L.L.Bean’s Zip Hunter’s Tote Is the Only Carryall You Need

Photograph: Michael Calore The walls of the bag are tough enough, made from 1,200-denier polyester, which is heavy-duty and water-resistant, not to mention so rugged that it’s nearly indestructible. I’ve checked it as luggage on a dozen or so flights, and it doesn’t show any scuffs or tears. The zipper at the top isn’t sealed,…

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7 Best Prepaid Phone Plans (2026)

Other Prepaid Cellular Services Mint Mobile is a prepaid service that uses the T-Mobile network (T-Mobile acquired the company in 2024). Plans start at $15 for 5 GB, though they offer an Unlimited tier at $30 (and sometimes that’s on sale for less). Mint’s rates are low, but the company’s plans have quite a few…

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The Best Mushroom Gummies on the Market, Lab-Approved (2025)

Compare Top 3 Mushroom Gummies Honorable Mentions Courtesy of Alice Mushrooms Alice Mushrooms Nightcap for $59: Mushroom chocolate aims to aid in nighttime relaxation while also regulating sleep cycles long-term. Alice Chocolates uses reishi, a substance that comes from fruiting mushrooms, along with chamomile, L-theanine, magnesium, and zinc. The idea is that the reishi will…

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AOL Will Shut Down Dial-Up Internet Access in September

After decades of connecting US subscribers to its online service and the internet through telephone lines, AOL recently announced it is finally shutting down its dial-up modem service on September 30, 2025. The announcement marks the end of a technology that served as the primary gateway to the web for millions of users throughout the…

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Holiday Foods Face-Off: Which Is Healthier to Eat?

These two starters have a lot in common, starting with the fact that they’re both easy to overeat, as foods that are high in carbohydrates and sodium tend to be. Cheese and dips both pack a lot of sodium, and—unless you’re talking about vegetable- and bean-based dips like salsa, guacamole, or hummus—saturated fat. Calorie-wise, the…

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Best Tinned Seafood

You could do as I do and eat it standing up at the sink right out of the tin, but there are plenty of more glamorous, or at least dignified, ways to eat tinned seafood, too.  If you’re a tinned seafood newbie, Dan Waber of Rainbow Tomatoes Garden recommends starting out with sprats, also known…

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Ikea’s New Blow-Up Chair Was Tested by Cats

A blow-up chair? Ikea has been here before. It attempted to make inflatable furniture in the mid-1990s, when designer Jan Dranger came to the Swedish company with a revolutionary idea to solve one of its biggest challenges: how to squish sofas into its preferred flat-pack format, simplifying transport and cutting costs. It sounded like the…

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