Lifehacker

I always get excited when a new version of a gadget is about to come out—not necessarily because I want the latest and best, but because I love scoring a good deal on last year’s model. However, sometimes the deals aren’t as good as they seem. Apple is currently making way for its new Apple TV 4K, and thus the 2021…Read more...

It’s hard to believe, but YouTube just celebrated its 17th birthday. To commemorate the website’s ability to see R-rated movies, YouTube is rolling out a suite of new features and changes to all users over the coming weeks. Here’s what you can expect when the new YouTube hits your devices.

To achieve the maximum spooky factor from your jack-o’-lanterns this year, what you need is a little smoke creeping out of their cold, dead mouthes. Candles don’t produce enough to be worthwhile here, however, and it would be a challenge to get tiny fog machines inside all your carved pumpkins: That’s where dry ice…Read more...

Hardshell tacos have a reputation for being “inauthentic,” an aberration of the form invented by a white fast food mogul named Glen Bell. (Can you guess which popular chain he founded?) And while Glen—and Taco Bell—are responsible for the hardshell taco’s massive popularity in the United States, not to mention the…Read more...

Whether you’re one of the roughly 35 million Americans enrolled in Affordable Care Act-related coverage, or will be applying for a health insurance plan through the marketplace for the first time, it’s time to think about your coverage for 2023. With the open enrollment period quickly approaching, here’s what to know…Read more...

Ferrero Rochers are too pretty for Halloween—too fancy, too golden, too...nice. Fortunately, there are two easy ways to transform them into being perfect for last-minute Halloween party or spooky evening in with the kids.

Adorable: This holiday season, married actors John Krasinski and Emily Blunt are getting matching series on Prime Video. The third season of Krasinski’s Jack Ryan doesn’t drop until right before Christmas, while Blunt is getting the pre-Thanksgiving slot with The English (Nov. 11), a Tarantino-esque revenge thriller…Read more...

New molding can give a boring room more visual interest and look more expensive. While springing for the real thing looks great, it can be pretty pricey (hence why it looks expensive). There are some ways to fake the look of real wooden molding, though, without shelling out for it.Read more...

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has announced that Bob Evans Farms Foods, Inc., is recalling approximately 7,560 pounds of Italian pork sausage products for potentially having possible foreign matter contamination—specifically, “thin blue rubber.”

What do you do when your head hits the pillow but your brain is still racing? We’ve recommended box breathing in the past, and shuffling visual images, and various relaxation routines. But I’ve always found those to be either too much work for my brain, or too boring to stick with for minutes on end. I figured out a…Read more...

When Google announced the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro earlier this month, it revealed new features for Android 13, including Clear Calling. This option makes phone calls easier to hear by reducing background noises and improving vocal quality. Although Clear Calling was announced jointly with the new Pixels, it didn’t…Read more...

For some people, “just use eyedrops” is a simple recommendation, like “take a pill” or “use this lotion.” But some of us can’t “just” use eyedrops; our eyes involuntarily twitch or blink, or we flinch and pull away entirely. I’m one of those people, and I’m happy to report there’s a way to get the drops in anyway.Read more...

Normally we frown upon “PC cleaner” apps like CCleaner because they tend to do little more than help you find the same cleanup options already built into your computer (sometimes for a fee). However, we can make an exception for PC Manager, because it’s built by Microsoft itself, and it works really well.

I’ve played a ton of survival horror games, and while I love the genre, I sometimes want something scary in a different way. After all, we should not limit ourselves to only one type of spooky entertainment, especially this time of year. The 17 games listed here provide a wide variety of video-game horror through…Read more...

With Halloween rapidly approaching, your costume might be in need of some quick, last-minute bloody gore—and it’s actually easier to make your own “blood” than you might think. Here are some simple recipes to try that are fast, cheap, and as realistic as you need for the spookiest of days.Read more...

Yet another assemblage of malicious apps is plaguing Android devices everywhere, which means its time to make sure you haven’t unknowingly downloaded one of them—but this batch is a bit different from the usual crop.

I rarely dive into the discourse, but last week I had to, because the discourse was centered around salad dressing. Specifically the “special” salad dressing that Olivia Wilde allegedly made for Harry Styles. The dressing turned out to be the fairly standard vinaigrette (called it) from Nora Ephron’s Heartburn, but it…Read more...

We’ve all been there: You send a text to your partner and you’re left on read. On your end, you think “what’s so hard about answering a text?” On the other side, your partner might think, “I’ll respond later,” and think nothing else of it. If this sounds familiar, chances are you have a textual compatibility problem.

No one wants to be the friend who always has to miss dinners, concerts, and vacations because of their strict budget. Maybe you’re unexpectedly tight on cash all of a sudden, or maybe your friend group has slowly but surely fallen victim to lifestyle creep. Whatever your reasons, saying “no” to well-intentioned…Read more...

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced that shampoo company Unilever has voluntarily recalled a number of their dry shampoos over potentially elevated levels of benzene, a chemical known to cause cancer.

As Halloween approaches, adults everywhere are faced with the usual questions: How sexy is too sexy when it comes to costumes? How much candy can you confiscate from your children before you become a monster? And, most importantly, can you pair alcohol with that stolen candy—and if so, how does one do that with the…Read more...

After an extra month or so delay, Apple has finally released iPadOS 16 to the public. Well, technically, it’s iPadOS 16.1. The wait means we’ve already skipped a version and are onto a “point update,” and that before anyone outside of beta testers even had a chance to try iPadOS 16. No matter what Apple is calling it,…Read more...

If the risk/reward ratio for making a movie sequel grows more skewed with both how beloved the original is and how much time has passed, A Christmas Story Christmas may be one of the most fraught films ever made. I certainly can’t help but greet the followup to 1983's perennial basic cable classic A Christmas Story,…Read more...

If your only options when you’re sick are going into the office or calling off, then obviously if you’re contagious, you should call off. But now that so many of us have the option of working from home when we can’t make it to the office, the decision becomes a little trickier.Read more...

Hiring a house cleaning service can be hugely helpful if you’re busy, unorganized, or in a rush, but there is some etiquette you have to know before hiring a stranger to clean up your messes. For instance, there are some things a professional cleaner shouldn’t—or can’t—clean. Sometimes it’s a time or efficiency issue,…Read more...

Besides agonizing over the details of your elaborate Rings of Power group Halloween costume, part of the allure of Oct. 31 is the excuse to eat copious amounts of sweets. Although I truly believe that Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups are gross, I also recognize the flavor combination of chocolate and peanut butter itself is…Read more...

Here we go again: Apple’s next big iPhone update, iOS 16.1, is here, bringing a host of tweaks and improvements to the operating just over a month after it launched. Once it hits your iPhone, you’ll be able to peruse Apple’s short list of the new features and changes, including the launch of iCloud Shared Photo…Read more...

Respiratory syncytial virus, better known as RSV, is surging again, to the point where people who work in healthcare are worried about hospital resources becoming overwhelmed. The illness can be serious in babies and in elderly people, so read on for more about what to know.Read more...

Although there’s little to see in terms of federal relief from record-breaking inflation, some states are stepping up to help their residents face our current economic reality. Twenty states are sending (or already sent) one-time rebate checks or other payments to eligible taxpayers. While these payment amounts aren’t…Read more...

Arches are a good way to give any room an eye-catching focal point, but having an arched door installed or building an arched alcove is time-consuming and potentially expensive. Instead, add a painted arch or two, netting some of the same curvy appeal without breaking the bank. Here are some tips on how to paint one,…Read more...

Part of the charm of city living are the no-frills accommodations. Plain white paint coats your walls, trim, and door frames, a standard boob light is mounted on your ceiling, and you probably have an austere radiator in the corner in every room. Nondescript, metallic, and efficient, these things heat your home…Read more...

Doing your own home improvement projects and maintenance can be rewarding: In addition to saving money, there’s a sense of accomplishment that comes with completing a task yourself. But accident rates for DIY enthusiasts might be higher than you think, so practicing some basic safety precautions when you’re using…Read more...

Scrolling through social media, with its carefully curated images of beautiful, clutter-free living spaces, often has the effect of making you feel inadequate about your own home. Whether it’s the dishes in the kitchen sink, the piles of laundry you can never quite find the time to put away, or the scattered toys you…Read more...

Whether we’re talking about “shit,” “fuck,” or “sirloin,” people love inventing amusing stories to explain the origins of common words. False etymology is fun—explaining that “fuck” derives from signs adulterers wore reading “for unlawful carnal knowledge” is way more amusing than pointing out the Indo-European root -…Read more...

Every relationship is different, including when it comes to power dynamics. Even when a couple strives for an equal partnership—and, in some cases, genuinely believes they have one—the reality is that they may be falling into certain unhealthy patterns of behavior.Read more...

Honey is good. Fermented honey is double plus good. Fermented honey is also one of the easiest, surest bets for fermentation out there, if you’ve been waiting to try it for yourself. You don’t need your own hive, either. You can grab raw honey at your regular grocery store, and in most cases, it’s not more expensive…Read more...

A fresh update can make your old tech feel new. You might be tempted to upgrade your MacBook for a fancy M2 machine, but maybe all you need is to install macOS 13 Ventura. These 25 new features include a new window management system, the ability to use your iPhone as a seamless webcam, and the ability to edit your…Read more...

You are grocery shopping all wrong. Sadly, I can’t personally accompany you to the Piggly Wiggly and force you to navigate the supermarket correctly. I mean, I’m working on an army of atomic super-robots will be able to handle that, but until a naive venture capitalist shows up with first round of funding, you’ll have…Read more...

Today, cookbooks are a dime a dozen, with every celebrity chef—and celebrity-turned-home-chef—coming out with their own (usually accompanied by a line of kitchen-related products). But we only have to go back a generation or two to get to a time when cookbooks had an indispensable role in most American households—not…Read more...

In most homes, the kitchen’s clearly the kitchen, bathrooms are identifiable by the presence of a toilet, and bedrooms are places to sleep. But what do you call the room with couches and chairs, meant for sitting, lounging, or entertaining? The living room? The family room? The den? The great room? The sitting room?…Read more...

No matter where you live, you’re likely feeling the pinch of the rising costs of energy, gas, and water. Those who own their home may opt to invest in upgrades like new windows, appliances, or insulation to help save money on utility bills.Read more...

Unintentionally falling asleep on the couch isn’t hard. Whether you nod off while watching TV, or sit down to rest your eyes for a moment and wake up two hours later, the couch feels like the most comfortable spot on earth, and whatever blanket you have on top of you is perfect.Read more...

People prone to manipulation tend to fall into one of two categories, according to Karen Donaldson, a communication and body-language expert. First, there are those who understand what they’re doing is wrong, but don’t care—as long as they get what they want. And then there are those who are convinced that they’re in…Read more...

Even with all their bells and whistles, most modern televisions are prone to at least some type of glare. Whether it’s caused by sunlight streaming through a window, or various light fixtures in the room, there are certain times of day when the color of at least part of the screen appears distorted.Read more...

The cost of heating your home is always top-of-mind as the cold weather settles in, but with energy prices soaring this year, it’s more pressing than ever. There are ways around this and you can cut costs—even without shivering and suffering all winter. Here are a few ways to reduce your heating bill without freezing…Read more...

You may have heard dumbbell exercises are better than barbell ones because they work more of your “stabilizers,” or that free weights are better than machines for the same reason. But what are stabilizer muscles? Are they really neglected with machine exercises, and are they that important to train?Read more...

Have you been hit with the “I’m running for an ambassadorship position in an influencer program” scam on Instagram yet? It’s a scheme in which one of your Instagram “friends” asks you to help them by voting for them on a fake competition—and the scammers are getting more elaborate in their attempts to dupe people.

Cooking, doing dishes, and bathing are all difficult when your water comes out of the tap at a trickle. While you might think low water pressure would be a very complicated problem to solve, it can actually often be addressed with a few simple fixes. The trick is finding the cause of your water pressure woes first;…Read more...

Every decade has a “look.” You can turn on any random film or TV show and instantly know what era the story takes place in based solely on the fashions people are wearing and the decor of their homes. One of the easiest decades to spot in terms of home decor is the 1970s—there are simply so many design signifiers to…Read more...

Between gin or vodka, olive or lemon twist, brine or stark, dry or wet, MSG-tinged or saline-tinctured, there is no shortage of paths in the choose-your-own-adventure of martinis. If, however, you are a martini variation completionist, then let me direct you to another forking branch from this titan among cocktails:…Read more...