Lifehacker

The keys to an inoffensive last-minute Halloween costume are simple: People need to be able to tell what you are, and it has to be something you can pull together quickly using what's already lying around the house. Googling last minute DIY costume" will serve you up a bunch of blog posts that assume you have sewing...Read more...

As soon as the weather started to chill down, I started thinking about Thanksgiving sides. That might sound unreasonably early but I'm about to make it rain potatoes. For an incredibly simple, time-saving twist on the classic, make potatoes au gratin with jarred Alfredo sauce.

It's getting near Halloween, when the veil between the living and the dead grows thin, so I traveled to a notoriously haunted picnic table during a solar eclipse to find ghosts with my iPhone.

The Apple Watch is much more than just a wrist computer. Sure, it helps you track your workouts, answer calls, and manage notifications. But it's also a fashion accessory, with customizations limited not only to what band you're using, but also your watch face.

Bad news: Apple's raising subscription prices. Apple Arcade is jumping from $4.99 to $6.99, News+ from $9.99 to $12.99, and Apple TV+ from $6.99 to $9.99. (Remember when the latter was $4.99?) If you subscribe yearly, Apple TV+ is going from $69 to $99.

If you need a basic, reliable laptop but don't want to spend a small fortune, this refurbished 2018 HP Chromebook is from model year 2018 and is currently on sale for $106.99, marked down from its usual price of $150. Its grade B rating means it has some cosmetic imperfections, but these don't impact performance.Read more...

Halloween is our darkest holiday, so it naturally spawns dark misinformation, whether it's the famous razor-blade-in-the-apple myth, the persistent rumors about black-cat butchery, or the specter of mischief night" arsonists. At the risk of dampening the mystique of Halloween, here are four things people are getting...Read more...

Picture perfect apples are tumbling into grocery stores with no sign of stopping. Make the most of this bounty by cooking up one of the more concentrated iterations of apple-apple butter, with a twist. It's always been a dippable, spreadable, velvety smooth fall favorite, but take it a step further with a dose of...Read more...

Best Buy's early Black Friday sale doesn't start until Oct. 27, but that hasn't stopped them from putting out great deals. One of their latest deals is this ASUS Zenbook 14X Intel i7 laptop for $699.99 (originally $999.99) with free shipping, which runs until Oct. 27. This is the lowest price it has hit, according to H...Read more...

No one wants to screw over the cable companies over more than me. When Comcast almost doubled my rate a few years ago I decided it was time to ditch the box and try something else, which led me to digital antennas.Read more...

Paramount+ has a handful of original titles worth watching in November. On one end is Lawmen: Bass Reeves (November 5), a Wild West drama starring David Oyelowo as the real-life Bass Reeves, the first Black deputy U.S. marshal to work west of the Mississippi. On the other is Colin From Accounts (November 9), an...Read more...

Just when I think I'm done experimenting with scrambled eggs, I encounter a new (to me) preparation, and I am once again wowed by the versatility of the ingredient. While I usually go for a soft, custardy scrambled egg, I recently learned about telur gulun, an Indonesian egg skewer made with deep fried scrambled eggs.Read more...

Maybe AI isn't some passing fad-certainly every tech company is racing to add as many AI features to their products as possible, Google included. Bard is the company's answer to ChatGPT, and it even integrates with Google products like Docs, YouTube, and Gmail.

Wireless internet has come a long way from the days of enduring trial and error to integrate your modem and router. Now you can find entire both devices combined into one, which makes setting up your wireless network a whole lot easier and cleaner, with fewer wires and devices in the mix. If you're planning on...Read more...

If you're tired of static wallpapers, you can add a bit of flair to your smartphone by choosing a live wallpaper-that is, using a Live Photo, gif, or short video as your wallpaper. Before you opt to go live, though, you should know it comes with a small hit to your phone's battery life, and on older phones, it may...Read more...

Today is another cute little puzzle, and not too hard-I'd even say it's NIFTY. If you're looking for the Connections answer for Thursday, October 26, 2023, read on-I'll share some clues, tips, and strategies, and finally the solutions to all four categories. Along the way, I'll explain the meanings of the trickier...Read more...

While most of us aren't going to move to an acreage to build out a homestead, there are tiny bits of the lifestyle that can help you save money, grow more of your own food, and feel self-sufficient. I long thought root cellars, a staple of older homes, weren't possible living in the city, but it turns out, a root...Read more...

There are times when I've needed two identical cake pans, and only had one shallow pan to work with, and there have been times when I just needed a deeper pan, for something big, like a Basque cheesecake. Instead of making one cake layer at a time, or sacrificing a deep dish apple crisp for multiple shallow ones, just...Read more...

In terms of themed food, Halloween allows for the most creativity. It's the only time of year you're encouraged to be off-putting and gross; as a kind of creepy woman, it's a nice change of pace. I don't have to hide my freaky proclivities. I can lean into them. Here are a few of my favorite (culinary) ways to do just...Read more...

The Amysen is a smart plug that allows you to control whatever you plug in with your voice or another smart device-and right now, a four-pack of Amysen Wi-Fi Smart Plugs is on sale for $23.99 (reg. $49).

According to new research, looking at past photos of your partner can actually increase loving feelings and overall satisfaction within your relationship. Remembering and reminiscing over the good times is also known as romantic nostalgia," and according to Gabriela Reyes, LMFT and Chispa App's Resident Relationship...Read more...

When you have a lot of tasks to accomplish on a given day, there are a few different approaches you can take to kick-start your productivity. You can eat the frog"-that is, get your hardest, most demanding responsibility out of the way before anything else. On the other hand, you could bang out something especially...Read more...

I can tell you already what you can expect for Black Friday-when you see a good early deal for something on your list, you should jump on it, as items will sell out. Best Buy is one of the few major retailers who have already put out their plans, which includes this TCL 65" Q5 4K QLED Smart TV with a $200 discount,...Read more...

Vines climbing the side of a house can look totally charming; something about them implies there is a roaring fire inside that house and a plentiful supply of tea and biscuits. They're also a way of merging with the natural world around you, even if your house is located in a suburban subdivision. And climbing vines...Read more...

After much speculation, Apple revealed it's hosting a new event this Monday, Oct. 30 at 8 p.m. ET (5 p.m. PT). The only thing the company has told us about this presentation is its name, Scary Fast," in addition to including the Finder face in the announcement above, suggesting this event will be about the Mac.Read more...

If you want to read but can't find the time, Headway summarizes best-selling content into bite-sized reads or podcasts-and through Oct. 31, a lifetime subscription is on sale for $49.97 (reg. $299.95) with no coupon needed.Read more...

It's been just over five weeks since Apple launched iOS 17, introducing a series of new features and changes we've been digging into ever since. After a handful of minor updates, we have our first major update since iOS 17: iOS 17.1. While it doesn't add nearly as many features to the mix as 17.0, this new update adds...Read more...

Technology is supposedly getting smarter all the time. The sudden rush of AI services and products like ChatGPT has reinvigorated the conversation around the capabilities of sophisticated, connected algorithms that can automate our lives, but it's just the latest in a trend that started years ago with smart"...Read more...

Time to cozy up indoors: Netflix is dropping several anticipated dramas in November. At the beginning of the month, there's the four-part miniseries All The Light We Cannot See (November 2), an adaptation of Anthony Doerr's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of the same name. Set during WWII, the story follows a blind...Read more...

This month on Prime Video brings the second season of the animated adult superhero series Invincible. Based on Robert Kirkman's graphic novel, the first half of the season will stream on November 3, while the second is expected sometime in 2024.

Consumer projectors have come a long way: They used to be much larger in size and cost thousands of dollars, but now, you can buy a projector that can go anywhere with you, without breaking the bank. There are a lot of options on the market, but these are my picks for the best portable projectors available today.

Now that so much of our work happens on websites, it's hard to find native apps designed for Macs. If you spend a lot of time on an obscure website, or a custom-made work portal, you might want to create a dedicated app for it-something that works as well as (or better) than Safari, shows you notifications, and has a...Read more...

The EVE II Bluetooth Transmitter and Receiver allows you to add Bluetooth capabilities to a device that doesn't already have it-and it normally costs $59, but has been temporarily marked down to $45.99.Read more...

AirPods are often lumped into the larger Apple ecosystem, and for good reason: They're easy to set up and connect to an Apple device, whether it's an iPhone, iPad or Mac. However, you aren't limited to using AirPods with Apple products. While only devices from Apple will support this near-instant setup, you can...Read more...

Choosing an ethernet cable for your home network seems straightforward, but there's more to it than you might think, especially if you don't know what all the different names and numbers mean. If you just go with the highest numbers, you could end up spending too much money on something you don't really need....Read more...

Simple, charming, and romantic cottagecore style is a design aesthetic that embraces country living on a sustainable scale. Advocates of the style purport that it's not just a style, but a way of life. Embracing handcrafted decor and giving a nod to traditional looks, cottagecore interior design lends itself easily to...Read more...

As good as Google Maps is, not every location is perfectly mappable in the app. Sometimes, where Google thinks you want to go might be miles away from where you actually want to go (this happens often to anyone trying to find the entrance to a national park). Or a new attraction might not be listed at all. This is...Read more...

This Black Friday will be on Nov. 24, and I can tell you already what you can expect. Some retailers, like Best Buy, have already put out their plans, and Amazon has already begun their own early Black Friday deals on electronics. It's important for you also to have a plan so you don't end up overspending. If you...Read more...

As Halloween approaches with frantic, last-minute wig purchases, and candy binges, you may find yourself overextended and undernourished. You need some real food, but the spooky times don't have to stop. Get some of your creepy energy back with these unnerving spiderweb eggs.

There are some clever groupings today, and I thought this one was a delight to solve-but if you're stumped, I don't blame you. (I never said it was easy.) If you're looking for the Connections answer for Wednesday, October 25, 2023, read on-I'll share some clues, tips, and strategies, and finally the solutions to all...Read more...

Dollar Flight Club has a dedicated team that unearths deals on flights, mistake fares, and other opportunities to help members discover the best options for upcoming trips or impromptu vacations. From now until Oct. 31, members can get a lifetime subscription to a Premium plan for $39.97 or Premium Plus+ plan for...Read more...

You know something has become popular once some version of it is available for purchase at Starbucks. This was true with cake pops, and it's true with their sous-vide egg bites, which have been wildly popular ever since they were introduced in 2017. I've been making sous-vide egg bites with my immersion circulator for...Read more...

No matter how you choose to carve your pumpkins and what you choose to do with them, you're going to end up with a mess. Pumpkin guts are-all at once-stringy and solid, wet and dry, and squishy and hard. You have to get your hands in there to scoop them out, then manually pry the seeds from the mush. You're going to...Read more...

Being self-employed gives you the freedom and flexibility to be your own boss. However, one major drawback of being your own boss is securing your own affordable health insurance.Read more...

Eggs and toast tend to be my breakfast of choice. Any number of food companions can join the party, but that savory, protein-carb partnership is always holding court. That being said, the toast in this union changes from day to day depending on what's in my freezer, and lately, that's been crumpets. Most people think...Read more...

When they aren't working perfectly, toilets let you know by hissing, squealing, banging, and moaning loudly. Odd toilet noises have a number of causes-from water-flow issues caused by debris and clogs in your plumbing to failing tubes and valves in and around your toilet-which is why it's important to identify the...Read more...

Nintendo's Pro Controller for Switch is great, especially if you find the Joy-Cons to be a bit small for extended gameplay. But whether you prefer the larger Pro Controller or the convenience of the Joy-Cons, they both have something in common: a lack of speakers. As such, any accompanying gameplay sounds must come...Read more...

Want to make a jack-o-lantern last until Halloween and beyond? Carving pumpkins is a quintessential Halloween act-but anyone who's ever attempted it knows that once a pumpkin is carved, its lifespan is nearing its end. Squirrels will eat them (though there are ways to prevent that), and unless you're careful, your jack...Read more...

Apple's Focus feature lets you reduce distractions on your iPhone when you need to, well, focus. A Focus can be used to block notifications from everyone except your significant other, or to automatically enable Do Not Disturb (DND) the moment it's bedtime. And you can use Share Focus Status" to make this feature...Read more...

The PlayStation 5's DualSense controller is one of the best console controllers on the market. Not only does it offer a similar size and setup to Sony's long-standing line of controllers, but it offers a ton of different features for you to take advantage of. While you can play PS4 games on the PS5 using the DualSense...Read more...