HP’s new Thunderbolt 4 monitor uses contrast-rich IPS Black tech 

ARS Technica - Thu, 08/25/2022 - 05:00
HP Z32k G3 4K USB-C monitor

Enlarge (credit: HP)

HP announced a 31.5-inch monitor today at its Amplify partner conference that's aimed at workers with data-heavy setups and strong image quality needs. The 4K resolution HP Z32k G3 claims to be the first monitor to use an IPS Black panel along with a Thunderbolt 4 USB-C port.

Dell was the first to use IPS Black, tapping the LG Display tech for 27-inch and 31.5-inch USB-C UltraSharp monitors. IPS Black is a type of IPS panel that's supposed to double the typical contrast ratio of traditional IPS by delivering darker black levels. LG Display claimed that IPS Black's black levels are "35 percent deeper than existing IPS products."

HP's Z32k G3 claims a 2,000:1 contrast ratio, compared to the standard IPS monitor, which is typically around 1,000:1, with premium IPS examples reaching around 1,300:1. Assuming HP's shared an accurate figure, it's worth noting that the spec doesn't match a strong VA monitor or, compared to contrast afforded by displays with more expensive backlighting technology, Mini LED or OLED.

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HP’s 5K ultrawide all-in-one has workhorse specs, dual magnetic webcams

ARS Technica - Thu, 08/25/2022 - 05:00
HP's 34

Enlarge / One camera's on the user; the other's facing the desktop. (credit: HP)

Companies haven't paid all-in-one (AIO) PCs a lot of love lately. Exciting AIO releases in the US are few and far between, and ever since Apple discontinued the 27-inch iMac, there has been somewhat of a gap for users seeking the simplicity of an AIO, along with ultra-high resolution and strong components. HP has apparently noticed that gap because in September, it will release a 34-inch AIO with 5120×2160 resolution, current-generation Intel and Nvidia parts, and flashy features aimed at workers.

Magnetic webcam(s)

A webcam that can magnetically attach to anywhere on the display's bezel is one of the hallmark features of HP's 34-inch all-in-one Desktop PC announced today at HP's Amplify channel partner conference.

The cameras use temporal noise reduction when producing an image, and there's Windows Hello support for facial recognition logins.

The cameras use temporal noise reduction when producing an image, and there's Windows Hello support for facial recognition logins. (credit: HP)

This is similar to a magnetic webcam concept Dell showed us in December, but the camera isn't wireless and can't attach directly to the display. The AIO also supports up to two of these magnetic cameras; they would use pixel binning for 4 MP per still or video image, according to HP.

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Categories: Tech News

This Kiehl's Mask Is a Savior for Lazy People Who Don't Want Zits

Motherboard (Vice) - Thu, 08/25/2022 - 05:00

I’m the laziest person known to man when it comes to skincare, haircare, makeup, et cetera—I admit it. I do the bare minimum that I can get away with, and praise anyone that has the energy to do a 10-step skincare routine, blowout, and full glam face. I don’t understand where they find the time or motivation, but I sure do appreciate and envy the results. I’ve only just gotten better about skincare in my mid 20s, but truly can’t remember the last time I picked up a blow dryer. 

The worst thing about wearing makeup is the fact that you have to wash it off at night if you don’t want to wake up to a huge raging zit—if you’re me, anyway. The constant fear of breakouts is my own personal hell, which is why I only wear makeup a couple times a week and make sure to do a solid scrubbing when I get home for the evening. But realistically, on weekends where I'm painting the town red, I’ll return to my abode in various levels of intoxication, eat my tried-and-true late-night meal of choice (Momofuku’s instant noodles), and hit the hay immediately. I wake up looking like a disheveled hot mess, mascara caked under my eyes, but it’s nothing my dirty little skincare secret can’t fix—thank god for Kiehl’s Rare Earth Deep Pore Minimizing Cleansing Clay Mask. 

This Kiehl’s mask feels like a five-star facial at a bohemian resort for rich people, but for far, far less than the cost of a ticket to Tulum. It’s formulated with three main ingredients: Amazonian white clay (also known as kaolin clay), bentonite clay, and aloe vera. The clays absorb excess oil, detoxify all your skin’s sins, and draw out impurities such as sebum, aka the gunk that forms blackheads. Aloe vera helps soothe and moisturize as the clay works its magic. 

Before I purchase anything skincare-related, I hardcore read every review on the planet. I’m a huge stickler when it comes to my skin, poring over labels to avoid disaster, since I’ve had acne struggles in the past. I’m always concerned a new product will cause a sudden, malevolent breakout. But since this mask had a 4.6-star rating on Kiehl’s website, I was intrigued and decided to scope out some additional product info, all of which was impressive. “The mask removed 50% of blackheads on the side of my nostrils, and the pores on my cheeks are less visible… These [products] are perfect for people like me who have very sensitive skin and cannot use fragrance-filled products,” one reviewer wrote on Kiehl's site. I have ultra-sensi, somewhat oily skin, so this review gave me the reassurance needed to take the plunge. 

To use, cleanse first, then slap a thin layer of this stuff on damp skin and allow it to dry for 10 minutes. You’re supposed to wash it off with a warm, wet towel (I don’t because I’m a delinquent, and I hate doing laundry, but splashing a generous amount of warm water on your face will do the trick) and allow yourself to bask in the post-facial glow. I’m incredibly grateful I got a grip and ordered this mask, because it’s truly the G.O.A.T. After one use, my skin felt fresh and baby-soft, like I had peeled off the top layer of an onion. 

The stats on Kiehl's site are as impressive as my own experience, and only back it up further. According to a 54-person test conducted by Kiehl’s, 90% of users agreed their skin looked detoxified and instantly mattified after just one use, which is my idea of heaven, and for the acne-prone among us, Kiehl’s claims the mask reduces oil production by a whopping 46 percent. It’s paraben-, fragrance-, silicone-, and mineral-oil-free, too, so it never leaves any kind of gunky residue on your skin. 

Another big plus: I always have blackheads and squeeze the living daylights out of them (TMI, not sorry), and this mask helps me keep my grubby little mitts off of my precious face by clearing them out for me. It’s especially a holy grail around that—ahem—time of the month, when hormonal zits love to make appearances. If I have a breakout (godforbid, but they still happen from time to time), the clay and aloe instantly calms my skin, reduces redness, and mattifies, so my face doesn’t look like a greasy slice of pepperoni pizza. For all your pore-related woes, this mask is an angel that descends from heaven and power-washes all the tiny crevices of your face.

TD;LR: Whether your hormones are waging war on your face, you sleep with makeup on at night like a dunce (me), or you just have oily skin that needs some assistance, this Kiehl’s mask is the bee’s knees. Next time you look in the mirror and see the beginnings of a breakout or blackheads spawning, cop this and watch the magic happen for yourself. 

Smear it, wash it off, and thank me later wink.

Kiehl’s Rare Earth Deep Pore Minimizing Cleansing Clay Mask is available on Kiehl’s website, Sephora, Amazon, and Nordstrom.  

The Rec Room staff independently selected all of the stuff featured in this story. Want more reviews, recommendations, and red-hot deals? Sign up for our newsletter

Categories: Tech News

DeFi credit scores: Coming soon to a blockchain near you

The Register - Thu, 08/25/2022 - 04:44
Tension between anonymity and identity in web3 is being tested as firms seek a way to control rampant fraud

Web3, blockchain, and decentralized finance (DeFi) technologies, with their famously libertarian users, seem like the last places you'd expect to see a credit-scoring system. But money talks, even in a DeFi world.…

Categories: Tech News

What to expect from Apple’s September 7 “Far Out” event

ARS Technica - Thu, 08/25/2022 - 04:30
Futuristic glass-walled building permits views of surrounding forest.

Enlarge / Inside the Steve Jobs Theater building at Apple's headquarters. (credit: Samuel Axon)

Apple announced a new product launch event for September 7, and it's a safe bet that we'll see the next wave of flagship iPhone models when the company's executives and product managers take the stage at the Steve Jobs Theater.

Curiously, this is the earliest in the month we can remember Apple recently hosting a September event, and it also might be the earliest the company has announced the event before it happens, given that it's more than two weeks away.

But those aspects aside, we don't believe this will be an especially unusual event. Apple always uses the September event to announce new iPhone and Apple Watch models, which is exactly what we expect on September 7.

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Former NASA official on trying to stop SLS: “There was just such visible hostility”

ARS Technica - Thu, 08/25/2022 - 04:00
Lori Garver, right, and NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden did not always work well as a team.

Enlarge / Lori Garver, right, and NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden did not always work well as a team. (credit: NASA)

Former NASA Deputy Administrator Lori Garver published a book earlier this year, Escaping Gravity, that tells the tale of her nearly three decades in US space policy.

Garver played an important and at times controversial role in the history of NASA over the last 15 years, having served as leader of President Obama's transition team on space issues in late 2008 and early 2009, and later as deputy administrator for the space agency until 2013.

At NASA she had a strained relationship with the agency's administrator, Charlie Bolden. Garver pushed for substantial change at the behest of the Obama administration and more investment in the commercial space industry; whereas, Bolden was more supportive of traditional space and represented the views of many people at NASA at the time resistant to change. Bolden and his allies won the battle, ensuring NASA's development of the Space Launch System rocket.

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China's Chongqing manufacturing hub extends factory power cuts indefinitely

The Register - Thu, 08/25/2022 - 03:32
PC component manufacturers won't get priority as area faces fires and heatwaves

Officials from the manufacturing hub of Chongqing notified factories on Wednesday that mandated power cuts in the municipality were extended until further notice, affecting both PC and Apple suppliers.…

Categories: Tech News

Shout-out to whoever went to Black Hat with North Korean malware on their PC

The Register - Thu, 08/25/2022 - 02:24
I am the one who NOCs

The folks tasked with defending the Black Hat conference network see a lot of weird, sometimes hostile activity, and this year it included malware linked to Kim Jong-un's agents.…

Categories: Tech News

UK's NHS goes to market for $2b HR and payroll system

The Register - Thu, 08/25/2022 - 01:41
Plans afoot to replace Oracle EBS/AIX system used by 1.8 million staff dating from 2008

The UK's National Health Service (NHS) is in the market for a company to manage HR and a new electronic staff records system as part of a procurement worth up to £1.7 billion ($2 billion).…

Categories: Tech News

Nuclear-Armed India Sacks 3 For ‘Accidentally’ Firing a Missile Into Nuclear-Armed Pakistan

Motherboard (Vice) - Thu, 08/25/2022 - 01:10

The Indian government has sacked three Indian Air Force officers over the “accidental” firing of a missile into India’s neighbour Pakistan earlier this year.

The decision concluded a six-month investigation by India into the unprecedented incident on March 9, after an Indian nuclear-capable missile was fired from the Indian Air Force base in the city of Sirsa, into the Pakistani city of Mian Channu over 170 miles away. It escalated tensions between the two nuclear-armed nations, which have a history of bitter rivalry.

No casualties were reported as India called it a technical malfunction in their newly launched land-attack cruise missile called BrahMos. But Pakistan called it an “unprovoked violation” and demanded a joint investigation.

This week, the Indian Air Force concluded the investigation. “A Court of Inquiry set up to establish the facts of the case, including fixing responsibility for the incident, found that deviation from the Standard Operating Procedures by three officers led to the accidental firing of the missile,” the Indian Air Force said in a statement.

The names of the officers haven’t been released, but the statement said they have been terminated “with immediate effect.”

Ties between India and Pakistan have been tense, at times hostile, since they were partitioned into separate independent states in 1947 after British colonial rule. The two countries achieved nuclear capabilities in 1998, and have since regularly conducted tit-for-tat tests of nuclear-capable missiles. Last year, India tested 16 ballistic and cruise missiles, and Pakistan tested 10 missiles with nearly identical capabilities. That’s about two missile tests a month between the two countries that together control more than 300 nuclear weapons.

BrahMos, the missile that was fired in March, is a joint venture between India and Russia, and has a flight range of up to 180 miles. The missile is arguably the world’s fastest cruise missile, and is capable of hitting Pakistan’s capital Islamabad from a northern Indian launchpad.

In a statement on Wednesday, Pakistan’s foreign office rejected the results of India’s investigation of what it called the “highly irresponsible incident.” Pakistan insisted that a joint probe remains necessary, calling the “internal court of inquiry” “deficient and inadequate.”

“India has not only failed to respond to Pakistan’s demand for a joint inquiry but has also evaded the questions raised by Pakistan regarding the command-and-control system in place in India, the safety and security protocols and the reason for India’s delayed admission of the Missile launch,” the statement said.

Follow Pallavi Pundir on Twitter.

Categories: Tech News

Meet the CrowPi-L – a clever, slightly rustic, Raspberry Pi laptop chassis

The Register - Thu, 08/25/2022 - 00:31
Mobilises the Pi nicely but also frustrates in a few ways

Desktop Tourism  The Raspberry Pi is rightly celebrated as a very clever feat of design. But I've always found Pi-based machines hard to work with because connecting a Pi to the peripherals needed to make it useful creates a tangle of wires.…

Categories: Tech News

How archaeologists can use AI to date our ancestors

The Register - Wed, 08/24/2022 - 23:32
Human remains from millennia ago analyzed by the machines their descendants built

AI algorithms can be used to date ancient human remains by analyzing their DNA, just-published research has proposed.…

Categories: Tech News

Xiaomi could be 'adversely affected' by tax allegations in India

The Register - Wed, 08/24/2022 - 21:23
India wants low-end Chinese smartphones out – and its efforts may be working

Chinese gadget giant Xiaomi has warned in its April-June 2022 earnings report that its troubles in India – related to allegations of improperly moving funds offshore – could noticeably affect business.…

Categories: Tech News

Bankrupt cryptocurrency exchange Voyager to pay $1.6m bonus to key staff

The Register - Wed, 08/24/2022 - 17:58
Frozen firm has yet to return all funds to netizens

More than 30 employees at the bankrupt cryptocurrency exchange Voyager will receive $1.6 million in bonus pay as the company scrambles to return customers' funds frozen on its platform. …

Categories: Tech News

Block sued after ex-staffer siphons customer data

The Register - Wed, 08/24/2022 - 16:09
'Don't be such a Square' hits different these days

Block – the digital payments giant formerly known as Square – faces allegations it failed to take adequate measures to protect customers' personal information.…

Categories: Tech News

Dr. Oz emailed Trump admin. to push notoriously useless COVID treatment

ARS Technica - Wed, 08/24/2022 - 16:03
Mehmet Oz, US Republican Senate candidate for Pennsylvania, speaks during a campaign event in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, US, on Thursday, June 9, 2022.

Enlarge / Mehmet Oz, US Republican Senate candidate for Pennsylvania, speaks during a campaign event in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, US, on Thursday, June 9, 2022. (credit: Getty | Bloomberg)

In the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, Mehmet Oz—aka Dr. Oz—repeatedly emailed top-level Trump administration officials, urging them to push the ineffective malaria drug, hydroxychloroquine, to treat COVID-19 based on scant, sketchy data from a now-disgraced French researcher.

Emails from the notorious celebrity doctor were revealed for the first time Wednesday in a report from the House select subcommittee on the coronavirus crisis. The report, titled "A 'Knife Fight' with the FDA," delved into how the Trump administration worked to undermine, pressure, and bully the Food and Drug Administration during the pandemic.

Specifically, it unearthed how the Trump White House pressured the FDA to bend safety standards so that COVID-19 vaccines could be released before election day. It also revealed the tenacious efforts and subterfuge by top Trump trade advisor Peter Navarro and advisor Steven Hatfill to pressure the FDA into supporting the use of the debunked malaria drug. The report's title stems from a direct quote from Hatfill that the White House had a "knife fight scheduled with the FDA" over hydroxychloroquine.

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“Spanish Stonehenge” emerges from watery grave for second time in last 3 years

ARS Technica - Wed, 08/24/2022 - 15:36
The Dolmen of Guadalperal completely visible in July 2019 due to a low water level in the Valdecañas reservoir.

Enlarge / The Dolmen of Guadalperal completely visible in July 2019 due to a low water level in the Valdecañas reservoir. (credit: Pleonr /CC BY-SA 4.0)

Last week we told you about the flurry of recent coverage resurfacing 2018 news stories about the re-emergence of so-called "hunger stones" due to extreme drought conditions in Europe. We also noted that Europe is once again in the midst of a historically severe drought. Now an ancient site known as the "Spanish Stonehenge"—submerged underwater by a reservoir for decades—has been fully exposed for the second time since 2019 due to low water levels in the reservoir.

The site is also known as the Dolmen of Guadalperal, a circular grouping of 150 large vertical granite stones (called orthostats) dating back to between 2000 and 3000 BCE. However, Roman artifacts recovered at the site—a coin, ceramic fragments, and a grinding stone—suggest it might have been used even earlier. A team led by German archaeologist Hugo Obermaier discovered the monument in 1926 near a town called Peraleda de la Mata.

Among the recovered artifacts were 11 axes, flint knives, ceramics, and a copper punch. A nearby settlement likely housed the people who built the monument, given the presence of houses, charcoal and ash stains, pottery, and stones to hone axes. Obermaier restored some of the granite stones to their rightful places and made reproductions of the engravings, which were published in 1960.  

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This Puffer Tote Is the Absolute Perfect Bag for Air Travel

Motherboard (Vice) - Wed, 08/24/2022 - 14:39

What is a “personal item?” If, like me, you travel a lot and are jetlagged a solid 47% of the time, you probably think of it as “the largest bag I can aggressively stuff under the seat in front of me on a JetBlue flight,” but technically, it can be a lot of things—say, a Styrofoam dodecahedron. The primary struggle of modern travel, aside from fighting for your life during the mosh pit that forms when they start calling boarding groups, is finding inventive ways to take as much stuff as possible with you on the plane without having to check a bag (which sucks enough when it’s free and you have to loiter by the conveyor belt, let alone when it costs you an extra 40 bones).

This is why I’m always on the lookout for a perfect carry-on bag—not a roller bag or other piece of overhead-compartment luggage, but a handy vessel for lugging my laptop, chargers, assorted lip care products, book that I will never finish reading, trashy celeb gossip magazines impulse-purchased at Hudson News, and sample-size Aesop moisturizers for slathering on my face right before landing. In the past, I’ve used plenty of standard tote bags—although they get dirty easily, weigh on my shoulders, and are pocketless, meaning everything gets jumbled together like a chopped salad of creased paper, cables, and tiny bottles. On ventures that required a bit more organization, I was committed for many years to the ultra-popular Fjällräven Kånken backpack, certainly a functional and aesthetically pleasing bag, but one that eventually reached its expiration date due to abuse (too many music festivals) and, if I’m being honest, feeling a bit played out.

I didn’t want anything resembling a briefcase or a duffel, so it seemed like the perfect travel bag didn’t exist. Then, I found her: my puffy, pocket-adorned queen. Yes, along came the Dagne Dover Kal Puff Drawstring Tote. It’s a tote bag. It’s a puffer…. object? It’s a drawstring-embellished laptop bag, completely decked out in pockets and features. And I’m obsessed with it.

Blame the (sadly very mid) Matrix reboot, but over the last few years, I’ve become a bit of a sucker for tactical-looking items. While the majority of my brain is dedicated to worshiping musty 70s treasures from rural thrift stores, there’s another part of me that’s keen on living in the cyberpunk future we were promised in the 90s, over-the-top Oakley sunglasses and all. The Kal Puff bag absolutely fits that vision, IMO, both because of its aesthetic (it fits right in with the “tight leather pants, silver eyeshadow, shiny clothing, [wrap sunglasses], gradients, and blobby electronics” that embody the Y2K look) and its distinctly technology-friendly elements.

In addition to a dedicated laptop pocket that even fits my MacBook Pro big boi, it also has four interior pockets, a lanyard clip for holding on to your keys or wallet, and two drawstring exterior pockets which I use for stashing my KN95s, GoMacro bars, and folding handheld electronic fan (a true summer-travel lifesaver, but more on that another time). It also has a super sneaky (but deep) mini pocket on the outside of the bag that’s perfect for keeping your AirPods, ID, and credit card handy for breezing through security and making impulse purchases (I will be having a second Bloody Mary, thank you). And—another bonus—it’s decked out with a strap that slides over the handle of your roller bag so that you can securely go hands-free when hauling ass to catch your flight. I typically fly a few times a month, and having the right travel gear makes a huge difference; it can save you  time, money, and shoulder pain.

But wait—there’s more! Dagne Dover prides itself on ethical production, recycled materials, and sustainability. Each bag is made from 29 recycled water bottles and is 100% vegan, so you can at least undo some of the planetary damage you’ve caused by constantly leaving half-empty bottles of Smart Water at the gym.

Also, to state the perhaps-obvious, here are VICE’s Rec Room, we love puffer everything—puffer jackets of course, but also puffer slippers, puffer boots, and puffer phone cases. It’s like wrapping your personal accessories in a cloud—and yes, I have used the Kal tote as a pillow while napping on layovers, with great success. I snagged the black because a) it goes with everything and b) I listen to too much Depeche Mode, but I love this bag so much that I’m contemplating grabbing the limited edition orange shade, Coyote, for outings when I want to exude a little more flavor. Plus, it will match the lenses of those Oakleys.

Is the Dagne Dover Kal Puff Drawstring Tote cheap? Not exactly—it runs $175, which is more than I’d usually spend on a bag of this size, but, I assure you, it’s well worth it. I truly never want to use another bag for traveling now that I’ve luxuriated in its ample storage, thoughtful organizational features, and, of course, SoBe/Go vibes. And if you’re thinking to yourself, well, I’ll just find a dupe, let it be known that I did investigative work and found that while there are other puffer tote bags out there, none match the Kal in terms of its coolness. Calpak makes a puffer duffel, but it’s more minimalist; Lululemon’s drawstring shopper is perfectly practical, but minus the multiple pockets and ask-me-if-I’m-a-hacker flourishes; and if you want a super-puffy puffer tote, you can grab one on Amazon, but it doesn’t have the drawstrings and toggles and clever travel touches (i.e. the ability to slide over your roller bag handle).

So, it’s official: Dagne Dover’s puffer bag is my squishy savior of a travel companion. Now, if I can only find the perfect platform sneakers…

The Kal Puff Drawstring Tote is available at Dagne Dover.

The Rec Room staff independently selected all of the stuff featured in this story. Want more reviews, recommendations, and red-hot deals? Sign up for our newsletter.

Categories: Tech News

Intel aims Flex datacenter GPUs at video, game streaming

The Register - Wed, 08/24/2022 - 14:34
Chipzilla's story Arc continues

Hot Chips  Intel says its datacenter-focused Flex-series GPUs, codenamed Arctic Sound, are finally ready, and computer makers are expected to begin shipping systems over the next few months.…

Categories: Tech News

An Ode to Cotton Undies, the King of Normcore Intimates

Motherboard (Vice) - Wed, 08/24/2022 - 14:25

We like to think that we’re equally equipped for all of life’s precious moments, whether they require us to fall asleep on a plane, find the right vibrator, or cop a pair of undies for every possible scenario; our chainmail bikini is at the ready for the Renn Faire, and many a customizable rhinestone thong has been the talk of White Elephant parties past. Novelty intimates aside, we also can’t forget our ride or dies: cotton underwear.

Cotton underwear is not only more breathable and durable than most synthetic fibers, but it can be really sexy. Lacy thongs-this; Minion thongs-that—have you seen Jane Birkin wear cotton underwear in Projection Privée? Not only is it sexy, but it’s effortless. There’s a nonchalance to a pair of classic cotton boxer briefs or high-cut undies that’s irresistible; they’re ready for Risky Business, a day at the office, or a morning spent lounging poolside.

In an ode to this king of normcore undergarments, we’ve whittled down a list of all our favorite cotton banana hammocks, boxers, and boy shorts; we’ve scoped every pair of Calvin Klein’s bikini-cut cotton undies and Tom Ford briefs to give you the sets that will go the extra mile, wherever is you’re going.

The best men’s cotton boxers

This trio of classic cotton Calvin Klein boxers has earned a 4.6-star average rating on Amazon from over 14,400 reviews. “These boxers are great to wear instead of shorts; times have changed,” one fan writes, while another review says the briefs are so comfy, that “[It] probably took about a sequoia tree for each boxer brief.” (It doesn’t.) “But it's comfy, so if the government is going to try to stop CK, I'll be the first one in the front lines battling for your right to put what you want on your underwear.”

On days when we cosplay as a hot nepotism bébé who wakes up around noon on the Amalfi Coast (so, most days), we slip into our Sunspel briefs and greet the sun. The luxury British brand makes meticulously crafted wardrobe essentials and undergarments, such as this set of quality boxer briefs. Cop the 100% cotton, made in Portugal jawn while it’s 34% off at SSENSE.

The best men’s cotton briefs

Fruit of the Loom is a classic for a reason—over 52,600 over them, in fact, which is how many reviewers have left in-depth commentary on this bundle of nine men’s cotton briefs. The set has accumulated a 4.7-star average rating from masses, who praise the briefs’ ability to support their junk without ever feeling constricting.

Tom Ford is the master of sexy intimates, no doubt about that. Have you seen the former Gucci designer’s $14,000 lacquered chrome bra? Ex Machina levels of horny, mate. Anyways. This pair of cotton jersey stretch briefs isn’t cheap, but you deserve to walk around feeling empowered by your dapper drawers.

The best women’s classic bikini cotton underwear

The bikini cut is like the potato bread of the underwear world: deceptively simple, and undeniably perfect with pretty much everything; this trio of Calvin Klein’s take on the classic is one my favorites because it can contain my pads and bloating during periods, but doesn’t leave lines when I wear thin white pants. My ride or die, basically.

Leave it to Skims to take the classic bikini cut, and say, “Perfect. But what if we made the sides a little sexier? What if we just made them… strings?”

It’s colorways we simp for over at Everlane, which usually range from charred-log to mossy tree. This set of high rise cotton bikini undies gives us the best of both worlds (high rise; bikini cut) and four earthy colorways.

The best women’s high-waisted cotton underwear

Knickey is slowly but surely becoming the king of organic and ethically sourced cotton undies. The high-rise brief boasts a 4.8-star average rating from over 1,700 reviews. “Not flimsy, [made from] breathable and soft cotton,” one reviewer writes, “[they give] full coverage. I’ve pretty much replaced all my underwear with Knickey at this point.”

The higher the thong, the closer to God. This pair from Skims is all about blending the practical (a breezy, ribbed cotton material) with the sexy (that cut) to give us what we’ve wanted all along from our knickers: comfort and versatility. “[It’s] very flattering with the wide waistband,” one reviewer writes, “[it’s] wide, but is very soft—I don't notice that it is there when I'm wearing it.”

The best women’s cotton boy shorts and briefs

These Calvin boxers make us feel just like Mark Wawa pre-workout. They have a 4.6-star average rating from over 3,300 reviews on Amazon, with users writing, “[These are the] best boy shorts ever! Lasted 2 years with no tearing and constant use!”

The meteoric rise of Parade undies is damn well-deserved. Not only has the brand given us a better range of sizes (XS-3XL) than many intimates brands, but it’s turned-out collaborations and campaigns with the likes of Juicy Couture and Chloe Cherry. Parade’s FreeFlex cotton boxer is one of the most seamless, comfy pairs of women’s boxers we’ve had the pleasure of wearing. “I wear [them] all the time, to bed and just to chill,” one reviewer writes.

“Buy these!” one reviewer writes about these Skims’ boy shorts, “[They’re] full coverage, no-ride undies. Super soft and comfy.” Say less—at this point, we’d let Skims design our Band-Aids and napkins. (Everything, really.)

No, I enjoy the fruits of your loom.

The Rec Room staff independently selected all of the stuff featured in this story. Want more reviews, recommendations, and red-hot deals? Sign up for our newsletter.

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