Lifehacker

Spring means flowers, and where there are flowers, there will be bees. These pollinators are a crucial part of the ecosystem, facilitating reproduction for many plants and playing a crucial role in the food chain. But what a lot of people don’t realize is that most bees don’t live in hives. Seventy percent of bees…Read more...

Solo travel is on the rise. Google trend data shows that solo travel has increased by 761.15%, while Booking.com reveals that solo travel has nearly doubled since the pandemic. If you’re in a relationship, you might assume a solo vacay isn’t in the cards for you. After all, so many of us feel like we need to do almost…Read more...

There is no shortage of advice and research that points to the benefits of having mentors. They are advisors who can offer support to you throughout your career. In doing so, they may improve your job experience, introduce new people to your network, or help you build new skills. Also, mentors are people who have more…Read more...

You may think cornbread is the best of what cornmeal has to offer us in terms of baked goods–it’s sturdy, gritty, and great with chili–but this crunchy bit of maize has a sweet side it would like to show you. (And we’re not talking about sweet cornbread, an abomination.) This dish veers away from bread and straight…Read more...

Do enough cooking, and you will eventually injure or irritate some part of your body. Between sharp blades, hot burners, dirty ovens, and ornery onions, there are many ways to aggravate one or more of your senses. The eyes are particularly vulnerable to abuse, as they are quite delicate. (Though they are less likely…Read more...

If you’ve ever struggled to match a paint color, buy the right lightbulb for your refrigerator, or remember where you buried a drip line outside, you need a house diary. It’s a simple compendium of all the things you don’t really consider important enough to save in your jumbled file of “house stuff” (admit it, you…Read more...

Corporations are people. The Supreme Court said so. Basically—back it 2010, when it clarified that businesses have the same First Amendment rights as actual people. It kind of tracks: a lifetime spent swimming in brands has made our relationships with corporations as vital as any we share with flesh-and-blood humans.…Read more...

Humans are predictable: When we want to know something, we’re probably going to google it. Companies (including digital media sites like Lifehacker) know this, and often try to “game the algorithm” by producing content they know will match with common searches. The problem is, scammers know this too—and are happy to…Read more...

Been to Italy? Or know someone who has? They probably talk about aperitivo. It’s a tourist rite of passage, well known by students who just got back from their first semester abroad and seasoned travelers alike. With similarities to tapas, happy hour, or even a buffet, this uniquely Italian tradition brings people…Read more...

Typing on a modern Apple keyboard isn’t a silent experience by any means, but it certainly doesn’t compete with a mechanical keyboard. There’s something satisfying about the clicks and clacks produced when typing on one of those specialty keyboards, an experience you miss out on when writing on your MacBook or iMac.…Read more...

One of the few silver linings of the pandemic has been the flexibility that airlines now offer. With the hectic logistic changes that COVID brought, many airlines decided to allow customers to change or cancel their plans for free, with many waiving their change fees permanently. When you combine this perk with many…Read more...

Let’s start off by acknowledging that just because a problem is small doesn’t mean it’s not worth solving, and I am here to remove one minor indignity from your life: When you pull a wet wipe out of the package and two wipes come out because the first one didn’t detach from the one underneath? Maddening. But it…Read more...

We all know we should exercise to improve our physical life. But if you needed even more incentive to hit the gym, how about the fact that exercise can also improve your sex life? It seems almost fairly obvious. As Karla Robinson, medical editor at GoodRx, puts it: “Exercise increases blood flow throughout your body,…Read more...

Heating and cooling units increase in efficiency every year, but most of us are living with older units and in leaky, older buildings or in new “open floor plans.” At the same time, global warming and environmental change means we’re dealing with more extreme temperatures every year. These are a recipe for nightmarish…Read more...

Have you tried AI yet? If you have, you’ve probably used ChatGPT, or maybe Snapchat’s “My AI” (if you don’t hate it, that is). Microsoft’s version of artificial intelligence, Bing Chat, is also powered by ChatGPT’s GPT-4, but until recently, the feature was locked behind a waitlist.

Although we increasingly live in a world of portable, rechargeable gadgets—not to mention a world increasingly traversed by battery-powered cars—there are still wide swaths of our lives that are stationary and connected to our homes via cords. And those cords get tangled, get in the way, that make our countertops look…Read more...

It won’t be news to longtime Lifehacker readers, but a recent study confirms that a lot of us are likely training with weights that are too light. Coach and author Greg Nuckols wrote a commentary about this study, sparking a flurry of discussion online. My biggest takeaway from the reactions: Lots of people are…Read more...

Google has made a stride towards a password-free future by integrating passkeys directly into Google Accounts. The change means you no longer need to memorize a strong and unique password to protect your Google data, nor do you need two-factor authentication as a backup in case someone steals your password. It’s the…Read more...

This week (and every week) people are wrong about dangerous TikTok challenges. This tragic story of a teenager in North Carolina burning himself with an aerosol can flamethrower is all over the media, with news outlets from Chicago to India reporting that Mason Dark was engaged in a TikTok challenge when he lit…Read more...

The best part of making brownies isn’t the brownies, it’s the clean up. That’s when all that gooey remnant batter has nowhere to go but in the trash or in your belly. Obviously, the planet needs you to reduce waste, so you have a duty to perform. While I would never stop you from eating the fudgy scrapings straight…Read more...

Buying the “right” amount of ingredients for recipe testing can be challenging. Sometimes I buy too little, and have to haul my butt back to the store, and sometimes I’ll nail something a little sooner than expected and be left with leftovers. Such was the case when making these grilled sausage sandwiches; I was left…Read more...

We know getting out in nature is essential for growing humans. But maybe you are an indoor cat like I am and struggle to get yourself and the kids outside for even a few minutes every day. Here are some suggestions that make outdoor time quick and easy during one of the most delightful months of the year.Read more...

Eating a pancake breakfast sandwich is a flavor experience every salty-sweet-loving human deserves. Bacon, egg, and cheese combined with fluffy pancake batter is such a triumphant blend of smoke, salt, fat, and sweet, this winning combo should be inextricably bound. Please join me in observing the sacred union of BEC…Read more...

It never fails: A new comic book movie comes out, my 6-year-old begs to see it. And just when I think the time has finally arrived to share the fun and wonder of the Marvel Cinematic Universe with him, I remember that this is the same kid who found a cuddly guinea pig that appeared at the end of a recent animated…Read more...

The sun is out and the pollen is zapping my will to live, which means grilling season is officially upon us. You may like to kick of the season with a big ol’ pork shoulder or smoked chicken, but I like to ease myself into things with a simple, low-risk-high-reward project. This grilled sandwich is such a project.Read more...

Road trip season is approaching. Do you know what you’re going to eat? There’s nothing wrong with hopping in the car with a hope and a dream and an assumption that the fast food restaurants of the world will take care of you, of course. But if you’d like to keep your food budget low and eat more than just burgers and…Read more...

Nurses, firefighters, and EMTs, this is not an emergency: Two restaurant chains want to give you a free meal this week as a thank you for the work you do and the people you help.

When you browse the internet, you probably notice a small lock icon that appears in the URL bar. It’s common internet security advice to look for this lock whenever visiting a new site, to make sure your connection is actually secure. Google, however, announced it will retire the lock, since it doesn’t think it serves…Read more...

Surely you don’t have an anti-tofu bias, but if you do, you should knock it off and stop robbing yourself of possibilities and pleasure. I initially made this pie for two reasons: I wanted dessert, and I was increasing my protein intake. Think of this as a protein-forward pie if that gives you the strength to try a…Read more...

Whomst among us still relies on a traditional alarm clock to wake up? It’s one more task smartphones have come to dominate in their brief tenure. But both options have their pros and cons: A (charged) smartphone will never fail on your because your power went out overnight. (The McCallister family would’ve enjoyed a…Read more...

Getting price tags off of thrift-store finds, or scraping industrial strength glue off of walls and siding from battery operated smart devices can be a challenge. What’s worse is that most of the solvents that will work on the glue will also damage your paint. Luckily, common cooking oils you likely already have in…Read more...

“Put some potato chips in there” is a sandwich hack so timeworn, I’m hesitant to characterize it as anything more than generally accepted wisdom. What sandwich wouldn’t benefit from extra salt and texture? Who actually prefers a peanut butter and jelly sandwich without a hidden layer of fried potato (preferably the…Read more...

I am a big fan of Aidells sausages, particularly the Chicken & Apple and Roasted Garlic & Gruyere Cheese varities. They’re filling, tasty, and can be popped in the air fryer for a few minutes until the skins are bursting with juicy flavor. But I rarely eat more than two a week, which is too bad, because once that…Read more...

I hate stretching, but I must admit that working on my mobility has helped me in the gym. For example, I love doing barbell snatches, but I used to have trouble catching them in a deep squat if my feet weren’t exactly just so. After some mobility work, I can now land my snatches as comfortably in a wide stance as in a…Read more...

Being called “needy” is usually not a good thing when it comes to your relationships. You probably think of a needy person as someone who requires a so much reassurance and validation from their partner that it teeters into uncomfortable territory. As such, you may be compelled to seem less needy in your own…Read more...

This summer, Planet Fitness is giving teenagers a free summer pass to work out at their facilities. From May 15 until Aug. 31, 14- to 19-year-olds who pre-register will be allowed to exercise whenever they want at participating Planet Fitness locations thanks to the High School Summer Pass program.Read more...

If there are certain sounds that trigger an extremely negative reaction in your, from rage or annoyance to disgust or even panic, you might have a condition called misophonia. The triggering sounds can vary from person to person, including slurping, swallowing, breathing, lip-smacking, sniffling, or even the clicking…Read more...

On a recent visit to the Phoenix Art Museum, I kept noticing their garden. There was a long walkway of a variety of white flowers of various heights, and even in daylight, it glowed. When I finally walked outside to see it up close, I was overtaken by the fragrance of the flowers. I asked about the garden and was told…Read more...

The Surgeon General of the United States is sounding the alarm about the growing epidemic of loneliness in this country. Vivek Hallegere Murthy’s just released public health advisory compiles a ton of research that indicates that social isolation is more than a philosophical problem; it has tangible, measurable…Read more...

Owning an air fryer has increased my vegetable consumption by at least 60%. Instead of waiting for an entire conventional oven to preheat, or minding a hot pan, I simply toss whatever plant part I desire in some fat, season it, then toss it in my air fryer, which has usually been heated somewhere in between 375℉ and…Read more...

Look, I like software updates, and I’m not alone—some of us enjoy seeing what new features developers have cooked up. But even though they’re less exciting, I’m an even bigger fan of security updates...and Apple is introducing a new type of security update for iPhones, iPads, and Macs. It’s called Rapid Security…Read more...

When it comes to following a recipe, the first step is making sure you’ve got the right ingredients. This can be especially tricky if an ingredient has a name that is similar to a different product. I don’t mean walnut pieces and walnut halves (there’s not much at risk with that mix up), but pondering the labels of…Read more...

When confronted with the need to tie something off, most people resort to simply tying as many half-assed knots as they can in the vague hope that the sheer frictional complexity will stymie the natural forces of entropy.

No, not semolina flour. Salmonella in your flour. Or at least the potential of it. That’s what the food processing company General Mills announced in a voluntary recall, according to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Perennials are a popular option for flower gardens, and for good reason—they come back on their own. But there’s another option to bring flowering annuals into your garden that don’t need to be replanted every year. You can choose flowering varieties that reseed themselves and keep blooming for years.

Concentrated products, whether soups, pastes, or powders, are some of my favorite ingredients to work with. Once you’re familiar with their scope and strength, you can dilute them as little or as much as you desire. In the case of tomato paste, you can create soup, sauce, or cocktails, all without any additional…Read more...

What started as a simple recipe for COVID protection—get a jab, come back in three weeks and get another—became a byzantine labyrinth to navigate over the last thirty months. The government has recognized how confusing COVID vaccine schedules have become, and is trying to streamline to make it easier to understand,…Read more...

Patio pavers are a great landscaping choice because you don’t need to build a structure under them, they’re cheaper than other similar options, and they can add a unique look to your outdoor space. While the flat space can be good for entertaining and relaxing, there are some maintenance headaches when you use pavers…Read more...

Keeping tabs on all the class-action lawsuits going down each month almost qualifies as a side hustle. It takes time to track everything down, but you can earn some money for it—but we’re trying to help make it easier. Our May deadline settlements include more data and personal information breaches, as well as a few…Read more...

I was a fully grown adult before I learned that identifying emotions is the first step to dealing with them. Now I keep a feelings wheel handy at all times, just in case anyone needs help distinguishing between feeling angry and afraid, or between annoyed and nervous. I’ve also found the feelings wheel useful in times…Read more...