All posts tagged: starter

Always have a starter – and be wary of specials: restaurant critics on 14 ways to order the perfect meal | Life and style

Always have a starter – and be wary of specials: restaurant critics on 14 ways to order the perfect meal | Life and style

Published by Sam Flores

For many of us, going to a restaurant is a real treat, so you want to make the most of every mouthful. From starters to small plates, how can you ensure that you have the best possible dining experience? Restaurant critics share the insider secrets to ordering well when eating out. Don’t overplan “I would normally have a glance at the menu,” says London-based Jimi Famurewa, who is a broadcaster, and a columnist and restaurant writer for Broadsheet London. But, says Famurewa, a bit of mystery can enhance the whole experience: “There is something to be said for having an element of surprise, like a bistro or gastro pub where they write the menu every day. If you have a vague idea that it is cuisine you like, or you’ve seen some dishes online that look appealing, then you’ll be all right.” Look for the anomaly ‘Even if the rest of the menu has no surprises, one unusual thing on it may be a sign that the chef cares.’ Photograph: Posed by model; andresr/Getty Images …

Best Smart Locks of 2026: Your High-Tech Security Starter

Best Smart Locks of 2026: Your High-Tech Security Starter

Published by skeptic

Smart locks are a highly visible part of your home that you’ll use just about every day, so it’s important to find a reliable pick that meshes well with your smart home. Here are the factors you should be thinking about as you shop. A retrofit smart lock like the August lock will replace the interior of your current lock but not the exterior keyhole or the deadbolt. CNET Full deadbolt or retrofit Most smart locks will replace your existing lock, including the interior thumbturn, the exterior keyhole and the deadbolt in the middle. Locks like those will also come with their keys, replacing the ones you use now. Others, like the August Smart Lock, and the Lockly fingerprint model, are designed instead to work with at least some of your existing lock hardware. With a retrofit lock like that, you probably won’t need new keys and might not even need to swap out the deadbolt. Locks like those can sometimes be a better fit for apartments, where the building owners might not allow you …

Yale’s New Google-Friendly Smart Lock Makes a Great Security Starter. Here’s Why

Yale’s New Google-Friendly Smart Lock Makes a Great Security Starter. Here’s Why

Published by skeptic

Yale Smart Lock with Matter Pros Simplified design is sturdy and makes installation easier Matter compatibility with extra support for Google Home (an app I like) In-depth settings with vacation mode, volume settings, autolocking and more Affordable for a smart lock at under $150 Yale’s installation instructions are great and the design makes it easy, especially if you use Google Home Cons Inside battery cover is slightly flimsy The door sensor add-on is a pain to install, although optional No fingerprint access or similar extra features Yale has a long-term partnership with Google Nest, yielding collaborations including the Yale x Nest smart lock. But that lock is several years old now, and Yale has a new model available in 2026: the Yale Smart Lock with Matter. (Matter is the smart home standard that platforms such as Google Home support.) The new Yale Lock is available for around $150, making it one of the more affordable deadbolt replacement smart locks. By cutting out some of the old clutter and streamlining installation, Yale has created a lock …

Hamilton’s Beloved Starter Watch Looks Better Than Ever

Hamilton’s Beloved Starter Watch Looks Better Than Ever

Published by Jenni Sidey

As an entry into the world of mechanical watches, few packages are more compelling than Hamilton’s Khaki Field watch. The model offers a real-deal movement and category-defining looks for less than $700. On Tuesday, the brand announced the Khaki Field Mechanical 250, a new-and-improved special edition that takes inspiration from one of its most collectible vintage models and even slims down the proportions. Hamilton has plenty of references to pull from. The brand has a rich history in American railroad expansion, early aviation, and decades of military timekeeping. The very best Hamilton releases manage to feel less like nostalgia and more like a direct continuation of that storied lineage. The new Khaki Field Mechanical 250 falls squarely into that latter category. Released to commemorate America’s upcoming 250th birthday, it’s limited to 1,776 pieces—a fitting nod to the year America was founded. More importantly, it’s a model that ties Hamilton’s American roots to one of the brand’s most intriguing military references, the little-known FAPD 5101 navigator’s watch developed for the US Air Force in the early …

What’s in Hasan Piker’s Starter Pack? Creatine, Zyns, Signal

What’s in Hasan Piker’s Starter Pack? Creatine, Zyns, Signal

Published by skeptic

Hasan Piker is 15 minutes late to our Zoom. He’s just gotten back from the gym, where he works out seven days a week, first thing in the morning, with no rest days. He’s been up since 5. In 45 minutes, he goes live for an eight-hour stream on Twitch. Everything is already set up, so we can chat right up until he needs to switch over, he tells me. There’s no buffer time. Piker is a man accustomed to operating under pressure, which is fortunate because the pressure has rarely been greater. To his audience—mostly young, white men—the 34-year-old far-left commentator is a spokesperson against a failing establishment. To his critics within the Democratic Party, he is a liability protected by his “jock insurance” when he makes controversial comments about Israel and US foreign policy. Last month, a Wall Street Journal op-ed demanded that Democrats sever ties with him entirely, branding him “anti-American, anti-women, anti-Western, and antisemitic.” As Politico puts it, the left is in a Piker pickle. Piker has learned to manage with …

I tested the Wolfbox 4-in-1 Jump Starter with Air Compressor during a real-world emergency

I tested the Wolfbox 4-in-1 Jump Starter with Air Compressor during a real-world emergency

Published by Jenni Sidey

We may earn revenue from the products available on this page and participate in affiliate programs. Learn more › Sign Up For Goods 🛍️ Product news, reviews, and must-have deals. When testing products like a remote car starter, I typically have to seek out a situation in which to use it. While testing this Wolfbox jumpstarter, however, the testing opportunity found me. I had stopped to pick up an order from a gluten free bakery and came across two people with a car that wouldn’t start. It’s a fairly common occurrence during these cold Upstate New York winters, and the 0-degree temperatures had claimed another car battery. Their car was parked in such a way that I couldn’t get my own close enough to use my jumper cables and one of them was elderly and struggling with the bitter cold. I quickly hooked up the Wolfbox 4-in-1 Jump Starter with Air Compressor (use code popsci10 at checkout for an extra $10 off) to their mid-size SUV and it fired up almost immediately. That’s the first …

Jessie Diggins’ Starter Pack: Winter Olympics 2026

Jessie Diggins’ Starter Pack: Winter Olympics 2026

Published by skeptic

Jessie Diggins is the most decorated cross-country skier in American history. She is also ranked as the best cross-country skier in the world, in a sport that rewards only the most spectacularly fit. Now competing in her fourth and final Olympics, the three-time Olympic medalist arrives at Milan as a different athlete than she was at her first Games. She tells WIRED that she’s more confident, more empowered, and more invested in the world beyond the sport. Diggins helped secure the first US gold in cross-country skiing at Pyeongchang, but her work extends far off the course. She advocates for mental health and eating disorder recovery through her work with the Emily Program, supports climate action as an ambassador for Protect Our Winters, and champions broader access to winter sports through the Share Winter Foundation. “I’m still focused on being as good a teammate as I can be and performing to my highest potential,” she says, “but there’s much more behind each race now.” To remind her that there’s a lot more than race results …

Brenna Huckaby Starter Pack: Paralympic Winter Games 2026

Brenna Huckaby Starter Pack: Paralympic Winter Games 2026

Published by skeptic

Eight years after Brenna Huckaby’s first Paralympic Games, the pressure is on. She’s a highly decorated para snowboarder, with four medals across two Paralympic Games and 10 World Championships. But she doesn’t let the pressure get to her. “Win or lose, I’m still the same Brenna,” she tells WIRED. “I’m loved. I have an incredible family. [Snowboarding] is important, but it’s not everything to me.” That’s why Huckaby makes a point to keep the atmosphere light. If Huckaby has a good day in training, she wears the same socks for qualification and racing. If she had a good race for those, she’ll wear them for the next race. “So, sometimes I wear dirty socks to compete,” she says. “This past season, though, they’ve been really clean, so hopefully for the Games I have dirty socks, because that means things are going well.” Beyond her clean or dirty socks—only time will tell—we asked Huckaby what other essentials are keeping her company at Milano Cortina 2026. Her Skin Savior Courtesy of La Roche-Posay La Roche-Posay Lipikar Balm …

Alpine Skier Ryan Cochran-Siegle’s Starter Pack: Winter Olympics 2026

Alpine Skier Ryan Cochran-Siegle’s Starter Pack: Winter Olympics 2026

Published by skeptic

Ryan Cochran-Siegle was practically born on skis. He started sliding around Vermont snow at age 2 and grew up in one of the most storied families in American alpine racing. His grandparents built a nonprofit ski area in 1961, and his mother, Barbara Ann Cochran, won Olympic gold in Sapporo in 1972. When Cochran-Siegle made the US national alpine team in 2011, he joined his cousin, two-time Olympian Jimmy Cochran. But Cochran-Siegle’s career hasn’t been an inheritance story. It’s been shaped by catastrophic injuries, long rehabs, and a steady belief that his best skiing was still ahead of him. Cochran-Siegle is no longer the wide-eyed rookie who debuted in Pyeongchang or the comeback story who won silver in the super-G at Beijing 2022 and was the only US alpine skier to medal at those Games. “I’m more established as a skier,” Cochran-Siegle tells WIRED. “There’s some confidence to take into it.” Before a race, Cochran-Siegle looks for a warm-up slope, practicing movement patterns and “getting all the wheels greased.” He wants to feel like the …