Does Bitrate Really Make a Difference In My Music?

Dear Lifehacker,
I hear a lot of arguing about "lossless" and "lossy" music these days, but I'm having a hard time getting straight answers. Does bitrate really matter? Can most people tell the difference between high and low bitrate music files?

Thanks,
Angry Audiophile

Photo by Tess Watson.

Hey Angry,
We understand your frustration. While you may have some idea about what bitrate is, the "can audiophiles really tell the difference" argument has raged on for quite some time, and it's hard to get people to drop their egos and actually explain what these things mean and whether they really matter. Here's a bit of information on bitrate and how it applies to our practical music listening experience.

Blast from the past is a weekly feature at Lifehacker in which we revive old, but still relevant, posts for your reading and hacking pleasure. This week, we revisit a much-needed explainer on digital music quality.

What Is Bitrate?

You've probably heard the term "bitrate" before, and you probably have a general idea of what it means, but just as a refresher, it's probably a good idea to get acquainted with its official definition so you know how all this stuff works. Bitrate refers to the number of bits—or the amount of data—that are processed over a certain amount of time. In audio, this usually means kilobits per second. For example, the music you buy on iTunes is 256 kilobits per second, meaning there are 256 kilobits of data stored in every second of a song.

The higher the bitrate of a track, the more space it will take up on your computer. Generally, an audio CD will actually take up quite a bit of space, which is why it's become common practice to compress those files down so you can fit more on your hard drive (or iPod, or Dropbox, or whatever). It is here where the argument over "lossless" and "lossy" audio comes in.

Lossless and Lossy Formats

When we say "lossless", we mean that we haven't really altered the original file. That is, we've ripped a track from a CD to our hard drive, but haven't compressed it to the point where we've lost any data. It is, for all intents and purposes, the same as the original CD track.

More often than not, however, you probably rip your music as "lossy". That is, you've taken a CD, ripped it to your hard drive, and compressed the tracks down so they don't take up as much space. A typical MP3 or AAC album probably takes up 100MB or so. That same album in lossless format, though—such as FLAC or ALAC (also known as Apple Lossless) would take up closer to 300MB, so it's become common practice to use lossy formats for faster downloading and more hard drive savings.

The problem is that when you compress a file to save space, you're deleting chunks of data. Just like when you take a PNG screenshot of your computer screen, and compress it to a JPEG, your computer is taking the original data and "cheating" on certain parts of the image, making it mostly the same but with some loss of clarity and quality. Take the two images below as an example: the one on the right has clearly been compressed, and it's quality has diminished as a result. (You'll probably want to expand the image for a closer look to see the differences—look at the fox's ears and nose).

Remember, of course, that you're still reaping the benefits of hard drive space with lossy music (which can make a big difference on a 32 GB iPhone), it's just the tradeoff you make. There are different levels of lossiness, as well: 128kbps, for example, takes up very little space, but will also be lower quality than a larger 320kbps file, which is lower quality than an even larger 1,411 kbps file (which is considered lossless). However, there's a lot of argument as to whether most people can even hear the difference between different bitrates.

Does It Really Matter?

Since storage has become so cheap, listening to higher-bitrate audio is starting to become a more popular (and practical) practice. But is it worth the time, effort, and space? I always hate answering questions this way, but unfortunately the answer is: it depends.

Part of the equation is the gear you use. If you're using a quality pair of headphones or speakers, you're privy to a large range of sound. As such, you're more likely to notice certain imperfections that come with compressing music into lower bitrate files. You may notice that a certain level of detail is missing in low-quality MP3s; subtle background tracks might be more difficult to hear, the highs and lows won't be as dynamic, or you might just plain hear a bit of distortion. In these cases, you might want to get a higher bitrate track.

If you're listening to your music with a pair of crappy earbuds on your iPod, however, you probably aren't going to notice a difference between a 128 kbps file and a 320 kbps file, let alone a 320 kbps file and a lossless 1,411 kbps file. Remember when I showed you the image a few paragraphs up, and noted that you probably had to enlarge it to see the imperfections? Your earbuds are like the shrunken-down version of the image: they're going to make those imperfections harder to notice, since they won't put out as big a range of sound.

The other part of the equation, of course, is your own ears. Some people may just not care enough, or may just not have the more attuned listening skills to tell the difference between two different bitrates. This is something you can develop over time, of course, but if you haven't yet, then it doesn't particularly matter what bitrate you use, does it? As with all things, go with what works best for you.

So how high of a bitrate should you use? Is 320kbps okay, or do you need to go lossless? The fact of the matter is that it's very difficult to hear the difference between a lossless file and a 320kbps MP3 (though you can run this test to find out if you can hear the difference). You'd need some serious high-end gear, a very trained ear, and a certain type of music (like classical or jazz) to hear the difference. For the vast majority of people, 320kbps is more than adequate for listening. You don't need to pain yourself with finding lossless copies of all your favorite songs. Photo by Marcin Wichary.

Other Things to Consider

All that said, lossless file types do have their place. Lossless files are more futureproof, in the sense that you can always compress music down to a lossier format, but you can't take lossy files back to lossless unless you re-rip the CD entirely. This is, again, one of the fundamental issues with online music stores: if you've built up a huge library of iTunes music and one day decide that you'd like it in a higher bitrate, you'll have to buy it again, this time in CD form. You can't just put data back where it's been deleted. When possible, I always buy or rip in lossless just for backup purposes, but I'm a little overly obsessive—MP3 is a great standard, and it isn't likely to change anytime soon, so unless you plan on converting your music at a later date, you're probably fine just ripping or buying in MP3 format. Photo by Charlotte L.

All of this is merely scratching the surface of the audiophile's challenge. There is of course a lot more to talk about, like variable bitrate and coding efficiency, but this should provide a simple introduction for the uninitiated. As I said before, it all depends on you, your hearing, and the gear you have at your disposal, so give it a shot. Compare two tracks side by side, try out some different audio formats for awhile, and see what it does for you. At the worst, you've spent a few hours listening to some of your favorite music—and isn't that what this is all about anyway? Enjoy it!

Sincerely,
Lifehacker

P.S. Many of you undoubtedly have your own views on the subject, whether you're a bitrate-hungry audiophile or if you belong to the "if I can hear it, it works for me" philosophy. Share your thoughts and experiences with us in the comments.

Smigin Lets You Build and Learn Useful Phrases In Different Languages

iOS: If you're traveling internationally—or want to make simple conversation with a non-English speaker—the Smigin app on iOS lets you build phrases quickly, gives you native pronunciation, and lets you save important phrases as favorites to use later on.

Learning a new language is useful and fun skill to develop, but sometimes you just want to know the basics to get by. After you select your language, Smigin lets you construct a phrase piece by piece so you can learn what you need to say in a snap. You can also listen to a native speaker say the phrase you built so you sound like a pro. If you're in a quiet area—or you don't want someone to hear you—you can also see the phrase written out phonetically. No Wi-Fi is needed to use the app, and when you know you're going to use a phrase again, you can save time by hitting the star button and saving the phrase as a favorite.

Smigin only does translation from English to Spanish (Mexico), French, Italian, and Brazillian Portuguese for the time being, but Filipino, German, Turkish, Portuguese (Portugal), and Chinese will be available soon. You can download it for free in the iOS App Store at the link below.

Smigin | iOS App Store

This Video Explains Four Psychological Terms You May Be Misusing

We sometimes get in the habit of using psychological terms to describe different people, but there's a good chance you're using these words incorrectly. This video explains what the terms psycho, OCD, schizo, and bipolar really mean, and why you may not want to use them to describe someone.

These four terms are tossed around casually these days, and SciShow host Hank Green clarifies that these terms are for real psychological disorders that people suffer greatly from. Your ex is most likely not an actual psychopath, your roommate doesn't have OCD just because they like things clean and organized, schizophrenics do not have multiple personalities, and bipolar is a serious mood disorder marked by emotional extremes, not just someone being upset.

So why might you want to avoid using these words? Besides the fact that they're inaccurate in most cases, abusing these terms as casual metaphors minimizes these serious conditions and the people that actually have them. So you may want to take that into consideration the next time you want to complain about someone.

4 Psychological Terms That You're Using Incorrectly | YouTube

See How Much Candy You or Your Kids Should Eat with This Calculator

Craft a Better Presentation with Zombie Apocalypse Principles

We've all daydreamed about how we'd react if the undead began rise from their graves and the zombie apocalypse commenced. It would take quick thinking, careful planning, and grace under pressure. Oddly enough, these are the same principles it takes to craft an effective presentation.

This post originally appeared on Master Presenting.

We talk about what we would do to survive if the zombie apocalypse broke out.

It all boils down to the essentials, and these essentials are the same when it comes to presenting. If you get these wrong, it's your audience that become members of the undead, growling and snarling.

Have Your Endgame Decided

You know who gets whacked early in the zombie apocalypse? It's people who can't make a decision. They wander off. They meander. Their sense of urgency is diluted in panic. They try to grab too much stuff and it's too late—zombie chow.

When you present, you want to have the objectives of your content to be clear. What do you want your listeners to know at the end of your presentation? Aim towards that.

Write that first and shape your presentation around those goals. Otherwise you talk about too much and the eyes of your audience glaze over—zombie chow.

Be Clear and Absolutely Kill What is Vague

When you have your presentation done, you need to sharpen that machete and hack away anything that is getting away from your key points. Yep, you have that cute, cute story about your puppy and the circus that he turned your house into this morning. Hilarious.

Sorry, but Bosco the puppy doesn't belong in your presentation if it doesn't accomplish your goals.

If you hesitate to swing that machete and aim for the head, it's going to be over for you. People don't watch your presentation for fluff. They watch it to know and feel. Make sure that everything you have aims towards your points. Those asides might be cute, they might be funny, but if they detract from your message, you're going to be backed into a corner with no way out.

Hack away the fluff. You'll be a more powerful presenter.

Have the Necessary Tools for Those Emergencies

Sometimes that door you're going for is locked. The window is too high. The car is out of gas and you can hear the zombies growling. In the presenting world, sometimes the projector is faulty or your computer isn't compatible. You forgot the thing that connects your computer to their projector.

When you are going to present, make sure you bring spares of everything. Have your emergency kit prepped. Here's what I personally do:

• Upload your presentation to Dropbox in Keynote and Powerpoint.
• Upload your handouts as well and have everything on a flash drive. If you are printing handouts, print 20% extra.
• Bring multiple connectors to connect your computer to the projector. (And ask what exactly you need before you present.)
• If you plan on using a whiteboard, pack your own dry-erase markers. (The last person may have ruined them.)
• There is good chance they might cut your time to speak. Can you make your presentation 30 minutes instead of 45? Maybe it's the opposite—they need you to talk a little longer. The next speaker is late. Can you lengthen the presentation?

Being prepared for these emergencies will help calm your nerves as you approach the stage. There may be something you didn't prepare for, but having the above locked down will help you manage whatever snag you come across.

Create a Sense of Community

An axiom I've learned from my Walking Dead binging has been: "Stray from the pack, you become a snack." In other words, you want to gather people together.

One strategy I implement is when I'm finished presenting I offer up a follow up somewhere—live or online. We can meet at a pub after the conference and I can talk about the topic I presented on or we can chat about other topics. If I can't do that, I'll offer a Google hangout. This way I can gauge my true fans who want more information and possibly my services.

If you don't gather this community, these true believers, you are going to be alone in the forest, my friend.

And if you're wondering where you should go in the zombie apocalypse—the answer is the DMV. I guarantee that place will be empty. Who wants to be there—ever?

Present Like a Zombie Slayer | Master Presenting

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Ryan McRae is the founder of Master Presenting, a blog dedicated to creating courageous presenters. He has spoken all over the world, including Afghanistan. He is an Apple fanatic, voracious reader and lover of things pumpkin flavored. He can be reached at theryanmcrae@gmail.com.

Illustration by Tina Mailhot-Roberge. Additional photos by Kenny Louie, Brandon Daniel, Matthew Hogan, and Josh Jensen (Flickr).

Want to see your work on Lifehacker? Email Andy.

Reboot Your iPhone Before Being Detained by Police to Disable Touch ID

The Virginia Circuit Court ruled this week that you don't have to give up your passcode to police if you're detained. That's great news, but apparently fingerprints are a different story, so if you have Touch ID enabled, you could still be forced to unlock your phone.

Basically, fingerprints don't fall under the 5th Amendment like a passcode does, so a police officer who can't force you to unlock your iOS device with your passcode could make you do it with your fingerprint. The solution? If you're detained, reset your iOS device (hold the Home and Power button for a few seconds) before you have to hand it over. Touch ID doesn't work on the first boot.

MacWorld via Shep McAllister

Wavemon Monitors Your Raspberry Pi's Wi-Fi from the Command Line

If you're running your Raspberry Pi in headless mode, it's difficult to troubleshoot Wi-Fi problems. Raspberry Pi Spy points to Wavemon, a Linux utility that also happens to work great on the Raspberry Pi in the command line.

With Wavemon, you get a ton of statistics about your Wi-Fi network, including a graph of your signal levels, all the wireless networks near you, and a preference page where you can boost the signal. It's a little thing, but it's super helpful for anyone troubleshooting Wi-Fi issues on their Raspberry Pi.

How to Use Wavemon to Monitor Your WiFi Connection | Raspberry Pi Spy

Don't Pause! Stops Notifications from Interrupting Your Music

Android: You're grooving to music on your device and suddenly there's a quick pause—every time you get an email, text message, or other notifications. Don't Pause! prevents these annoying interruptions.

The app is very simple to use, as developer Trent Pierce demonstrates in the video above. Just start the app, start your music, and it'll keep playing without those hiccups. Your phone will go into vibrate mode for any notifications. The music will even keep playing in the background if your phone rings, although you can choose to silence only the notification stream. After you're done listening to music and stop Don't Pause!, the app can turn your ringer back on for you automatically.

In the ad-free pro version ($1.43), you can have the app automatically start up when: your headphones are plugged in, your phone boots up, a Bluetooth device is connected, and/or a USB cable is connected.

Add a shortcut to the app in your music folder and you'll never have to worry about remembering to manually turn on and off your ringer.

Don't Pause! (Free) | Google Play via WonderHowTo

This Week's Most Popular Posts: October 24th to 31st

This week we discovered the secret powers of Chrome's address bar, learned to spot a hidden handgun, made use of some life hacks from prison, and bought more selectively from Costco. Here's a look back.

The Secret Powers of Chrome's Address Bar

Chrome's address bar doesn't do much at a glance. Type in a URL and you're taken to a web site. But it can do a lot more if you know how to use it.

Five Worst Airlines

In honor of Evil Week, we're switching up the Hive a little bit. Normally we look for the five best, but this week we're looking for the five worst—specifically the worst airlines in the skies. The ones that should be grounded, or have fees so high, customer service so terrible, planes so uncomfortable, or routes so horrible you'll spend more to avoid them entirely—based on your nominations of course.

Know How to Spot the Signs of a Hidden Handgun

Regardless of your opinion on handguns, you probably want to know how to spot someone carrying one. This graphic illustrates some tips from the New York City Police Department.

7+ MacGyver Tricks People Have Learned in Prison

When you're sent to prison, you're stripped of basic comforts the rest of us take for granted—things like having many food options or a way to light contraband cigarettes. Necessity is the mother of invention, so those who have been in prison have had to come up with some creative life hacks for when resources are limited. Here are a few of them.

Four More Things You Shouldn't Buy at Costco

Costco warehouses pack some serious deals, but some things just aren't the most bang for your buck. We've covered some of the things you should and shouldn't buy at the bulk buying super store, but here's four more items you can cross off your list.

Create a USB Password Stealer to See How Secure Your Info Really Is

Slacking on password security can have horrific consequences. Even so, it's easy to lose track of how many are vulnerable. With just a couple of files, you can steal passwords from nearly everywhere they're stored on a victim's Windows PC, including your own, just to see how secure they really are.

The Age Kids Have to Be Before You Can Legally Leave Them Home Alone

When is a child old enough to stay at home alone? While a kid's maturity level should definitely come into play, some states have age restrictions—or at least guidelines—for how old is old enough to be unsupervised.

The Difference in Monthly Housing Costs Between Renters and Homeowners

It's not easy to decide if buying a home is worth it or if renting makes more financial sense. Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics offers some food for thought.

Get Access to Inbox by Gmail with a Friend's Help, No Invite Required

Gmail's new Inbox app is pretty awesome, but it's still invite-only. If you have a friend that's using inbox, you can get access on your own device with their help—even if they don't have any invites to give out.

This Calculator Shows How Long It Will Take to Save a Million Dollars

With consistent savings and (hopefully) a decent interest rate on those savings, you might be able to become a millionaire. When and what will it take? This interactive calculator will show you.

How Inbox by Gmail Works, and How to Use It for More Productive Email

Last week, Google released a brand new email service called Inbox. If you're new to Inbox or just confused about what it does and how it works, here's what we've found after a week of using it as a daily driver.

What to Do When You Have Nowhere to Sleep While Traveling

Sometimes your travel plans just don't work out and you're stuck in a city with no place to stay. Maybe the hotel was overbooked or your friends are unexpectedly out of town, and you need to find a last minute place to sleep. Here are a few options you can try when you need to take a rest.

This Diagram Shows How Restaurant Menus Play Tricks on Your Mind

You may be pledging to eat healthier, but chances are that restaurant down the street has different plans. Restaurants know exactly how to trick your mind into eating the items that make them the most money, rather than the item you may actually want.

Make Restaurant Reservations for Your Trip Before You Depart

If food is a big part of your next trip and you want to eat at a certain place, make a reservation before you leave to ensure you'll be able to dine at the restaurant of your choice.

Christine Sarkis of SmarterTravel.com explains:

Brush up on your language skills and make the phone call, or if you have a credit card with a concierge service, you can enlist the help of a professional. OpenTable allows you to book online at many restaurants in the U.S., as well as an increasing number of spots in 19 countries and regions including the U.K., Japan and Mexico. Or use a country-specific restaurant-reservation site such as Lafourchette in France.

Restaurants that are popular enough to be known overseas mean you need to reserve longer in advance. For more info on things you can do before your trip to make it better, check out the full post linked below.

Travel Planning Tasks That Can't Wait Until the Last Minute | USA Today

Image from cherrylet.

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Wayfarer is a new blog from Lifehacker all about better travel. Follow us on Twitter here.

IKEA Sit/Stand Desk Review: I Can't Believe How Much I Like This

Standing desks are not cheap. Or at least, the extremely handy motorized ones aren't. That's why everyone—including this desk-agnostic blogger—freaked out when IKEA announced that it would sell a sit/stand desk powered by electricity for less than $500. Finally, a healthy desk option for the masses. Finally!

But, well, it's… IKEA. The Swedish flat-pack furniture giant is known for forward-thinking design, innovative assembly methods, stores that you could live in, and delicious meatballs of questionable origin. It is not, however, known for quality or durability. This is not a surprise or a problem, necessarily, because IKEA's products are often impossibly cheap, and, well, cheap stuff is cheap. So I went into my experience with the Bekant Sit/Stand desk with a measured amount of skepticism. IKEA did not let me down.

What Is It?

The Bekant Sit/Stand desk is a desk at which you can either sit or stand. Without the motor that elevates the desktop, it would be a totally satisfactory however entirely unremarkable surface on which you could rest your laptop or draw detailed pictures of scarabs (or whatever). But that motor. Boy does it turn a simple solid tabletop into the convertible piece of furniture you never knew you needed.

It moves much more than that. In fact, the range of different heights is impressively large.

All that said, this piece of furniture is probably not for very tall people. The maximum height is 48" which is high for a desk but not high enough for someone who's, say, 6' 6". I'm 6' 2", and the most comfortable height for me was just a couple inches below the maximum. A tall drink of water like, say, Shaq could certainly use the desk, but the standing feature wouldn't be as useful.

Who's It For?

Honestly, this thing's for anyone who uses a desk. A second ago, I referred to myself as desk-agnostic, and I meant it. My entire life, I've always thought of desks as a surface for doing work. Some are big. Some are small. Some are cheap. Some are expensive. But a desk is a desk. I also had—shall we say—a negative attitude about the standing desk trend. It's not as bad as the treadmill desk trend, but it strikes me as one of those groupthink things. To me, standing desks are the CrossFit of furniture.

But guess what. Trendy things are sometimes trendy for a good reason. Now that I've spent a couple of weeks with one, I am inclined to believe that the standing desk is one of those things. Sit/stand desks, as opposed to standing-only desks, are even better. IKEA's Bekant Sit/Stand desk is perfect for someone who wants to enjoy the proven health benefits of a standing desk, while also maintaining the option of sitting in a chair like our forefathers did—all without breaking the bank. In other words, this desk is for everyone.

Design

IKEA furniture is famous for its utilitarian simplicity, and the Bekant Sit/Stand does not disappoint in that regard. It's almost identical to the standard Bekant desk which is a simple particleboard desktop with a stain-resistant veneer and a handy cable management net hidden underneath the surface. The only real difference is the motorized frame, controlled with a small push-button interface tucked under the right side of the desktop. This comes equipped with a safety, in case you ever want to disable the motor.

This handy net contains any and all cables you might need to keep them out of the way.

The Bekant desk also makes an effort to keep your cables out of the way. Depending on the location of your power source, this may or may not work. My outlet was placed right in the middle of the desk, so I ended up kicking the cables quite a bit which is annoying but not the end of the world. I probably could've done a better job tucking them in, but since I constantly had to pull my laptop charger out to move to a different part of the apartment, I got a little bit lazy.

See how they dangle?

All things considered, it's a pretty nice-looking piece of furniture. It's no Herman Miller Aria desk in terms of elegance or eye-catching design, but the basic design and sturdy construction do the job just fine. The Bekant desk has that office feel. (I'm not sure how else to describe it.) The cable management net is almost completely concealed. The up/down button module could be a little less ugly, but again, it does the job just fine.

For the record it took four pillows to get to the right height. You get the idea, though.

The motors, by the way, are built into the legs and entirely out of view. They also makes very pleasing whirring sound when the surface goes up and down, but it's not loud enough to be disruptive. Also, the speed seems just about right. It goes from bottom to top in a little under 20 seconds, but most of your adjustments will be small and last only a moment.

If you're someone who puts lots of heavy stuff on your desk, you should be wary. I put two heavy boxes of books on the surface and could definitely hear the motors strain a little bit. It's supposed to work with a load as heavy as 154 pounds, but I'd imagine the long-term integrity of the motors could be comprised if you've got even 100 pounds of stuff on your desk. But seriously, who keeps 100 pounds of stuff on their desk?

Oh and one more thing: this is a big desk. Let me rephrase that: If you live in a cozy, New York City apartment this is a very big desk. I had to rearrange my bedroom to accommodate it. It's helpful, however, that the tabletop goes down almost all the way to coffee table-height, so it feels less intrusive. (The low mode is also good for pillow-sitting, if that's your thing.) All that said, a large surface area means you have a lot of surface to work with—duh. The desk could easily double as a dinner table, and in fact, I think I might just do that.

Using It

This is the fun part. Like I said before, I've always been a bit of a Negative Nancy when it comes to expensive standing desks. That's not to say I don't work standing up from time-to-time! My IKEA Hopen dresser—you can see it in the background of the photos—is almost the perfect height for me to use it as a standing desk. But I never really do that because my toes hit the bottom of the dresser, and I don't know, I just feel weird working on top of my dresser.

I'm a bit of a minimalist so I didn't end up using most of the desktop.

The up/down action changes everything. What I like best about the Bekant Sit/Stand desk is how quick and easy it is to make adjustments to the height. This seems embarrassingly obvious, but it's actually thrilling to work on a surface that is at the perfect height for whatever posture you're in, sitting or standing.

Quick note about ergonomics: be nice to your body. I just used my aging MacBook Pro when working and found myself slouching quite a bit. But since I do not want to become a hunchback, I plan on elevating my laptop to eye-level and using an external keyboard and mouse. Obviously, the need to make a desk more ergonomically friendly exists for any desk, but don't expect this magical, motorized IKEA creation to magically fix your bad posture.

Oh, and assembly is a breeze. I did not assemble the desk—although I wish that I had in retrospect. A couple of very nice fellows that IKEA hired to deliver the desk did, because that was the plan for press who were reviewing the desk. (I think IKEA was just trying to be nice.) The process only took about 15 minutes. Basically, you have to bolt the tabletop to the motorized legs and plug it in.

Like

I seriously can't believe how much I liked working at the desk when it was at standing height. Even with the back injury I got from rowing in college, I tended to average about four hours per standing session. Thanks to the expansive desktop I found myself moving around a lot more than I would while sitting on my ass, and this even made the time pass a little more gracefully.

Once my feet started to hurt from standing, I'd sit, and that felt great, too. I was actually incredibly surprised that I didn't really think about sitting at all during my four-hour-long standing sessions. It's more comfortable than you think! If my posture was good, I could adjust the desk to the perfect ergonomic position. If I was feeling slouchy, I could slouch the desk down a couple inches. (My comment above about ergonomics still apply, however.)

This is me lowering the desk. The buttons are located in a pretty handy spot.

Aside from how much fun it was standing up and smashing laptop keys for hours at a time, I was also surprised by the quality of the desk. It feels rock solid, especially compared to my dirt cheap Arlik swivel chair. The motor works better than I expected, and the desk just glides up and down when you're adjusting it. Finally, the surface seems like it would look new for years, and if something happens to the desk, IKEA's likely got you covered with a 10-year limited warranty. They probably don't got you if you sit on the desk, however. Again, the load capacity is 154 pounds, so this desk is not for sitting—unless of course you weigh less than 154 pounds.

No Like

This is a big desk. It's entirely possible that IKEA is planning to offer sit/stand options for its smaller, more city-friendly desks, but for now, you're pretty much screwed if you're trying to squeeze this thing into a small room with other furniture. There's also no way to add a shorter desktop due to a support beam that connects the two legs. The control is also fastened to the tabletop, so that annoying. Then again, if you do the dinner table trick, the tabletop will fit six people, snugly. And you can even adjust the height for a standing dinner!

The pin works kind of like those things on treadmills. Meanwhile, the buttons are pretty much flush with the surface of the device so they're kind of hard to feel. But only sort of.

The only other gripe I can think of are those ugly buttons. Not only are they ugly, they're also a little bit finicky. They're barely buttons, really. They're more like little bubbles, not unlike the buttons you find on shitty stereo remotes. When you're adjusting the desk, moving your finger even slightly to one side or the other will disengage the button, and the desk will stop moving. You get the hang of it, though. It's just a bummer that IKEA did so much great work building a beautiful desk and then skimped on the gadgety bit. Then again, IKEA's never been into gadgets.

Should I Buy It?

Yes. Ok, let me dial that back. If you're in the market for a motorized sit/stand desk and you don't want to spend a lot of money, this is an excellent option. You can buy a fancier sit/stand desk that will do things like learn about the way you work and automatically adjust itself, but I don't really believe that justifies the high price. The price tags on many of the competing desks are north of $1,000, and even the "most affordable, automatic sit-to-stand desk" Kickstarter project is expected to retail for $600. The Bekant Sit/Stand Desk starts at $490.

I'll admit it. That $490 price tag is a sturdy mark-up from the non-sit/stand Bekant desk which costs just $190. But the versatility that a magical moving desktop affords is more wonderful than I ever expected. I'd pay the premium, and if you've been thinking about giving this standing desk trend a try, you should too.

Note: IKEA tells me there is currently product delay on the BEKANT sit/stand desk. Please note that this delay only affects the sit/stand desk and does not affect the rest of the new IKEA BEKANT series of professional desk/tables. I'll update this post as soon as they give me a release date

This is what I look like when I am blogging. Believe it or not it is a very exciting activity.

IKEA Bekant Sit/Stand Desk Specs

• Desktop materials: Particleboard, Ash veneer, Stain, Clear acrylic lacquer, Foil, Clear acrylic lacquer, ABS plastic

• Underframe materials: Steel, aluminum, polyester powdercoating

• Dimensions: 63" x 31.5" / Height ranges from 22" to 48"

• Max. Load: 154 lb

• Price: $490-$1,200

• Warranty: 10 years

Photos by Nick Stango

This Interactive Guide Tells You the Right Beef Cuts for Any Meal

There are so many different cuts of beef you can order at the butcher counter that choosing the proper one based on how you're cooking it can be confusing. This "interactive butcher counter" will help.

Choose your goal (e.g., an economical cut, a restaurant-quality cut, a lean cut, bbq-worthy cut, unique/new cut, etc.) and your cooking method to see the recommended cuts. You can also see more details about each—nutritional information, recipes, and recommended cooking methods.

The information comes from the beef industry, specifically the Cattlemen's Beef Board and National Cattlemen's Beef Association. So they obviously want you to buy more beef, but they also know beef. For further beef cuts education, take a look at this infographic or steak video.

The Interactive Butcher Counter | Beef It's What's for Dinner

Roku Now Has Google Play, Is Pretty Much Unstoppable

Roku was already the best little streaming device money could buy. But now, Google has gone and given Roku access to all your Google Play goodies. Which, more than just being an unprecedented move on Google's part, makes Roku pretty much unstoppable.

Because Google didn't have to give Roku access to its cache of movies and tv shows—that's what Chromecast is for, after all. But in doing so, it's giving Roku users access to the entire Google Play kingdom—something we have yet to (and probably won't) see from Apple or Amazon.

To get a sense of what this means, just imagine if Apple had given iTunes its own little home on Roku. Apple TV—whose only real benefit is having access to iTunes in the first place—would become a nonstarter, and Roku would reign king. Except in this case, Google gets to be its queen.

The new addition also gives Roku users access to Google Play's Info cards, which will offer helpful little facts about whatever's on screen when you hit pause.

Of course, this move isn't just coming out of the kindness of Google's heart. Giving Roku users access to its on demand library is going to go a long way in convincing people to start buying more watchables from the Google Play Store. So even if you don't have a Chromecast, Google still gets to cash in. Unfortunately, though, Google Music isn't part of the deal yet.

In other words, now, Roku is just about hands down the best viewing experience around. You should be able to find Google Play Movies & TV in Roku's Channel Store starting today, with Roku TV support coming sometime in the near-ish future. [Roku]