Category Archives: life

just plain life

This Is the Best Free Mac Cleanup Tool I’ve Found

There are a lot of apps on the market that claim to “clean up” your Mac—for a price. Some offer subscriptions, some cost a lot up front, but for the most part, they offer the same few features—wiping things like caches and logs, completely uninstalling apps, and monitoring system health. These apps all tend to […]

The New LTE Google Pixel Watch 4 Is $100 Off Right Now

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. The new Google Pixel Watch 4 came out in the late summer of 2025, and it’s already heavily discounted. You can now get the 41mm LTE Google Pixel Watch 4 in all three colors […]

The Space-Saving Tools and Tricks That Made My Tiny Kitchen Usable

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Last year, one of my New Year’s resolutions was to overhaul my apartment and turn it into a cleaner, more comfortable, more organized, and more efficient space. Knowing that a messy space can negatively impact your productivity and overall mental health, I reasoned that this […]

CES 2026: Anker Launched These 2-in-1 Earbuds, and They’re Already on Sale

Anker launched a pair of “2-in-1” earbuds under its Soundcore brand at CES 2026, and it has a unique feature: They can be worn in two ways by adjusting the ear hooks. When you want active noise cancellation, you can wear it in-ear, and when you don’t, you can adjust the hooks for an open-ear […]

CES 2026: Amazon Just Launched Its Version of the Samsung ‘Frame’ TV

Not to be outdone by the likes of Samsung and TLC, Amazon is joining the picture frame TV space. At CES 2026, the company announced a new line of unobtrusive smart TVs, complete with a new brand name and a redesigned FireTV OS, which will also show up on other FireTV devices. Meet the Ember […]

This Personalized Running Spreadsheet Is My Tech Upgrade of the Week

There’s something deeply satisfying about tracking your running progress in a spreadsheet you built yourself. No algorithm showing off other people’s workouts, no concerns about what happens to your data if the company pivots or shuts down. Just you, your numbers, and a system designed exactly the way you want it. And when I wrote […]

CES 2026: Rescue Retriever Wants to Help Firefighters Find Your Pets in a Fire

No pet owner wants to think about what might happen in the event of a fire. As a dog owner, I know I don’t. But fires do happen, and pets can’t follow a fire plan. Rescue Retriever wants to change that: I spoke with the company during CES’ Pepcom event, and learned how they’re working […]

This Compact NordicTrack Smart Treadmill Is Under $500 Right Now

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. As we head into 2026, many people are setting fitness goals and signing up for gym memberships. But if you have the space at home, it’s a lot more convenient to get your cardio […]

Four Ways You Can Use Your Phone’s USB-C Port (Besides the Obvious)

We may earn a commission from links on this page. The USB-C charging port is likely to remain ubiquitous on phones for the foreseeable future—at least until the engineers at Apple figure out how to make the long-rumored portless iPhone—but this little socket is more versatile than you may have realized. Here are four other […]

CES 2026: Pawport’s Smart Dog Door Launched With One Big Upgrade

If you’ve been following smart pet tech closely over the last couple years, you might know Pawport. I saw the company’s smart pet door at the last two CES’s, and was my first introduction to this specific product category. At the time, Pawport hadn’t yet launched; now they have. But there’s one key difference between […]

10 Hacks Every Apple HomePod User Should Know

The HomePod is one of the most polarizing Apple devices I’ve ever owned. When it works, it’s awesome, but if anything goes wrong, it can be a bit of a head-scratcher to troubleshoot. That’s led to a bit of a mixed reception among Apple fans, but I’ve been buying HomePods since 2017, and know all […]

What People Are Getting Wrong This Week: Is the World Ending in 2026?

Many people think the world is going to end in 2026. Man people think the world is going to end every year—maybe because the Bible said so, or The Simpsons said so—but this 2026-doomsday prediction seems to have a scientific basis. In a 1960 issue of Science magazine, Austrian scientist and polymath Heinz von Foerster […]

This Tool Deletes Your Info From Data Broker Sites (If You Live in One State)

There’s very little privacy on the internet: Data brokers collect tons of information about you and your online activity and sell it to anyone interested in marketing to you. California residents have gained more control over their personal data than those in other states since the passage of the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) in […]

CES 2026: Intel’s New Chips Are Coming For Your Gaming Handhelds

Every year at CES, Intel and AMD announce their newest processors. This year, Intel debuted its first line of chips made with its 18a process, which stands for 18 angstroms, or under 2nm. To make that a little less nerdy, that means these chips can fit a lot of tech into a small area, which […]

CES 2026: AMD Just Showed Off ‘Helios,’ the Hardware That Will Power the AI Content in Your Feeds

When you come across an AI video on Instagram, or watch ChatGPT respond to your query, do you ever think about how that content was generated? Beyond the actual programs and prompts, generative AI takes an enormous amount of compute to support, especially as it skyrockets in popularity. As such, AI companies are looking for […]