Chris Bayer

1 day ago | zdnet.com | Chris Bayer

Nitat Termmee/Getty ImagesAs a kid, I was inspired by the decorative lighting in my grandparents' finished basement. They had festooned the place with multicolored C9 string lights (aka old-school Christmas lights) from wall to wall, beneath the built-in wet bar, around hanging mirrors, and anywhere else they could add an ambient accent for the parties they hosted down there year-round.

1 day ago | zdnet.com | Chris Bayer

ZDNET's key takeaways The TCL QM6K (65-inch) normally retails for $1,000, but is currently on sale. A host of upgrades, and new features, make it highly competitive with other brands' higher-end models. Its speakers are loud, but clarity could be made even crisper with a soundbar. Every single size option for the TCL QM6K TV is on sale at Best Buy. The biggest discount belongs to the 98-inch display at $800 off.

1 day ago | zdnet.com | Chris Bayer

Yuga Kurita/Getty ImagesIt always happens during a heatwave. That moment of sinking dread when your AC unit kicks on, but instead of a refreshing blast of arctic air, you're met with a weak, lukewarm breeze. Then panic sets in. Is the AC dead? Is this going to cost a fortune? How will I get to sleep tonight in this stifling heat and humidity? While a truly broken AC unit can indeed be a headache and an expense, the good news is that it's not always a catastrophic failure.

1 day ago | zdnet.com | Chris Bayer

Maria Diaz/ZDNETThe first Roku device was launched 17 years ago. It was initially developed in partnership with Netflix to stream its "Watch Instantly" service. Since then, the company has released numerous generations of streaming players and its very own Roku TVs -- which means you might own one of these older devices. What is a cache? Just like your computer or smartphone, your Roku TV also stores temporary data (the cache) to help apps load faster.

1 day ago | flipboard.com | Chris Bayer

13 hours agoEmily Croke won the game and blew away Ken Jennings with her connection to the answer. Emily Croke rode uncanny coincidence to victory on “Jeopardy!” this week. (Watch the video below.) A clue in the final round on Monday included a woman who is her great-great-great aunt, whom she is named after. …