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When it comes to DIY projects, my enthusiasm and willingness to dive in have always compensated for a certain lack of what some would call “skill”—I’m a guy who has to cut twice no matter how many times I measure. Finding studs in the wall is a perfect example: This should be the easiest part of any project, but fancy digital stud finders have always let me down—in fact, the fancier they are, the less useful I find them to be.

That’s why the StudPop is so great. It’s an incredibly simple stud finder—and incredibly cheap. It’s made locating the studs in my walls such a breeze that I’ve tossed those digital stud finders into the trash.

StudPop uses powerful magnets to locate studs

Using expensive, fancy stud finders was always a confusing experience—they always seemed to light up right after I’d swept past a screw, or mysteriously indicated there were no studs in my house at all. The StudPop ditches all the fancy stuff and uses a simple system: A powerful magnet attached to a plastic indicator. I’ve had magnetic stud finders before, but their magnets were usually pretty weak, and they were as frustrating as the fancy electronic finders because they would give a lot of false positives.

In contrast, the StudPop is so powerful, it will stick to the wall when it hits some metal. This makes it easy to identify the studs. You move the StudPop along the wall in a lazy S-shaped pattern until the indicator pops up (you’ll feel it when it hits something—the magnet is pretty strong). Once you have one mark, you move the StudPop down vertically in the same S-shaped motion until you hit a second spot. This is how you know you’ve got a stud instead of a safety plate or a wire—three hits along the same vertical means you’ve got your stud.

Marking off a stud on the wall
Marking off a stud on the wall Credit: Jeff Somers

The whole process takes about a minute, with (in my experience) zero false positives. The fact that it sticks in place when it hits a nail or screw is awesome, leaving your hands free, and the simple plastic indicator is easy to interpret—it’s either standing up or it’s not. Tools just don’t get any easier than this, and there are no batteries to replace or charge up, no user manual to read, and it’s tiny, so it doesn’t take up precious storage space. I haven’t drilled into an empty space since picking this up.


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Liquid Glass, Apple's big design overhaul for the "26" era, is contentious to say the least. Some users love it, some hate it, and others despise it. There's a real spectrum of opinions out there, especially since Apple rolled out the design to all of its products. iPhones got it with iOS; iPads with iPadOS 26, and, of course, Macs with macOS 26. Apple later added controls to adjust the look of Liquid Glass across all these platforms, but it's far from an off switch. If you don't like Liquid Glass, you probably aren't going to like Liquid Glass-lite.

It seems, however, that some of the criticism is being levied at some platforms more than others. While Liquid Glass on the iPhone has its detractors, its macOS' interpretation of the design that is drawing ire. Some users aren't happy with the effect Liquid Glass has on legibility across the OS. I like the design overall, but I can agree that, at times, it can be more difficult to read text across a variety of elements than it should be. If you open Control Center, for example, the glassy elements can obscure the text within, especially if you open Control Center over a bright white article or Word document. The same can happen with other UI elements that blend over others; the glassy effect can make it difficult to read.

Bloomberg's Mark Gurman suggests these issues may be due to the Mac's varying display types: Apple's computers can come with LCD or mini-LED displays, not OLED like on the iPhone, Apple Watch, and some iPads. It's possible Apple's glass effects work a bit better on OLED than these other display types, which is why most of the biggest complaints come from Mac users. Apple is working on an OLED MacBook, which could ship as soon as this year, so that could remedy some of the issues, but it wouldn't fix the problem for critics with existing Macs.

macOS 27 could fix these legibility issues with Liquid Glass

As Gurman reports, however, Apple is looking to make some design changes to Liquid Glass on macOS 27. The goal is to update shadows and transparency on the Mac: If Apple can manage to adjust these elements and optimize them for the Mac's larger and varying display types, Liquid Glass could be a bit more useful on macOS. Gurman's source suggests that these changes reflect Apple's original intent for the design. That doesn't surprise me, as the company's original concept video does feel a bit more fluid than the end result.

To be clear, however, this will not be a Liquid Glass "overhaul," nor is the design going anywhere. Gurman says that macOS 27 will mark a "slight redesign" for Liquid Glass, but will not change or erase it completely. If you like Liquid Glass, like me, this should be good news; if you're a critic or a skeptic, you might be a bit disappointed.

But this appears to be Apple's goal for the "27" era: polish and refinement. Gurman has previously reported that the new wave of updates due out this year will offer bug fixes and quality-of-life improvements in favor of a bundle of new features. That sounds great to me: My Apple products already do just about everything I want them to; if Apple can just make the experience a bit smoother, that'll check off most of my requests. Of course, the company likely isn't omitting new features entirely: They're still on the hook for the AI updates to Siri that they promised two years ago (and are currently settling a lawsuit over). But if macOS 27 largely makes my Macs look and run a bit better, I'll be quite content.


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For me, Venmo has always been the app to settle quick debts. Someone puts their card down at dinner, and I Venmo them my share; I covered costs on a trip, and the group Venmos me in return. But Venmo has always seemed like it wanted to be more than that. The app feels like a hybrid between a banking service, a social media platform, and a place to buy and sell crypto. None of that is changing with its new redesign; in fact, it feels like it's leaning into that multi-use experience more than ever. But it is making a big privacy change, at least for new users, that probably should have been there from launch.

How Venmo is changing in the coming weeks

Venmo is launching a redesigned app over the coming weeks, and the changes aren't subtle: The overhauled UI definitely looks like an app launching in 2026, with large rounded blocks, bolded names and text, and updated imagery throughout. Over time, the company also plans to introduce new sections to the app, which it calls "surfaces." There's "Send," which contains the usual Venmo features like fund sharing and payment scheduling; "Money," which lets you buy and sell crypto and link your account to other services; and "Rewards," which hosts Venmo's cash back program and offers.

If you're an existing Venmo user, you'll notice these changes immediately, of course. But perhaps the biggest change of all only impacts new Venmo users—in a good way, mind you. Going forward, users signing up for new Venmo accounts will have their transactions set to private by default. They can change this option, of course, but if they don't adjust their settings, all of the payments they use Venmo for will be hidden from their friends and contacts, rather than populate on the main feed.

This is a pretty radical change for Venmo. Throughout Venmo's history, new users' profiles were set to public from the get-go. If you didn't intervene, your transactions would be broadcast to anyone who follows you or the person you paid: That's a good thing if you're Venmo, which wants the extra engagement; or, perhaps, a nosey user who wants to see who's paying who for what. But most of us probably don't want or need the Venmo world knowing our financial business, even if we don't have anything to "hide." As such, this change is a good one.

Of course, Venmo doesn't force you to display your transactions publicly. You can change this setting at any time, and make all of your transactions private by default. You can also set individual payments as private, if you have some transactions you want to keep off the timeline. But many (if not most) users aren't going to go out of their way to change the default options after setting up their accounts. As such, I'm willing to bet that a good percentage of the transactions visible on Venmo aren't from people who want to share that information. That wouldn't be a problem had Venmo set their accounts to private from the start.

How to set your Venmo account to private

If you have a new Venmo account, your privacy situation is set. But if you've had your account awhile, you might be set to public if you've never changed it. Luckily, if you want to be private, it's easy: Open the app, then head to your profile. Hit the settings gear in the top right, then choose "Privacy." Here, make sure "Private" is checked off. If you're okay sharing with just friends, you can choose "Friends" as well. But for a totally off-the-grid experience, hit "Private." You can also set individual payments to Private if you don't want to hide all your payments. Once you reach the pay screen, hit "Public" in the same line as "Privacy," then choose "Private" or "Friends."

Now, your transactions will still appear in the feed, but will be visible only to you and the other party involved. You can tell from the little lock icon that appears in the payment.


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At $484.99, the Insta360 Go Ultra Vlogger Bundle has dropped from its usual $574 price, and according to price trackers, this is the lowest it has been so far. The whole idea behind the Go Ultra is convenience. The camera itself is tiny enough to wear on a shirt, as a magnetic pendant, or as a hat clip without constantly reminding you it’s there. Then, when you want something that feels more like a traditional action camera, it docks into the included Action Pod, which has a larger screen and an extra battery, notes this PCMag review.

The camera shoots stabilized 4K video at 60fps, and the larger 1/1.28-inch sensor helps noticeably indoors or during evening shoots, where smaller action cameras often turn footage muddy fast. Stabilization is also one of the better parts of the experience. Walking footage stays smooth without requiring much effort, so it works well for bike rides, city walks, festivals, or travel clips where carrying a gimbal would feel excessive. And if framing starts becoming a problem, you can just dock it into the Action Pod and use its 2.5-inch flip-up touchscreen, which makes it much easier to see yourself while recording.

Video tops out at eight-bit color, so creators who spend a lot of time color-grading footage may find it more limiting than larger action cameras from DJI or GoPro. There’s also no built-in storage, meaning you’ll need to pick up a microSD card separately before you can start shooting. Battery life changes quite a bit depending on how you use the system, too—the standalone camera lasts roughly 30 to 36 minutes at 4K60 before heat starts becoming a factor, while the Action Pod pushes total usage much closer to two hours. And as for its audio quality, it's decent for casual clips and quick vlogs, but wind noise and distance can still affect recordings, unless you rely on the included mic transmitter or external audio gear.

Still, the bundle is generous—along with the camera and Action Pod, you get a magnetic pendant, quick-release mounts, a mini tripod remote kit, a magnetic clip, and a Mic Air transmitter for better audio options. For creators who constantly move between casual recording and more deliberate filming, the setup feels more versatile than most compact action cameras.


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At $199 on Woot, the GoPro Lit Hero has dropped well below its original $269 launch price from October 2025, and according to price trackers, this is the lowest price the camera has hit so far. The same model is selling for $229.99 on Amazon. Shipping is free for Prime members, while everyone else pays an extra $6, though Woot only ships within the lower 48 states.

The main reason someone would buy the Lit Hero is portability. At just 3.3 ounces, it’s genuinely tiny, small enough to slip into a jacket pocket or stay clipped to a bike helmet without becoming annoying to carry around all day. It records up to 4K at 60fps, captures 12MP photos, and is waterproof down to 16 feet without needing extra housing, which makes it practical for casual travel, cycling, beach trips, or quick vacation clips. Startup speeds are fast, autofocus works reliably most of the time, and the battery lasts around 90 minutes of continuous shooting, which is decent considering the battery is sealed and cannot be swapped out mid-day. The built-in LED light is also brighter than expected for a camera this small, although it feels more useful underwater or during emergencies than for everyday clips.

On the minus side, its 1.76-inch touchscreen is extremely small, and navigating menus can become annoying fast, especially outdoors or with wet hands. And because there are barely any physical controls, almost everything depends on tapping through menus on that tiny display. There’s also no built-in image stabilization. Instead, you have to transfer footage into the GoPro Quik app and apply stabilization afterward, which adds an extra step that is frustrating. And while the image quality is decent in bright conditions, its small 1/2.8-inch sensor struggles once lighting drops, producing softer footage with visible noise. People who like color grading or tweaking footage later won’t get much flexibility here either, since there’s no log mode or meaningful manual control to work with. Overall, the Lit Hero feels less like a smaller Hero Black and more like a compact point-and-shoot action cam for beginners who care more about convenience and size than image quality.


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Turns out that LLMs are really good at hiding text messages in other text messages.


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Insider trading is rife on Polymarket:

Analysis by the Anti-Corruption Data Collective, a non-profit research and advocacy group, found that long-shot bets—­defined as wagers of $2,500 or more at odds of 35 percent or less—­on the platform had an average win rate of around 52 percent in markets on military and defense actions.

That compares with a win rate of 25 percent across all politics-focused markets and just 14 percent for all markets on the platform as a whole.

It is absolutely insane that this is legal. We already know how insider betting warps sports. Insider betting warping politics—and military actions—is orders of magnitude worse...


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