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Small businesses in the US saw improved performance in the September 2024 quarter, marking the first positive sales growth since late 2022, according to new data from Xero. The findings, part of Xero Small Business Insights (XSBI), also show a reduction in late payments and shorter average payment times, signaling a more stable financial environment for small businesses. Key Findings: Sales Growth and Payment Trends Small business sales increased by 0.8% year-over-year (y/y) in the three months ending in September, reversing a 0.1% decline in the June quarter. Businesses also experienced improved payment timelines: Late payments decreased, with businesses receiving payments 9.1 days late on average, a 0.5-day improvement over the June quarter. Average time to be paid dropped to 28.7 days, a 0.7-day improvement, maintaining a general range between 28.5 and 29.5 days since early 2023. Regional Differences in Small Business Performance All major US regions recorded sales growth in the September quarter, though results varied: Northeast led with 1.3% y/y growth West followed at 0.8% y/y South posted 0.6% y/y growth Midwest saw 0.2% y/y growth While the West region maintained three consecutive quarters of sales growth, payment times varied across regions: Improved payment times: The South (down 1.8 days to 28.5 days) and Midwest (down 0.3 days to 30.0 days) Longer payment times: The Northeast (up 1.3 days to 29.0 days) and West (up 0.5 days to 28.2 days) “It’s encouraging to see US small businesses trending in a positive direction after nearly two years of challenging conditions,” said Louise Southall, Economist at Xero. “Positive sales growth and shorter payment times in the September quarter are promising indicators that economic pressures are easing. To maintain healthy cash flow and build resilience against any future economic uncertainties, small businesses should prioritize strategies that encourage their customers to pay promptly.” Optimism and Challenges in 2025 A November 2024 Xero survey found 88% of US small business respondents felt more optimistic about their business prospects heading into 2025 than they had the previous month. This level of optimism was the highest among surveyed countries, including Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the UK. Lower inflation and multiple Federal Reserve interest rate cuts since September 2024 contributed to improved economic conditions, easing pressures on cash flow and profitability. However, recent policy decisions present new challenges. Tariffs on Canadian goods and retaliatory trade measures have impacted cross-border supply chains, increasing operational costs for businesses dependent on US-Canada trade. “Unfortunately, the US government’s decision to levy tariffs on Canadian goods, and the subsequent retaliatory measures, have likely dented this growing optimism,” Southall noted. “Small businesses and their customers on both sides of the US-Canadian border will pay more for goods that travel across this border, impacting the often intertwined supply chains and adding to the cost of business operations.” Adapting to a Changing Business Landscape While macroeconomic trends point to easing financial pressures, Xero urges small businesses to prepare for continued volatility. “While the new administration has promised economic policy changes that will impact the business landscape, small businesses must also contend with ongoing economic challenges like cash flow disruptions and late payments,” said Michael Cascone, Vice President of Government Experience, Americas at Xero. “To remain agile and adapt to new policies and economic shifts that impact their long-term success, small businesses should prioritize financial resilience—through strategic planning, operational efficiency, and proactive cash flow management.” This article, "Xero Reports Positive Sales Growth for US Small Businesses, Shorter Payment Delays" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

Small businesses in the US saw improved performance in the September 2024 quarter, marking the first positive sales growth since late 2022, according to new data from Xero. The findings, part of Xero Small Business Insights (XSBI), also show a reduction in late payments and shorter average payment times, signaling a more stable financial environment for small businesses. Key Findings: Sales Growth and Payment Trends Small business sales increased by 0.8% year-over-year (y/y) in the three months ending in September, reversing a 0.1% decline in the June quarter. Businesses also experienced improved payment timelines: Late payments decreased, with businesses receiving payments 9.1 days late on average, a 0.5-day improvement over the June quarter. Average time to be paid dropped to 28.7 days, a 0.7-day improvement, maintaining a general range between 28.5 and 29.5 days since early 2023. Regional Differences in Small Business Performance All major US regions recorded sales growth in the September quarter, though results varied: Northeast led with 1.3% y/y growth West followed at 0.8% y/y South posted 0.6% y/y growth Midwest saw 0.2% y/y growth While the West region maintained three consecutive quarters of sales growth, payment times varied across regions: Improved payment times: The South (down 1.8 days to 28.5 days) and Midwest (down 0.3 days to 30.0 days) Longer payment times: The Northeast (up 1.3 days to 29.0 days) and West (up 0.5 days to 28.2 days) “It’s encouraging to see US small businesses trending in a positive direction after nearly two years of challenging conditions,” said Louise Southall, Economist at Xero. “Positive sales growth and shorter payment times in the September quarter are promising indicators that economic pressures are easing. To maintain healthy cash flow and build resilience against any future economic uncertainties, small businesses should prioritize strategies that encourage their customers to pay promptly.” Optimism and Challenges in 2025 A November 2024 Xero survey found 88% of US small business respondents felt more optimistic about their business prospects heading into 2025 than they had the previous month. This level of optimism was the highest among surveyed countries, including Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the UK. Lower inflation and multiple Federal Reserve interest rate cuts since September 2024 contributed to improved economic conditions, easing pressures on cash flow and profitability. However, recent policy decisions present new challenges. Tariffs on Canadian goods and retaliatory trade measures have impacted cross-border supply chains, increasing operational costs for businesses dependent on US-Canada trade. “Unfortunately, the US government’s decision to levy tariffs on Canadian goods, and the subsequent retaliatory measures, have likely dented this growing optimism,” Southall noted. “Small businesses and their customers on both sides of the US-Canadian border will pay more for goods that travel across this border, impacting the often intertwined supply chains and adding to the cost of business operations.” Adapting to a Changing Business Landscape While macroeconomic trends point to easing financial pressures, Xero urges small businesses to prepare for continued volatility. “While the new administration has promised economic policy changes that will impact the business landscape, small businesses must also contend with ongoing economic challenges like cash flow disruptions and late payments,” said Michael Cascone, Vice President of Government Experience, Americas at Xero. “To remain agile and adapt to new policies and economic shifts that impact their long-term success, small businesses should prioritize financial resilience—through strategic planning, operational efficiency, and proactive cash flow management.” This article, "Xero Reports Positive Sales Growth for US Small Businesses, Shorter Payment Delays" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday has issued an advisory urging consumers to be cautious of a growing cyber scam involving fraudulent invoices sent through PayPal. The scam targets email users by sending repeated payment requests that appear urgent, often including a toll-free number directing victims to a scammer posing as customer support. Scammers exploit PayPal’s invoicing system by sending deceptive payment requests to users’ email inboxes. The messages often contain a phone number and a directive to call, leading victims to fraudulent operators attempting to extract personal and financial information. “Scammers are well aware that many Pennsylvanians rely on PayPal to send and receive money to their friends and family, or as part of a small business,” said Attorney General Dave Sunday. “This is another example of the sophistication of cyber scams, and a reminder to pause and be vigilant before offering personal information or sending money online. Our Bureau of Consumer Protection is standing by to assist Pennsylvanians who are harmed.” Attorney General Sunday’s office advises consumers to take the following precautions: Verify the email sender – Legitimate PayPal communications come from service@paypal.com. If the email address differs, do not respond. Assess the invoice request – Even if the email appears to be from PayPal, consumers should disregard any payment requests they do not recognize. Consumers who receive fraudulent invoices should contact PayPal customer service directly through PayPal.com and avoid calling any numbers provided in suspicious emails. Victims or concerned consumers can also file a complaint with the Office of Attorney General’s Bureau of Consumer Protection to help prevent further scams from affecting others in Pennsylvania. This article, "Pennsylvania Attorney General Warns of Rising PayPal Invoice Scam" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday has issued an advisory urging consumers to be cautious of a growing cyber scam involving fraudulent invoices sent through PayPal. The scam targets email users by sending repeated payment requests that appear urgent, often including a toll-free number directing victims to a scammer posing as customer support. Scammers exploit PayPal’s invoicing system by sending deceptive payment requests to users’ email inboxes. The messages often contain a phone number and a directive to call, leading victims to fraudulent operators attempting to extract personal and financial information. “Scammers are well aware that many Pennsylvanians rely on PayPal to send and receive money to their friends and family, or as part of a small business,” said Attorney General Dave Sunday. “This is another example of the sophistication of cyber scams, and a reminder to pause and be vigilant before offering personal information or sending money online. Our Bureau of Consumer Protection is standing by to assist Pennsylvanians who are harmed.” Attorney General Sunday’s office advises consumers to take the following precautions: Verify the email sender – Legitimate PayPal communications come from service@paypal.com. If the email address differs, do not respond. Assess the invoice request – Even if the email appears to be from PayPal, consumers should disregard any payment requests they do not recognize. Consumers who receive fraudulent invoices should contact PayPal customer service directly through PayPal.com and avoid calling any numbers provided in suspicious emails. Victims or concerned consumers can also file a complaint with the Office of Attorney General’s Bureau of Consumer Protection to help prevent further scams from affecting others in Pennsylvania. This article, "Pennsylvania Attorney General Warns of Rising PayPal Invoice Scam" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

What the country does with its newfound power will be crucial for everything from prices to the future of mining investmentsView the full article

Chili’s is celebrating National Margarita Day this month with a new romcom Lifetime holiday movie. The casual-dining restaurant chain and cable network will debut a 15-minute TV short film, called I’ll Be Home For National Margarita Day, first airing on Lifetime on February 19 and available on Lifetime.com, YouTube, and social platforms. Starring actors Maria Menounos and Taye Diggs, the new flick hits on all the classic Lifetime tropes, including a big-city-dwelling woman returning to her hometown to reconnect with an old flame, who happens to be a bartender at Chili’s. The reunited lovers must work together to save a small town’s National Margarita Day celebration from the villainous big-city developer. “He’s like a bad guy right out of a Lifetime movie,” says Diggs during one of the film’s self-referential moments. “I think there are parallels between why people look to Lifetime and the great content they create, as well as why people look for a night out at a place like Chili’s,” says Chili’s chief marketing officer George Felix in an interview with Fast Company. “It’s a reliable source of comfort.” The project also presents an appetizing marketing opportunity for Chili’s, which sold 25 million margaritas last year, more than any other restaurant chain in the U.S. Chili’s worked with creative agency Mischief on the film, which is a core pillar of the restaurant chain’s largest-ever marketing campaign for National Margarita Day, a “holiday” that is celebrated on February 22. ‘We need excuses to laugh’ Chili’s is also offering several margarita promos, including a one-day $5 margarita special called the “Tequila Trifecta,” which combines el Jimador Silver, 1800 Reposado, and Jose Cuervo Gold. “When people are thinking about margaritas and a place to go out, Chili’s is really the first choice,” says Felix. Menounos, who plays Liz, is already well known to the Lifetime audience having previously appeared in the network’s films including Christmas at Plumhill Manor and The Holiday Dating Guide. The actress says she is so charmed by the genre that she cofounded a holiday movie production company in 2024 with her husband, writer and film producer Keven Undergaro, called We Heart Holidays. “Life has gotten so hard and so challenging, we need excuses to laugh, and smile, and have fun, and have margaritas,” says Menounos. [Photo: Chili’s] Menounos has also been a devoted fan of Chili’s for well over two decades and even hired a former Chili’s waiter to work at her company. Menounos says she tends to prefer appetizers including the chips and salsa, nachos, and the fried mozzarella. Beyond her love of holiday flicks, Menounos says she was lured to the project to work with a friend, Diggs, who plays Sam in the film and also previously starred in Lifetime’s Terry McMillian Presents: Forever. Diggs says he’s a more recent convert to the Chili’s cuisine. “We all knew these characters, but at the same time, it’s a little bit tongue in cheek, because we’re talking about Chili’s and mozzarella sticks and margaritas,” says Diggs. A bar and grill on a roll The chain has become a star performer for restaurant operator Brinker, which also owns the Italian-themed Maggiano’s. Comparable restaurant sales, which tracks the performance at locations that have been open for more than 18 months, have increased steadily over the past several quarters. For the most recent fiscal second quarter, comparable restaurant sales jumped 31% at Chili’s, growth that astonished Wall Street analysts, who have praised the chain’s comeback as one of the strongest ever in the restaurant industry. Felix says the chain has benefited from reinvesting in national TV advertising after a long pause during the pandemic, as well as a streamlined menu with 25% fewer items than two years ago. The core focus is now on five categories: burgers, chicken crispers, fajitas, margaritas, and the triple dipper. [Photo: Lifetime] The triple dipper, which allows diners to select from a range of three different appetizers, has been a particular popular dish. Last spring, Chili’s began to notice some social media chatter, especially on TikTok, that frequently featured the combination of sliders, honey chipotle chicken crispers, and fried mozzarella. TikTok users were particularly drawn to performing what’s known as the “cheese pull” as they bite into the fried mozzarella. “This item really lends itself to the way that the TikTok food world works,” says Felix. Chili’s cultivated interest in the dish by partnering with social media influencers. The triple dipper has amassed over 200 million views on TikTok in just the past six months. The Lifetime film presents yet another opportunity for Chili’s to lean into pop culture. While the network’s audience tends to skew more female, Chili’s says the brand’s overall strategy is fairly gender balanced. Recent partnerships include launching the espresso martini with the female cast members of Bravo’s TV show Vanderpump Rules, but other recent activations with NASCAR and the comedy group Dude Perfect lean more male. “The fact that Chili’s is a brand that really appeals to a wide demographic gives us, as marketers, a wide range of partners that we can play with,” says Felix. “Lifetime hits one of our big audiences in a big way.” View the full article

Panel of 6 search marketers share why Google's Q4 2024 results may reflect shifts in user behavior and underlying instability The post Why Google’s 4th Quarter Results Raise Questions for SEO & PPC appeared first on Search Engine Journal. View the full article

The Fast Company Impact Council is a private membership community of influential leaders, experts, executives, and entrepreneurs who share their insights with our audience. Members pay annual membership dues for access to peer learning and thought leadership opportunities, events and more. Over the past decade, the rising cost of insulin epitomized the broader systemic issue of higher healthcare out-of-pocket costs that prevented many Americans from accessing essential care. People with diabetes, who rely on insulin to maintain their health, were routinely priced out of accessing their medications—forced to choose between filling their prescriptions or paying other bills. As a result, lowering the cost of insulin became a political rallying cry, compelling elected officials and regulators to take action. Given the complexity of the American healthcare system, there’s no magic bullet when it comes to reducing insulin prices—or any prescription price for that matter. Patent protections, gaps in targeted affordability regulations, and supply chain issues are just a handful of the network dynamics at play. But, through collaborative efforts by pharma, lawmakers, and other stakeholders, the tide on insulin prices is beginning to turn. New research from GoodRx shows that the average price per insulin unit dropped 42% from 2019 to mid-2024—the lowest average in a decade. Notably, it wasn’t just one factor that contributed to this significant drop. The Inflation Reduction Act, which began capping costs for Medicare enrollees, was a game changer for millions of Americans. Voluntary manufacturer price cuts and savings programs, as well as increased approvals of biosimilars and generics, also drove big declines in insulin prices. Collectively, these efforts reflect a pivotal shift toward improving accessibility. Most importantly, this illustrates how, when the industry comes together, we can make medications more affordable. Collaboration as a catalyst for change To usher in a new era of affordable medicine, working together across the healthcare ecosystem is essential. Pharmaceutical companies, policymakers, insurance companies, and healthcare systems each hold a critical piece of the solution. While insulin price reductions are a notable victory, out-of-pocket costs for prescription medications continue to trend upward. Since 2014, prescription list prices have grown nearly 40%. Today, fewer medications are covered by insurance, and others are subject to restrictions like step therapy and prior authorizations. These factors contribute to why an estimated 53 million Americans leave their medications at the pharmacy counter every month. The insulin example demonstrates the impact that joint efforts can have in making lasting change, and private partners can play a significant role in driving innovation. At GoodRx, we saw an opportunity to contribute to the solution by partnering with Sanofi in 2023 to offer their most prescribed insulin, Lantus, for only $35 to all Americans—whether they had insurance or not. This happened before the manufacturer implemented its own program for consumers with commercial insurance and within the same coverage year that Medicare enrollees began benefiting from $35 insulin copay caps. Apply the insulin blueprint Though insulin was the starting point, it was only the first step on our path to better support people with diabetes. Since partnering with Sanofi, GoodRx broadened its efforts by launching cash-pay programs with other manufacturers to make essential diabetes medications and devices more affordable—especially for those not covered by insurance or with high out-of-pocket costs. For instance, we’ve partnered with Dexcom to lower the price of their Dexcom G6 and Dexcom G7 continuous glucose monitors by over $200 per month for consumers with diabetes. Both of these programs have brought savings to thousands of people who used GoodRx to complement insurance shortfalls. Our success with diabetes offers a playbook to tackle affordability challenges for other chronic conditions, such as heart and renal diseases. The groundbreaking medications and technology used to treat and monitor these conditions, especially solutions new to the market, typically come with high price tags that put them out of reach for many people. But it doesn’t have to be this way. To prioritize affordability and increase access to lifesaving treatments, there must be a sustained commitment to transparency and accountability from all stakeholders. Policymakers can strengthen and expand consumer-centric legislation while enforcing regulations that ensure companies prioritize the needs of people over profits. Pharmaceutical companies can prioritize the development of innovative treatments to advance patient care while also taking deliberate steps to improve affordability. This includes providing savings programs and supporting the production of biosimilars and generics to ensure broader patient access to lifesaving medication. Charting a path forward At GoodRx, we collaborate with partners across the healthcare industry, from pharmaceutical companies to retail pharmacies and healthcare professionals. These interactions provide an unparalleled vantage point for identifying opportunities to improve transparency and affordability. The journey toward making healthcare more affordable is undeniably complex, but the insulin price reduction serves as a beacon of hope. It underscores how sustained, collaborative efforts and a shared commitment to the public good can improve access to critical medications for those who need them most. The path forward is clear, and it is up to us as industry leaders to follow it. Dorothy Gemmell is chief commercial officer and president, manufacturer solutions at GoodRx. View the full article

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The Fast Company Impact Council is a private membership community of influential leaders, experts, executives, and entrepreneurs who share their insights with our audience. Members pay annual membership dues for access to peer learning and thought leadership opportunities, events and more. When I was a college student renting an apartment in New York City, I learned firsthand that the rental process was overly complex and inefficient. My friends and I lost out on an apartment we really wanted simply because we couldn’t gather the necessary documentation fast enough. That experience stuck with me, and it sparked an idea—why not electronically store all of the documentation you need to apply for rental housing so it’s always ready at your fingertips. So I built an app to do just that. Along the way, I began talking to more people on both sides of the rental process, and I realized the issues went beyond just tenants. Understand both sides of the equation As I spoke with more landlords, I realized that they were just as frustrated as tenants, if not more so. I saw that independent landlords, in particular, felt a deep connection to their tenants and wanted them to have a positive experience. Yet, they were forced into a system filled with inefficiencies—using pens, paper, and spreadsheets to manage complex situations, resulting in logistical headaches. Independent landlords told me about pain points they were struggling with: how to collect rent efficiently; how to handle maintenance requests in a timely fashion; how to fill vacant units faster; and how to create a rental experience that makes people want to stay. Meanwhile, the technology available was not cost effective nor purpose-built for them. The existing systems were designed for massive property managers with different issues and budgets. Interacting with renters (and being one myself) revealed that renters value convenience just as much as their landlords. Tenants also struggled with outdated payment systems, maintenance requests getting lost or forgotten, and difficulties communicating with their landlords, making them feel dissatisfied and less likely to renew their leases. They wanted an easy way to pay rent, submit maintenance requests, and stay informed about issues (like property water shutoffs or garbage day changes). Driven by the belief that there had to be a better way, I saw an opportunity to bridge this gap, making the renting process easier for both landlords and tenants. Listening to the needs of both sides was instrumental in turning a personal project into an industry-changing solution. The power of customer feedback (and trust) Since my desire to build a software platform was born from talking to potential product users, it was only natural that listening to customers has been the cornerstone of my product development approach. One of my biggest regrets was waiting too long before sharing the platform with potential customers. I spent over two years building the first version without letting anyone use it because I was convinced it had to be “perfect.” I’ve since learned that waiting for a perfect or “customer-ready” product before releasing it is counterproductive. In technology, quick iterations are important. If a technical feature or update can solve 50% of the customers’ problems, just release it. Helping people sooner is better than waiting until a solution is 95% complete. Plus, customer feedback will help refine and optimize the product along the way. Once we got our product into customers’ hands, their feedback shaped everything. We learned that some features we thought were essential weren’t actually necessary, while others—ones we hadn’t even considered—became must-haves. By creating a direct feedback loop, we could pivot quickly, iterate fast, and build a product that truly meets users’ needs. Both customers and investors are willing to take a leap of faith with you if they feel heard and included in the journey. We’ve built a technology platform alongside users, and that collaboration has been invaluable. By staying engaged with our customers, we’ve ensured that we’re delivering what they actually need, not just what we think they need. A data-driven, customer-centric approach Once you have a good process to incorporate customer feedback into the development process, adding and analyzing data provides an even higher level of alignment on goals and decision making. Data gives us the “why” behind our choices, creating transparency and understanding within the company. This approach allows us to focus on the “right” things—giving customers everything they need, and nothing they don’t. As Steve Jobs once said, innovation is actually saying “no” to a thousand good ideas so you can focus on the most important ones, and I believe that wholeheartedly. Starting with your customer lets you focus on the most important ideas, and making data-driven decisions helps you refine those ideas and turn them into real solutions that help real people. Case in point: We added a Credit Boost feature that allowed tenants to report their on-time rent payments to TransUnion to help them build credit and/or boost their credit scores. When analyzing our internal data over the past four years, we learned that landlords are likely to see a 13% jump in on-time rent payments when their tenants use it. So this feature that was originally intended to benefit tenants was also benefiting landlords. Therefore, we added partnerships with Experian and Equifax, becoming the first property management software to enable on-time rent reporting to all three major credit bureaus, and we also made the feature available to landlords so they could purchase it for their tenants as an extra perk or amenity. We used this approach to improve landlords and tenant relationships and lives many times. Some examples: offering autopay to reduce missed rent payments and late fees; providing customizable experiences such as template builders for pre-qualification and application processes; developing accelerated two-day funding for rent payments; and adding state-of-the-art security layers to protect landlord and tenant identities, protecting them against fraud. We are continuously iterating, adapting, and refining the platform to ensure that renting is an easy and enjoyable experience for all. By focusing on these principles, we’ve created a platform that not only simplifies property management but also improves relationships between landlords and tenants. Investors can dedicate more time to their personal lives while growing their financial success, and renters benefit from a seamless, hassle-free process. Embrace the entrepreneurial mindset Ultimately, I’ve learned that success comes from a simple but powerful philosophy: Build only what’s needed, listen to the people who use your product, and always look for ways to make things better. By focusing on these principles, we’ve created a platform that simplifies property management and makes renting a better experience for everyone. Renting shouldn’t be a battle—it should be a partnership. And that’s the future we continue to build. Ryan Barone is cofounder and CEO of RentRedi. View the full article

We may earn a commission from links on this page. All houses make noise, and those noises can be useful in diagnosing and addressing potential problems. But if your house is driving you crazy with all its creaking and groaning, it’s time to look into ways you can quiet the house down. You could do a gut renovation to make the place absolutely soundproof, but if you don’t have a spare fortune to spend on the effort, you still have a lot of relatively simple, affordable options to try out, based on what's making those noises in the first place. Check your decibelsFirst, you’ll need some data to work with—and you'll have to identify exactly what’s causing noise in your house. While some sources of noise will be obvious, using a simple decibel meter (or an app on your phone) to check noise levels from room to room will give you a more specific action plan. Average room noise is considered to be between 30 and 50 decibels (dB), and any noise above 70dB is considered harmful—but noise sensitivity is subjective. Walk around and make a note of any spots where there’s a jump in noise levels and look into the source of the noise. Quiet down your appliancesOne of the main sources of noise in your home are your appliances. Washers, dryers, dishwashers—everything that makes our lives easier also generates noise, and sometimes a lot of it. Most appliances operate with noise levels between 50 and 70 dB, so having several running at once can create a lot of indoor noise pollution. You can take a few simple steps to reduce that noise: Choose quieter appliances. Different appliances have different decibel ratings, so you can target quieter appliances next time you’re replacing something. You can sometimes find this in a product’s specifications, or you can look for appliances that are Quiet Mark-certified. Check the balance. Washing machines and other appliances that have moving internal parts need to be balanced and level—if they’re unbalanced they can shake and make more noise than they should. Grab a level and check that everything is balanced. You can usually adjust the feet of the appliance to level it out. Use anti-vibration pads. Available in a variety of sizes, anti-vibration pads absorb the appliance’s vibration, reducing the noise it makes. Install wall cladding. Hanging fabric or soundproofing materials on the walls around your appliances can help absorb noise and keep it from being conducted through the walls to other areas of the house. Check your furnaceIf your furnace is noisy, it might be worth it to bring in an HVAC professional to take a look at it. There are some simple things you can try that might make it run quieter, however: Adjust the fan speed. Turning the fan speed down might be all that’s needed to eliminate whining or “howling” in a furnace. Clean it. Your furnace, filters, and the vents it connects to can become clogged with dust, which can make it run noisier than usual. Cleaning the whole system as thoroughly as you can might eliminate extra noise. Inspect your ductwork. Take a look at the ducts where you can, especially where they connect together. Any gaps or holes can cause whistling or other noise, so plugging them up with some foil sealer tape can make a big difference in noise levels. Add rugs and carpetingYou might not want to carpet the entire house, but area rugs (or even carpet tiles) can offer some of the same benefits, muffling the sounds of people walking around the space. To enhance the benefits, put an extra-thick rug pad underneath to get as much sound absorption as possible out of your floor covering. Place pads under furnitureWhile you’re contemplating how much noise your floors are transmitting, don’t forget to put padding under your furniture where practical. You don’t walk under your couch or bed, but the bare floor under there can still act as a conductor, spreading noise to other areas of the home. A rug or pad under those pieces can add just a bit more soundproofing. Secure your pipesIf one source of noise in your house is rattling pipes, either when you run the hot water (called “water hammering”) or when your heat cycles, you can reduce or eliminate that noise in two ways: Secure the pipes. Pipes that knock and bang inside the walls might just need to be secured. This isn’t a difficult job to DIY (but usually does involve opening your walls). Alternatively, you can have a plumber install a water hammer arrester, which should solve the problem. Install pressure-reducing valves (PRV). A PRV will regulate the water and air pressure in your pipes, which can reduce or eliminate hammering and banging. This isn’t exactly cheap (it can run you more than $600 if you hire a plumber to install one), but it might be worth it. Soundproof wall platesIf something in your home is making noise, your home itself can act as one big sound conductor—your walls act almost like speakers, bringing noise from other rooms. This is especially true if they’re not insulated. You might not want to (or be able to) stuff insulation into them, but you can easily blunt some of the noise traveling through those walls by adding some noise-absorbing gaskets to outlets and light switches. Behind those wall plates are holes in your walls, which makes it easy for noise to find its way into the room. By adding seals around those plates you can cut down the noise that makes it through. If you’re a little handier, you can also apply putty around the electrical boxes in the room, which will also blunt any sounds before they can invade the space. Upgrade your doorsLike your walls, doors can act as conductors of sound, ferrying noise from outside the room right to your ears. If your interior doors are hollow, the effect is even stronger, so swapping those out for solid-core doors can help make your home quieter. Gaps under the door can also allow sound to seep through from outside, so adding a simple sweep to the bottom to close off this gap can give your door an extra boost of soundproofing ability. Silence your creaking floorsEven if you put down rugs and pads, floors that creak and squeak as you walk on them will still add to the overall noise level in your home. The good news is that you probably don’t need professional help or even any power tools to shush those floors. A few things you can do include: Lubricate. If your hardwood floors are creaking, you can apply a dry lubricant like powdered graphite or even talcum powder. Just work it into the seams between floorboards where you hear a squeak, cover the area with a cloth, and walk on for a bit. Repeat the process until the squeak is gone. Shim. If you have access to the underside of the floor, you can look to see if there’s a gap between the subfloor and the joist. If there is, inserting a shim or two to eliminate movement might solve the noise problem. You can also try driving a screw from either above or below to secure the floor. If driving it from above, use a trim screw and sink it below the surface of the floor so you can fill the hole with wood filler. If driving it from below, make sure the screw is short enough not to pop out on the surface of the floor. Brace. If there is a pronounced gap or a lot of movement between your joists and subfloor, you can brace the floor with a 2x4 cut to fit between the joists. Attach it so that it’s slightly higher than the joists, compensating for the gap and eliminating subfloor movement. For tile floors, you can check that the tiles are firmly adhered to the subfloor and re-apply any loose tiles. Then look for gaps around the edges of the floor and caulk them. This will help eliminate any tile shifts that might be causing the squeak. Mitigate noises from settlingIf your home makes groaning or cracking noises, it usually gets classified as “settling,” the process of a house sinking into its foundation and the materials it’s built out of compensating for shifts and compression. This is pretty natural and affects most houses at one time or another, although severe settling can indicate a foundation problem. But those settling noises might also be caused by humidity and temperature, which can cause wood and other materials to expand and contract, resulting in cracking, popping, and groaning noises. Managing the humidity and temperature fluctuations in the home might reduce or even eliminate these noises. Service your heating systemNoisy radiatorsIf you have steam radiators in the house, you know that they can sound like an off-key brass band marching through your nightmares. You can try some simple DIY fixes to quiet them down: Shim it. A banging, clanging radiator can be caused by water settling at the bottom of the radiator. Elevating it slightly so it tips toward the boiler can eliminate that problem. Replace the air vent. A radiator that whistles and burps every time the heat rises might just need a new air vent. This is pretty cheap and easy to do DIY. A loud forced air furnaceIf you have forced-air heat that sounds like a battleship leaving port every time it fires up, you might be able to quiet it down without a major project: Duct liners. Having fiberglass duct liners installed in the ducts can dampen noise caused by vibration and rattling, and inhibit noise conductivity. Anti-vibration pads under the furnace itself can also help reduce the noise. Replace the filter. A dirty air filter can cause the furnace to work harder, which can lead to booming or banging noises. You can also try opening your home’s supply vents as well. If these steps don’t help, your furnace’s motor may be the cause, either due to low lubrication levels, a failing belt, or some other mechanical cause. Your best bet will be to call a professional to take a look. View the full article

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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 aromatics make up the stuffing, packing plenty of flavor for a lower price. Stuffed shishito peppersThe best way to make vegetables celebration-worthy is to stuff them with cheese. Shishito peppers are flavorful with delicate seeds, so you can eat the entire thing without it being weird or bitter. Use the recipe here for the cream cheese and bacon filling and pop them in the air fryer for a handful of minutes. Dressed-up frozen pizza Credit: Allie Chanthorn Reinmann Pizza for Valentine’s Day dinner is certainly romantic, but ordering a specialty pie can easily become expensive. Instead, buy a frozen pie and dress it up with a few fancy ingredients yourself. Split a ball of burrata over the top (or two, they often come in pairs), tuck some strips of torn prosciutto into the cheese, and drizzle it with truffle honey. Foolproof cacio e pepeLet’s move to the pasta course. Carbs are, and always have been, the key to feeling satisfied on a budget. Cacio e pepe is a flavorful, fancy mac and cheese and there’s an easy way to ensure the sauce stays creamy without getting clumpy. (Read here to find out.) Serve this delightful dish with a glass of wine and some candles for a simple and sweet presentation. Sheet pan gnocchiCrisp on the exterior with a pillowy center, sheet pan gnocchi is both easy and tasty as heck. Instead of making your own gnocchi, use the soft, shelf stable packaged kind at the store. Toss it with some oil and other accoutrements you’d like to roast, like peppers, onions, and sausages. This meal cooks entirely in the oven, needing little more than a shake every now and then to cook the ingredients evenly. Browned butter and tomato pastaHere’s another romantic pasta dish that delivers on many fronts. In this dish, big flavor comes with a small price tag—all you need is a stick of butter and some tomato paste. Simply boil your favorite pasta shape according to the package’s directions. Brown the butter in a pan and mix in a helping of tomato paste. The pasta goes into the sauce and picks up all of those deeply concentrated flavors. Ricotta gnocchetti Credit: Allie Chanthorn Reinmann If you thought making fresh handmade pasta at home was never going to happen, you haven’t heard of this easy ricotta gnocchetti. A paste of flour, salt and spreadable ricotta cheese gets cut into tiny pasta pillows ready for a quick boil. Stir these gems into your favorite pasta sauce and heap it onto a plate with a hunk of bread. Feta and caper marinated chickenIf a crispy, salty crust and juicy, tender interior sounds good to you, then this chicken recipe should be a priority this Valentine’s Day. Intensely briney, salty ingredients are blended together to make the marinade for this chicken, and the lactic acid from the cheese does double duty tenderizing the meat (the same way buttermilk marinades work). It’s a three-ingredient recipe you’ll come back to time and again. Pork tenderloinAn entire pork loin from Trader Joe’s might cost you less than a dozen chicken eggs these days. And once roasted, it is certainly more of a showstopper than egg salad. A quick marinade in Bachan’s Japanese BBQ sauce, oil, and a boost of MSG turn this budget cut of meat into a refined centerpiece. Serve it with some roasted fingerling potatoes or the stuffed mushrooms from above. Easy shrimp rolls Credit: Allie Chanthorn Reinmann Forget lobster rolls: Shrimp rolls are the delicious year-round taste of summer you can have any time the mood strikes, thanks to frozen shrimp. Just thaw and cook a handful of shrimp per person. Toss them in a simple mayonnaise dressing and tuck them into top-split buns with a couple chives. Mayo roast chickenFew main dishes are both comforting and impressive, but a whole roast chicken does it with class. To ensure your bird has a lovely bronzed coat, and succulent meat coat the entire thing in mayonnaise. Then prove to your Valentine that you’re a true grown up and properly carve that roast chicken to serve. Rainbow cookie egg rollsOne of my favorite dramatic desserts comes from a baseball stadium—specifically, Wok n’ Roll at Citi Field. This festive dessert involves wrapping an Italian rainbow cookie in an egg roll wrapper and then frying it until crispy. It’s fun, it’s decadent, it’s colorful. There is no better way to say, “you’ve got rizz.” Fancy mille feuillePuff pastry is one of those beautiful flaky doughs that takes time and skill to make by hand. Thankfully, buying it frozen from your supermarket does not require these things. Use these instructions to bake off a flat sheet of puff pastry and layer it with vanilla pudding (a vanilla Snack Pack does the trick quite well). Finish it with a flourish of powdered sugar, and you have a sweet Valentine's Day dessert worthy of any restaurant in town. View the full article

The Fast Company Impact Council is a private membership community of influential leaders, experts, executives, and entrepreneurs who share their insights with our audience. Members pay annual membership dues for access to peer learning and thought leadership opportunities, events and more. As the number of internet of things (IoT) devices is projected to reach 40 billion by 2030, IoT integration into our daily lives is undeniable. From smart homes to industrial systems, IoT devices offer unprecedented convenience and efficiency. Netgear’s 2024 IoT Security Landscape report found that IoT devices, including TV sets, smart plugs, routers, and more face frequent attacks, with an average of 10 per device, per day. The rapid adoption of IoT is outpacing the security measures necessary to protect them. The rise of IoT goes beyond smart homes, reaching into critical sectors like healthcare, utilities, and transportation, where the stakes are far higher. A security breach in these areas could lead to devastating outcomes, from personal data theft to operational disruptions in essential operations. To fully realize IoT’s potential, it is crucial to rethink device security, establish stronger standards, and foster a security-first culture that aims to protect the systems driving our future. The explosion of IoT—and its security gaps The rise of IoT has been transformative. What began as simple, smart devices in homes has expanded into a vast, interconnected ecosystem that touches nearly every industry such as agriculture, healthcare, transportation, and manufacturing. IoT devices now power real-time decision making, automate complex systems and optimize operations at a global scale. However, significant security gaps threaten to undermine these benefits. Many IoT devices lack fundamental protections like encryption, regular firmware updates, and secure boot processes. The issue is compounded by the sheer volume of devices now deployed—each a potential entry point for attackers. In many cases, once an IoT device is compromised, it can serve as a gateway to more critical systems, creating a ripple effect of vulnerabilities across entire networks. Key risks include default security settings, limited processing power and memory, and the lack of standardized security protocols across the IoT ecosystem. These gaps allow attackers to exploit devices to access sensitive data, disrupt essential services, or breach larger, more critical networks, putting the integrity of entire systems at risk. The role of users and manufacturers in IoT security IoT security is a shared responsibility between users and manufacturers, who play crucial roles in safeguarding devices from cyber threats. Manufacturers are primarily responsible for designing and developing secure devices, but they sometimes need to prioritize time-to-market over comprehensive security features. Many IoT devices, such as smart home gadgets, cameras, and wearables, are produced by companies with limited experience in cybersecurity, leading to vulnerabilities in device firmware and communication protocols. Inadequate testing and security oversight at the design and development stages expose devices to risks like unauthorized access and data breaches. On the user side, negligence in maintaining device security further exacerbates these risks. Users often fail to change default passwords, leaving their devices vulnerable to brute-force attacks. Users often do not regularly update firmware or software, unaware that patches are released to fix known vulnerabilities. Many consumers also need to gain awareness of the potential privacy risks, such as the misuse of personal data collected by their devices, which can be exploited if not correctly and adequately protected. The complexity of addressing these issues lies in the need for more standardization across the industry. Manufacturers often release products with proprietary systems that don’t always adhere to universal security frameworks, making it difficult for users to implement best practices consistently. Without standardized security protocols and better consumer education, the IoT ecosystem will continue to face challenges. Implement best practices for IoT security As IoT systems are integrated into critical infrastructure and daily life, evolving policy changes are essential to address growing risks. Regulatory frameworks, such as stricter data protection laws and mandatory security standards for IoT devices, will play a pivotal role in enhancing the security environment. Governments and organizations should work together to develop global security standards that mandate encryption, authentication protocols, and regular software updates. These policies will not only encourage manufacturers to design more secure devices but also hold companies accountable for maintaining security throughout the lifecycle of their products. Given the scale and complexity of IoT ecosystems, traditional security measures often fall short. This is where AI and machine learning can play a transformative role. AI-driven security systems can analyze large datasets generated by IoT devices in real-time, identifying anomalies that might signal a breach. Machine learning algorithms improve over time, enabling them to predict and preempt emerging threats before they escalate. That said, the technologies’ effectiveness depends on its proper integration with existing security infrastructures and ongoing updates informed by the latest threat intelligence. Your voice matters. Insist that manufacturers prioritize security by choosing products from companies that are transparent about their security practices and committed to regular updates. By supporting policies and initiatives that push for better security practices across the board, you help ensure that all devices, from the smallest sensor to the most complex system, are built with security in mind. Svetlin Todorov is cofounder of Shelly and CEO of Shelly U.S.A. View the full article

Want to hire the best digital marketer for your team? Find out the key interview questions to ask and find the right candidate this year. The post 15 Interview Questions To Ask Your Next Digital Marketer Candidates appeared first on Search Engine Journal. View the full article

I'll download any app I get an ad for—this fact has been established over and over again. Because the algorithm knows me well, that usually means I am served up advertisements for apps and services that revolve around fashion and beauty. Yet I also have a hidden introspective side, though, again, apparently not hidden from the algorithm: Over the weekend, I was encouraged to download something called Death Clock AI. This app claimed it could guess when I'll die based on my data, correlated to some scientific studies. How could I say no to that? Now, I do not believe I actually will die on Friday, June 30, 2079, as the app predicted, nor do I really think an app is the best answer to charting my healthiest path forward in life. While the app did give me suggestions for improving my overall health, that's no substitute for discussing things with my doctor. Still, the app did make me think a little bit deeper about how I'm living, which I think makes it potentially valuable. And it's also just kinda neat. What is Death Clock AI?When you first open the app (available on iOS or Google Play), you're greeted by a screen that says you can "live longer, better," then asked to tap a button that says, "See my death date." Before you get that, you'll need to more than 30 questions about your habits and health. It will then crunch those numbers and deliver the news. The app claims to be "backed by science, powered by AI," and pulls its information from 1,217 studies that involved a combined population of 53 million participants. While the app does ask you about your age and some background questions, though, your stats may not match up with those of the participants. And the app does nothing to account for your own family and health history, or other important factors like risks you face at work or social factors that may affect your health. Credit: Lindsey Ellefson Still, with each question it asks—like "How often do you include fruits and veggies in your meals?"—you are given the opportunity to explore the research it is based on. Tapping on the research button for that particular question opens a pop-up that notes, "Research from 16 studies involving over 833,000 participants show that each additional daily serving of fruits and vegetables reduces the risk of death from all causes by 5%, with benefits peaking at five servings per day." Some questions may be harder to answer. While you can pretty reliably indicate how often you do cardio in a week or the number of hours you spend sitting each day, other things—like how often you "experience significant stress in your daily life"—are more subjective. On the other end of the spectrum, there are specific questions you may not know the answer to offhand, like about your typical blood pressure reading or your LDL cholesterol level. I certainly don't know my fasting glucose level off the top of my head, so I had to answer "I don't know" a few times; this will affect your overall results. Once Death Clock AI calculates your "death date" based on your answers, it also provides a "better" (that is, farther in the future) date that you can aim for. You'll also be informed you'll get to use the service for free for three days, at which point you'll be charged the $40 annual fee. If you choose to pay for a year of service, you'll get the opportunity to upload health documents and information like recent bloodwork. You can also sync your phone's health data to the app and it will keep track of how much you sleep at night, as well as how many steps you take in a day. Your "death date" can fluctuate based on these inputs and, with a subscription, you'll maintain access to the longevity plan Death Clock generates for you. I can't vouch for how worthwhile that is, because I didn't use Death Clock AI over an extended period. But even a short-term trial gave me plenty to think about. How Death Clock AI made me rethink my healthAgain, even though the developers were smart to base their app on reputable studies, I don't think you should take Death Clock AI's predictions too seriously. Instead, I thought of it as an excuse to reconsider my own health—the same way I treat the data from my fitness trackers and smart scale. It should be considered a given that this data is never truly accurate, but even stopping to think about how often I eat fresh vegetables or how often I stand up on an average day was a minor wake-up call. The drama of getting my "death date" is more of an amusing bonus. Credit: Lindsey Ellefson Death Clock AI delivered me a "longevity plan" that includes recommended bloodwork and labs, supplements, screenings, and things to talk about with my doctor. If you're someone who wants to dig in deeper on your health but isn't sure where to start, this information could be helpful. For each item on the list, the app provides the steps you need to take to follow up on it, and it even notes whether it's typically covered by insurance. The final screen you see is a reminder that Death Clock AI "does not provide medical advice" and you should talk to a real doctor about any concerns you have about your health. That's definitely true. Privacy considerationsMaybe you’re worried about entering all your personal health information into a random app. Death Clock AI’s website notes that the developers, "seek to protect your personal data from unauthorized access," but may also "create aggregated, de-identified or anonymized data from the Personal Data" they collect, to be used for analysis or enhancing the service. That's actually the case for most apps, sure, but most apps aren't asking you to reveal your private health data. This isn't a big deal for me, because I always assume there’s a risk with sharing any data, and I gave up being worried about it a long time ago. If you are more sensible, you should only input what you feel comfortable with putting out into the world. Using the paid tier, for instance, you can input recent bloodwork, but it isn’t required. Stick with the free version, which doesn't require you to create an account, and feel free to skip any questions you find too sensitive. Because again, this app provides useful jumping-off points for thinking deeper about your health, but you also don't really need it at all. If typing your cholesterol level or smoking habits into a gimmicky app makes you feel weird, it's best to just skip it and interrogate your habits some other way. But if you can get past any privacy concerns, and you are looking for a way to think more deeply about your health or need a framework for doing so, it's a solid—if slightly silly—starting point. View the full article

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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 flaw. Here's what Microsoft fixed with its latest Patch Tuesday updateWhile all 55 flaws were worth addressing, four of them were particularly essential to fix—and patching two of those was even more vital. That's because four of these flaws were zero-day vulnerabilities, security flaws that are publicly known without an available patch. That's a recipe for disaster: Bad actors will inevitably discover ways to exploit security flaws, but the key is for software developers to discover and fix those flaws before bad actors even have a chance to know what those flaws are. When flaws are discovered before a fix is available, it sharply increases the chances of an exploit being developed before a patch can be created. In this case, there were four such vulnerabilities fixed in this latest Patch Tuesday update. Two of these have not been actively exploited—at least, Microsoft says they haven't. One is CVE-2025-21194, a Microsoft Surface security feature bypass vulnerability that could make it possible to bypass the Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) and compromise both the hypervisor and secure kernel of specific machines. Plainly speaking, the flaw could allow bad actors to compromise the program powering virtual machines on Windows, as well as the core of your OS. The other publicly disclosed flaw was CVE-2025-21377, an NTLM hash disclosure spoofing vulnerability, which allows bad actors to access your computer's NTLM hash to obtain your plain-text password. With this particular flaw, a user might only need to select, right-click, or interact with a malicious file in order to trigger the exploit, which could then let a hacker log into the machine as the user. Microsoft is staying pretty silent about this one. However, the other two zero-day flaws patches in this update were, in fact, actively exploited. That includes CVE-2025-21391, a Windows storage elevation of privilege vulnerability that allowed bad actors to delete targeted files on your computer. Microsoft clarified the flaw does not allow bad actors to see your confidential information, but being able to delete files means attackers could break parts of your system. The second actively-exploited zero day flaw was CVE-2025-21418, an elevation of privilege vulnerability that allowed bad actors to gain system privileges in Windows. Microsoft did not share how either of these flaws were exploited by bad actors, and is keeping the identities of those who discovered them anonymous. While we don't know the full scope of these last two zero-days, it's important to update and patch them ASAP. As they are actively being exploited, it's possible someone could use them against your computer unless you install the patch. How to install the latest security updates on WindowsTo protect your PC, install this latest Patch Tuesday update as soon as possible. To do so, head to Start > Settings > Windows Update, then choose Check for Windows updates. View the full article

We may earn a commission from links on this page. I've been working hard on upgrading my kitchen and dining area lately. Recently, I bought these gorgeous, light pink, upholstered dining chairs, for instance. The whole goal of this endeavor has been to make the area as cozy and calm as possible, so last night, I decided to enjoy the fruits of all those labors and light a few candles. Guess what happened? Yes, I dripped wax on one of the new chairs. For a moment, my emotions were the opposite of cozy and calm. But then I remembered it's entirely possible—and even easy—to remove candle wax from soft surfaces. Here's what to do if this horror ever befalls you. Remove candle wax stains with alcoholI started furiously Googling to determine the absolute best hack for my circumstances, assuming it would involve baking soda or isopropyl alcohol to counteract the oiliness of the wax, but I needed to be sure. I was right about the alcohol, which made me feel smug. If your wax is still wet when you discover it, wait for it to harden so you can easily scrape off the top layer and deal only with the oily stain beneath. If the splotch is especially big, this could take a while, but you can speed up the process by grabbing something frozen from your freezer, putting it in a plastic bag, and setting it on top of the wax to cool it down. I tried using a dull butter knife to scrape the wax off my chair cushion, but it wasn't very effective; the blade was too thick. I hate to say it, but I just used my fingernail to scrape off all the hard wax from the surface and it worked just fine. Credit: Lindsey Ellefson After that, I was left with the stain itself and began to blot with a mixture of half water, half isopropyl alcohol. The vast majority of the stain came up right away. I let it air dry and did it again, which removed even more. I didn't want to keep dabbing over and over without giving it some time to dry in between because I didn't want the cushion under the fabric to get soaked. I left it alone overnight and found this morning that there was a light, white layer left over, so I mixed two drops of laundry soap into about 1/4 cup of water, then blotted that over the film. The chair looked like nothing had ever happened to it. Remove wax from carpet with a hair dryerIn frantically Googling what to do about my upholstery, I came across a tip that said I could use a hair dryer to get wax off surfaces. I do use my hair dryer a lot around the house, removing adhesive stickers or gel-based messes from surfaces, but I wasn't sold on using it to melt the wax deeper into the cushion of a chair. What I could see it being useful for, though, was removing wax from carpeting, especially the shaggier kind. Feeling confident from vanquishing the wax on my chair, I deliberately dribbled some on my rug this morning, in the name of research. I placed some frozen goods in a plastic bag and set them on top to test the hack about speedily hardening wax and can confirm it works just fine. Then, I used the hair dryer to re-melt the wax and tried to pull it out of the carpet. With my hands, that was 1. unpleasant and 2. not particularly effective. I repeated the experiment with a wide-toothed comb and, amazingly, the wax came right out, balled up on the bristles. From there, I dabbled a little with my isopropyl alcohol/water mixture and then used the hair dryer again, just to dry it all up. The carpet showed no signs that it had been drizzled in candle wax. Your final step should be to clean your carpet as normal, just to get the remaining alcohol out. Because it's a non-polar solvent, alcohol dissolves oil, making it the perfect thing to reach for whenever a mess is slick. If nothing else, it's the MVP of this entire experiment and will make quick work of any candle-related messes you incur in the pursuit of coziness. View the full article

If your social media suitor seems too good to be true, it might be a scam. Facebook and Instagram parent company Meta Platforms is urging users to stay vigilant about “romance scams” ahead of Valentine’s Day, warning of unsolicited messages through its apps and other social media platforms, as well as general text messages. Scammers tend to pose as “attractive, single and successful individuals,” Meta says. They often claim to have military, medical or business backgrounds, with photos either stolen from real people’s accounts or generated through artificial intelligence. Initially, messages are sent to a large pool of people in the hopes of getting a response. A scammer than builds trust over a period of time before they ask their target for money — either by claiming hardship or offering investment opportunities, usually in cryptocurrency. Meta said it recently worked with research firm Graphika to take down romance scams in three common categories: those impersonating military officers, celebrity mimics and scammers posing as fake match-making agencies that target people in Africa — “claiming to offer opportunities to meet rich men from Western countries or build relationships with ‘African women.'” In addition to taking down scam networks, Meta says it is testing other tools to combat bad actors, including facial recognition technology that compares suspicious users’ profile photos against a public figure’s image. But, for now, that only works for celebrity impersonations. To stay vigilant, Meta recommends people be suspicious of messages from strangers. If you do engage, try to verify the person’s identity by looking them up on the platform — check when their accounts were created or use a reverse image search on their photos. Requests for money, whether in the form of gift cards or payment apps, should also be treated with skepticism. View the full article