Lifehacker

The holiday season is ripe with nostalgia, so it’s not totally surprising that you might receive a text from a curious ex during this time. An innocent text is one thing but if an ex comes strolling back into your life, wanting to rekindle things as soon as the nights get a little colder, you might be on the receiving…Read more...

We’re in for expensive gas bills this winter. Whenever I so much as think about turning up the thermostat, I can hear my dad’s voice telling me to put on another sweater instead. But when sweaters don’t suffice, I turn to my trusty, cheap, easy-to-use space heater to cut costs on my central heating. But how much money…Read more...

Browsing the internet has its perils. Some websites are borderline unusable thanks to pop-ups, ads, or poor design. If you encounter these sites frequently, automatic redirects can help take you to a better place (on the internet, at least).

Back in the old days, when theaters still made actual money showing movies that weren’t part of a “cinematic universe,” December was the best time of year to be a cinema junkie. That was when, in the final weeks of the year, studios would release all of their most lavishly produced, high-minded star vehicles, in the…Read more...

It can make your heart sink when you realize the holiday gift you searched for all month is already gathering dust just after New Year’s. How often does the latest fad your kid is obsessed with end up as another flop headed to Goodwill Instead of risking bodily harm this holiday season for something plush or plasticy…Read more...

Wrestling a whole turkey body into a roasting pan (or rather, onto a wire rack), isn’t for everyone. Even I, a seasoned professional, have to steel myself for the gory moments of cutting through bone when I spatchcock a bird, and I would be totally OK with never having to smash in a breast bone again. If you have…Read more...

2021 was a banner year for calls to ban books. According to the American Library Association, there were 729 attempts to censor libraries, targeting 1,597 books—the highest amount since the ALA started keeping track 20 years ago. Most of these were school libraries.

Whether it’s investing in the newest cryptocurrency, or eyeing some type of “make money while doing nothing!” scheme, it can be hard to resist all the shiny “new” finance trends that constantly pop up. Often, though, these trends aren’t actually all that new—and even if they are, it’s important to look for signs that…Read more...

The first National Treasure film was released in 2004, an archeological dive into the United States’ founding myths that played sort of like a louder, dumber Indiana Jones crossed with The Da Vinci Code. Of course it was a hit, prompting the creation of a sequel and no doubt funding the purchase of several additional…Read more...

One Gmail, one address. That seems right. After all, you have one phone number, and one home address. The same should be true for your email addresses, Gmail included. As it happens, though, your Gmail account has an unlimited number of addresses you can use whenever you want, fooling everyone from Netflix to spammers…Read more...

If you have a vagina, you’ve probably been told that it’s an absolute must to pee immediately after having sex to prevent urinary tract infections (UTIs). But it turns out there isn’t a lot of evidence to support this idea. There is shockingly little research on the question of whether this oft-repeated advice…Read more...

Over a hundred years into Europeans’ exploring, trading, and slave-taking in mainland North America, one particular English dude jotted down a few notes about a harvest party in his town:Read more...

As the cold really settles in, we’ve been talking a lot about ways to conserve energy. We’ve also been talking about how to prepare for the big holiday season. What if we told you that you could do both? Even if you’re throwing a massive Thanksgiving or Christmas shindig, you don’t need to break the bank with the…Read more...

With the nation’s current 7% mortgage rate and all the cascading effects of brutally high inflation, there’s a new hot take every day on the state of the housing market. A quick YouTube search reveals a slew of clickbait titles like “The TRUTH About the 2023 Housing Market Crash” and “What’s coming is WORSE THAN YOU…Read more...

Anytime you have someone new over your house, one of the first questions they’ll ask is, “What’s the wifi?” Sure, you could tell them, but do you even know? To be honest, I don’t. If you’re like me, you have some convoluted wifi name and password combo on the bottom of your router you need to consult every time it’s…Read more...

I received a notice in the mail some months ago that I was involved in a data breach a certain massive, multi-national telecomm company was settling. Like many people involved in such settlements, I was not offered a ludicrously small amount of money as a reward for being an unwitting victim. Instead, I was given the…Read more...

Rolling out a flaky pie crust is a pain in the ass. It’s temperature sensitive, needs beauty rest in the fridge, and even under the best conditions, it might crack under pressure. Well, good news: You never need roll out another pie crust. You can stop the precarious transfer of dough from counter to pie plate.…Read more...

It’s November, which means it is once again Black Friday season (the Friday after Thanksgiving now somehow lasting an entire month), and retailers across the internet—and the brick-and-mortar chains that remain—are dropping deals. Traditionally, this is the best/worst time to be a video game fan. The best, because…Read more...

Pokémon Scarlet and Violet are the talk of the town, but not for the reasons Nintendo likely wanted. While many are enjoying their new Pokémon adventures, the tweets are all about how buggy the games are. These glitches range from funny to bizarre to hilarious. But there’s one quirk that isn’t like the others—the…Read more...

Like almost every consumer good, the used car market has been bonkers over the last few years. While used vehicle prices are still up significantly, both prices and demand appear to be dropping slightly, and if you’re considering purchasing a used car, you may want to know how to weigh current mileage against the…Read more...

There are plenty of ways to launch apps on your Mac—to start with, you can pin apps to your dock or use Spotlight to search for and open apps. There’s an even faster way to launch apps, though: by using a floating dock.

Dense meatballs got you down? Despite your attempts at rolling well-mixed yet tender meatballs, do you end up with rubber super balls every time? All that’s about to change, and it starts with the mix. To help encourage a crumbly blend, use tofu.

So, I’m really bad at video games. Elden Ring proved too much for me: I couldn’t stop dying. Everything I tried, every path I took, seemingly placed me in front of enemies that would best me at every turn. I imagine, then, that I won’t be invited to join one of gaming’s most exclusive clubs. It’s not enough to beat a…Read more...

It’s almost time for you to drag out the lights and the plywood angels and tell the world you’re a festive person by decorating the outside of your home for the holidays. The traditional of holiday-centric self-expression dates back at least to Ancient Roman Saturnalia displays, and so does the tradition of completely…Read more...

Zip files are a useful but cumbersome solution to compressing multiple files together. They come in different ways—an archive of photographs for a project, or the need to compress a file that just won’t fit in Gmail’s archaic 25MB file limit. It’s one thing to deal with zip files on a computer, but when you see them…Read more...

While there’s no way to guarantee that your Thanksgiving gathering will be 100% conflict-free, setting a few boundaries with your guests ahead of the big dinner can help to at least minimize confrontations and awkward moments. Here are a few examples of topics to discuss and agree on before coming together for the…Read more...

It’s easy to forget about our microwave when we’re not using it—especially since many models are compact, tucked into the corners of counters, or mounted above the stove. But, like other kitchen appliances, our microwaves need basic maintenance in order to keep running smoothly.Read more...

Clothes and electronics aren’t the only items marked down on Black Friday: A number of restaurants have also announced a range of deals (some of which include free food) on their meals, snacks, and gift cards.Read more...

Not only do Thanksgiving traditions vary across families (both biological and chosen), communities, and regions, they also have a tendency to evolve over time. This goes for the menu (e.g. the inclusion of Brussels sprouts since they became trendy in the early 21st century), as well as shopping habits.Read more...

Though some are quick to assume that if a home has been on the market for more than a week or two, something has to be wrong with it—especially if its listing price drops—that’s not necessarily the case.Read more...

With the 2022 holiday season kicking off next week with Thanksgiving, time is running out to send any packages, cards, and other mail that you want to arrive by Christmas (December 25), the end of Hanukkah (which runs from December 18—26), or the beginning of Kwanzaa (December 26—January 1).Read more...

With the highly anticipated Air Jordan 1 “Lost & Found” scheduled to drop on Nov. 19th, now is a tempting time to start investing in sneakers. The practice of reselling the limited edition kicks is polarizing, and any sneakerhead can share their perspective on how bidding up prices impacts shoe culture. One thing is…Read more...

Chipotle is running a “Bowls For Goals” promotion in honor of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, which starts this Sunday. (Here’s how to stream the World Cup for free.) Whenever the USA national team scores a goal in the World Cup, Chipotle will be give away free food eligible to be claimed through Dec. 31.Read more...

When was the last time you bought an album? For many of us, it’s likely ancient history. Taylor Swift’s Midnights costs $12.99 for the CD ($29.99 for the vinyl), when you could spend less on an Apple Music subscription and listen to millions of songs instead. But it begs the question: How many times do you actually…Read more...

An Arizona resident recently contracted the mosquito-borne disease known as dengue, and the dengue virus has been detected in mosquitoes in the area. Dengue, normally associated with tropical countries, may be spreading in Arizona for the first time.

If you’re lucky enough to own your home, you undoubtedly have experience the pain of shopping for homeowner’s insurance (if you have a mortgage, you likely had no choice in the matter, since lenders typically require it in the terms of the loan). Considering the money you’ve sunk into what’s likely your largest asset,…Read more...

Stellantis, Chrysler’s parent company and formerly Fiat Chrysler, is recalling 280,000 Ram heavy-duty diesel trucks worldwide because of a potential fire risk, according to a report from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).Read more...

After a long decade, the iPhone finally added a downloader to Safari with iOS 13 so you can download files and automatically store them on your iPhone in a Downloads folder. But where exactly is the downloads folder? How do you actually access the files that you downloaded from Safari?Read more...

There are two Americas (well, at least): the elite east coast/west coast enclaves of avocado toast, overpriced yoga pants, and artisanal sex toys; and the middle American heartland of barbecues, cattle ranches, and rabbits as big as yer head. Unsurprisingly, the two Americas have very different viewing habits—with the…Read more...

Is the selfie a post-modern testament to radical self-love, or just an annoying trend? I have no idea, but I do have an idea of who took the first selfie in history thanks to this week’s viral video. But that’s far from all, I’m taking a balanced, all-sides approach to young people’s popular culture: There’s some good…Read more...

The good thing about music podcasts? There are so many of them. The bad thing about music podcasts? There are soooo many of them. But that’s also secretly back to good news, because it means whatever kind of music you’re into, there’s probably a podcast for it.

Asking for or accepting help can bring up a wide range of complicated emotions. There’s the fear of being seen as needy or weak; the nervousness associated with showing vulnerability; or the worry that asking for help means you are entitled. But as hard as it can be to accept help from others, giving and receiving is…Read more...

The calendar says next week is Thanksgiving, which means a large portion of the country will be hitting the road to share a meal with out-of-town family or friends—kicking off the third holiday season of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.Read more...

If the Denny’s Everyday Value Slam is your particular breakfast jam, you’re going to want to get your hands on the diner chain’s new Everyday Value Tee that will be your ticket to a free meal every day through Dec. 31, 2023. The T-shirt sports a QR code sewn directly on the sleeve that can be scanned in person (it…Read more...

Tricky dessert recipes can spell trouble, and frankly, my oven is busy enough already during the holidays. Instead of making finicky desserts, let’s make one that’s impressive and yet which still allows us to revel in its shapelessness. A dessert that doesn’t need any heat, requires zero decorating skills, and can be…Read more...

Our sibling-site The A.V. Club recently took at look at the biggest snubs and surprises among the just-released 2023 Grammy nominations. All the head-scratching omissions (like not even nominating Megan Thee Stallion’s excellent Traumazine for anything) got me thinking about the worst Grammy snubs in music history.

One of the many lessons we were forced to learn from the pandemic was the importance of social interaction, and the devastation of social isolation. And even outside of our intimate relationships with friends and family, weak social ties are also necessary to our sense of wellbeing. I know how it easy it is to close…Read more...

It’s been two years since Microsoft released their Xbox Series S, and the price has finally come down below the $300 mark for the holidays: Microsoft has announced that their simpler, sleeker Xbox Series S model (compared to the bigger and more powerful Series X) will be $50 off for the holiday season, for a total of…Read more...

If you’re a person who is prone to motion sickness, road trips can be hell on the stomach. And if it’s your kids who have trouble, you’re going to spend a good chunk of the trip wondering if you really need to pull over. Here are a few tips for what to do when that wave of nausea begins to roll.Read more...

Nintendo Power is an iconic part of Nintendo history, and gaming history generally. Its 24-year, 285-issue run spanned multiple generations of gamers, and helped us finish tough games played on systems from the OG NES to the Wii U. Many of us have fond memories of flipping through it, but didn’t have the forethought…Read more...