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One of the best things about having a turntable is the massive selection of used — and often cheap — records out there. Building a collection is easy, but those records often come in less-than-ideal condition. Cleaning your records, both new additions and old ones, improves their sound quality and reduces the wear and tear on your stylus, so it won’t need to be replaced as often. from Wirecutter: Reviews for the Real World https://ift.tt/fhULrKD via IFTTT

It has never been cheaper or easier to access high-quality virtual reality. It’s still far from being a “most people” purchase, but for the right person, it’s an arresting way to play games and even work out. We’ve found that the Meta Quest 3S is the best headset for most people because it’s inexpensive, easy to use, and offers access to the widest range of games and experiences. Blaming the rising cost of parts like memory chips, Meta announced across-the-board price increases for its Quest headsets in April 2026. At $350 (128 GB) or $450 (256 GB) for the Quest 3S, or $600 for the Quest 3 , we still believe the Quest headsets are the best value for most people. from Wirecutter: Reviews for the Real World https://ift.tt/kjeqbQm via IFTTT

When you need to carry your bike by car, you want to do it as easily and securely as possible. That’s why we recommend the Küat Sherpa 2.0 as the best option for carrying two bicycles, as long as your vehicle accommodates a hitch receiver. After researching some 225 bike racks and testing more than 75, we’ve found that the Küat Sherpa 2.0 offers the best combination of solid construction, ease of use, light weight, and a reasonable price. However, we also have picks for cyclists with other needs or constraints. These include the less expensive Küat Beta hanging hitch rack , the ebike-friendly Thule Epos , the Saris Bones EX 3-Bike trunk rack , the Saris SuperClamp EX 4-Bike tray rack , the Yakima HighRoad roof rack , and the Inno Velo Gripper pickup-bed carrier . from Wirecutter: Reviews for the Real World https://ift.tt/pQrD24s via IFTTT

Good news! You’re probably living through the coldest summer of the rest of your life! That’s also the bad news. As global temperatures continue to rise, the rapturous ecstasy of freshly cooled air can feel less like a luxury and more like a necessity . And if your circumstances for whatever reason don’t allow for central air conditioning, then a window AC is the next best thing. A good window unit can cool you quickly and quietly without using too much energy. The best ones are so good that you can pretty much leave them running all summer, and barely even notice them beyond the slightest bump in your utility bill. There are even some options that aren’t scary to install and others that won’t take up your entire window (though they’re all still a little cumbersome). If you’re looking for the most comfortable way to beat the heat, we recommend the Midea U, which has been our top pick since 2020 and is still one of the quietest and most energy-efficient window ACs you can find. ...

Videographers and photographers on the move need a laptop that can keep up with quick deadlines and handle any task from color grading to rendering 4K video. We recommend the Lenovo Yoga Pro 9i , which handled large 4K exports faster than any of the other laptops we tested. It has an accurate OLED display and a helpful selection of ports, and it costs less than the competition. If you prefer Macs, the Apple MacBook Pro (M5 Pro, 2026) was a bit slower in some tests, but was quieter and more energy-efficient. Its display is even more accurate than the Lenovo model’s, and macOS allows it to work seamlessly alongside other Apple devices. The more budget-friendly M5 Apple MacBook Air has a superb display for a laptop of its price, as well as a processor that’s easily capable of editing 1080p footage. from Wirecutter: Reviews for the Real World https://ift.tt/thiwmM8 via IFTTT

Vile , horrible , insidious , and disgusting are just a few of the words I use to describe ticks. There is absolutely nothing to like about these awful, disease-ridden insects. They range in size from a sesame seed to a poppy seed. And they can infect you with any number of terrible ailments, such as Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, babesiosis, anaplasmosis, Powassan virus, or alpha-gal syndrome , which makes you allergic to many different types of meat. Because ticks are so small, feeling them on the skin is difficult. And their bite—which they perform with a horrific, saw-like mouth (video) —is often undetectable. My loathing of ticks is based on personal experience. I live in a rural area and spend a lot of time outdoors in the woods and in my fields. I’ve been treated for Lyme disease and other tick-related ailments on at least five separate occasions, and two of those involved full, 30-day courses of doxycycline, which is its own special nightmare. I conduct nig...