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AndaSeat X-Air Pro Mesh: Two-minute review

AndaSeat's playing an intriguing game with this one. The X-Air Series Mesh line actually features two base models to choose from straight out of the gate, the X-Air and the X-Air Pro. The X-Air starts at $369 / around £290, and the X-Air Pro comes in at the $419 / around £329 mark. Both are only available from its store right now. The big difference between the two? Well, it's mostly down to colorways, the base, and the armrests.

With the Pro, you get 5D rests (more on that later), an aluminum base, and access to two additional colorways. The Celeste model, which I got to test, is a black mesh solution with a purple ombre back finish, and the Twilight, with a pinkish ombre back but with a white mesh rather than the black we see here.

The stock X-Air gets more traditional 4D armrests, along with a stock adjustable tilt system, plus an iron base, and is only available in black throughout. Yet, to be frank, that's still the one I'd recommend you pick up if you're torn between the two. Not only because of the savings but because those more traditional armrests are far superior to the 5D devils that you get on the X-Air Pro.

Why are they such an issue? Simply put, they're just too confusing. They slip, slide, and shunt in so many directions and rotate in so many different ways that it makes it incredibly hard for them to support you if you push against them. Rest your arms on top; sure, you'll be fine, but otherwise they've really lost some of that critical function that makes a good armrest; it's elements like this that really detract from the overall score, and keep it a step away from becoming one of the more comfortable gaming chairs available today.

(Image credit: Future)

As for its build process, well, you're going to absolutely want a second pair of hands to help out here, that's for sure. AndaSeat's manual is detailed enough, and the included bits and bolts are plenty abound, but the way it wants you to angle and align some of the (seriously heavy) parts just to secure them together is honestly mildly insane.

The ergonomics too are curious; it's got solid lumbar built-in and a decent headrest, and the mesh itself is supportive enough (even despite lacking any padding underneath), yet it's incredibly difficult to adjust or even know what you're doing when you start using it. That can make the initial experience with it quite a bit of a turn-off. There's an argument to be had that it is adjustable and with enough time, effort, energy, and reading the manual you'll get there, but this is something that should just be intuitive straight out of the box, which sadly it's not.

It might sound like I'm just wailing on this thing, but it's still an ok proposition if you're looking for a sleek, comfortable gaming chair that'll fit right into an office environment too. Alright, it might not make it as one of the best gaming chairs around, but credit where credit's due; comfort is impressive, and it does what it meant to: keep you cool over long gaming sessions while being ergonomically supportive. But, and it's a big but, there are still a number of better options out there at this price point.

AndaSeat X-Air Pro Mesh: Price and availability

• List price: $419
• No Amazon or UK availability
• Limited Colorways

Right now, if you're looking to pick up your own Mesh X-Air, you're likely going to find it a challenge if you're anywhere but the US. Stateside is the only place you can easily pick one of these up, and only directly from AndaSeat's website.

You can grab either the X-Air or the X-Air Pro in one of three colorways. The X-Air is limited to an all-black run, whereas the Pro also has access to a white mesh with an ombre back and a black mesh variation of that as well. The Pro also comes with AndaSeat's 5D Armrests, along with an aluminum base, and a self-adjusting tilt system, although I'll cover all that in a little more detail soon enough.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, given how little physical material is involved in the Mesh line, the pricing of this compared to something like AndaSeat's Kaiser 4 is markedly less. The Kaiser 4 line starts at around $569, whereas the X-Air Mesh you can get as low as $369, making it seemingly good value by comparison.

AndaSeat X-Air Pro Mesh: Specs AndaSeat X-Air Pro Mesh: Design and aesthetics

• Office-esque feel
• Challenging to configure
• Light gaming "pop" to it

Ok, let me call it like it is here. From the front, this thing screams corporate office, and little else. It just does. It's got that new mid-level manager making an executive decision to buy in 20 new highly ergonomic office chairs while they're in their task force/project codename phase, feel to it.

There's nothing glamorous here, nothing obviously comforting, just semi-transparent woven mesh fabric strapped ergonomically to a metallic-plastic superstructure, combined with an all-black finish, and some rather funky-looking armrests.

Turn it around on the spot, however, and if you've grabbed yourself one of the more outlandish X-Air Pro variants, your eyes will immediately be drawn to the dramatic and ostentatious ombre gradient running from top to bottom on the rear support structure. It's bold, it's potent, and honestly, a little bit confusing.

Almost like the X-Air doesn't quite know what it wants to be. Is it the best gaming chair? The best office chair? It doesn't know, but to be honest, that's fine.

(Image credit: Future) AndaSeat X-Air Pro Mesh: Comfort and adjustability

• 5D Armrests are a nightmare
• No lumbar adjustment
• Not intuitive to use

From a comfort perspective, the mesh material on the AndaSeat X-Air Pro Mesh is far more impressive than you'd first think.

If you've not tried a mesh chair, and have sat your posterior down mostly on their slightly more expensive PU leather counterparts throughout your gaming career, complete with thick padded cushions and enough adjustable dials to make even the most avid of guitarists happy, then you might be surprised by just how spongy and supportive these things can be.

AndaSeat has nailed the mesh fabric on this. It's not anywhere near as abrasive, or unsupportive as you first might think; there's almost a bounce to it. That's not to say it's as soft as a labrador's ears, but nevertheless, if you're sitting on this for prolonged periods of time, you'll find it more than comfortable enough. Whether you're doing a nine-hour Elden Ring challenge run or writing out a 20-page feature, the X-Air Pro does have your back (quite literally).

Now onto the bad bits. Adjustability is there, but it's not intuitive. The lumbar support is fixed straight out of the gate and quite aggressive. If you're not a fan of that, there's little you can do to alleviate the pressure it puts on your lower spine. The headrest is adjustable, but again it does protrude quite aggressively, even with the best of adjustments, and the seat base does move back and forward too, giving you some level of control, but again, even with all the toggles you have at your disposal, knowing when you've actually moved it takes a great degree of awareness for your fine motor skills.

Then there's the 5D armrests. These things are a mess, sadly. They're effectively built on three moving parts. The main arm moves up and down on a ratchet system, a middle extended plinth attached to that that can rotate up to around 220 degrees, and then the final armrest on top of that, which can also rotate a full 360 degrees and also slide backwards and forwards as well.

There's a lot going on here, and although it's comfortable enough up top with plenty of sponge because it has all that movement, it means if you try and lean on it at any point or attempt to use it to reposition your sitting position on the chair, it's likely to slide out from under you in all manner of weird and wonderful ways. This is a marked design devolution, even compared to something like the Kaiser 4's 5D armrests, to the point that I'd actually recommend sticking with the X-Air if you're considering this chair, purely to avoid the 5D rests.

Final positive: the tilt mechanism is fantastic. The back of the chair itself tilts, rather than the base it's attached to as well. That gives you a much more sturdy seating position that lets you relax if you're a little on the anxious side. This was the first chair where I personally enjoyed having it set to that, and its self-adaptive tilt is top tier.

(Image credit: Future) AndaSeat X-Air Pro Mesh: Assembly

Oh, why AndaSeat, why is the assembly on this thing so nightmarish? What is it that stops you from assembling some of this on-site and shipping it complete?

This is not an easy chair to put together. The instruction manual is good enough, and it tells you what to do, but you need to route and attach the wire cables for all of the adjustment elements, secure the toggles into position on the side of the seat base, and then cover the exposed cables with what has to be the most awkward plastic cover I've ever seen.

From there, it's a case of (if you're building it solo) precariously attaching the seat back to the chair base (which weighs a ton) with the arms already attached. That would be fine if it weren't balancing on those plastic 5D armrests. Finally, you can install the headrest, which again you're securing into position with two screws that you can't see. It's just a nightmare. I've built well over 50 gaming chairs over a decade during my time in this industry, and this was the most challenging one by far.

(Image credit: Future) Should I buy the AndaSeat X-Air Pro Mesh? Buy it if...

You want to be cool
The mesh fabric does an outstanding job of keeping you cool under pressure. It's easy to clean, doesn't feel that abrasive, and supports you well.

You love lumbar support
You just need solid lumbar support straight out of the gate. It might not be adjustable, but this thing is pronounced for the lumbar lovers.

Don't buy it if...

You haven't got a buddy
Building this thing is a real challenge. If you've got a spare pair of hands available, pull them into the fray to get you to the end, otherwise other chairs are way easier to assemble and will be more attractive as a result.

You shuffle about a lot
Those 5D armrests might sound cool on paper, but they do little to support you if you move around on the chair or sit cross-legged.

Also consider...

It's relatively cheap, relatively comfortable, but a bit of a nightmare. If, like me, you're not sold on the AndaSeat X-Air Pro, then try out one of these for size.

Steelcase Series 2 Task
One of the best office chairs around, it may be pricey, but it's simple, elegant, unsophisticated, surprisingly minimal, and endlessly customizable for your needs. That might feel a little niche compared to our pseudo-mesh gaming solution here, but it's well worth your time if you're already looking down this alley.

For more information, check out our full Steelcase Series 2 Task Chair review.

AndaSeat Kaiser 3 XL
AndaSeat's bread and butter gaming chair, the Kaiser 3 XL, comes with a lot of the same features that you'll find in seats nearly twice the cost. It's widely available, and you can pick one up in an absolute armada of colorways to suit your style too. Only downside? The stitching's a little out.

For more information, check out our full AndaSeat Kaiser 3 XL review.

(Image credit: Future) How I tested the AndaSeat X-Air Pro Mesh

• Sat in all manner of positions
• Tested over three weeks
• Multiple butts in seat

I tested the AndaSeat X-Air Pro Mesh gaming chair rigorously over the course of several weeks, using it as my daily chair throughout all of my writing work, alongside gaming and other PC-oriented activities.

Additionally, I also took it to live in a hospitality environment for 1 week with multiple staff members of a variety of different shapes and sizes sitting in it, providing me with their own direct feedback as well, ensuring all manner of folk are catered for. I documented the entire build process and my time with the X-Air Pro, and also sat in for the duration of the review writing process.

Read more about how we test

First reviewed December 2024.

QAnon followers played an outsized role in the Jan. 6, 2021 riot at the U.S. Capitol. While the online conspiracy community is less prominent now, it still draws attention from GOP politicians.

(Image credit: Win McNamee)

• 800,000 VW Group models affected in breach, 300,000 of which from Germany
• More than half were sharing precise GPS location data
• Volkswagen responded promptly and responsible

Cariad, a subsidiary of Volkswagen’s automotive software reportedly left the sensitive data of 800,000 electric vehicles exposed in an unsecured Amazon cloud storage folder, reports have claimed.

The concern comes after Nadja Weippert, Mayor of Tostedt, Lower Saxony, delved into the app she was required to download to use the remote functionality of her Volkswagen ID.3.

She found that it was collecting precise geolocation data every time the car was turned off, creating a detailed picture of where she had been.

VW collecting customer data insecurely

The vulnerability was first discovered by a European ethical hacking organization, Chaos Computer Club (CCC), which was informed by a whistleblower. CCC confirmed the issue on November 26 and notified Cariad, giving the company 30 days to make the data inaccessible.

Cariad acknowledged the issue stemmed from poor configurations in two IT applications, responding within just hours and thanking the CCC for its work. CCC spokesman Linus Neumann praised VW’s software firm (via Spiegel, translated with Google Translate): "The Cariad technical team responded quickly, thoroughly and responsibly.”

German publication Spiegel revealed that more than half of the vehicles (460,000) were sharing precise GPS data. Most of the 800,000 affected models were located in Germany (300,000), with Norway, Sweden, the UK, the Netherlands, France, Belgium, Denmark, Switzerland and Austria also being home to tens of thousands of affected electric vehicles.

Because Volkswagen is the parent company of other popular European brands, Audi, SEAT and Skoda models were also reportedly affected. It’s unclear whether CUPRA, Porsche and VW Group’s other subsidiaries were also affected.

Spiegel called the blunder a disgrace, noting that Volkswagen is already lagging behind rivals in the software space.

Despite VW’s unfortunate mistake close to a decade after the automotive giant was caught lying about the emissions of many of its diesel cars, it’s not the only company collecting customer data. In September 2023, we covered Mozilla research revealing that 25 major car manufacturers were collecting more data than they needed.

As the boundaries between tech and cars draw ever nearer, customers and researchers are rightly raising more and more security concerns.

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I’ve been a PC gamer for basically my entire life. Even as a young kid on my dad’s boxy beige work computer, I spent hours playing the only game it had installed: Microsoft Golf 1998 Edition. I loved the glorious Flash era of browser games, and bought plenty of magazines purely for the demo disks.

Growing up, I had my dalliances with console gaming, but once I got my first gaming laptop as a teen, we were back in familiar territory. It wasn’t long before I built my first gaming PC, and the rest, as they say, is history.

I never thought I’d abandon my trusty gaming desktop - perhaps the fourth or fifth PC I’ve built purely for myself over the years, discounting the literal dozens I built while working at Maximum PC magazine - and yet nowadays, I find myself using it less and less for gaming. I used to spend hours seated at my desk grinding away in my live-service game du jour, yet now I mostly just sit in that chair to write articles like this one. The reason for that? I got myself an Asus ROG Ally.

The handheld revolution

PC gaming handhelds have been floating around for a while in early forms, but it wasn’t until Valve released their successful and popular Steam Deck handheld that interest really started to pick up. It wasn’t long before other manufacturers wanted to muscle in on the scene; Asus was the first major rival to Valve with its ROG Ally (and the new ROG Ally X), then more started to appear: the MSI Claw, Lenovo Legion Go, and most recently the Zotac Zone all deliver quality handheld gaming experiences beating anything in the existing console space.

I do love my Switch, but it's just not the same as having a PC I can play in bed. (Image credit: Shutterstock/Wachiwit)

I’m not ragging on consoles here; I have a Nintendo Switch, and it was thanks to that (and a second Switch for my fiancé, and two copies of Animal Crossing: New Horizons) that I made it through both lockdown and cancer treatment in one piece. I’ve owned every Game Boy, and I was one of the eight people who actually bought a PS Vita back in 2011 - a horribly misunderstood handheld, by the way.

But the ROG Ally is a different beast entirely; my huge game libraries across Steam, Epic, GOG, and more mean that I can enjoy a vast variety of games, with better graphics than anything offered by the Switch. Plus, as a fan of indie games, I get the added bonus of getting to play all the great stuff on Itch.io, the majority of which isn’t available on consoles.

What makes PC handhelds so great?

My love for the ROG Ally has grown so much that I’ve taken to actively recommending it and its ilk - forsaking my usual advice about gaming laptops and PC-building. The first reason, quite simply, is pricing. The ROG Ally can routinely be picked up for around $400 / £400 if you keep an eye on sales - and frankly, good luck finding a gaming laptop capable of offering the same performance for that price, even during sale events.

Speaking of performance: the Z1 Extreme APU chip inside the ROG Ally and some other handhelds performs great, offering strong 1080p gaming performance. Sure, you’ll likely need to tone down the graphics in some more demanding games to hit that coveted 60 frames per second, but the performance for such a compact device is truly excellent and would’ve been unprecedented just a few years ago.

Valve's Steam Deck is a cool handheld, but in terms of raw performance it doesn't quite measure up to many other models on the market right now. (Image credit: Unsplash)

And of course, it’s that compact nature that makes the Ally so much more appealing to me than a desktop PC or a chunky gaming laptop. I sit at my desk all day long; why would I continue to sit there during my free time after work, when I could take my handheld and go lounge on the couch while playing the exact same games? It’s a benefit you don’t notice until you have the option. During a recent storm here in the UK, I stayed warm and cozy in bed with a hot water bottle and the rather excellent Afterparty, and it was great. Although the Ally is a bit heavy, it’s comfortable design and sturdy thumbsticks are a lot easier on my hands than a mouse and keyboard.

So yes: I’m done with gaming laptops, and while I’m not about to toss my powerhouse desktop in the garbage anytime soon, I’m certainly putting a lot less mileage on it now. That’s probably good for my electricity bill too, now that I think about it - the RTX 4080 sure is a power hog.

Anti-algorithm tactics and human moderators need to keep the web honest.

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NPR's member and affiliate station photographers share memorable moments from throughout 2024.

(Image credit: Brian Munoz)

These days, my life is full of technology. Depending on the trip, I have my iPhone, Apple Watch, iPad Mini, MacBook Pro, my wife's iPhone, Kindle, kids' tablets, and a smart power station or two. That's a lot of internet-connected gear when on the go. Not only is it annoying to have to put in a new password for whatever location you are at, but it's also incredibly insecure.

Over the last few years, I have stopped connecting to public Wi-Fi, or Wi-Fi, which is not secure altogether. I'll frequently tether to my iPhone if I am just on one device. But, when I start pulling out multiple devices or if my iPhone cell service isn't excellent (I'm looking at you, Verizon), I look for a strong and probably ok public Wi-Fi and connect to it, but not with my devices, with my portable router. I do this, plus a VPN to help ensure that my information stays my information, and this little travel router is how I do it.

Can this tiny travel router compare with the best Wi-Fi routers out there? I put the pocket-sized TP-Link TL-WR1502X Wi-Fi 6 Travel Router to the test.

TP-Link Wi-Fi 6 Travel Router: Price and Availability

The TP-Link Wi-Fi 6 Travel router is available all over the place. You can find it on the TP-Links website, Amazon, or other retailers. When writing this sentence, the price is $60 for a single unit.

(Image credit: Collin Probst // Future) TP-Link Wi-Fi 6 Travel Router: Unboxing and First Impressions

When I opened the box for this router, I immediately noticed how simple everything was. This router seemed too small and too basic-looking to be able to do everything that it was doing. It's lightweight, with a sleek and durable build. The router, a power adapter, a USB-C cable, a quick start guide, and a simple ethernet cable came in the box.

The compact design is easy enough to tuck in any bag, pocket, or jacket. The unit as a whole can fit in the palm of my hand. Right now, I carry it with me daily in my backpack. And I'm particular about what I am willing to put in my backpack, so that's a big deal for me to tuck it away. I love the matte black finish and the built-in ventilation, as it helps keep the device from overheating.

Lastly, the port offering is impressive for a small unit, and the ports are placed great on the device, making it easy to use and work with.

(Image credit: Collin Probst // Future) TP-Link Wi-Fi 6 Travel Router: Design and Build Quality Specs

Wi-Fi: Wi-Fi 6
Speeds: Up to 1.5Gbps
Ports: 2x Ethernet, 1ssx USB-C for tethering/power, 1x fUSB-A
Features: VPN support, WPA3 security, USB tethering

As I have mentioned, this device is incredibly portable. Still, it's also quite sturdy, making it a great travel companion because I don't have to worry about it breaking on me. I've had this in my everyday carry backpack that goes everywhere with me for the last few months, and I have not had any issues with this getting damaged or slowing down. It keeps working and working great every time.

(Image credit: Collin Probst // Future) TP-Link Wi-Fi 6 Travel Router: In use

So far, I have gotten a lot of use out of this little travel router. I've had it with me for a few months now and am thrilled to have it. The older I get, and as time goes on, the more and more paranoid I get about my physical and digital security. In the digital world, one of the things I have sworn not to do anymore is to connect to networks that I do not know or do not manage myself. However, sometimes that is the only option. That's where my travel router comes into play for one of the many use cases I have it for. I can quickly flip a switch and connect to that coffee shop, VRBO, airport, or even airplane Wi-Fi with my router, throw a VPN on, and then connect with my devices. My work and sensitive information, like bank cards and sensitive documents, are accessible through my Macbook. It would be wild for me not to protect it.

Another way that I have been using my travel router is to connect non-apple devices to my iPhone hotspot or direct USB tether. Most of what I have with me on any given day is Apple; however, for the times that I am testing a different laptop, if I have the Nintendo Switch with me, a portable projector if the kids have a gadget or something like that, this makes it super easy to have specific travel Wi-Fi saved on their devices that they can connect to that isn't just always my phone.

I have noticed smooth and fast connections when using the Wi-Fi, even from a decent distance away. For example, we stayed at a VRBO rental a few weeks back. I did not want to connect to the provided Wi-Fi, so I connected the ethernet cables to my TP-Link Travel router and ran that as a main router for a week. It worked great across the entire home, with all my devices connected. It handled (up to) five iPhones, two MacBooks, eight iPads, two Apple Watches, and a sound machine/night light, all without skipping a beat.

The only gripe I have with this router is that it takes a minute to boot up, so if I am in a hurry, it can be frustrating to wait for it to boot up and get working. However, if that's my only frustration, that makes for a pretty incredible device.

(Image credit: Collin Probst // Future) TP-Link Wi-Fi 6 Travel Router: Final verdict

The TP-Link AX1500 Wi-Fi 6 Travel RoutWi-Filivers top-tier performance in a travel-friendly package. With its fast speeds, modern security, and versatile features like VPN and USB tethering, it's a must-have for anyone needing reliable internet access wherever they go. While it's priced slightly higher than some competitors, its advanced functionality justifies the investment for frequent travelers or remote workers.

For more connectivity tools, we reviewed the best mesh Wi-Fi systems

$300 is a sweet spot for buying a phone. You get a ton of features without too many compromises. Phones like Moto G Power 5G (2024), have Google Pay, wireless charging and fun designs.

• Researchers create a form of carbon with an incredible surface area
• This could allow the material to trap more substance including various chemicals
• Hypergolics are widely use in jet propulsion

Researchers at Cornell University have developed a nanoporous carbon material with the highest surface area ever reported.

The breakthrough uses a chemical reaction akin to rocket fuel ignition and could be used to improve carbon-dioxide capture and energy storage technologies, potentially advancing the next generation of batteries.

Increasing the porosity of carbon is key to enhancing its performance in applications such as pollutant adsorption (where pollutants stick to the surface of the material) and energy storage. The new material boasts a surface area of 4,800 square meters per gram - comparable to the size of an American football field, or 11 basketball courts, condensed into a single teaspoon.

A bright future for batteries

“Having more surface per mass is very important, but you can get to a point where there is no material left. It’s just air,” said senior author Emmanuel Giannelis from the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, in Cornell Engineering. “So the challenge is how much of that porosity you can introduce and still have structure left behind, along with enough yield to do something practical with it.”

Giannelis collaborated with postdoctoral researcher Nikolaos Chalmpes, who adapted hypergolic reactions - high-energy chemical reactions typically used in rocket propulsion - to synthesize this carbon.

Chalmpes explained that by fine-tuning the process, they were able to achieve ultra-high porosity. Previously, such reactions were used solely in aerospace applications, but their rapid and intense nature proved ideal for creating novel nanostructures.

The process, detailed in ACS Nano, starts with sucrose and a template material, which guides the formation of the carbon structure. When combined with specific chemicals, the hypergolic reaction produces carbon tubes containing highly reactive five-membered molecular rings. A subsequent treatment with potassium hydroxide removes less stable structures, leaving behind a network of microscopic pores.

The researchers say the material adsorbs carbon dioxide nearly twice as effectively as conventional activated carbons, achieving 99% of its total capacity in under two minutes. It also demonstrated a volumetric energy density of 60 watt-hours per liter - four times that of commercial alternatives. This makes it particularly promising for batteries and small power cells, where efficient energy storage in compact spaces is critical, and opens pathways for designing electrocatalysts and nanoparticle alloys.

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Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for Dec. 30.

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Carter helped make ties between Washington and Beijing, ushering in an era of engagement that brought China out of isolation and underpinned its meteoric economic rise.

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I've only become a regular user of YouTube relatively recently.

The video platform, which first launched in 2005, wasn't something I spent much time with for its first decade of existence. I'd heard how it got bought by Google, and how it was something that was popular with kids.

I watched parents stick a tablet in their kids hands at the mall or at the airport and let them watch whatever kids watch on YouTube (a whole other discussion for another time), and heard about the first YouTube influencers who started making real money on the platform. But, it was the aughts and early 2010s, and there was a lot of that going around, so it was just background noise for the most part.

It wasn't until my first computer science courses in 2015 that I first started using the platform with any kind of regularity, almost entirely for programming tutorials to help me navigate C++ memory allocation, or how to program a game in Unreal Engine.

Back then, I was a free user, and you know the adage: if you aren't paying for a product, you are the product. The ads weren't too bad at first, but once YouTube got a sense of who I was (a thirty-something male living in the US with an interest in computers), that quickly changed.

YouTube ads are some of the worst I've ever seen

(Image credit: Future/YouTube)

If you know, you know. The kinds of targeted ads my demographic gets can be laughably bad at best, and downright offensive and maddening at worse (I'm looking at you Evony: The King's Return).

For close to a decade as a casual YouTube user, it never occured to me to pay for a premium subscription. After all, ads are the price you pay for free media and always has been. They're annoying, sure, but without ads, that media you're consuming can't exist without you paying for it.

But, boy howdy, there's only so many misogynistic mobile game ads you can watch on repeat before you break. At the start of 2024, I started watching various artisan crafting videos far more regularly than even my computer science and programming content.

Initially, this was just a form of white noise that I used when I was working or testing out computer hardware on a testbench in our NYC office, but soon, I found there was a certain meditative quality to watching someone make a Damascus steel kitchen knife without commentary, or using shop tools and a lathe to carve out a stunning wooden vase.

As you can imagine, my algorithm was now truly, properly wrecked, and the targeted ads I got weren't for normal things like, I don't know, woodworking tools or maybe shop equipment. Hell, try and sell me some Carhart outerwear, and I just might buy it.

No, my demo as a middle-aged man fully identified, my meditative background watches of a bunch of dudes quietly putting together a deck in their backyard was interrupted every few minutes by ads for mobile games that look like it was put together by the absolute worst people on 4chan.

I won't detail what exactly was so bad about these ads (leaving aside the fact that none of the gameplay shown is ever what you'd get if you played these cash-grab, social city builders that are microtransactioned to the hilt). But for a lot of you out there, you know exactly the kind of gross, juvenile BS I'm talking about. If you don't, count yourself lucky.

YouTube Premium saved my sanity

(Image credit: Shutterstock / JRdes)

I don't know how exactly I came across YouTube Premium, but I do remember the only thing I saw was that it meant ad-free viewing of all YouTube content.

I signed up for YouTube Premium on the spot, and I haven't looked back ever since. I don't even know what other features come with the subscription. I don't really care.

Before I get bombarded with emails, yes, I know there are ad blockers out there, but I won't use them. Monetization for YouTube creators is a complicated thing, but blocking ads doesn't help them keep doing what they do, and an ad blocker can always be disabled, or introduce security vulnerabilities into your browser, and on, and on.

Here's the thing. We've all probably got more streaming subscriptions than we ever really use. So, if you're like me and you spend a lot of time on YouTube, consider switching one of those out for YouTube Premium. You'll save yourself a lot of hassle, headache, and sanity in the process.