Lifehacker

Video games are bigger than ever. This year alone saw games like Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II, Elden Ring, and Pokemon Scarlet/Violet sell over 10 million copies within a few days of launch. Chances are good even your elderly relatives know what Minecraft, Super Mario, and World of Warcraft are. (Maybe they even…Read more...

Due to a single misstep that resulted in shattering my left ankle, I have been staying with my parents during the week, because I am still—three weeks after the incident—not quite capable of performing simple chores or cooking for myself in any meaningful way. Luckily, my stepmother, Annette, is a very good cook, so I…Read more...

Have you ever been baffled by how someone can believe a conspiracy theory that obviously doesn’t hold together? Well, flip that around for a second and think about yourself: Do you really understand all the things that you have strong opinions or beliefs about? Chances are, you don’t. This is the “illusion of…Read more...

Marinated tofu is great, but getting tofu to actually absorb marinades is trickier than it seems. If you want the flavor to get all the way inside, you have to get heat involved somehow, whether that’s in the form of a dip in boiling salty water, or by pan-frying, baking, or my new favorite pre-marinade technique:…Read more...

I love ham and roasts and all of the potatoes and pies, but December is, to me, Snack Season. It’s the time for texturally pleasing, salty bites, and the more you have, the merrier you’ll be. In addition to salt, there are two flavors that turn a good snack into a great one: Umami and tang. Worcestershire sauce has…Read more...

There were a number of TikTok cleaning trends that popped up this year. Some of them were really useful and cool. Others were simply not. Separating the two is pretty important before you start cleaning for the new year, so let’s look at a few viral hacks you should jump on—and a few you should leave behind in 2022.

After seven weeks of beta testing, Apple released the latest build of the iPhone operating system, iOS 16.2, earlier today. The free update comes with some fun new features and changes, including the brand new Apple Music karaoke feature, end-to-end encrypted iCloud backups, and a new collaborative digital whiteboard…Read more...

The diagnostic testing company Detect has voluntarily recalled more than 11,000 of their Detect COVID-19 test kits, due to an increased chance that the tests may give false negative results. As many of these things go, the recall comes “out of an abundance of caution.”Read more...

LASIK eye surgery is known for being a quick, convenient medical procedure—and sometimes it is. The surgery only takes a few minutes, and can correct your vision immediately so that you no longer need glasses or contacts. But not everybody gets that best-case outcome, and the FDA wants potential patients to know about…Read more...

You know those yule log videos that are popular around the holidays? There’s a new one available for streaming on HBO Max, but rather than a static shot of some logs burning against an aural backdrop of cheesy Christmas music, this yule log holds a deliciously evil secret: a feature length horror/comedy flick that…Read more...

Smartphones these days have great cameras, to the point where it’s tough to make the wrong decision when picking one. If you’re like most people, though, you’re a bit loyal to one brand, especially if that brand happens to be iPhone, and never have a chance to really see what else is out there. It’s possible your…Read more...

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You know all about how to customize your MacBook’s Dock, but don’t sleep on its Menu Bar, either. Some of your Mac’s best apps sit unassumingly in the Menu Bar and allow you to use all of their best features via a tiny drop-down menu. Not every feature can be used from this spot, but these apps allow you to save time…Read more...

If you live in an apartment or a condo with shared walls with other residents, or if you just really like quiet sleep, a noisy neighbor or loud traffic noise can be irritating. In the modern work world of hybrid and work-from-home situations, having a quiet workspace can also be challenging, especially with kids and…Read more...

Some recipes are easy to cut in half or in thirds; one cup of sugar becomes a half, or a half a teaspoon of baking powder becomes 1/4 teaspoon. And then, there’s the egg—the one thing that math can’t really split. If you have a cookie or cake recipe that you’re trying to small batch in half, or by thirds, and there’s…Read more...

Keeping track of interior and exterior home maintenance schedules, landscaping, and emergency contacts for repairs can be overwhelming, especially for new homeowners. Even for experienced owners, help with organization and a centralized place to keep information can be a struggle—and no one wants to be digging in a…Read more...

I love extraneous video game peripherals. If I didn’t have a family, I would just surround myself with plastic guitar controllers, useless motion-control extensions, and every weird joystick ever invented. Just fill my home with ‘em—the more ridiculous they are, the better.

Earth has been invaded by aliens, and you, as the president of the United States, are on a quest to avenge the violent invasion with Superman-like powers and defeat the aliens. Saints Row IV: Re-Elected is free to download on the Epic Games store for PC players, along with some great surprises for fans.

Vehicles catching on fire seems to be trending this year, with Ford and Ram Sports Utility Vehicles (SUVs) being recalled in November, and Kia SUVs in October. Now, Subaru is joining the group with their most recent SUV recall. Subaru of America, Inc. has announced a safety recall for certain Subaru Ascent SUVs for…Read more...

The deadlift is one of the simplest things you can do in the gym: You just grab a barbell, and stand up. But it’s also one of the most intimidating. If you’ve been told all your life to “lift with your legs, not your back,” you may worry that you’ll accidentally lift with your back and something terrible will happen.…Read more...

This Wednesday and Thursday, Dec. 14 and 15, marks the peak of the annual Geminid meteor shower, a highlight of the year for meteor fans. You should be able to spot many shooting stars for the low, low price of looking into the nighttime sky.

It’s so uniquely aggravating to scroll through old photos and see one where you look great or are having a wonderful time, but your ex is right there next to you. You can’t repost that picture as a throwback. Depending on how toxic the breakup was, you might even feel compelled to archive it so it’s no longer visible…Read more...

You know when you are checking out at a department or drug store during the holiday season and you see those big, pre-made gift baskets filled with lotion and fuzzy socks? Those are fine. I usually get, like, two or three of those as gifts every year, and I have no real issue with fuzzy socks.

Travel—whether it’s for the holidays, vacation, or for business—is a double-edged experience. It can be exciting to see new places, comforting to be with family, or thrilling to pursue professional goals, but travel can also be stressful, and doubly so during the holidays. Aside from the frantic nature of actually…Read more...

These days, I get so many spam calls I hardly pick up the phone anymore. However, if I see a call from someone I know, whether they’re a friend or family member, I, of course, answer them (usually). Unlike a random number, I know the person on the other end of the line, because I have their contact in my phone, right?…Read more...

There are a lot of ways to prepare mashed potatoes, and almost all of them are valid (even, or especially, the microwave method). Most mashed potato recipes start the same way: Cube the spuds into roughly 1 1/2-inch chunks, then cook them in simmering water until they can be easily mashed with a fork. This usually…Read more...

McDonald’s “SZN 0f Sharing” is in full force, and this week’s deal features the Crispy Chicken Sandwich, a classic item made of just four ingredients: a potato roll bun, pickles, crispy fried chicken, and salted butter. The featured sandwich is currently offered as a buy one, get one free (BOGO) deal until Dec. 14.…Read more...

While wrapped presents are a big part of the joy of holiday gifting, all that disposable wrapping paper can seem pretty wasteful, not to mention expensive. Bringing in some reusable alternatives that actually look nice can add some sustainable and cost-effective beauty to your holiday gift-giving routine. The best…Read more...

Whether you have a MacBook, MacBook Air, or MacBook Pro, your charger likely has one fatal flaw: the plug. The power adapter needs to connect directly to an outlet, a design that works fine for smaller charging bricks. However, the bigger your MacBook, the bigger the brick, all without changing the design. As such,…Read more...

As movie theaters become ever more focused on four-quadrant blockbusters designed to offend as few people as possible, TV has become a playground for experimentation. At least for now—if the streaming service buuble didn’t pop in 2022, it’s definitely leaking. As Netflix stock cratered and HBO Max tried to figure out…Read more...

If you’re buying Apple devices as last-minute gifts this holiday season, there’s an easy way to figure out if you still time to get them delivered before the big day. When ordering directly from Apple’s online store, you can quickly check if the iPhones, iPads, MacBooks, and Apple Watches you’re looking for are indeed…Read more...

Sliders, cupcakes, petite quiche, and pigs ‘n blankets have something in common: They were all mad ideas, miniaturized food favorites that quickly became the greatest party food of our time. Now the baked potato wants in on the appetizer action. Make it mini, pop it on a skewer, and you’ve got a new classic party…Read more...

A malfunctioning ice maker can really put a hitch in your holiday cocktail plans. Discovering the ice maker is no longer, well, making ice might make you want to call in a professional, but there are some things to check yourself for before taking that step. Here are the most common reasons your ice maker is malfunctio…Read more...

Whether you’re actively looking for a new gig or just exploring your options, it can be easy for a job search to eat up all your waking hours. Spending 18 hours a day thinking about finding the next step on your career path is a sure-fire way to build stress, do worse in interviews, and burn out—plus, imagine all the…Read more...

You may have noticed sellers on Etsy might say something like, “buy this item on my independent website instead,” and offering a discount to buy directly from them instead of using Etsy as the intermediary. And in most cases, that’s totally fine—it’s usually better for a small business’s bottom line. But if the…Read more...

If you’re into practical gift-giving, robot vacuums are a slam dunk. Once they’re properly set up, they can take one of the worst time-sucking chores off your to-do list for good—or at least until they break. Thankfully, robot vacuum maintenance is fairly simple. Here’s everything you need to do to keep yours from…Read more...

For some people, holiday travel involves more than simply hitting the road or braving the airport to get to their destination: It also means overnight stays with family or friends. Whether it’s a way to save money, or spend more time with loved ones—or a combination of the two—it’s important to keep in mind that…Read more...

Whether you have a traditional green grass lawn, or one of the alternative varieties gaining traction recently—like bee lawns, clover lawns, or tapestry lawns—you probably want it to be intact when spring eventually rolls around. You also probably don’t want to put time and energy into maintaining it over the winter.Read more...

Wool is a pretty incredible fabric: It’s antimicrobial, breathable, odor-resistant, and extremely durable. It can also be tricky to wash and dry.Read more...

Jumping off the body wash bandwagon to reunite with classic bars of soap comes with benefits for your wallet and the environment. But it also leaves you with a relatively small but still annoying problem: What to do with the little pieces left when you’re almost done with a bar.Read more...

Over the years, you’ve probably accumulated quite a few cleaning supplies. And whether you prefer using one or two multi-purpose products, or have a variety of sprays and detergents for specific rooms or surfaces, storing them properly and safely will make your life easier. Here’s what not to do.Read more...

Whether multicolored or classic white, a few strands of holiday lights can make pretty much anything look festive, both indoors and outdoors. And while the strings of small bulbs have a longstanding reputation of being annoying and difficult to work with—which can sometimes lead to accidents—they also carry other…Read more...

Hacks can be great. We’ve had a whole website dedicated to them for over 15 years, after all. But sometimes, they can be ill-advised or even dangerous, whether because they’ll mess up your toilet or cause a fire. Sometimes, the best way to do things is the old-fashioned way, and that’s the case with a recent viral tip…Read more...

Venmo is an easy way to send money back and forth to friends, family, and the guy who runs the office fantasy football league. But what if you received a Venmo notification that says you’d received money from someone you don’t know and that you weren’t expecting? Chances are, it’s not an accident or a stroke of luck:…Read more...

Christmas is a big food day. Cinnamon rolls for breakfast! Liqueur in your coffee! Champagne in your orange juice! Grand roasted meats with crispy potatoes! Gravy to your eyeballs! And do not, under any circumstances, forget the pie. It’s fun, but starting the day with a dense, rich casserole can put a sleepy damper…Read more...

Chrome is a popular browser for a reason: It’s fast, powerful, and compatible with popular apps, services, and extensions. All that power, though, comes from somewhere, and ends up putting a strain on your RAM. Chrome is a memory hog. Fortunately, there’s now an easy solution to the problem.

Holiday parties aren’t complete without snacks, music, and festive drinks. (Oh, and friends too, but back to the drinks.) Selecting the very best holiday drink is essential to seasonal revelry, but so is the equipment. I’m always irritated by how ladles leave behind a good half-inch of quality alcoholic beverage at…Read more...

Skipping lunch should never be an option, but when you work from home, it’s a little too easy to slide into bad mealtime habits. The ideal WFH lunch has to be quick and easy enough to make between meetings and delicious enough to make taking a break worth your time. These 11 recipes hit all the marks and then some.

Most of us don’t think too much about insurance, but we deal with it in just about every aspect of our lives, from health insurance to unemployment insurance, from homeowner’s insurance to auto insurance. But insurance can cover a lot more than this—in fact, most common homeowners insurance covers stuff you might not…Read more...

When’s the last time a new piece of tech truly amazed you? Tech is all so good these days, it takes something downright disruptive to dazzle and impress anymore. I suspect ChatGPT will do that for you, the chatbot that will answer anything you ask it, or write you anything you can think of. It probably could have…Read more...