All posts tagged: how-to

The Best Smart Home Accessories to Boost Your Curb Appeal (2026)

The Best Smart Home Accessories to Boost Your Curb Appeal (2026)

Published by skeptic

I tried the battery version, which does require you recharge it every couple of weeks, but the wired-in version is the top recommendation on our guide to the Best Video Doorbells. A Better Birdhouse I had a new-to-me problem this spring: bird invasion. A little bird made a nest in my front-door wreath without us noticing. One evening, my sister opened the door, and the bird flew out of the nest and straight into our house. After a 30-minute battle to get it outside again (and keep my cat from eating it), it wasn’t until we saw the bird fly off the door again the next day that we realized it was calling our home its home, too. If this is a common problem at your house, our resident bird-gear tester Kat Merck has a solution: a smart nesting box. Birdfy makes a few different smart bird feeders we like for bird-watching, and the Nest Duo is a birdhouse that lets you watch the birds while they nest inside of it. It’s a slim, attractive …

How to Clean Your Vinyl Records (2026): Vacuum, Ultrasonic, Solution, Brush

How to Clean Your Vinyl Records (2026): Vacuum, Ultrasonic, Solution, Brush

Published by skeptic

With the ultrasonic cleaning machine, you don’t need to vacuum out the grime for each record you clean, because the machine shakes all the gunk off for you. It collects at the bottom of the basin, so you just need to make sure it all gets dumped out when you empty the liquid from the machine between uses. Once your records have taken their bath in the diluted cleaning solution mixture, place them on the drying rack. If a record (or, more realistically, stack of records) is especially dirty, I clean them two times with either method in progressively cleaner fluid. In my ultrasonic machine, I do all my records once, then change the fluid and do them again. Be sure to have a clean microfiber towel ($5) handy so that the record is fully dry before returning it to its packaging. Some people prefer to also rinse the clean records in distilled water at the end of the cleaning cycle to remove any remaining solution. If you do that, just dry them the same …

Where to Shop for Vinyl Records Online (2026): Discogs, Bandcamp, Ebay

Where to Shop for Vinyl Records Online (2026): Discogs, Bandcamp, Ebay

Published by skeptic

For smaller releases, including LPs from midsize indie labels (Drag City, Kranky, Superior Viaduct), check out Midheaven Mailorder. This site is run by the San Francisco distributor Revolver USA, which sells to record stores around the US but also sells direct to consumers. Here you’ll find a ton of independent music, including choice reissues from bigger names like Devo, Sonic Youth, and The Fall. Another great independent record store is Amoeba Music, made famous for its amazing selection at numerous California stores, and its What’s in Your Bag YouTube series. If you want to support a good brick-and-mortar record store and know what you want, we always recommend buying from Amoeba instead of Amazon. Independent Labels Screenshot courtesy of Parker Hall Record labels like Stones Throw, Sub Pop, Secretly Group, Fat Possum, Rough Trade, Daptone, Blue Note, International Anthem, and hundreds more all have websites and sell records directly. If you notice that there is an artist you like signed to a given smaller label, there is a good chance that other artists on the …

Best Smart Smoke Detector (and Why You Still Need a Dumb One)

Best Smart Smoke Detector (and Why You Still Need a Dumb One)

Published by skeptic

Adding Wi-Fi doesn’t always turn out to be as smart as it sounds. A smart smoke detector turns out to be dumber than I thought, even with Wi-Fi added. Smart smoke detectors will let you know if a fire breaks out when you aren’t home, but other than that they don’t offer any extra benefits over a “dumb” model. And these devices introduce a problem: Most smart smoke detectors exclude one of two sensors to alert you about a fire. Every smart model I tested had only a photoelectric sensor, which picks up smoldering fires, while ionization sensors that pick up fast-burning fires were left behind. Ionization sensors are more likely to have nuisance alarms go off (while you’re cooking, for example), but it’s still a sensor you should have somewhere in your home, especially since modern building materials have shortened your window of time to escape a home fire. It’s not to say smart smoke detectors are useless, since what matters most is having a working smoke detector at all. A photoelectric-only smoke detector …

How to Use Google Chrome’s New AI-Powered ‘Skills’

How to Use Google Chrome’s New AI-Powered ‘Skills’

Published by skeptic

Google Chrome just got another generative AI feature: Skills. Skills are repeatable AI prompts you can run in Chrome with a keyboard shortcut. Add it to the laundry list of AI tools Google has been injecting into all of its software. You can set up your own Skill using Gemini, Google’s chatbot, through the Chrome browser, or you can choose from the premade Skills Google released alongside this feature. The more than 50 presets in the Skills library cover a range of prompts that instruct Gemini to summarize YouTube videos, maximize your protein intake via recipe substitutions, or evaluate job listings. If you want to try out Skills, open up the Gemini in Chrome sidebar by clicking on the “Ask Gemini” sparkle icon in the upper-right corner of the screen. Then, type a forward slash in the prompt box to pick which Skill you would like to run. After you select one, Gemini analyzes the information from the browser tabs you’ve shared, within the parameters of the details laid out in the Skill. Here’s the …

These Are the 3 Power Tools You Need (2026)

These Are the 3 Power Tools You Need (2026)

Published by skeptic

If you do go for a circular saw, you have to decide: corded or cordless. If all things were equal, that’d be easy. No one loves a cord. The problem is that corded saws are more powerful. I own both, but if I could only keep one it’d be the corded saw. That said, I probably use my cordless more for the simplicity of being able to take it anywhere. If you do go cordless, change your blade often. It takes much more power to cut with a dull blade, and a cordless circular saw doesn’t have the power to spare. Making sure you have a sharp blade will not only make cutting easier, but will make your battery last longer. It’s always better to buy a cheap saw and a high-quality blade than the opposite. If you do go cordless, the next decision you’ll face is brushless vs. brushed motors. A saw with a brushless motor is better in almost every way. The performance is better, it’s more efficient, and it’s more durable. A …

How to Get Reliable Wi-Fi in Your Backyard

How to Get Reliable Wi-Fi in Your Backyard

Published by skeptic

No one wants the tunes buffering when they have friends round for a barbecue or a stuttering podcast as they try to finish yard work. While the average router might fill your home with Wi-Fi, it doesn’t always extend to the patio or deck, much less the end of your backyard. But you can get great Wi-Fi coverage in your outdoor spaces, and I will show you the best options. You may also want to read up on how to make your Wi-Fi faster, how to buy a router, and whether you should opt for a single router or a mesh system. Table of Contents AccordionItemContainerButton Adjust or Move Your Router Before you think about spending any money, try adjusting or moving your wireless router. Routers send out Wi-Fi signals in a rough circle, so I always recommend placing your router in the center of your home. Moving it slightly closer to your backyard or wherever you want to extend Wi-Fi is the simplest option. Ensure it’s positioned high and in the open. You may …

What You Need to Know About Building an Outdoor Sauna (2026)

What You Need to Know About Building an Outdoor Sauna (2026)

Published by skeptic

Last winter, my husband and I received a Sun Home Luminar 5-Person Sauna to test. I live in gray and rainy Portland, Oregon, which has a pretty robust sauna culture to combat the February blahs. Not only was I ecstatic, but almost everyone I knew was too. For the several weeks that I had the Sun Home box in my driveway, I received a constant stream of texts from friends. “Do you have a sauna?” they all asked, hoping to get invited over soon. Since then, I’ve had several friends build their own backyard saunas, and I realize my experience may have been atypical. Still, I gleaned a few useful learnings that you can take away if you’re looking to install one of your own. If you’re considering dropping several grand on an outdoor sauna, here are a few things you might consider. Lesson #1: Choose Your Sauna Type There are several kinds of saunas. Traditional Finnish saunas use a wood stove and stones to heat the interior. If you’re looking at modern electric-powered saunas, …

Google Now Lets You Change Your Gmail Address. Here’s How

Google Now Lets You Change Your Gmail Address. Here’s How

Published by skeptic

I was in middle school when I set up the personal Gmail account I still use today. Luckily, my still-developing brain picked a bland, straightforward option. At the time, I had no clue that this account would become so central to my digital identity years later. Not as happy with your choice, UnicornLover69? Google just dropped a major update for Gmail users in the US who want to try something new. You can finally change your Gmail address. Hallelujah. Google calls this your “account username,” but don’t let that confuse you. The company is referring to your email address. The process of changing your Gmail address is quite simple. First, you need to be logged in to your account. Then, open the email’s settings page and find the Personal info section. After that, go to Email and Google Account email. Here’s where you’ll find the option to make the switch. In the Gmail mobile app, go to Settings, choose your email, then tap Manage Your Google Account. The steps are the same as the desktop …

The Best Time to Drink Coffee for Productivity (and When Not To)

The Best Time to Drink Coffee for Productivity (and When Not To)

Published by skeptic

“Right when your adrenaline hits, it kind of boosts the release of sugar stores from your liver, and then you get a crash,” Akkerman says. “And if you haven’t eaten anything, you can get hypoglycemic, which can make you really shaky on top of everything else.” The solution, says Akkerman, is to have a little complex carbohydrates and proteins. This might be anything from granola to peanut butter toast. The extra energy from the food will stop your body from crashing out mid-morning. This, I learned from Akkerman, is the root of my mid-morning shakes. It wasn’t the caffeine. It was adrenaline and hypoglycemia. I’m not much of a breakfast person, but on Akkerman’s advice, I now eat a handful of peanuts each morning before my morning brew, to avoid an unexpected sugar crash. Moderate Your Caffeine Dose Some people process caffeine quickly and well. Some people don’t. Some people are also bigger than others. But the general rule of thumb from the US Food and Drug Administration is that 400 milligrams of caffeine per …