Two weeks into May, on a record-breaking 91-degree day, a handful of men and women gathered in a windowless conference room in a Planned Parenthood center in lower Manhattan; they were there to learn about a little-known state abortion law that forces women in New York to give birth to babies who will die in their…
Eric O’Neill was once a counterterrorism operative for the FBI, where he played a major role in capturing the spy Robert Hanssen (his boss at the FBI, whom he was hired to spy on—for more on that, check out his Wikipedia page). His role in capturing Hanssen became the subject of the movie Breach (2007), starring Ryan…
After a decade off, I decided that I needed to start golfing again. My girlfriend thought I was having a midlife crisis.
A fitness wearable promises to aid you in your quest for a healthier life by providing data on how your body responds to physical activity. They’re good at providing some bits of information and not so good at others. In particular, a new small-scaled study from Stanford University suggests, fitness trackers are not…
Like the idea of a Belkin WeMo Switch, but not willing to spend $40-$50 to try one out? This TP-Link alternative has a nearly identical feature set for half the price.
You can keep your asparagus, and your peas, and whatever other green spring thing you’re excited about right now, as I am pretty much only here for morels: the frilly, tasty little mushroom morsels that appear when the weather starts to warm. Though we’re getting towards the end of the season, I’m still finding them…
Reading is dope, so if you want to do more of it you should probably get better at it. The average human meat sack can inhale words through their eyes at a prodigious 250 words per minute, but speed-reading software can supposedly up your intake to close to 1000 words per minute if you’re dedicated. Be warned: various…
Uptalk used to seem like a bad thing. The “Valley girl” speech pattern, wherein a speaker’s statements end with an upward inflection that makes them sound like questions, was first recognized by linguists in the 1970s and was long mocked as a sign of unseriousness. In 1993, New York Times writer James Gorman admitted…
Echinacea is not a homeopathic remedy. Neither are essential oils, neti pots, or visits to the chiropractor. If you have a vague sense that homeopathy is outside the mainstream and that I’m about to pooh-pooh it, you’re right, but the weirdness goes farther than most people realize.
It’s the last day of the month, which means it’s time for a challenge check-in. In May, we asked you to work on your negotiating skills. How’d you do, hagglers?
My daily commute is about 30 slow, zombie shuffles between my bedroom and my home office. While I’m grateful to say I have the option to work wherever and whenever I want, I sometimes love-hate my arrangement. Because working from home has a way of slowly sucking away your sanity.
Ever wish you had better balance? Today’s workout gives you a chance to work on that skill. It won’t leave you sore or sweaty, though! These exercises are all about neuromuscular training: getting your nerves and muscles to work together so you can control your body precisely.
Storage and networking gear, grooming supplies, and a clever food storage system lead off Wednesday’s best deals from around the web.
You have a lot of options when it comes to airtight food storage containers, but Progressive’s Prepworks models are unique in that they each include a special tool designed for a specific purpose. For example, the flour container has a built-in leveling bar, and the brown sugar container has a terra cotta disc built…
I don’t like conflict, but I love holding a grudge. I easily fall into the pattern of noticing a loved one’s annoying or frustrating behavior, telling myself I’m not really bothered, hoping it’ll go away, getting increasingly irritated, then bringing it up as ammunition during a discussion about something else.
Whether you need more places to store your files, or your home network isn’t keeping up with your streaming habits, Amazon’s got you covered with today’s Gold Box.
It’s safe to assume you’re working a job that would be pretty difficult for your laptop to handle on its own, whether you’re lopping down (excuse me, felling) trees or writing a hot take for millennials. I mean, it used to be safe to assume before these damn robots started getting smarter, and now do everything from…
Chipotle announced back in April that their payment system had been hacked and customer credit card info may have been stolen. Turns out, that’s exactly what happened.
My wife and I try to divide our household chores equally: She cooks, I do the dishes. She buys groceries, I do the laundry. My easiest chore is setting the table. It takes about one minute and she has to remind me every time.
This week on The Upgrade we spoke with Andy Boyle, author of Adulthood for Beginners: All the Life Secrets Nobody Bothered to Tell You. Adulthood for Beginners is a funny book filled with life advice on everything from dating to job seeking to “generally not looking like a dumbass.” Andy is also a comedian, web…
On Tuesday, a scary case reached a surprisingly positive outcome in the Supreme Court of the United States. Impression Products, Inc. v. Lexmark International, Inc. was seven-year-long standoff between a small business and an international corporation and stood to upend the world of consumer rights, especially for…
You’ve got problems, I’ve got advice. This advice isn’t sugar-coated—in fact, it’s sugar-free, and may even be a little bitter. Welcome to Tough Love.
Google’s been making strides toward the creepy over the past few weeks. Last week the company figured out how to tie real-world credit card transactions to its own advertising network to further its ad platform effectiveness. This week, Google has started experimenting on some user’s search pages: they’ll take your…
Microwaves don’t have the best culinary reputation. We associate them with frozen convenience meals and bleak office lunch rooms That’s too bad, however, because the ol’ science oven can save you a lot of time and effort.
If you’re looking for an awesome deal on a car, buying used is generally the way to go. A gently used vehicle that’s only a few years old will have already taken a depreciation hit, but it should still be in decent condition. And thanks to a flood of off-lease vehicles, now is a great time to get an even better deal…
I grew up mowing a giant, mangy lawn. My family lived on an acre of hilltop land, which we kept shaggily mowed, too spiky to walk on in our bare feet. On one side was a cornfield. On the other side was our neighbor, Mr. Howland, the Ned Flanders of lawn care. He seeded his lawn with fine golf-course-grade grass, mowed…
Ramadan started on Friday, so today you might start to notice your Muslim co-workers and friends skipping lunch. The month of fasting commemorates God’s revelation of the Quran to Muhammad, and believers use this time to practice reflection and self control. So if you’re not Muslim, how can you be more considerate of…
ChefSteps’ Joule sous-vide circulator, the BioShock Collection, and a great hammer drill/driver deal lead off Tuesday’s best deals from around the web.
Anova dominates the sales charts, but in many ways (raw heating power, looks, size, software quality), the Joule sous-vide circulator is actually the superior product, and Amazon’s running a rare $30 discount on it, today and tomorrow only.
So you want to self-publish your book? You’re in good company. Plenty of authors have gone ahead of you, working to prove that high-quality books can hold their own in the marketplace without the support of a traditional publisher. Amazon, of course, has changed the entire publishing landscape, but authors have been…
Whether you have a home improvement project on the horizon, or just need a Father’s Day gift idea, Amazon’s one-day DEWALT deal is pretty spectacular.
You are walking home from work when you pass the loveliest hydrangeas. At $6 for two stems at the local bodega they are a steal and impossible to pass up. You bring them home, plunk them in a vase with some water and forget about them for a couple of hours. Next thing you know, the perfect little blue petals are…
I hate going more than ten seconds with nothing but my own thoughts to entertain me. When I walk three blocks, I listen to a podcast. I read Twitter while I pee. What I hate the most is brushing and flossing. I can’t hold my phone, I can’t talk, I can’t admire myself in the mirror because I’m foaming at the mouth. I…
Welcome to this week’s edition of Will It Sous Vide?, the weekly column where I usually make whatever you want me to with my immersion circulator.
Don’t reflexively pitch that bottle of sunscreen that’s still in your bathroom closet from last year! Check the expiration date if there is one, but if not, you’ve got three years from the date of purchase to use it up.
If all you can think about Monday morning is how quickly your weekend flew by, you might want to consider expanding your horizons a bit in the future. Turns out, the key to a fulfilling weekend that doesn’t feel too short is to seek out “newness.”
Amazon’s top-selling egg cooker, refurbished Kindle Voyages, and an affordable air mattress lead off the best Memorial Day deals.
The Kindle Voyage probably isn’t worth it for most readers at $200—not when you can regularly purchase a very good Kindle Paperwhite for around $100—but it’s worth your consideration at $135.
Welcome back to Sunday Sustenance, a weekly column where we cook for the laziest day of the week. In our grand debut last week, I highlighted the hot new #trending #cloudeggs. Now that Memorial Day is here, it’s time to get outside and grill — we’re making souvlaki.
A printer that’s actually good, TENS massagers, and a $25 garden bed lead off Sunday’s best deals from around the web.
Temperature is probably the most important variable in cooking, but it can be hard to control if you don’t know what it is. Sure, there are various tests you can employ to test “doneness” of various foods—the ol’ palm trick for steaks; the toothpick inserted in a cake—but these only give you approximations. If you…
Adidas accessories, Delsey luggage, and your favorite toaster oven lead off Saturday’s best deals.
Breville’s reader-favorite Smart Ovens almost never go on sale, but Amazon’s offering a rare $50 discount on the most popular model today.
In terms of functionality, Apple’s generic, preloaded keyboard has certainly improved, but even after adding its own App Store, complete with stickers and apps, it’s still a little bland. What I do love about Apple is its support for third-party keyboards. You can ditch the generic offering and download enough…
When you hand someone your phone to show them a picture, you should be able to trust them not to go swiping through your camera roll. But we live in a fallen world. And the worst violators of phone-borrowing etiquette are older relatives and in-laws—the same people who’d be most horrified to see your nudes or, so much…
If you want to keep your iPhone looking pristine, Anker’s selling 2-packs of tempered glass screen protectors for the 7 and 7 Plus for just $4 today. Just be sure to buy the right size for your phone, and don’t forget the promo codes below.
We’re kicking off Sex Ed for Grown-Ups with a reality check on what’s normal, sex-wise. Take a minute to think about when you had sex for the first time, how much sex you have, and whether you think other people are doing it more or less than you. Chances are, you’re more normal than you think.
Yesterday I asked you for all your brilliant thoughts, tips, tricks, and recipes for grilling great food, and man did you all deliver.
Happy weekend, and welcome back to 3-Ingredient Happy Hour, the weekly drink column featuring super simple yet delicious libations. I’ve been enjoying the charms of a little South American brandy known as “pisco” recently, so I thought we’d try a summery, but still strong, pisco cocktail.
The current edition of Trumpcare is pretty awful for people with pre-existing conditions, the Congressional Budget Office’s analysis (the “CBO score”) confirmed this week. But do you know if you have a pre-existing condition? Does sexual assault count as one? Let’s take a look.
A cordless Dremel, a new Clear the Rack sale, and a $24 wake-up light lead off Friday’s best deals from around the web.