The Typing Beats of the Boston Typewriter Orchestra

The Boston Typewriter Orchestra (BTO) — a collective percussion ensemble founded in 2004 — turns the conventional concept of an orchestra on its head by using typewriters as their primary instruments. The various sounds of clacking, sliding carriages, bells, and spinning rollers contribute to the orchestra’s unique sound. With a blend of rhythmic typewriter manipulation, vocals, and an office-themed performance that satirizes the monotony of corporate life, BTO offers a truly unforgettable auditory and visual experience. Founded in 2004, the Orchestra got its start appearing at house parties, art galleries, and street festivals. The group has since performed on local, national, and international radio and television and appeared in the documentary California Typewriter. BTO’s next concert will be on March 7, 2026 at 5:30 p.m. at the Crystal Ballroom in the Somerville Theater, Somerville, Mass. Tickets start at $68.

 

 

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Frozen Healthy Choice Meals Are Actually Unhealthy

Back in the shoulder-pad era of the 1980s, Conagra’s chairman got a wake-up call in the form of a heart attack and a week-long stay in intensive care. While recovering — and probably rethinking every steak-and-potatoes business lunch he’d ever had — he discovered that “healthy” and “tasty” didn’t have to be sworn enemies. That realization sparked the birth of Healthy Choice — frozen meals promising fewer calories, less fat, and reasonable sodium levels. Fast-forward a few decades and it’s time for a little nutritional checkup. Are these meals actually healthy? Many Healthy Choice entrées do pack solid nutrition with lean proteins, respectable veggie portions, and vitamin lists longer than a CVS receipt, but others ... well, let's just say their sodium content might raise your eyebrows and your blood pressure. The FDA calls a dish “high sodium” when it hits 20% or more of your daily recommended limit, and several Healthy Choice meals cruise past that mark at 26%. A few also soar past the same threshold for added sugars, turning your chicken bowl into a surprise dessert. The worst Healthy Choice meals are listed below:

 

Café Steamers Barbecue Seasoned Steak with Potatoes. It's full of beef strips, russet potatoes, corn, bell peppers, and onions — all coated in a whiskey barbecue sauce. It also has 16 grams of added sugar, or about one-third of your daily recommended allowance. Even a ⅔-cup serving of vanilla ice cream has less added sugar. 

 

 

 

Simply Steamers Grilled Chicken Pesto & Vegetables. It's packed with grilled chicken breast, broccoli, cauliflower, and peas. Unfortunately, the basil pesto sauce is the party pooper, contributing 13% of the daily recommended value of saturated fat and 85mg of cholesterol. Salt doesn’t exactly stay on the sidelines, coming in at a staggering 600mg, or 26% of your daily allotment. 

 

 

Café Steamers Sweet & Sour Chicken. This one contains tempura-battered chicken, bell peppers, onions, and pineapple over rice — and drenched in sweet-and-sour sauce. When they say “sweet,” they’re not kidding. That sweet-and-sour sauce contains 21g of added sugar, a heft 42% of the daily limit stuffed into a single bowl.  

 

 

 

Every meal on this list exceeds the FDA's recommended threshold for foods high in either sodium or added sugars. Given the health risks of diets high in sodium or added sugars, the names on their packages should be "Unhealthy Choice." Of course, nutrition isn't one-size-fits-all and we're not your doctor, nutritionist, or the microwave police. Everyone's dietary needs and priorities are different and so is everyone's definition of "healthy" and "unhealthy." What happens next is between you and your microwave. 

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Competitive Eater Retires For a Scary Reason

If you’re a casual fan of competitive eating contests who tunes in once a year to watch the Fourth of July Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest, it might seem like competitive eating is all fun and games. For serious competitors, it’s actually pretty lucrative. Takeru Kobayashi, who won the contest sponsored by Nathan’s Famous each year between 2001 and 2006, reportedly earned $650,000 annually over the course of two decades in the competitive eating business. Still, all good things must come to and end, and he has now revealed that concerns about his health have caused him to retire. Over the course of the 45-year-old's career, he has eaten a lot more than hot dogs, including 20 pounds of rice balls in 30 minutes and 41 lobster rolls in 10 minutes. What has Kobayashi ready to hang up his bib, though, is the fact that he no longer has any appetite and the thought of food can actually make him nauseous. He also says that his sense of smell has been seriously affected. At one point, he was unable to eat at all for a few days. Right now, he's working to repair the damage done to his brain and body by his years of competitive eating, trying to reset his appetite by consuming small amounts of nutritious foods instead of the massive amounts of over-processed ones he consumed during his career. Professionally, though, he still has one more contribution he wants to make to the food world as he's currently working on developing a healthy, Japanese-style hot dog.

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This Little-Known Perk Helps You Get Money for Free Costco Groceries

Raise your hand if you have a stash of old electronic devices somewhere in your house. This growing stream of discarded tech has a name — e-waste — and it’s becoming a real problem. If you’ve got a bunch of used hardware lying around, now there’s a way you can put it to good use. Costco has a tech trade-in program that promises to help you offload your old stuff and reduce e-waste. Best of all, it gives you something in return. Trading in your old devices at Costco is pretty straightforward, and you don’t even need to visit your local store to do it. Here’s how to offload your pre-owned electronics for Costco cash:

1. 1. Visit the online trade-in portal.
2. 2. Select your device type and brand.
3. 3. Complete a short assessment of your device’s condition and receive an instant quote for the trade-in value.
4. 4. Pack and ship your item with the provided shipping label or request a prepaid shipping box from Phobio, a third-party tech-recycling outfit.

After receiving your trade-in item, Phobio will inspect and evaluate it. They also securely wipe all data off your old device, so you don’t need to worry about any of your personal information falling into the wrong hands. Unfortunately, if you would prefer to drop off used electronics at your local Costco warehouse, you’re out of luck. As of now, there's no way to trade in your old devices in person because the trade-in program is run through Phobio. Still, you're provided with prepaid shipping materials, so it won’t cost you anything. After Phobio verifies the condition of your device, you’ll receive a Costco Shop Card worth the quoted value of the trade-in. You can use this card to shop at any Costco warehouse and on Costco.com. 

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