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Fire HD 10 Tablet | $95 | Amazon

The IRS has an effective tool for preventing identity theft, and it’s now available to all taxpayers: a six-digit PIN that prevents scammers from filing a fraudulent tax return using your Social Security number. Here’s how you can get your own now to use when you file your current tax return.Read more...

Microsoft’s Word app has a dark mode that you can use right now, but it’s not as dark as you might prefer it if you’re the kind of person who likes working on projects in the wee hours of the night.

Someday, we’re going to be telling our grandchildren working the moon farms about this legendarily bad year—the needless and preventable deaths, the isolation, the hundred-plus other little daily nightmares and difficulties that made it so singularly awful. But with any luck, we’ll end our rambling recollections on a…Read more...

We’ve all been there: a groggy, middle-of-the-night realization that, ugh, it’s time to pee again. While sometimes this is the result of a medical condition, often it’s just an inconvenient routine. In that case, there are a few simple fixes that can make nighttime bathroom breaks a lot less common.Read more...

Wednesday’s Best Deals | Kinja Deals

If you’re sparking up a water pipe on a regular basis, it’ll quickly become apparent that your go-to smoking device can get swampy. The tap water you use to filter the smoke can and will turn your bong or bubbler into a dewy grotto unless you regularly empty your piece and deep-clean it.Read more...

By now you’ve probably seen that viral video of the lawyer who accidentally turned himself into a cat during an important Zoom hearing. If you’re looking to mimic his feline appearance, we have good news and bad news.Read more...

The words “sympathy” and “empathy” are often used interchangeably, but while both refer to how one responds to another’s suffering, they do not mean the same thing or offer the same experience for either you or the person receiving them.Read more...

“When good apps go bad” seems to be the name of the digital game nowadays. The Great Suspender browser extension recently showed its true colors, and now joining it in malware purgatory is the longtime Android favorite “Barcode Scanner” app—despite its more than 10 million installations.Read more...

The companion pass—one of the most coveted perks from the Southwest Airlines’ Rapid Rewards program that allows a free “plus one” on flights—is up for grabs as part of a new welcome bonus for Chase consumer credit cards. Here’s what you need to know, along with other notable deals.Read more...

When you’re trying to add muscle or build endurance you might consider what you eat, how much you sleep, and even how often you masturbate or have sex. But how much does sexual activity affect your gains?

Ever since I interviewed food journalist Alicia Kennedy about her daily eating habits, I have been longing for tomato toast, a decidedly summer treat that feels out of reach in the middle of February. Big, juicy tomatoes are not in season at the moment—but tiny tomatoes (such as cherry or grape) are juicy, sweet, and…Read more...

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Super Mario Bros. 3D World + Bowser’s Fury (Physical, Digital) | $60 | AmazonRead more...

There is no timeline yet for when a coronavirus vaccine will be deemed safe and available for kids under age 16. However, you should still be keeping them up with their regular wellness checks and immunization schedules, even as we continue to work our way through this pandemic.Read more...

You would think, given its recent $6 billion valuation, Reddit would have the confidence to get rid of the pop-up the site serves up whenever you try to visit anything on its domain in your mobile browser (when you’re not logged in), begging you to use the app instead. Alas.Read more...

Mark Bittman is most famous for the 30,000 recipes he’s developed in decades of being a food journalist and authoring 30 books focused on cooking and eating. But this month’s Animal, Vegetable, Junk: A History of Food from Sustainable to Suicidal is not another recipe book, it’s a deeply researched call to arms to…Read more...

No one should go to a restaurant for Valentine’s day dinner this year, but that does not mean you should resign yourself to eating out of styrofoam takeout clamshells or greasy pizza boxes. (Eating the pizza directly from the box is a hack—just not a hack for romance.) Whether you’re cooking your meal or phoning it…Read more...

Plant people know that it’s not only important to water your plant—you also have to know when enough is enough. It can be really easy to overwater a plan, especially one that only needs to be watered once a week. You may think you’re doing your plant a favor by sneaking it a little more water than it technically…Read more...

Every artistic medium has its iconic love stories—Harry and Sally, Cersei and Jaime, Dexy and Eileen—and now that video gaming has been around for a few decades, it has established some memorable romances of its own. Of course, while we all got misty-eyed when John Marston finally went on a real date and proposed to…Read more...

Almost everybody who sticks to their workout routine has found a type of fitness they love. That may mean Crossfit classes multiple times a week, going for a run every morning, or hiring a personal trainer to walk them through a customized workout. Everything comes with a cost, though.Read more...

Top Product: Polaroid Hi-Print | $134 | AmazonRead more...

Managing your business’ presence on LinkedIn takes teamwork, but unless you really know and trust your colleagues, you probably aren’t comfortable sharing the company LinkedIn page’s password with another employee just so they can post updates.

You know you’re stuck in the never-ending loop of pandemic life when you can no longer muster the enthusiasm to change your silly virtual Zoom background. I’ve been overusing Zoom’s default “space” image for some time—but imagine my surprise when I did go to switch it the other day and discovered the app now includes…Read more...

Anger is an ironic condition, and in a fit of frustration or rage, the last thing anyone wants to be told is to “calm down.” When someone’s seething, it’s the worst bit of advice, even if it’s the one thing they need to do to process things more clearly.

Top Pick: Yoshi’s Crafted World (Nintendo Switch) | $57 | AmazonRead more...

With its latest app update (rolling out throughout February), Fitbit now supports tracking your blood glucose readings within the app for users in the US. Your fitbit device still can’t measure blood glucose itself; it’s just the tracking in the app that is new.Read more...

Over the weekend, some Slack Android users received a seemingly random email urging them to update their passwords. The email claims a bug in the Android app incorrectly logged password data as plaintext that could be easily scooped up by hackers.

The idea of a family dinner is quite lovely. Everyone pausing in the middle of an otherwise bustling day to gather around a spread of delicious food to connect and share. The reality of a family dinner is more like one kid whining that there is too much sauce on the pasta while the other kid complains that the shape…Read more...

Ethical chocolate can be difficult to find. There are labels to look for, like “fair” or “direct trade,” but these only tell us so much, and the process for obtaining those marks can be expensive for chocolate-makers, not to mention that brands who are careful about where their cacao comes from aren’t for sale in…Read more...

I have a friend who recently shared an Instagram post from a wildly problematic figure. I understood my friend to be unaware of who this person is—unlike me, my buddy isn’t plugged into the latest skirmishes in the social media culture wars—so I told him that he should probably take the post down.Read more...

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At this point in the pandemic, we shouldn’t need to tell you (again) why it’s important to wear a face mask while on a plane. This is not a new concept—but what is new is the fine structure the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) announced on Friday.

Hearing that there’s been some kind of eye-opening twist on WandaVision might make you anxious about logging into any kind of social media. We’ve already talked about a number of techniques you can use to avoid spoilers on social media, but here’s a new one to add to the mix: Hide Twitter Trends.Read more...

When your child is born, you imagine all the possibilities that await them over what you hope will be a long, healthy future. You might mentally fast-forward past their childhood from time to time, daydreaming that they’ll grow up to be a doctor, an engineer, a business owner, an accomplished chef. They might write…Read more...

I am a bit of a grilled cheese purist. I like mine on white bread, slathered with butter (not mayo), and filled with gooey, processed American cheese. A good havarti is also acceptable if the mood dictates a touch of luxury, but harder, acidic cheeses like cheddar or parm are not allowed—unless you’re putting them on…Read more...

Up to 80% off Sex Toys | LeloRead more...

It seems like every retailer decided to have a massive video game sale this week. Whether you’re looking for physical copies or prefer to download digital versions, we’ve assembled a round-up of the best console games on sale for less than $15 this week. (There are plenty of games on sale for more than $15, too, but…Read more...

With the new coronavirus variants going around, masking up is more important than ever. But which masks are best? Sadly there isn’t a rigorous ranking or standard to rely on, but we know a few things about different options. So let’s take a tour, starting with the best ones.Read more...

Monday’s Best Deals | Kinja Deals

Love it or hate it, there’s a decent chance that Amazon is part of your life in some way. Even those who managed to steer clear of it pre-pandemic may have found themselves in a position where they’re relying on the massive corporation to deliver supplies or food.Read more...

Asking your friends, colleagues, and loved ones for feedback is hard. Feedback itself can be scary—it’s generally difficult to hear honest, candid criticism of something we’ve done (or ourselves), especially if the people on the other end are bad about giving it. It shouldn’t feel insulting; it should feel supportive.

For people who aren’t used to patting themselves on the back, crafting a cover letter can feel like a daunting exercise, especially if you’re applying for a bunch of jobs in a short timeframe. But it’s worth the effort—what starts out as a blank word document will become an essential tool with which you’ll market…Read more...

It’s almost Valentine’s Day and we all know what that means. Some poor fool has completely forgotten about the holiday entirely and will wake up in a cold sweat one night with the sudden realization of their folly. There’s going to be a chaotic online shopping scramble over the next few days as partners with terrible…Read more...

Dating is awful. Finding someone you actually like in the age of dating apps—and in a pandemic no less—can at times feels impossible. But don’t give up yet, as this week’s guest has some strategies that just might make dating a little less frustrating.Read more...

I don’t think I have ever encountered a form of ginger I didn’t enjoy. Candied ginger, pickled ginger, fresh ginger—all ginger is good ginger. (I’m also a fan of gingers, but that’s not what this is about.) I lean hard on pickled ginger most of the time—particularly in dressings and drinks—but cold weather calls for a …Read more...

For small children, even the most basic tasks around the home can be a challenge. This is at least partly because homes are built to be used most efficiently by an average-sized adult—everything from the countertops and sinks to the toilets and doorknobs are placed at a height that best suits our comfort, which often…Read more...

Later this year, Mozilla will update Firefox’s desktop design with the new Proton interface. The visual overhaul is expected to include:Read more...

Flour made from chickpeas has more protein than regular white flour, and more fiber. But if you’ve seen headlines recently about chickpea flour’s health benefits, there are some serious caveats you should know about.Read more...