Author: Vidya Menon

What white tie, black tie, cocktail, lounge suit, business casual and smart casual mean for men and women, a dress code ladder, smart casual vs business casual, and what to do when the invitation is unclear.

Vampire names with real meanings: female and male names, the classic vampires of Polidori, Le Fanu and Stoker, Carmilla’s anagram trick, dark surnames, titles and a simple formula to make your own.

Thread count is the number of lengthwise and widthwise threads in one square inch of fabric. How it is counted, the 2-ply labelling trick the US FTC warned about, thread count vs GSM, percale vs sateen, and how to choose sheets.

At most airports, liquids in your cabin bag must be in containers of 100 ml or less in one clear bag. What counts as a liquid, the US, UK, EU and India rules, airports that allow 2 litres, medicines, duty-free and packing tips.

To convert MKV to MP4 on a Mac for free, open VLC Media Player, choose File > Convert & Stream,…

Note (October 2026): Program lengths, tuition and payment options for Springboard, Hack Reactor and App Academy have changed since this…

Note (October 2026): The prices in the original version of this article were well above today’s market. Knife prices fell…

Note (October 2026): An earlier version said .doc and .dot files contain 37% of all spyware; Symantec’s 2019 report actually…

Note (October 2026): This article has been corrected. Earlier versions said plastic is more sustainable than glass or paper because…

Note (October 2026): An earlier version said Google ranks sites using visitor metrics such as bounce rate and time on…

Technology is transforming gaming in five main ways: online multiplayer turned gaming into a social activity, digital stores replaced trips…

Note (October 2026): An earlier version said poorly fitting earbuds stop the ears producing earwax. Earbuds do not stop wax…