There’s a lot of talk online these days about hiding Copilot in Windows and tools that can remove it entirely. There’s a reason for that: Some people are annoyed with AI and would prefer not to deal with it.

Despite this trend, Microsoft recently launched Copilot for Mac, for some reason. While Windows users are looking to remove Microsoft’s AI tool from their machines, Mac users are invited to actively install it on theirs. So, in the interest of fairness, I am going to take the exact opposite approach to hiding Copilot in Windows: setting up Copilot on your Mac. The thing is, unless you really love Copilot, you probably shouldn’t use this app.

Copilot for Mac is about what you’d expect

Copilot for Mac is basically the web version of Copilot in a dedicated Mac window. You can sign into your Microsoft account and start talking with the virtual assistant right away. There are a few Mac-specific features here: The first is a system-wide keyboard shortcut, Option-Space, for quickly sending a message to Copilot in a little pop-up overlay. (You can change the keyboard shortcut if you want.) This is not unlike how ChatGPT’s launcher works on its desktop app.

Credit: Justin Pot

There’s also a menu bar icon you can click to bring up this same pop-up. The application respects your Mac’s Appearance setting, meaning if you switch to Dark Mode so will Copilot.

And that’s honestly most of the Mac integration features offered. Unlike ChatGPT’s Mac app, there’s no screenshot button, which is a bit of a disappointment—that feature lets you ask ChatGPT about things currently on your screen. With Copilot, you’ll have to take the screenshot and upload it yourself. If you don’t care about this keyboard shortcut you could just as easily use the web version of Copilot and not notice the difference.

You can use Copilot to do pretty much all of the usual stuff you associate with other large language model chatbots, like ChatGPT or Claude—everything from coding, to research, to cheating on homework. The free version of Copilot, notably, has access to current information from the web, meaning you can ask it about current events and sports. But there aren’t a lot of Mac-specific reasons to install the app.

For the sake of comparison, here is the Mac version (spouting widely-reported misinformation about the NHL trade deadline):

Credit: Justin Pot

And here’s the Windows version (which seems to have decent taste in Game Boy Advance games):

Credit: Justin Pot

Yeah, they’re the same. If you like Copilot on Windows, you’ll like it on Mac. If you haven’t tried Copilot, and are curious, maybe try the web version first. It’s essentially the same, and won’t take up any space on your hard drive.

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It’s a good time to shop for portable projectors, with the Nebula Capsule 3 GTV projector down to its lowest price and now the more powerful Anker Nebula Mars 3 Air going for $419.99 (originally $599.99), also its lowest price, according to price-tracking tools. Both of these projectors are portable, but the Nebula Mars 3 Air is more suitable for outdoor use.

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The Nebula Mars 3 Air came out last August to an “average” review from PCMag due to its auto-focus feature (keystone) being finicky and the image being darker when watching 1080p SDR input content. However, it’s still a great portable projector for the right person.

This projector has 1080p resolution and supports 4K HDR input, and like the Nebula Capsule 3, it has a built-in Google TV with the Netflix app, which not a lot of other portable projectors offer. Google TV is also my favorite smart TV OS for projectors since you can cast your smartphone using the Chromecast feature.

Since you’ll likely be using it outdoors, brightness is important because you can only control the light outdoors to a certain degree. The 400 ANSI lumens doubles the brightness of what the Nebula Capsule 3 offers. The screen size ranges from 30 inches up to 150 inches. If you plug it in with the AC power, you get a boost in brightness, which is always appreciated. Otherwise, you can expect a battery life of 2.5 hours in Eco mode and 1 hour at full power. This projector also doubles as a Bluetooth speaker and lasts 8 hours when just playing music.

If you’re looking for a portable projector that you can easily carry around the home or want to use it outdoors, consider the Nebula Mars 3 Air. At its current price, it’s a good bang for your buck and better than the Nebula Capsule 3 if you plan to use it outdoors.

This week, I’m taking a look at a brain-rot creator Cookie King, whose constant output of brain-rot videos is shaping the internal lives of millions of kids under 15. I’m also taking a look at what people think ChatGPT would be like if it were a person, introducing the clueless to Beabadoobee, and dunking on “millennial burger joints.”

Meet Cookie King, the brain behind the brain rot

I think of brain-rot internet memes as springing fully formed from the collective unconscious of the internet like Athena sprang from the head of Zeus, but the culture vultures at KnowYourMeme tracked down the actual person who is probably most responsible for brain-rot.

Demir Basceri, known as Cookie King to his millions of followers, has probably done more to create and define the brain-rot aesthetic than anyone else. Cookie pioneered ironically applying garish transitions, effects, and filters from video editing software Capcut on all-but-meaningless footage. He started off making “fan edits” of The Walking Dead like this one—

—then matured into making videos like this:

Then he started making videos that combine unrelated memes in ways that defy meaning. Check out this video:

Here’s Cookie King’s explanation of it: “On Instagram, there was a new meme. It was about Chopped Chin and Property in Egypt, and people were doing battles between them. I was like, ‘Wait, what if I just combined them together with the Johnnie Walker thing and the Friggin’ Packet Yo?’ I just thought, ‘I’m gonna combine them all.”

Cookie King says he’s been posting videos since he was seven, first on YouTube and then everywhere else, and the key to his brain-rot supremacy is his work ethic: Dude says he spent his senior year of high school spamming “20, 30, 40, 50 videos a day.” Eventually, some of them caught on, like the currently popular memes Eye of Rah and making “99% accurate” copies of existing videos. He seems to not think at all about what he puts out—brain-rot is a pure expression of his internal life, and it resonates with his audience of millions of “raised in the digital world” followers.

So what’s going on with all this shit?

In the 1920s, partly in response to the mechanized mass slaughter of World War I, avant-garde artists created Dadaism, a movement that aimed to replace meaning in Art with chaos and nonsense. The Dadaist movement didn’t really catch on—it was elitist, self-conscious, and bogged down by a central contradiction: The Dadaist said they didn’t care about meaning in art, but they sure liked publishing manifestos explaining what their work meant. Maybe brain-rot is actual Dadaism—chaos blotting out reason entirely. Unlike Dada art, there really is no discernible ideas or thoughts behind brain-rot: It’s actually nonsense. Brain-rotters are just spamming 50 videos a day without trying to comment on the horrifying alienation of modernity or whatever, even if that’s the message I’m taking from it. I don’t think this is a good thing, but it’s the thing that’s happening.

“How I imagine ChatGPT:” Young women personifying AI

Speaking of the unspeakable horror of the modern world, young people, especially young women, have been asking and answering a fascinating question this week: If large language model artificial intelligence program ChatGPT was a person, what would they look like? The initial post came from TikToker @mymetaldiary. According to them, ChatGPT is a brown-haired, handsome young white dude wearing glasses, as you can see in this video:

While many commenters replied with a variation of “nailed it,” others reported their own head-canon visions of ChatGPT-as-a-person. These responses run the gamut from “an old lady like mother nature,” to “a mafia boss,” or “a golden retriever.”

I don’t picture anything physical when I think of ChatGPT, but the AI’s unfailing politeness and literally endless patience suggest a human personality. I think of ChatGPT as someone I regret having started a conversation with at a party. They seem like someone I don’t know who is trying to get me to like them, and I can’t figure out why. ChatGPT is a combination of boring and desperate, like someone searching for the most non-offensive thing to say at all time. It’s someone I don’t trust, even though I have no reason not to trust them.

Famous people you’ve never heard of: Who is Beabadoobee?

If you’ve been hearing people talking about (or reading people posting about) “Beabadoobee” lately, here’s a look at the person behind the unique name: Beabadoobee is a 24-year-old singer/songwriter who was born in the Philippines. Her parents named her “Beatrice Kristi Ilejay Laus.” At three, her family moved to London. When she was 17, she taught herself to play guitar, started writing songs, and began calling herself Beabadoobee. It was a joke at first, but it stuck. Her music might have been called “twee” a generation ago; it’s wistful and soft and influenced by artists like Elliott Smith and Mazzy Star. It sounds like this:

She released her first single in 2017, and has been growing in popularity since, helped along by many, many uses of her songs on TikTok videos. As of 2025, there are three full-length Beabadoobee albums and six EPs, all released on indie labels. In a nutshell: Beabadoobee is a cult-popular singer favored by young women who make their own clothing.

What does SYBAU stand for?

The acronym SYBAU isn’t exactly new—it was first defined on urban dictionary in 2008—but it’s growing in popularity in the comment section of TikTok and Instagram lately. It means “shut your bitch ass up.” (Rude.)

What does “snatched” mean?

According to young-people slang, “snatched” means very attractive and/or flawlessly styled. Example: “That new dress has you looking snatched.”

(For more definitions of slang words, check out “‘Mewing,’ ‘Sigma,’ and Other Gen Z and Gen Alpha Slang You Might Need Help Decoding.“)

Viral video of the week: dunking on millennial burger joints

Tim Marcin over at our sister site Mashable noticed a hilarious new trend on TikTok: Generations Z and A are mocking millennial burger joints, pointing out the cliches and tropes of a kind of restaurant you’ve probably eaten at dozens of times, especially if you’ve spent any time in a “medium-sized city just outside of a major metropolitan area,” but never thought about.

This week’s viral video from Tiktoker @user2521208780374 lays it out:

Here are some of the hallmarks of a millennial burger joint:

• Founded by “two friends with a dream”

• Burgers cost $19

• Metal barstools

• Reclaimed wood table

• Truffle fries

• Menu written on a chalkboard

• Garlic aioli

• Brioche bun

• Special sauce described with mild swear like “kick ass” or “bitchin'”

• Local “craft” beers, always IPAs.

Some millennial burger joints really strive to be different by serving food on something other than plates, usually slabs of wood, a phenomenon covered in detail on Reddit’s “We Want Plates” board.

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I’m Lifehacker’s resident marathon runner and senior finance writer. And now, I’m merging my two worlds. Running is often touted as one of the most accessible sports—just lace up and go, right? But as many runners discover, what starts as a “free” activity can quickly transform into a significant investment. Last week I broke down what it looks like to invest in proper running gear. And now, I’m turning my eye to the world of races.

You might think you’ll never get into races. I was like you, once: a casual runner who scoffed at the idea of paying money to run. Then you get coerced into running a 5k for charity or something. Then you feel the high of crossing the finish line. You realize how intoxicating it to push yourself to longer distances, to have strangers cheering your name, to simply set your sights on a goal and work toward it. Now, six marathons later (and so many smaller distances along the way), I understand how people budget races into both their finances and fitness.

Of course, once you enter the world of racing, costs can add up quickly and vary dramatically depending on your approach to the sport. So let’s take a look at the financial commitment involved in running organized races.

The casual runner

For those who participate in a handful of local races each year, running remains relatively affordable. As a minimalist runner who does sign up for a marathon a year (and some shorter races leading up to the main event), I fall in this category.

Typical annual expenses:

• 3-5 local 5K/10K races: $25-50 each ($75-250 total)

• One half-marathon: $75-120

• Basic running shoes: $80-120 (replaced annually)

• No-frills running clothes (see more here): $100-200

• Optional race photos: $20-40 per event

Total annual cost: $330-730

Casual runners can keep costs down by focusing on community races organized by local running clubs, which often have lower entry fees than commercial events. Early bird registration can also save 15-30% off standard entry fees. Many casual runners also use free training plans available online rather than paying for coaching.

The dedicated road racer

Runners who focus on performance and participate in multiple races throughout the year face a more substantial financial commitment. Keep in mind, a lot of these are upfront costs for investing in gear that will last years. For instance, you probably won’t be buying a new smartwatch annually.

Typical annual expenses:

• Races of varying distances: $100-1,000

• One or two major marathons: $150-350 each

• Premium running shoes: $130-180 (two to three pairs annually)

• Technical running apparel: $300-500

• GPS watch: $200-500 (amortized over two to three years)

• Race photos/videos: $100-200

• Training plan or app subscription: $100-300

Total annual cost: $580-1,630

These runners often join running clubs ($40-150 annually) for the social aspects and training benefits. They might also invest in regular sports massages ($70-120 per session) or recovery tools like foam rollers, massage guns, and compression gear ($150-300).

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The destination racer

Those who combine their love of running with travel face the highest costs.

Typical annual expenses:

• Two to three local races: $100-200

• Two to three major destination races: $150-350 each

• Travel costs (flights, accommodations, food): $1,000-3,000+ per destination race

• Premium running gear (technical clothing, shoes, watches): $300-500

• Race insurance: $50-100 per major race

Total annual cost: $1,600-4,100+

The World Marathon Majors (Boston, New York, Chicago, London, Berlin, and Tokyo) are particularly expensive, with entry fees up to $350—not to mention extremely competitive qualification standards or lottery systems to sign up in the first place. International races may also require additional expenses like travel insurance and vaccinations.

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The trail/ultra runner

Now I’m speaking outside of personal experience, but I am manifesting a future in ultra distances for myself. Fun fact: “Ultra marathon” refers to any distance longer than a marathon. A 30-miler and an 100-miler would both be called ultras. Neat!

Naturally, ultra runners and trail enthusiasts face unique cost considerations for specialized gear requirements and remote race locations.

Typical annual expenses:

• Three to five trail races: $50-100 each

• One to two ultra marathons: $150-500 each

• Trail-specific shoes: $130-180 (2-3 pairs annually)

• Specialized gear (hydration vest, headlamp, trekking poles): $300-600

• Weather-appropriate apparel: $400-800

• Navigation tools: $100-300

• Required safety equipment: $200-500

Total annual cost: $1,630-3,980

Ultra events often have higher entry fees due to their length and the support required from the organizers. Many require specific safety equipment like emergency blankets, whistles, and first aid supplies. Remote race locations can also increase travel costs significantly.

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Look out for hidden costs

Regardless of runner type, several hidden costs can impact your budget:

• Race day parking: $10-30 per event

• Post-race celebration meals: $20-50 per event

• Physiotherapy or sports medicine appointments: $80-150 per session

• Cross-training (gym membership, yoga classes): $300-1,000 annually

• Nutritional supplements and race-day fuel: $100-500 annually

• Race cancellation or postponement fees

Cost-saving strategies

Like I mentioned above, I’m a marathon runner who refuses to spend more than $1,000 a year on my hobby. Here’s how I save on costs I can’t avoid altogether:

• Volunteer at races: Many events offer free future entries to volunteers.

• Register early: Take advantage of early bird pricing.

• Seek out package deals: Some race series offer discounted entries when you sign up for multiple events.

• Shop end-of-season sales: Stock up on gear when prices drop.

• Consider virtual races: These typically have lower entry fees and no travel costs.

While racing costs can add up, I still find the most valuable aspects of running—the endorphin rush, sense of achievement, and community connection—are more than worth it. When you consider the costs associated with your preferred style of running, you can make informed decisions about which races and experiences are worth the investment for you.

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Bowers & Wilkins is known to make high-end audio products like headphones and speakers. You might see their speakers on luxury cars or expensive monitors. The Pi6 earbuds are their “budget” earbuds, but are still expensive, normally going for $249. However, you can get them right now for $168.08, the lowest price they’ve ever been according to price-tracking tools.

Bowers & Wilkins Pi6 Wireless Earbuds

AptX Adaptive, 12mm Drivers, Bespoke Active Noise Cancelling, 3 Built-in Mics, 15-Min Quick Charging

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The Pi6 are a step down from the more premium Pi8 wireless earbuds, both of which came out in 2024. Despite this being the product where cuts were made to make it a “budget” option, the audio quality stayed premium. I’ve had these earbuds for almost a year and consider them one of the best sounding earbuds I own. You’ll get support for SBC, AAC, aptX Adaptive, and aptX Classic codecs, which explains the great audio. The soundstage is detailed, and it has Bowers & Wilkins’ usual crisp sound signature. The fit is comfortable and light. Despite not having hooks, I felt like I could take them on a run without issues.

However, the Pi6 aren’t perfect. They lack Spatial Audio, a find-my-headphones feature, and the app can be buggy. Although I may sound picky, these are basic features other earbuds at this price point have. But at the discounted price of $168, I’m willing to look past those issues. The drivers are 12mm and provide a decent ANC. You can expect about eight hours of battery life and another 24 hours with the case. You’ll get Bluetooth 5.4 and an IP54 rating for water resistance (you shouldn’t submerge them underwater). The earbuds also have three microphones so people can hear you clearly.

If you’re looking for good quality audio with hi-res playback and good ANC and battery life, the Pi6 earbuds offer great value for your money at their current price.

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When Tim Cook posted “There’s something in the AIR” on X this week, it seemed to imply the company was soon dropping the hotly anticipated M4 MacBook Air. After all, it’s the only major Mac (aside from the Mac Studio) that Apple hasn’t upgraded with the M4 chip, so it only makes sense the company would refresh the line. As it turns out, however, Apple had a different plan for consumers. If you want a new MacBook Air, you’ll still need to settle for the M3 chip. If you want a new iPad Air, however, you’re in luck.

On Tuesday, Apple announced two brand new iPads: an iPad Air, which now sports the M3 chip, and a base iPad, that now runs the A16 chip. As with any new devices, both of these new iPads come with perks previous models didn’t, and, as such, it might seem like the logical choice for anyone looking for a new Apple tablet to pick up. If you had your eye on a new iPad Air, the M3 would be the best one, right? The thing is, I don’t think so.

Not much new with the M3 iPad Air

Objectively, yes: This new iPad Air is the best one Apple has ever made. It has Apple’s M3 chip, which Apple says is nearly two times faster than the M1 iPad Air (notice how they skip the M2 iPad Air here). That M3 chip enables hardware-accelerated ray tracing, a first for the iPad Air, so lighting effects in games and graphically intensive apps should look better.

The thing is, the M3 chip is the only thing that’s new on this iPad Air. Everything else is exactly the same as it is with the M2 iPad Air: You have your choice between an 11-inch and 13-inch device, in the same four color options; the displays are identical whether you go M2 or M3; the front and rear cameras are exactly the same; both use USB-C and Touch ID in the top button (no Face ID on these iPads); both devices are compatible with Apple Intelligence (if you even care about that); both have the same battery life; and both support the same Apple Pencils. If someone placed both iPads side by side, you’d never know which was which.

In fact, if you used these iPads side by side for a week, you probably wouldn’t be able to tell which was which. While the M3 chip is faster than the M2 chip, it likely won’t feel that way in real-world use, considering the chips here have the same number of CPU and GPU cores. The M3 chip in the MacBook Air, on the other hand, has two extra GPU cores compared to the M2 MacBook Air. As such, the difference in performance between these two iPads is going to be less—which is to say, imperceptible to the vast majority of people who use an iPad.

So, yes, the M3 iPad Air is the best you can buy. But that’s because it slightly improves on the already-great tablet Apple made in the last go-around, which really only slightly improved on the tablet that came before it. The only other new iPad Air announcement Apple made on Tuesday was a refreshed Magic Keyboard, but even it is compatible with older iPad Air models.

You should buy an old iPad

I love my iPad. I use it every day to catch up on the news, message friends, and browse the web. There was zero reason I needed an M1 chip to power those tasks back in 2021 when I bought the tablet, and, to be honest, virtually zero reason I need that M1 chip in 2025. Everything I do on an iPad, my iPad Air from 2014 could probably handle (albeit very slowly).

It’s a problem plaguing the iPad line in general. Apple builds these tablets with incredible hardware, a fantastic combination of high quality screen and powerful processors—and yet, it all powers the same, souped-up version of iOS. iPadOS, for the most part, simply cannot push the M-series chips anywhere close to their limits. Sure, there are professional apps and demanding games available on the App Store to give your iPad something to work with. But really, iPadOS is nothing for even my M1 iPad Pro to handle—even when I have multiple windows open at once with Stage Manager.

The point is, you probably don’t need the M3 chip in the latest iPad Air. Hell, you probably don’t need the M2 chip. But if you’re looking for a new iPad Air in March of 2025, I’d highly recommend looking for the latter.

Now that Apple has moved on to a new iPad Air model (at the same $599 price point, no less) the M2 version is likely to see some decent discounts across various stores. The new iPad Air isn’t due out until March 12, so you might need to give it some time, but expect stores like Amazon and Best Buy to cut the price of the older model while selling the newer one at full price. Even today, you can get the 256GB M2 iPad Air for $649 on Amazon, which doubles the storage of the base model Air for an extra $50.

Consider an iPad

Let me rephrase: Consider the entry-level iPad, which Apple confusingly calls “iPad.”

Alongside the M3 iPad Air, Apple also dropped the 11th-generation iPad. Like the Air, this new iPad doesn’t change all that much from the 10th-generation iPad. There are really two big changes, and one small one: The screen is 0.1 inches larger on the new iPad (pretty small); the base model doubles the storage from a tricky 64GB to a useable 128GB (without changing the price tag); and the new one runs the A16 chip found in the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 15, which should offer a decent performance bump over the A14 in the 10th-gen iPad.

The rest is about the same: a decent, bright display; a nine-to-10 hour battery life; USB-C charging; identical front and rear cameras; the same Apple Pencil support. The new iPad does leave a couple things behind: It ditches the nano-SIM slot in favor of relying entirely on eSIM, while also losing support for True Tone on the retina flash feature. But it does support Smart HDR 4 over the 10th-gen iPad’s Smart HDR 3.

But that’s getting into the nitty-gritty: The 11th-generation iPad represents the best iPad for most people, as long as you can live without some of the perks the iPad Air (or even iPad Pro) offers. You won’t get the best quality display in Apple’s lineup, or the fastest processor. But that A16 chip is going to be more than enough to run iPadOS for years to come.

The same purchase principle that I discussed with the iPad Air applies here as well: Stores are likely going to discount the 10th-gen iPad once Apple starts selling the 11th-gen. I’d encourage anyone who wants an iPad for basic iPad tasks to try that route, but I also think the 11th-gen iPad is a pretty good value as-is. Even in the face of tariffs, Apple didn’t raise the price on the iPad, while at the same time doubling the storage to 128GB. That means you get an all-around great Apple tablet for $349, $250 less than an iPad Air. You could use those savings to buy a Magic Keyboard and Apple Pencil, or just pocket the rest and enjoy the iPad itself.

At the end of the day, none of Apple’s iPads are a bad buy—but while each tier offers additional perks and features you may or may not enjoy, the overall “iPad experience” is the same. The question is, how many perks and features can you cut, while still enjoying the overall experience as much as you would with the more expensive model? For the vast majority of people, I’d say that answer is the 11th-gen iPad. But, if possible, head to your local Apple Store or tech outlet to try them out for yourself.

With iOS 19 expected to be unveiled in June 2025 at Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), rumors about its features have been coming in fast. Although none of these rumors can be confirmed at the moment, they still give us a good idea about what Apple might be considering behind the scenes. Since AI is the flavor of the month, Apple Intelligence improvements are expected for iOS 19, but the camera app might also be getting some attention. Here’s everything that’s been leaked so far.

The merging of Siri and Apple Intelligence

According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Apple plans to merge Siri with Apple Intelligence sometime during the iOS 19 patch cycle. Yes, the assistant is currently listed as being part of Apple Intelligence, but behind the scenes, it’s supposedly got a new LLM in the works that would unify its currently split architecture and allow it to more frequently handle complex requests. As of now, its AI features are much more limited, and most of Siri doesn’t use AI at all.

Gurman says he expects the merger to be completed by spring of 2026 with the launch of iOS 19.4. His report states that, originally, Apple’s plan was to launch a more conversational Siri in the same update, but that’s been delayed and is not expected to be unveiled at WWDC 2025.

Gurman also indicates that because Apple has not yet completed last year’s Apple Intelligence feature rollout, any as yet unannounced features shouldn’t be expected for a while.

A Camera app redesign

About a month ago, YouTuber FrontPageTech revealed a leaked redesign of the iPhone’s Camera app. He claimed to have seen a video of the rumored redesign and recreated it for a video. The render primarily focuses on the control system. Instead of swiping left or right to switch between camera modes, this leak indicates that we may see just two options when we open the app—photos and videos. Swiping switches between them, while tapping reveals more options such as panorama or spatial videos. You can also see a slightly larger viewfinder in the render, but all of this should be taken with a pinch of salt. Even if the sources are credible and the information accurate (other leakers have doubted FrontPageTech before), a lot can change between now and release. Features get shifted around all the time during development, and you can expect some of that with iOS 19 as well. 

No major UI changes

The FrontPageTech leak also suggests that Apple won’t be making other major UI changes in iOS 19. With iOS 18’s development not yet complete despite WWDC 2025 being right around the corner, I do have to agree that looks unlikely that big UI changes would follow so soon.

Your iPhone will (probably) run iOS 19

With no major UI redesign expected, there’s no reason for Apple to axe more phones from the iOS 19 update lineup. Citing a source within Apple, French website iPhoneSoft.fr reports that any phone that runs iOS 18 should be compatible with iOS 19 as well. However, the iPad 7 will supposedly not be so lucky, as the website says it will not be included in the iPadOS 19 update.

A handful of major data breaches that occurred in 2024 have already come to light in the last few months (including the PowerSchool and Community Health Center incidents), the latest of which affected a major employment screening and background check service and compromised information from more than 3.3 million people.

DISA Global Solutions provides background checks for more than 55,000 employers across the country, and its systems were compromised for more than two months last year.

What happened with DISA?

According to the company’s filing with the Maine attorney general’s office, hackers accessed DISA’s system between Feb. 9, 2024 and April 22, 2024 (when the breach was discovered) and stole the data of 3,332,750 individuals

In its letter notifying consumers of the breach, DISA did not provide specifics as to what was stolen, noting simply that the hackers “procured some information.” However, an additional filing located by TechCrunch indicated that the breach included Social Security numbers, medical records, financial account information, credit and debit card numbers, and other government-issued documents.

In conducting background checks, DISA collects a wide range of consumer data, including credit, education, and employment histories; driving records; drug tests; references from employers and landlords; and criminal and civil legal filings.

What you can do if your data was stolen

The best you can do after a data breach is to pay attention to your personal accounts, follow basic security best practices—such as being especially vigilant with suspicious communication that might be a phishing attempt—and lock down as much as possible to prevent any further damage being done with your information.

If you haven’t already, you should take steps like freezing your credit and placing a fraud alert to prevent anyone from taking on debt in your name, as well as considering identity protection services that can notify you of anything suspicious. You can also set up protections for your SSN so no one can take on employment or file taxes fraudulently.

As of Feb. 21, DISA is notifying consumers affected by the breach and offering a 12-month membership to Experian’s IdentityWorks identity monitoring service. To enroll, go to the IdentityWorks website and enter the activation code in your notice. You must sign up by June 30, 2025.

iOS users will find a handful of new emojis with an update to the 18.4 beta, including a “Face with Bags Under Eyes,” which represents us all right now.

The new characters were recommended for release in September 2024 with Unicode Emoji 16.0, though it typically takes designers for Apple (as well as Google, Samsung, and others) to interpret and create their versions of the new emojis and push them to users. The last round of characters rolled out with the iOS 17.4 update in March 2024 and included “Head Shaking Horizontally” and “Head Shaking Vertically,” as well as a phoenix, lime, brown mushroom, and broken chain.

What new emojis are coming to iPhone?

These are the new emojis launching with iOS 18.4:

• Bags under eyes

• Fingerprint

• Leafless tree

• Root vegetable

• Harp

• Shovel

• Splatter

On top of the standard emojis, some users can create any emoji they want using Apple Intelligence’s Genmoji feature, which launched in beta with iOS 18.2 for iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, and iPhone 16 series. To make an AI-generated emoji, switch to the emoji keyboard from any text field, tap the emoji, and enter the prompt for what you want to create.

The next round of new emojis will come with Unicode 17, which is expected sometime in the fall and will make its way to Apple OS around this time in 2026. The proposed characters include hairy creature, distorted face, fight cloud, apple core, orca, trombone, landslide, and treasure chest as well as skin tone variations for several existing emoji.

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If you’ve been looking for a solid pair of workout earbuds that won’t slip out mid-burpee, the JBL Endurance Peak 3 is down to $39.95 on Woot (originally $99.99) this month (or until they sell out). That’s a steal for earbuds that scored an Editor’s Choice from PCMag for their workout-friendly design and secure fit. This deal includes a one-year JBL manufacturer warranty, and if you’re an Amazon Prime member, you get free standard shipping (otherwise, it’ll cost you $6).

JBL Endurance Peak 3 True Wireless Sports Headphones

$39.95

$99.99
Save $60.04

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$39.95

$99.99
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These wireless earbuds come with ear hooks that wrap snugly around your ears, ensuring they stay put even during the most intense sessions. And unlike some other hook-style earbuds, these reportedly don’t clash with glasses frames (an underrated feature for anyone who wears specs). That said, the ear hooks double as a power switch, turning off when the tips magnetically touch the body of the earpiece—that’s useful in theory, but it can be frustrating if you’re just taking them out for a quick break. Also, the touch controls take some getting used to since the panels have a larger surface area than most earbuds.

Sound-wise, JBL packs a punch with 10mm dynamic drivers that cover the full frequency range from 20Hz to 20KHz (with fully customizable EQ settings in the companion app), delivering a sound profile with strong bass that stays clear of distortion, even at top volume. If you’re an Android user, you’ll appreciate Google Fast Pair for easy setup, though the earbuds stick to basic AAC and SBC codecs—no AptX support here, notes this PCMag review. They do, however, boast an impressive IP68 rating, meaning they’re fully dust-proof and can survive full submersion in water for over 30 minutes. Rain, sweat, or a quick rinse under the tap? No problem. Battery life is another win, with JBL estimating 10 hours per charge, plus an additional 40 hours from the charging case (your mileage may vary depending on usage). So unless you’re planning to run an ultramarathon, you should be covered.

Note: Woot does not ship these earbuds to Alaska, Hawaii, or PO box addresses.

Have you committed to a new habit—exercising, let’s say—but keep falling off the wagon? Do you give up when the going gets tough? Does this whole “pursuing goals” idea seem really daunting? You may have low self-efficacy. But don’t worry: Self-efficacy is something that you can build with practice. Here’s how.

What is self-efficacy?

Self-efficacy, as psychologists understand it, is related to the idea of confidence, but it’s not just being cocky for no reason. It’s a feeling something like determination and related to discipline and motivation.

When you have high self-efficacy, you believe that you can do the thing. Whatever that thing may be. Maybe you’re just getting started on a long journey, but you know you’ll make it to the end. You see the obstacles in your path as speed bumps, not barriers. If you run into a problem, you’ll find a way to solve it. You just know you will.

These beliefs aren’t something you’re born with or something you get from luck or miracles. You build them over time, with practice and experience.

At the heart of self-efficacy is the idea that you can control what you do, and that you can control at least some of the things around you in your life. If there’s a snowstorm on the day you were going to go to the gym, for example, you don’t just give up on exercise for the week. You might rearrange your schedule so you can go another day, or you might do a home workout, or you might just remind yourself that your routine will survive a missed day and that your long-term plan is still on track.

Here are some of the ways that psychologists say we can build self-efficacy:

Congratulate yourself for small wins

Past successes are fuel for future success. This applies to tiny things like habits: If you managed to make it to the gym once, it’s a lot easier to show up on day two.

It also applies to bigger projects. If you did a beginner running program and “graduated” by running a 5K race, that’s huge. You learned that you can follow a program. You learned that you can run farther than you ever thought you could. You learned what it feels like to go out for a run when you’re tired, but finish anyway. You learned what that finish-line glow of accomplishment really feels like. And you can harness all of that, all over again, when you start working on a new goal.

Another thing I like to do, especially when I haven’t seen success in something lately, is to look for things I can be proud of in the process. I didn’t lift the 140-pound log at my last strongman meet, but I hit 127 pounds in training, which is a hell of a lot more than I could do when I started.

Watch people doing the thing you want to do

The second-best thing to reflecting on your own past experiences is to vicariously experience others’ success. You’ll want to choose your role models carefully; pay attention to who really inspires you.

For some people, looking up to a world-class athlete can inspire them in the gym. For others, it can be helpful to look at somebody who is closer to you in skill level or experience. When your buddy hits a new deadlift PR, you’ll cheer for them, right? Even though you weren’t the person walking up to the bar, you’ve still experienced a taste the whole rollercoaster of emotions from being nervous at the attempt to celebrating the success.

Seek out people who encourage you

Believing in yourself doesn’t have to be a solo project. Just as you can cheer on a gym buddy, your buddy can cheer you on as well. Also, make an effort to seek out instructors, coaches, and mentors who make you feel unstoppable. If somebody you trust thinks that you can do something, you’ll start to believe it too.

Visualize success (and failure)

When you’re trying to stay on a path, it helps to know where that path leads. What will it look like to make it to your goal? How will you feel when you cross that finish line, when you lift that goal weight, when you’ve been eating vegetables with your meals for a whole year?

While you’re at it—if you’re ready for this—also imagine scenarios where you’re trying to do the thing and you momentarily can’t. How will you feel if you get injured, if a vacation knocks you off track, or if your gym buddy stops being able to come with you on deadlift day? Your plan is big enough to survive these obstacles, but it will help to think them through ahead of time and plan out how you will handle them. Then, when the time comes, you won’t hesitate to execute your plan.

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The Pixel 9 is the latest series of the Google Pixel phone lineup. They were released late last summer with the 9 Pro and Pro XL getting released as well. But if you’re OK with an already good camera and prefer to save some money, the 128 GB unlocked Pixel 9 is just $599 (originally $799) after a $200 discount, the lowest price it has been since its release, according to price-tracking tools. You can get it in obsidian, peony, or porcelain.

Brand: Google, OS: Android 14, RAM: 12 GB, Storage: 128 GB, Screen Size: 6.3 Inches.

Google Pixel 9 (Obsidian)

$599.00
at Amazon

$799.00
Save $200.00

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$599.00
at Amazon

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Brand: Google, OS: Android 14, RAM: 12 GB, Storage: 128 GB, Screen Size: 6.3 Inches.

Google Pixel 9 (Peony)

$599.00
at Amazon

$799.00
Save $200.00

Get Deal

Get Deal

$599.00
at Amazon

$799.00
Save $200.00

Brand: Google, OS: Android 14, RAM: 12 GB, Storage: 128 GB, Screen Size: 6.3 Inches.

Google Pixel 9 (Porcelain)

$599.00
at Amazon

$799.00
Save $200.00

Get Deal

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at Amazon

$799.00
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As most Pixel fans are probably aware, the budget Pixel 9a is expected to release sometime this month, which probably explains the new discount of the Pixel 9. If the pattern continues, you’ll likely see the Pixel 9a come out for $500 during the pre-order sale. Also, if the trend of a-series phones continues, the Pixel 9 might still be a better value than the 9a.

The Pixel 9 comes with 12GB of RAM, starts with 128GB of memory storage, a maximum 120 HZ refresh rate, and the Android 14 operating system. Lifehacker’s associate tech editor Michelle Ehrhardt deemed the more premium Pixel 9 Pro’s hardware as the best Google has made so far, but its AI features still had hiccups. However, AI features will keep improving over time; the most important thing to get right is the hardware.

The battery life can last almost 12 hours, according to PCMag’s “excellent” review. The main camera has a 50MP shooter, a 48MP ultra-wide camera with a 123-degree field of view, same as the Pro models, but it has a single-zone laser detect autofocus (LDAF) sensor (the pro has multi-zone LDAF).

If you have the Pixel 8, you might not notice a huge upgrade in this version. However, if you’re upgrading from an older version or doing a switch from a non-Pixel phone, the 9 has a lot to offer. One of my favorite things about Pixel phones is the ongoing support for many years. My Pixel 6A still gets all of the updates and tons of AI features that make the phone feel fresh many years later, with the latest ones dropping last month. With the Pixel 9, you’ll be getting a quality phone with software updates for a while (as long as seven years).

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I’ve looked into everything coming to Max this month, and the below TV shows and movies are the best of the bunch, or at least the most interesting. My top pick: HBO’s fearless, acerbic comedy The Righteous Gemstones is coming back for its fourth and final season. There’s also The Parenting, an HBO original horror movie with an intriguing premise and an all-star cast, and a trio of movies produced by A24: Queer, Heretic, and Sing Sing.

The Righteous Gemstones, season 4

The fourth and final season of HBO original comedy The Righteous Gemstones features the titular family of scummy televangelists fighting America’s “war on Christianity” while continuing to grift suckers hilariously. The show’s talented cast—including Danny McBride, Adam DeVine, Edi Patterson, and John Goodman—will be returning, and a couple of new faces will be onhand to keep things fresh. Will & Grace star Megan Mullally plays Lori, an old family friend of the Gemstones, and Sean William Scott from American Pie plays her son.

Starts streaming March 9.

The Parenting

Max original horror/comedy The Parenting features a stacked cast that includes Brian Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Dean Norris, Edie Falco, Parker Posey, Nik Dodani, and Brandon Flynn. Dodani and Flynn play a young couple who plan a weekend getaway so their parents can meet and they can announce their engagement. Tensions between the future in-laws flare, but that’s the least of the family’s problems. The malevolent poltergeist that haunts the isolated country house is much more serious issue, especially when it starts possessing people.

Starts streaming March 13.

Queer (2024)

Daniel Craig turns in an unforgettable performance in this A24-produced film based on the novel from iconoclastic writer William S. Burroughs. Set in Mexico City in 1950s, Queer tells the story of an America expat William Lee (Craig) who spends his days drinking and chasing younger men, but falling in love with an American GI, played by Drew Starkey, complicates his life immensely. Queer was directed by Luca Guadagnino (Call Me By Your Name), and he makes fantastic movies.

Starts streaming March 28.

Heretic (2024)

In this critically acclaimed horror movie, a pair of idealistic Mormon missionaries knock on the wrong man’s door. Hugh Grant is extremely charming when Sisters Barnes (Sophie Thatcher) and Paxton (Chloe East) stop by; he even invites them in for a slice of pie and a conversation about spirituality. But things soon turn ugly. The smart, sharp script and masterful performance from Grant may transcend the genre, but the brutality and suspense won’t let you forget you’re watching a horror movie, “elevated” or not.

Starts streaming March 7.

Sing Sing (2024)

Sing Sing earned nearly universal acclaim for its depiction of Sing Sing prison’s Rehabilitation Through the Arts (RTA) program, in which hardened prisoners stage dramatic productions behind bars. Colman Domingo won an Oscar for his portrayal of John Whitfield, a real person who was imprisoned for a crime he didn’t commit. Much of the rest of Sing Sing‘s cast are former convicts playing versions of themselves, which gives Sing Sing a raw, almost documentary feel. This unique, powerful film should be at the top of your must-watch list.

Starts streaming March 21.

Paul American

If you haven’t had enough of YouTube superstars Jake and Logan Paul, this eight part reality show will take you deep inside the over-the-top lives and careers of these uniquely American entertainment and sports superstars. Along with the famous brothers, Paul American will introduce the nation to the extended Paul family so that new stars may emerge. God bless America!

Starts streaming March 27.

Celtics City

This sports reality series takes viewers inside the locker rooms and boardrooms of the Boston Celtics, the winningest team in NBA history. From its founding back in 1946, through the 1980s Larry Bird years, to the triumphant 2024 season, Celtics City examines the complex forces that shapes the squad into an enduring sports legacy.

Starts streaming March 3.

When No One Sees Us

Based on the novel by Sergio Sarria, When No One Sees Us is Max’s first original Spanish language series. It stars Maribel Verdú (The Flash) as local Spanish police officer Lucía Gutierrez. When a series of disturbing murders take place around Holy Week in Morón de la Frontera (Seville), Gutierrez must work with lieutenant Magaly Castillo from the American military base nearby. More than a thriller and police procedural, When No One Sees Us explores the clash of culture between “deep Spain” and one of the largest U.S. military bases in the world.

Starts streaming March 7.

Last month’s picks

The White Lotus, Season 3

Mike White’s Emmy-winning series The White Lotus is the best. Its mix of biting commentary on wealth and privilege, well-drawn (but nearly always reprehensible) characters, and pitch-black humor add up to a nothing-else-like-it TV series. Season 3 sees a new group of pampered Americans arriving at a White Lotus luxury resort in Thailand. I can’t say for sure, but I’m guessing they’ll have unexpected and troubling times instead of a restful vacation. Season 3 also see the return of Natasha Rothwell, who played the spa owner from season one—one of the few sympathetic characters in the show’s run. Other notable cast members include Walton Goggins (The Ghoul in Prime’s Fallout series), Carrie Coon, Scott Glenn, Leslie Bibb, Michelle Monaghan, and Parker Posey.

Starts streaming February 16.

Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, season 12

There’s a new season of Last Week Tonight premiering this month, and I’m pretty sure sardonic host John Oliver will have a lot to talk about in 2025 America. Oliver promises to ask the hard questions, like “Have two presidents ever kissed?” and “Did Tucker Carlson’s mom really leave him $2 in her will?” (She actually left him $1.) Don’t miss it if you like pointed political humor, because who knows how long pointed political humor will remain legal.

Starts streaming February 16.

Common Side Effects

This Adult-Swim-produced cartoon looks intriguing. Common Side Effects‘ executive producer, Mike Judge, created both King of the Hill and Beavis and Butthead, but Common Side Effects is not really a comedy. It’s a moody, stylish looking drama about a pair of high school friends who discover both a drug that cures literally everything and a vast conspiracy from the pharmaceutical industry and the government to cover up its existence.

Starts streaming February 3.

Have I Got News for You, Season 2

If John Oliver doesn’t provide enough comedic news coverage, why not give Have I Got News for You a try? Hosted by Roy Wood Jr. with Amber Ruffin and Michael Ian Black, this show takes the grinding misery out of “following the news” and makes it fun. Each episode features a different pair of celebrity guests who compete against each other in games and quizzes that test their knowledge of current events. It’s a little like a TV version of NPR’s Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell Me.

Starts streaming February 15.

We Live in Time (2024)

If you’re in the mood for a tragic drama about doomed romance in the vein of The Notebook, this is the movie for you. Anchored by solid performances from Florence Pugh and Andrew Garfield, We Live in Time takes risks with structure, jumping around in time to tell the story of Pugh’s character’s cancer diagnoses and her decision to skip treatment to live her last days as fully as possible instead. We Live in Time was produced by A24, a company that rarely misses.

Starts streaming February 7

The Takedown: American Aryans 

This HBO original docu-series details law enforcement’s battle with the Aryan Brotherhood of Texas, a neo-Nazi street and prison gang responsible for dozens of murders and hundreds of other crimes, including the brutal killing of Breanna Taylor. Through interviews with cops, Taylor’s family, and members of the Aryan Brotherhood of Texas, The Takedown: American Aryans examines the investigation, arrests, and trials that crippled the notorious criminal enterprise.

Starts streaming February 6.

We are the Best! (2014)

There are no recognizable actors in We are the Best! It was made for very little money in Sweden. Although it got good reviews, hardly anyone saw it—it barely broke a million dollars at the box office. It’s hard to explain why anyone would care about three twelve-year-olds in Stockholm starting a terrible punk rock band in 1982, but I promise you will care if you watch it. It captures something elusive and true about youth and hope in a way that few films ever have. Seriously, watch this movie.

Starts streaming February 1.

How I Left the Opus Dei 

I was brought up Catholic, but it was “try to go to church on Sunday because it makes your mom happy” style Catholicism, a world of the difference from the hardcore Catholics in Opus Dei: They mean it. Among other things, they sleep on boards instead of beds and are into “mortification of the flesh,” and not in a fun/kinky way. Anyway, How I Left Opus Dei is a docu-series that tells the story of 13 women who got sick of being abused and left the group. I’m definitely checking it out.

Starts streaming February 7

Puppy Bowl XXI

If you want a little break from the Kansas City Chiefs versus the Philadelphia Eagles, you can switch over to HBO’s coverage of The Puppy Bowl on Super Bowl Sunday, and watch cute little puppies on Teams Ruff and Fluff play with dog toys and wrassle around with each other, totally unaware that they’re on TV and people are saying, “awwwwww.” Don’t miss the cat-centric halftime show, either.

Starts streaming February 9.

As part of Mobile World Congress, happening this week in Barcelona, Google has teased that its Gemini AI is finally ready to see the world. Literally.

Originally teased as Project Astra in May of last year, Google’s Gemini Live with Video and Gemini Live with Screenshare features each have a new trailer, showing how the search giant plans to catch up with ChatGPT’s Advanced Voice Mode. Soon, Google One AI Premium subscribers will be able to share their phone screens and real-time video with Gemini, which the chatbot will then be able to use to answer questions.

ChatGPT’s Advanced Voice Mode got these features late last year, but it also requires you to shell out at least $20/month for a ChatGPT Plus subscription. While a Google One AI Premium plan is priced identically, it also throws in 2TB of storage for your Drive and Gmail accounts, so depending on your needs, it could be the better pick for you.

In the trailers, Google shows users accessing Gemini Live via the Gemini phone app to open a real-time conversation with the AI, then tapping either a video or screen sharing button at the bottom of the screen to get started. In the Gemini Live with Video demo, we see someone showing the chatbot some vases they’ve just fired as well as some glaze swatches and asking for advice on which one to choose. In the Screenshare demo, the chatbot instead looks at a store listing for a pair of jeans and gives advice on which type of clothes to pair with them. 

I’d love to meet the type of person who would go through all of the effort of spinning and firing a vase without knowing what color to glaze it, but the point is clear. Gemini will soon be able to use real-time video and screen captures as input when answering prompts.

Unfortunately, Google hasn’t yet said much more than that. When Project Astra was originally teased, it boasted such impressive (and creepy) abilities as “being able to tell where you live just by looking out the window.” These trailers seem significantly scaled back in comparison, but they’re also clearly just short demos. I’m curious to see how the feature actually functions once users get their hands on it, which Google says will happen “later this month.”

Sometimes you need a day off. Sometimes you don’t need a day off, but you take one anyway. If you have any anxieties about what exercise means to you, you may spiral into worry or guilt: Am I a slacker? Am I losing all my gains? And if rest days are so important, why do I feel guilty every time I take one?

You probably know the answers to these questions, which all boil down to: A day off doesn’t define who you are. But feelings of rest day guilt are pretty common, and I’ve felt them myself. So here’s a pep talk to help you understand these contradictory feelings, and some options for what to do when you feel this way. Tell yourself these things:

Know that one day doesn’t matter

Being strong or fit or getting in shape is a years-long goal, if not a lifelong one. Five years from now, will you look back on this one particular day with regret? You probably won’t even remember it happened.

Tomorrow is a new day, so don’t fall into the trap of thinking you’ve ruined your whole week or your whole training program. Either skip the day or make it up tomorrow, whichever will make the path easier for you going forward.

Rest is useful

A well-designed program will usually have at least one rest day each week; some programs might even have three or four. All are perfectly valid ways to work out. So if you took three rest days this week rather than two, it’s not like all your hard work went to waste.

Your body will put that rest to good use, anyway. Some people will say a certain number of rest days per week are necessary; I don’t know that that’s actually true as long as your fatigue is well managed. But regardless of whether you need a day off, your body can still use one for extra recovery. You’ll feel fresher the day you come back.

You may feel better if you do something

A rest day doesn’t have to be 100% sedentary. Resting too much can backfire. Let’s say you need to take a day off from running—cool, great, you’re taking care of yourself. But then you may be missing out on the mental health benefits of exercise, and now you’re sitting around being grumpy. Go for a walk to get those benefits, or do another low-key activity you enjoy, like yoga or stretching.

You feel guilty because you care

It’s worth taking a minute to unpack those guilty feelings. Often, we feel guilty about taking a day off because we have a plan in our mind (say, we envision ourselves working out every day) and we see that we’re falling short. Having a plan, and being able to compare our actions to our plan, are both good things! We may just need to recalibrate a bit.

So when you feel guilty, think about your plan. Maybe your plan can allow some extra rest days, which means you’re not off-target at all. Or maybe your plan is unrealistic, and you’ve been putting inappropriate expectations on yourself. Check whether your benchmarks (or SMART goals) actually match up appropriately with your big-picture dream goals.

Focus on consistency

A big part of the reason one day doesn’t matter is that, in the long run, what does matter is consistency. If you’ve been hitting all your workouts for weeks on end, and this week you have to miss one, you are still the kind of person who usually hits all their workouts.

Maybe you’re afraid that this one day off is going to send you down a slippery slope, and you’ll end up taking more days off. Well, that’s within your power! Decide how and when you’ll get back on that horse. Plan out your schedule for tomorrow, or for next week, and make sure you’ll be able to make those next sessions.

Problem-solve for next time

Why did you take this rest day, anyway? If you were feeling worn down, maybe you need a more balanced exercise program that doesn’t leave you feeling that way. Or if you dread a certain workout, maybe that’s a sign that you need to change something—either the workout, or your mindset. If you always skip workouts with box jumps, for example, there are ways to get over that fear.

Just a time management issue? Try some of these tips for getting in regular exercise even when your schedule is already packed.

Consider your overall plan

Or maybe you’re feeling guilty because you’ve missed a lot of days. That’s a sign that you may be on a path that’s unsustainable. Are you so stressed out from work that you don’t feel motivated to work out? Maybe you need more than a day’s break from working out to see if that relieves some of the extra pressure. Or maybe you need to lift before work instead of after, to see if that gives you enough of a mood boost to get you through a stressful day. Or maybe you just have to solve the larger problem in your life. (Talk to your boss about your workload? Start looking for a new job?)

Bottom line, if you feel guilty about missing one day because to you it’s a symbol of other things going on in your life, zoom out and see what you can do about fixing those other things.

Creating and sticking to a cleaning schedule is difficult, but only because life is difficult. Finding time to clean can feel impossible sometimes, especially when you’ve had a stressful day at work, with your family, or just in general. But what if you could harness that negative energy and turn it into cleaning power? That’s the idea behind TikTok’s “angry cleaning” trend—also known as “rage cleaning“—and if you’re as grumpy as I am, you mind find it helps you get your home a lot cleaner.

What is TikTok’s rage cleaning trend about?

I see the terms “angry cleaning” and “rage cleaning” all over TikTok, but quickly realized they describe something I already do: When I’m annoyed or upset, I start to clean—usually something that requires a little oomph, like scrubbing or vacuuming. It turns out I’m not alone.

There are a few benefits at work here. Pouring your negative energy into cleaning can distract you from whatever is annoying you, providing a menial task you can accomplish without a lot of active thinking. It lets you physically work out your negativity, especially if you’re really putting some muscle into whatever you’re doing (cleaning the oven is a good option here). It also gives you a positive end result that can lift your spirits and make you feel motivated: After cleaning for a while, your head will feel clearer and you’ll have a cleaner home to show for it.

How to incorporate angry cleaning into your routine

I’ll stop short of recommending that you wait to clean until you’re upset; you should still try to follow a cleaning schedule and stay consistent with your efforts to tidy up. Additionally, I don’t recommend intentionally pissing yourself off so you can work up the motivation to scrub all those dirty pans.

When the opportunity to rage clean arises naturally, however, it pays to find the right outlet. Choose an arduous task like cleaning the bathroom grout so you can really put your back into it and physically work out your anger. It needn’t be something truly strenuous. For instance, I like folding laundry when I’m mad because I get to slap the folded garments down on the pile with a bang. Whatever works!

This isn’t really the time for something that takes brainpower, like decluttering. Angry cleaning is most effective when you can focus on feelings over thoughts, so stick to mopping the floor extra hard. I’m generally a proponent of cleaning your home in small bursts, so tap into that thinking to bust through one annoying, laborious cleaning task while you’re good and pissed.

I’m not saying rage cleaning will fix whatever is bothering you, but it can help you let off some steam and will allow you to think a little more clearly afterward—and in a neater space to boot. Challenge yourself to work quietly on one task, see it through with no distractions, and reevaluate how you feel afterward. Think about what’s bothering you, or just focus on cleaning, but don’t take any steps to address what’s wrong until you’ve finished your project and given yourself a little time alone and a bonus jolt of accomplishment. Your problems, and your to-do list, might both feel a bit more manageable afterward.

What to keep in mind when rage cleaning

I’ll add a few more notes here, as someone who’s now watched what feels like a million of these TikTok videos and who also does enjoy cleaning up when negative emotions are afoot. First, don’t just channel your rage into cleaning to make it more effective, but make sure you’re also using that time to yourself to calm down the anger. That looks different for everyone, sure, but on TikTok, you’ll see examples of people lighting candles or putting on some music they enjoy. Ideally, by the end of an angry cleaning session, you’ll feel better—which will help you address the cause of your annoyance more effectively, too.

Second, if you’re feeling mad all the time, it’s really not good, whether you’re able to turn that into productive rage cleaning or not. Obviously, it’s more important to deal with the root cause of your problems than constantly use them to clean. Just wanted to put that out there. In the meantime, though, make sure you’re taking note of when you’re feeling the inspiration to angry clean. If, say, you hang up every phone call with your mom in a bad mood or consistently get frustrated after a weekly meeting at work, reorient your cleaning schedule to make sure you’re harnessing that energy. If one of the parents at your kid’s 6 p.m., Tuesday dance class enrages you, 8 p.m. on Tuesday sounds like a great time to give the kitchen its weekly cleaning, right? Let it work for you, not against you, and your home and emotions will thank you.

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There’s a difference between cleaning and decluttering. If you have too much stuff (clutter), you’ll have a much harder time sweeping, dusting, sanitizing, and actually cleaning, plus your house will never look clean. But decluttering is harder than cleaning, by far. It’s overwhelming, even, which is why clutter can get out of hand, making cleaning a nearly impossible task. That’s also why we’re always on the hunt for new ways to declutter: Surely, someone out there has cracked the code, right? As it turns out, organizer Kayleen Kelly may have. Her method, Core 4, is wildly popular on TikTok and could be the one that works for you. (Check out all these other pro decluttering methods, too, for more inspiration.)

What is Core 4?

Kelly’s Core 4 cleaning method is a big hit on CleanTok, with one analysis I was sent by Upmove showing videos on the technique have amassed over 23 million views. Here’s the video that launched it all:

When decluttering, Kelly suggests moving through each room in four stages: Clear out, categorize, cut out, and contain. 

How to use Core 4 to declutter

If you want to try Core 4 on your own, Kelly advises starting with small areas to avoid getting overwhelmed. Instead of trying to do each stage through your entire home at once, do all four stages in one room, then repeat that process in each room. If a single room has a ton of stuff in it, you can divvy that up even more, focusing first on a closet or the counter space, for example.

Clear out

Start the first phase, which is clear out, by just removing everything and putting it in a pile. Throw out trash if you see it, but focus on getting your cupboards, table space, and other storage areas completely clear, so they can be filled in a more organized way later.

Categorize

Next, categorize. You’ll need sorting bins for this (more on that later), so designate a bin for each different category of stuff you’re moving through, like your clothes, a family member’s clothes, makeup, knick-knacks, pet products, etc. Start sorting your pile by putting every item into its associated bin. 

Cut out

The third phase is “cut out.” This one is difficult because you’ll be tasked with going through each bin and determining what can be thrown away or donated. This is a good time to practice putting your clutter in “purgatory”—moving things you’re unsure about getting rid of to a special bin that you’ll hide away somewhere, like an attic, for a month to determine if you can live without it. Otherwise, be decisive and do your best to shrink the amount of stuff in each bin. Here’s a list of questions I recommend asking yourself as you declutter so you can focus on making objective, reasonable choices.

Contain

Finally, contain. Reassess your bin situation. If you threw out a bunch of old kitchen tools, you might be able to put the remaining ones in a smaller container, for instance. The bins are key here—you’ll be using them for storage and organizing going forward, not just for sorting and decluttering when you’re working through the steps. 

What to keep in mind while utilizing Core 4

Core 4 relies on principles you’ll also find echoed throughout the wider landscape of organizing and decluttering techniques. Specifically, it works well because it falls back on the principles that make up the Organizational Triangle, namely, that similar items should be stored together and everything you own must have a designated space. The containers are crucial because they keep everything categorized and stored together, but also because they give you a sense of volume. If all of your skincare products are stored in a bin, for instance, you’ll notice if you run out of space to add more, which can signal to you that you need to declutter and pare down your collection. If they’re scattered all over your bathroom and vanity, you’ll have a much tougher time noticing you have too much.

While the containers are important and valuable, they also pose a bit of a problem: With everything boxed up and hidden away, the containers themselves can become cluttered. You’ll still need to repeat the Core 4 technique periodically over time, focusing on that “clear out” step and dumping the bins, so you don’t end up with a bunch of smaller, invisible messes inside your cabinets and closets. Another approach you can use is the “out in the open” method, which is pretty similar, but involves dumping every item in every closet or cupboard in a room right into the center of the space, then going through it. The scale at which you tackle the “clear out” stage as you continue to employ Core 4 is really up to you, but I recommend moving in smaller chunks to avoid getting overwhelmed.

What bins you’ll need

It might seem counterintuitive to buy more stuff to declutter, but to use this method, you really do need the bins. They make sorting easy, plus give you a place to store the things you decide to keep, helping you stay organized so you don’t have to keep repeating the Core 4 all the time. Here are a few bin options to consider: 

Classic storage bins

If you’re focusing on pure functionality, nothing is better for this job than clear, plastic containers with lids. They nest and stack, so whether they’re empty or full, storing them is easy and intuitive. Try the IRIS bins from Amazon, which come in a six-pack of 53-quart bins ($69.99) for larger items or categories and a 20-pack of 5.9-quart bins ($28.99) for smaller needs. 

IRIS USA 6-quart clear storage boxes, 20 pack

$28.99
at Amazon

Shop Now

Shop Now

$28.99
at Amazon

Decorative storage bins

If you live in a small space where the bins are more likely to be visible or you just prioritize aesthetics, you’ll want more decorative bins. Your best bet is to buy sets of matching boxes, like this small and large box set on Wayfair for $58.99, which comes in a bunch of colors and designs. Collapsible fabric boxes, like this set of three from Amazon ($29.95) are good options, too, since they can be folded up when not in use and fit well onto shelving units.

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A crevice garden is an exceptional way to deal with one of the hardest terrains to grow a garden. But more than that, crevice gardens can create architectural interest and structure, while growing a drought-tolerant garden that can be full of native plants. You can even create a crevice garden in a place that didn’t previously have rocky terrain, if you like the look of them.

With climate change bringing hotter summers, a garden that is drought tolerant while also improving the soil and providing food for pollinators is a win all around. Since these gardens are so low maintenance, they’re perfect for people who want a dramatic, natural garden without a lot of upkeep.  

Crevices provide the perfect growing conditions

If you have a patio, driveway or bricked walkway, you know that plants love to grow in the nooks and crannies, whether you want them to or not. There’s good reason these plants grow in the tiny spaces—the surrounding matter, whether that’s rock, brick, or pavement, provide almost perfect germination conditions. They keep the seeds dark, warm, and moist in the soil, shaded from the sun. The roots are protected, and hard surfaces almost always trap heat, offering the plant what it needs to survive. 

With a crevice garden, you embrace this idea, and either create or adapt rocky spaces. If you have a rock wall, adding plants between the rocks creates a symbiotic relationship: The roots help the wall maintain stability, holding soil and rocks in place, even in storms; the rocks provide drainage, insulation, and minerals that leach into the soil, providing nutrients for the plants. The rocks also act as protection. 

How to start planting in your rock wall

If you have an existing rock wall or outcropping of rocks, you just need to check the conditions to get started on your crevice garden. You’ll need enough soil between the rocks to anchor your plants. Use a cup or scoop to pour garden soil into the crevices, only enough so the seedings you place there will touch soil. Once you ensure that your rock wall has enough soil between the rocks, tuck small plants into the crevices. When you pull these plants out of the plastic containers they come in, be sure to free up and spread out the roots, so they’ll begin rooting into the soil once planted. While they’re establishing themselves, ensure the wall gets watered only enough to keep the plants alive. Don’t baby these plants—overwatering will stop the roots from seeking water deep within the soil. Water the plants once after planting, and then watch for signs of plant stress such as wilting before watering again. Remember, water flows down, so if you’re watering a rock wall, don’t overdo it: Water well at the top of the wall and then allow gravity to move the water down to lower plants.

There are different variations on crevice gardens

A new generation of landscapers is using the notion of a rock wall to landscape entire flat yards. Washington State University recently demonstrated this, laying stone slabs parallel to one another, creating gorgeous diagonal lines between which to plant. Plantings are made in small groupings, two or three together.

You don’t need to design your entire yard around the crevice concept: A small outcropping of large rocks creates vertical interest in a large yard. Consider a long, low rock wall to define a change of elevation in your yard, or to shield a sitting area from the wind. 

Once you have rocks or slabs in place, the instructions are the same as for a rock wall. Make sure there’s some dirt or soil for the plants to grab onto in the crevices between rocks, or add enough soil to do so. Plant small, drought tolerant plants in the crevices and encourage root growth by watering minimally.

Resources to start your own crevice garden

If you’re interested in starting a crevice garden, consider the book “The Crevice Garden: How to make the perfect home for plants from rocky places,” which is full of suggestions for plants and layouts of crevice gardens. 

The best way to start is to visit a local nursery that specializes in natives; explain your project and find out what plants are recommended for your zone. This is the perfect time of year, as nurseries are beginning to stock for the spring and summer. This early in the season, you also have time to grow your own seedlings from seed. Seeing what is available will help you envision the colors, shapes and textures your garden can embody. From sedums that will tolerate a Northeast winter to caper berry plants that would thrive in a high desert, your crevice garden has to be suited to the local weather. 

If you’re interested in building a crevice garden from scratch, consider working with a landscape designer. If you want to go it on your own, seek out a local rock yard. These businesses have different rocks, soils, and sands are separated out, and you can walk or drive around and look at each. You’ll purchase the material by the ton, not pound, and can usually opt to pick it up yourself or have it delivered. Someone will walk with you through the yard and show you options. 

You can be as organic or rigid in your design as you’d like, by just placing a few rocks close together or by laying out an entire yard’s worth of stone in distinctive planes. The formula remains the same: Identify the spaces between the rocks (the crevices), ensure there’s enough soil to plant into, and then place drought-tolerant plants in those spaces.

If you’re trying to get your finances back on track—and who isn’t?—you’re sure to see “no-buy months” and “low-buy years” all across social media. No-buy challenges ask participants to eliminate all non-essential purchases for a set period. While the concept seems straightforward, these challenges often fail because they don’t address the psychological aspects of spending or provide realistic frameworks for long-term financial habits.

I’ve written before that sticking to a budget can feel a lot like sticking to a diet. A strict approach is not only too difficult to maintain, but it can backfire. The all-or-nothing mentality is frustrating and demoralizing, and you might wind up abandoning your financial goals. And like trying to cut out all carbs on a random Tuesday, it’s sure to lead to some sort of binge. The solution? Some sort of moderation.

Let’s take a look at several alternative saving strategies that offer more sustainable paths to financial wellness without requiring complete, all-or-nothing spending freezes.

Use “cash stuffing” to curb your spending

This method involves dividing physical cash into different envelopes or containers for specific spending categories. Common categories for cash stuffing include groceries, entertainment, restaurants, gas, rent, etc. The key here is you can only spend money in a certain category from its designated envelope. Once the envelope is empty, that’s that for the month.

Cash stuffing works because it forces you to be more intentional (deciding how much money gets allocated into your envelopes) and more disciplined (you can’t put more money into the envelope once it runs out). I also love how it eliminates the abstract nature of transactions. It’s always helpful to see immediate visual feedback on your remaining budget.

Use category-specific spending challenges

Instead of cutting all discretionary spending, focus on reducing expenditures in one problematic area, such as dining out or clothing purchases.

How to implement:

• Identify your highest unnecessary spending category.

• Set a specific, reasonable reduction goal (like cutting restaurant visits in half).

• Track your progress without eliminating the category entirely.

Get mindful with “slow shopping”

This approach emphasizes thoughtful consumption rather than impulsive buying or complete abstinence.

Key principles:

• Implement a mandatory waiting period (24-72 hours) before making non-essential purchases.

• Research alternatives, compare prices, and consider second-hand options.

• Ask yourself meaningful questions about each potential purchase’s value and necessity.

Create your own values-based budget

Rather than focusing on restriction, the values-based budget aligns spending with your personal values and priorities.

Some steps to follow:

• Identify what truly matters most to you (family experiences, health, education, etc.).

• Allocate more resources to high-value categories.

• Naturally reduce spending in areas that don’t align with your core values.

The bottom line

The most effective saving strategy is one you can maintain consistently. Experiment with different approaches to discover which creates sustainable financial habits without triggering feelings of deprivation or eventual spending rebounds.

Remember that financial wellness isn’t about never spending money—it’s about spending intentionally on what truly matters while building security for the future.

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The movies and television shows below are the best of what’s coming to Hulu this month—according to me. Because I’m an expert at watching things. The best of the month is Deli Boys, a fishes-out-of-water comedy about pampered Pakistani brothers who inherit a criminal empire. Also of note: Good American Family, a series based on a very strange true story.

Deli Boys, season 1

Created by Abdullah Saeed, Deli Boys is an outrageous comedy series about a pair of sheltered, pampered Pakistani American brothers whose lives are upended when their father dies, and they learn that baba’s real money didn’t come from the delis he owned, but from the illegal drugs he dealt. Now the sons must take over the family business, but these goofs are the furthest thing on earth from drug dealers.

Starts streaming March 6.

Good American Family

Mark Duplass and Ellen Pompeo star as a Midwestern couple who adopt a child they believe has a rare form of dwarfism, but they start to suspect she’s not actually a child, and wonder what nefarious designs she has on their family. Based on the same true stories that inspired The Orphan, Good American Family aims to go deeper than a potboiler by telling its creepy, bizarre story from multiple points of view to explore the subtleties of bias, culture, and trauma that are really behind this odd story.

Starts streaming March 19.

O’Dessa

I don’t know whether O’Dessa will be good or not, but this Hulu original is the kind of movie that takes such a huge swing, it’s bound to be entertaining, even if it falls apart. It’s a sci-fi rock opera in which Sadie Sink plays a farm girl who ventures out into a post-apocalyptic wasteland to save the world through song, so it’s bound to be either a classic or a cult-classic. Either way, I am so on board.

Starts streaming March 13.

Last Take: Rust and the Story of Halyna

When a movie quality camera is pointed at a shooting, you’d think it would be obvious who’s to blame, but the story of Alec Baldwin killing cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of the movie Rust is way more complex than that. Through interviews with people who were there, police interrogation videos, and behind-the-scenes footage from the movie set, Last Take goes beyond the sensational headlines to tell the real story of the day everything went so horrifically wrong.

Starts streaming March 11.

Control Freak

This Hulu original horror movie stars Kelly Marie Tran as a successful motivational speaker whose life is close to perfect, until her head starts itching. The maddening itch gets worse, but not lice. It’s a parasitic infection, a malevolent creature that begins to take control of her mind and body. If you’re into body horror, you should definitely check out this squirmy, suspenseful flick.

Starts streaming March 13.

Am I Being Unreasonable? season 2

If you’re looking for something unusual to watch, check out Am I Being Unreasonable? Produced by BBC, the first season of this dark comedy/thriller series earned rave reviews for its anarchic, try-everything cinematic style, its sharp writing, and its talented cast headed by Daisy May Cooper. She plays Nic, a woman stuck in an unhappy marriage whose life unravels in hilarious ways when she tells someone her darkest secret.

Starts streaming March 12.

Bill Burr: Drop Dead Years

Bill Burr’s new special showcases the honesty, anger, and wit that brought him to the top of the stand-up comedy heap. Age hasn’t softened Bill at all: in this deeply personal hour of stand-up, Burr focuses on subjects like aging, death, and male sadness with his unique, don’t-give-a-fuck style.

Starts streaming March 14.

Last month’s picks

A Thousand Blows

Created by Steven Knight, the genius behind Peaky Blinders, this British boxing drama is made for fans of hardcore Victoriana. A Thousand Blows takes viewers to the mean streets of London in the 1880s where we follow Hezekiah (Malachi Kirby) and Alec (Francis Lovehall), two friends from Jamaica who immigrate to the UK only to find themselves fighting for their lives in the crime-ridden East End. The pair run afoul of criminal kingpin and pugilist Sugar Goodson (Stephen Graham) and find a friend in Mary Carr (Erin Doherty), head of an all-woman shoplifting gang known as the Forty Elephants.

Starts streaming February 21.

The Kardashians, season 6

Love ’em or hate ’em, the Kardashians are an American institution, and they’re back for another season of rich people hijinks, including the potential of Khloé reuniting with her ex, Lamar Odom, a look at Kim and Khloé’s summer getaway to India, and North West’s Lion King tribute performance. I can’t freakin’ wait. (OK, I can wait.)

Starts streaming February 6.

SLY LIVES! (aka The Burden of Black Genius)

If you don’t like Sly and the Family Stone, we probably shouldn’t hang out. Directed by Questlove, whose first documentary series, Summer of Soul, is a classic, SLY LIVES! investigates the life and legacy of Sly Stone through amazing archival performance footage of Sly in his prime and in-depth interviews with the people who were there. Deeper than the “wasn’t Sly cool?” movie this could have been, SLY LIVES! doesn’t shy away from the bigger issues surrounding his fame or gloss over the downfall of a legend.

Starts streaming February 13.

My Best Friend’s an Animal

As anyone with a loyal pet can tell you, love doesn’t care what species you are. My Best Friend’s an Animal is a for-the-whole-family documentary series by National Geographic that examines the bond between people and unusual, exotic pets. Expect a ton of awwwwws.

Starts streaming February 5.

Muslim Matchmaker

Hulu’s original series Muslim Matchmaker is from Indian Matchmaking creator Smriti Mundhra’s Meralta Films, a company with a proven track record of creating cross-cultural, reality dating shows. The series follows the adventures of Hoda Abrahim and Yasmin Elhady, matchmakers who help Muslim Americans find romance. The focus is on traditional Muslim relationships, so this is not a show about hook-up culture; it’s a show about finding the person you want to settle down with, but that doesn’t mean there’s a shortage of awkward first dates.

Starts streaming February 11.

Wicked Game: Devil in the Desert

I can’t find a ton of information about this Hulu original documentary series, but I’m intrigued by Wicked Game‘s official show description: “Hunting the mastermind of a violent abduction, authorities unravel a twisted tale of obsession during the early days of legalized pot.” That’s a good enough premise for me to give it a spin, for sure.

Starts streaming February 4.

Shoresey, season 4

I have a confession to make: I’d never heard of Shoresey before today, and I can’t believe I haven’t been watching this show. Why wasn’t I informed? This Canadian sports comedy series is excellent and totally deserves the 100% fresh rating it has on rotten tomatoes. Shoresy follows the adventures of a Shoresy, a foul-mouthed, fan-favorite hockey player on the Sudbury Bulldogs in Sudbury, Ontario, known as the dirtiest player in the game. Hockey comedy has been funny since the original Slap Shot!

Starts streaming February 26.

Devil in the Family: The Fall of Ruby Franke

If you’re a true-crime fan and you’re unfamiliar with the bizarre story of Ruby Franke, you’re in for twisted treat. Franke was once a prominent mommy vlogger, but something went terribly wrong and she ended up in jail, accused of abusing her children in horrible ways. Devil in the Family promises new insight into this dark story through interviews with the Frankes’ eldest children, Shari and Chad, and Ruby’s husband, Kevin.

Starts streaming February 27.