power Archives

Well isn’t that smart

Sweet pants hangers ($17) that don’t take up nearly as much space.
The best hand cream! O’Keefe’s is cheap, unscented and doesn’t leave your hands greasy. They make a lip repair balm, too!
Don’t let a lunch mishap ruin your favorite shirt. Grab a Tide pen stain remover ($7.88). I used one to get mascara off a white T-shirt the other day!
Not much space? These shelves (two for $20) that go over your power socket are genius.
No more jumbled mess of cords for me. I stuck my blow dryer and curling iron in basket that hangs from the cabinet (19% off).

⭐ Your new BFF in the kitchen: A metal scraper you can use to move veggies from the cutting board to the pan, scrape gunk off the counter, cut dough, whatever.

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AI can you give the right vocab: Say you need to take the car to the mechanic and don’t know what to say. Start with ChatGPT. “My car takes longer to start, and sometimes, there’s a lack of power when accelerating. What’s going on?” This works for any subject where you’re not the expert!

3 ways to charge your phone faster

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Did you forget to power up your phone overnight? Here are some quick tips to help speed up your charging time so you can get back to full battery.

🌾 Mow problems: Honda is recalling lawnmowers and pressure washers after nearly 5,000 reports of failures and 38 injuries. That means you if you have a model HRN216 or HRX217K6 lawnmower and/or a GCV170 or GCV200 G5B power washer. Stop using it immediately, then call Honda toll-free at 888‑888‑3139 for a free inspection and repair.

How does your smartphone’s computing power compare to the guidance computer aboard the 1969 Apollo 11 lunar module? Is a smartphone … A.) About as powerful, B.) 120 times more powerful, C) 12,000 times more powerful or D.) 120,000 times more powerful?

Find the answer here →

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Odds of a “city killer” asteroid hitting Earth in 2032. That’s like guessing the right coin flip five times in a row. The 300-foot space rock could explode with 500 times the power of the Hiroshima bomb. The James Webb Space Telescope gets a closer look next month.

🧽 Bathroom brighteners

Little helpers to make your washroom sparkle, your loo shine, your powder room glisten, your restroom glitter … Sorry, I got carried away.

Get soap scum off your shower walls (with minimal scrubbing!) with the Magic Eraser Ultra Bath. Click the coupon for $3 off.
Keep that shower bright and shiny with Spray Wet & Forget (20% off). Spray it once a week, leave it on overnight, and say “See ya!” to soap scum and mildew.
Foaming bathroom cleaner from the folks behind The Pink Stuff works on everything else. It’s 40% off, dang!
The absolute easiest way to clean a toilet: Clorox ToiletWand, under $14. Or maybe you prefer gel cleaner.
Clear the gunk from shower corners and grout lines with the Rubbermaid power scrubber. No sweat, literally.

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Mandatory pit stops coming to Formula E. Pit Boost fast-charging stations are debuting at the Jeddah E-Prix this weekend. They’ll power up the electric racecars 10% in just 30 seconds.

Quick Android refresh: Hold the power and volume-up buttons simultaneously to do a soft reboot. Think of it as a fast way to end processes and speed up your phone.

Nvidia's big bet on AI

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A Silicon Valley success story no one saw coming — Nvidia’s now the world’s top company, worth $3.42 trillion, thanks to its AI chips. They power everything from gaming to your car. Plus, employees sue over returning to work, iPhone 16 changes, and catching creepy Airbnb hosts.

🔖 Easier than bookmarks: Set all your tabs to open when you start your browser. In Chrome, click the three vertical dots, then Settings. Click On startup > Continue where you left off. Steps for Safari, Firefox and Edge here. Power move!

Don’t miss the pic: On an Android, double-press the power button to quickly launch the camera, even when your phone’s locked.

DIY on the cheap: Some local libraries rent out power tools. Who knew? If you’re planning a summer project, it’s worth stopping by your nearest branch to ask.

1,600% increase

In power costs in Texas. Things are bigger in Texas, but that’s nuts. Hotter temperatures are sending energy prices soaring (paywall link). Here’s how to lower your bills.

Employees are suing over going back to work

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With the COVID emergency long gone, can employers fire workers who refuse to come back into the office? Plus, Apple Watch gets the FDA green light, why you should power down, and watch for this TSA scam.

Too much power: Advertisers can now use Walmart’s shopping data for targeted ads on Disney+ and Hulu. Disney Advertising and Walmart Connect’s partnership gives marketers access to 145 million customers. They say they’ll match users’ data “without violating their privacy,” but they always say that.

Save energy, save money, save the world: Open up Settings in Windows, then choose System and Power (or Power & battery on a laptop). At the top of the screen, you’ll see recommendations for cutting down on your computer’s energy use.

So long, farewell: Anyone who upgraded to Windows 11 on an old PC that technically doesn’t meet the latest operating system requirements is out of luck. Folks are reporting their tech dinos are stuck in a reboot loop. If you’re in the market, our IT genius, John, recommends this solid PC for under $650 that’ll last for years. If you edit video or need more power, here’s his pick for well under $1,000.

We may earn a commission from purchases, but our recommendations are always objective.

More life out of your dying phone: On an iPhone, enable Low Power mode. Open Settings, scroll and tap Battery, then toggle on Low Power Mode. On Android, it’s called Battery Saver. Open Settings, then tap Battery > Battery Saver and turn it on.

Don’t just hold down the power button: There’s a better way to reboot your grumpy PC that shuts down all the background processes. Before you click to restart, hold down the Shift key. Keep holding until the machine powers up, then click Continue.