Life Style

There was a time, not long ago, when I thought the concept of a smart diffuser was like giving a fish a bicycle. Why does a diffuser need to be smart? Well, after trying out the Pura 4 Smart Diffuser, now I know. (But if you read this review and still prefer your scents “dumb,” go ahead, get a candle.)The Pura 4 turns out to be pretty useful gadget, and a lot of fun. The basic functions are what you’d expect from any plug-in diffuser—you start with a scent cartridge and the wall plug, which is larger than a drugstore plug-in, but still pretty compact. The difference is that while it’s plugged in, it only releases scent when you activate it via the app. As with other smart apps, you can turn it on indefinitely, or set a schedule: an hour each morning, or for four hours at sunset. The unit a...

If you’re looking for the Connections answer for Thursday, October 12, 2023, read on—I’ll share some clues, tips, and strategies, and finally the solutions to all four categories. Beware, there are spoilers below for October 12, NYT Connections #123! Read on if you want some hints (and then the answer) to today’s Connections game.If you want an easy way to come back to our Connections hints every day, bookmark this page. You can also find our past hints there as well, in case you want to know what you missed in a previous puzzle.Below, I’ll give you some oblique hints at today’s Connections answers. And further down the page, I’ll reveal the themes and the answers. Scroll slowly and take just the hints you need!There’s a very well-known comic book character, and an extremely common (if now...

Smartphones and their excellent video cameras make it second-nature to press record any time we want to share a moment with others. But it’s a bummer when you play back your recording, only to hear nothing but the sounds of traffic instead of the street performer, or to find that a windy day completely covers up your monologue to the camera.That’s the problem Google’s trying to solve with “Audio Magic Eraser,” a new Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro exclusive that takes the best parts of Magic Eraser and applies it to the sound in your videos.Audio Magic Eraser uses AI to sort the various sounds in a video into distinct layers, which you can then lower to your liking. You can quickly reduce the sounds of wind muffling your excellent points, or lower the traffic so you can focus better on the street ...

The competition continued to heat up during week three of “Dancing With the Stars.” Many of the pairs took on their most challenging routines yet for “Motown Night.” For some, it was all about improvements — and it was a bit easier to get a higher score, thanks to a fourth judge without dance experience, Michael Strahan! Mauricio Umansky and Emma Slater, who struggled last week, came back ready to fight. He explained that last week, he panicked on the floor because the new trailer for “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” had just come out, highlighting the problems in his marriage to Kyle Richards. His children were in the audience and since he hadn’t addressed it with them, he clammed up. “I don’t think I’ve ever experienced a failure like that where I blacked out,” he ...