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This Is the Story of a Backpack and the Little Boy Who Loved It for Nine Years

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There was once a small backpack, and in the beginning, it was truly splendid. Much like Margery Williams’s Velveteen Rabbit, this bag was everything it should be. It had a solar-system print with planets that actually glowed in the dark, a matching lunch bag with clips that made a pleasant click, and padded shoulder straps that slipped on like a hug. The large, securely zippered pockets could hold serious and necessary things, and the diminutive, detailed pockets could hold pencils, keys, and the sort of small secret treasures gathered only in childhood. The tiniest of Pottery Barn’s Mackenzie line at the time, the backpack was still a bit too big for the 1-year-old for whom it was intended, but that would change soon enough. Before long, this bag would travel from daycare to preschool to elementary school, and to summer camp. It would fly on planes and be stashed under the seats of buses. It would carry sandwiches and sand, water bottles and water balloons. And ov...
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The Best Laptops for College Students

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College is expensive — including tuition, housing, and textbooks, not to mention food and other miscellaneous costs. So students need a reliable laptop that’ll last for years of taking notes, writing papers at 3 in the morning, and editing slides for a group project. But choosing the right laptop can be more challenging than writing a thousand words on Proust. We test dozens of laptops every year, and for this guide we’ve rounded up the picks from our other guides that are the best for students. A laptop’s price-to-performance ratio is the most important factor, followed by its battery life, its size and weight, and its keyboard and trackpad. Our top picks offer the best balance of all those factors for high school and college students. We also have more-portable picks, if you’re able to spend more. And for anyone on a tighter budget, we have less expensive options that are also well suited for younger kids. To achieve their more-affordable price tags, these cheape...
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The Best Laptops

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Smartphones may have captured much of our screen time, but sometimes a task calls for a real computer — and for most people, that means a laptop. For school and office work like creating spreadsheets and editing video, there’s no good substitute for a decent keyboard and a spacious screen. But which laptop you should get depends on what you’ll use it for and (of course) how much you can spend. Wirecutter’s laptop experts regularly test the most promising laptops, from sleek ultraportables to cheap Chromebooks to powerful gaming laptops and beyond. Here are the best models you can buy in every category, along with advice on how to choose which type of laptop is right for you. from Wirecutter: Reviews for the Real World https://ift.tt/4XdZIm9 via IFTTT
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The Furnace and Air Conditioner Filters We Would Buy

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If we were looking to buy a new filter today for our HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) system, we’d opt for one rated MERV 13. These filters efficiently capture pollen, mold spores, dust, and even ultrafine particulates, including from wildfire smoke . This helps to keep your indoor air clean and protects your equipment from dust buildup and clogging. A 2024 California regulation requires manufacturers to publicly list their filters’ air resistance — effectively the strain they put on HVAC systems. This is a real step forward because, for the first time, homeowners (and Wirecutter writers) have a way to objectively compare brands. Our MERV 13 picks put so little strain on HVAC systems that we’re confident they’ll be fine to use even with older air-handling equipment. But if you’re concerned, you can always choose a lower-MERV filter (like a MERV 8); they are effective only on larger particles, like pollen, but they offer less air resistance. ...
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The Best Electric Vehicle Chargers for Home

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Whether you’re a longtime electric vehicle owner, or you’re still waiting for your first EV to leave the factory floor, you should consider investing in a Level 2 charger for your home. Most modern EVs ship with a Level 1 charger, which you can toss in your trunk (or frunk ) and plug into any standard wall outlet. But the fastest way to juice up an EV at home is to use a Level 2 charger, which can add at least four times as many miles per hour of charge. After researching and testing dozens of models for hundreds of hours, we found the Emporia Classic Level 2 EV Charger (J1772 version) to be the best at-home charger for EVs with a J1772 port. Likewise, we found the Emporia Classic Level 2 EV Charger (NACS version) to be the best for Teslas and other EVs with a J3400 connector (also called the North American Charging Standard, or NACS). In either configuration, this charger is powerful, simple to use, and equipped with a long cord. And thanks to its streamlined ...
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The Best Windows Laptop

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Tech is getting more expensive this year as AI data centers hog key components such as memory and storage, which are also used in everyday devices. Laptops have been hit particularly hard, with price increases across the board. That’s making it harder than ever to figure out which laptop will serve your needs for the best price. The first step is deciding whether you actually need a new computer. Laptop companies are making big promises about the AI features in their latest models, but you shouldn’t upgrade just for AI. It’s time to upgrade if your computer is on its last legs or if you’re still using Windows 10 — Microsoft will stop supporting the older software in October. After testing hundreds of laptops over the past decade and spending time with 30 thin-and-light models so far this year, we’ve found that the Lenovo Yoga 7i 2-in-1 (14" Intel) is the best Windows laptop for most people. from Wirecutter: Reviews for the Real World https://ift.tt...
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How to Improve Indoor Air Quality

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How clean the air is inside your home might be top of mind after a wildfire or other outdoor air-pollution event. But year-round, everyone can benefit from breathing cleaner air indoors. Poor indoor air quality may contribute to respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, cognitive impacts, cancers, and allergies, according to the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. Americans spend an average of 90% of their time inside, said Dr. Juanita Mora, a physician at the Chicago Allergy Center and spokesperson for the American Lung Association. Indoors, people are exposed to chemicals and particulates, as well as common irritants like dust mites, pet dander, and mold spores that can trigger allergies and asthma. Improving indoor air quality is especially important for members of vulnerable groups , including infants, children, older adults, or those who have existing respiratory issues. You also might face compounded health effects from poor indoor air quali...
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