David Lidsky's Blog, page 84

What’s open and closed on 4th of July 2025?

Banks, post offices, and the stock market are closed, but grocery stores and restaurants may still be open for your last-minute BBQ needs.

Today, Friday, July 4, 2025, is Independence Day. The day, also known as the Fourth of July, celebrates the founding of the United States of America. 

Tally lets you design great free surveys in 60 seconds

Use Tally for any kind of survey, whether you’re getting feedback from clients or students, collecting RSVPs, or gathering ideas.

This article is republished with permission from Wonder Tools, a newsletter that helps you discover the most useful sites and apps. Subscribe here.

Macy’s fireworks livestream 2025: How to watch the NYC 4th of July event online, on TV, or on your phone

The annual Independence Day extravaganza will take place tonight, airing on NBC and streaming on Peacock. Here’s how to catch it.

Long before Katy Perry sang the praises of fireworks, the Founding Fathers expressed their enthusiasm for the explosions in the sky now synonymous with Fourth of July celebrations.

Housing market deals emerge as builder inventory hits 2009 levels

The number of unsold, completed new single-family homes in May 2025 hit the highest level since summer 2009—spurring bigger builder incentives and deals.

Want more housing market stories from Lance Lambert’s ResiClub in your inbox? Subscribe to the ResiClub newsletter.

Why dollar-cost averaging is the smart investing strategy for all us regular folk

Buy low, sell high sounds simple enough, but how do you know you’re buying at the right time? Dollar-cost averaging allows you to invest without the guesswork.

Typical investment advice either sounds incomprehensible (“The blockchain does the hokeypokey and fiat currency goes the way of the dodo!”) or too simple (“Just get in on the ground floor of the next Apple!”) and does very little to help the average person become an investor. This kind of standard advice doesn’t work because it assumes investing is a onetime event.

Pop, soda, or coke? A look at the history behind the soft drink’s many names

The process of carbonating water was first discovered in the late 1700s.

With burgers sizzling and classic rock thumping, many Americans revel in summer cookouts—at least until that wayward cousin asks for a “pop” in soda country, or even worse, a “coke” when they actually want a Sprite.

Employees are crashing out all over TikTok. Here’s why

A new report lays out why workers are unhappy from compensation to lack of flexibility.

Work-related stress is on the rise. And to quote Gen Z, who loves some dramatic verbiage, the overwhelm has employees totally “crashing out.” Crashing out can look like having a full blown freak out (think: losing it at a coworker, crying at your desk, or screaming in your car) or simply feeling internally unhinged and saying quietly to yourself “I’m crashing out. I’m crashing out so hard right now.”

How to convince your boss that you’re productive working from home

A productivity coach offers tips for showing your boss that working remotely is working for you.

Half of remote workers run errands on the clock, and over a quarter skip full days altogether—so it’s no surprise some bosses have grown wary of their employees working from home. 

‘There is nothing that Aquaphor will not fix’: The internet is in love with this no-frills skin ointment

From TikTok virality to rhinestone-studded key chains, the humble healing ointment is having a high-gloss, Gen Z-fueled makeover.

Aquaphor has become this summer’s hottest accessory.

Bentley modernized its logo without pulling ‘a Jaguar’

The British luxury automaker redesigned its emblem for just the fifth time in over a century.

Bentley has updated its emblem for just the fifth time since its founding in 1919, and without breaking hard from 106 years of branding tradition, it still manages to be the most radical redesign in company history. A Jaguar-style rebrand this is not.