The best of...alarm clocks

Jall Wooden Alarm Clock Setting an alarm is a breeze with this clock, which in its “yellow” model “looks like a solid wooden block.” The display can be set to appear only when motion is detected, or to show temperature and humidity readings. $25, walmart.com Source: CNN.com Lemnos Riki Alarm Clock This “sedate” beechwood clock, designed by Japanese modernist Riki Watanabe, is pared to the bare essentials. A single button controls both its light and snooze functions, and its glow is “akin to candlelight.” $120, jinenstore.com Source: Wirecutter Tip of the week... How to rejuvenate crystallized honey ■ Grab a spoon. First, accept that crystallized honey isn’t spoiled. Honey crystallizes over time as liquid evaporates, leaving the sugar behind. If you can still scoop the honey out, simply spread it on warm toast or stir it into a cup of tea. ■ Apply gentle heat. To restore crystallized honey to its original state, submerge the jar in warm tap water up to half the jar’s height. Using a spoon, stir the honey until smooth, which can take up to 45 minutes. If you want the crystals liquefied quickly and are OK with imperfect texture, place the open jar in near-boiling water that’s been removed from the heat source. ■ Store wisely. Fresh or rejuvenated honey should be stored at room temperature, ideally in a cupboard or other dark place. Don’t put it in the refrigerator, because cooler temperatures hasten crystallization. And if your honey does crystallize, just know that you’ve purchased pure, unadulterated honey. Source: Martha Stewart Living Philips HF3500/60 Wake-Up Light The entire face of this “simple yet effective” sunrise alarm begins gradually increasing in brightness a half hour before wakeup time. And on mornings when the light doesn’t stir you, it will beep with increasing intensity. $60, philips.com Source: CNET And for those who have everything... “There are cheaper ways to keep your sourdough starter happy, but few of them are this beautiful.” The Goldie, created by a company called Sourhouse, addresses one of the major challenges amateur bakers confronted when they joined the 2020 craze for making sourdough bread: that success requires keeping a yeasty mixture of flour and water perpetually in the “Goldilocks zone,” between 75 and 82 degrees. The device doesn’t solve a second challenge: that you have to pour off the discard and add flour once or twice daily. Still, “if you love the look of the Goldie and can stomach the price, go for it.” $130, sourhouse.co Source: Wired Loftie Lamp A lamp designed to function like a sunrise alarm clock, the Loftie brightens gradually in the morning, “mimicking the sun.” It can also glow a “therapeutic” red, and be used to create a sunsetlike bedtime routine. $249, byloftie.com Source: The Wall Street Journal Clocky Alarm Clock on Wheels At its set time, this cheeky clock begins beeping and rolling, even right off its nightstand. “You’ll be on a mission trying to catch it—and you’ll be awake by the time you do.” $35, amazon.com Source: House Beautiful Tech support... Five useful new features of iOS 17 ■ NameDrop, a feature new to Apple’s operating system, makes sharing your contact information as easy as holding your iPhone next to someone else’s. ■ Listen to Page allows you to listen to print material you find on Safari. To try it, tap the “aA” button in the address bar. ■ Check In automatically alerts contacts of your choice that you’ve arrived safely at your destination. It can also share details about your route. ■ Voicemails now can be transcribed to appear in real time as text on your iPhone’s lock screen, making it easier to discreetly monitor calls. Meanwhile, FaceTime now allows users to leave video messages.

■ Visual Look Up uses machine learning to identify and pull up information about objects in the photos on your camera roll, including plant species, dog breeds, and works of art. The tool can also suggest recipes for a dish you’re enjoying and decipher cryptic laundry-care labels. Sources: Wirecutter and Lifehacker