in 2020). That version of WatchOS works on watches from Series 3 and newer, paired with an iPhone 6S or newer, with iOS 14 and newer. In other words: The oldest devices that will work are a 2015 phone, a 2017 watch, and 2020 releases of the software that run on them. As long as your Apple Watch isn’t truly anc…

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 an outdoor security camera that doesn’t need constant battery swaps or a monthly subscription, the Eufy SoloCam S40 might be worth considering—especially now that it's $99.99 (down from its usual $199). This battery-powered camera comes with a built-in solar panel, which, according to Eufy, only needs two hours of direct sunlight daily to stay charged. That’s the kind of low-maintenance setup we want, but as with all solar-powered devices, real-world performance depends on actual sunlight exposure, so if you live somewhere gloo…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. If you're in the market for a sleek wireless speaker, the Sonos Era 100 is currently $50 off during Amazon's Big Spring Sale. Normally priced at $249, the current discount brings the speaker down to just $199. This is as low a price as this speaker has ever been, according to price-tracking tools. The Sonos Era 100 is a smart speaker that can work as stereo with a pair or as rear speakers in a Sonos surround sound system. It is an updated version of the Sonos One smart speaker, offering better bass and other improvements. The speaker is a favorite a…

With tax season in full swing, it's prime time for married couples to maximize all the tax breaks available to them. One strategy that you don't want to leave on the table: making spousal IRA contributions. If one spouse isn't employed, they might be missing out on putting retirement assets in their name—not to mention reducing the tax-deferred growth possibilities as a couple. Spousal IRA contributions can double your retirement tax breaksThe IRA contribution limits for 2024 are $7,000 for those under age 50, and $8,000 for those age 50 or older. To clarify: You can make 2024 IRA contributions until the tax deadline on April 15, 2025. Generally, you can only contribute…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. When my wife and I bought our house two decades ago, one of the most exciting things about the process was finally having in-house laundry after spending our whole lives (almost literally) sitting in laundromats. The laundry center in the house wasn’t fancy—and it was small—but it represented freedom and we were excited. Of course, upon moving in, the laundry machine was instantly non-functional, so we had to scrape out the bottom of our bank account and buy a new one. And that machine has been humming along for 20 years, and might still be running when the sun swells into a red giant and destroys the planet. Considering t…

It finally happened: Threads officially allows you to choose a default feed to see when you open the app, whether that be "Following" or a custom feed you've created yourself. This means that when you open Threads, you'll be able to view posts from the accounts you chose to follow, instead of seeing what the algorithm wants you to. Meta has been testing this feature for a few months, and is now rolling it out to everyone—in addition to a few other new features. How to change Threads' default feed to FollowingThe process of changing your default feed is straightforward. Follow these steps: Open the Threads app on your phone and go to the Home tab. You'll see all your fee…

Obsidian is the Winamp of productivity tools. If you're as ancient as I am, you might remember that the best part of that once-ubiquitous music player extension was the massive number of plugins and themes you could install to make it better, all of them built by enthusiasts. Obsidian is a good note-taking application on its own, stuffed with all kinds of features: You can organize notes in folders, link to notes from other notes, and even use advanced options like Mermaid diagrams. But like Winamp, Obsidian truly shines once you dig into its extensive plugin ecosystem. There are over 2,000 Obsidian plugins available as of this writing, and you can use them to basically t…

Leftovers can be challenging. Occasionally, you’ll have a meal so good that you actually look forward to scarfing it down cold the next day, but that's not always the case. I usually have bits and bobs of leftovers—things I didn't care for in the first place, or stray ingredients I can’t seem to get rid of. My curse however, is that I hate (hate!) tossing edible food. So over the years, I’ve gotten better at reworking leftovers, and you can too. Here are my favorite ways to repurpose leftovers into incredible new meals. Recipes for using leftoversI run into two types of leftovers: leftover meals and leftover single ingredients. Let’s start with leftover meals. This secti…

You've probably heard you can use your phone's personal dictionary to save time typing. It's one of our favorite time-saving tricks. However, there's an even easier way on Android to save whole blocks of text, and you've been using it without realizing it: your clipboard's history. This feature may vary depending on your model of phone, so we'll focus on Google's Gboard. By default, the keyboard will keep a history of what you copy, so you can paste multiple blocks of text without bouncing back and forth between apps. You can see this history by tapping the Clipboard icon on your keyboard (in some contexts, you may have to press the four-square apps button to pull it up).…

I've recently rented a car in two different states. Both times I was asked if I wanted to pay an extra fee per day to avoid worrying about paying tolls—a crucial issue in some states, like Florida, that no longer accept cash on the road and sometimes won't even allow you to pay online. Both times I declined, and set my Google Maps to "avoid tolls." I was reasonably confident Google would keep me safe from an unpaid toll ticket, but my heart still skipped a beat when, a few weeks ago, I got a text message letting me know I had unpaid I-Pass tolls from Illinois. But then I took a closer look at the text. Missed toll texts are the latest scamIt turns out that texts purport…

There's no doubt Google is keen to track just about everything you do online and inside its apps, but it's also fair to say the company puts a comprehensive set of security and privacy tools at its users' disposal. You can use these tools to manage data in everything from Google Maps to YouTube. And there is a lot of data to manage: With Gmail, Gemini, Android, Chrome, and all the other apps and services it runs, Google can suck up a vast amount of information about you and what you're up to. It's important to make sure this data is being managed in a way you're comfortable with, and kept safe from unauthorized access. All of these security and privacy settings can be fou…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. Whether you're shopping for your very first security camera or already have a system at home you're looking to grow, you might find something worthwhile in Amazon's sale section on Ring and Blink cameras. As Amanda Blum, our smart-home tech reviewer at Lifehacker, mentioned in her review, the Blink Outdoor 4 is a worthwhile entry-level wireless security camera—and right now, you can get bundles for up to 50% off, with the five-camera bundle for $199.99 (originally $399.99). This is the lowest price I have seen for this particular bundle, after check…

Installing software on Windows can be a pain. You'll find some things for download in the Microsoft Store, sure, but a lot of other applications require you to find the official website and download an executable. It's an annoying process, especially if you have a bunch of software you need to install all at once—a lot of waiting around and clicking "Next." Manually downloading software is also a security risk. The increasing unreliability of Google search results means it's harder to find a legitimate sources for a given app, increasing your odds of downloading malware. Linux users don't have to deal with this cumbersome process—they install software using a package mana…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Whatever happened to the erotic thriller? There’s something of a bell curve to the distribution of the subgenre, rising with the relaxing of the production code in the late 1960s, topping out in the ‘80s with prestige fare like Fatal Attraction, and tailing off by the mid-2000s to the dominance of franchise culture. Today’s box office values big-budget, four-quadrant blockbusters, making marketing of films about adult sexuality nearly impossible. Streaming has opened a window for movies that resemble the erotic thrillers of yore, but the kind they used to make—feature lurid hooks and big stars—remain decidedly absent from…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. When you watch a piece of media produced in a language you don't speak, you have a couple of options. You can, of course, turn on subtitles and follow along by reading. But in some cases, you can switch the audio track to whichever language you speak. This is called the "dub," and it usually requires voice artists to record the lines in this new language—in a way that matches the original tone of the show or movie. This requires time and money, something studios aren't always willing to part with. As such, not everything has a dub. But what if it could? On Wednesday, Amazon announced "AI-aided dubbing" for Prime Video. O…

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 budget-friendly smart doorbell, and don't mind going the pre-owned route, this (Like New) Blink Video Doorbell is now $27.99 (down from $44.99)—its lowest price yet, according to price trackers. Prime members get free shipping, while non-Prime shoppers need to hit the $35 minimum threshold for free delivery. Like-New Blink Video Doorbell …

When Apple first revealed Apple Intelligence, its slate of generative AI features, a huge part of that announcement was a super-charged Siri. No longer would Apple's digital assistant be lagging behind competitors like Google: With the power of AI, the new Siri might actually be useful. When Apple Intelligence drops in full, Siri will reportedly be much more contextually aware, and be able to scan what's on your phone to understand and answer questions you ask. If your friend sends you their new address, you can ask Siri "add this address to their contact card." You don't need to specify which address or which contact, because the assistant will, according to Apple, be ab…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. HBO was, for at least a couple of generations, the home of movies on cable—no one else could compete. For a while, it seemed like Max could well be the ultimate streaming destination for movie lovers, but the jury is still out there. Even still, Max maintains a collaboration with TCM, giving it a broad range of classic American and foreign films. It's also the primary streaming home for Studio Ghibli and A24, so even though Max hasn't been in the business of making as many originals as it used to, it still has a solid assortment of films you won't find anywhere else. Here are 23 of the best of Max's recent and/or exclusive…

This week's biggest event was the Super Bowl. While the game was a snore-fest reminiscent of the lopsided Super Bowl blowouts of the past, the halftime show was nothing like the performances of 1980s Super Bowl favorites "Up with People." If you compare the two performances (and you should), you'll see how far we have come as a society. Kendrick's jeans win the Super Bowl Super Bowl 2025 may have been more of beatdown than an exciting football game, but luckily Kendrick Lamar was around at halftime to provide some much needed drama. From "Uncle" Samuel L. Jackson providing a preemptive critique of the show from "mainstream" America, to Serena Williams crip walki…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. Anker has been on a roll slashing prices off their portable projectors, with the powerful Mars 3 Air reaching its lowest price earlier this month, the mid-size Nebula Capsule 3 still at its lowest price, and now their smallest portable projector, the Nebula Capsule Air down to $269.99 (originally $399.99) after a $100 discount and a 10% on-page coupon on Amazon. This is the lowest price this portable projector has been, according to price-tracking tools. Nebula Capsule Air Projector …