With the improvements in stick-vac performance, we’ve ratcheted up our tests for the category. We’ve made our pet hair tests a bit more challenging, and we now embed dirt in carpeting instead of scattering it on the surface as we used to do. For bare-floor testing, instead of combining all the debris into a messy…
The problem is that wastewater treatment plants aren’t very good at removing chemicals found in household products like body wash. In fact, according to Summer Streets, a research scientist for the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, they were “never designed to remove these types of chemicals, period. And they still aren’t.” Most wastewater treatment plants were…
CR assessed five portable induction cooktops from about $60 to over $200. Members can read our evaluations of the best and worst portable induction cooktops below. Four of these cooktops have only a single burner, while one has two burners. All use a standard two- or three-prong cord that plugs into a regular 110- or 120-volt…
The original version of this story appeared in Quanta Magazine. In 1939, upon arriving late to his statistics course at UC Berkeley, George Dantzig—a first-year graduate student—copied two problems off the blackboard, thinking they were a homework assignment. He found the homework “harder to do than usual,” he would later recount, and apologized to the…
US attorney general Pam Bondi has told at least 10 tech companies, including Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, and Google, that they have “incurred no liability” for supporting TikTok despite the federal ban on providing services to the popular video-sharing app, according to letters disclosed on Thursday. Under orders from President Donald Trump, Bondi has refused to…
For additional protection, look for a space heater equipped with an appliance leakage current interrupter (ALCI) plug, says Samantha Ostrander, who oversees CR’s space heater tests. These bulky plugs—similar to those seen on hair dryers—safeguard against differences in current and can also protect against a dangerous electrical shock. Like GFCI outlets, ALCI plugs typically feature…
“A complete lifestyle approach is required to get strong and stay strong,” says Beth Frates, MD, an associate professor at Harvard Medical School in Boston and a lifestyle medicine expert. Eat more. Undereating speeds up muscle loss. “As people get older, they often experience a decrease in appetite,” says Joy. “As a result, they aren’t…
If you’ve been keeping up with your Windows software updates, you probably noticed Microsoft’s Copilot AI made an appearance in the Taskbar—and in apps including Word and Excel if you use the Microsoft 365 suite. If you’re unhappy with that, you may be able to disable it. You can disable Copilot in Microsoft 365 apps…
Before cleaning a remote control, remove the batteries. Then turn the device upside down so that the buttons are facing downward and shake it or tap it against your palm to dislodge any debris that might have fallen between the keys. If you have a compressed air canister, give the remote a blast to shake…
As the pet tech writer here at WIRED, I know just how far we’ve come as a pet-obsessed society. From automatic litter boxes with built-in cameras to interactive pet cameras on wheels that shoot out treats, if a human has dreamed it, our pets have probably been subjected to it. For a while, pet influencers…
