Life Style

Even on high-end models, most TV speakers suck. Bad speakers are the reason you might have trouble understanding the dialogue in shows and movies, and you don’t need a surround sound setup to do better—basically any soundbar will do wonders for your TV’s audio. Currently, Woot is giving you an opportunity to upgrade your sound system with a pretty good one: You can buy a “factory reconditioned” JBL or Yamaha soundbars for as little as $80.The deal runs through Nov. 2, or until supplies last. Woot only ships to the 48 contiguous states in the U.S. If you have Amazon Prime, you get free shipping; otherwise, it’ll be $6 to ship.If you clicked because you saw $80 in the headline, here it is: This JBL Bar 2.0 All-in-one soundbar came out in 2019 and originally cost $200. As I noted last time i...

Today is another cute little puzzle, and not too hard—I’d even say it’s NIFTY. If you’re looking for the Connections answer for Thursday, October 26, 2023, read on—I’ll share some clues, tips, and strategies, and finally the solutions to all four categories. Along the way, I’ll explain the meanings of the trickier words and we’ll learn how everything fits together. Beware, there are spoilers below for October 26, NYT Connections #137! 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 f...

Photo: alexfan32 (Shutterstock)I can tell you already what you can expect for Black Friday—when you see a good early deal for something on your list, you should jump on it, as items will sell out. Best Buy is one of the few major retailers who have already put out their plans, which includes this TCL 65" Q5 4K QLED Smart TV with a $200 discount, currently at $399 (originally $599.99).The deal means this TV is the cheapest it has ever been, according to Honey. It currently sits $100 cheaper than it was during October Prime Day. It’s a Best Buy exclusive TV and is one of the cheapest QLED TVs I’ve seen in a while. To put it into perspective, Amazon’s equivalent in-house 65-inch QLED TV is $799.99. The Q5 series from TLC became their most affordable QLED TV after stripping the Q6 from that t...

There are some clever groupings today, and I thought this one was a delight to solve—but if you’re stumped, I don’t blame you. (I never said it was easy.) If you’re looking for the Connections answer for Wednesday, October 25, 2023, read on—I’ll share some clues, tips, and strategies, and finally the solutions to all four categories. Along the way, I’ll explain the meanings of the trickier words and we’ll learn how everything fits together. Beware, there are spoilers below for October 25, NYT Connections #136! 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....

iPhones are, by design, pretty easy to set up and use. But while it’s almost second-nature to turn on your new iPhone, it’s not clear how to shut it off. You press and hold the power button, expecting some kind of shut down option, but it just triggers Siri. As it happens, there are a few different ways to turn off or restart your iPhone, and some don’t even require the use of hardware buttons.Every iPhone since the X uses this shutdown and restart process. To turn off your iPhone, you need to press and hold a combination of the Side button and one of the volume buttons (it doesn’t matter whether it’s the volume up or volume down button).Image: AppleKeep these buttons pressed until you see the shutdown screen. Then, let go, and slide your finger across the Slide to Power Off slider. In a...

After a string of tricky puzzles, we have an easy one for once! Or at least I thought so. If you’re looking for the Connections answer for Tuesday, October 24, 2023, read on—I’ll share some clues, tips, and strategies, and finally the solutions to all four categories. Along the way, I’ll explain the meanings of the trickier words and we’ll learn how everything fits together. Beware, there are spoilers below for October 24, NYT Connections #135! 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 answ...

Problems with your gutters can be frustrating: Loud drips, water collecting in places it shouldn’t, and water taking an unplanned path, which can cause damage and make rainstorms more trouble than they need to be. While some issues with your gutters require professional help, others can be solved simply yourself with just a few simple tools. Here’s what you need to know.If your gutters have a split where water is leaking out in the middle instead of going down the downspout, using a slip joint to attach a replacement section of gutter is a repair you can do yourself. The slip joint is placed on the outside of the existing gutter piece to join two pieces of gutter together. Hanging a new section of gutter to replace the damaged, leaking piece and then using a slip joint on the seam is as si...

In addition to the beeps and chimes that you hear on an airplane, you may also pick up on a variety of mechanical sounds before and during a flight, as well as after you’ve landed. Unless you have aviation experience or knowledge (or are traveling with someone who does), you may be curious—or anxious—about what’s causing these noises, and what they mean. Here are a few examples.If you’re traveling on an Airbus aircraft and hear what sounds like a back-and-forth scrubbing sound, or barking dogs in the cargo hold, you’re probably hearing the hydraulic system(s) (there are typically three) being powered up, says Jack Herstam, an airline pilot and former flight instructor. On other types of aircraft, it may sound more like a high-pitched squealing noise, he adds.“The sounds you hear are the hy...

Sometimes I think about the person who wrote an article for Slate in July about how Connections is too easy, and I wonder how they’re doing now. Today’s another lively one, so if you’re looking for the Connections answer for Sunday, October 22, 2023, read on—I’ll share some clues, tips, and strategies, and finally the solutions to all four categories. Along the way, I’ll explain the meanings of the trickier words and we’ll learn how everything fits together. Beware, there are spoilers below for October 22, NYT Connections #133! 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 ...

Even if you are, for the most part, on the same page with someone, you’re bound to disagree with them about something sooner or later. If this doesn’t happen often—or you’re navigating the situation for the first time—it can be stressful: After all, no one wants to jeopardize a functional relationship.While this is the case in our personal lives, it’s also true in professional settings, because having good working relationships with our colleagues can make all the difference. At the same time, going along with everything a coworker says, does, and proposes—even when you disagree—isn’t an effective strategy either (and probably won’t end well). It’s completely fine—and totally normal—to disagree with people at work. Here are a few tips for doing so respectfully.Having a difference of opinio...