The world is now 1.1 degrees Celsius — 2 degrees Fahrenheit — warmer on average than it was at the dawn of the Industrial Revolution. But baked into that seemingly small change in the average is a big increase in dangerous extreme temperatures. That’s made cooling, particularly air conditioning, vital for the survival of billions […]
technology
The Best Gear to Make Beer, Wine, Cider, and Mead at Home (2022)
During the initial quarantine rush of 2020, as everyone scrambled to supermarkets to stock up on flour and yeast for homemade loaves, my older brother and I had another thought: stock up on malted barley. For the past decade, we’ve met up nearly every Saturday in his shaded driveway to hang out with our dogs, […]
Drones Are Turning Into Personal Flying Machines
Ever since he was a kid in Sweden, Peter Ternström wanted to make a sci-fi-style flying machine. In 1983 he saw Return of the Jedi five times and dreamed of zooming through the forest of Endor on a levitating speeder. But as a smart young nerd he quickly realized a hovering vehicle was not possible. […]
The US Military Is Building Its Own Metaverse
On May 10, two fighter pilots performed a high-altitude proto-metaverse experiment. A few thousand feet above the desert of California, in a pair of Berkut 540 jets, they donned custom AR headsets to connect to a system that overlaid a ghostly, glowing image of a refueling aircraft flying alongside them in the sky. One of […]
Nubia RedMagic 7 Pro Review: Powerful, Pricey, Poor Cameras
In 2022, it’s easy for phones to be the center of your world. Features are embedded into your everyday life — from snapping key moments to catching up with friends to finding that next cool restaurant. But for mobile gamers, priorities (such as a display with a high refresh rate) are different. The Nubia RedMagic […]
The Best Audiophile Gear (2022): Headphones, Speakers, Amps, DACs
Your first speaker purchase should be a quality pair for your desktop. It is, after all, where you probably spend a lot of your time at home. For listening at my desk, I love the iLoud Micro Monitors ($ 350). They’re a small pair that sound exceptional for their size, and they have some surprisingly […]
How to Turn Any Document Into a PDF
There’s PDF functionality built right into Finder as well. If you select multiple files and then Ctrl + click on the selection, you can pick Quick Actions and Create PDF to do just that (most common file types are supported). You’re able to build PDFs in the Preview tool too: As long as you have […]
Tips for Cargo Biking With Your Kids (2022): Gear and Tips to Ride Safely
When I started reviewing electric cargo bikes years ago, they were expensive, niche vehicles for a specific subset of eccentric people. Today, electric bikes are everywhere. But there’s one demographic for whom an electric bike is especially useful — parents. Parents, especially moms, travel a lot. In addition to a full-time job, I have a […]
How to Stay Cool Without Air-Conditioning and Prevent Heat Exhaustion (2022)
Early in the day, drink plain water. As you begin to sweat more heavily, switch to drinks containing electrolytes to replenish those you’ve sweated out: coconut water, Smartwater, Gatorade, Powerade, things like that. Electrolytes are minerals in your body such as sodium and potassium that have an electric charge, and your body needs them to […]
How SpaceX and Elon Musk could delay your next flight
You can typically blame an airline flight delay on a handful of usual suspects, like bad weather, mechanical issues, and traffic on the tarmac. But thanks to the rise of the commercial space industry, there’s now a surprising new source of air travel disruption: rocket launches. In recent weeks, flights in and out of Florida […]