Shopify Bazaar

In this edition of The Gift, we share the most special souvenirs we've ever picked up on vacation, including an exquisite tin of fish, a super cozy wool beanie, and a beautiful throw blanket. When I was a kid, part of any vacation with my mom was picking out piles of cheap T-shirts to bring home for herself and her friends, some of which — like the now-retro Toronto skyline and Old Town Stockholm tees — she still sports. I wouldn’t dream of bringing home a cheap destination tee now (maybe the ubiquity of the “My Grandparents Went to Hawaii and All I Got Was This Lousy T-shirt” ruined that tradition for me). But I am always compelled to bring back gifts from my travels. As newsletters editor Brittney Ho puts it : They can be “a way to share and extend the privilege of travel long after you’ve come home.” Souvenirs, or it didn’t happen. I personally gravitate toward vintage and second-hand items (like the Soviet box camera I found at a flea market in Sicily on my...

Listen and follow The Wirecutter Show Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | YouTube | iHeartRadio Before you dump your veggie peels and coffee grounds into the trash, consider the many reasons to compost. Keeping food waste out of landfills reduces greenhouse gas emissions, while nutrient-rich compost helps sequester carbon and rejuvenates soil. You’ll also likely need to empty your regular trash less frequently. For many people, the biggest barrier to composting is simply getting started. In this episode, Wirecutter sustainability editor Katie Okamoto shares practical tips for collecting kitchen food scraps, navigating composting options without municipal pickup, and understanding what actually belongs in your bin—including why you might want to skip those biodegradable liner bags. Plus, Wirecutter staff members break down their own real-world setups. They share how to manage commercial pickup services, why "compostable" plastics don't work i...

For many people, waking up is hard. And even though alarms can be easily set on smartphones, they tend to encourage late-night scrolling (which is not great for sleep). The humble alarm clock lets you set it, forget it, and focus solely on snoozing. We have dedicated guides for more advanced models like sunrise alarm clocks and bedside devices with smart features , but our picks here rise to the challenge because they are durable, look good, tell you the time at a glance, and help you get your butt out of bed. from Wirecutter: Reviews for the Real World https://ift.tt/FwDkRd7 via IFTTT

Let’s say you’re mere days into a job when your new boss casually suggests you start researching and testing dozens of deodorants. How deeply would you read into the situation? When it happened to me — during a summer heat wave that had killed off my AC, no less — my mind went straight to ye olde advice-column classic: how to gently tell a colleague she has BO. Then I remembered I was at Wirecutter, and, panic allayed (mostly), I got to reporting, testing, and sniffing to find the best deodorants for the most people. Of course, everyone’s body chemistry is different, and sweatiness and surface bacteria vary from person to person (even from armpit to armpit on the same person ). So this wouldn’t be simple . During a three-month process , I compiled a list of 45 deodorants — not antiperspirants , which are different — to evaluate, edited that down to 39 to test among colleagues, and arrived at 20 finalists to send to an 18-person testing panel. In the end, we found ...

Great audio can draw you into a video game with bold effects, realistic details, and immersive soundtracks. A good gaming headset allows you to enjoy all of that while you chat with your friends and teammates, too. But even the best sound quality won’t do you any good if the headset isn’t comfortable to wear for long periods of time. We’ve tested hundreds of headsets over the years, and we’ve found that the HyperX Cloud Stinger 2 is the most comfortable, best-sounding gaming headset for the price. from Wirecutter: Reviews for the Real World https://ift.tt/SJcMbx7 via IFTTT

An outdoor security camera can keep tabs on pets, package deliveries, and people who may be helping themselves to both of those things. They can also alert you to guests, and even capture video of a raccoon relishing the year’s first snowfall or the occasional runaway FedEx truck . However, after reviewing literally hundreds of Wi-Fi security cameras over the past 10 years — more than 250 at last count — I have yet to find the one magical unicorn that’s the perfect outdoor sentry. Some are hard to install, some need frequent charging, some miss motion, and others require a paid subscription to be most effective. The TP-Link Tapo MagCam 4K Camera C465 is pretty close to perfection. It has an integrated solar panel to ensure continuous use, is easy to operate, and accurately distinguishes between people, pets, and vehicles. It also works with and without a subscription plan. If you prefer a permanent fixture that can light up the night (or at least your driveway), ...