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Stop Using So Much Dish Soap (And Other Portion Size Advice)

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A capful of laundry detergent. A squeeze of dish soap. A dollop of sunscreen. It’s easy to portion out these measurements almost mindlessly, rarely stopping to wonder if it’s the right amount of these everyday essentials. Although many times this may not be a big deal, in some scenarios using too much or too little of a product can yield lousy results. That’s why we dove into the deep end of various Wirecutter guides to find out which of our guesstimates were wildly off the mark. Here are the suggested “serving” sizes of common household supplies that surprised us the most. from Wirecutter: Reviews for the Real World https://ift.tt/QSOGZ8g via IFTTT

Pokémon Pokopia Is the Video Game Equivalent of a Weighted Blanket

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The news. A ceaseless gray winter. Even more news. An ongoing parade of small personal disasters. An unrelenting amount of news. Life has been coming from all sides, and I can feel the burnout creeping in. But the perfect antidote arrived in the form of Pokémon Pokopia , a new cozy town-builder-meets-mystery game for the Nintendo Switch 2 that has helped to soothe my strung-out brain and get me back on track. For months I’ve been craving a break from the mounting frustrations of everyday life, and it’s fitting that the answer came to me in the form of a video game where all the humans have gone missing. from Wirecutter: Reviews for the Real World https://ift.tt/oTOiy8u via IFTTT

How to Make Your Old Computer Feel New Again

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If you’ve had your computer for more than a few years, it might not feel as responsive as it did the day you bought it. Perhaps it’s slow to boot up, or apps take longer to launch and seem sluggish to use. But you might not need to buy a brand-new PC. In fact, to fix this problem you might not even need to spend any money at all. First, try these steps to clean up your old computer, and it may feel brand-new once again. from Wirecutter: Reviews for the Real World https://ift.tt/QyigZWB via IFTTT

The Best Media Streaming Devices

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Who needs a separate streaming media player these days? You already have plenty of ways to get apps such as Netflix or Disney+ on your TV. Pretty much all modern TVs are smart TVs with streaming services baked right in. Sources like Blu-ray players , game consoles , and cable boxes also have built-in apps. If you’re a casual streamer who subscribes to only one or two services, you probably don’t need a media streaming device. But if streaming is your primary way of connecting to the home-entertainment world, you should get a dedicated media streaming device that’s more powerful, more customizable, and more diverse in its offerings. We recommend the Google TV Streamer (4K) because its modern interface, advanced search functionality, and ease of use set it squarely ahead of the competition. from Wirecutter: Reviews for the Real World https://ift.tt/wpSdLeU via IFTTT

This Tiny Laundry Tweak Helps Keep Towels Mildew-Free

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Something I’ve had to come to terms with when it comes to living with other people: Not everyone shares the same standards for cleanliness as you do. And no amount of needling and nagging will change that. Even my husband, Jeffery — whom I consider to be tidier and even more fastidious with organization than I am — has his undesirable habits. But the thing we argue about the most? His bath towels always seem to get that unmistakable mildew smell faster than mine. It’s a maddening issue because we haven’t been able to figure out exactly why  his towels get funkier faster. We’ve run this through every possible scenario we can think of: Does he not drip-dry as much as I do before getting out of the shower? Does water cling more tightly to bodies that have more hair? Does our bathroom have such poor circulation that our towels don’t get dry enough? Or is my sense of smell so disturbingly keen that I’ll never make peace with the odors in our house? While the last bit is probably tr...

The Best Computer Speakers

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Any computer owner can benefit from a good set of powered computer speakers, whether for listening to music, watching videos, playing games, or producing audio content. The Pioneer DJ DM-50D-BT computer speakers are the best we’ve heard in the $250 price range. Plus, this pair is easy to set up and control, and it should fit well on most desktops. We also have recommendations for smaller computer-speaker systems, as well as larger professional monitors for audio production. from Wirecutter: Reviews for the Real World https://ift.tt/EdNF2Pa via IFTTT

The Death of the Cheap Laptop Is Coming

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I built a PC for a colleague in January of 2025. At the time, the cost for the three main components — the motherboard, the processor, and the DDR5 memory — was about $800. A few weeks ago, I had to buy the same components, more or less, for another coworker’s PC build. The bill: $1,200. And it’s all thanks to AI. Whether you use AI or not, it’s probably going to impact your life this year — and I’m not just talking about search results or slop. The land war to build AI data centers is driving up the price of the computers and other devices you may try to buy this year, and the best values are likely to be the first casualties. from Wirecutter: Reviews for the Real World https://ift.tt/TM6UIu8 via IFTTT