VPN, Intermittent Fasting, Getting Off the Plane and More in This Week’s Highlights
This week, we continued to tackle congressional disregard for online privacy with VPNs, tried a surprisingly simple diet, cooked up our doomsday supplies without going crazy, and more. Here’s a look back.
Why is everyone talking about VPN?
Yesterday, the House of Representatives approved a measure that reversed an upcoming FCC ruling that would require ISPs to ask you for permission to sell your browsing data. Everyone is now trying to figure out a way to get around this, and virtual private networks (VPNs) are the most popular way to do this. But what the hell are they?
Fasting two days a week is actually a good diet.
Last Tuesday I ate some green beans, a Clif bar, and one homemade sous vide egg bite . That’s 500 calories. I swear I don’t have an eating disorder – I was just trying to stick to this diet. On Wednesday, I went back to my normal 2,000 calories and felt great.
According to the economist, the most useful language for English speakers
So, you want to learn a second language to advance your career, but you don’t know which one will benefit you the most. If you asked an economist, they would probably answer you that way.
Laziest and cheapest way to bypass your ISP
Congress decided that your ISP should be allowed to sell your personal browsing data, but the solutions to get around this are a little complicated, costly, or downright painful . What’s a lazy internet person to do? Use Opera.
Here’s What Happens When You Damage Priceless Art
When I was 16, my French classes were lucky enough to visit France. Upon arrival in Paris, we immediately went to the Louvre, but I was so exhausted by the change of time zones that I sat down and fell asleep. However, the location I chose was actually an ancient work of art. This is what would happen if I broke it.
This sinister alarm clock app is the only reason I am awake right now.
I believe in my dreams. Let’s say I dream of getting to an airport or finding a final exam room that I haven’t studied for. When the alarm goes off, I put it off: I have a very important mission and cannot be interrupted. That’s why I need this wicked, horrible alarm clock.
11 things that can confuse you and how to deal with it
When it comes to flying, the crew members do their best to ensure that the flight is comfortable, enjoyable and, most importantly, safe for their passengers. Any or all that prevents them from doing their job is removed. For example, this one.
Doomsday preparation for non-paranoid people
What’s your nightmare since November 8th? Perhaps your subconscious, like mine, has reserved from 3 to 5 in the morning for what I like to call Panic City — a half-asleep, vague, mental repetition of everything that can go catastrophically wrong for the country or for you personally, or for … literally anyone. Two hours of fun! Then I read the news.
Still needing to cut back on canceled credit cards?
Most credit cards have decent fraud protection these days. If someone steals and uses your card, most issuers make it easy to dispute transactions and flag your account. However, this does not mean that you should do it by accident. If you void your card or expire, break the scissors (or shredder).
How to work on one chin-up
If one or more chin-ups is one of your goals in life, you’re in luck. Here’s a game plan you can follow, even if all you can do is hang out like a bag of meat.
How to make your browsing anonymous with a Tor-based Raspberry Pi hotspot
If you’ve been thinking about trying Tor to anonymize all your web browsing, you can just download a browser and try it out, but it’s much more fun to create your own highly portable proxy that you can easily connect to on a whim. … Log into your Raspberry Pi.
How to hide annoying things on mobile sites using 1Blocker
You are browsing the Internet on your iPhone when you see a pop-up asking you to subscribe to the newsletter. Are you: A) frantically looking for a little X to make it disappear, B) roll your eyes and hit the back button to leave, or C) want to get rid of those annoying pop-ups while continuing to read your favorite passages. 1Blocker , our favorite iOS ad blocker , has just introduced a feature that makes Option C much easier.
How to be less stupid about money
Some people like to dig into their finances to optimize their savings like a well-oiled machine. Personally, I prefer to bury my head in the sand and hope that my bank account can handle it on its own. Felix Salmon, senior editor at Fusion and co-host of the Slate’s Money podcast , is here to help us sort out dollars and cents.
How to make the perfect cheese platter
A cheese platter can be anything. Party dish, appetizer, even lunch – a cheese platter can do all this and more. It doesn’t require cooking, but creating a perfectly harmonious plate of delicious dairy products is a delicate balance and requires some foresight.