It’s called Minamitorishima, and it’s a small atoll in the Pacific Ocean. It is one of the most remote islands in Japan’s vast archipelago, so much so that it lies nearly 2,000 kilometers southeast of Tokyo. Yet from the depths of the surrounding seas may come a tremendous gift for the country’s economy. It is…
As my fellow pet parents will know, it’s amazing how quickly even the tiniest of dogs can demolish their toys and treat stash. We love and spoil them nonetheless. When you subscribe to BarkBox a fresh batch of cleverly themed treats and toys arrives at your doorstep. The costs of pet ownership can stack up…
The US Department of Commerce, which oversees the Census Bureau, is circulating a proposed rule that would cease the collection of demographic data on racial minorities and LGBTQ+ people and prevent undocumented immigrants from being counted in the 2030 census, according to documents viewed by WIRED. The decision could have far-reaching implications for federal funding,…
Main Theme In this episode of the Talking Cars podcast, we discuss the redesigned sixth-generation 2025 Toyota 4Runner. Even though the outgoing generation has been around since 2010, it won over fans until the end with its relative simplicity, off-road capabilities, and reliability. This updated, now larger 4Runner stays true to its roots as an…
“If you live in an apartment with all hard-surface flooring, you could get one of the stick vacuums that are very compact,” says Frank Spinelli, who oversees CR’s vacuum testing. “If you have a lot of carpeting, then you’re going to need a vacuum that can deep-clean, but you could get by with a bagless…
New Year’s resolution season is in full swing, and you’ve officially made it past Quitter’s Day (the second Friday in January, when many people have given up on their resolutions). Maybe you want to exercise more often, or keep better track of your schedule, or hit a certain step goal, or drink more water. Whatever…
To minimize those messes, there are splatter screens. These products act as a physical barrier between your food and the stovetop. Because they have small holes, they’re perfect for cooking foods that require allowing steam to escape from pans during cooking. And most of the models we tested had folding handles that save space in…
In our labs, we test 30- and 36-inch electric cooktops from brands such as Bosch, Frigidaire, KitchenAid, LG, Samsung, and Whirlpool. We test every cooktop at low and high heat. For high-heat cooking, we use a standardized pot filled with about 4 quarts of water on the largest cooktop burner. We jack up the burner…
After spending the past year testing 25 smart bird feeders from 10 different brands, many have impressed me, but none so frequently and consistently as Birdfy’s. It was the first brand on the market to introduce AI bird identification, as well as the first to introduce auxiliary products like smart nesting boxes, birdbaths (see below),…
Signs of this crisis are not merely anecdotal. A 2025 report by the Consumer Federation of America found that the average home insurance premium increased (PDF) by nearly 25 percent from 2021 to 2024. But premiums grew even faster in many regions, and more than half the respondents to CR’s 2024-2025 survey of 23,917 U.S….