The JBL PartyBox Stage 320 Is the Only Speaker I Want for My Parties

JBL's PartyBox Stage 320 is a powerful speaker with a well-balanced sound and punchy bass, with many features that make me want to host house parties just to have an excuse to use the speaker.

As the name implies, it's a speaker made for parties, meaning it's loud and fun but also has features made to enhance a party atmosphere. You can dabble in being a DJ with the Effect Lab, connect up to two microphones for karaoke, or even play over your music with an electric guitar. I was sent the PartyBox Stage 320 by JBL to review, and though it's not cheap ($599.95), after spending some time with it, I think it's worth every penny.

JBL PartyBox Stage 320

Portable Party Speaker with Telescopic Handle & Wide, Sturdy Wheels, Powerful JBL Pro Sound, Lights.

$599.95 at Amazon

$599.95 at Amazon

Pros and cons of the JBL PartyBox Stage 320

Pros

• 240 Watts of output power or about 100 decibels of sound

• A portable design that makes it easy to carry

• Powerful bass

• Adjustable EQ

• Can have up to two microphones (or one microphone and one electric guitar)

• Replaceable battery

• Can play with just the power cord (without the battery)

• Fun in-app features for parties

Cons

• Only IPX4 for splashproof, not waterproof

• Heavy at 36.38 lbs

• No microphone

Specs

• Battery life: Up to 18 hours (3 hours charge time)

• Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.4 with Auracast support

• Inputs: 2 ¼-inch jacks, 3.5mm aux input and USB-A port

• Drivers: Two 6.5-inch woofers and two 25 mm dome tweeters

• Power output: 240 W total

• Water resistance: IPX4 (splashproof)

• Size: 26.3 inches by 15.2 inches by 13.2 inches

• Weight: 36.3 pounds

First Impressions of the JBL PartyBox Stage 320

This is the first PartyBox I've reviewed, even though they've been around for some time. I must admit that I wasn't particularly excited about this speaker. The flashy pulse-beating lights looked gimmicky to me, and the speaker just seemed unnecessarily expensive. But as I learned more about the speaker, took it out to the soccer field, and messed with the app and features, I became obsessed with it.

Credit: Daniel Oropeza photo.

I was able to comfortably roll the speaker through asphalt with its telescope handles and up a grassy hill to get 20 soccer players outdoors to enjoy some FIFA music. Like all JBL speakers, it comes with the JBL signature EQ, which sounds great out of the box. But you can customize the low, mid, and highs with five levers in the app.

Features of the JBL PartyBox Stage 320

Where the PartyBox Stage 320 shines for me is in its features, which you can control on the top of the speaker via an interactive control panel. The triangle-looking button to the right is the Auracast button, which allows you to pair two JBL TWS compatible speakers together or multiple JBL Aurocast speakers. The Bass Boost button on the right is a bass enhancer with a "deep" and a "punchy" option.

Credit: Daniel Oropeza

Then you have the three emoji-looking buttons in the center, and this is where the (admittedly cheesy) fun starts. They're the "party buttons" and each plays a different sound on the speaker that you can hear clearly over the music without interrupting it. You can change what each button does or says in the app, but for the most part, the first is the "voice," or a cheesy party voice that you would hear a DJ say over a mic to hype the party up. The thumbs-up is the "Vibe Tone" which has my personal favorite sound, the classic DJ "horn." And finally, the yellow disc is called "DJ sound" and is mostly different types of DJ scratches. I used many combinations of these sounds when hosting my Street FC games and had a blast messing with my players, depending on what was happening during the game.

Credit: Daniel Oropeza

The sliders at the top of the panel control the EQ of a microphone. You can change the bass and treble and add echo to the sound, making it fun to mimic certain lead singer sounds during karaoke. The speaker app lets you go even deeper into most of these features.

Credit: Daniel Oropeza

The JBL PartyBox app

The JBL PartyBox app is easy to use, although it can be slow to connect to the speaker sometimes. Here, I was able to control the lights in more detail and customize which lights I wanted to use. But where I think JBL really set itself apart from portable party speakers was with the "Effect Lab."

Credit: Daniel Oropeza

The Effect Lab is essentially a mini DJ mixer. I've never DJ-ed before, so it took some time to understand what each function does and how to use it properly, but I had a lot of fun learning on-the-go with trial and error. There are no directions in the app on how to use it, but you can easily learn what everything does with the internet and after 10 minutes of playing around with it, I got a good hang of it. Combine this with some microphones for karaoke, and I have myself a deadly combination to hype up, embarrass, or impress my friends at my next house party.

Credit: Daniel Oropeza

Details done right

The PartyBox Stage 320 does the little things right that make a huge difference to a party speaker. The battery is replaceable, which means the speaker's longevity is not dependent on the battery's lifespan. I love that you can use the speaker with just a power cord as well, so I can leave the speaker on for very long periods of time and still have my fully charged battery if I want to be completely portable. The speaker also gets a noticeable audio boost when plugged in. The battery itself lasts up to 18 hours at 50% volume, which is loud enough for an indoor house party. When I set the volume to 70% (which I don't recommend doing indoors), with the lights on and the Bass Boost on, the battery lasted about seven hours.

Credit: Daniel Oropeza

Another impressive detail is that JBL made it very difficult to create that ultra-whiny feedback sound when you have a microphone plugged into the speaker. I have to essentially rub the microphone on the speaker to hear some sort of feedback. JBL seems to be using technology to suppress the feedback sound, giving you instead a more space-ship-zooming-by sound rather than the high-pitch feedback sound we all hate. (When I turned the echo, treble, and boost sliders up on the mic settings, I was more likely to get feedback, though.)

Credit: Daniel Oropeza

The back panel also has an LED light that is useful when trying to plug things in at at night. As mentioned, you can connect up to two microphones to the speaker or one microphone and an electric guitar. There's also an AUX in if I want to practice my karaoke singing or DJ scratching without disturbing my dog. I don't have other speakers I can daisy-chain together, but the option is there if I want to connect the speaker with another one.

Closing thoughts

Credit: Daniel Oropeza

The JBL PartyBox Stage 320 exceeded my expectations as a party speaker. Although the speaker is on the heavy side at about 36 pounds, the handle and thick wheels make it easy to move around in different terrains. It is disappointing it isn't waterproof, with only an IPX4 rating, and that the speaker doesn't include a microphone.

Even though it has a powerful bass, the sound is well-balanced and doesn't overtake the vocals or treble. The interactive DJ features on the speaker and in the app take the speaker to another level of fun for parties and karaoke sessions. I loved having the option to have up to two microphones or an electric guitar plugged in, giving me a lot of possibilities on how to set up. Being able to change the battery and use the speaker with just the power cord also gives the speaker a great deal of longevity and dependence for long sessions.

I would recommend the JBL PartyBox Stage 320 to those who love hosting house parties or karaoke sessions. While the speaker is pricey at $599.95, I think it's worth the cost for someone looking for a great party speaker filled with fun features.

These Sonos Smart Speakers Are 25% Off Right Now

Sonos's smart speakers aren't as ubiquitous as Apple, Google, or Amazon's voice-activated devices, but they've got it where it counts in terms of audio quality. And like Apple products, Sonos devices rarely go on sale, but right now, Amazon and Best Buy are offering discounts of up to 25% off two of the company's best bets, both of which are at record-low prices, according to price-checking tools.

The Sonos Move 2 is $113 off

Sonos Move 2

Wireless Portable Bluetooth Speaker

$336.00 at Best Buy

$449.00 Save $113.00

$336.00 at Best Buy

$449.00 Save $113.00

The Sonos Move 2 is a portable speaker and a smart speaker in one—a rare combo—and it's currently $336 (down from $449). As the name implies, it was made to be used on the go; it has a 24-hour battery life, is drop resistant, and has an IP56 rating, meaning it can handle heavy rain and splashes without missing a beat, but it will not survive if you fully submerge it.

As noted in PCMag's "excellent" review of the device, the second iteration of the Sonos Move does away with Google Assistant, but it still can be used with Alexa, as well as Sonos' own voice assistant. The Sonos app provides access to media from major streaming music services like Spotify, as well as podcast apps, and the Libby app (for audiobooks). If you have other Sonos speakers, they can be networked together to play the same media.

The Sonos Era 300 is more powerful but lacks portability

Sonos Era 300

Wireless, Alexa Enabled Smart Speaker with Dolby Atmos

$449.00 at Amazon

$449.00 at Amazon

If you don't care about the portable aspects and plan to keep the speaker in the same place most of the time, you can opt for go the Sonos Era 300 for $359 (originally $449). It has better bass, plays Dolby Atmos tracks from Apple Music and Amazon Music, and retains most of the other features as the Sonos Move 2. (Learn more about the Sonos Era 300 from PCMag's "excellent" review.)

Whether you go with the portable Sonos Move 2 or the more powerful Sonos Era 300, you'll be getting a quality smart speaker at its best price since release.

This Apple Magic Keyboard Folio Is on Sale for $95 Right Now

You can get this open-box Magic Keyboard Folio for iPad (10th Gen) on sale for $94.97 right now (reg. $249) with free shipping through May 31. The folio’s two-piece design is detachable, allowing you to use the keyboard wirelessly while the back panel holds up your tablet. The keyboard features a click-anywhere trackpad for easy scrolling, a 14-key function row with shortcut options, and an adjustable stand to create a laptop-like experience. Both pieces attach to your iPad magnetically, and the stand can be adjusted to different viewing angles. The gadget is an open-box item—excess inventory from store shelves or customer returns—but it’s been repackaged and is verified to be in new condition. 

You can get this open-box Apple Magic Keyboard Folio for iPad (10th Gen) on sale for $94.97 right now (reg. $249) with free shipping through May 31 at 11:59 p.m. PT, though prices can change at any time.

StackSocial prices subject to change.

Here's When It's Safe to Share Your Bank Details (and When It's Not)

You’re not wrong to worry about getting scammed; fraud in general is on the rise (and anyone can be a victim), with losses attributed to various kinds of fraud topping $10 billion in 2023 alone. And good old-fashioned bank fraud is on the rise, too—including check fraud, which might seem surprising since paper check use has been declining since forever. Although we write fewer checks, the value of those checks has risen from an average of $673 in 1990 to $2,562 today, making them an attractive target.

But avoiding paper checks doesn’t insulate you from fraud. Paying for things online using credit cards or similar tools includes some built-in fraud protections, but there are times when using an e-check and having funds pulled directly from your bank account is preferable (when there’s a “convenience fee” for using a credit card, for example), or you might have money coming in via wire transfer. In either case, you’re suddenly faced with giving away your bank details—the routing number, account number, and wire transfer or SWIFT codes—in order to complete the transaction. And you might reasonably wonder if it’s safe to just give this information away.

The answer is: Yes, generally speaking. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be careful.

Banking information to keep an eye on

A quick rundown of the relevant details we’re talking about here; when I say “bank details,” I mean:

• Routing number: A nine-digit code that identifies your specific bank.

• Account number: The number of digits in your account number varies. It’s a unique identifier for a specific account at the bank or financial institution.

• SWIFT code: If you need to send or receive money internationally, you might need a Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication (SWIFT) code. This is a number between eight and eleven digits that identifies your bank.

• ABA number: Also called a “wire routing number,” this nine-digit code is an alternative way to transfer funds internationally.

Most of these numbers are pretty easy to find. If you have paper checks issued by your bank, the routing number is printed on the bottom left, and your account number is printed to the right of that. And you can usually find your bank’s routing number and SWIFT and ABA codes by logging on to their website, calling and asking, or just looking them up online.

As I said earlier, your routing and account numbers are literally printed on your checks. These numbers are used in what are known as Automated Clearing House (ACH) transactions to move money between different banks and accounts. This means anyone who sees your check also sees your ACH info—and with that info they can commit some pretty easy fraud against your accounts. So when should you worry?

When it's OK to share your banking details

First, take note of the fact that you share your routing number and account numbers all the time. Every time you send a check, sign up for direct deposit, or enter your banking info to pay taxes or a utility bill (or sell tickets on StubHub) you’re sharing those numbers. They’re out there. A few things to keep in mind:

• Just having your account number is meaningless. No one can do anything with just your account number. They also need your bank’s routing number.

• As noted, your bank’s routing number and ABA and SWIFT codes are public info and can be looked up online, so there’s no reason to guard those with your life.

So, when should you feel safe sharing your bank routing and account numbers? A few guidelines:

• If you would be comfortable writing a check, it’s generally OK to share your bank details.

• If you know why you’re being asked for this information—you’re setting up an account, or direct deposit, or paying a bill using ACH to avoid a fee, for example—it’s generally OK.

• If there’s a legitimate, compelling reason the organization needs this info (e.g., direct deposit) or you have a compelling reason to offer it up (e.g., avoiding a fee if you pay via credit card or PayPal).

Keep in mind that when you give someone authorization to use ACH to access your bank accounts, you can always revoke that authorization, and you generally have 60 days to report fraud involving your bank account as an individual.

When you should worry

Of course, scammers can wreak serious havoc on your financial life if they get both your routing and account numbers, so you definitely do need to think twice before supplying them. Here’s when to worry:

• Insecure communications. Never give your bank details to anyone who requests them via email or text.

• Supplied links. If you’re sent a link to enter your bank details, be suspicious. Always go directly to the website of any business or organization to enter routing and account info.

• Pressure. If you prefer to use another form of payment—a credit card, for example—but you’re pressured to give out your bank details, be suspicious.

Bottom line: the key is your account number. Scammers can’t do anything without that, and they can find out everything else on their own, so if you don’t give out your account number there isn’t much they can do to you. On the other hand, if you need to get paid via wire transfer or need to pay a bill using your bank account, it’s generally safe to provide your bank details as long as you expected the request. Just be wary if it’s unexpected, or if you don’t understand why it’s necessary to provide that information.

How to Pack Your Whole Vacation Into a Personal Item

I’m a cheap traveler, which means I’m often packing light. When I took a five-day trip to Paris a few years ago, on a budget airline that charges a fee to bring a carry-on, everything had to fit in a small bag under the seat in front of me. Friends, I did it. You can, too.

I first wrote about this trip right when I returned, in 2017, but I can say now that I still use these techniques (except packing dress shoes for a casual trip—what was I thinking??). We’ll get to the specifics of what I packed and how, but this is a feat that’s more about the planning than the execution. Here’s what I mean.

Measure your bag

The space under the seat in front of you is pretty roomy: It’s big enough for an average-sized backpack, or an overstuffed messenger bag. But don’t eyeball it! If you misjudge, and you can’t quite wedge your bag into that space, the crew will ask you to put it somewhere else. That could mean another fee, or depending on how crowded the plane is, you might even need to hand it over to be gate-checked.

Avoid this minor nightmare by actually checking the airline’s bag measurements. On my trip, the carrier (the now-defunct(?) Wow airlines) allowed 17 by 13 by 10 inches for personal items, including handles and wheels, and with a weight limit of 22 pounds. Check your airline’s website, and then whip out a tape measure and verify. (If your bag is soft-sided, make sure to measure it when it’s fully packed.)

To really be prepared, though, you also need a Plan B. Maybe you’ll buy a few too many souvenirs, and need to check your bag. Or sometimes on domestic flights, you’ll end up in a tiny airplane that doesn’t have any space under the seat, and you’ll have to gate-check your stuff. Here’s your insurance policy: Pack your in-flight essentials in a small purse or packing cube that you can tuck in the seat back pocket. This way, if you have to give up your bag, you’ll have the important things with you.

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Some great “personal item”-sized bags:

• For a solid backpack option: Swiss Gear 17" Bungee Backpack

• If you’d prefer a tote: 17" Weekender tote with zippered shoe compartment

• Or try something that feels a bit more like a suitcase: 16" suitcase-style backpack

Swiss Gear SA1908 Black TSA Friendly ScanSmart Laptop Backpack

$99.95 at Amazon

$99.95 at Amazon

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Prune your packing list ruthlessly

I don’t have a magical spell to fit a suit or a formal dress or a sleeping bag into a carry-on. The one-bag approach only really works for people with simple needs who are going on simple trips. I didn’t bring a laptop or any workout gear. I did bring a few changes of clothes, essential toiletries, a sketchbook, and a phone charger.

I didn’t bother with soap or shampoo, since I knew I could buy those at my destination. (Showering with French soap made my stay in France feel just a little more authentic.) My husband bought a six-pack of electrical outlet adapters, and I caught him shoving the whole thing in his bag. “Wait, how many plug-in things are we bringing?” I asked. Just two: his phone charger, and mine. So we left four of the adapters at home.

I packed fresh socks, shirts, and underwear for each day, and planned to wear a dress once and my shorts and pants twice each. (If I were more hardcore, I would have packed just two outfits and washed one in the hotel sink each night.) I resisted the urge to pack a skirt “just in case.”

To winnow the “just in case” pile, ask yourself, what would I do if I needed this but didn’t have it? Without the skirt, I would just wear my dress or shorts instead. That’s fine; the skirt stays home. But if I got sore feet and didn’t have my packet of blister bandages, I’d have to walk the streets of Paris looking for a place to buy some. The bandages came with me.

FYY Travel Cable Organizer Pouch Electronic Accessories Carry Case Portable Waterproof Double Layers All-in-One Storage Bag for Cord, Charger, Phone, Earphone Black

$9.85 at Amazon

$12.99 Save $3.14

$9.85 at Amazon

$12.99 Save $3.14

Think big, pack small

Credit: Beth Skwarecki

Dump out your bag, so you’re not bringing any detritus from a previous trip, and then begin to pack it wisely. A few tips:

• Choose the smallest item that will do the job. Bring the travel-size toothpaste, even if the full size is technically small enough to get through security. Compare your jackets and sweaters, and bring the thinnest one that’s still warm enough—or perhaps you’d prefer a lightweight scarf that you can wear as a shawl?

• Roll your clothes. Rolling is the most compact way to pack. Put socks and t-shirts on the inside of the roll, and carefully smooth your wrinkleable items on the outside. Know how you will remove any surprise wrinkles: Does your room come with an iron? Will you steam the clothes while you’re in the shower?

• Use packing cubes. It wasn’t until after the Paris trip that I discovered just how much time and trouble packing cubes can save. They don’t save space, but they make a tightly packed bag so much easier to pack and unpack.

• Wear the biggest items. You’ll have more room in your bag if you wear your jeans and pack your shorts than vice-versa. You can also wear your travel pillow on the flight, and strap it to your bag while you’re trekking through the airport.

Make sure everything is accessible. You’ll be miserable if the interior of your bag is a random jumble. This is where the packing cubes come in, or you can at least arrange your rolls of clothes to divide up the space as needed. Make good use of pockets, too: flat things in the laptop compartment, for example, and your passport and phone charger in whatever pocket is easiest to reach.

BAGAIL 4 Set Compression Packing Cubes Travel Expandable Packing Organizers

$24.99 at Amazon

$26.99 Save $2.00

$24.99 at Amazon

$26.99 Save $2.00

Keep souvenirs small or intangible

Credit: Beth Skwarecki

You do, eventually, have to bring everything back. If you brought travel-size toiletries, maybe you can finish them off and throw them out before you come home. You also don’t have to worry as much about keeping your clothes unwrinkled. These tweaks can gain you a few cubic inches.

If you’re serious about bringing home souvenirs, consider bringing a collapsible duffel from home, or buying a cheap bag on the road. Then you’re only paying the bag check fee in one direction, not both. Also compare the bag check fee with the cost (and time delay) of mailing things home.

But if you won’t have much room for souvenirs, keep an eye out during your trip for things that pack light. I picked up a French-language cooking magazine for my mom, and translated the tastiest recipes on the flight home. Foreign snacks also make great gifts, and are easy enough to tuck into small spaces. Photos, videos, and good old-fashioned memories make great souvenirs, and they don’t take up any physical space at all. (You could even get a photo book printed when you return, or write down your thoughts in a journal, to make them more tangible without encroaching on your underwear.)

What I actually packed

A top-down view of my bag. In the back pocket (top of photo): book and sketchbook, flattened purse, printouts of documents. Middle pocket: Clothing rolls, sitting on top of carefully packed/stuffed shoes. Front pocket: toiletries, art supplies, wallet, battery pack. In pockets not shown: charging cable, passport, ziploc bag of liquid toiletries. Credit: Beth Skwarecki

OK, time to prove that this is for real. Here’s what I did.

The bag: I used an Eddie Bauer hybrid messenger bag/backpack that I bought many years ago; it’s now discontinued. We have gone on many one-bag trips, this bag and I. My husband, who packed equally light, used a Swiss Gear backpack similar to this one.

Large and unwieldy Items: My one extravagance was a pair of heeled t-strap leather shoes. I stuffed my socks and underwear inside of them, so they held their shape, and then wrapped them loosely in a plastic bag so they wouldn’t get the rest of my items dirty. I also had a travel pillow, strapped to the handle of my bag.

Clothes: For a four-night trip, I brought four shirts, one dress, one pair of shorts, and five sets of socks and underwear. I wore sneakers, a jacket, and a shirt-and-pants outfit.

Toiletries: I had a small zippered pouch with the likes of lipstick and deodorant, and a Ziploc with just a few liquid-phase personal items like moisturizer and toothpaste.

Electronics: All I need for a non-work trip is my phone, a charging cable, and a battery pack. (My husband prefers an electric toothbrush and razor at home, but made do with analog versions for this trip.) We also brought a headphone splitter and a pair of earbuds for each of us.

Fun stuff: A book for the plane; a sketchbook and a small pack of art supplies; Clif bars; wallet, passport, etc.

In hindsight, I only made a few mistakes. I should have left the fancy shoes behind, and either gone without or brought a pair of plain flats instead. I didn’t need the jacket that I wore in the airport, although I’m glad I brought it. And that’s about it; this is one of the most perfectly calibrated trips I’ve taken.

I’ve had a rough time in the past, though. I can think of two trips where I ended up freezing because I didn’t want the bulk of packing warm clothes. In one of those cases, my mistake was that I only had skirts to wear; a pair of fleece-lined tights would have only taken up a tiny amount of space in my bag, and would have been a lifesaver. On a few trips, I forgot to pack a purse, because somehow in my mind the messenger bag was my purse. It is much better to have a real purse (or tote bag, or laptop bag) for your daily excursions instead of having to dump out all your clothes on the hotel bed to make do with your carry-on.

Now, I visualize each day’s activities when I write my packing list, and this helps me remember things like purses. And I apply the “just in case” test to all of those “just in case” items. And now I’m the person who hops off a plane with just a small backpack, breezes past the baggage claim, and takes the Métro to her Airbnb. It’s a great way to vacation.

What People Are Getting Wrong This Week: 'Fun' Conspiracy Theories

I used to think conspiracy theories were fun. It was interesting/funny that there were people out there who believed we faked the moon landing, or that Elvis Presley didn't actually die in 1977 (instead, he put on a mask and changed his name to "Orion," and kept on singing.) But those kinds of "harmless crank" conspiracy theories have always been rare. They usually eclipsed in popularity by hateful (but politically useful) conspiracy theories that boil down to "it was the Jews' fault."

There are still some "harmless" conspiracy theories out there, though, that capture the old "wait, people believe that?" energy. Below are my favorites, as well as a couple of conspiracy theories that seem harmless on the surface, but are stealthily hiding some terrible beliefs.

The year is actually 1727

According to the “phantom time hypothesis," It is not 2024. It is 1727. The years 614 to 911 never happened. They were simply added to the calendar to push the date forward artificially. The theory comes from German author Heribert Illig who detailed the theory in a 1996 (sorry, I mean 1699) book. Illig lays the blame for the missing time on Holy Roman Emperor Otto III and Pope Sylvester II, who conspired to change the dates so Otto could be Emperor in the year 1000, to legitimize his reign. Radiocarbon dating, the recorded appearance of eclipses and comets, histories written in China, and a ton of other evidence refute this theory, but ultimately, I'm just happy the Jews aren't being blamed for stealing all those years.

The Moon isn't real

This conspiracy theory comes from the world of Flat Earthers, and it's a fringe belief even there, but the theory holds that the moon is not physically present. What you see in the sky at night is a projection put there by someone, presumably to make us think the world is round. In a weird way, it makes sense. If the earth really were a flat plane, the moon's movement across the sky wouldn't make sense—unless it's not really there. Since we can see the moon, it must be a projection. There can be no other explanation.

It's a good idea to "sun your butthole"

A fringe belief in the "wellness community," practitioners of "perineum sunning" or "butthole sunning" believe that briefly exposing the area between the genitals and anus to sunlight gives you energy, improves your circulation, regulates hormones, and has a host of other health benefits. There's no way to absolutely prove that this isn't so, but there's no evidence that it is so either. Doctors point out that the taint is sensitive to sunlight, so you could get sunburned, and sunning where the sun (traditionally) does not shine puts you at greater risk of developing skin cancer, but butthole sunners generally recommend very brief exposure, and suggest using sunblock. So you should probably do this.

You don't need food and water to live

Breatharians believe that we don't need food to live, and some believe we don't need water either. In the West, the belief dates back to a 1670 Rosicrucian text describing a physician who lived "several years by taking only one-half scrupule of Solar Quintessence." Complete fasting is described in older Hindu texts as well, and often attributed to the particularly enlightened or wise. Periodically, people still claim that they don't eat or drink for months or years at a time to this day (and scientists are baffled). These people are all caught sneaking food eventually (like the founder of the Breatharian Institute of America who was spotted outside a 7-11 eating a hot dog, a Slurpee and a box of Twinkies) or no one has caught them yet.

Death is not inevitable

Immoralists believe that life can be extended indefinitely. There is obviously a lot of scientific effort being put into extending human life, but, as yet, everyone is going to die. Even you. Like the breatharians, various people have publicly claimed to be immortal throughout history, but as far as we know, all of them died eventually (and their deaths must have been particularly embarrassing.)

Pinecones are mystical symbols

There are a lot of people out there who think the appearance of pinecones in the art of various ancient civilizations are symbols of human enlightenment and the pineal gland, which is said to be the source of mystical knowledge and visions. What the YouTube videos and websites that confidently spread these theories don't seem to grasp is that the pineal gland was named after the pinecone because the gland has the same shape. There's also no reason to think that representations of pinecones symbolized the same thing to ancient Assyrians as it did to ancient Greeks. We don't know what they mean. A more reasonable theory is that pinecones are frequently represented in ancient art because their repeating patterns are visually interesting and fun to sculpt.

Two stealthily harmful conspiracy theories

These two conspiracy theories seem like "wacky, fun" conspiracy theories, but once you scratch the surface, you realize they're actually based on poisonous ideas.

Helen Keller was a fraud

This conspiracy theory claims that Helen Keller didn't actually do all the things people give her credit for, particularly writing books, or that she wasn't actually deaf and blind. "Helen Keller is a fraud" has become a popular meme on TikTok over the last few years, but the accusation actually dates back to 1892. While I think the TikTokers are mainly having a little joke, this isn't as "harmless" a theory as it might seem, as its basis is the belief that people with disabilities aren't capable enough for some intellectual tasks.

On the other hand (and giving this theory way more credit than it probably deserves) in the 1960s and 1970s, there was a fairly widely accepted belief that "facilitated communication" could allow non-verbal people (mainly people with severe autism) to communicate. With the help of a facilitator helping them point to letters or words, some previously non-verbal people wrote books and graduated college. But as soon as real testing was applied, the communication was shown to be the product of the facilitator alone. So this could have happened with Keller; there's no reason to think it did, but it's at least possible. (Unlike the crazy theory below.)

The White House was built thousands of years ago, by giants

When I first heard of the "Tartarian Empire" I thought I'd found a rich and fascinating conspiracy theory that wouldn't make me think "gross." I was wrong.

The Tartarians, according to conspiracy theorists, were/are an ancient but advanced civilization, sometimes posited to be giants, who were responsible for thousands of well known buildings all over the world, including Notre Dame de Paris, The Great Wall of China, the Eiffel Tower, the White House, and pretty much any opulent pre-modernist structure you've ever seen. These edifices were built thousands of years ago, and they aren't just buildings; they hold the key to Tartarian free energy, and if you study them hard enough (and your hat is on too tight) you can find hidden clues in the architectural details. The Tartarians were buried in some kind of "mud flood" that, depending on who you ask, happened as recently as 100 years ago (when my grandmother was alive!). Much of recent history, including World Wars I and II, were attempts to erased evidence of Tartarians so that the secret of their free energy can be kept from us.

It may seems like a wacky, harmless nutjob theory, but the Tartarians seem awfully similar to the Aryan race that the Nazis invented. Plus, the Tartarian theory is catching on, and its popularity is about to turn it from something stupid into something ugly.

Most Tartarian believers seem like well-meaning dopes who don't understand architecture or history, but their theory is so outlandish that it doesn't yet have comprehensive historical narrative to bind it together. It's a pastiche of different dumb, often conflicting ideas, but as it gains cred among the gullible, bad actors are stepping in to shape the narrative. People like white nationalist holocaust denier Stew Peters are going hard at Tartarian theories, so it's only a matter of time before the age old conspiracy theory pattern repeats, and someone answers the question of "What happened to the Tartarians?" with "it was the Jews' fault."

FocusedOS Combines Several Focus-Boosting Apps in One

There are a lot of productivity applications out there, and FocusedOS tries to combine several of them. The application, which is available for all Apple devices, can block distracting apps and websites, dim the entire screen except for the window you're currently looking at, and play ambient sounds. The idea is that you'll be able to turn all of these features on with the press of a button, work, then turn it all off again when you're done.

To get started, simply download the application and decide which features you want to enable. The first tab, "Behavior," lets you dim all windows except the currently active one—this is similar to the application HazeOver ($4.99). You can also limit the number of apps that can show up on the screen and add some custom text to the menu bar. Finally, there's a feature that can hide icons on the menu bar, which is similar to the application Bartender ($22). You can also hide wallpaper or even go so far as to disable the wifi entirely. Note that none of these features are offered on the iPhone or iPad version of the application (mostly because they wouldn't make sense there).

Credit: Justin Pot

On the "Ambience" tab, you can choose between a variety of background sounds—that means you won't need a dedicated background sound application.

Credit: Justin Pot

There are also tools for blocking distracting apps and websites. You can choose which apps to block or only allow specific applications to open. Websites are a little simpler: There are pre-built categories you can add, or you can add URLs yourself.

Credit: Justin Pot

Finally, if this isn't enough, you can trigger any Apple Shortcut when you turn the focus mode on or off. You could use this to turn off notifications, start a timer, or anything else you can imagine.

The free version only allows you to create one "environment," meaning you configure everything the way you like it and that's how the application works. The paid version, which costs $20 per year, allows you to make multiple environments, meaning you could configure things differently for different tasks. The paid version also allows you to sync your current environment between your Mac, iPhone, and iPad, unlocks more ambient sounds, and allows you to run a shortcut when starting an environment.

I don't think this combination of tools is going to be right for everyone. If you're constantly toggling a collection of focus-boosting tools every time you need to focus, though, FocusedOS might be exactly what you need. Give the free version a try to find out.

Try This Breakfast Mac and Cheese

I have great news, pasta fam: Contrary to what you may have been told, mac and cheese can be breakfast. Not even as a throw-caution-to-the-wind statement of “I do what I want,” but as a hearty start to your day, and a smart way to use up leftover pasta. I should also mention it takes mere minutes to make. Start your day like a responsible adult, with a heaping bowl of breakfast mac and cheese. 

At first glance, the star of this dish seems to be loads of cheese to make a heavy sauce. You're not wrong—cheese is indeed a key player—but soft scrambled eggs are actually the unsung hero, making up a good portion of the sauce and bulking up the consistency. The eggs paired with the right combination of cheeses blend together into small curds that coat the pasta. When you scoop it up, the cheese pulls and melts, and it tastes like a creamy indulgence—just like mac and cheese should—with the added bonus of protein from the eggs. 

Material Copper Coated Frying Pan in Mineral

A long lasting, non-stick frying pan with a copper core.

$115.00 at Amazon

$115.00 at Amazon

How to make breakfast mac and cheese

To start, prepare your combination of cheeses. Just as a grilled cheese sandwich relies on its dairy, so does a good mac. Different cheeses act differently under heat—some are more stretchy, others are ideal for melting, and some don’t melt at all. I like a lot of melt and a little stretch, so I reached for a soft havarti, some cheddar, and a spoonful of cream cheese to create a saucy base. 

Whisk two eggs in a bowl with a pinch of salt. In a frying pan, melt a teaspoon of butter over medium-low heat. Add in the cold leftover pasta and let it develop some crispy spots. If your pasta has congealed into an indestructible brick, add a teaspoon of water and cover the pan with a lid for a few minutes. The humidity will help loosen up the pasta. 

I cut up a chicken sausage and added it to the pan at this stage. Once the eggs go in, the dish finishes up in a snap, so if you want to add any veggies, meats, or seasonings, add it now while the pasta heats up. Stir the mixture with a rubber spatula. When you see some crispy brown sections show up on the noodles, add the cheeses. Stir them in with the other ingredients, and then pour in the eggs. 

Turn off the heat right after you add the eggs and stir to combine. Cover the pan with a lid and leave it on the warm burner for two or three minutes. This will continue to cook the eggs gently and melt the cheeses thoroughly. If you leave the heat on, the eggs will cook (and probably overcook) before the cheese warms through. It’ll still taste good, but you won’t get the same creamy texture. 

Take the lid off and stir the mixture again. I topped it all off with chopped chives (because, vegetables), and heaped the golden mass into a bowl. This is a great breakfast to make if you have a container of leftover pasta, but you can also just boil up some fresh noods real quick if you have a hankering. Feel free to personalize the add-ins beyond sausage chunks. Add frozen peas, chopped peppers, or cooked bacon instead.

Breakfast Mac and Cheese Recipe

Ingredients:

• 2 eggs

• 1 teaspoon butter 

• Pinch salt

• 1 cup of leftover, cooked pasta

• 1 sausage patty, chopped (or other add-ins)

• 1 ounce of havarti cheese, roughly chopped

• ¼ cup shredded cheddar

• 1 tablespoon cream cheese

• Garnish with chopped chives

1. Whisk the eggs in a bowl and set aside. Heat a frying pan over medium-low and add the butter. Add the leftover pasta and chopped sausage (or whatever add-ins you’re using) with a pinch of salt, and stir with a rubber spatula. 

2. Once the pasta begins to brown in areas, add in the chopped havarti, shredded cheddar, and cream cheese. Stir briefly before pouring in the whisked eggs. Turn off the heat and stir the mixture for a moment.

3. Cover the pan with a well-fitting lid and let it sit on the warm burner for 2-3 minutes. Uncover and stir the mac and cheese. The cheese should all have melted through and the eggs should be cooked and blending in with the cheese. If the mixture is more wet than you prefer, cover it again and you can even snap on the heat for another minute or so. Garnish with chopped chives and enjoy while warm. 

This Robot Vacuum Has High-End Features at a Mid-Range Price

Robot vacuums are expected to do a lot more than vacuum these days: They can map rooms, mop floors, respond to voice commands, empty themselves, detect pets and people, and avoid pet waste on the floor. Many of the features above are reserved for the highest priced flagship models, but they are starting to trickle down to mid-tier models, too. The Dreame L10s Plus has settled into a nice mid-range floorbot option by having some of my favorite high-end features, while not allowing the core function—vacuuming—to suffer. If you ignore the mop feature on the Dreame L10s Plus robot vacuum and simply use it as a competent vacuum with all the bells and whistles of many flagship models, you’re likely to be happy with the value at $549.

What to know about the Dreame brand

I was excited to test the L10s Plus because Dreame has an exceptional reputation in the robot vacuum space; the brand offers a large number of models each year, though, which can be confusing and hard to differentiate. For instance, in additional to this model, the L10s Plus, there is an L10 Pro, L10s Ultra, L10s Pro Gen, and the L20, with only marginal differences among them. By spending fractionally more money, you might get some additional vacuum power or battery longevity and perhaps one additional feature improvement, like AI obstacle recognition over traditional LiDAR. This model, the L10s Plus, offers a self-emptying tower for the vacuum (but not the mop), as well as two removable mop pads and a very small water reservoir on the robot itself. 

High-end features

This was my first time using the Dreame app, and I was pleased with how easy it was to pair the robot and get it connected to wifi. An advantage to Dreame products is that this model works with every smart assistant out there, and it integrated into my Google Home setup easily. This means you can create automations involving your robot. Schedule a run after dinner or in response to your dog going through a doggie door. The app is where I was really impressed by the L10s Plus: Mapping options were as extensive as on the most expensive robot vacuums I’ve tested. You can create rooms and zones, manipulating the map to merge and divide areas. The map generated by LiDAR was impressively accurate after just the first run. You can customize the run settings for vacuum suction and mop wetness, as well as the route the robot will take, whether quick or standard deep clean. The app gives you concise information about when to replace parts and a number of customizations for control, including kid locks and do-not-disturb schedules. In particular, I loved seeing the remote control option, as well as a beacon to find the robot. Remote control has proven to be incredibly useful for retrieving robots lost under couches without having to fish it out manually. 

Reliable performance on small to medium debris

As a vacuum, I really liked how the Dreame performed. While not as rugged as the Roborock high end models I’ve tested, I thought the L10s Plus did a good job of picking up small- to medium-sized debris without getting stuck. Dog toy fluff presented a problem, so you’ll need to clear your floor of it beforehand, but in at least one instance, it was clear the L10s Plus had picked up a coin or screw and continued cleaning. I didn’t understand the path the Dreame took across the floor; it wasn’t a back and forth or S shape, but that’s not unusual, as many floorbots have unique algorithms they follow. The L10s got to 95% of the floor, missing a few spots here and there that I couldn’t find a reason for. Placing the robot in that spot, and then manually pressing the clean button allowed the robot to find and add that spot to the map so it was caught on later runs. The L10s Plus was average in how close it was able to get to walls in my home, meaning you’d have to return with with a handheld or broom to get up to the molding, but that’s expected for all but the latest floorbots with extending arms. While this model worked well on tile and low pile rugs, it actually did a great job on high pile carpet and sailed over low thresholds. The L10s Plus has the advantage of self-emptying into the tower, and it did a good job evacuating the entire chamber over the time I tested it. So many robots are talked about in terms of the power the vacuum itself has on the floor, but the power of the tower to empty the debris container is just as important, in my opinion. 

The mop isn't worthwhile

Where things fall apart is the L10s Plus mop. There is a wide variation in how robot mops work: At the high end, towers have tanks for clean and dirty water, and the tower will fill a robot with clean water, then wash the mop and remove the dirty water. In some limited cases, mops work like a Swiffer, where you attach a mop pad and the robot will drag it across the floor. The Dreame L10s Plus exists in a middle ground. There’s a (very) small container for water on the robot itself, so you’ll need to fill it many times over one mopping. The robot has two rotating mop pads, similar to those I’ve seen on higher end models, and the water will saturate the mop pads as the robot moves. As a mop, the performance is really so-so, and I was annoyed by how often I had to stop the robot to refill the reservoir. Spinning brushes aren’t as effective, in my opinion, as mop pads at getting up stains on the floor, and the combination of low agitation and not enough saturation meant that only wet debris was removed during the moping process. It might be worthwhile the keep the mop tank filled in case you need a quick spot clean, but it’s impractical to consider using this mop on a regular basis. 

It's a good value if you think of it as just a vacuum

Some of my favorite floorbot recommendations are models where you should ignore some features because the other benefits outweigh them—like the Switchbot K10+, which is my favorite vacuum but a lousy mop. Overall, if you are looking to spend under $600, I think the L10s Plus is a great value to get a decent vacuum with some of those additional high-tier features, even if you only use the mop once in a while for spot cleaning.

My Favorite Amazon Deal of the Day: Bose QuietComfort Headphones

Bose is a recognized name in audio tech and has been making capable active noise canceling headphones since 2016, when the company launched the QuietComfort line of devices. Right now, you can pick up the 2023 model of Bose's QuietComfort headphones for $249, $100 off the original price of $349. This is the lowest price they've reached, according to price-checking tools, making them a good bet if you're looking to get a high performance pair of headphones without spending a fortune.

Bose QuietComfort

Wireless Noise Cancelling Headphones, Bluetooth Over Ear Headphones with Up To 24 Hours of Battery L

$249.00 at Amazon

$349.00 Save $100.00

$249.00 at Amazon

$349.00 Save $100.00

Bose headphones are often found at the top of any roundup of the best headphones on the market, and have been consistently praised for years. The Bose QuietComfort lineup in particular excels in comfort (hence the name) and ANC. If those are features you're after, these headphones are worth considering, especially at this price point.

Keep in mind that this is the lesser model in the current QuietComfort line. Bose released both the Bose QuietComfort and the Bose QuietComfort Ultra last year. The Ultras are more high-end and include extra functionality, but they retail for $100 more and aren't necessarily the best bet for every user—if you don't care about Bluetooth 5.3 versus 5.1, immersion mode (which allows you to hear the audio as if it is coming from different directions), or other extraneous features, you can save yourself some money and go with the basic Bose QuietComfort.

These headphones can connect to multiple devices at once, so you can seamlessly transition from one device to the next without repairing. They also offer a transparency mode that lets you hear your surroundings while wearing them, a customizable EQ so you can listen to your music how you like it to sound, and an impressive 24 hours of battery life, according to PCMag's "excellent" review." Also worth noting: They have physical buttons rather than touch controls, which will be a plus or a minus, depending on your preferences.