mardi 25 juin 2024

How to Use the ‘80/20’ Rule for Running

by juin 25, 2024

Runners often swear by the 80/20 rule for organizing their training—but this is no relation to the Pareto principle of the same name. Let’s talk about where the 80/20 idea comes from, how to implement it, and when it is and isn’t a good idea to train this way. 

What is the 80/20 rule for running? 

Briefly, it’s the idea that 80% of your running should be low intensity, and only 20% at medium or high intensity. Recreational runners (like you and me) often run closer to a 50/50 split. The 80/20 rule suggests that we should take some of those faster runs and slow them the heck down to reach a better training balance. 

The 80/20 rule was popularized in a 2014 book, 80/20 Running, by Matt Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald, in turn, based his recommendations off research by Stephen Seiler, who found that elite athletes in a variety of endurance sports, including running, cycling, and cross-country skiing, did about 80% of their training sessions at intensities much lower than they would ever use in racing. In other words: To train your body to go fast, you have to log a lot of miles going slow. This is similar to the idea of “polarized training,” which means that you stick to the extremes—either working very easy, or very hard, rather than spending much time in the in-between.

80/20 Running Run Stronger and Race Faster by Training Slower Illustrated 2015 Paperback 26 Nov
80/20 Running Run Stronger and Race Faster by Training Slower Illustrated 2015 Paperback 26 Nov
$28.97 at Amazon

Note that 80/20 here only refers to how you split up your training: 80% easy versus 20% hard. This is not the Pareto principle, which states that 80% of your results come from 20% of your…whatever. (80% of sales coming from 20% of customers, 80% of your needs met by 20% of the stuff you own, etc.) In running, there is only really one result—your race time—so the question is just how to split up your training time. 80% easy and 20% hard is the balance that, Fitzgerald and Seidler would argue, will get you the best race times.

What counts as low intensity for the 80%?

If you’ve been paying attention to the “zone 2” trend, you’re probably thinking you should be in zone 2 (arguably 60-70% of your max heart rate) for 80% of your training. And you know what? That will get you close enough. Go with it. 

But the definitions more often used in the scientific research aren’t based on heart rate alone. Some of them use metrics we can’t easily measure on our own—go ahead, try to keep your blood lactate below 2 millimoles per liter. 

What’s more useful—and still borne out by research—is to use VT1, the “first ventilatory threshold.” That’s a fancy word for what old heads will know as the “talk test.” If you can carry on a conversation without taking extra breaths mid-sentence, you’re below VT1. That’s what 80% of your training should feel like. 

I know that’s not enough information for the more data-minded among you, so I’ll note that Fitzgerald reported in his book that this level is often found around 77% to 79% of elites’ max heart rate. The exact number might vary from person to person, and heart rate numbers are never totally objective, since they can be affected by heat and stress among other things. But as a gut check, 77% of my own known, tested max puts me around 153, which matches shockingly well to what I consider my easy pace—I try to stay in the low 150’s for my easy runs. 

Taking this information together, it turns out we can go a bit higher than “zone 2” and still be at the right intensity for the 80% part of our 80/20 running—as long as it truly feels easy. If you’d like, you could customize your zones on your running watch so that you have a zone that tops out at 77% or so. (It might even make more sense for that to be zone 3 rather than zone 2.) 

How to train with the 80/20 rule

Before we can divvy up our training, we need to decide how we’re measuring our training. Are we aiming for easy runs to be 80% of our training sessions? 80% of our miles? 80% of our total training time? 

Fitzgerald, in his book, counted up minutes in easy, moderate, and hard intensity levels. But if you’re doing an interval run, he counted the intervals and the recovery between them as part of your harder intensity work. (A cooldown after those intervals would count as low intensity, though.) 

So you can do the same. It would also get you in the right ballpark to think in terms of miles or sessions. If you do one hard run for every four easy runs, you’re still doing 80/20 (as long as those runs are roughly similar in mileage). 

How important is it to stick to the 80/20 rule? 

Even though it’s called a “rule,” this isn’t a thing you have to follow. It’s just one way of training that matches what a lot of elite athletes do. There has also been research showing that recreational runners can benefit—but that doesn’t mean it’s the only way to train. 

Seidler, the researcher, even told Fitzgerald, the author, that if he could only train twice a week, he’d do a mix of harder and easier work in both sessions. Research on competitive recreational runners found that a 77/23 split and a 46/54 split both resulted in small improvements to 10K time, and the difference between groups was not statistically significant. That said, these folks had 10K times (that’s a 6.2-mile race) under 40 minutes to start, so they were pretty fast to start with, compared to a lot of beginner runners. 

Meanwhile, there’s plenty of other research showing that casual runners can improve with almost any type of training, and that increasing your total mileage (measured in miles per week) is helpful for improving your fitness and your race times. 

The bottom line

If you’re a runner with lots of room for improvement—which covers many of us beginner, intermediate, and casual runners—you don’t necessarily have to slow down 80% of your runs to a crawl. You can use any conversational pace that works for you, even if your watch says that’s zone 3. And since increasing mileage is usually part of improving as a runner, it may make more sense to think about adding easy miles, rather than turning your hard miles into easy ones. 

The ‘Walmart Deals’ Sale Is Walmart’s Answer to Prime Day

by juin 25, 2024

Walmart had its "Walmart+ Week" sale last week, which was hyped up to be something special. It wasn't. None of its deals were remarkable nor memorable. However, in what seems like a shot at redemption, Walmart is prepping to launch another sale, Walmart Deals, before Prime Day in mid-July. (July 16 and 17, specifically, if the dates TechRadar says Amazon leaked are to be believed.)

When does Walmart Deals start?

Walmart Deals kicks off on Monday, July 8 at 5 p.m. ET and runs through Thursday, July 11 at 11:59 p.m. ET. If you are a Walmart+ member, you'll get early access to the sales beginning at noon Eastern time — five hours before the general public. You can sign up for a free 30-day Walmart+ subscription or get the annual plan for $98 ($8.17/month).

What you can expect from Walmart Deals

Walmart says its sale will include many different categories, including deals on electronics, home, toys, travel, back-to-school materials, and many other categories. The sale will be on Walmart.com and the Walmart app. Here are some deals Walmart says will be available:

You can choose between in-store pickup and different delivery options, including early-morning delivery, late-night express delivery and next- and two-day shipping.

Proton Drive Brings Automatic Photo Backups to iOS

by juin 25, 2024

When phones also became cameras, many of us started taking photos every day. These photos might be of your pets, your food, or even special events like weddings and birthdays. Or maybe you've got more precious photos, perhaps of a family member who's no longer with you. Lots of photos mean lots of data management, and to protect your snapshots, you'll want to back them up.

But not all cloud storage is created equal, and while Apple’s built-in iCloud systems are perfectly useable, Proton has now updated the iOS version of its impressive cloud storage service with automatic photo backup, allowing you to protect your most precious memories with complete end-to-end encryption.

Proton Drive photo backup showcase
Credit: Proton

This newly released feature, previously only available on Android, comes just weeks after some users reported their old, deleted photos coming back to their iPhones after they updated to a new version of iOS. While Apple has fixed the issue now and does offer options for end-to-end encryption, it still raised some concerns about just how in control Apple users are when it comes to their own photos, and options like Proton Drive can give you a great alternative to iCloud without having to worry about sacrificing your privacy.

There are, of course, other non-Apple cloud storage options on the App Store. Google Photos, which comes pre-installed on Android phones, is probably the most well-known and used iCloud competitor. However, Proton Drive offers something that Google Photos doesn’t—complete end-to-end encryption.

Sure, your photos are protected with Google Photos, but Google still has access to your precious memories, as your photos aren’t encrypted until they are uploaded to Google’s servers. With Proton Drive, nobody but you and the people you share your content with have access to those files. That’s because Proton Drive encrypts your photos and their metadata right there on your phone before they transfer to Proton’s servers. This ensures only you have access to your data, making it one of the best options for users who want to protect their memories and privacy with the utmost care.

How to enable Photos backup in Proton Drive
Access the menu in the top-left hand corner, then tap Settings and toggle Photos backup to back your photos up to Proton Drive. Credit: Joshua Hawkins

Automatic photo backup is a feature that I've wanted to see in Proton Drive since I started using it several months ago, and Proton says that it has been one of the most requested features from its community, too. The feature rolled out last week, and you can enable the automatic camera uploads in the app by opening the app on your iPhone and accessing the hamburger menu in the upper left-hand corner (the icon that looks like three horizontal lines on top of each other). From there, simply tap on Settings and then toggle Photos Backup to on, and the app will start backing up your photos automatically each time you take a new one.

The addition of photo backup in Proton Drive makes it even easier to completely quit Google, something that privacy-focused individuals may want to consider, as Google and other online cloud services have access to your personal data when it is stored on their servers.

Today’s Wordle Hints (and Answer) for Tuesday, June 25, 2024

by juin 25, 2024

If you’re looking for the Wordle answer for June 25, 2024 read on. We’ll share some clues, tips, and strategies, and finally the solution. Today’s puzzle is easier; I got it in three. Beware, there are spoilers below for June 25, Wordle #1,102! Keep scrolling if you want some hints (and then the answer) to today’s Wordle game.

How to play Wordle

Wordle lives here on the New York Times website. A new puzzle goes live every day at midnight, your local time.

Start by guessing a five-letter word. The letters of the word will turn green if they’re correct, yellow if you have the right letter in the wrong place, or gray if the letter isn’t in the day’s secret word at all. For more, check out our guide to playing Wordle here, and my strategy guide here for more advanced tips. (We also have more information at the bottom of this post, after the hints and answers.)

Ready for the hints? Let’s go!

Does today’s Wordle have any unusual letters?

We’ll define common letters as those that appear in the old typesetters’ phrase ETAOIN SHRDLU. (Memorize this! Pronounce it “Edwin Shirdloo,” like a name, and pretend he’s a friend of yours.)

Four of today's letters are from our mnemonic! The other one is uncommon.

Can you give me a hint for today’s Wordle?

Something you might do with an incredible meal.

Does today’s Wordle have any double or repeated letters?

There are no repeated letters today. 

How many vowels are in today’s Wordle?

There are two vowels.

What letter does today’s Wordle start with?

Today’s word starts with S. 

What letter does today’s Wordle end with?

Today’s word ends with R. 

What is the solution to today’s Wordle?

Ready? Today’s word is SAVOR.

How I solved today’s Wordle

I started with RAISE and TOUCH, which gave me four letters. There was only one possible solution with A as the second letter: SAVOR.

Wordle 1,102 3/6

🟨🟩⬛🟨⬛
⬛🟨⬛⬛⬛
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

Yesterday’s Wordle answer

Yesterday’s Wordle was harder. The hint was “this is a piece of equipment you may use when you move” and the answer contained four common letters and one less common letter.

The answer to yesterday’s Wordle was DOLLY.

A primer on Wordle basics

The idea of Wordle is to guess the day’s secret word. When you first open the Wordle game, you’ll see an empty grid of letters. It’s up to you to make the first move: type in any five-letter word. 

Now, you can use the colors that are revealed to get clues about the word: Green means you correctly guessed a letter, and it’s in the correct position. (For example, if you guess PARTY, and the word is actually PURSE, the P and R will be green.)

  • Yellow means the letter is somewhere in the word, but not in the position you guessed it. (For example, if you guessed PARTY, but the word is actually ROAST, the R, A and T will all be yellow.)

  • Gray means the letter is not in the solution word at all. (If you guessed PARTY and everything is gray, then the solution cannot be PURSE or ROAST.)

With all that in mind, guess another word, and then another, trying to land on the correct word before you run out of chances. You get six guesses, and then it’s game over.

The best starter words for Wordle

What should you play for that first guess? The best starters tend to contain common letters, to increase the chances of getting yellow and green squares to guide your guessing. (And if you get all grays when guessing common letters, that’s still excellent information to help you rule out possibilities.) There isn’t a single “best” starting word, but the New York Times’s Wordle analysis bot has suggested starting with one of these:

  • CRANE

  • TRACE

  • SLANT

  • CRATE

  • CARTE

Meanwhile, an MIT analysis found that you’ll eliminate the most possibilities in the first round by starting with one of these:

  • SALET

  • REAST

  • TRACE

  • CRATE

  • SLATE

Other good picks might be ARISE or ROUND. Words like ADIEU and AUDIO get more vowels in play, but you could argue that it’s better to start with an emphasis on consonants, using a starter like RENTS or CLAMP. Choose your strategy, and see how it plays out.

How to win at Wordle

We have a few guides to Wordle strategy, which you might like to read over if you’re a serious student of the game. This one covers how to use consonants to your advantage, while this one focuses on a strategy that uses the most common letters. In this advanced guide, we detail a three-pronged approach for fishing for hints while maximizing your chances of winning quickly.

The biggest thing that separates Wordle winners from Wordle losers is that winners use their guesses to gather information about what letters are in the word. If you know that the word must end in -OUND, don’t waste four guesses on MOUND, ROUND, SOUND, and HOUND; combine those consonants and guess MARSH. If the H lights up in yellow, you know the solution.

One more note on strategy: the original Wordle used a list of about 2,300 solution words, but after the game was bought by the NYT, the game now has an editor who hand-picks the solutions. Sometimes they are slightly tricky words that wouldn’t have made the original list, and sometimes they are topical. For example, FEAST was the solution one Thanksgiving. So keep in mind that there may be a theme.

Wordle alternatives

If you can’t get enough of five-letter guessing games and their kin, the best Wordle alternatives, ranked by difficulty, include:

lundi 24 juin 2024

You Can Get ‘Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy’ on PC for $24 Right Now

by juin 24, 2024

You can get Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy on Steam for PC on sale for $23.99 right now (reg. $59.99). It's a third-person combat game where you step into the shoes of Star-Lord and set off a chain of events that lead to a wild ride with Element Blasters, tag-team beatdowns, and jet boot-powered dropkicks through an original storyline with worlds teeming with memorable Marvel characters.

You can get Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy Steam on Steam for PC on sale for $23.99 right now (reg. $59.99), though prices can change at any time.

The 30 Best New Movies Streaming on Netflix Right Now

by juin 24, 2024

Other streamers, especially those with close corporate ties to major movie studios, might reel in a few more major theatrical releases than Netflix. Where Netflix outshines them, however, is in its slate of original movies produced specifically for the streaming service. At a glance, it might seem as though the streamer emphasizes quantity over quality, but they've released nine Best Picture Academy Award nominees since 2019. Oscars aren't everything, of course—but they're not nothing, either.

Here, then, are some of the best recent movies streaming on Netflix, whether wide theatrical releases you might have missed, or originals.

Godzilla Minus One (2023)

This one's a tiny bit of a cheat, as it technically came out in 2023...but most of its North American run happened in January, so we're going to count it. The American Godzilla movies have been doing a very effective job by taking an entertaining more-is-more approach, but Godzilla Minus One makes clear that Japanese filmmakers will always have a deeper connection with the kaiju king. A prequel, of sorts, to the original 1954 film, this one finds kamikaze pilot Koichi Shikishima (Ryunosuke Kamiki) encountering Godzilla multiple times over the years following World War II. That trauma, going back to that first movie, lends this one an emotional weight. Nearly as important, the masterful visual effects make Godzilla scary again. One of the very best in a series with plenty of movies to choose from.

Hit Man (2024)

Glen Powell (who co-wrote the film alongside director Richard Linklater) stars as Gary Johnson, a withdrawn New Orleans professor who's roped into a side gig at which he's surprisingly good: He impersonates hired assassins for the police. People looking to hire a killer come to Gary, believing that he's a hit man, only to find that they've been entrapped. Things get complicated (in a darkly comedic way) when he's approached by Madison (Adria Arjona) to bump off her abusive husband, and he's suddenly not so clear as to whose side he's on.

Under Paris (2024)

I'm not sure that this shark-themed disaster movie is going to pick Netflix up any new Oscar nominations...but we ain't always here for all that. This is an aggressively fun (and very French) update on Jaws that sees a killer mako shark loose first in the Seine and then the catacombs...under Paris. An Olympic qualifying event is about to occur in the city which, of course, the mayor won't call off inspite of the danger. And the deaths. There's some stuff here about environmental catastrophe, but mostly it's just a bone-chomping good time.

Society of the Snow (2023)

The true story of the 1972 Uruguayan rugby team lost in the Andes following a place crash has been the subject of multiple documentaries and two previous dramas. For all that, this would seem to be the best of all of them: a thoughtful and tasteful take on what's sometimes been presented as a salacious drama, with director J. A. Bayona emphasizing both the physical perils faced by the team, but also the spiritual toll of survival.

Shirley (2024)

John Ridley (screenwriter of 12 Years a Slave) directs this rather necessary biopic of sometimes-forgotten pioneer Shirley Chisholm. The first Black woman elected to Congress (in 1969), Chisolm ran a forcefully progressive campaign for president just three years later. Even if the movie is a bit formulaic, Regina King (perhaps unsurprisingly) gives a moving, powerhouse performance in the title role.

Outstanding: A Comedy Revolution (2024)

We often treat comedy as pure entertainment but, of course, at its most meaningful, it's more than that: It can be healing, and it can be destructive in the best possible way, serving as an agent of change. Outstanding charts nearly a century of queer comedy and its power for individuals and as an essential part of the LGBTQ movement. Prominently featured is Robin Tyler, one-half of a "sister" act in the 1960s who ultimately became the first lesbian or gay comic to come out on TV, and later became a central figure in queer liberation. Lily Tomlin, Wanda Sykes, Billy Eichner, Margaret Cho, Suzy Izzard, and Joel Kim Booster are just a few of comics on hand to tell their stories.

Ultraman: Rising (2024)

This Japanese-American co-production reboots the beloved franchise with help from director Shannon Tindle and co-writer Marc Haimes (both of Kubo and the Two Strings). Here, professional baseball player Ken Sato returns home to Japan when he inherits the mantle of Ultraman from his retired father. There's plenty of family-friendly action and some really lovely animation, but the movie's real selling point is in its emotional arc: The egotistical Sato needs to reconnect with his distant father while, at the same time, he becomes the unwilling father of an orphaned child (well, kind of a child...).

Mea Culpa (2024)

Tyler Perry's latest is a steamy legal thriller with Kelly Rowland as a defense attorney who takes the case of an artist (Trevante Rhodes) accused of killing his girlfriend—Rowland's character's name is actually Mea, which probably tells you all you ned to know about this blend of silly and sexy. Her husband's Kal's been cheating on her, and her brother-in-law is the prosecutor, and there seems to be some sort of larger political scheme at play. It's all a bit of juicy fun.

Thelma the Unicorn (2024)

Brittany Howard leads an all-star voice cast including Will Forte, Jemaine Clement, Edi Patterson, Fred Armisen, Zach Galifianakis, Jon Heder, and Shondrella Avery in this cute family-friendly story of a farm pony with big dreams of music stardom. Fun soundtrack, too.

Remembering Gene Wilder (2024)

Gene Wilder serves as the posthumous narrator of this smart, accessible introduction to the life and career of the actor and comedian: using the audiobook of his biography as a basis, as well as archival clips and interviews with friends and collaborators (Mel Brooks is, naturally, prominently featured). With Wilder himself to guide us along, it's a good reminder of the long career and impressive range of one of our finest and funniest actors.

Madame Web (2024)

Nobody's here to make the case that Madame Web is a work of misunderstood genius...but it is a contender for unintentional camp classic. The hyperbole surrounding its release saw it as a herald of the end times for superhero movies, but the Dakota Johnson-lead film is honestly a lot more fun (endless "ironic" product placement and all) than many of its more serious, better-reviewed contemporaries. Sit back, grab a Pepsi, and hang out with some less reputable spider-people.

Black Barbie (2024)

Writer and director Lagueria Davis pays tribute to her aunt, Beulah Mitchell, who worked at Mattel for decades and became instrumental in the development of the first Black Barbie, designed by Kitty Black Perkins and released in 1980. 1980! The doll was such a success that it inspired a world of more diverse toys, not just at Barbie, and generally changed the face of the toy industry. This brisk documentary, from Shondaland, makes a great case for the importance of dolls, play, and representation.

The Greatest Night in Pop (2024)

Telling the story of the night that the biggest pop stars of the 1980s (well, except Madonna) got together to record "We Are the World" for charity, The Greatest Night in Pop reunites several of the famous voices (Lionel Richie, Bruce Springsteen, Huey Lewis, Dionne Warwick, and Cyndi Lauper) who were there to tell the story. The recording itself is an interesting story, of course, but a big part of the fun here is remembering a world in which you had to assemble all of these people on short notice without cell phones. The logistics are positively harrowing.

Thanksgiving (2023)

Patrick Dempsey stars in this funny but bleak satire from Eli Roth, his first horror film since 2013. When an unruly mob storms a Walmart (sorry: RightMart) on Black Friday, violence and bloodshed ensue, leaving one of the victims of the incident to seek revenge. It's wild and gory holiday fun.

Anyone but You (2023)

A loose spin on Much Ado About Nothing, Anyone But You stars Sydney Sweeney and Glen Powell as a couple who meet, hit it off—and then immediately piss each other off such that neither really wants to see each other again. Until, of course, they need wedding dates and find themselves surrounded by scheming friends. It's not wildly out there as rom-com premises go, but this one's briskly directed and boasts strong chemistry between the leads.

Orion in the Dark (2024)

Charlie Kaufman (Being John Malkovich, Adaptation, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind) wrote this DreamWorks animated adaptation of the Emma Yarlett novel. When Orion is visited by the literal incarnation of his fear of the dark, he's taken on a whirlwind journey around the world to explore the world of night and help him to face his fears.

Damsel (2024)

Netflix's favorite action lead, Millie Bobby Brown, is back in this dark fantasy from director Juan Carlos Fresnadillo (28 Weeks Later). Brown plays Elodie, the damsel of the title, offered into an arranged marriage by her family, only to discover that she's marked as the sacrifice to a dragon. Which turns out to be bad news for her new in-laws.

Rebel Moon, Parts One and Two (2023/2024)

Zack Snyder, late of the entire DC cinematic universe, isn't to everyone's taste—but his Army of the Dead, also for Netflix, was a fun spin on the zombie formula, done as a heist movie. His followup is pure science fiction: a multi-part (it's unclear how many parts that will be) space opera that blends Snyder's distinctive visual style with Star Wars-style action. Sofia Boutella stars as a former soldier who rallies warriors from across the galaxy to join in a revolt against the imperial Motherworld on the title's out-of-the-way farming moon.

The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar (2023)

This short adaptation of the Roald Dahl story finally earned Wes Anderson his first Oscar. Benedict Cumberbatch stars as the titular Henry Sugar, a man who uses his inherited fortune to fund his gambling habit. When he learns of a secret means of winning by seeing through the eyes of others, he comes to perceive more than he, perhaps, bargained for. It's cute and sweet, and among one of Anderson's most visually inventive works (which is saying quite a bit). At 39 minutes, it never has time to wear out its welcome—even if you're not a huge fan of Anderson''s twee sensibilities. Ralph Fiennes, Dev Patel, Ben Kingsley, and Richard Ayoade also star.

American Symphony (2023)

Director Matthew Heineman's film follows a year in the lives of writer Suleika Jaouad and her husband, musician Jon Batiste, during which she confronts a recurrence of a rare form of leukemia while he constructs his first symphony. It's a moving film that goes beyond the obvious tropes to make the case that there are things that only music can say. It had a lot of Oscar buzz, while receiving just a single nomination for Best Song.

Scoop (2024)

The great Gillian Anderson plays real-life British journalist Emily Maitlis, who lead the BBC2 team that secured the disastrous (for the Prince) interview with Prince Andrew (Rufus Sewell) that laid bare his associations with sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein. Keeley Hawes and Billie Piper also star.

May December (2023)

Todd Haynes directs this insightful and moving, but also deliberately campy, story of an actress visiting the woman whom she'll be playing in a film. The movie's deft, and unexpected, blending of tones makes it pretty consistently fascinating, and the lead performances from Natalie Portman, Julianne Moore, and Charles Melton are all top-tier.

Nyad (2023)

Annette Benning stars as the real-life Diana Nyad, who swam from Florida to Cuba in her 60s. The movie succeeds in large part because of the performances from and chemistry between lead Annette Bening and Jodie Foster, both of whom received Oscar nominations for their work here.

The Killer (2023)

David Fincher's latest didn't seem to generate his typical buzz, perhaps because it's so thoroughly action-oriented (a far cry from his last Netflix original, the screenplay-writing drama Mank). Michael Fassbender plays the movie's nameless hitman protagonist, a fastidious and ruthless killer who makes the first mistake of his career—accidentally shooting the wrong person—and then finds his carefully managed life crumbling faster than he can keep up.

Rustin (2023)

Colman Domingo gives a stellar performance (earning a Best Actor Oscar nomination) as the title's Bayard Rustin, the gay Civil Rights leader who planned the March on Washington. Not only is it a corrective to our very straight-centered vision of the Civil Rights Movement, it's a stylish and moving biopic in its own right.

Leave the World Behind (2023)

Look at this cast: Julia Roberts, Mahershala Ali, Ethan Hawke, Myha'la Herrold (Industry), and Kevin Bacon are all on hand for this apocalyptic thriller that has that Bird Box vibe without the alien implications—the monsters here are all human. As technology begins to inexplicably fail, our protagonists find themselves in a last-days-of-America scenario, including a scene of self-driving Teslas run amok. It's occasionally a little on the nose, but still a pretty compelling thriller.

City Hunter (2024)

The City Hunter manga, about the titular detective agency, has been adapted several times in the past, with very mixed results. This latest looks like it might be the best: a candy-colored, high-action, appropriately goofy take starring Ryohei Suzuki as lead detective Ryo Saeba and Misato Morita as the daughter of his murdered partner, with whom he teams up to avenge that death and to find a missing teenage runaway with deadly superpowers.

Spaceman (2024)

Adam Sandler stars here in one of his occasional dramatic roles, here as a Czech astronaut coming to terms with the potential dissolution of his marriage. At the edge of the solar system. With some help from a spider-like alien creature trying to understand humanity. Carey Mulligan and Isabella Rossellini co-star.

Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget (2023)

If it's not entirely on the same level as the Aardman-animated original from way back in 2000, it's still a delightful and cheeky return from the escapees from Mr. and Mrs. Tweedy's Farm. Thandiwe Newton leads the impressive voice cast.

Down the Rabbit Hole (2024)

The House of Flowers creator Manolo Caro directs this quirky and thoughtful drama about meticulous, fussy kid Tochtli (Miguel Valverde), living in a palatial estate somewhere in rural Mexico. He's old enough to start questioning his wildly privileged and sheltered life, slowly discovering that his father Yolcaut (Manuel Garcia-Rulfo) is a major, well-connected drug lord. It's a quietly stylish drama that avoids taking any obvious routes.

How to Decide If a Credit Card Balance Transfer Is the Right Move

by juin 24, 2024

Credit card balance transfers are a useful yet often misunderstood tool. When used strategically, they can offer a path to debt reduction and financial stability. However, like any financial instrument, balance transfers come with both opportunities and pitfalls.

At its core, a balance transfer is the process of moving debt from one credit card to another, typically to take advantage of a lower interest rate. Many credit card issuers offer promotional balance transfer rates, often as low as 0% APR for a limited time, as an incentive for new customers. Here's when a balance transfer does and doesn't make sense, and the steps it takes to do it.

When a balance transfer makes sense (and when it doesn't)

Balance transfers can be an excellent strategy when you have a plan to pay off the debt within the promotional period. It makes sense when interest savings outweigh the balance transfer fee, and when you're committed to not accumulating new debt on the old card.

However, balance transfers may not be advisable if you can't qualify for a card with better terms than your current one, or the transfer fee would cost more than you'd save on interest. If you don't have a realistic plan to pay off the balance before the promotional rate expires, then you might slip into to viewing the transfer as a reason to accumulate more debt.

Pros and cons of balance transfers

Benefits:

  • Interest savings: The primary advantage of a balance transfer is the potential for significant interest savings, especially with 0% APR offers.

  • Debt consolidation: Transferring multiple balances to a single card can simplify your finances and make it easier to track payments.

  • Breathing room: A promotional period can give you time to catch up on payments without accruing additional interest.

Drawbacks:

  • Transfer fees: Most balance transfers come with a fee, typically 3-5% of the transferred amount.

  • Limited time offer: The low interest rate is temporary. If you don't pay off the balance in time, you could face high interest rates.

  • Credit score impact: Applying for a new card and increasing your credit utilization on one card can temporarily lower your credit score.

Steps to complete a balance transfer

If a balance transfer is right for you, here's how to do it.

  1. Assess your current situation: Begin by taking a hard look at your existing credit card debt. Note the balance on each card, their respective interest rates, and your current monthly payments. This information will be crucial in determining whether a balance transfer makes financial sense for you.

  2. Research balance transfer offers: Explore the market for balance transfer offers. Look for cards offering low or 0% introductory APR periods. Pay attention to the length of these promotional periods, which typically range from six to 21 months.

  3. Calculate potential savings: Use online balance transfer calculators or create a spreadsheet to estimate how much you could save with different offers. Don't forget to factor in balance transfer fees, which usually range from 3% to 5% of the transferred amount.

  4. Check your credit score: The best balance transfer offers are usually reserved for those with good to excellent credit. Check your credit score to get an idea of which offers you might qualify for.

  5. Apply for the new card: Once you've identified the best offer for your situation, apply for the new credit card. Be prepared to provide personal and financial information.

  6. Initiate the transfer: If approved, contact the new card issuer to initiate the balance transfer. You'll need to provide information about your old card and the amount you wish to transfer.

  7. Continue payments on the old card: Until you receive confirmation that the transfer is complete, continue making payments on your old card to avoid late fees.

  8. Create a repayment plan: Develop a strategy to pay off the transferred balance before the promotional period ends. Divide the total balance by the number of months in the promotional period to determine your monthly payment goal.

Finding a long term solution

While balance transfers can provide immediate relief, they're not a cure-all for financial troubles. To truly benefit from a balance transfer, it's crucial to address the underlying issues that led to the debt in the first place. This might involve creating a budget, building an emergency fund, or seeking financial counseling.

Remember, a balance transfer is a tool, not a solution. Used wisely, it can be a stepping stone to financial stability. But like any tool, its effectiveness depends entirely on how you use it.
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