If you’re working from home, your schedule is probably crammed full of Zoom meetings. Still getting to know the video conferencing platform? We put together five clever tricks to help you make the most out of your video calls and maybe even help you camouflage that quarantine haircut you gave yourself with the kitchen scissors.
Want to know where a product was manufactured? Check this site
During the pandemic, virtual travel gained traction when flights were restricted, and countries implemented quarantine or outright bans to travelers. You can go online and take virtual tours around the world without leaving your home.
Google Maps comes into play for travel as well as navigation. You can open the app when you’re in an unfamiliar area to get recommendations and information on points of interest. What’s also interesting is the app’s censorship of certain spots around the world. Tap or click here to check them out and see if you can find any of your own.
While we’re on the topic of travel, do you ever wonder where your various devices come from? Your headphones, router, smartphone, tablet and more are all built somewhere, right? There’s a site that provides this information if you’re curious.
Use this site to check out your stuff
The site productfrom.com has a database of more than 80,000 products and information on where they’re manufactured. Products are divided into categories, companies and countries of origin, and there’s also a search option.
Pick a product and select Details to get information such as the manufacturer, part number, category, country of manufacture and the date it was added to the site.
Select Buy, and you’ll get links to product pages on eBay and Amazon.
By category
ProductFrom.com
Select the Categories option, and you’ll find subcategories in alphabetical order such as Audio, Cables & Leads, Electronics, Lighting and Mobile. Beneath each of these is an extensive list of more specific categories, including Blue-Ray Players, HDMI Cables, Smartphones and more.
Some of these can be found in multiple categories, such as Tablets/iPads, which are under both Mobile and PC Computers.
Buying health supplements or weight loss pills online? Read this first
New year, new you. You may not have hosted the most traditional New Year’s Eve celebration this year, but many of us still made our annual resolutions like we do every year.
Typical New Year’s Resolutions often include things like getting in shape, exercising more or losing weight. You may have committed to something similar this year to help eliminate the quarantine weight many of us are gaining as we try to pass the time indoors.
See if your state has a COVID-19 exposure notification app
When a COVID-19 outbreak cluster occurs, contact tracing is essential to slowing the spread. Contact tracing can be used to warn people about an exposure that they wouldn’t have known about otherwise — which gives them a chance to quarantine and protect others.
CDC says to stockpile your meds - here's tech to help
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued new advice amid the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak: Stockpile medicine and food, and plan to be confined to your home.
That doesn’t mean panic, but definitely stick with information from trusted health organizations and websites. Also, don’t believe the kerfuffle on social media, where misinformation and scams are running rampant. Tap or click here to find out how to spot coronavirus scams.
Money-saving Amazon secret: Shop the warehouse
Can I tell you a secret? Prime Day, coupons and lightning deals are great, but there’s another trick you might not be aware of that can save you up to 70% on Amazon purchases year-round.
It’s called Amazon Warehouse, and it’s not really promoted on the site, but it’s where you’ll find thousands of discounted items.
Disney's new movie is skipping theaters - will this change things for good?
The 2020 movie season has been a surreal, strange test in how to navigate releasing new blockbusters in the middle of a worldwide pandemic. This is the first time studios have had to contend with self-distancing rules, quarantine closings and theater shutdowns across the nation.
25 Amazon kitchen gadgets Kim loves: Instant Pot, sushi making kit, Chick-fil-A sauce
These are some of my favorite kitchen gadgets that I recently discovered on Amazon. I thought you might be surprised at how much they’ll help you when you’re cooking. They definitely surprised me.
You want your veggies to last as long as possible. Ideally, you want to take as few trips to the market as possible these days. But if you’re buying food to last you between visits, you won’t want it going bad on you in your fridge.
Remote workers, this southern city will pay you $2K to relocate
Now that quarantine is winding down across the U.S., unemployed Americans are grappling with the fallout of COVID-19 and its effect on the job market. While retail and service jobs once thrived before the pandemic, remote work has since become one of the best options to make a living while protecting yourself from the deadly virus.
Discover new artists you'll love with this cool music finder
If you’re like us, you’re dying to find something new to listen to after all this time in quarantine. The tracks on your playlist might be stale by now, and there haven’t been many artists releasing new material over the past few months.
Time your favorite TV shows for binge watching
Forget baseball — binge watching is the new American pastime, quarantine or not. And with so much media at our disposal these days, why not curl up on the couch and watch some of our favorite TV shows back-to-back? It’s not like we have to wait days and days between episodes anymore.
Read J.K. Rowling's previously-unreleased book for free online
If you have kids in your family, you already know how difficult COVID-19 and quarantine can be for them. Between boredom, fear and dashed expectations for things like graduation, life indoors can feel like a grim slog of binge-watching and video games.
10 must-have summer deals you'll want to add to your cart
Summer is right around the corner, which means it’s time to start setting up the perfect outdoor spaces to hang out and lounge in the sun. To do that, you’ll need to pull out all the stops: there are grills to dust off, umbrellas to put up and patio chair pillows to fluff.
Emoji quiz: How many countries can you guess correctly?
With so much turmoil in the world today, it’s important to take a moment to appreciate the lighter side of life. While you’re at home flattening the curve, making time for something fun can greatly improve your mental health and attitude.
Test yourself with more than 15,000 brainteasers, riddles and logic problems
It’s easy to fall into the routine of one Netflix movie after another when you’re housebound, so it’s important to make sure to keep your mind active as well as your body. Luckily, there are sites that make it easy and fun to test yourself with tons of free logic problems, brainteasers, riddles and more.
Coronavirus testing: How to get the first FDA-approved at-home test
One of the most frustrating parts of the COVID-19 pandemic has been the availability of testing kits. Even in regions where tests are plentiful, doctors still advise people with mild symptoms to stay home rather than come in and confirm their status.
Listen to these BBC Apollo 11 podcasts
Many of us are looking for suggestions to stay entertained while sheltering in place. Here’s something you can try, the BBC has a fantastic, free podcast all about the Apollo 11 moon landing. In celebration of the 50th anniversary of Apollo 13, the BBC is now launching another free series much like the original but this time covering Apollo 13.
Firefighter checking on stimulus funds shocked to find $8 million in bank account
Millions are out of work across the U.S. and the number continues to claim. To help lessen the blow to the economy, Congress quickly passed a $2.2 trillion stimulus bill and those funds are now starting to arrive.
Before those checks starting hitting bank accounts, scammers were already out in full force trying to steal your share and your personal information. Tap or click here to see the signs you need to be watching for.
Don't be fooled: This free Netflix offer is a scam
Those of us in quarantine have plenty of free time to kill. Some folks are spending it keeping up with the news, while others are focusing on the finer things in life: streaming Netflix and binge-watching shows.
Despite the sharp uptick in users, Netflix is still charging existing customers a monthly fee. This flies in the face of other services that are extending freebies during the coronavirus outbreak. Tap or click to see what you can get for free right now.
Going to the hospital or doctor's office? This app can help you avoid coronavirus exposure
One of the most dangerous aspects of COVID-19 is its ability to easily overwhelm emergency rooms. With a fatality rate between 1 and 4%, our healthcare system may not have enough hospital beds to handle the most critical cases.