Eliminate the Clutter of Your Headphones and Cords Once and for All
The last time we checked our staff’s weekly updates , our editors were making homemade otters, splashing around in seawater sandals, and loading up comfy accessories for the colder months.
Some of us have been focused this week on rationalizing our digital lives (end the headphone confusion! Don’t use keys and invest in new cords! Close your damn tabs!), And revisited the Latchi Peterson assassination, researching new podcasts, finding new ways to multitask, kindle the storm, and more.
What updates have you made this week? Let us know in the comments.
Don’t let your headphones go into clutter
I started winding the cords of the headphones in a figure-of-eight pattern to prevent them from tangling or twisting. I recommend making Spock’s hand instead of the devil horns method we published in 2006 . And always put them in your bag, otherwise they WILL break.
NICK DOUGLAS, STAFF WRITER
Go to the real crime TV series
If you’ve been fascinated by People vs. O. J. Simpson, then you will definitely be fascinated by The Murder of Lacey Peterson on A&E. If you didn’t get through the news frenzy or follow the story when it happened 15 years ago, this documentary gives you all the gruesome details, as well as a very interesting look at how the media covered it as well as the country. entered the war in Iraq. I endured it in one horrific sitting.
melissa kirsch, editor-in-chief
Lots of iPad accessories
My girlfriend just gave me an Apple Smart Keyboard for my iPad Pro as a birthday present. I think it’s great! The keys are nice to the touch, they cover the screen, and the whole thing can still fit into my leather carry case along with my Apple Pencil. Now I don’t need to travel with my laptop and iPad Pro if I’m not doing something for work.
Patrick Allan, staff writer
Don’t shop and make your own puff pastry
I don’t know if this is cheating, but learning how to make rough puff pastry was definitely an improvement. Making your own butter with real butter, rather than store bought butter made with fat, really tastes better. It’s not as chubby, but the palmmeyers I made from my homemade rough puff were next level and really easy to make. However, you may want to cut back on the butter a bit.
Claire Lower, food and drink editor
Tame your tabs with Tamagotchi
I’m using Tabagotchi , a Chrome extension that gives you a little Tamagotchi that you should try to keep without opening too many tabs. It was fun at first, keeping him healthy and happy (“Hurray!” He says when your tabs are in control). But then throughout the day (okay, next five minutes) I kept killing him, which made me close some tabs and bring him back to life. I like it when it’s around. How else can virtual creatures help me?
Michelle Wu, parenting editor
Simplify USB setup with more cables
As the owner of a MacBook Pro fully equipped with USB-C ports, I must say that #DongleLife really tires me out. In most cases, I choose which device to charge first, my iPhone or my headphones. Considering Apple’s multiport USB-C adapter and its $ 70 price tag, I’d rather bite the bullet and equip myself with some USB-C cables so I can get through the time as painlessly as possible. And so I did. I bought two USB-C to Micro-USB cables perfect for my Bluetooth headphones and my iPhone, usually protected by a battery compartment. The cables are short and allow me to ditch the adapter more often, which is nice, but the lack of USB-C cables with Lightning connectors from a well-known brand at a reasonable price forces me to keep the bulky and uncomfortable-looking dongle in my bag. just in case, you need to combine the past with the present. I’d rather live in a future where cables don’t stand hands and feet.
Patrick Austin, staff writer
Take a deep dive on mountain goats
After cramming 7 podcast recommendations into my 5 favorite podcasts this week , I regret to report that I have another one. This is a brand new podcast called I Only Listen to Mountain Goats that I discovered this morning. The guy from Night Vale interviews John Darniel (Mountain Goats singer / songwriter) about his songs, one per episode. And then guests are invited to them, and everyone talks about what it means to create cool things. In the first episode, John Green is present and they discuss the songThe Best Ever Death Metal Band in Denton . The rest of the season will be devoted to other songs from the same album, 2001 All Hail West Texas .
Beth Skwarecki, health editor
Use your social time for multiple tasks
It seems too obvious to use for an update, but lately I’ve found that I have very little time lately and so I’ve been rethinking my approach to how I fit into things like errands and meeting friends. … Inspired in part by Ada Calhoun’s essay on how to stay friends in your 30s (secret: lower your expectations of what it means to hang out!) things in Target. I have to say while I like it. We both feel like we’re doing something, and the conversation is just as fulfilling (and less hazy the next day) as if we had a few hours to spend at dinner and too much wine. Of course, only a few fairly close friends that I feel comfortable with ask, “Would you like to go for a walk after work and help me choose a new eyeliner at the pharmacy?” but it’s a really good way to break up the monotony of day to day, and also to make sure I see people I care about more often than, say, once a month for a meeting we’ve rescheduled five times already.
Virginia K. Smith, Editor-in-Chief