We may earn a commission from links on this page.Home improvement projects large and small can make us happier, our homes more comfortable and livable, and our property more valuable. But theres a reason many people hesitate to take on some of these projects: They seem really complicated, difficult, and even dangerous. If youve never done any DIY home improvement projects, its easy to imagine that you'll quickly get in over your head and make matters worse.All of this is exacerbated in the bathroom, which is vital to our everyday health and hygiene. There are plenty of bathroom repairs best left to the professionalsbut even if youre totally inexperienced and wouldnt know a Phillips-head screwdriver from a flathead, there are some basic bathroom repairs that seem a lot more difficult than they actually are. With a minimum number of basic tools and some YouTube videos, you can tackle all the things on this list.Change a faucetIf youre just looking to replace a faucet and theres no leak or other problem to repair, you can most likely accomplish the task with just a single adjustable wrench. (A basin wrench, designed specifically for these tight spaces, makes the job even easier but isnt absolutely necessary.) You can see whats involved in this videojust follow the instructions that come with the new faucet and you should be golden. Not every faucet will be this easy, but the vast majority of simple kitchen and bath faucets will be. The hardest part is squeezing yourself into the tight space under the sink to do the work.Number of tools needed: 1 (adjustable wrench)RegroutIf your shower grout is beyond a simple cleaningcaked in mold and other stains that wont come out, cracking, or falling outyou might assume replacing it is going to require finding an expert. But this is an easyif labor-intensivejob that anyone can do. All you need is a grout saw (you can also buy a grout saw blade for multi-tools, if you have onejust make sure you buy the right size), a grout float, a sponge, and a bucket (and, of course, grout). The process, as shown here, is pretty straightforward, especially if you use a pre-mixed grout. Just be sure to follow directions in terms of wiping off the excess grout before it sets into a glaze that will make your tiles look dull.Number of tools needed: 2 (grout saw, float)RecaulkJust like grout, changing out the caulk in your bathroom or kitchen might seem like a challenge, but its actually really easy. There are basically two steps, which you can see in this video:Remove the existing nasty, gross caulk that needs to go. Use a utility knife to scrape it out of the corners. You can use a caulk removing product to soften it up, which might make removal cleaner and easier, but its not a requirement.Caulk. Clean up and load your caulk gun with an appropriate bathroom caulk and apply a line of caulk to the gaps. Smooth with your finger and let it curedone! For a better job, taping the joints with painters tape will give you nice, sharp lines.Number of tools needed: 2 (utility knife, caulking gun)Swap out the shower headIf your shower head is leaking or corroded, you dont need a plumber. Replacing it will require two tools and about five minutes. Just disconnect the existing shower head using an adjustable wrench (this might take some elbow grease, and a lubricant like WD-40 can help loosen a corroded nut), clean the threads at the end of the pipe to get rid of any old Teflon tape, apply new Teflon tape to the threads, and attach the new shower head. Thats it! Tighten it up, test the water to make sure it doesnt leak, and enjoy your shiny new shower head (but keep it clean going forward).Number of tools needed: 2 (adjustable wrench, Teflon tape)Replace laminate flooringIf you have laminate flooring in the bathroom and one of the planks has suffered water damage or some other problem, replacing it isnt difficult as long as you have a spare piece of that flooring left over. If you dont, you can try to match it, but be warned that different batches of flooring can sometimes have subtle differences in color and finish that aren't unnoticeable in the store but show up pretty clearly when the planks are side-by-side under the same lighting.If you have a spare plank or two, you can pretty easily pry up the damaged plank (you can make this easier by cutting down the middle of the plank with a circular sawjust be sure to set the blade depth properly so you dont cut into the underlayment or the subfloor). Cut your new plank to size, then use a utility knife to slice off the tongue part of the plank (see it done here). This will allow you to just drop the replacement plank into place, but since you removed the tongue, youll need to use some glue to adhere the plank once its in. Weigh it down for a day, and you should be good to go.Number of tools needed: 5 (utility knife, rubber mallet, prybar, circular or table saw, laminate floor glue)Fix the toiletFinally, theres the toilet. Peoples apprehension about working with a toilet is understandable, but its actually a really simple thing. If your toilet is leaking from the bottom, running constantly, or has a loose handle, these are all things you can handle with minimal tools or experience:Leaking: If your toilet is leaking at the bottom, you need to fix it right away or you risk water damage and mold. The culprit is probably an old wax ringbut removing a toilet and replacing the wax ring is easy:Turn off the water supply and flush the toilet. Drain any remaining water (a siphon or pump can be helpful, but an old-fashioned cup and some towels will get the job donestill, expect to get a little damp).Pop off the plastic bolt protectors, and remove the bolts using an adjustable wrench.Lift the toilet off the floor and set it on its side.Remove the old wax ring residue from the bottom of the toilet and the flange in the floor using a putty knife. Place your new wax ring on the bottom of the toilet, reset it on the floor, and sit on it to mush the wax ring down into place. Then bolt it down, pop the bolt protectors back on, and turn the water on.Number of tools needed: 3 (adjustable wrench, putty knife, wax ring)Running: If your toilet constantly runs, its probably the flapper in the tank. This is so easy you dont even need tools:Turn off the water and flush the toilet.Remove the tank lid.Disconnect chain from flapper, and remove flapper.Insert new flapper (you can buy universal ones if youre not sure what kind your toilet needs), reconnect the chain, replace the tank lid, and turn on the water.Number of tools needed: 0Loose handle: If the flush handle on your toilet has become so loose its challenging to flush the toilet, you probably dont need a new one. Just lift off the tank lid and check to see if the plastic nut that connects it to the flapper is loose. You can usually hand-tighten this in about ten seconds. If you think it needs a bit more oomph, you can use an adjustable wrench, but thats probably overkill.Number of tools needed: 0-1 (an adjustable wrench might be needed)

Its hard to imagine a time when hotels TVs didn't feel vestigial. Not all that long ago, some made their TVs a selling point, plastering free HBO all over their roadside signs. These days, guests are more likely to stick to their phones, sacrificing their rooms beautiful 48-inch flatscreen on the altar of TikTok and YouTube. But with just a little extra work, you can get the best of both worlds and cast whatever is on your phone to your hotel room's smart TV.How to cast your iPhone to a hotel TVThere are official and unofficial options to send what's on your iPhone to a TV. Lets start with the most legit.Use AirPlay (provided your hotel supports it)iPhones can now use AirPlay to stream content from their phone directly to a TV at select hotels. The feature is available at more than 60 IHG Hotels & Resorts locations across the United States, Canada, and Mexico, so give it a try the next time youre staying at a Holiday Inn or Candlewood Suites.The process is pretty painless: Upon turning your TV on, you should notice a QR code on the welcome screen. Simply scan it with a compatible Apple device to both connect to your room's wifi and authorize AirPlay to that screen.And thats itbecause the QR code is unique to your hotel room, you shouldnt find yourself accidentally streaming to other guests' sets, or vice versa. Apple says more locations will be added in the coming months, which makes sensethe limited rollout probably has something to do with the special LG TVs required for the setup, meaning it'll take time for other locations to stock the new displays.But what if youre not staying at an IHG property? This is where the hacks come in.Other ways to cast an iPhone to a hotel TVThere are plenty of dongles, like Roku and Fire TV sticks, that work with AirPlay right out of the box. The problem is getting a hotel TV to accept them.Hotel TVs tend to be a bit strict about which devices theyll let you plug in. Thats thanks to special control boxes that lock them down. Luckily, if you can physically get to your TVs hookups, you can (carefully) remove these boxes. Lifehacker has covered it before, but the gist is to look for an ethernet cable (or possibly an HDMI cable), gently remove it, and restart the TV before hooking up your accessories. Depending on your hotel, you might also want to disconnect the control box from power if youre able. Note that you do this at your own riskit's possible your hotel won't be happy with you unplugging its hardware.Once your device is plugged in, try swapping the TV input to your dongle and seeing if it works. If it does, simply connect it to wifi (you might need to open a browser page to do it, depending on your hotel) and youre good to go. If using the hotel's wifi isnt an option, dont worryAirPlay can work without it, and you can always fall back on a mobile hotspot.(Just be sure to hook your TVs control box up again before checking out!) Chromecast HD With Google TV $53.27 at Amazon Shop Now Shop Now $53.27 at Amazon How to cast an Android Phone to a hotel TVStreaming an Android phone, like a Pixel 8 Pro or Galaxy S24 Ultra, to a hotel TV is much like streaming an iPhone, but with a few extra quirks, some of which can work in your favor. For instance, hotel chains like Wyndham and Hyatt already have Chromecasts connected to their TVs, letting you cast from your phone, or at least log into your streaming services, depending on how locked down they are. If youre lucky enough to have a Chromecast officially set up from the start, just follow your hotels instructions and you should be good to go. As time goes on, you might also see hotels with Google TV Streamers instead, as the Chromecast brand has technically been discontinued.Alternatively, your TV could have Google Cast built-in. Much like with Airplay, LG is now adding built-in Cast support to its hotel TVs, letting you sign-in via a QR code and requiring no extra hardware. LG says this will work on any hotel TV running webOS23 or later, which comes pre-installed on models released from 2023 on, and can also be applied to certain models from 2022. Theoretically, this should allow for wider availability than even LG's Airplay support, although it might take a while for the hotel industry's TV hardware to catch up.That's why you might also want to bring your own dongle, like a Fire TV Stick or Chromecast, with you. While its possible to stream content from an Android phone to a TV without a dongle, its probably not going to be easy in a hotel environment, since these workarounds usually require accessing specific smart TV apps or functions that you cant depend on your hotel to have or allow you to access.For the most seamless experience, I recommend a Chromecast (it'll be cheaper and smaller than a Google TV streamer, and will still work despite being discontinued), as certain other dongles can only mirror your screen, rather than cast content across devices. With casting, youll ensure you get the best resolution, and generally have a more intuitive experience. (Note, though, that Chromecasts do require wifi when they boot.)Once youre in your hotel room with your dongle, youll want to connect it to your TV following the same steps outlined in the iPhone section above: gently remove the hotel control boxs connection to the TV, restart the TV, plug your Chromecast in, and swap to the proper input to test that everything worked.If it did, try to connect your dongle to wifi (again, you may need to open a browser page). If the hotels wifi isnt working, you can either use a mobile hotspot to try casting, or you can screen mirror without using wifi at all, depending on your dongle (the Fire TV Stick is a good choice if this is a concern). Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K $49.99 at Best Buy Shop Now Shop Now $49.99 at Best Buy

Yet another streaming service is raising its prices. This time, it's Amazon Music Unlimited that's getting more expensive. Prime members will pay $11 a month or $109 a year for an individual plan, up from $10 and $99, respectively. Listeners who aren't part of Prime will see their monthly rates change from $11 to $12 for the individual plan. The family plan is also seeing increased prices, from $17 to $20 per month and from $169 to $199 for a year.The new pricing structure took effect for new customer sign-ups on January 29. Current subscribers will be charged the updated rates in their next billing cycle on or after March 5.The FAQ detailing the increased costs states that the change will bring listeners "more content and features," which was the same rationale given when Amazon Music Unlimited previously raised its fees in 2023. The service has added the ability to borrow Audible audiobooks and a personalized year-in-review since then, which is nice, but possibly not as nice as paying less each month.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/music/amazon-music-unlimited-subscription-prices-are-rising-again-232426667.html?src=rss

Netflix's next Tudum fan event will take place on May 31 in Los Angeles. For the first time, the company will stream the event live on its own platform. Past iterations have been livestreamed on YouTube, Twitch and Netflix's social channels.Tudum, which is meant to sound like the audio effect that plays at the start of any Netflix program, is the streaming business' showcase of its content lineup. The company has used this event in previous years to share behind-the-scenes tidbits and first looks at upcoming programming. The 2023 Tudum drew 11,000 attendees in So Paulo, Brazil and 78 million viewers streamed it, according to the company.While there will probably be some fun announcements and reveals, the most notable takeaway is that Netflix is pushing more definitively into the live event space. A Chris Rock comedy special in 2023 was the company's first livestream. It also snapped up the rights to livestream the Screen Actors Guild awards on its platform and hosted a flashy boxing match between Mike Tyson and Jake Paul in 2024. However, the Tyson/Paul match had extensive technical issues. Airing its own event and keeping those millions of eyeballs on its own platform will be positive steps for the company's ambitions in this space. Assuming everything works.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/netflix-will-stream-its-2025-tudum-event-on-netflix-222604357.html?src=rss

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At the Exceptional Women Alliance (EWA), we empower high-level women to mentor one another, encouraging personal and professional fulfillment through meaningful connections. This month, I am delighted to introduce Malika Begin, CEO and founder of Begin Development, a consulting firm based in Malibu, California. Malika shares her insights on the transformative power of generous leadershipan approach rooted in empathy and purposeespecially during crises like the devastating wildfires in Los Angeles.Q: In moments of crisis, what leadership styles or qualities have the greatest impact on nurturing trust, resilience, and forward momentum within a team?Malika Begin: As wildfires swept through Los Angeles and my community of Malibu, displacing families and testing our collective resilience, leaders were called to rise with empathy and strength in their organizations and communities. These moments dont just reveal professional capabilitiesthey illuminate our humanity. Generous leadership provides a guiding light in these circumstances, fostering compassion, unity, and impactful action.Generous leadership is fundamentally about serving others. It means prioritizing people: listening deeply, sharing your time, and building trust to empower others. During times of uncertainty, whether due to natural disasters or other crises, leading with generosity becomes a stabilizing force. It fosters resilience and creates a sense of community, ensuring people feel supported and valued.Bringing your authentic self to leadershipwith courage, vulnerability, and a focus on heart-led actionscan transform not only your team but your entire organization. Leadership today requires more than technical skills; it demands a willingness to connect deeply and authentically. Heartfelt and collaborative actions create extraordinary results for people and organizations.Q: How can leaders practice generous leadership during a crisis?Begin: Generous leadership has several foundational principles that become even more crucial in times of crisis. Here are some actionable ways leaders can embody this impactful leadership style:Communication: Be genuine in building deep connections. Share openly and authentically from the heart, fostering trust through honesty.Active listening: Provide spaces for your team to voice their concerns and share feedback. Listen with empathy, validate their experiences, and respond with tangible support.Collaboration: Be inclusive in inviting people into the decision-making process and respecting different perspectives. Ensure every voice is heard, especially during critical decisions.Give freely: Offer immediate resources such as flexibility, extended time off, access to mental health services, or financial assistance. Align your efforts with your organizations values by donating to relief efforts or volunteering.Meaningful development: Validate strengths and successes while identifying expansive opportunities. Encourage personal and professional growth even in difficult times. Support your teams growth and well-being by advocating for their success.Positive feedback and recognition: Celebrate your teams efforts to overcome challenges. Specific and meaningful praise boosts morale and loyalty.Recognition and appreciation: Small acts of acknowledgment in important moments can have a big impact, especially if you know how they like to be recognized. Acknowledging contributions and milestones fosters a sense of value.Proactive problem solving: Anticipate challenges and engage your team in collaborative solutions. This builds trust and equips employees to handle uncertainty.Embrace your authentic self: Be emotionally accessible and vulnerable. Show your team that its okay to be human in challenging situations.Q: What is the impact of generous leadership on teams and organizations?Begin: The impact of generous leadership is profound. It strengthens morale by ensuring employees feel valued and supported, which fosters loyalty and trust. It boosts engagement, as teams are more likely to go above and beyond when leaders invest in them. Empowered employees also bring innovative solutions to complex challenges, enhancing overall creativity and problem solving. Furthermore, generous leadership solidifies culture by setting a lasting tone of compassion and resilience that endures beyond the immediate crisis.Generous leadership also yields mutually beneficial outcomes for individuals and organizations alike. For employees, it provides well-being and stability, reduces stress, and creates opportunities for skill development, which builds confidence and resilience. Recognition and belonging further enhances morale, promoting a sense of team spirit. Leaders benefit from stronger relationships, earning deep trust and rapport with their teams. Transparent and empathetic responses improve leadership credibility, enhancing their reputation as compassionate and effective leaders.For organizations, generous leadership cultivates crisis preparedness, creating a culture thats ready to face future challenges with resilience. It drives higher performance, as thriving employees deliver better outcomes. Moreover, it creates cultural resilience, making the organization attractive to talent and better equipped to withstand external shocks.Q: How can leaders in Malibu and Los Angeles set an example for their teams and communities?Begin: Leaders in affected areas have a unique opportunity to model generous leadership by stepping beyond the corner office and into their communities. Organize donation drives, provide emergency resources, or simply offer a listening ear to those in need. Your actions set a powerful example of leadership in adversity.Beyond immediate crises, weave the principles of generous leadership into your organizational culture. This mindset isnt just for emergencies; it transforms how we lead every day.Q: What are your concerns about the Southern California public sector leaders in this time of crisis?The worst thing that public sector leaders can do is show the tensions between themselves and blame allocation. Citizens want to see collaboration not conflict, and need solutions not platitudes. Ultimately, their legacies will not be defined only by what they achieve but by how they implement support and solutions for the people of Southern California when it matters most.Larraine Segil is founder, chair, and CEO of the Exceptional Women Alliance.

MrBeasts fast-cutting, non-stop dramatics are already quick enough. Now, some users can watch his videos (and more) at 4x speed.YouTube is continuing their push for pace. In a new experiment, Premium users will be able to quadruple the speed of their videos. Thats up from YouTubes previous ceiling of double speed. Meanwhile, TikTok users can up the tempo with a simple push-and-hold. And on Spotify, which is pushing to become video platform with their drive towards filmed podcasts, the speed cap is 3.5x.Ever since TikTok gained dominance, social media companies have worked quickly to shorten their video offerings. Meta and X pumped out TikTok clones for their seconds-long clips. YouTubes iteration even has length in the title: Shorts. But YouTubes 4x speed play could signal a new frontier for social video. Our feeds are getting snappier, both in length and pace.Social videos push for speedBy signing up for YouTubes new features, these paid users can now boost their videos to 4x speed, up from a previous cap of 2x. The average MrBeast video is around 30 minutes. Now, imagine being able to watch that content in a mere 7 minutes and 30 seconds. Of course, the audio would be almost incomprehensible. But YouTube still wants to let you try it.Its not YouTubes first foray into speed changes. In 2023, they started letting users press-and-hold on the right side of their screen to immediately hit double speed. The feature was then just for Premium users; now, its available for the masses. Playback speeds were once relegated to increments of 25% (1.25, 1.5, 1.75, and on), but the company introduced a dial for greater granularity in October. Now users can control the pace down to 5% changes, just in case they were craving Dude Perfect specifically at 1.65x speed.YouTubes press-and-hold model mimics that of TikTok, another company thats been toying with playback speeds. One press against the top right side of the screenaround where many mobile users fingers land naturallywill send the TikTok into double time. They also have more granular speed options available in the video settings.For far longer, the audio industry has had speed changes available for its listeners. Audiobook enthusiasts can hear their novels at almost any speed, across their many platforms. Spotify offers the same feature for their podcasts, with a current cap of 3.5x speed. But now Spotify wants to compete with YouTube. Theyre pushing podcasters to film their episodes, turning these pre-existing speed tools into video accelerators.Is quick-paced media good for us?While cranking a videos speed to 4x may make it end quicker, theres still debate about whether its an effective way to consume content. The pace demands that viewers skim-watch their videos, not collecting the same level of detail. But does that matter for, say, a YouTube beauty tutorial?Most research shows that theres a cap on understanding sped-up video. In 2021, UCLA psychology researcher Dillon H. Murphy led a study on students watching lectures at a quickened pace. The students maintained almost the same level of learning up to 2x speedbut performance declined beyond that. Murphy then repeated the study in 2024, finding that the drop-off point had ascended to 2.5x speed.So no, youre not processing all the information in that YouTube video essay set to 4x speed. But, at the still-quick 2.5x speed, you might be able to. If youre a Premium user, thats now an option.