arduinna

Well yesterday's trip turned epic in (mostly) all the wrong ways. I was halfway across the platform at Kings Cross, Passenger Assistance guy in tow, when he was flagged down by another LNER guy, which soon turned into a conflab with at least four of them. I didn't catch the full conversation, but I was pretty sure I heard "one under", which he confirmed when he came back to me - person under a train, nothing moving, and they'd been instructed not to board anyone, so back to the PA lounge for me. He was back for me in about 15 minutes, and this time we made it as far as the train and he was getting the ramp out when the instruction came through not to board anyone, so he put me aboard anyway.

That confirmed what I'd suspected from my seat reservation, I'd been upgraded to first class - and at that point I was the only person in first class, though it filled up eventually. The train was made up of two five-car Azuma units joined together and I'm not sure if the five-car Azumas actually have any wheelchair spaces in Standard Class, so it may well be an automatic upgrade to 1st if you get the right train. We were forty minutes late leaving in the end, but the crew were soon around offering drinks and a tumbler of a rather nice rioja and a mug of coffee made the delay much more palatable. Lunch followed, though the hot option was gone by the time they got to me, so I had to settled for what the Christmas menu described as a "Boxing Day box with Olivier Salad", but which I described to my sister as a posh Ploughmans without any bread - "All the flavours of Boxing Day in one box: pulled Wiltshire ham, Olivier salad, tangy cheddar, vibrant pickled red cabbage, onions and cornichons, cherry tomatoes, spinach and a touch of piccalilli." There was only about a spoonful of the Olivier Salad, which I'd not come across before, so looked up later; seems it's an alternate name for Russian Salad, though the LNER version seemed to be mostly mayo dressing plus peas. Given pretty much everything else in the box can be a part of an Olivier Salad (according to wikipedia), I guess the whole thing amounted to a deconstructed Olivier salad.

There were another couple of rounds of drinks afterwards, though I skipped the third one as we were almost at Darlington. More fool me. Five minutes outside Darlington the train pulled up, and the guard announced that we were delayed because of trespassers on the line north of Darlington, with the station already full of earlier trains. So we sat, and waited, and waited, and eventually found out that the 'trespasser' was a vulnerable person on the 75ft tall viaduct just outside Durham station, with the police trying to talk them down. Staff came around with another round of drinks, and we eventually moved off after a delay of about an hour and twenty minutes, making us an hour and fifty five minutes late into Darlington. So instead of reaching my sister's at 16:30 it was more like 18:30, making for an eight and a half hour journey.

And then I slept for twelve hours.

On the positive side, I should get a refund for at least 50% of the ticket price, possibly all of it (the website is a bit unclear).

Current Mood: Tired
Current Location: No train today, thankfully

icanhascheezburger_feed

Posted by Ayala Sorotsky

https://cheezburger.com/43643397/woman-finds-a-kitten-crying-in-the-dumpster-takes-her-in-and-finds-shes-the-most-gentle-and-pure-cat

Well, when we read a sentence such as "She hasn't even touched the Christmas tree", we know it talks about a very special cat. And in this jolly time of year? Seriously, that's admirable. And this cat is apparently just as angelic as you'd imagine, after knowing she gracefully leaves the Christmas tree intact. What a sweet stray who became a sweet house princess. Really, we're beaming with purride just thinking about it.

But now that we've got "gushing over one of the sweetest cats we heard about recently" out of the way, it's time to gush about the ones and onlys who always make this happy-ending reality possible - the Cat Distribution System. It's like they are the someone, or something, that knows a sweet kitten crying in a dumpster needs a home right meow. And it sends the right hooman who's ready to adopt right their way. And this is exactly what happened to this gentle and tiny kitten. She was saved by this woman, and all seems well as she took her in and gave her a furrever home.

There's something so heartwarming about knowing a kitten wouldn't have to spend this winter outside - even if we don't even know this kitten. But that's what unites cat lovers all around the world - our love for cats, wherever and whenever they are.

https://cheezburger.com/43643397/woman-finds-a-kitten-crying-in-the-dumpster-takes-her-in-and-finds-shes-the-most-gentle-and-pure-cat

niqaeli

( You're about to view content that the journal owner has advised should be viewed with discretion. )

twocents_feed

Posted by Jake Peterson

https://lifehacker.com/tech/apple-introduces-airdrop-codes?utm_medium=RSS

AirDrop is one of Apple's best features. I use it on a daily basis to share files between my various Apple devices, but it really shines when I'm sharing stuff with other people, or vice versa. It can be tricky to find a quick solution to send larger files. Emails have too low a file size limit, chat apps can compress files, and cloud storage can fill up fast, but AirDrop is simple, built-in, and reliable. It even works with Android now, albeit just the Pixel 10.

If AirDrop has one flaw, it's that it's not particularly easy to use with strangers. Apple has changed how this side of AirDrop works over the years. For the longest time, you had two AirDrop settings: "Contacts Only," which only lets your saved contacts find your device for AirDropping files, and "Everyone," which leaves your AirDrop open to anyone with an iPhone to send you stuff. This was convenient when you needed to share files with strangers, but inconvenient if you left it on: Anyone with an iPhone could see your iPhone and send you anything—like, say, a bomb threat while on an airplane. Not good.

Then, Apple changed this latter functionality to "Everyone for 10 Minutes." Ever since, if you want to open up your AirDrop to people outside your contacts, you have to manually enable this toggle, which will only stay open for, well, 10 minutes. After that, it switches back to "Contacts Only." That's an improvement in security, but not in convenience. If you're ever in a situation where you need to AirDrop something to someone relatively frequently but you don't want to add their contact to your iPhone, you'll be switching back to "Everyone for 10 Minutes" every 10 minutes.

iOS 26.2, Apple's newest iPhone update at the time of this writing, introduces a solution—AirDrop codes. This feature forces anyone not saved in your contacts who wants to share something with you via AirDrop to ask for a one-time code first. Once you share that code, that user is temporarily saved on your iPhone for 30 days, allowing you to AirDrop repeatedly without issue. After those 30 days are up, the user leaves your iPhone, and you don't need to worry about pruning your Contacts app down the line. (This same functionality also applies to AirDrop on iPadOS 26.2 and macOS 26.2.)

How to AirDrop with strangers using AirDrop codes

Here's how this new AirDrop experience works with strangers going forward. Let's say you're at a conference and you meet someone who wants to send you some relevant materials via AirDrop. You set your AirDrop settings to "Everyone for 10 Minutes," they see your contact, and attempt to send you the file.

On your end, you see the request, with a "Continue" option: Once you tap it, you'll see the AirDrop code on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac. You can tell the code to the sender, who can enter it on their device. If successful, the file will be shared like any other AirDrop interaction.

As stated above, this allows you to AirDrop with this contact for 30 days without needing to bother with another AirDrop code. But if you're done sharing with the stranger for good, you can remove their temporary contact early. Head to the Contacts app, hit the back button in the top left if applicable to head to Lists, then choose Other Known. Here, you'll see any temporary contacts generated from previous AirDrop sessions, which you can delete ahead of that 30 day deadline. Otherwise, your device will take care of it once that timeframe has elapsed.

https://lifehacker.com/tech/apple-introduces-airdrop-codes?utm_medium=RSS

icanhascheezburger_feed

Posted by Ayala Sorotsky

https://cheezburger.com/43643141/26-clawsome-cat-memes-for-your-daily-meowing-mood-boost

Doing things the cat way just hits different. Wake up when you feel like it. Stretch dramatically like you're warming up for the Olympics. Ignore responsibilities until at least the third snack of the day. That's the clawsome lifestyle, baby. Cats have truly cracked the code: if you're going to exist, you might as well do it confidently, unapologetically, and preferably while knocking something off a table for no reason at all.

Everything is better when done the cat way. Sitting? Do it loaf-style. Working? Step all over the keyboard. Relaxing? Become a boneless puddle in the warmest sunbeam available. Even walking into a room deserves flair - tail high, vibes immaculate, zero explanation given. Cats don't rush, they don't overthink, and they absolutely don't care what anyone else thinks. Icon behavior.

And honestly, that's the energy we all need more of in our daily scrolls. A little meowing mood-boost to remind us to slow down, be silly, and embrace our inner chaos gremlin with confidence. Life's too short not to choose the clawsome option whenever possible - extra naps, extra snacks, and extra drama included at no additional cost.

So channel your inner feline. Be awesome on purpose. Be a little weird. Be a lot adorable. Do it boldly, do it lazily, do it with full cattitude. Because if you're going to face the day anyway, you might as well face it the cat way: paws first, vibes high, and zero regrets.

https://cheezburger.com/43643141/26-clawsome-cat-memes-for-your-daily-meowing-mood-boost

jalenstrix posting in

labyfic

( Last time... )

( Now, onto the drabble challenge for this month... )

( The format )

( Timing + current and future suggestions )

( Remember: Feedback is LOVE. )

james_davis_nicoll

The tabletop fantasy roleplaying game from Kobold Press of high adventure in a Labyrinth of infinite worlds, and more.

Bundle of Holding: Tales of the Valiant

twocents_feed

Posted by Emily Long

https://lifehacker.com/money/that-paypal-automatic-payment-email-is-a-scam?utm_medium=RSS

Another PayPal phishing scam is circulating, this time with email notifications about recurring or automatic payments. The messages originate from a legitimate PayPal address, allowing them to evade some security filters and leave recipients worried that their accounts have been compromised—perhaps just enough to ignore the obvious red flags and call or email scammers back.

I personally have been targeted by this scam with at least five separate emails, though all have gone straight to my spam folder. Here's how scammers are exploiting PayPal settings to land in your inbox.

How the PayPal scam works

If you're targeted by this campaign, you may receive an email with the subject line "Your automatic payment status has changed" or "Recurring Payment Reactivated." The layout imitates a real PayPal notification and includes a message about a high-dollar payment being "successfully processed" along with a customer service email and phone number to contact PayPal support.

The email is full of red flags: It is addressed to a random name (or, in one of the messages I received, "Hello Update Invoice"), has poor spelling and wonky formatting, and simply doesn't make sense. You can easily spot oddities like bold text and Unicode characters, which BleepingComputer notes is a trick used to bypass spam filters and keyword detection.

Credit: Emily Long

Where the trick lies is in the sender field, as the email comes from service[at]paypal[dot]com, a legitimate PayPal address, and paypal.com is in the signed-by field. As Malwarebytes Labs describes, this is likely an abuse of PayPal's subscription billing feature. If a merchant pauses a customer subscription, the user will receive an automatic email from PayPal notifying them that their payment is no longer active. Scammers are likely setting up fake subscriber accounts using Google Workspace mailing lists, so automatic emails being generated are sent to everyone on those lists. If you look at the "To:" field, you'll see that the message isn't actually addressed to your email.

Exploiting these types of loopholes to make phishing emails seem legit is a common tactic, and I've covered several similar PayPal phishing campaigns already this year. According to a statement provided to BleepingComputer, PayPal is working on mitigating this specific flaw.

Ignore PayPal payment notifications

If one of these PayPal messages lands in your inbox, don't engage with it. Scammers frequently use emails, texts, and calls about account security and financial transactions to scare you into action, and the impersonation of trusted institutions is often pretty convincing.

If you are concerned about activity on your PayPal account, go directly to the app or website and log in to view alerts and check transactions. Do not use contact information or click any links in the original notification, as this increases the chances of compromising your information or downloading malware to your device.

https://lifehacker.com/money/that-paypal-automatic-payment-email-is-a-scam?utm_medium=RSS

frayadjacent posting in

vidukon_cardiff

Programming suggestions for VidUKon 2026 are now open! We will be accepting submissions until Monday January 19 2026 at the end of the day everywhere.

Please submit your content suggestions, whether for shows, panels, or something else, in this google form. Most fields are not mandatory, so if you only have a vid show idea but not a panel or vice versa, that’s fine. Multiple ideas, if you have them, are welcome, but please submit them separately, just to make our lives a bit easier.

If you have an idea for something new that’s not quite a vidshow or panel, we’d love to hear that too.

As ever, we welcome programming ideas from first-time VJs and panellists as well as from veterans - if you’d like to give it a try but you’re not sure where to start, please get in touch! We’re happy to chat it through with you. You’re also very welcome to VJ as a pair or a group.

As the con has grown, so has the number of programming submissions. In the likely event that we have too many programme items to choose from, we will emphasise items that form a coherent and complementary programme, as well as trying to give new VJs and panellists a chance to shine. Last year we had to turn down many excellent suggestions, so if you're still keen on your submission from last year please feel free to resubmit, or submit a new one if you prefer.

Part of the reason we have had to turn down so many great programming submissions is because our standing programming, e.g. Vidder's Choice, Premieres, etc, now run much longer and take up more of the con time than they used to. For this reason, we have decided not to run one of our usual standing vidshows, Festivids, this year. This will free up time for one more curated vidshow or panel than we were able to do last year.

We will endeavour to let submitters know whether their item has been selected as soon as possible after the deadline, to allow plenty of time to prepare.

tozka

I decided to tweak how I engage with online life for 2026, and have been busy the last couple weeks trying to get it ready so I can test it before the new year actually starts.

So:
1. Switch back to posting on DW as my main journal (external blog will close)
2. Move website from pixietails.club to tozka.fyi (partly to save money on the domain renewal cost lol)
2b. Website will be more for evergreen content and not so much tracking content. So pages like a list of what I read this year will be deleted from public and kept private instead, but all my tutorials and fanlistings will still be there.
3. Self-host RSS feed reader (done), link collector (done)
4. Set up Obsidian as my personal hub (done). This'll be where I keep my tracking stuff, personal data, whatever.

So basically be a little more private with my info, be more proactive with keeping my own data, and settle back in to the communities I want to engage with.

I liked having my own little blog domain but it felt very exposed, which made me not want to post. Dreamwidth is more cozy! Even if I post in public here, I don't feel like the eyes of the entire internet are on me. Also tbh when I posted from my blog first it didn't give me an incentive to come over here and actually read my friends page, so I've gotten very behind on my correspondence.

Further changes: I want to get away from AI intrusions a bit more, so I've installed Linux on my main computer (Manjaro) and deleted Windows entirely.

And while I've stopped using most social media besides Mastodon, I still visit Facebook a lot for the groups. I'm going to make it a priority to join and engage in forums instead.

Current Mood: energetic
Current Music: Blanche - The World I Used to Be Afraid Of

newpajiba_feed

Posted by Dustin Rowles

https://www.pajiba.com/tv_reviews/ending-explained-little-disasters-is-a-waste-of-time.php

If you took Big Little Lies, Little Fires Everywhere, and The Slap, tossed them into a blender, watered the whole thing down, and dropped in a Benadryl for that gently sedated vibe, you would end up with something like Little...

icanhascheezburger_feed

Posted by Mariel Ruvinsky

https://cheezburger.com/43637253/he-has-the-saddest-little-face-person-finds-freezing-creamsicle-cat-crying-in-the-snow-just-days

Christmas time is one of the happiest of the whole year. Forget the lights and the sweaters and the presents. It's not even that. It's the fact that we get to see our cats enjoy Christmas just as much as we do. They live for this time. They live for the sparkly trees, they live for the warm blankets that are thrown everywhere. They're happy inside, but a lot of cats outside, especially right now when it's so cold, are not quite as happy. It's a good thing though that Christmas time also means that it's time for miracles, and today's story is definitely about one of those.

This cat showed up freezing in this person's backyard. One more night, and he might not have survived out there on its own. The person who rescued the cat, kind as they are, knew that they didn't have the means to keep it. But the couldn't let the kitty freeze, not during Christmas time, and so, they rescued the cat and took it out of the cold and into a warm home.

https://cheezburger.com/43637253/he-has-the-saddest-little-face-person-finds-freezing-creamsicle-cat-crying-in-the-snow-just-days

muccamukk

These are probably going to be short and sweet, given I read them in late August through September. I'll hopefully catch up to where I am now by the time next term starts, and I go back to only reading stuff for school. Expect a bunch of books about gender, followed by all the romance novels I read on my off time, lol.

Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins, narrated by Jefferson White
I had only the vaguest memories of the account of Haymitch's games from Catching Fire, or anything else from Catching Fire, for that matter. I never did read the other prequel. If Haymitch is one of your favourite characters, and you just want backstory on all the olds who show up later in the original series, this is solid fun. Collins did a good job of thinking through where everyone came from, and how they got like they are when Katniss meets them. Effee showing up is especially fun. We also get confirmation of several queer characters (which I assume she wasn't allowed to do in 2008), and an interesting note about the Capital banning generative A.I..

I enjoyed all the themes of the amount of groundwork needed to put into a revolution, and how the lives of the people in this story eventually led to the events of the first books. Especially how the characters themselves feel like they've failed and wasted everything, but the reader can tell how it's more a process of (horribly) figuring out what works and what doesn't.

At the same time, it didn't feel like a story of only moving pieces into place for the "real story" that will start later. It certainly doesn't read as a stand alone novel, but it does stand up as being about these characters in this moment. Haymitch is such a sweet kid when we first meet him, and is a bit more of a dynamic lead than Katniss (i.e., he actually likes people and wants to talk to them), and given the pile of characters we meet for the first time (because these games have twice the number of tributes), each of the new people get enough development for the reader to become least somewhat invested in what happens to them (spoiler alert: it's the Hunger Games, so...).

I always found the games themselves the least interesting part of the earlier books, which is largely true here as well, but the story still moves along pretty fast. They probably would've been more interesting if I remembered what the story was supposed to be, as Collins puts a lot into the contrasts and surprises. The post-games section did draaaaaaaaaaaaag though. Especially the recap of the games we'd just read about, and the part that was set up as this huge poetic tragedy. I think if you're like... 14, you'd be weeping through the end, but I found it overdone, and thought her editor should've made her stop.

Still, I'm happy to have read it.

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
I hadn't read these in fifteen years, so I thought I'd swing back through to remember what we were supposed to know about all the characters we met in the prequel. Enjoyed it. Games still dragged.

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
So most of the characters from Haymitch's book actually show up here, it turns out. So I read this one. Enjoyed this too, though found the games section dragged a bit. The love triangle continues obnoxious, and I did myself the favour of not reading Mockingjay again.

On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century by Timothy Snyder
I've been hearing bits of this quoted since it came out, and it's quite good. I think the target is more people involved in public life, but it was still good to listen to, these being the times that were given to us. I know it's his area, but I wish there had been more examples from autocracies other than 1930s Germany, for the sake of variety, if nothing else (there were a handful of comparisons from the Soviet bloc, but it was very Nazi centric).

I think it's on YouTube for free, if anyone wants to listen. I'll probably go back to it later, so that I take more on board.

Transforming: The Bible and the Lives of Transgender Christians by Austen Hartke
Solid primer if you're interested in the a gender-diverse approach to Christian theology. Hartke talks to a variety of other trans and non-binary Christians, especially those involved in ministry, about their relationship with God and the Bible. Each chapter focuses on a few lines of scripture, which are largely clobber verses, and discusses how they can be seen as trans affirming. It's really beautifully expressed, and thoughtfully takes on some difficult parts of the Bible. Hartke does talk about how frustrating it is to feel like he has to spend so much time justifying himself and talking about the clobber verses, when he just wants to talk about religious gender euphoria. He's since put out a second edition, which might refine that approach, but I haven't looked at that yet. I really appreciated this edition is an intro, however, and helped me put together a church service for Trans Day of Remembrance.

spiralsheep

- Polls: I've probably got time to post one more poll before my dw paid time runs out, so what should I ask? :D

- Reading: 120 books to 17 Dec 2025.

117. Emily Wilde's Compendium of Lost Tales, by Heather Fawcett, 2025, fantasy romance novel, 5/5

I found the first book of this trilogy delightful (although I'm not a fan of dazed [or fainting] heroines tbh), thought the middle book meandered and repeated a tad too much, but this third book was a very good conclusion to the series (so far - although I hope Fawcett continues to grow creatively rather than repeating herself because I do think she has the imagination and skills to branch out further).

I'm sure nobody reading this hasn't heard of Emily Wilde but, just in case, the novels are secondary world fantasy / romantasy rooted in western European folk and fairy tales but with a Strange and Norrell style fake-academia framing (fake-ademia?).

pg22: If Wendell's stepmother has us slain before I have a chance to contribute to the scholarly debate, I will be very disappointed.

120. Good Days, An A-Z of Hope and Happiness, by Michael Rosen, 2025, non-fiction (self-help, philosophy, literature, autobiography, and whatever else he decides to get into).

Rosen is a National Treasure, obviously. I've just begun this but he quotes John Donne in the first chapter, which has already been in my mind recently for obvious reasons:

No man is an island, entire of itself; every man
is a piece of the continent, a part of the main.
If a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe
is the less, as well as if a promontory were, as
well as if a manor of thy friend’s or of thine
own were. Any man’s death diminishes me,
because I am involved in mankind;
and therefore never send to know for whom
the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.

Current Mood: Busy
Current Location: Hopscotching between unflooded rivers

twocents_feed

Posted by Jake Peterson

https://lifehacker.com/tech/apple-update-iphone-display-light-up-notification?utm_medium=RSS

There are fewer and fewer hardware differences between iPhones and Androids as the years go on, but back in the day, that was far from the case. At one point, many major Android devices came with dedicated LEDs that would shine whenever you received a notification. It was a passive way to know whether you had something on your phone to attend to, without having to actually wake up the display and risk getting unnecessarily sucked into your device.

iPhones have never had this specific feature, but Apple included a workaround for anyone interested in a similar experience. For years, you've been able to dive into Accessibility settings to turn your iPhone's LED flash into a notification light. Any time you received a text, app notification, or call, your camera flash would go off, ensuring you didn't miss an important update. This can be helpful both those who are hard of hearing, and who wouldn't be able to rely on audible alerts, or anyone who keeps their phone on silent, but would like a visual cue that they have a new notification.

For the first time in years, Apple is updating its flash alerts feature. With iOS 26.2, which the company released on Friday, you now have the option to have your iPhone's display itself flash for new alerts. You can choose to make the display the only light that flashes, or to use the feature in tandem with the LED flash, which I think makes the most sense for people who like this option. That way, it won't matter whether your iPhone is face up or face down: You'll always see a light flash for new alerts one way or another.

Display flash doesn't work like you might expect, especially if you've used LED flashes before. I thought my iPhone would flash a bright light on and off again a few times, mimicking how LED flash alerts works. Instead, when you get a new notification, the screen instantly increases the brightness for a few seconds, before lowering it again. It works—you're bound to notice your display jump in brightness if it isn't already maxed out—but it doesn't quite grab your attention as well as the LED flash.

How to set up Flash for Alerts on iPhone

To start, open the Settings app on your iPhone, then head to Accessibility. Scroll down to Hearing, then choose Audio & Visual. Scroll to the bottom of this page, then tap Flash for Alerts.

If you're running an older version of iOS, you'll only have the option to enable "LED Flash." However, those running iOS 26.2 and newer will also see an option for "Screen." Choose that option if you want the display to flash for new alerts, or "Both" to have both lights enabled.

You'll also find two choices that affect when these flash alerts go off, no matter which of the above options you pick. First, you can choose whether your iPhone will use flash alerts while locked. If you disable this option, you'll only see these light alerts when your iPhone is unlocked. Second, you can choose whether to use flash alerts in Silent Mode. I'd keep that setting enabled, since it seems most useful when your iPhone has no other way to alert you to new notifications.

It's also important to note that using an Apple Watch can complicate this feature a bit, at least in my experience. While giving this option a test, I had trouble getting alerts to come through on my locked phone without first going to my watch. If you have an Apple Watch, and its notifications mirror your iPhone's, you'll get the most out of this feature when your iPhone is unlocked.

https://lifehacker.com/tech/apple-update-iphone-display-light-up-notification?utm_medium=RSS

twocents_feed

Posted by Daniel Oropeza

https://lifehacker.com/tech/my-favorite-amazon-deal-of-the-day-sony-wh-1000xm5?utm_medium=RSS

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication.

Sony's 1000X series have been around since 2016, improving on the previous iteration to eventually land on the Sony WH-1000XM6, the best over-ear headphones for audio quality currently on the market. But not everyone can (or needs to) drop nearly half a grand on headphones. The WH-1000XM5 are a generation older and were the best headphones for audio quality up until this year, when they were succeeded. They're currently $248 (originally $399.99), the lowest price they've ever been according to price-tracking tools, and they now come with free Sony WF-C700N earbuds. To put how good this deal is into perspective, the WH-1000XM4 are $100 more right now.

Sony WH-1000XM5 Noise Canceling Headphones with WF-C700N Noise Canceling Earbuds

I have been a loyal customer of the 1000X line for many years; they're my go-to headphones for most activities. The WH-1000XM5 came out in May of 2022 to an "outstanding" review from PCMag for their top-notch audio quality, but also for their exceptional audio when using its best-in-class active noise-canceling (most headphones lose their audio quality when using ANC). The headphones are also well-designed to be comfortable for long sessions.

The ear controls use tapping and swiping, which aren't my favorite, but it's what all the modern headphones are moving toward. There's an app that comes with the headphones that lets you adjust your EQ settings to your liking, including what the swiping and tapping functions do on your headphones.

A great touch on these headphones that is often neglected is a Stereo 3.5mm connection, perfect for those who want to use a wired cable without worrying about battery life. Speaking of battery life, Sony says you can expect about 30 hours, but it will vary depending on your usage of ANC. They are compatible with AAC, LDAC and SBC codecs and have multipoint connection (you can pair them with more than one device at the same time).

The Sony WF-C700N earbuds are normally $119, and are "good" earbuds accorcing to PCMag's review. If you're looking for great headphones for audio quality with ANC with some free earbuds at a great price that arrives before Christmas, consider this deal.

Our Best Editor-Vetted Tech Deals Right Now

Apple AirPods Pro 3 Noise Cancelling Heart Rate Wireless Earbuds — $199.00 (List Price $249.00)

Sony WH-1000XM5 — $248.00 (List Price $399.99)

Samsung Galaxy Tab A9+ 10.9" 64GB Wi-Fi Tablet (Graphite) — $139.99 (List Price $219.99)

Apple Watch Series 11 [GPS 46mm] Smartwatch with Jet Black Aluminum Case with Black Sport Band - M/L. Sleep Score, Fitness Tracker, Health Monitoring, Always-On Display, Water Resistant — $329.00 (List Price $429.00)

Blink Outdoor 4 1080p 3-Camera Kit With Sync Module Core — $74.99 (List Price $189.99)

Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Plus — $29.99 (List Price $49.99)

Meta Quest 3 512GB Mixed Reality VR Headset with Controllers — (List Price $499.99 With Code "QUEST50")

Deals are selected by our commerce team

https://lifehacker.com/tech/my-favorite-amazon-deal-of-the-day-sony-wh-1000xm5?utm_medium=RSS

sanguinity

Frederik Sonck (illus. Jenny Lucander, trans. B.J. Woodstein), Freya and the Snake (2023 / 2025)

Finnish children's book about the snake that lives in the rockpile, a father's earnest but unsuccessful attempt to avert a fatal conflict between the snake and his children, and his children turning on him after he finally resorts to killing the snake.

"Snake murderer," they say. They will not eat ice cream with a snake murderer. Also, murderers do not get to attend the funeral.

I loved this book. I loved how judgemental the kids are, how exasperated and slitherer-outer the mother is, and how harried the father is. I of course would have preferred textual confirmation that the snake was venomous, but it's reasonably clear there was no great solution here -- just as it's clear that level of nuance is not gonna fly with these kids.

Dee Snyder (illus. Margaret McCartney), We're Not Gonna Take It (1984 / 2020)

Illustrated version of the famous Twisted Sister song, in which the rebellious anti-authoritarian teenagers of the music video have grown up to become authoritarian parents of toddlers -- toddlers who do not consent to such brutalities as baths and bedtimes.

I'm not quite sure how I feel about this one. I associate the original version with freedom of gender expression and rebellion against abusive parents, and there's still a thing going on here about the tyranny of parents, but now that's a joke. The parents know what's best and eventually the babies go to sleep and dream happily, and... hrm. The whole thing is very defanged and cute and I'm not sure I'm quite on board for it.

Octavia E. Butler (illus. Manzel Bowman), A Few Rules for Predicting the Future (2000 / 2024)

Illustrated edition of Butler's 2000 Essence essay on the art of science fiction predicting the future, originally written in the context of the then-recently published Parable of the Talents, the sequel to Parable of the Sower, both of which forecast a United States that never addressed the developing problems of fascism and climate change. This volume was published in 2024, the once-future year that Sower is set. While Butler's vision for 2024 doesn't match what I see out my window, we are very much reaping the harvest of our runaway fascism problem. (If you can use "reaping the harvest" for an ongoing and advancing situation.)

Which is to say. This essay has aged very well. I'm pleased to have the opportunity to give it another think, and in fact I have re-read it twice since checking out this volume. I like her stress on there being no silver bullet but a multiplicity of checkerboarded solutions -- one for each of us who chooses to apply ourselves to it! -- and likewise her observations on the generational effect of what looks reasonable and preposterous, both looking ahead and in hindsight.

I'm a little mixed-feelings about the volume itself. It's very pretty and the paintings are gorgeous, but there's only four of them, so as a stand-alone edition it feels a bit... thin. Then again, it got me to read her essay again, so in that sense, it's a success.

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