Lifehacker

From the first public beta launch back in July, we've talked a lot about the many ways iOS 17 will improve your digital life. While Apple has touted many of these features publicly, there are plenty of hidden changes the company isn't talking about.

Costco isthe best warehouse club store you can join (and not only because of those hot dogs), and right now is an especially good time to do so if you haven't already: For a limited time, you can get a year of Gold Star membership for $60 and receive a $30 in-store gift card. Here's what you need to know.

When you choose to complete a home-renovation project yourself , the draw is often the savings you can rack up by bypassing labor costs. But there are some projects that just aren't worth doing yourself. Some can cost you more in the long run and can look terrible if not done right-while others are outright...Read more...

Amazon just announced Prime Big Deal Days, a Prime-member-exclusive savings event, that will run from Oct. 10 at 3 a.m. ET through Oct 11. Amazon will offer personalized recommendations based on your prior shopping activity, browsing history, and any products saved in your lists, and will feature deals from Dyson,...Read more...

You have to clean your broom. Yes, your broom is for cleaning, but even things that are for cleaning need to be cleaned themselves. You shouldn't be pushing a dirty tool around on the floor, expecting it not to impede your quest to stop the floor from being dirty. Clean brooms are more effective, so it's worth it to...Read more...

This quick-install 9-inch car display is on sale for $104.99 right now (reg. $289.99). It can use self-adhesive or suction-based mounts to attach to your car's dashboard and plugs into the lighter port for power. (Obviously, you'll need a working lighter port for complete installation.) Once paired with your phone,...Read more...

If your Mac is too loud, you turn down the volume. If it's too quiet, you turn it up. But this simple action isn't as limited as it seems. While there are multiple ways to adjust the volume of your Mac across the board, you can also control the volume for individual outputs, as well as the input sensitivity of your...Read more...

Scoring a great piece of furniture at a thrift store or a yard sale is a satisfying accomplishment for anyone interested in DIY, upcycling, or just saving money. But when you're still excited about your new find, you might not notice that your new chair smells like an ashtray or that your new favorite chaise lounge...Read more...

Some TikTok myths I find in the wild (like the tales of supposed tick attacks), while other times I'm tipped off by a news article claiming there's a trend. The latest flurry of TikTok coverage claims that people on the platform are pushing laxatives as budget Ozempic" (no relation to nature's Ozempic"), a fact I...Read more...

You don't have to be a baker to understand the value of a wire cooling rack. It's something I use nearly daily, and not just for apple turnovers. The cooling rack provides a wide, stable surface for hot trays and pans, but also cookies,grilled cheese sandwiches, or pancakes. Sadly, the good news has not yet spread,...Read more...

If you're looking for the Connections answer for Monday, September 18, 2023, read on-I'll share some clues, tips, and strategies, and finally the solutions to all four categories. Beware, there are spoilers below for September 18, NYT Connections #99! Scroll to the end if you want some hints (and then the answer) to...Read more...

According to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), more than 40 million adults in the U.S. (19.1%) have dealt with an anxiety disorder in the past year, making it the most common mental health condition in the country. And this figure only takes into account those who sought help and received an official...Read more...

Whether they're leftover from a home improvement project, or you inherited them from the previous owner of your home, you may have some bricks sitting around taking up space. But before getting rid of them, consider putting the bricks to use in your yard or garden. Here are a few ideas.Read more...

If you're looking for the Connections answer for Sunday, September 17, 2023, read on-I'll share some clues, tips, and strategies, and finally the solutions to all four categories. Beware, there are spoilers below for September 17, NYT Connections #98! Scroll to the end if you want some hints (and then the answer) to...Read more...

Everyone has certain tasks that we dread more than others, but have to get done eventually. It could be something from our personal or professional life, but in most cases, can't be offloaded or outsourced to others. The longer we put it off, the worse we feel, and the bigger that task seems.Read more...

Spring may be the season we associate with planting new additions to our gardens and yards, but some flowers, vegetables, and other greenery are better suited to getting their start in the fall. This is also the case for certain types of trees. Here are a few of the best trees to plant in the fall, and why they...Read more...

Audiobooks make writing more accessible for many people. Unfortunately, they can also be pretty pricey. While it's possible to borrow audiobooks from your public library, popular titles often have long waiting lists. Beyond that, it can take hundreds of hours to record, edit, and publish a single audiobook.Read more...

If you're looking for the Connections answer for Saturday, September 16, 2023, read on-I'll share some clues, tips, and strategies, and finally the solutions to all four categories. Beware, there are spoilers below for September 16, NYT Connections #97! Scroll to the end if you want some hints (and then the answer) to...Read more...

The world is full of blabbermouths, and that's OK. We should all feel safe to lift our voices and sing; and what is even the point of life without lively conversation, deep discussions in the middle of the night, ridiculous banter, and loud, dumb jokes between friends? But in some situations, even an unapologetic...Read more...

After enduring countless meetings that could have been an email, the rise of remote work has helped ease some of that for some of us-at least the in-person variety. We may not be wasting as much time stuck in meetings, but the spike in written communication with our colleagues has come with a price: passive-aggressive...Read more...

Fun guys (and gals) love fungi, mostly of the culinary persuasion (though an argument can be made for a different type of fun shroom, that's not what we're discussing today). Before enjoying them, mushrooms have to be cleaned of any dirt and debris, and the woody portion of the stems removed. Those stems, though not...Read more...

If you have a wired CarPlay-enabled car but want to take things wireless, you can take advantage of a great deal right now. Currently, Lesaps is selling its Apple CarPlay Wireless Adapter for 50% off when you use the coupon code 30DTVCGV and clip" a 20% off coupon offered on the item after you've added it to your...Read more...

Through September 17, you can get Windows 11 Home for $29.97 (reg. $139). It includes customized widgets, improved multitasking tools, shorter startup times, and stronger power management. It also has improved security features like Windows Hello logins and Microsoft Defender Antivirus.Read more...

Smart hose timers make so much sense on paper-they allow you to turn anything attached to your hose spigot on and off from anywhere using your phone. And if it's raining, the smart timer will know and turn off the flow for you. It will also track how much water you're using, allow you to set up automated watering...Read more...

Things are getting surreal in popular culture this week. There's a weird blue smurf/cat chimera that suddenly appeared everywhere all at once, a hugely popular TikToker who's whole thing is making sure faucets work correctly, and a newly discovered universal trait among men: thinking about the Roman Empire.

I take mashed potatoes very seriously, and I can't imagine Thanksgiving without them. Over the years, I have developed several recipes, methods, and hacks for making the creamiest, dreamiest, most flavorful mashers around. I start with a pretty standard base recipe, which you can find below. As with any dish with few...Read more...

The iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max aren't even out yet: If you preorder one today, you might not even see it until October. Lucky for us, though, we don't need to wait until we get the new Pros in-hand to know how fast they really are.Read more...

Threesomes are largely seen as a way to spice up a lagging, monogamous relationship, but sometimes they're just a fun activity for a group of horny people and not a sign of the relationship's impending doom. Like so many other sex acts, though, they don't (usually) play out like they're shown on Pornhub. That is to...Read more...

Choux pastry is a pillar of the pastry world. Made out of a few pantry staples, this humble dough is the foundation of many sensational desserts. While you've surely seen it adorning bakery pastry cases, and maybe even eaten it before, it's a dough that you should really be on a first name basis with. This...Read more...

Documentaries have had a moment over the past few years, and it's not surprising: In a world in which facts" are as malleable as an editable Facebook post, docs offer a bit more stability. That's not to say that everything committed to film represents absolute honesty, but when telling a story requires a team of...Read more...

Imagine you need to buy a airline ticket for your cousin's wedding. You find what you think is the best price available to your destination. But the airline you chose charges for a carry-on, which isn't included in the base price, so you add that as well. You also pay extra so you can snag a window seat. Oh, and wait,...Read more...

Thisrefurbished 2017 MacBook Air with Microsoft Office 2021 is $499.99 right now. It has a grade A" refurbished rating, meaning it's in near-mint condition, and it has a 13.3-inch HD display, Intel Core i5 processor, 8GB of RAM, 256GB of storage, an HD FaceTime webcam, and up to 12 hours of battery life.Read more...

Banks and credit card companies are not only in the business of awarding points and miles when you spend money-they also serve as travel agents with their own booking portals. As The Points Guy points out, there are some advantages to reserving your flights, hotels, and rental cars through programs like Chase Ultimate...Read more...

Every year, we buy more gardening supplies-and every autumn, we have to figure out how and where to stick themfor the winter. Now is the perfect time to organize, divide and divest. No need to store the stuff you won't make use of again, since garages and sheds are where things go to hibernate forever until your...Read more...

For the next few days, Samsung is practically giving away their new smart home hub, the SmartThings Station-if you're quick enough to catch it. For $1, a limited number of people can snag one each day, starting at about noon ET through Sept. 17.

Many resources exist to help educate adults on protecting themselves from online scams, identity theft, and other nefarious schemes. They also help safeguard the under-18 set-but as any parent of a teenager will tell you, kids tend to think they know everything, which means they might not be protecting themselves.

All fruits have their season, but apples never go out of style. Whether you're celebrating Rosh Hashanah or you're just looking to cozy up with a sweet apple dessert, I've got an air fryer recipe that'll knock your socks off. It's simple to make and looks like you bought it from a bougie bakery: Treat yourself to this...Read more...

If you're looking for the Connections answer for September 15, 2023, read on-I'll share some clues, tips, and strategies, and finally the solutions to all four categories. Beware, there are spoilers below for September 15, NYT Connections #96! Scroll to the end if you want some hints (and then the answer) to today's...Read more...

Have you ever filled your car with fuel only to realize you accidentally hit regular" instead premium" or vice versa? If this has happened to you, there's no need to panic. You probably haven't destroyed your engine, and it probably won't do any harm. But it's not a mistake you should make very often.Read more...

There are plenty of ways to take advantage of the different health features offered by technology these days-maybe eventoo many. Whether you're looking at dedicated fitness trackers from Fitbit, or planning to get a smartwatch like the Apple Watch Series 9, tracking your fitness journey has become a rather...Read more...

No charger lasts forever. At some point, you may notice nothing happens when you plug the cable into your smartphone. Maybe you can even see the wires poking out. But even if you treat your cables perfectly, there's the chance your next phone won't even support it.

Gamers can get their hands on the UPERFECT 2K 120Hz portable gaming monitor for just $169 right now-that's 30% off the regular price of $240. The monitor offers a QHD 2560 x 1440 HDR display that supports Freesync.

The ROLLOVA V2.0 Designer Limited Edition is a smart replacement for other measurement tools like a tape measure. It has a long standby battery life (up to 18,000 hours) and is compatible with multiple units of measure, and it costs $98.99. You just roll it across the surface you want to measure.Read more...

You really only wear your waterproof gear when it's actually raining, so you could be forgiven for thinking it's not something you need to wash all the time. It's practically getting a rinse every time you put it on, right? As it turns out, the more water your raincoat keeps off of you, the less it will work over...Read more...

Now through Sept. 26, Adidas is running a fall sale with over 4,000 items available at up to 60% off. Which isn't that remarkable-but you can combine the offer with a gift card deal and a limited-time discount code to maximize your savings. I tried it out, and realized some steep discounts, even on already heavily...Read more...

After a meal so gigantic that only stretchy pants will do, there remains one dish that everyone still looks forward to: pie. There's pumpkin pie and pecan pie but, oh, that fruit pie. You've always wanted to make an impressive, sugar-studded, perfectly woven lattice crust, but you balk every time because, well...you've...Read more...

The iPhone 15 and 15 Plus will be available soon, and many of us are already sizing them up against last year's iPhone 14. While the 14 is by no means obsolete, there are definitely some big differences between the two generations of iPhones-though nothing revolutionary.Read more...

When the home repair bills start to mount, many people suddenly become passionate about DIY home repairs-and there are certainly plenty of projects around the house that you can do yourself to save money. But a home repair is only worth it if you don't make things worse in the process, and it's surprisingly easy to...Read more...

While I generally recommend taking notes by hand, there are some benefits to modernizing your practice and taking them on the computer, too. One way digital notes can really help you remember what you're studying is by paying attention to the fonts you use.Read more...

Apple's Wonderlust kicked off this Tuesday, Sept. 12, announcing the iPhone 15, the Apple Watch Series 9 (and more products and features)-but how will those new gadgets affect the value of your current ones? It's no surprise that tech gadgets drop in value once the new models are released. If you're thinking about...Read more...