We may earn a commission from links on this page.Since TikTok has been (temporarily) saved from a national ban, there's no better time than now to use the app to improve your life. Specifically, in addition to following CleanTok gurus so you can steal some of their tips for maintaining a spotless, organized home, you should check out some of the products they (and regular-degular app users) recommend. Here are some of the most popular cleaning tools you'll see touted on TikTok, as well as what theyre used for, where you can get them, and how you can save money when you dont need a specific brand.Spin mops TikTokkers love spin mops. There are a few varieties, but the main appeal of all of them is that the mops can spin rapidly in the mop bucket, so theyre not as wet when they hit the floor, making cleaning less, uh, messy. Some of these mops come with a two-chamber system that enables you to keep dirty and clean water separate. By far, the most popular brand is O-cedar, which sells spin mops for around $35.Pet hair removers Theres something satisfying about watching videos of people systematically remove pet hair from their carpets and couches, which is probably why these gadgets are so popular. But if pet hair is a real problem for you, the purchase of a special tool for removing it might be more about necessity than ASMR brain tingles. Pick up a variety pack of five for $9.99 so you always have one ready to go.You can also try the Chom Chom, which is a little more expensive but super popular, with 4.5 out of 5 stars on Amazon and nearly 200,000 ratings. It collects the pet hair in a separate chamber, which makes it easy to dispose of. Chom Chom Roller Pet Hair Remover $24.99 at Amazon $27.99 Save $3.00 Shop Now Shop Now $24.99 at Amazon $27.99 Save $3.00 Scrub Daddy Yes, a Scrub Daddy is just a scrubberbut it has legions of fans who post about their devotion to the happy-looking sponge. It's rough and makes scrubbing a breeze, and there are a bunch of Scrub Daddy hacks floating around the fan community. (For instance, you can run your knives through the mouth of the smiley face to quickly clean them without cutting yourself.) Nab three for under $15 and join the movement.Drill brush scrubber attachments Scrubber attachments for your power drill are an exciting addition to your cleaning arsenal, even if they seem a little silly. TikTokkers do point out these are mostly useful if you have issues scrubbing manually, and they dont do much that you couldnt do yourself if youre capable, but using them is sort of fun anyway. Try a 30-piece set from Amazon for $24.95.Soap dispensing brushes CleanTokkers love soap-dispensing brushesnot just for dishes, but for all kinds of home scrubbing. One often-recommended hack is keeping one in your shower and using it to wipe down your tiles while youre in there sudsing yourself. Or, be like the content creator above and use it on your windows. Try this one from OXO for $10.99.Drain snakes Like those pimple-popping videos we were all watching in 2016, there is an appeal to watching someone haul hair and product gunk out of their sink drain with a long, spiked tool. You might see some influencers recommend a certain brand (usually because they want a commission). Do not listen to them. You can get a perfectly acceptable drain snake at any dollar storeor get an eight-pack for $4.95 on Amazon.Keurig cleaning pods Ive always recommended using vinegar to clean your pod coffee maker, but if you want a brand-name, ready-made solution, you can try Keurig pods designed to clean the inside of your machine. Six of them will run you $9.95. While it's easy and fun to use a pre-made cleaner, don't forget you can totally descale your pod-based coffee machines on your own, too, and TikTokkers' love for these may stem from a commission program (though not always).Mini desk vacuums One item that has gone truly viral is the mini desk vacuum, which you can find on Amazon for about $13. These absolutely does not need to exist, nor do you need one from a particular brand. You can find them from a variety of sellers online. A desk vac will only pick up little things, like crumbs, but they make desk cleaning more fun, and it beats the hell out of just sweeping it all into your hand.The Pink Stuff Finally, we have the Pink Stuff. It's hard to find cleaning channels on TikTok that don't feature this productusually in its paste formbecause it's just that popular. It can be used on tiles, glass, steel, or whatever surface is in need of a good, strong cleaning. Having tried it, I can attest that it makes grime disappear, which is likely why it's so popular in short-form videos, where before-and-after clips are their own kind of currency. Stardrops - The Pink Stuff - The Miracle All Purpose Cleaning Paste $5.49 at Amazon $5.99 Save $0.50 Shop Now Shop Now $5.49 at Amazon $5.99 Save $0.50

Ten video games have received nominations for the 36th Annual GLAAD Media Awards. This program celebrates media works that feature "fair, accurate and inclusive representations of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) community and the issues that affect their lives." There are nominees for television, film, music, theater, journalism and comics as well as video games.One of the 2024 nominees for outstanding video game is the re-release of Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door for the Nintendo Switch. The original Japanese version of the GameCube title included a minor character named Vivian who was transgender. The game contained dialogue about her challenges being misgendered and her journey to understanding her own identity. However, the 2002 international translations of the game, including the English version released in the US, erased that side to the character, removing language around Vivian's gender and pronouns. Last year's Switch re-release restored the character's original lines and story arc for English-speaking players to finally experience.The video game nominees also include Dragon Age: The Veilguard. BioWare has a long history of portraying queer characters and romance options in their games, and it's great to see them continuing that practice with the latest title. Horror film outfit Blumhouse's first foray into games, the fascinating indie project Fear the Spotlight, also received a nod. Here is the complete list of game nominees:Caravan SandWitch (Studio Plane Toast / Dear Villagers)Dragon Age: The Veilguard (BioWare / Electronic Arts)Dread Delusion (Lovely Hellplace / DreadXP)Dustborn (Red Thread Games / Spotlight by Quantic Dream)Fear the Spotlight (Cozy Game Pals / Blumhouse Games)Life is Strange: Double Exposure (Deck Nine / Square Enix)Minds Beneath Us (BearBone Studio)Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door (Intelligent Systems / Nintendo)Sorry Were Closed ( la mode games / Akupara Games)Until Then (Polychroma Games / Maximum Entertainment)This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/glaad-media-awards-nominates-paper-mario-after-nintendo-restored-trans-representation-232157090.html?src=rss

Sega has introduced a new system for player accounts. A Sega Account will connect all of a player's games and services from both Sega and Atlus. It will also be a place for the two studios to share news, events, updates and promotions about their titles. The accounts are free and anyone can register.To sweeten the pot, Sega will also offer bonuses and goodies to account members. The first reward people can unlock is a Kazuma Kiryu Special Outfit DLC for Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii, which is due out next month. The ensemble can be redeemed by anyone who sets up a Sega Account before March 7.With so many studios turning to games as a service, it's becoming standard practice to require players to create accounts or online profiles. Sega is a little slow to hop on this train, and there are some industry standard features in that are still in development for Sega Accounts, such as a page for records related to games played. There's no language on the website now about if or when an account might be required.In announcing this platform, Sega said there will be "various new services and features coming soon." We already know that Sega is working on a brand new Virtua Fighter game, but we've also said good-bye to other old-school classics from the company. Seems like Sega is in a phase of transition, so it should be interesting to see what else they've got in store for this year.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/sega-unveils-a-player-account-system-221029962.html?src=rss

Samsung unveiled a slew of Galaxy AI features for its new Galaxy S25 lineup, but how many of them are likely to trickle down to older handsets?

Samsung's integrated security suite Knox aims to allow all businesses to boost device safety.

South Koreas SK Hynix, one of the worlds largest memory chipmakers supported by strong sales of high bandwidth memory (HBM) used in generative AI.

Chris Young, who joined Microsoft in 2020, worked on the software company's investments, its OpenAI relationship and the Activision Blizzard acquisition.

E-commerce giant Amazon.com is exiting its operations in Quebec, leading to the loss of about 1,700 full-time jobs, a company spokesperson said on Wednesday.The online retailer will phase out operations across seven sites in the province the only location in Canada with unionized Amazon employees over the next two months.It will return to a third-party delivery model, relying on local small businesses, similar to its approach before 2020.Following a recent review of our Quebec operations, weve seen that returning to a third-party delivery model will allow us to provide even more savings to our customers, Amazon spokesperson Barbara Agrait said.The move will also affect approximately 250 seasonal workers. Amazon will offer affected employees a package including up to 14 weeks pay and transitional benefits such as job placement resources, Agrait added.In May, Amazon warehouse workers represented by the Canadian labor union Confdration des syndicats nationaux (CSN) unionized, citing dissatisfaction with wages and inadequate health and safety measures at the facilities.The CSN, which represents 300 workers at the site north of Montreal, said in a statement on Wednesday that Amazons decision made no business sense and directly targets the companys only unionized warehouse in Canada.The workers were in the process of negotiating their first collective agreement.There is no doubt that the closings announced today are part of an anti-union campaign against CSN and Amazon employees, said CSN president Caroline Senneville in a French-language statement.This move contradicts the provisions of the Quebec Labour Code, which we will strongly oppose, Senneville added, without providing immediate specifics.Deborah Sophia and Allison Lampert, Reuters

U.S. oil and gas producers are thrilled that President Donald Trump wants to encourage domestic energy development but say his decision to withdraw the United States from international climate cooperation will not help their investment plans in the global transition to cleaner energy.The position reflects a rare note of discord between Trump and Big Oil, one of his most important constituencies and long considered the top villain behind climate change for pumping and selling the fossil fuels driving planetary warming.Removing the United States from the Paris climate deal for the second time was among a flurry of first-day moves by Trump aimed at pumping up already record high domestic energy production, sending a signal to the rest of the world the U.S. will no longer engage in multilateral efforts to combat climate change.He called the decade-old pact to limit global warming a rip off that puts the U.S. at a competitive disadvantage to China.Big U.S. oil companies, however, believe the withdrawal only limits Washingtons ability to influence an ongoing global energy transition and exposes them to an uneven regulatory environment, according to Reuters interviews with industry representatives.Marty Durbin, president of the U.S. Chamber of Commerces Global Energy Institute representing U.S. energy companies, said its members would have preferred Trump keep the U.S. involved in the pact.While we prefer that the U.S. government remain engaged in the UN climate process, the private sector is committed to developing the solutions necessary to meet the energy needs of a growing global economy while addressing the climate challenge, he said.Bethany Williams, a spokesperson for the American Petroleum Institute whose members include Exxon Mobil and Chevron said the group has long supported the ambitions of the Paris Agreement.Exxons CEO Darren Woods had made an early plea to the newly-elected president at the COP29 climate summit in Azerbaijan in November to keep the U.S. in the Paris pact, saying the cycle of exiting and re-entering the agreement would create long-term policy uncertainty for companies.Exxon and other big oil companies are planning long-term investments in technologies intended to fight climate change, including green hydrogen and carbon capture, while also navigating decisions about new oil and gas exploration.Exxon and Occidental did not respond to requests for comment. Chevron and ConocoPhillips declined to comment.Asked about the Paris withdrawal order, the president of the American Exploration and Production Council (AXPC), representing U.S. independent drillers, said it was important for U.S. industry to be part of the global climate discussion.Its critical that any conversation about addressing climate change must be global in nature, and also recognize that America is the world leader in both energy production and emissions reductions, said AXPC CEO Anne Bradbury.A shift in the U.S. power industry away from coal has contributed to a roughly 17% decline in U.S. carbon dioxide emissions since 2007, according to government data.Climate liability risk specialist Wynne Lawrence of insurance law firm Clyde & Co said policy volatility around international climate participation puts U.S. companies at risk.The U.S. withdrawal from the Paris Climate Agreement will increase regulatory ambiguity, creating increased complexity and, potentially, lead to legal disputes as companies deal with the resulting uncertainty around transition strategies across multinational groups and supply chains, said Lawrence.In recent years, oil majors had begun sending executives to annual UN climate conferences, where they touted investments in clean energy projects and cuts in the operating emissions.Frank Maisano, senior principal at law firm Bracewell, which represents energy industry clients, said it makes little sense to give up a seat at the table.U.S. industries in all sectors continue to invest in new technologies and innovations that are driving the global energy transition in a way that reduces emissions and protects our economy, he said. We should be shouting that success story from every rooftop and in every venue.Valerie Volcovici and Sheila Dang, Reuters

LVMH Watch Week is one of the biggest annual events on a watch enthusiasts calendar. With the dawn of the new year, the sixth edition of Watch Week is already underway and the event features the finest names in LVMH tutelage showcasing their latest creations. One of the new attendees is the LEpe 1839, which has made its first major release since its acquisition by LVMH in 2024.LEpe was first founded in 1839 and has been a phenomenon amid mechanical Swiss watch fans through the years. For me, its exceptional table clocks have always stood out from the rest, not to mention its watches in collaboration with MB&F. Of course, then you would expect larger-than-life complications and complexities in their creations. However this one time, the Maison has chosen to keep it simple and revealing which is interesting.Designer: LEpe 1839Introducing the LEpe transparent watch box which is nothing more than what the name suggests precisely. But for some integrity, it has mechanical functioning to become an enticing presentation box. Meant excessively to offer a full view of the watch beating under its hood, the translucent box mechanically elevates your precious timepiece to wear or simply impress your friends.LEpe Watch Box measures 215mm long, 150mm wide, and 140mm high. It is made from inox, acrylic glass and microfiber, and is hand-finished painstakingly with polished, satin and lacquer. The mechanical elements of the box are brass-plated supposedly. Owing to its construction it weighs 3.4 kg which is quite heavy.The watch box comes to life from a dull translucent container into a lively mechanical lift system with the push of a button on its acrylic housing. When the button is pushed, the mechanical system on the inside elegantly opens the top lid and lifts the watch-securing cushion up and out of the box. At this point, you can choose to remove the watch and wear, or push it back down when youre down showing off.Pressing the housing down rewinds the mechanical system to settle the cushion platform back in the box. Of course, LEpe Watch Box does not wind nor secure your timepiece inside, but if you like the idea of a transparent watch container with an elevating display, you can get it now for 9,900 CHF (approximately $12,000). Quite a lot for a watch box but if you can afford it, the price doesnt matter!The post LEpe 1839 unveils transparent watch box to showcase your precious timepiece first appeared on Yanko Design.