Lifehacker

It has been a long, wild year. You might not even remember everything that happened. You know who does, though? Google. The search giant just released its Year in Search for 2022, and it’s pretty illuminating. It’s both a trip back through the last 12 months, and also a reminder that you likely didn’t keep up with …Read more...

A Bluetooth speaker is an item found on many wish lists, given how many of us have a smartphone and some kind of music-streaming subscription. Kids can link them to up their handheld video game consoles; teenagers take them along to shoot hoops at a friend’s house; and adults pull them outside for their backyard…Read more...

I’ve always wanted Nintendo to remake the original Legend of Zelda. Sacrilege, I know, but surely there is room for a different take on the adventure classic that not only spawned a franchise, but inspired RPGs across the genre. While there are no plans for an NES Zelda remake anytime soon, there is one way you can…Read more...

We often don’t understand things as well as we think we do. How often have you “learned” something you can’t fully recall later, or that you can’t explain to someone else? While we’ve previously suggested that you write down or discuss a detailed version of your understanding, there’s a related and simpler way of…Read more...

The White Lotus uses straightforward storytelling to explore straightforward themes. People go so nuts for it mainly because the casting is immaculate. The show’s secret sauce is a mixture of big names, recognizable-but-low-profile character actors, and total newbies—then having them turn in career-best (or…Read more...

Another day, another TikTok hack that seems clean and safe but could actually be a total disaster in practice. While some viral hacks actually are as miraculous as they seem, a newer one suggesting you make a reusable dryer sheet by soaking a sponge in a fabric softener solution (and then tossing it in your dryer) is…Read more...

We have officially entered holiday-shipping-panic season, that period of less than 10 days before Christmas when we suddenly realize how quickly the 25th snuck up on us, once again. If you are strategic, though, your packages can (maybe) still make it to their final destination before the big event. Here are some…Read more...

Canned fish has been chic for a few years now, but the chicness mostly extends to whole, preserved fish that come in neat little “tins,” rather than a common circular can. Canned salmon may not be as inherently chic as whatever sardines the hot girls are eating these days, but it’s the base of my favorite Christmas…Read more...

We’ll never truly get to relive the ‘90s again, but technology is getting us pretty darn close. This moment, you could be sitting in your modern home in 2022, surrounded by iPhones, big screen OLED TVs, and smart gadgets of all kinds, all the while experiencing a room decked out with classic posters, old-school TVs,…Read more...

If you have a sweater you love but no longer wear, there’s another way you can give it a new life: Better still, you can give an old piece of furniture new life, as well. Adding some texture or color to a tired piece of furniture with this unique DIY is both simple and thrifty. You can create a truly one-of-a-kind…Read more...

There was a time not long ago that vanilla reigned over the land of aromas. It’s in cookies, cakes, and foaming body wash. It’s written into the tomes of copy on chocolate morsel packages across the globe, and widely accepted as a balancer of flavors. Do you smell that? It’s not vanilla. I detect a hint of Change in…Read more...

Back in the mid-aughts, How I Met Your Mother seemed destined to become the next Friends—the kind of perennially rerun, rewatched sitcom that doesn’t often exist anymore. But then that finale happened, and fan enthusiasm for the show grew quickly less, uh, enthused.

You might fantasize about living a stress-free life, the reality is that stress is as inescapable as the need to eat and drink. Rather than avoiding it altogether, the focus should be on finding ways of managing it.

Unlike Firefox and Chrome, it’s not easy for Mac users to find good ad blockers for Safari. Apple has certain restrictions (like using the Mac App Store to ship updates) that drive ad blocker developers away from their browser, and as a result, your favorites from Firefox or Chrome might not work well on Safari, if…Read more...

“There’s an app for that” is as true in 2022 as it was in 2009. Every day, we dive through tech news, forums, and digital stores looking for the best apps to make your phone and computer even better. As the year draws to a close, we’ve highlighted 22 of our favorite apps we came across in 2022, including social media…Read more...

This week’s pop culture stew contains super men, super cars, and a super old game that kids are rediscovering. To add spice to the mix, I’m throwing in a pinch of “TikTok is the unlikely focus of an international power struggle.”

One of my favorite Christmastime treats is a three-ingredient sweet called “Rolo candy.” (At least that is what my family called it.) You take a mini pretzel, place an unwrapped Rolo on top, then heat it in the oven until the candy softens. Press a pecan half into the chocolate and let it set, and you have a…Read more...

When it comes to flaky, buttery pastry, I’m an equal opportunity eater, but that doesn’t mean that all flaky pastry is the same. Puff pastry and phyllo dough are two important flaky doughs. Both are popular, delicious, and readily available in the freezer section of many grocery stores, but there are some key…Read more...

It is big, big news that scientists were recently able to perform a nuclear fusion reaction that gave off more energy than it consumed. It is also true that this type of reaction could potentially be a useful energy source in the future. Or as physicists are fond of saying, useful nuclear fusion has been “10 years…Read more...

Is it your first holiday season with your boo? One of the biggest stressors during your first Christmas together is deciding what to get for your first big gift exchange. Even if you’ve been together since January and it’s almost been a year, it can feel like an uneasy milestone. You don’t want to get something too…Read more...

New year, same old Disney+ streaming strategy: Add a bunch of fairly obscure older series and movies while stringing along subscribers with that sweet, sweet franchise content. In this case, that means lingering episodes of National Treasure: Edge of History and Willow and the launch of a new season of Clone Wars…Read more...

The European Space Agency has a challenge for you: Spot asteroid 2015 RN35. They’re calling it the “Christmas Asteroid,” and it’s in view of much of the earth from December 15 through December 19, if you have a telescope and know where to look.

It’s a perennial quirk of the holiday season: trying to pick the perfect gifts for the people in your life you’re super grateful for, but don’t actually know personally. What conveys cheer and thankfulness to a mail carrier and is actually useful? What should you gift your doorman? And what about your kid’s teacher?

Over two thousand years ago, a motley crew of Jews rebelled against their Greek occupiers and reclaimed the Second Temple in ancient Jerusalem. Later, some rabbis added an apocryphal tale to the event about oil lasting, as Adam Sandler would say, eight crazy nights. Today, we commemorate it all by eating fried potato…Read more...

Most people like cheese, but you might know someone who really likes cheese. Lives for cheese. Breathes cheese? If you have one of those people in your life, get them a gift that allows them to do more of what they love. Because unrolling one of those cheese art posters isn’t as good as unwrapping a wedge of the real…Read more...

It was a big year for podcasts, and it takes a lot to stand out in the sea of fantastic storytelling, original reporting, and comedy delights—and I should know. I just received my Pocket Casts Wrapped report—I listened to 97 days and 17 hours of podcasts in 27 different categories. That’s 1,176 shows or 4,347…Read more...

If you’re nostalgic for the days when you could order a package of four or eight COVID tests free from the government, we have a holiday surprise for you: The free COVID tests program, which was suspended in August, is back for a limited time—and with fortuitous timing, given rates of seasonal illness are elevated…Read more...

During an argument, you might feel that you need help from a family member or friend to help find some middle ground with your partner. While asking for support from a third party might sound like a good idea, it can also be a sign of triangulation, which is a form of emotional manipulation.Read more...

According to a new report on Platformer, after alienating advertisers and losing revenue, Twitter plans to sell location data and phone numbers to advertisers, whether you like it or not. Now is a great time to remove that information from your account. Even if Musk’s platform never implements these changes, you’re…Read more...

Google Chrome users in the U.S. can now launch select video games directly from Google Search results, much like you already could for movies, music, and TV shows.

A mimosa is a welcome start to any day, but it’s needed on Christmas morning, just to take the harsh edge off the sound of ripping wrapping paper. The combination of sparkling wine and fruit juice doesn’t need much in the way of tweaking, nor does it really call for an exact recipe—but it could use a little nuance.…Read more...

Some movies are liars. They’re trolls, with secrets that are only revealed after you’ve bought your ticket or hit the “play” button. Whether for marketing reasons, artistic reasons, or by accident, each of these 10 films is not what it appears to be.

This year, the baguette—yes, the long, thin loaf of French bread—gained recognition from UNESCO as an artifact of “intangible cultural heritage.” The news item briefly went viral on social media, likely alerting many people to the first time that UNESCO keeps a list of such things (if not of the awesomeness of the…Read more...

Before we list all the great holiday gift ideas for someone stuck in a hospital bed, let’s acknowledge that we should always spare our attention and gifts to loved ones in the hospital, no matter the time of year. But, of course, the holidays can be an especially lonely, so consider these gifts—suggested to Lifehacker…Read more...

As much as I love tofu, I have to admit that tempeh might be the true champion of soy-based meat substitutes. It’s higher in protein than tofu, and while it’s a little less versatile, its rubbly texture and funky, nutty flavor are both delicious and unique. There’s simply no substitute.

Between spatchcocking birds and air frying cheesecakes this holiday season, I haven’t had much time to think about anything other than putting food inside a hot-maker, and taking it out again. It was only during a recent air frying session that I became very aware of my inability to face a kitchen disaster should one…Read more...

It’s not too late to get a deal on an Xbox for the holidays: Best Buy is offering the Xbox Series S right now for $250 and throwing a free wireless Xbox controller in the cart for you just in time for Christmas. The console already comes with one wireless controller, but having a second one (usually retailing for $40…Read more...

When it comes to holiday gift giving, it truly is the thought that counts, but some thoughts are better than others. If you don’t know someone all that well, or tend to panic shop this time of year, you may be tempted to buy them a gift that’s rooted in their most prominent interest. It’s a good idea in theory, but it…Read more...

Modern MacBooks generally don’t suffer from battery life woes, but when you do face unexpectedly high drain, it can be hard to diagnose the issue. Sleep Aid is a Mac app that helps you figure out exactly why your Mac’s battery is draining, and it’s geared toward idle battery drain. That is, when you put your MacBook…Read more...

Spotify Wrapped is such a simple idea: It does nothing but show people a summary of what they listened to in the last year, but in a way that is loaded with fun bespoke data, and oh-so-shareable. It’s a fun way to reflect on the past 365 days, which is why more and more companies are capitalizing on the trend. The…Read more...

Thoughtful gifting starts with consideration of the giftee: their preferences, hobbies, and interests. And when people in your life are fans of the herb, it opens up a completely new dimension of possibility.Read more...

You may have seen some of the online chatter about the “salad dressing” cleaning method lately as a trick for removing built-up grease and gunk from kitchen surfaces. Some cleaning hacks are solid and others are less useful; this one falls into that second category. Still, you might see it around and be struck by the…Read more...

Recently, McDonald’s offered a free Crispy Chicken Sandwich, as well as a McGold card that offers free food “for life.” Their so-called “SZN of Sharing”—that is, holiday deals that are exclusively on the McDonald’s app from Dec. 5 through Christmas—continues with a free six-piece order of Chicken McNuggets with any $1…Read more...

When people talk Mario Kart in 2022, most people mean Mario Kart 8 Deluxe for the Switch. That’s where Nintendo puts its focus, adding new courses and game elements like customizable items, so it’s odd to see a new update to a Mario Kart game that isn’t Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. Weirder still, Nintendo’s latest news…Read more...

Making festive cookies for the holidays doesn’t have to mean owning six types of sprinkles or having three different sugars on hand. In fact, I find some of my holiday favorites have shockingly few ingredients with no decorations necessary, barring the occasional shake of powdered sugar.

We all know how this goes: The Golden Globe nominations just dropped, Oscar nominations come out in January, and in both cases, most of the discourse surrounding both is/will be about what didn’t get nominated.

Black Friday and Cyber Monday aren’t the only time to buy discounted televisions—some stores still have good deals if you’re still looking to buy a new TV as a Christmas gift or to have it set up before hosting. Of course, you should always compare shops if you have the time—sometimes prices are artificially inflated…Read more...

Some of macOS’s features are so good, they’re now legendary. The Mac pioneered fast, local search using Spotlight. You can press the spacebar on any file to instantly preview it with Quick Look. The same goes for the Dock, and the ability to easily AirDrop anything between Macs or other Apple devices.

While dryer sheets are often touted as being versatile odor absorbers, they really only belong in the dryer. It might seem like a simple and cost-effective way to cut down on smells coming from vents in your HVAC, but that’s a bad idea. Some claims have even been made that dryer sheets will extend the life of your air…Read more...

Hanukkah (or Chanukah, if you prefer) is an eight-day long Jewish religious festival that usually takes place in late November or early December. It celebrates the beginning of the Maccabean revolt against the Seleucid Empire and the re-dedication of the Second Temple that happened in the 2nd century BCE.