For decades, consumer advocates have worked to improve the safety of our food, from making sure products list all ingredients on their labels to helping ban the use of toxic chemicals in agriculture. But potentially dangerous pesticides are still being found in our produce, which shows that our food safety system can—and should—get tougher. A…
What’s at stake: Many consumers know that much of what they do online is being watched and recorded, and that the information collected is often bought, sold, and used by marketers to sell us products. What fewer of us may recognize is the vastness of this “surveillance economy,” and the extent to which each of…
The credit cards you currently have could have perks you’re not even aware of. For specifics on your card, check your issuer’s website or app, or call the number on the back. Some possibilities: Cell Phone InsuranceThis can keep you from having to pay the full cost of a replacement phone if yours is stolen…
The dealer will have the factory original parts for your vehicle, as well as technicians trained by the manufacturer to be familiar with repairs specific to the brand. Dealerships are also equipped with expensive factory diagnostic computers. According to CR’s repair shop survey, satisfaction ratings for dealer service departments range from very good (Acura, Lexus,…
PolesIf you’ve been on a nature trail in recent years, you’ve probably seen people striding along with walking poles (aka Nordic or trekking poles). These help distribute your body weight more evenly and have long been used by hikers for stability and support on rough terrain. It turns out they may help you safely navigate…
Use a shop approved by AAA. Members of AAA can choose from a list of approved repair facilities, which are required to have certified technicians. Furthermore, AAA offers a 10 percent discount on labor (capped at $75 in some areas). Use CR’s Car Repair Assistant. Whether you’re getting your car repaired or just keeping up…
More expensive oils and fluids: Stick with the owner’s manual recommendations. “A shop may recommend synthetic fluids for a service, but if your car’s owner’s manual doesn’t require them, there’s no need to pay extra,” says Mike Crossen, a CR mechanic. Flushes: Coolant, power steering fluid, differential oil, and brake fluid occasionally need to be…
Google fired twenty-eight employees Wednesday after they participated in protests against Project Nimbus, a $1.2 billion cloud contract with Israel’s government that also includes Amazon. Workers at both companies have claimed the deal makes advanced technology available to Israel’s security apparatus that could contribute to the killing or harm of Palestinians in Gaza and the…
Video game emulators are having a tough time. Back in March it was Nintendo Switch emulator Yuzu, which got shut down following a lawsuit from Nintendo. Pizza Emulators, another Nintendo emulator, disappeared around the same time. Then, over the weekend, after Apple updated its restrictions on retro game emulators to allow them in the App…
You don’t need to have been petrified by Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Skynet-commissioned cyborg assassin in 1984’s The Terminator to fret that super-strong, all-terrain, bipedal humanoid robots sprinting up steps, pulling backflips, and righting themselves could be programmed to break our necks on sight. (And laser guns, never give them laser guns.) With the Old Atlas, we…