Author: Elon Mark

Other Smart ScalesRenpho MorphoScan Photograph: Chris NullRenpho MorphoScan for $150: The Renpho MorphoScan full-body scanner looks surprisingly similar to the Runstar FG2015, including a near-identical display attached to the handlebars. Well, spoiler alert, they are basically the same scale. They even use the same app to collect data (and you can even use both scales simultaneously with it). The only reason this scale isn’t our top pick for the category is that it’s $15 more expensive. You can rest assured that a price war is looming.Arboleaf Body Fat Scale CS20W Photograph: Chris NullArboleaf Body Fat Scale CS20W for $40: This…

Compare Our PicksOthers TestedThese were effective, but not as consistently so as the above picks. I’d still encourage others to try since bodies react differently to the active ingredients in these over-the-counter sleep aids.Rebalance Dream Sleep Mints (Melatonin-Free; 31-Pack) for $46: These melatonin-free mints are designed to slowly dissolve, with natural sleep inducing ingredients like L-theanine, L-tryptophan, GABA, and slow release Reishi mushroom. You can take up to three lozenges every night, and it took me three to feel any sort of calming effects. I like the idea of a slow melting mint alternative, but I’m currently testing the version…

new video loaded: How We Tracked Abuses in the Russian ArmyPresident Vladimir Putin has claimed that the Russian society can tolerate the high human cost of the war in Ukraine. But we’ve analyzed more than 6,000 official complaints by soldiers and their loved ones that paint a very different picture. Our international correspondent Paul Sonne explains how the documents offer rare insight into a violent military apparatus willing to abuse its own men to keep up the assault in Ukraine.By Paul Sonne, Nikolay Nikolov, Rebecca Suner, David Jouppi, Alina Lobzina, Milana Mazaeva, Nataliya Vasilyeva, Nikita Pavlov and Arijeta LajkaDecember 31,…

I will admit to being afraid of scales—the kind that weigh you, not the ones on a snake. And so my first reaction to the idea I’d be getting a free body-scanning scale with a Factor prepared meal kit subscription was something akin to “Oh no!”It’s always bad or shameful news, I figured, and maybe nothing I don’t already know. Though, as it turned out, I was wrong on both points.Factor is, of course, the prepared meal brand from meal kit giant HelloFresh, which I’ve tested while reviewing dozens of meal kits this past year. Think delivery TV dinners, but…

Every audio system requires amplification. In a traditional hi-fi set-up, the loudspeakers are always “passive”—which is to say, they don’t produce their own power. Instead, they must receive an amplified audio signal from an external source, aptly called an amplifier, in order to do their thing. Even in a more modern, self-contained audio system (like the Sonos Era 100, for example), the drivers that produce the sound must be amplified in order to function—this just all happens in a singular box rather than across hi-fi separates.But if you’ve heard about amplifiers, you may have also heard about preamplifiers (often referred…

Photograph: Matt KamenBoot up the C64U, and you’re greeted by a re-creation of the C64’s menu. Here, you can type in operation commands just as you would back in the day, using the BASIC programming language. Problem: I don’t have the first clue about BASIC. However, in what is possibly the greatest throwback of all, the C64U comes with a spiral-bound, 273-page user guide. It is an absolute tome. Somewhat surprisingly, it’s not a reprint of anything that came with the original, but rather a tailored guide to what the C64U does, where it differs from the C64, and how…

The final trading days before Christmas brought a distinctly mixed tone to the Rhine barge market. While overall activity slowed sharply as most chartering programs for 2025 concluded, declining water levels reintroduced upward pressure on freight rates, particularly for Upper Rhine destinations. The result was a quiet but structurally firmer market, driven more by logistical constraints than by demand. 1. Freight Rates: Limited Activity, Selective Firming 22 December: The week opened with renewed upward pressure on Upper Rhine routes. Falling water levels reduced effective intake volumes, prompting higher-priced fixtures for prompt business and even stronger discussions for early January loadings.…

Compare Our PicksOthers TestedPhotograph: Molly HigginsTineco Go Pet Cordless Vacuum for $176: As when I tested the Tineco Go Mini ($130) for my handheld vacuums guide, I was a bit underwhelmed by this vacuum specifically for pets. It has a slot for easy brush removal if hair gets stuck around the bars, which is a helpful thing to have when you’re dealing with pet (and human) hair. The lever and the angle of the lid for emptying are counterintuitive, and the first few times I emptied it, the debris went everywhere. It’s hard to distinguish between eco and power modes,…

The ARA barge freight market experienced a brief but intense burst of activity at the start of the Christmas week, followed by an almost complete collapse in liquidity as the holiday period took hold. While demand peaked sharply on Monday as charterers finalized year-end programs, the momentum proved short-lived. By Christmas Eve, the market was effectively closed, with minimal spot activity and freight rates stabilizing after midweek softness. 1. Freight Rates: Early Support Gives Way to Broad Softening 22 December: The market opened with strong upward pressure on activity, driven by a surge in demand for middle distillates. Freight rates…

There is what looks like another maddening design fail, with the Switch’s left shoulder buttons, L and ZL, positioned on the right of the Mini Arcade Pro’s eight-button layout, with the right-hand R and ZR buttons to their left. However, this is actually a trick borrowed from other console arcade sticks, and it works surprisingly well for 2D fighters such as Ultra Street Fighter II. Capcom’s classic series builds combos from light, medium, and heavy punches and kicks, which is best suited to a six-button layout. Played on a ‘regular’ controller, those inputs usually extend from the four face buttons…