Big fan of buying
your dad’s old vinylSENIOR NEWS EDITORCOURTNEY LINDER
Alexander George
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Matt Allyn Features Director;
Brian Dalek Director of Content
Operations; Leah Flickinger
Director of Content Creation; Lou
Mazzante Te s t D i re c to r Suzanne
Perreault Senior Managing Editor;
Jesse Southerland Creative
Director
DESIGN + PHOTO
Amy Wolff Photo Director; Colin
McSherry Senior Art Director; Eleni
Dimou Senior Designer; Zack Kutos
Designer; Kristen Parker Photo
Editor; John Hamilton Associate
Photo Editor
EDITORIAL
Molly Ritterbeck Health & Fitness
Director; Tracy Middleton Senior
Features Editor; Darren Orf,
Christa Sgobba Deputy Editors;
Tyler Daswick, Taylor Rojek
Associate Features Editors;
Andrew Daniels How-To Editor;
Courtney Linder Senior News
Editor; Hailey Middlebrook, Jordan
Smith Editors; Danielle Zickl
Associate Health & Fitness Editor;
Jennifer Leman News Editor;
Daisy Hernandez, Paige Szmodis
Associate News Editors; Ezra Dyer
Automotive Editor; Katie Fogel
Social Media Editor; Drew Dawson
Gear & News Editor; Jessica Coulon
Assistant Editor; Leah Campano
Editorial Planning Associate; Lori
Adams Administrative Assistant;
Gabrielle Hondorp Editorial Fellow
Kit Fox Special Projects Editor
Caroline Dorey-Stein Assistant
Special Projects Editor
TEST TEAM
Will Egensteiner, Jennifer Sherry
Associate Test Directors; Jeff
Dengate, Matt Phillips Senior Test
Editors; Roy Berendsohn, Adrienne
Donica, Brad Ford, Amanda Furrer,
Bobby Lea, James Lynch, Riley
Missel, Morgan Petruny, Dan
Roe Test Editors; Jimmy Cavalieri
Image Editor; Lakota Gambill,
Trevo r Ra a b Photographers; Joël
Nankman Logistician
VIDEO
Derek Call, Pat Heine Producers
CONTRIBUTING EDITORS
Joe Pappalardo, Daniel Dubno,
Wylie Dufresne, David Grossman,
David Owen, Richard Romanski,
James Schadewald, Joseph Truini,
Nicholas Wicks
EDITORIAL DIRECTOR
Bill Strickland
Popular Mechanics International
Kim St. Clair Bodden Russia, South
Africa • SVP/International Editorial
Director
Editorial Offices
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Center Valley, PA 18034
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DECEMBER 2019PRINTED IN THE U.S.A.// EXPERT HACKS, GEAR RECS & LIFE-TESTED WISDOM FROM OUR STAFF //1
Dagne Dover Allyn Tote
in Oxblood
Every ambitious woman (and
dude!) needs a bag that’s
both sleek and functional.
This baby has a cushy internal
15-inch laptop sleeve, a
holster for your reusable
water bottle, and a secret
smartphone pocket.TILVIEW Twin Air Mattress
This guy comes with a
built-in pump—just plug in
the attached cord and let it
inflate. Bonus: It’s great for
small spaces, and it didn’t sag
at all for the six weeks
I slept on it when I moved for
my new gig at Pop Mech.iRobot Roomba 675
Robot Vacuum
I hate vacuuming. So much.
So I caved and decided to get
a Roomba. I waited for Prime
Day and got this bad boy for
under $300, which I figure
has been worth the price
for all the work it does (and
saves me from doing!).Pac-Man Connect
and Play
I dig anything that has an
old-school vibe, so I’m queen
of the plug-’n’-play games,
especially since I like the
nostalgia that comes with
playing the games from
my childhood.1324W
CURRENT
PASSION PROJECT
I was obsessed with the
Carmen Sandiego computer
game when I was a little kid in
the ’90s. I’m trying to down-
load compatible CD-ROM
software but haven’t been
able to get it quite right.
Tips are welcome!Kodak the Kitty
Three years ago, my
boyfriend and I saved
Kodak, the tiniest little
runt of a black cat and
the only kitty I’ve ever
met that loves belly rubs
more than a dog.Laundry Hack
If you’re too lazy to
separate your colors and
whites in the wash, buy a
dye catcher. They’re little
white sheets that capture
all the color from your
bright clothing. Plus,
you can cut each one into
halves or thirds to make
them last a long time.PRODUCTS I’M USING RIGHT NOWFor Healthy Plants
Simply whip up a mixture of about one quar-
ter leftover coffee and three quarters water
and add it to your watering can or mix used
grounds with the soil while repotting. The
nitrogen in coffee aids in healthy growing.
My Favorite App
Libby, hands-down. All you have to do is enter your
credentials from your current library card and you
can place holds on or download audiobooks and
ebooks, instantly. The library has always been cool,
but in a digital world, it also has to be accessible 24/7.@linderramaCOURTESY(LINDER);^ DAKOTA^ GAMBILL^ (PRODUCTS)4 December 2019