Someone Built an Ad Blocker for Real Life, and I Can't Wait to Try It

I use as many ad-blocking programs as possible, but no matter how many I install, real-life advertising is still there, grabbing my attention when I'm just trying to go for a walk. Thankfully, there may be a solution on the horizon. Software engineer Stijn Spanhove recently posted a concept video showing what real-time, real-life ad-blocking looks like on a pair of Snap Spectacles, and I really want it. Check it out:

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The idea is that the AI in your smart glasses recognizes advertisements in your visual field and "edits them out' in real time, sparing you from ever seeing what they want you to see.

While Spanhove's video shows a red block over the offending ads, you could conceivably cover that Wendy's ad with anything you want—an abstract painting, a photo of your family, an ad for Arby's, etc.

How close are we to real-life ad-blocking?

While it's a test at present, real-life ad-blocking for the people doesn't seem far off. The technology is there now: current-generation consumer AI glasses like Meta Ray Bans can already identify what you're looking at with scary accuracy.

Replacing ads is a little trickier, though. While there are AR smart-glasses on the market, like the XReal Airs, and upcoming Snap Specs, and AR experiences in VR headsets like the Meta Quest 3 can already strip out parts of the real environment and replace them, there isn't anything on the market with full AR that is practical enough for wearing all the time. Battery life and weight are the problems, but those are solvable. There are so many companies competing for the smart glasses market, it seems like only a matter of time until it's practical to achieve real life ad-blocking.

Companies versus consumer and the creation of the ultimate echo chamber

I could see this being a killer app for smart glasses in the near future: It's the kind of things that consumers would really want. But it's also the kind of thing that advertisers and marketers would really not want, and this might be the biggest obstacles to real-life ad-blockers. You could envision a "cat-and-mouse" game similar to the one that's been playing out online for years, with companies trying ingenious ways to thwart the ad-blocking glasses, like disguising ads as something else. Would there be legal challenges? Would there be issues with a mega corporation that releases smart glasses not wanting to piss off every other company? And what happens if you want to edit out ads for the very device you're wearing?

There are sociological concerns as well. People probably wouldn't stop at replacing ads with pixel art. They'd be editing out anything that personally annoys them: homeless people, construction sites, other humans who have traits they don't like. Curating your own visual experience in the real world could lead to the creation of personal echo chambers that make the world look more to your liking, but less like it is, the ultimate echo chamber.

Ethical concerns aside, I would be first in line for a pair of glasses that edited reality to my liking. I know I would use them responsibly, even if I'm not sure about everyone else. Maybe I wouldn't wear them all the time. Just almost all the time.

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These Outdoor Tools Are up to 67% Off During Home Depot’s Fourth of July Sale

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Whether you’re planting a garden and need some watering equipment or have some trimming to do, a good set of tools can help you make light work of your outdoor chore list. But getting the right tools and equipment for your outdoor chores can be expensive. Here are my favorite 4th of July deals from Home Depot on outdoor gear to keep your projects on budget.

Trimming and cutting

Cutting branches back from exterior walls can lengthen the life of your siding, limit damage from moisture, and make your home more fire resistant, so trimming and cutting tools are essential for good landscaping maintenance. In addition to the practical advantages of trimming your various flora, it can also make everything look a lot nicer.

Milwaukee 18-volt mini chainsaw/pole saw kit

$589.00 at Home Depot

$848.00 Save $259.00

$589.00 at Home Depot

$848.00 Save $259.00

• This Ryobi 18-volt battery kit that comes with a free sawzall is on sale for $99, 65% off its regular price. The battery set comes with one four-amp-hour battery and one four-amp-hour battery and a charger, and you can select the sawzall as a free tool with the deal. This saw is great for trimming small to medium branches and can be used for some woodworking projects as well.

• The Milwaukee 12-volt cordless power pruners are on sale for $149, 25% off their usual price. (This is a tool-only deal, so you’ll need a 12-volt Milwaukee battery set to use them.) These pruners are good for cutting smaller, woody branches, and are especially nice if you have arthritis or another condition that limits your grip strength, as they allow you to do your own pruning without causing yourself pain.

• The Milwaukee 18-volt mini chainsaw/pole saw kit is on sale for $589, 31% off its regular price. This set comes with a quick-lock power head, a three-foot pole extension, and 10-foot pole saw, an eight-inch mini chainsaw, a six-amp-hour battery, and a charger. This set will allow you to trim up to a 15-inch branch as high as 15-20 feet off the ground without the need for a ladder. If you have unreachable and unhealthy branches on any of your trees, this tool is indispensable.

Cordless leaf blowers

I’m not a big fan of leaf blowers: They’re loud, and as a seasonal allergy sufferer, I find that they kick too much pollen into the air. That said, I can't deny that they're useful in some circumstances, including for clearing leaves and grass clippings from sidewalk pavement, preventing slippery spots when it rains. If you have a need for a leaf blower, cordless ones are lighter, quieter, and cheaper to run than their gas-powered alternatives.

Milwaukee 18-volt 120MPH, 500 CFM cordless blower

$299.00 at Home Depot

$528.00 Save $229.00

$299.00 at Home Depot

$528.00 Save $229.00

• The Milwaukee 18-volt 120MPH, 500 CFM cordless blower is $299, 43% off its regular price. This blower comes with two six-amp-hour batteries and a charger in addition to the blower, making it an excellent deal if you have other 18-volt Milwaukee tools, as the batteries are interchangeable.

• The Ryobi 18-volt battery starter kit that comes with a free Ryobi 18-volt leaf blower is on sale for $99, 64% off its regular price. The kit is a two-amp-hour battery and a four-amp-hour battery, along with a charger, and you can choose a free leaf blower to go with it. This is a great deal for a tool and battery combo, especially if you have other 18-volt Ryobi tools, as the batteries are interchangeable.

• The Milwaukee cordless 18-volt string trimmer/120MPH, 500 CFM leaf blower is on sale for $539, 31% off its typical price. This set comes with two six-amp-hour batteries and a charger, along with the trimmer and leaf blower. It’s a good set as an addition to a mower for lawn care maintenance around walkways and steps.

Watering equipment

Watering a garden can be more of a hassle if you don’t have the right hoses and attachments. Drip hoses, extensions, and irrigation timers can all be expensive, so getting a good deal can help you grow your garden for less, saving water as well as saving on the price of your tools.

Vigoro 50-foot soaker hose

$11.98 at Home Depot

$19.98 Save $8.00

$11.98 at Home Depot

$19.98 Save $8.00

• The Rain Bird pop-up sprinkler head to six outlet emitter conversion kit is on sale for $16.86, 25% off its regular price. This conversion kit allows you to attach drip irrigation tubes to a pop-up sprinkler head in order to use it as a timed drip irrigation system. Using drip irrigation can save water by controlling evaporation and having less water lost to run-off.

• The Vigoro 50-foot soaker hose is on sale for $11.88, 41% off its usual price. This hose will allow you to drip-irrigate a 50-foot row, or about a 50-200 square-foot area, saving water and allowing your plants to still have moist soil.

• The Anvil 50-foot garden hose is on sale for $14.88, 40% off its typical price. This hose works with standard spigots and is for general-duty watering purposes.

Ryobi battery starter kit

Batteries and chargers can be an expensive component to an outdoor cordless tool kit. Because they have a lifespan of about 10 years before they wear out and can’t hold a charge for as long, they also need to be replaced periodically.

The 18-volt Ryobi 3-battery starter kit is on sale for $199, 45% off its regular price. This set comes with 2 4-amp-hour batteries, 1 2-amp-hour battery, and a charger. You can add a free tool to this deal as well, including a leaf-blower or a sawzall.

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Change This Setting to Stop Meta From Using Your Facebook Photos to Train Its AI

Meta is prompting users to grant ongoing access to their camera roll photos—including media they haven't specifically uploaded to Facebook—in order to receive AI-edited and curated images and suggestions for "creative ideas."

As TechCrunch reports, Meta is currently testing a feature that leads to some Facebook users seeing a pop-up requesting permission for "cloud processing." The message appears when users attempt to create a new Story on Facebook and, if agreed to, would permit Meta to upload media from your device to its servers on an "ongoing basis" in order to suggest collages, recaps, or AI restyling.

As we've written, Meta AI is among the absolute worst when it comes to privacy and security. (Meta in general has a questionable history with protecting user data.) If you allow Meta access to your camera roll for image processing, you agree to Meta's AI terms, which include the right to analyze your media and facial features and "retain and use" personal information you've shared.

While Facebook has said the feature is a test, the ability to opt into giving Meta access to your photos doesn't seem to be brand new. You can enable it in your Facebook settings, as it's off by default, but you probably shouldn't, and you should decline the pop-up prompt if you don't want to hand more data over to Meta.

How to manage your Meta AI photo permissions

If you see the pop-up on Facebook, you can tap Don't allow to block the AI suggestion feature from accessing your camera roll. You can ensure it is disabled in your Facebook app settings: Go to the Menu by tapping your profile photo followed by the Settings icon. Scroll to Camera roll sharing suggestions and check that Get creative ideas made for you by allowing camera roll cloud processing is toggled off.

You should also take this opportunity to audit which apps have access to your photo library and revoke any permissions that aren't absolutely necessary for the app's primary functionality. While these permissions may be mostly innocuous, there are malware campaigns that target sensitive information found in your photos and screenshots.

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I Tried Five VR Meditation Apps, and One Was Clearly the Best

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There are a surprising number of meditation apps available in virtual reality, and I am their target demographic. I want to make progress down the Noble Eightfold Path, and/or experience the reduction in stress and other benefits that come from meditation. On the other hand, I find meditation tedious, and I think I can get the same relaxation benefits from sitting in a dark room and listening to Hawkwind anyway. But maybe VR is the answer? I checked out a bunch of VR meditation apps to see whether they might be helpful, and rated each on a scale from 1 (wandering ego trapped in the prison of the self) to 5 (liberation from the cycle of suffering and rebirth).

First, an expert weighs in

I know a lot about VR, but less about meditation, so I talked it out with Shawna Thibodeau, a meditation teacher and spiritual mentor. She explained that there are different schools of meditation, and her description of "concentrative meditation" sounds a lot like what the VR experiences I've tried are going for. "With concentrative meditation, we're focusing our attention on what's called an anchor, like the breath," Thibodeau said. "When you focus your attention on something other than your thoughts, you start to gain awareness into your thoughts. And then, with every time that you come back to your anchor, you're training your mind to come into the present moment."

But there's a strong obstacle between the VR meditation applications I've seen and most traditional forms of meditation: visuals. If you're starting transcendental meditation, say, step 2 (right after "sit in a comfortable position") is "close your eyes." But Reality doesn't Virtual with your eyes closed. According to Thibodeau, visualization/manifestation meditations might be better suited to the virtual world:

"What we're doing there is shifting the state of energy that we're sitting in...the state of energy we're sitting in actually influences reality," Thibodeau explained. "If you're sitting in a state of abundance or expansion, that energy will start to influence your outer reality, and you can actually see changes in your outer world. Synchronicities can come to you, new opportunities, and your life can actually start to shift in a really interesting and kind of magical way."

I asked Thibodeau to visualize a VR meditation app that used that kind of practice, and she said: "There'd have to be a visual that basically helps you get into that elevated state, right? So I don't know, maybe they could show you like winning the lottery, and then it prompts you to be like, 'how does this make you feel? Get into that state.'"

Leaving aside the efficacy of meditating for manifestation, it does seem better suited to the virtual world than traditional meditation, but it also seems like virtual reality (and video games) already put people in a state where they are fully engrossed in an experience they presumably want to manifest: most video games are power fantasies. Whether that power manifests in the real world is a bigger question.

Tripp

Tripp might be the most well-known of the relaxation/meditation platforms in VR. It encompasses a ton of experiences designed to get users to practice mindfulness, improve focus, or enter a state of “calm,” There are guided meditations, visual breathing trainers, psychedelic “focus journeys,” and trippy abstract visuals that pulse and swirl, all wrapped in a new-age-meets-techbro aesthetic that's heavy on implied drugs. Some of the experiences are directly inspired by psychedelic experiences—there's a series called "Machine Elves" that is clearly based on DMT visuals, and the app itself nods toward that vibe in its marketing, with references to “inner space,” “expanded states,” and “digital psychedelics.” A lot of people love Tripp, but it felt overwhelming to me. The sessions were slick, but it left me “zen-adjacent” at best. It's meant to be calming, but it amplified my inner critic. It's like taking drugs without feeling like you're taking drugs, if that makes sense. It's pricey too: Monthly subscriptions are $9.99.

Best for: psychedelic seekers who are afraid to drop acid

Enlighten-o-meter score: 2.5 out of 5

Meditate

Credit: Stephen Johnson - Guided Meditation VR

In contrast to Tripp and in keeping with its no-nonsense title, Meditate doesn't offer a ton of gimmicks. It features five 10-minute "experiences" designed to deliver mental clarity, calm the mind, and "renew your body through healing sound frequencies." In practice, this involves a soothing voice telling you to chill and just sit there, droning "music" (I really can't stand the music that is synonymous with spiritually colored relaxation) and graphics of caves, volcanoes, and other natural things that look like they're out of Minecraft. It's relaxing, I guess, but mostly because "relaxing" and "boring" are practically roommates. But, hey, it's only $1.99, so you can try it out fairly cheaply.

Best for: budget-conscious newbs

Enlighten-o-meter score: 2 out of 5

Liminal

Liminal is way more ambitious than Meditate and features graphics that are fully Xbox360-level. It offers a ton of different interactive and non-interactive VR "experiences" grouped into rough categories. It seems like "awe" and "energy" are the most popular and feature some cool tech demos/mini-games, but I was interested in "calm," where the meditative mini-games are. The ones I tried weren't particularly groundbreaking. One was supposed to hypnotize me, but didn't. The other featured that droney "spiritual" music and a reverb-drenched woman's voice telling me to breathe more slowly while I looked at digital birds.

Best for: gamers who want to kind of relax

Enlighten-o-meter score: 3 out of 5 (but mostly for the non-meditation experiences)

Flowborne VR - Biofeedback Breathing Meditation

If you've ever tried to meditate and didn't know if you were breathing from your belly or not, this app will give you the answer! You "play" Flowborne VR by resting a controller on your gut. It tracks how far your belly expands and contracts as you breathe. Deeper breaths from the diaphragm make you move faster through semi-abstract landscapes. In other words, this app gives you a way to track how well you're breathing, and a reason to concentrate on it. Finally I can be the best at breathing! Personally, I don't like thinking about my breathing because it feels like another damn thing i have to worry about, but if breathwork is your thing, and you want to get better at it, this app would do it.

Best for: breathwork nerds

Enlighten-o-meter score: 3 out of 5

Pillow

Pillow doesn't make lofty claims about consciousness-raising, mindfulness, or serenity, but I found it to be a more calming and meaningful experience than any other meditation app I tried. Pillow is played lying on your back in bed, already a more relaxing experience than other apps. Among its five mini-games (called "dreams") is "the Meditator," the best meditation app I tried overall. It uses the same controller-as-breath-monitor as Flowborne VR, but the soundtrack features chill little indie loops instead of weird drones. So much better. Another standout from Pillow: "The Fisherman," an experience that lets you reel in virtual fish from your ceiling. Each fish contains the recorded voice of another user of Pillow answering a question like "What would you most like to do in your life?" or "What moment would you like to relive?" I found that connecting with the thoughts of a fellow human while drifting off to sleep to be way more meaningful/spiritual than being told to stare at outdated graphics and imagine connectedness. It's show, instead of tell, and $9.99 is a small price to pay for such a strangely beautiful experience.

Best for: chill weirdos and insomniacs

Enlighten-o-meter score: 4 out of 5

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Here’s Who Needs Android’s New Advanced Security Protection (and Who Probably Doesn’t)

Android users got a whole host of security and privacy upgrades with the release of Android 16, including expanded in-call scam protection, live threat detection for malicious apps, and more. These features are well worth enabling, as they'll help secure your data and your device against theft, malware, and phishing attacks. Google also extended its Advanced Protection Program to include stricter device-level features aimed at reducing the risk of compromise.

Advanced Protection offers the most robust all-around security available on Android under a single setting—an incredibly useful tool for journalists, activists, and anyone with access to sensitive data that could be targeted by threat actors. Those who are especially privacy- and security-minded may also want to enable Advanced Protection, while the average user should weigh how this feature fits with their security needs.

How Advanced Protection works on Android 16

Advanced Protection makes strong security the default on your Android 16 device by enabling certain features and disabling the ability to turn off others. It also includes new protections, like automatically rebooting your device if it remains locked for 72 hours, encrypting your data behind biometrics or your PIN. Additionally, your device won't be able to automatically reconnect to unsecured wifi networks, and USB access will be blocked when your phone is locked.

Advanced Protect automatically enables security features like theft detection, HTTPS on Chrome for all website connections, and scam and spam protection in Messages. All of these can be turned on individually in your device settings, but Advanced Protection does so in one fell swoop. It will also prevent you from turning off Google Play Protect and Android Safe Browsing, which keep you from downloading malicious apps and accessing malicious websites on your device.

The potential downsides of Advanced Protection include limits on side-loading apps—you'll only be able to download from approved sources like the Google Play Store—and the likelihood that some websites will break thanks to the disabling of the JavaScript optimizer on Chrome. (Note that you should be extremely wary of downloading apps from unofficial sources anyway, as these can be vectors for spreading malware.)

Advanced Protection is comparable to Apple's Lockdown Mode for iOS, which blocks certain app and web features as well as setting changes that could be used to spread malware. Even Apple has said that Lockdown Mode is "an extreme, optional protection" aimed at high-risk users who may be personally targeted by cyberattacks, not meant for the average person.

So, should you use Advanced Protection? As the folks over at the Electronic Frontier Foundation write, "there's no harm in giving it a try." It's easy to enable and disable, and you may not notice any impact on your device (while getting the benefit of stronger security measures running in the background). You can always turn it off if it does restrict your day-to-day activities, knowing that it's probably overkill for some users. And you can still have Google Play Protect enabled along with other individual Android 16 security features and follow best practices for protecting your device from cyber threats.

How to enable Advanced Protection

To turn Advanced Protection on for your Android 16 device, open your Settings app and go to Security & privacy > Advanced Protection. Flip the toggle next to Device protection and tap Turn on. You'll then have to restart your device for Advanced Protection to activate and run.

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YouTube Is Getting AI Overviews Too, and You Can Try Them Now

The tide rises, the sun sets, and Google pushes AI summaries onto yet another product. This time, it's YouTube that's getting the AI Overview treatment.

The new feature will add "carousels" of clips that AI determines are relevant to the top of certain searches. For now, the feature is only available to a very (very) narrow set of users.

It's a similar feature to the one you've probably seen in Google Search. Typically, if Google finds a YouTube video with a relevant portion to your search, it will present a highlighted clip that you can watch without leaving Google itself. These new YouTube AI carousels are populated with many of these relevant clips, and are paired with generative AI text summaries of the clips.

How to turn on YouTube's AI overviews

Currently, AI-powered carousels are an experimental feature, only available to YouTube Premium subscribers in the United States, and only when you use search on an Android or iOS mobile device. If you want to enable them, follow these steps:

• Make sure you're subscribed to YouTube Premium. While I wouldn't recommend starting a whole subscription just to try out a new feature, if you're not subscribed you won't be able to see these. You can check your subscription status in the YouTube mobile app by tapping your profile icon and heading to Settings > Purchases and memberships.

• Make sure you're in the U.S. I especially don't recommend emigrating to another country to try out an experimental AI feature. But on the off chance that your account's location is set to somewhere outside the U.S. (like if you're using a VPN by default), make sure YouTube thinks you're in the U.S.

• Enroll in the carousel experimental feature. You might have already signed up to try experimental features, but this one needs to be turned on directly. Head here or in the YouTube app head to Settings > Try experimental new features. Then, enable "AI-powered search results carousel."

• Try some searches related to shopping or places. Most searches will still provide the typical results, but Google suggests topics related to shopping (such as "noise cancelling headphones") or place (such as "best beaches in Hawaii").

Even if you follow all of these steps, however, you still might not see the new feature. I've been a YouTube Premium subscriber since it was called YouTube Red, enabled this experiment, and tried the example searches (plus many more) and never saw the carousel once. YouTube says the feature is only available to a "randomly selected number of Premium members" so it seems there's no guarantee you'll get to try it out even if you opt in.

If you don't want this feature, the good news is that you don't have to do anything for now. This experimental trial will last until July 30. While that doesn't necessarily mean that it will roll out more widely after that, it's a safe bet that you've at least got another month before it becomes something you have to opt out of.

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Threads Is Getting Its Own Separate Hidden Words Settings

Threads users will soon have more control over what shows up (or doesn't) in their feeds. According to a Threads post from Instagram head Adam Mosseri, an update to the platform's Hidden Words feature will allow users to customize which content is filtered out separate from their preferences on Instagram.

Hidden Words itself isn't new: Threads users can already mute words, phrases, and emojis from their feeds and automatically filter out comments containing offensive language. However, this was a global setting that applied to both Threads and Instagram, so you weren't able to have separate lists of content to hide or customize those filters on Threads.

Threads is also testing a "mark spoiler" content label to hide spoilers in posts—unless a user taps to reveal the text or image—as well as DMs. It also isn't the only platform to increase user control over what content they see: TikTok recently expanded its settings that allow users to better personalize their For You feeds, including AI-powered keyword filtering.

How to customize Hidden Words on Threads

To edit Hidden Words, open the Threads app, tap your profile icon in the bottom navigation bar, then open the Settings menu from the top-right corner. Go to Content preferences > Hidden Words. You can toggle Hide common offensive words in replies off or on, which will move replies to a hidden section under your posts (anyone can still tap to show them).

Under that, you can tap + New filter to hide posts with certain words, phrases, or emojis from your feed as well as replies containing filtered content. Threads has new options to customize filters, such as hiding posts shared by anyone or only profiles you don't follow as well a 30-day "snooze" for filtered content you don't want to permanently hide. Related words can be batched under a single custom filter (spider and spiders, for example).

Note that the new feature may not be available on your device just yet, so keep an eye out for app updates.

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I Tried Out Claude AI's New App Creator, and I Didn't Have to Use Any Coding

Last year, Anthropic rolled out a new feature called Artifacts in its Claude AI chatbot, letting users see real-time results from their conversations—think diagrams, reports, websites, or code snippets, for example. Now the feature has been given a substantial upgrade, letting you create and share AI-powered apps just by describing them.

The apps you create through this "vibe coding" approach can have Claude AI smarts built right inside, and it's available for all users—so you can give it a try whether you're on a paid subscription or not. And if you share your creation with other people, when they run the app it'll be counted against their Claude usage allowance, not yours.

One of the examples Anthropic gives is a flashcard app. You could previously get Claude to code you an app showing flashcards, but you'd need to specify all the details and card content yourself. Now, you can leverage Claude's AI to create card content specific to individual users, because they'll be able to give the chatbot prompts about the text they want to see.

The upgraded feature should be available to everyone now, though you may need to enable it: On the web, click your account name (bottom left), then choose Settings > Profile and enable Create AI-powered artifacts. You'll see some examples of apps other people have made, and you can test out any of these in your browser, as well as making changes to them via the Customize button.

Back on the main Artifacts screen, you can see any projects you've previously made, and click New artifact to start creating something new. You'll be given some categories to choose from, including Games, Productivity tools, and Creative projects—but if nothing fits exactly, click Start from scratch.

Creating my own app

I haven't done a whole lot of coding since I learnt BASIC back in high school: I used it to code a soccer simulator that picked scores and scorers at random, which was a lot of fun at the time. With Claude's new and improved Artifacts tool available, I was interested to see just how good an app I could make from vibes alone.

My first thought was to ask Claude what I should create, a worrying reminder that AI is taking away our capacity to think and make decisions ourselves. In the end I used my own brain cells to make a choice: I wanted to make an app to generate quiz questions on any specified topic, with a sliding scale of difficulty and the answers available if needed.

I explained what I wanted using natural language and zero code: an app that would prompt the user for a topic, then display a question on that topic, with the option to reveal the answer with a click. I also wanted options for adjusting the question difficulty, and switching topics. It actually only took a single prompt to describe everything.

Claude made a neat little quiz generator for me in minutes. Credit: Lifehacker

Claude gave me an overview of what it would do before it started building, telling me it loved the vision for my app (I bet it says that to everyone). When I gave the go-ahead, the browser window split to show the app and its raw code on the right (you can toggle between these views with a click).

The resulting app was pretty great the first time around, certainly in terms of its functionality—everything worked as I wanted and was well designed. The AI's choice of questions and assessment of their difficulty was a little wonky, however: All the questions had the right answers attached, but the app tended to fixate on a limited set of subjects within each topic (specific movies, actors, or bands, for example).

It was probably unfair for me to ask for a question about Twin Peaks at child-level difficulty, but "where is Twin Peaks set?" is maybe a little too easy—and Claude generated the same question at the next difficulty level, too. The hardest question was about the model of tape recorder FBI agent Dale Cooper uses, which had me stumped.

You can see the code rewritten in real time as you make changes. Credit: Lifehacker

That's more about the limitations of AI models and their understanding, though. In terms of the actual app building, Claude mostly impressed: It responded to my questions and edits very well, letting me change colors and layouts with simple text prompts. It's cool to see an app being rebuilt in real time, and the AI bot then explains the changes that have been made and why.

There was one issue with a new "suggested topics" box that Claude took a long time to get right, despite my vibe-debugging attempts. Eventually, it got the box in the right place, but it took multiple iterations to work properly. At times the chatbot interface is too opaque, though the raw code is always available for the serious programmers out there.

For now, this seems best suited to casual, small-scale projects—as demonstrated by the examples Anthropic has put in the showcase—but I can see it being useful for people who want to develop custom tools for admin or productivity. I definitely enjoyed the experience, and felt like I learned quite a bit about coding along the way too, even if the end result was a little glitchy (more down to the AI content than the actual code).

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This Hands-Off Method Is the Only Way I'll Ever Cook Bacon

As soon as it became safe for me to cook on the stove unsupervised—say 12 years old?—I began to fry bacon. I’d do my best to stretch out the wobbly strips so they wouldn’t overlap or curl up too much and brace myself for the impact of tiny, sharp, popping oil splatters. I loved the results (chewy, crispy bacon is a compelling reward), but I hated the process and the clean-up that followed. It wasn’t worth it. But instead of giving up on bacon, I changed my approach. Now I oven bake my bacon and it’s the only way I’ll ever do it. 

Why oven-baking your bacon is best

Oven-baking is superior to pan frying because you don’t have to babysit it, the stovetop is available for other cooking, you’re not subject to painful splatters, and cleanup can be a breeze with a simple trick (more on that in a moment). Furthermore, it’s an absolute lifesaver if you’re hosting a large brunch party and you need to cook three pounds of bacon. You aren’t limited to how many slices you can fit in your frying pan. Instead, you can bake as much bacon as you can fit on a large sheet pan. And if your oven has two racks, guess what? You can bake two sheet pans-worth of bacon. 

What oven temperature is best for bacon?

I usually cook my bacon in a 350°F degree oven for about 20 minutes. The timing will change slightly depending on if you’re using thin or thick cut bacon, but that’s my go-to temperature. It’s hot enough to crisp and brown the bacon within a reasonable amount of time to cook the rest of breakfast, but not so hot where you scorch your precious pork before you know it. I’ve always had success at this temperature and I find that it provides a cooking window perfect for catching your bacon at exactly the doneness you like. 

Occasionally, if I’m in a rush, I’ll bump the temperature to 400°F. However, doing this always comes with the understanding that I may burn it. This temperature is fine and it’ll shave five to eight minutes from your overall bake time, but if I’m in a rush then my mind is probably in 10 places at once and not on my bacon. I have scorched my meat at this temperature before. If you need bacon fast, try 400°F—but set a timer.

How to bake the best batch of bacon

The steps are simple, and this hands-off method allows you to use the stove top for important business, like pancakes and eggs. 

1. Line the baking sheet

As much as I dislike single-use aluminum foil, this is key for cleanup. Pick a medium to small baking sheet and use a single piece of aluminum foil to line it. Use the lip of the pan to shape the foil so that you have four walls. Even if your sheet pan is bigger, you can still use the edges to shape walls, the foil just won’t be hugging the sides of the pan and that’s fine. The goal is to capture the rendered fat.

Credit: Allie Chanthorn Reinmann

2. Arrange the bacon and bake

Within the foil arena you’ve made, lay out the strips of bacon. It doesn’t matter which direction they go and they can touch side to side, but just make sure they’re flat and not overlapping. If they do overlap then you’ll have some steam pockets and uneven cooking. For crispy bacon, this is a sin. However, if you like chewy, soft bacon then this might be all right for you. 

Put the sheet of bacon in a preheated 350°F oven and leave it be for 18 to 20 minutes, or until you’ve achieved your preferred bacon texture. 

Credit: Allie Chanthorn Reinmann

3. Easy clean-up

Oven-baked bacon is more evenly cooked and stays flatter compared to pan-fried bacon. In the case of clean-up, baked wins again. Remove the bacon strips from the foil—they should release easily—and put them on some paper towels to blot off excess fat, or let them cool on a wire cooling rack.

Now you have a foil lined baking sheet full of liquid bacon drippings. Yes, you could just lift this up and toss it in the trash, but you might be risking some fat dribble escaping onto the floor or into the trash. Instead, I toss the entire sheet tray into the fridge or freezer for about five minutes to solidify the fat. Now you can lift the foil, crumple it up, and toss it with zero mess.

Credit: Allie Chanthorn Reinmann

Alternatively, save your bacon drippings. The rendered fat you capture is an especially delicious ingredient and you can use later in other meals. Simply run the liquid fat through a fine mesh strainer and into a jar. Here are the best tips on collecting, storing, and using your bacon fat, like using it to grease your waffle maker or flavoring your popcorn with it. Extra bacon fat can be a great flavoring tool in other parts of your breakfast or for adding a bit of smoky flavor to bean dishes, proteins, biscuits, vegetables, and pastas. 

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The Auto-Resistance on Peloton's Bike+ Might Make the Extra Cost Worth It

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For two weeks, I've been testing out a Bike+, the upgraded version of Peloton's famous Bike, all so I can write reviews of it. Since I've been an avid rider of my regular Peloton Bike for four years, I've been paying attention to any differences I notice in the performance of the two stationary cycles—especially any differences that make their $1,000 price difference worthwhile.

The feature I was most excited to test out, which my Bike does not have, is auto-resistance. With that, the Bike+ automatically adjusts the rider's resistance for them, setting it within the boundaries of the resistance called for by a instructor at any given point during a virtual class.

How does the Bike+'s auto-resistance work?

When you're taking an on-demand cycling class or completing a Power Zone workout, the Bike+ will adjust your resistance so that you're somewhere in between the numbers the instructor is calling for. So, if your instructor says your resistance should be between 40 and 60, the auto-resistance feature will plop you somewhere in the middle of those values; you don't have to spin the resistance knob yourself.

The auto-resistance is pretty smart, in my experience. When I did a nighttime workout after a day full of teaching spin class, doing other Peloton rides, and walking around in the heat, I wasn't feeling particularly energetic or even athletic. The auto-resistance caught on to that and adjusted my resistance to the lower end of the spectrum the instructor was calling for.

Overall, it just makes taking a class a little easier because you don't need to be constantly reaching down to adjust the knob. You can focus only on your cadence (and form, breathing, output, and hydration, of course) without having to stay on top of your resistance, too.

How to enable (or disable) auto-resistance on the Bike+

Enabling and disabling auto-resistance can be done before or during a workout. When you select a workout to complete on your device's touchscreen, you'll see a pop-up window that outlines a few details like when the class first aired, who's teaching it, and what the class is called. You'll also see a button that says "Auto-Resistance [Off/On]," which will, obviously, signal to you that the feature is on or off before the class starts.

Credit: Lindsey Ellefson

Once the class begins, you'll see a small lock icon next to the resistance on the lower right half of the screen. You can tap it to unlock it (turn auto-resistance off) or lock it (turn it on). I've noticed that if I start a workout with it off, then toggle it on, the auto-resistance tends to stick near whatever I was doing on my own. For instance, this morning, I started a class with it off, but was only riding about five above the lowest recommended resistance. When the instructor said resistance should be between 30 and 45, I was only doing 35. (I'm teaching classes later tonight, so I didn't feel I needed to over-exert myself! Leave me alone!) When I toggled auto-resistance on by tapping the lock icon, it consistently kept me at about five over the lowest recommended resistance level.

You can make manual adjustments while you ride, even if auto-resistance is turned on. At one point this morning, I did crank my resistance knob up to the highest recommended setting for a while. When the instructor told riders to lower their resistance a few minutes later, auto-resistance kicked in again and put me on a lower one with no issue, though it was, again, near the upper limits of the recommended range, since that's how I had set it manually.

Is this feature worth an extra $1,000?

The Peloton Bike+ is about $1,000 more than the regular Bike and will run you $2,495—with this auto-resistance feature being one of the main selling points.

Peloton Bike+

$2,495.00 at Peloton

$2,495.00 at Peloton

I did appreciate that the tech is smarter that I assumed it would be and was able to adjust my resistance not only to the middle of the recommended resistance range, but lower or higher within it, depending on how I am performing. I also appreciate that it can be manually overridden mid-class and even disabled completely if you're not into it. It's great to be able to ride without having to constantly think about making adjustments, plus I find it a little motivating. When I'm in charge of the resistance (like I have been for four years riding my Bike), I can slack a little if I want to, you know? Who's going to stop me if I choose to set my resistance to the absolute lowest recommended number? With auto-resistance, I feel just a little guilt if I consider manually overriding it to make my workout easier. More often than not, of course, I find that having my resistance set to the middle or higher end of the recommended spectrum is completely doable; I'm lazy, not incapable. The auto-resistance helps me stop being quite so lazy, which is a little counterintuitive, since the machine is doing the work of messing with the knob for me.

Still, If you don't mind reaching down and spinning that knob, if you don't think you'd find it particularly motivating to see your resistance set in the middle of the recommended range, or if you don't even think you'd use this feature, it may not be worth an extra grand. There are some other differences between the two bikes that could push you over the edge and make you want to spend that extra dough, but don't forget that the membership that allows you to take the classes will cost you $44 per month forever, even after you've paid off the Bike, so that's another expense to consider.

Overall, I genuinely like this feature, but when I've disabled it or gone back to my trusty Bike after using it, I haven't really missed it. It's unique, cool, and useful, but it's not necessary. Coupled with the other improvements in the Bike+, however, it makes a strong case for an upgrade: The Bike+ has better speakers, a bigger screen, simpler adjustment knobs to change seat and screen height, and overall better performance while running Peloton's proprietary software. All of that combined with the extraordinarily efficient auto-resistance makes for a better machine. If you're looking to upgrade from your existing Bike to a Bike+, consider selling your older model on Peloton's own resale site, which will get you some cash plus a few hundred off your Bike+ purchase.

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These Solos Smart Glasses Might Make Me Ditch My Ray Ban Metas

Smart glasses company Solos today announced two new entries in the wearable tech space: the AirGo A5 and AirGo V2. Solos says its mission is to "make wearable AI more intuitive, accessible, and integrated into daily life," so the idea behind these new spectacles is to ditch the gimmicks in favor of wearability and features people will actually use.

Here's a breakdown on what we can expect when these glasses hit the market later this year.

Solos AirGo A5

Credit: Solos

The AirGo A5 are audio-first, lightweight smart glasses designed for people who want everyday eyewear with intelligence and audio, but without the bulk or distraction of some wearables.

AirGo A5's cost less than industry leading Ray-Ban Metas, and are most notable for lacking a camera. This allows for lower weight, and also means your specs look more like normal glasses. The downside is obvious: no pictures.

Here's a breakdown of the A5's features:

• Hands-free operation

• Built-in SolosChat AI agent

• Directional audio that minimizes sound leakage

• Enhanced bass and high-quality audio

• List price: starting at $249

• Available Q3 2025

There's something to be said for glasses that only do the things you want them to do instead of trying to do everything. I'm keenly interested in the audio quality and the comfort of these glasses. If they sound appreciably better than Ray Ban Metas, and they're comfortable enough to wear every day, they'd be a solid choice for a lot of smart glasses users.

If you'd like a camera, the AirGo V2 might be your style.

Solos AirGo V2

Credit: Solos

V2 are camera-first smart glasses, aimed at "travelers, content creators, and anyone wanting to document and share life in the moment," according to Solos. Life-sharing is courtesy of an image-stabilized 16MP camera capable of shooting HD video. V2 also come equipped with SolosChat 3.0 AI, that uses ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and DeepSeek. All that tech is contained Solos modular system that allows users to swap out frame fronts at will.

Here's a breakdown of the V2's features:

• 16MP camera the company says is "the world’s slimmest."

• Electronic image stabilization

• Low power wifi to save battery use

• SolosChat 3.0 AI that can identify objects, translate signs, and get answers from multiple AI models.

• Directional audio made to minimizes sound leakage

• High-quality audio, featuring enhanced bass

• Swappable battery

• List price: starting at $299.

• Available Q4 2025

I'll be testing these smart glasses in real world conditions, as well as comparing them to the similarly priced Meta Ray Bans, in the near future, so check back for in-depth coverage.

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The Best Amazon Prime Benefits You Probably Don't Know About

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If you’re going to commit to an Amazon Prime membership, you might as well squeeze as much as you can out of the deal. And there's a good amount of juice to squeeze there. The price you pay for Amazon depends on many factors, but regardless of how much you're paying, it's worth it for most people (we did the math). If you're on the fence about signing up, Prime Day, Amazon's biggest sale of the year, is just around the corner. It's a great time to sell your soul—or take advantage of the 30-day free trial.

How much does Amazon Prime Cost

The standard Prime membership costs $14.99 per month or $139 per year, but there are other tiers that some people might qualify for. For example, the new Amazon Prime Student program allows young adults between the ages of 18 and 24 to get all of the Prime perks for half the cost—$7.49 per month or $69 annually.

The benefits of Amazon Prime

I'll be the first to admit I didn't know all of the benefits that Amazon Prime offers to its members. There are a lot more perks than people think. Here are the most impressive ones (and here is the full list):

Fast and free shipping

• Fast free shipping on millions of items: Depending on where you live, shipping can take one or two days, and some even come on the same day—and it’s always free (if being shipped by the Amazon store).

• Pre-ordered items can be delivered on their release date for free.

• The option to have items delivered inside your garage with a smart garage device (depending on where you live).

• Earn rewards for future purchases when you select free no-rush shipping.

• The option to have all your weekly orders delivered on a specific day, to reduce waste from boxes.

• The ability to try before you buy when you order clothes or shoes, meaning you have seven days before you get charged for the items you decide to keep.

Deals, savings, and sales

• Subscribe & Save deals that allow you to place recurring orders and save money when you do so.

• Amazon Prime Rewards Visa card: Cardholders get 5% back on Amazon/Whole Foods purchases. So Prime members who use this card extensively can earn rewards that offset the annual fee.

• A free year of Grubhub+, normally $9.99 per month, which gets you free delivery on eligible orders, lower service fees, exclusive deals, and other perks. 

• Sharing with family or friends: Prime benefits can be shared with other members of your household. The more users, the more value per person.

Medical care

• Amazon Health: Prime users get One Medical access for an additional $9 per month. Through your devices, you’ll have 24/7 access to on-demand virtual care, plus real-life access to primary care offices in a number of U.S. cities. It accepts most major health insurance plans, too.

• Amazon Pharmacy: Access to free two-day delivery and other savings on medications.

Streaming and digital perks

• Prime Video: Prime includes unlimited streaming of movies, TV shows, and Amazon Originals, which normally costs $9 per month.

• Amazon Music Prime: A music streaming service (which is different from the other three music streaming subscriptions) like Spotify.

• Prime Gaming: A perk that offers free video games, content, and a free channel subscription on Twitch each month.

• Amazon Luna: A cloud gaming platform that offers new free games every month for Prime Members.

• Amazon Photos: A storage solution on Amazon Drive (which extends to members of your Family Vault). 

E-books and audiobooks

• Prime Reading: Free access to over 1,000 books and magazines for Kindle or Fire tablets and Kindle apps.

• Amazon's First Reads: You get up to three free e-books every month from a curated list of books handpicked by editors.

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This Blink Outdoor Security Camera System Is at Its Lowest Price Right Now

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If you've been wanting to test the waters with outdoor security cameras but didn’t want to go all-in on subscriptions or complicated installs, this Blink deal strikes a nice middle ground. Right now, you can grab the Blink Outdoor 4 camera bundled with the new Sync Module Core for just $39.99 on Amazon. That’s half off the usual price—and the cheapest it’s ever been, according to price trackers.

Blink Outdoor 4 (newest model)

$39.99 at Amazon

$79.99 Save $40.00

$39.99 at Amazon

$79.99 Save $40.00

The Outdoor 4 camera is completely wireless, weather-resistant (IP65-rated), and runs on the included AA batteries that can last up to two years, depending on usage. And with 1080p video and a 143-degree field of view, it’s designed to keep an eye on your front porch, driveway, or backyard without much fuss (though you’ll want to manage expectations around image quality in low light).

This version pairs with the new Sync Module Core, which is a little hub that keeps things connected and humming. It plugs into a wall outlet inside your home and links your camera to wifi, helping improve battery life and letting you manage settings or view footage in real time through the Blink app.

Unlike older modules, the Core doesn’t come with a USB port for local video storage, so if you want to save clips, you’ll need to subscribe to Blink’s cloud plan. A 30-day trial is included; after that, plans start at $3/month for one device or $10/month for unlimited devices per account. If you’d rather skip the cloud, you can upgrade to a separate Sync Module XR or Sync Module 2 and a MicroSD card (up to 256GB) for local backups, all sold separately.

Performance-wise, the Outdoor 4 gets solid marks for its price. PCMag's "Excellent" review notes improved motion detection over earlier models, thanks to the addition of person detection (though that’s also locked behind the subscription). Two-way audio is built in, and you can pair it with Alexa to view the feed, arm or disarm, or control other settings using your voice. Just know that it doesn’t work with Google Assistant or HomeKit. All said, this isn’t a full-on outdoor home security system, but if you’re looking for a low-commitment way to monitor a part of your home, it's a deal that’s hard to ignore.

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