Blogroll

VLADGRIN/Shutterstock.com

Windows 10 PCs running the October 2018 Update are now getting improved Spectre fixes. This should speed up many PCs Microsoft slowed down with January 2018’s Spectre patches. This improvement, named “Retpoline,” was originally scheduled for Windows 10’s next update.

Technical information about how Google’s “Retpoline” works is available, but you don’t need to sweat the details. When implemented in Windows, it means the operating system can protect against Spectre attacks without a noticeable performance penalty.

We previously wrote that Spectre fix-related speedups would arrive with the forthcoming Windows 10’s April 2019 Update, also called 19H1. Now, Microsoft is slowly enabling this feature on current Windows 10 PCs—as long as they’re running the October 2018 Update. This is the first time these patches have been available on a stable version of Windows.

This change arrived in Windows update KB4482887, released on March 1, 2019. However, this only enables the new Retpoline feature “on certain devices.” As Microsoft’s Retpoline blog post explains:

Over the coming months, we will enable Retpoline as part of phased rollout via cloud configuration. Due to the complexity of the implementation and changes involved, we are only enabling Retpoline performance benefits for Windows 10, version 1809 and later releases.

In other words, Microsoft will slowly enable Retpoline on small amounts of PCs at a time, ensuring it works properly—that’s the “phased rollout.” And it will only be enabled on your PC if you’ve upgraded to Windows 10’s October 2018 Update.

All PCs will get this improvement when they upgrade to the April 2019 Update according to Microsoft’s Mehmet Iyigun.

Today, we're starting our phased roll out of Retpoline performance optimization for Spectre variant 2 mitigations to Windows 10 1809. As we've shared before, Windows 10 19H1 will ship with Retpoline enabled by default.https://t.co/qCloXzDzWk#retpoline #spectre #windows

— Mehmet Iyigun (@mamyun) March 1, 2019

Read the remaining 4 paragraphs

heisenburgphotos/Shutterstock

Look, we love 2FA (two-factor authentication) and want everyone to use it. But SMS-based 2FA isn’t the best choice, and now it’s even worse on Facebook because once enabled, it allows people to find you using your phone number.

Back in the day, anyone could jump on Facebook and do a phone number search to find who specific people. If you had your phone number on your Facebook account, then you’d pop up with that search. But back in April of last year, this feature was removed in an effort to keep private data private (though apparently searching phone numbers still works in Messenger).

But now it’s been discovered that if you use your phone number for SMS-based 2FA Facebook is using this to help people find you. While the phone number search function is still disabled, if you’re in someone’s contacts on their phone and upload that list, you’ll show up as a potential connection. Gross.

Honestly, that’s such a load of crap. If the only reason you’re giving Facebook your phone number is to increase the security of your account and it’s in turn used to leverage more contact information, then that’s a big issue—one that wouldn’t exist if Facebook wasn’t so damn shady with your data. It’s pretty disgusting.

To add insult to injury, there’s no way to opt-out of this, either. You can help limit it by heading into Facebook Settings > Privacy and setting the “who can look you up using the phone number you provided” option to “Friends,” which is the most private option available. It’s a band-aid at best.

Otherwise, you’re left with a few choices: you could deactivate your Facebook account, which a lot of people simply aren’t willing to do; you could stop using 2FA, which we don’t recommend at all; or you could use another form of 2FA. If you don’t want to disable your account, then the latter option is by far the best. Keep in mind, however, that the damage has probably been done—your phone number is stored. This may not change a thing. Still, moving to a better security method that doesn’t involve your phone number is never a bad idea.

There are plenty of authenticator apps out there, but we’re big fans of Authy. It uses the same familiar code-based system that you’re used to using with SMS-based authentication, but instead of getting a text message with your code, you just fire up the Authy app and pull the code from there. We have an excellent guide to help you get started with Authy if this is your first time using it.

RELATED: How to Set Up Authy for Two-Factor Authentication (and Sync Your Codes Between Devices)

Read the remaining 10 paragraphs

kontrymphoto/Shutterstock

Have you just learned the difference between USB Gen 1, Gen 2, and Gen 2×2? Well, get ready to throw all of that out because the USB Implementors Forums (USB-IF) just announced USB 4 and it will trump them all.

USB moves fast, both in a “transferring your data” sense and in a “the standards have changed again” sense. The USB-IF just recently announced new naming schemes for USB 3.2, the latest USB spec that promises data transfer speeds up to 20 Gbps. But as fast as USB 3.2 is, Thunderbolt 3, a three-year-old USB standard, boasts twice the speed at 40 Gbps. USB 4 will change that by offering the same speeds.

Thunderbolt was Proprietary and Expensive

If you’re wondering why Thunderbolt 3 doesn’t already dominate the USB field, the answer is cost. Intel created Thunderbolt 3, and anyone who wants to use it (whether it be a flash drive, the port in your laptop, or a cable) has to pay a royalty feed to gain certification. That fee means the price of anything related to Thunderbolt goes up, and other USB specs remain cheaper by comparison. That’s why you’ll find Thunderbolt in your premium MacBook but not in a $300 laptop. The cost is prohibitive, and that’s just one reason why not all USB-C is the same.

But Intel wants a wider adoption of Thunderbolt, and in pursuit of that announced it would open up the spec. USB 4 came out of that drive. According to the USB Promotor Group, USB 4 will offer the same speed as Thunderbolt through the use of two 20 Gbps channels. High speeds like this will make running external displays and external graphics cards more feasible and, without those royalty fees, less expensive. And as usual, USB 4 will be backward compatibility with USB 3.2, USB 2.0. However, because of the of Intel’s technology, USB 4 will also be backwards compatible with Thunderbolt 3.

Another benefit should be the cost of USB 4 devices. Since creating USB 4 won’t require a paying a royalty fee to Intel, the overall cost of USB 4 products should be lower than Thunderbolt 3 devices.

Keep in mind though, obtaining these speeds means a refresh of all hardware. It’s not enough to have a USB flash drive capable of 40 Gbps, the port you plug it into also to needs to match that capability. If you plug a USB 4 drive into a USB 3.2 2×2 drive, you’ll be limited to the port’s top speed (and visa-versa).

This Is Just a Draft Spec With Basic Information

Unfortunately, what we don’t know is…anything else. For instance, Intel says it will continue offering Thunderbolt 3 alongside USB 4, so it stands to reason it will provide benefits that USB 4 does not, what those benefits are have been left unsaid.

We also don’t know when we’ll see the first USB 4 products. Finalized specifications for the USB 4 standard won’t come until the middle of the year, at the soonest, and only from there should manufacturers start creating USB 4 products.

And the other thing we don’t know? The final naming. If you’re hoping it will be called USB 4, don’t hold your breath. Naming often comes later, as seen with USB 3.2 2×2, which the USB-IF initially referred to as USB 3.2. But when all those details are sorted out, and the dust settles, it may be possible that the long promise of ‘one port to rule them all’ with USB-C may finally come true.

Read the remaining 3 paragraphs

Moen

Many people rely on an invigorating shower to start their day… but you might be let down by that 20-year-old shower head. Upgrading to a new one is one of the quickest, easiest, and rental-friendly ways to improve your bathroom. Here are the best choices, depending on your needs.

Note that fixture suppliers made dozens or even hundreds of different models of shower head, based on features, metal finish, flow rate (expressed in GPM, gallons per minute), and attachment style. If the choice below doesn’t fit your shower or your décor, use the brand and the model name to do a quick search—-odds are excellent you can find something similar to fit your specific needs.

The Best Overall Shower Head: Kohler Bancroft 3-Spray Multifunction ($78) Kohler

For most buyers, this Kohler model will cover all the features they want and fit easily within a home improvement budget. The Kohler Bancroft 3-Spray Multifunction model does what it says on the box, with a fixed installation point and three spray settings easily chosen with a turn of the head.

It can handle plumbing pressure of up to 2.5 gallons per minute and comes in four different finishes to match the rest of your fixtures. A stainless finished and specialized spray face will keep corrosion and hard water buildup to a minimum.

Buy Now Best Handheld Shower Head: Delta SureDock 7-Spray ($98) Delta

If you prefer a shower that you can direct precisely, the Delta SureDock is an excellent choice. It docks at the head instead of the base, allowing for a conventional shower setup with no unwieldy aiming.

When you’re ready to go handheld, pop it off the head and use the generous 72-inch hose to clean everywhere. The adjustable head includes six different spray modes (with two dedicated to deep shampoo washes), plus a “pause” button if you need to take a quick break for shaving or nailing that Meatloaf solo.

Buy on Amazon Best Budget Shower Head: Delta Faucet 2-spray Shower Head ($22) Delta

For home improvement projects that need to be fast and cheap, this Delta design handles both. For just twenty-two dollars you get a no-nonsense design that still manages to have two spray settings and polymer nozzle points for low buildup and easy cleaning.

If you’re renovating, most homes can replace every shower in the place with this design in under an hour and under a hundred bucks, and it comes with the same lifetime warranty you’d get on more expensive models.

Buy on Amazon Best Waterfall Shower Head: Moen Velocity Two-Function 8-inch Rainshower ($189) Moen

“Waterfall” showers are a bit of a trend in newer homes. This Moen model gives you the low-pressure, wide-angle coverage that you’re looking for, with a simple design and silicone nozzles for easy cleaning. Though many waterfall head designs aren’t adjustable, this one is, allowing for more pressure than similarly trendy designs. The head comes in four different finishes to match other fixtures, which is probably important to you if you’re looking to modernize your bathroom.

Buy on Amazon Best High-Pressure Shower Head: Speakman Icon Ansystream Signature Brass Icon S-2252 ($68) Speakman

Read the remaining 4 paragraphs

BestBuy

Premium Chromebooks are great for work or play. They’re reliable, powerful, and affordable. That’s why BestBuy’s HP x360 deal is so hard to ignore.

If you’ve been in the market for a premium Chromebook, now’s your chance to make a move. BestBuy is selling an HP Chromebook x360 for just $500, which is a $100 discount. The 2-in-1 laptop is also bundled with a Google Home Mini, which is a $50 value.

There are a lot of low-end Chromebooks on the market but don’t worry, the HP x360 is pretty powerful. It’ll get you through an intense work day, and it’ll take the hassle out of your late night Netflix sessions. The x360 is loaded with 8 GB of RAM, 64 GB of internal storage (more than enough for a Chromebook), and an Intel Core i3 processor. It has a 13.5-hour battery life, a 14″ touch screen, and a 360-degree hinge—it can be bent backwards into a tablet.

The Google Home Mini may seem like an odd product to bundle with a laptop, but Chromebooks work really well in the Google Home environment. The x360 can be used to control your Google Assistant, and it’s optimized to pair with devices like the Chromecast.

This is a great little deal, but it won’t last forever. Be sure to scoop it up before it’s gone.

Buy at BestBuy

Amazon

You can take the Nintendo Switch anywhere, but it’s best on the big screen. Luckily, Amazon is offering Switch docks at a discount, so you can install a Switch dock in every room of your house.

Right now, Amazon is selling the Nintendo Switch Dock Set for just $65. That may sound like a lot of money, but this set usually costs $90. (If you’re asking yourself if it’s worth paying the Nintendo-first-party premium tax for this, consider the console-bricking issues some Switch owners have had with third-party docks).

With this set, you get a Nintendo Switch dock (duh), an HDMI cable, and a power brick. Yes, this set is identical to the set that comes with the Nintendo Switch console.

This is a great opportunity to grab a Nintendo Switch dock for an extra TV in your house. Imagine, you could start playing the Switch on the 40″ TV in your bedroom, and move to the 60″ in the living room when you want a change of atmosphere.

If you’re interested in buying some extra Switch docks, do it soon. Good deals like this tend to get scooped up by gamers. But don’t worry, you can always grab a stand and play with the Switch’s puny screen like its a TV.

Buy on Amazon

PowerPoint can automatically resize an image to fit a shape. You can also resize multiple images already in your presentation to all be the same size. Here’s how it works.

Automatically Size an Image to Fit a Shape

First, go ahead and open a new PowerPoint presentation and insert a new slide that has a content box in it. You can do so by clicking “New Slide” on the “Insert” tab and selecting one of the slide templates. We’ll choose “Title and Content” in this example. You can also insert a content box or shape into any existing slide.

Next, resize the content box by clicking and dragging the corners.

Once you’re happy with the size, click the “Pictures” icon.

Located the image you want and click “Insert.”

Read the remaining 16 paragraphs

autovector / Shutterstock (and Microsoft)

Many PC and Mac games treat the keyboard as a first-class citizen and have poor support for game controllers. You can remap your controller buttons to keyboard key presses to get around this limitation.

You’ll lose some analog input—for example, the joysticks will just function as arrow keys that are on or off without the usual range of sensitivity—but for some games, that’s not a huge issue.

If you’re just looking to play Steam games with a controller, Steam already has great built-in tools for remapping controllers in its Big Picture Mode and will be a much easier solution than anything else listed here. For use system-wide or in non-Steam games, you’ll need a third party application.

RELATED: How to Remap Xbox, PlayStation, and Other Controller Buttons in Steam

Connect Your Controller

This step is obvious, but with so many kinds of controllers on the market, it can be a challenge to get them working correctly, especially on macOS. We have a comprehensive guide for most mainstream controllers that you can reference if you’re having issues, but most current-gen controllers will be plug and play on Windows and macOS. Last-gen and earlier controllers may need custom drivers and a bit of setup.

RELATED: How to Connect Any Console Game Controller to a Windows PC or Mac

You can make sure the controller is connected by opening up the “Devices” tab in Window’s settings. Head to Settings > Devices > Bluetooth & Other Devices and look under “Other Devices.”

On macOS, you can usually find USB controllers in the “System Information” app, under “USB.” Bluetooth controllers should show up in the Bluetooth menu in the top menubar.

Read the remaining 14 paragraphs

Flamingo Images/Shutterstock

Becoming a new parent is an amazing (and exhausting) experience. Your priorities change overnight and that includes how you spend your time and money. Here’s a selection of subscription boxes for new parents that will help cut back your shopping list a little, as well as provide you with plenty of useful and fun bits and pieces.

Your child is an individual so we’ve looked at different subscription boxes for different needs. Whether you’re encouraging your little one to listen to stories from a young age, or you simply need diapers to arrive on a regular basis, there’s a subscription box here for you. There’s something for everyone.

Here’s our pick of subscription boxes for new parents and caregivers.

Best Overall: Bluum ($34 a month) Bluum

Bluum is the go-to place for if you want a subscription box that grows with your pregnancy and your child. Each month, you’re sent at least four items that are relevant to your family. The products are curated specifically for your child’s age and development stage, so there’s no waste here. For instance, a box for an 8-month-old may contain play blocks, a sleeved bib, and essential oils to help your child sleep; while a toddler box contains a mixture of books and wooden toys to keep your kiddo captivated. In all cases, a retail value of over $45 is guaranteed.

Bluum costs $34 a month with it possible to cancel any time that suits you. You’re not tied into a contract. It’s an appealing way of enjoying a few treats you might not ordinarily track down, without the hassle of a financial commitment.

Subscribe to Bluum Best For Books: Lillypost ($16-20 a month) Lillypost

Reading regularly to your child is one of the best things you can do for them. It helps you bond with each other, as well as teaches them the value of learning and reading. Your child is never too young to read to. Subscribe to Lillypost and you won’t run out of options either. The service offers books for kids from newborn to 7 years old. Simply select your child’s age and you get 4 board books or 3 picture books each month.

Past books have included traditional favorites like Dear Zoo, Where’s Spot, as well as newer delights like 5 Minute Disney and Pixar Stories.

Subscriptions cost varying amounts depending on your commitment. A rolling month by month subscription costs $19.95 per month with that price dropping to $15.95 per month for a 12-month subscription. Whichever plan you go with, it’s a bargain for the number of books you receive. Each box has an average retail value between $25 and $50. Lillypost also donates one book to a child in need for every box sold.

Subscribe to Lillypost Best For The Environment: Ecocentric Mom ($32.99 per month) Ecocentric Mom

You want the best for your child, right? That includes wanting the best world for them to grow up in. It’s easy for some subscription boxes to be a little heavy on waste but that’s far from the case with Ecocentric Mom. Each month, you get a selection of organic and eco-friendly products for both mom and baby. Boxes are customized for every month of pregnancy as well as your baby’s development up to the age of two.

Read the remaining 12 paragraphs

Microsoft says Windows 10 is a “service,” and the company updates it frequently with security patches, bug fixes, and new features. Updates normally happen automatically in the background, so let’s demystify that: Here’s what Windows is installing and when.

How Often Does Windows 10 Check for Updates?

Windows 10 checks for updates once per day. It does this automatically in the background. Windows doesn’t always check for updates at the same time every day, varying its schedule by a few hours to ensure Microsoft’s servers aren’t overwhelmed by an army of PCs checking for updates all at once.

If Windows finds any updates, it downloads and installs them automatically.

While Windows 10 does check for updates once per day, that doesn’t mean it’s installing them every day. Microsoft doesn’t release Windows Updates every day, so Windows Update will often find no updates available and not install anything.

Definition Updates Arrive Multiple Times Per Day

Microsoft’s Windows Defender application, now known as Windows Security, is an antimalware (antivirus) application built into Windows 10. It runs automatically in the background and protects your PC. If you install a different antivirus, the built-in Windows antivirus disables itself and lets your antivirus of choice work.

Like all security applications, Microsoft’s antivirus needs regular definition updates, so it can identify and catch the latest discovered malware. These updates are small, quick, and don’t require a reboot. You won’t even notice your PC is installing them unless you open the Windows Update page in Settings and are keeping an eye on it.

Read the remaining 31 paragraphs

fotografos/Shutterstock

While the way CPUs work may seem like magic, it’s the result of decades of clever engineering. As transistors—the building blocks of any microchip—shrink to microscopic scales, the way they are produced grows ever more complicated.

Photolithography J. Robert Williams / Shutterstock

Transistors are now so impossibly small that manufacturers can’t build them using normal methods. While precision lathes and even 3D printers can make incredibly intricate creations, they usually top out at micrometer levels of precision (that’s about one thirty-thousandth of an inch) and aren’t suitable for the nanometer scales at which today’s chips are built.

Photolithography solves this issue by removing the need to move complicated machinery around very precisely. Instead, it uses light to etch an image onto the chip—like a vintage overhead projector you might find in classrooms, but in reverse, scaling the stencil down to the desired precision.

The image is projected onto a silicon wafer, which is machined to very high precision in controlled laboratories, as any single speck of dust on the wafer could mean losing out on thousands of dollars. The wafer is coated with a material called a photoresist, which responds to the light and is washed away, leaving an etching of the CPU that can be filled in with copper or doped to form transistors. This process is then repeated many times, building up the CPU much like a 3D printer would build up layers of plastic.

The Issues With Nano-Scale Photolithography

It doesn’t matter if you can make the transistors smaller if they don’t actually work, and nano-scale tech runs into a lot of issues with physics. Transistors are supposed to stop the flow of electricity when they’re off, but they’re becoming so small that electrons can flow right through them. This is called quantum tunneling and is a massive problem for silicon engineers.

Defects are another problem. Even photolithography has a cap on its precision. It’s analogous to a blurry image from the projector; it’s not quite as clear when blown up or shrunk down. Currently, foundries are trying to mitigate this effect by using “extreme” ultraviolet light, a much higher wavelength than humans can perceive, using lasers in a vacuum chamber. But the problem will persist as the size gets smaller.

Defects can sometimes be mitigated with a process called binning—if the defect hits a CPU core, that core is disabled, and the chip is sold as a lower end part. In fact, most lineups of CPUs are manufactured using the same blueprint, but have cores disabled and sold at a lower price. If the defect hits the cache or another essential component, that chip may have to be thrown out, resulting in a lower yield and more expensive prices. Newer process nodes, like 7nm and 10nm, will have higher defect rates and will be more expensive as a result.

RELATED: What Do “7nm” and “10nm” Mean for CPUs, and Why Do They Matter?

Packaging it Up MchlSkhrv / Shutterstock

Read the remaining 7 paragraphs

Billboard Magazine, Now A Music Publication, Was Once The Magazine Of Record For Whom?

1. Doctors
2. Telegraph Operators
3. Stock Brokers
4. Circus Performers

Think you know the answer?

Redpixel.pl/Shutterstuck

Waxing your car isn’t just about making it look good. It’s about creating a barrier on your car’s paint to prevent contamination from the likes of road tar or pollution. We’ve checked out the best tools and products for waxing your car at home.

Getting Started

Crucially, you need to bear a few things in mind before you start. You need to work in a shady area. When car is baking in the sun at best the wax will be much more difficult to remove thanks to the heat and, at worst—especially with dark colored cars—the heat can actually soften the paint very slightly and make it more susceptible to scratching and swirl marks. Wax in small sections as it’s more likely you’ll do a good job of it (and not miss anything crucial), plus some waxes can be difficult to remove if they stay on too long.

You also need to consider what kind of wax is right for you. Purists will suggest nothing but carnauba wax. It’s natural, gives a great depth of shine and generally lasts 4-6 weeks. However, synthetic waxes also have their advantages. Namely, they typically provide longer protections. But, they don’t always provide the depth of shine that a carnauba based wax offers.

Choosing Between Spray, Liquid, Or Paste

Confused yet? Hold up—we have one other key area to explain. Different waxes are available in different formats.

Spray waxes are the easiest to apply. You just spray on, wipe it off, you’re done. However, it’s the least durable of any form of wax product. It is good for those with vehicles already in great condition, or if you don’t mind re-applying frequently.

Liquid waxes aren’t as easy to apply evenly as others, but they leave a great gloss and have way better durability than a spray wax. However, they take more time and effort to get right than a spray on variety.

Paste waxes are the favored choice of many car fans because they’re typically super durable, and they create a great warm glow for your paintwork. The downside? They take a ton of elbow grease to get just right, so you really need to commit yourself to the idea.

Whatever sounds good to you, we have a great suggestion in mind. Here are the best waxing products for your car or truck.

Best Clay Bar Kit: Chemical Guys Medium Duty Clay Bar ($20)

Read the remaining 16 paragraphs

sdecoret/Shutterstock

Any home can be a smarthome, whether it’s a studio apartment or a mansion. It’s the powerful connections that make it smart. Here’s what you need to know about smarthomes—and how to start putting your own together, if you’re interested.

Smarthomes Are All Different

An official definition of “smarthome” doesn’t exist. What started as more of a buzzword has entered common usage, but no one person or company invented smarthomes, nor can they claim total dominance in the field. Smarthome technology is still in its infancy. Even among those who have adopted it, one smarthome can look very different from another. Differences include which smart devices are in the home and even how many of these devices are present.

At its very core, a smarthome is probably best defined as a living area with connected technology meant to enhance the home. This could include smart thermostats, smart lights, smart plugs or outlets, smart doorbells, and locks, or voice assistants like Google Assistant and Alexa. It could be any combination of the above, all of the above, or be other smart devices entirely.

What a smarthome is for you depends on what you want to get out of it. And figuring that out requires knowing what the different smart devices do, what the possibilities are, and how much you want to spend.

Smart Thermostats Can Program Themselves

A few years ago, smart thermostats were probably the first device most owners put in their home. The promise was straight forward; the thermostat would save you more money than it cost to buy.

Through artificial intelligence, a smart thermostat will learn when you tend to leave home, when you return home, what your preferred temperature is in the winter and summer. Then, all on its own, it will start controlling the temperature of your house based on that information. Teaching is as simple as changing the temperature when you feel the need.

The process is supposed to be much simpler than programmable thermostats provide. And by only running your heat and A/C when needed, you would save money. We don’t think you need a smart thermostat, but if you like the idea of a simple interface, automatic controls, and remote control than you can’t go wrong with either a Nest or Ecobee.

Smart Lights and Plugs Offer Voice Control and More

Read the remaining 20 paragraphs

A Player Cameo In Which Nintendo Game Remained Largely Unknown For Over A Decade?

1. Final Fantasy VII
2. Contra
3. The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
4. Mario Kart

Think you know the answer?

Rawpixel.com/Shutterstock

You want to encourage your kids to be more inquisitive about the world, right? Of course, you do! Getting them interested in STEM subjects is one of the best ways of getting their gray matter ticking, while also teaching them some valuable skills for later life. Here are the best science-based subscription boxes for your offspring.

Each of these boxes is a fun collection of scientific projects that inspire your child to become creative problem solvers. They’ll educate them without them even realizing it. Plus, it’s an awesome gift to get in the mail on a regular basis. Here’s our pick of the bunch.

Best For Variety: KiwiCo ($16.95 per month to $19.95 per month) KiwiCo

KiwiCo is a great place for subscription boxes for all age groups. From the moment your child is born, the Tadpole crate provides them with plenty of fun with that being expanded upon as they grow up. While the Kiwi Crates and Eureka Crates are awesome for some scientific fun, it’s the Tinker Crate that stands out most here.

Aimed at 9 to 16 year olds, kids are given everything they need to complete a cool science project each month. The box contains all the materials, along with a blueprint step-by-step instruction guide, and a Tinker Zine that suggests additional experiments and activities to join in with.

Projects include fun with slime, making dioramas or light systems, and learning to make a small rocket. It’s really varied so your kid won’t get bored.

Month by month subscriptions cost $19.95 per month with a 12-month subscription working out at the equivalent of $16.95 per month.

Subscribe to KiwiCo Best For Independent Learning: Spangler Science Club ($19.99 to $29.99 per month) Spangler

Some science subscription boxes require input from you—the capable adult—to help your child get going with their project, no matter what the age of your child is. The Spangler Science Club subscription box promises that minimal adult supervision is required except for the very youngest age group, and that aligns well with parent experiences with the different boxes.

Aimed at 5 to 12 year olds, the box contains everything your child needs to complete up to 5 simple but cool projects. Your kid gets to experiment with lots of things to do with physics and chemistry, in a way that doesn’t even feel like learning. Alongside the projects however are details on the real science behind everything so, in no time, your child will appreciate the importance of science in everyday life.

For $19.99 per month, you can get the STEMLab box which includes up to 5 projects each month. Alternatively, for $29.99 per month, you can subscribe to the STEMDeluxe box which contains up to 10 experiments. Be warned though—these are more complex so typically require more adult assistance.

Subscribe to Spangler Science Club Best For Encouraging Critical Thinking: Groovy Lab in a Box ($24.95 per month to $29.95 per month) Groovy Lab in a Box

Read the remaining 17 paragraphs

Philips

When you think of a smarthome, you might envision the interior with color-changing lights, smart plugs, and voice assistants, but don’t forget about your yard and patio. You can bring your smarthome outdoors in some fun and useful ways.

The Great Outdoors Can Be Smarter Too

Once you have your home’s smart devices set up, voice assistants trained, and automation created there’s still more you can do. Your smarthome doesn’t have to stay outside—it can expand into your yard, whether you’re playing in the backyard, hosting a cookout, or putting up Christmas decorations. With plugs, lights, and battery add-ons, your outdoors can be just as smart as the inside of your home.

Outdoor Smart Plugs Are A Simple Way to Automate Many Things iClever

Whether you need to plug in Christmas and Halloween decorations or lights, a smart outdoor plug is a great way to add intelligence to anything you might plug in outside. Outdoor smart plugs come in several varieties, whether that means Z-wave, Homekit, or Wi-Fi.

The thing to pay attention to is whether the plug has one outlet or two. If it has two, you will always want to double check whether both are smart. With some outdoor outlets, the second port is passthrough only. It’s effectively the same as any other outlet in your home, and you can’t control or automate it.

If you have a fountain, pool filtration system, or landscape lighting to which you’d like to add automation, outdoor smart plugs are ideal as well, in part because they are water resistant. Just keep in mind that whatever you connect to a smart outlet has to be “on” at all times to work well. You’ll turn off the device by turning off the outlet.

Outdoor Lights Provide Color For All Your Nights Philips

You shouldn’t grab just any hue bulb and stick it in your porch light. But companies like Philips do make smart lights intended for outdoor use. The benefit is that you get automation (such as turning on at sunset and off at sunrise), and depending on the bulb you choose, colors that change. It’s handy to have lights that turn off or on depending on the time of day or change color with the weather.

Smart bulbs will liven up an outdoor party that winds into the night, providing your neighbors don’t mind the music and light show. An outdoor strip light, like the one offered by Philips, can light your walkway and be keyed to time and motion.

Take Your Assistant With You With a Battery Add-On Ninety7

Other than the Amazon Tap (which Amazon now only sells in refurbished form), Google and Alexa devices are designed for indoor use first, including tethering them to a plug. But if you don’t want to buy a Tap to supplement your existing devices, you could consider battery packs the speakers you do have. Battery packs exist for both Google and Alexa devices, and once you plug these them in and charge them, then you can take your Google Home or Echo outside with you.

If you bring two or three, you can take advantage of multi-room speaker capabilities to add overall volume. In addition to music, you’ll have all your usual voice commands to control your smart devices, including the smart plugs and lights you have outside.

Use Mesh to Strengthen Your Smarthome Network Outside Samsung

Read the remaining 7 paragraphs

Which Consumer Product Maintained An Unusually Stable Price For Almost A Century?

1. Razor Blades
2. Blank CDs
3. Coca-Cola
4. Automobiles

Think you know the answer?

Josh Henderickson

Microsoft stopped making fitness band products years ago, but it continued to support existing users. Now, that support is ending as Microsoft shuts down its online Dashboard and apps. But there’s a silver lining—refunds of up to $175 for active users.

If you thought the Microsoft Band was already dead, that’s more than understandable. Microsoft stopped making the fitness products and removed all traces of it from the Microsoft Store in 2016. But for existing users, the service and apps still worked great for workouts, exercise, and sleep tracking. And the Health Dashboard provided incredibly detailed insights into goals and progress.

The Dashboard even still provided planned workout sessions from Gold’s Gym, Men’s Fitness, and more. Despite the lack of new features, the Microsoft Band still worked very well for a fitness tracker, and it made a decent smartwatch with apps, text capabilities, and more.

Unfortunately for active Band users, that’s all coming to an end. Microsoft has announced it will shut down the Dashboard and remove the related Health apps from the iOS and Android store on 5/31/2019. After that point, it will be impossible to download your data, set up new workout routines, or even configure Microsoft Band if you factory reset it.

Users have until that date to download any data they would like to keep with the Dashboard’s export tools. More importantly—and, if we’re being honest, the real reason you’re still reading—if you’re an active Band user, there’s a chance for a refund.

Who’s eligible? Anyone who has performed a data sync between 12/1/2018 and 3/1/2019 is eligible for a refund. Additionally, if your limited warranty is still valid, you may qualify for a refund. If you have an original Microsoft Band, you can receive $79.00, and Band 2 owners will receive $175.

Microsoft says it will email eligible users, and you have to claim the refund by 8/30/2019 or you’ll lose out. So keep an eye on your inbox.

Read the remaining 3 paragraphs

If you’re sending an email on behalf of someone else, you might want people to reply to that person instead of you. Microsoft Outlook gives you the option to choose a different default Reply address to cover this situation.

Once you’ve created your mail, switch to the “Options” tab and then click the “Direct Replies To” button. (Depending on your version of Outlook, you might need to click File > Properties instead.)

Once the Properties window opens, change the address in the “Have replies sent to” box from your address to the address (or addresses, if there is more than one) to which you want replies sent.

Click the “Close” button and then send the mail as usual.

When the recipient receives the mail and clicks “Reply” or “Reply All,” Outlook will automatically fill in the address you’ve chosen. This won’t stop them changing it back to your address (or anyone else’s)—just like a normal email—but it will make it obvious tp whom they are supposed to reply.