Recently, for the last 3–4 months, my laptop has become very difficult to open. Earlier I could open it with one hand, but now even using both hands takes a lot of effort.

It feels like something sticky or glue-like is between the lid and the body. Also, there is a rubber-like residue forming around the edges of the entire laptop body.

I’m planning to buy my first mechanical pencil, previously used my brother’s basic Kurutoga plastic kne & really liked it.
Now I’m thinking about getting the Kurutoga Advance Upgrade 0.5mm for $9 / ₹863.

Before buying, I wanted some opinions from people who already use it:

1. Is there anything better than the Kuru Toga Advance Upgrade under $20 / ₹2000?
2. Is there anything I should know/check before buying it?
3. If you already own one, can you share your experience — pros, cons, long-term durability, comfort, etc.?

I mainly use it for

• Taking notes
• Long writing sessions
• Daily carry
• Drawing

I’m facing an issue with audio on my Mac when using IEMs or earphones. The sound feels unnaturally wide and somewhat artificial. However, when I use my IEM setup (Truthear Hexa + Audiocular D07 DAC), the audio sounds accurate and natural.

On my Android device, I always disable Dolby Atmos and all audio enhancements, and the sound is perfectly fine. I’ve also disabled Dolby Atmos, Spatial Audio, and any visible sound enhancements on my Mac, but the issue still persists.

My questions:

1. Is there some kind of background audio processing or enhancement in macOS that cannot be turned off? If yes, how can I disable it completely to get a clean, uncolored sound?
2. Does this same issue occur on iPhones when using IEMs with an external DAC? I’d really like input from someone who has experience using IEMs across Android, macOS, and iOS.

This is quite important for me, as I want to listen to audio exactly as it’s intended, without any artificial widening or processing