The last week of the year is like one long Sunday afternoon, and we’ve put this quiet time to use by looking at where to watch the best movies of 2016, heralding the end of CyanogenMod, assessing the threat of car hacking, and more. Here’s a look back.
The 25 Best Movies of 2016, and Where to Watch Them
It’s been a tough year for some of us, but its been a fantastic year for film. These incredible dramas, musicals, documentaries, and sci-fi thrillers will help you forget this year’s struggles so you can look ahead. These are the best movies of 2016.
The Cars People Regret Buying Most, According to Consumer Reports
Buying a new car is always exciting at first, but it can take a little while before you realize your ride is more lemon than luxury. Consumer Reports surveyed owners of recently-purchased cars to see which models caused the most buyer’s remorse.
What I Wish I Knew Before Working Remotely Around the World
In the last 14 months, I’ve been home for only two. The other 12 were spent vagabonding around the planet, working on my laptop in Tokyo, Hong Kong, Paris, Barcelona, and more. It sounds wonderful, and I was certainly privileged to do so, but I learned quickly that while rewarding, it also brought real, serious mental and physical health challenges.
Get Free Starbucks Beverages From Now Until the New Year
Coffee is great, but free coffee is even better. If you would like to receive a free tall espresso beverage (and who wouldn’t), I suggest you get yourself to one of Starbucks’ Pop Up Cheer Parties, which are “being held from 1-2 p.m. local time at 100 participating stores daily (12/25 excluded).”
CyanogenMod Is Dead, and Its Successor is Lineage OS
CyanogenMod was the biggest, most widely used custom Android ROM. Now, it has been discontinued, due in part to internal conflicts within Cyanogen Inc. Don’t worry, though: A new fork of CyanogenMod called Lineage OS is taking up the mantle, and it will keep most of what you loved about CyanogenMod.
I’m Jason Fried, CEO of Basecamp, and This Is How I Work
Basecamp is a web-based project management tool, and like so many other software tools and startups before it, the creators of Basecamp made it for themselves. They just needed a decent way to manage projects and collaborations. It just happens that other people want to use it too.
The Feynman Technique Helps You Study Faster and Retain More Information
You can read something and hope that it’ll all be beamed into your brain for future application. Or you can read it and write down what you just learned, as if you were teaching someone else, and actually retain it. This is called the Feynman Technique.
Car Hacking Is a Thing, but Are You Really in Danger?
With modern cars becoming more connected, with smarter features, hacking is a real danger. It’s rare, but it’s already happening. We’re not in the “stop your engine” world yet, but it’s easy to break into a car with keyless entry and steal everything inside without the owner ever knowing the car was unlocked.
These Online Services Offer Birth Control Without Visiting a Doctor
If you take birth control pills and are sick of visiting your doctor just to get prescription refills approved, or you’d like to start but can’t find a doctor you trust, there is a better way. These apps and websites have your back.
Will It Sous Vide? Tons of Tamales
Hello cooks and consumers of food, and welcome back to another fun-filled episode of Will It Sous Vide?, the weekly column where I make whatever you want me to with my immersion circulator.
How to Sew a Zipper Into Your Favorite Hoodie
Pullover hoodies are fine, but sometimes what you really want is one that zips up—especially if you’re going to layer with it on chilly winter days. Enter this simple sewing project: just two seams and one cut. Best of all, the picture or writing on the front stays totally visible.
More Research Shows That the Snowball Method Is the Best Debt Payoff Strategy
It makes logical sense to pay off your highest interest rate debts first. Yet research shows that paying off smaller balances is actually more effective. It’s a good reminder that making financial progress isn’t just about logic, it’s also about behavior.
How to Sell, Trade, or Donate Gift Cards You Don’t Want
Let’s say your Uncle Joe had no idea what you wanted for Christmas, so he got you some random gift cards. You’re grateful for the thought, but you’ve never shopped at Bass Pro Shops in your life and Subway is your least favorite food chain. You might as well see what else you can do with all those unwanted gift cards.