Roborock Q5+

Roborock’s midrange model overcomes most of the limitations of robot vacuums. It’s easy to clean, maps rooms flawlessly, and goes far on a charge. It doesn’t sense when its bin is full but can follow voice commands.

Price:$500. roborock.com

Source: Wired

iLifeV3s Pro Robot

A budget alternative, this machine “outperformed much more expensive vacuums.” You control it with a remote, not an app. But it’s thorough, avoids obstacles, and has no brushes that would require regular cleaning to remove fur and hair.

Price: $165, iliferobot.com

Source: Better Homes &Gardens

Eufy RoboVac 11S

This budget option is “surprisingly thorough.” It cleans more randomly because it doesn’t map your space and it doesn’t empty its own bin. But it’s quieter than its smart rivals and “a great value for light everyday maintenance.”

Price: $140. eufy.com

Source: Wall Street Journal

iRobot Roomba S9+

Roomba’s top-end model can’t match the cleaning power of a traditional vacuum, but it has few robotic rivals on that score. Another plus: The bin is automatically emptied into a disposable bag in the docking station.

Price: $799, irobot.com

Source: Consumer Reports

Samsung Jet Bot AI+

Though this pricey vacuum delivers “below average” cleaning performance, it’s good-looking, gentle on furniture, and is “packed full of features.” It can even double as a patrolling security camera that will live-stream to your phone.

Price: $1,300, samsung.com

Source: Tom’s Guide

【推荐1】In my entire adult life, when faced with a home-repair task, I would instantly say to myself, “This is impossible,” and in seconds I would call the handyman as if something were on fire.

Lately, this became embarrassing for me, so I got up the nerve to call Gary Wentz, the editor of the Family Handyman. I told Gary that I was impatient and clumsy with mechanical things. No one in my family fixed things. Gary said, “You know, handymen have a name for customers like you—the guy who paid the bills.”

Gary started by appealing to my vanity (虚荣心). “You are as smart as or smarter than any handyman, right?” He next described the rewards of change. Recently, he decided to repair his truck, about which he knew nothing. “When it worked, I was just so pleased with myself that I did a happy dance.”

Finally, he did some accounting. “A handyman charges $100 just to walk through the door,” he said, “And the time! You set up appointments, stay home from work and do it all over again when he doesn’t show up.”

His conclusion: “What’s the worst that can happen? You’re not going to destroy the house. You can always call a handyman later. I bet you won’t, though. The difference it makes is extraordinary when you become just willing to try.”

Next thing I knew, I was fixing the blocked water tap in our bathroom and within five minutes, the water was flowing as powerfully as Yosemite Falls.

【推荐1】I started a “question of the day” section in a family text group. We’d talk about everything from movies to politics. But despite several warnings from loved ones that some of my responses were judgmental and that I was too quick to attack an opinion, I all but killed that group text. It had a good 12 people in it. We’d shared laughs, encouragement, and funny memes (表情包). It took only one conversation — which I was in the middle of — to end it.

I realized that I had a problem. The medium for my problem is the smartphone. Before smartphones enabled instant communication, people talked on the telephone. In person, you could cut in a “What do you mean by that?” to correct a misunderstanding before it got out of hand. Don’t get me wrong: I love a good group text. It makes me feel connected to people in a way that I just can’t seem to anymore, now that I have a wife and kids.

I’m learning, but I had a relapse (复发) recently. I joined a new text group. I introduced my “question of the day” feature. I fooled myself into thinking that I was encouraging a healthy debate on current events. No. Others in the group saw it as me trying to prove that my way was the right way. Then I made the mistake of sharing some personal information that one friend had told me during a phone conversation. I thought everyone knew. Then this friend started referring to me as a snitch — not terms of kind word. So I asked him about it — in person. That’s when he told me I’d shared sensitive information he hadn’t told anyone else. I apologized plentifully and came away from the conversation more determined to slow down my texts.

My new resolve seems to be working. You should be pleased to know that I have avoided making a few points that I was tempted (鼓动) to make in individual and group texts. In some cases, I didn’t even respond. I haven’t lost any more connections by doing this.

【推荐2】Mercy Baggs is reflecting on her future. “Should I live to 95, I would do another parachute jump, ”she says. She first jumped when she was 77 in honor of her achievements as mayor of the Wiltshire town of Calne. Then she jumped again last March, a day before her 90th birthday, to raise funds for Wiltshire air ambulance.

“This is the thrill of it, ”she says. “You go up, and then that door opens and the wind starts to come through. You free-fall for a long time. ”She has always enjoyed risks since she was a child, when people used to look down on her. But nobody does now.

As a child, she lived in poverty and also went through ups and downs, “I am very sensitive to people who are more unfortunate, ”Baggs says. As a young adult, she joined the British Transport Commission police, but dealing with children who couldn’t find their parents was too much to bear. “I knew what they were going through. I like kids. I really do. ”Later she left the police and worked in Wiltshire council. But no doubt her childhood fed into her actions as a councillor, and later mayor in Calne, where she helped to set up a drop-in centre for young people. The drop-in was one of the causes she raised money for with that first leap out of the plane.

But why a parachute jump? At the time, her late husband, John, was ill with bowel cancer. He said, “I do wish you wouldn’t do it. ”She said, “John, it’s life. I’ve got to do something. ”

Baggs has never been fazed by ageing. She says that she wanted to show that you don’t have to sit on your backside knitting or watching television all the time. There’s a world out there. There’s a life out there. She hopes for at least one more skydive, maybe a go on a 100mph zip wire and “a peaceful end” .

I believe everyone has a particular childhood birthday that stands out more than any other. For me, it was the year my father’s factory closed down, casting a shadow of uncertainty over our family. I was only a child. Looking back, I cannot recall the exact year, but the events of that birthday will live forever in my heart.

Dad, who had devoted years to the factory, never let on to me that we were having financial difficulties. I knew only that Dad usually worked long hours but was now home more than I had ever remembered. Mom, a homemaker, sought work in the local clothing factories, but jobs were rare. Time after time, she was told no openings were available. With Dad’s poor unemployment check as our only income, my parents carried the weight of our situation. They made every effort to hide the difficult reality from me.

As a carefree child, my mind was filled with excitement and eagerness for my upcoming birthday. What would my birthday gift be? What surprise was waiting for me? These questions crowded my mind, and I had no idea that my parents were worried about having no extra money to buy me a gift.

One day, when Mom was cleaning the house, she found some of my old clothes. Her eyes shone as she carefully examined each piece. “I know what to do!” she cried, her voice filled with excitement.

The days leading up to my birthday seemed to be no different from usual. But every night after I went to bed, Dad and Mom would be busy at the sewing (缝纫) machine for a long time. Dad designed, and Mom cut and sewed. They poured all their love and creativity into what they were doing, working hard to transform those old clothes into something special.

My birthday finally arrived. After a simple meal together, the moment came to open my parents’ gift. As I unwrapped it, my heart sank. Inside was a dress that looked very familiar, and I realized with a pang of sadness that it was a hand-made present using some of my old clothes. Disappointment washed over me, for I had no idea about the financial difficulty our family was facing. Overwhelmed with emotions, I swiftly closed the door to my room and let my tears flow freely. In the midst of my sorrow, I noticed a card nestled in the gift box, as if waiting to be discovered.

I took out the card from the box of the dress.