My go-to way to escape the coronavirus pandemic has been to crack open a good book and get lost in its pages. In the video above, I share how you can get your hands on eBooks without spending a dime.
The Kentucky Derby was originally slated to happen this weekend, but like most everything else worth getting excited about, it has been postponed to later in the year. This is only the second time the race has even been postponed in its storied 146-year history. (The first time was in 1945, in the final year of World…
You’re not supposed to get a bill for coronavirus tests. But as anyone who’s ever gotten a surprise medical bill can tell you, just because you’re not expecting to be charged doesn’t mean you won’t be.
If you’re wearing a face mask with a little plastic valve embedded in it, you should know that valves compromise the effectiveness of the mask—and this is true whether your mask is a hardware-store N95 or a designer cloth mask.
Parks and Recreation: The Complete Series | $30 | VUDU
We’ve almost made it through the week! If you’re looking for something to watch tonight to help you sail into Friday, we’ve done a little digging to find the evening’s best streaming options.
Bibliophiles rejoice: Sonos now integrates with Libby, the app from audio and e-book service OverDrive, which connects you to free content from your local public library.
Hello, all you intertube skinbeasts of sexcrime, and welcome to Ask Dr. NerdLove, the only advice column to help you manage your relationship in the new post-apocalyptic land we find ourselves in.
Two months into the pandemic, it’s hard to remember what life used to be like. Was there really a time when we thought nothing of popping into the grocery store to pick up a few things for dinner? Did really we once meet up with friends, sit close to them at restaurants, hug them goodbye? Remember when crowded trains…
Giving birth in the midst of a global health crisis is probably not what you were envisioning when you got pregnant. There is a lot you don’t have control over right now as everything from the frequency of pre-natal appointments to who you can bring into the labor and delivery room with you is in flux. But you will…
Dell UltrasSharp 24” Monitor | $250 | B&H Photo
I’ll start with the good news. If you’re using Face ID on your iPhone or iPad Pro, and it’s driving your crazy that you can’t unlock your device while you’re wearing a face mask, worry not. With the upcoming release of iOS 13.5, Apple is making this process slightly easier.
There are two big unknowns in all of our lives right now: What’s going to happen with the COVID-19 pandemic, and what it will mean for the economy. If we enter a post-pandemic recession (or are already in a mid-pandemic recession), what will that mean for our jobs and livelihoods—and what should we be doing…
Mixing flavors and functions is a basic skill in cooking: Add lemon juice for acid, parmesan for umami, you get the idea. But with cleaning products, combinations aren’t just the sum of their parts. Some can be harmful to your health. Make sure to avoid mixing the following:
It is currently quite challenging to find certain cans of certain beans, mostly black beans and chickpeas. But canned black-eyed peas are plentiful, and not enough people are taking advantage of their versatility.
Apple AirPods (2nd Generation) | $140 | B&H Photo
Some downright troubling news from the Centers for Disease Control: Calls to poison control centers increased noticeably in the first quarter of 2020 compared to the same period last year.
The coronavirus caused Lauren Singer to do something she hasn’t done in eight years: she created waste.
In a time when every trip out of the house brings fresh worries, it’s as important as ever to make sure children still receive their vaccinations. Over the past few months, as reported by the New York Times, vaccinations have dropped by an alarming rate: a 50 percent decrease for measles, mumps and rubella shots, a 42…
It’s good for kids to be bored. I know this, you know this, most of us know this. We were bored as kids, roaming the neighborhood with our friends, our imaginations and a distinct lack of electronic devices. We believe this boredom is at least partly responsible for the creativity and resilience we developed as kids.…
McAfee Total Protection 1-Year License (Unlimited Devices) | $30 | Amazon Gold Box
If you can, avoid using Amazon, Instacart, Whole Foods, Walmart, Target and FedEx tomorrow, as their workers are planning a walk-off to protest their employers’ unprecedented profits, which are coming at the cost of employees’ health and safety. On Friday, May 1, employees will either call in sick or walk off the job…
Even though most of your coronavirus-quarantine video chats are probably dull, that doesn’t mean that they’re meaningless. In fact, some might be so interesting, you might want to turn them into a podcast (At least, that’s how I feel about my new virtual Dungeons & Dragons sessions.)
With objects like the Rosetta Stone and the Parthenon sculptures in its collection, London’s British Museum has earned its place on many bucket lists. But like many cultural institutions throughout the world, the museum is closed to the public due to the COVID-19 pandemic. And while that’s bad news for anyone who had…
Now that we’re all staying home, it’s a great time to save money for future travels. Canceled flights and trips have given some of us extra funds to tuck away, but if you’re still spending money on travel subscriptions, now’s the time to save even more by canceling or pausing whatever you’re not using.
A question I get a lot from younger readers is: How can I become an automotive engineer for a major car company? The answer is that there are many avenues to that goal, which is why—in addition to telling my own tale about how I scored my dream engineering job at Fiat Chrysler—I compiled stories from Ford, Nissan,…
OXO Multi-Unit Measuring Cup | $10 | OXO
Dark mode allows us all to stare at our phones a little more comfortably, especially at night—and it’s great for your device’s battery life, too. So last year’s arrival of dark mode capability in the world’s most popular web browser, Google Chrome, was a welcome site for sore eyes (perhaps literally). You can use…
I think I’m starting to hate cooking. Or at least I am starting to hate cooking for myself. (I have become prone to little emotional flare ups, in the throes of which I declare I “hate cooking” in a dramatic fashion before returning to the kitchen.) I was already doing a fair amount of cooking before “all of this,” so…
The new second-gen iPhone SE is the cheapest iPhone you can buy, which means you have to make a few sacrifices, particularly when it comes to the cameras.
Google is cutting the price of its Google Meet video conferencing app all the way down to “free.” All you need to access it is a Google account—not a pricier G-Suite subscription, like before. (Though, as part of the launch of this Google Meet free version, G Suite subscribers also get free access to the enterprise…
I’m hoping you never need to search for a COVID-19 testing site, period. (Stay quarantined! Stay safe!) But if you do, and you’re on your iPhone or iPad, you can now easily find the nearest testing location via Apple Maps.
It’s Wednesday, which means we’ve successfully made it through the bulk of the week.
There are lots of ways to pass the time right now. You could read more books. Watch more TV. Take longer family walks after dinner. Or—or—you could build paper models of the computers you grew up with so your kids can see (and appreciate, dammit!) how far technology has come and how lucky they are, what with their…
The latest report on the state of economy has that dreaded word popping up again: recession.
A Nintendo Switch Lite, an Anker PowerWave wireless charging duo, 400 Hershey’s Kisses, an official Xbox One stereo headset, and more highlight Wednesday’s best deals.
Staying safe during a pandemic means having to weigh each and every trip out of the house, as well as assess whether any possible emergency is worth risking exposure. If you are in a position where you need a new pair of eyeglasses or extra pairs of contacts, but your prescription has expired, online eye exams are a…
Your Instagram stories disappear from your feed after 24 hours, but they’re not lost and gone forever: They’re actually saved to a private part of your profile, and you can go back and view or reshare them at any time. Here’s how to do it.
AUKEY 3-in-1 USB Cable | $13 | F75HJ6Z8
I am having to get a little creative with my snacks recently. Instead of traipsing to the store whenever a craving strikes, I have to make do with whatever I have at home. Last night, I had to make do with six olives and a few bits of gruyere.
While we hope you are getting along with the people in your home right now, but the truth is that in tight quarters and trying times, you may need to broach a sensitive topic.
At this point in the pandemic, your kids are likely missing school and you’re definitely missing the time when your kids used to go to school. The days are all blending together now, and school was able to switch things up in a way we couldn’t fully appreciate before. But you can take a page from your school’s Keep…
TaoTronics Bluetooth Headphones | $30 | Amazon | Promo code KINJAD2E
The tweet came late on Monday afternoon, at a time that, in the World Before, would have been somewhere near the end of the work day; it now arrived in the hazy hours of Blursday the someteenth of whatever the hell month it is. (Marpril?)
I confess, I’m so fatigued by all things quarantine, I’ve let my guard down. I find myself not caring very much about the services I use to stay connected to my friends—and that’s not ideal, because some video chat apps take security and privacy much more seriously than others.
Cristina Cuomo, wife of CNN’s Chris Cuomo and sister-in-law to New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, is on the mend after a covid-19 diagnosis, a steady recovery she attributes not to mainstream doctors or health heroes, but a slew of alternative health remedies. The self-described “wellness worshiper” is a steadily rising…
With our usual systems of social interaction dismantled, people are looking for ways to connect, help and show affection—whether that be via fresh baked goods, vegetables from their garden, pre-batched cocktails or hand-sewn masks. There’s a cooperative generosity in the air right now and I, for one, am really…
If you’re not using your birth control pills right now, you can save unused pill packs for later. Here’s what you need to know:
The most theatrical of our kids may be tiring of the simple one-person plays and puppet shows they’ve been performing in the living room. Maybe they had a role in the school’s spring musical before everything—including their would-be rehearsals and performances—shut down. Or maybe they’re just bored and are looking…