Lifehacker

Often, third-party apps exist to fill in gaps left by developers. After all, Apple and Google make a lot of apps, and need to balance both the feature sets of those apps with their ability to be used by the general public. So you end up with good apps that are easy to pick up, but might lack the options that dedicated...Read more...

Wordela Vocabulary Mastery is an app that can teach you a ton of new words in 10minutes a day, and it's on sale for $39.99 right now (reg. $324). The app covers rare words across a range of categories, from business vocabulary for adults, to K-12 lists for younger learners practicing for standardized tests.Read more...

According to research from the Education Data Initiative, the average college student spent between $628 and $1,471 on textbooks and supplies during the 2021-2022 academic year. While spending on course material has declined by nearly 50% over the last decade-mainly thanks to the proliferation of ebooks-it's still a...Read more...

I grew up in a PB-in-the-fridge household. Every other jar that's been opened lives in the fridge, so why not the peanut butter too? If you've been refrigerating your peanut butter, though, it may shock you to know that many people don't-and peanut butter is actually perfectly safe at room temperature.

It's been 65 years since IHOP first opened its doors in a Los Angeles suburb. To celebrate the occasion, IHOP is letting people eat as many pancakes as they possibly can, while letting kids eat free as well. The deal will run through most of August. Here's what you need to know.Read more...

TikTok's latest ad campaign is all about how useful the video-sharing app is for learning new tricks, hacks, and skills-and it is, for the most part. When users aren't opening TikTok to increase their knowledge, they're usually looking for entertainment or ASMR. For some time now, one toilet-cleaning trend known as...Read more...

This Mindfulness Plus Plan comes with over 2,000 mindful practices, meditations, and sleep exercises with guided instruction from professionals, and a lifetime subscription is on sale right now for $69.99. It comes with guided meditation practices for all levels.Read more...

It's hard to imagine the cold weather ever arriving while we're still at the height of the hottest summer the world has ever seen, but believe it or not, now is the time to start planning if you want to avoid paying a fortune for your winter 2024 vacation flights.

Your muscles are made of protein, so if you're building muscle you need to eat up. But how much protein do you really need? More than a couch potato, but less than the protein-crazy gym bros would have you believe. Here's how to quickly calculate the real answer.Read more...

I started camping as a way to travel during COVID, and almost immediately, my dog, Clementine the Doberman, fell in love with it. We found private campsites she could run endlessly around; we drove up and down the west coast, and camped at the beach. She loved new spaces to explore, creeks to lie in, and chasing deer....Read more...

Refinishing cabinets is a cost-effective and simple upgrade that you can do yourself to breathe new life into a tired space. Whether you're redoing all your glossy kitchen cabinets or upcycling a thrifted piece of furniture, you might think you have hours of sanding to do before you can paint. But there's an...Read more...

The only thing sadder than opening your lunchbox to find a soggy sandwich is opening your kid's lunchbox at the end of the day to find a completely untouched one. Thankfully, you can prevent soggy, disappointing lunchbox sandwiches: Make them with frozen bread.Read more...

RSV may be just a cold for most people who get it, but it can be life-threatening to babies. Fortunately, we now have an immunization that can protect little ones, and the CDC's advisory panel recommended that all infants younger than 8 months get a dose of it at the beginning of RSV season (usually in the fall-so...Read more...

We all waste a lot of time writing out emails. Many of these emails say the same basic thing, too, when you're following up on something, sending an introduction, or emailing a process explanation-and it can be mind-numbing to type it all out over and over again. But you actually don't need to repeat common messages...Read more...

If you're one of the millions of people who somehow acquired a guitar during their life-a guitar they have dutifully moved from place to place with the sincere intention of someday learning how to play it-you probably know it's not as easy as rock stars make it seem. If you've actually made any attempt to learn the...Read more...

Meat isn't always the easiest thing to slice. It's made up of soft muscle fibers and a good deal of slippery fat, and sometimes liquids seep out onto the cutting board. All of this can make fine cuts difficult, or even a little dangerous. Luckily for us, and our delicate hands, there's a safe way to temporarily alter...Read more...

Whether you're trying to build new skills to switch careers, looking to get a little more of an edge as you enter the workforce, or interested in improving your existing skills to enhance your current job (or, hell, your life), there are all kinds of platforms out there offering up courses for you. The question is,...Read more...

The world's younger people are entering August by pretending to fly like fairies, enjoying a video of a policeman being injured, and showing off their weird Barbies.

The industrial-scale systems that grow and process our food can be strange and scary sometimes. But as we saw with myths like whitened" milk and McDonald's worm burgers, our imaginations run wilder than the truth. The latest urban legend about food? Plastic coating our lettuce.Read more...

It was touch-and-go for a bit there, with Paramount+ (initially CBS All Access") feeling a bit like a desperate afterthought in the streaming wars-a dumping ground for ViacomCBS's vast library of shows. It's still relatively early days for the streamer, but on the strength of Christine Baranski and Sonequa...Read more...

If you have some clear glass decor you're tired of, or if you found a great piece at a thrift store, but the color isn't quite what you want, you might think the only option is to replace it. But before you do that, you have another option: You can give them a beachy makeover with sea glass paint. This spray-paint...Read more...

This brand new 2018 Mac mini with an Intel i7 processor and 32GB of RAM is $685.99 right now(reg. $1,099). This Apple mac mini measures under eight inches long and you can connect it to virtually any monitor or screen with Thunderbolt 3, USB 3, and HDMI ports. It's a great option for anyone who loves their MacBook...Read more...

It would be fair to say the writers of Skillet are obsessed with brine. We love pickles, olives, and the salty, sometimes tangy liquids they come packed in. Most things are made a little better with salt, acid, and funk, which is why we add these preserved delicacies (and their brines) to a wide variety of foods and...Read more...

Work sucks, I know. (All work except writing these articles, I mean.) Whether you need tips to clear specific work hurdles (not getting a raise; confronting your coworker about stealing your lunch from the office fridge every day) or just need a little motivation about how to have a healthy work-life balance or start...Read more...

For productivity, there are plenty of visual aids you can call in for an extra boost, from hand-colored clocks to vision boards. If you're looking for a new one to try, a thermometer chart might be just what you need to visualize your goals and track your progress.

The Mymanu CLIK S Translation Earbuds can give real-time translation in more than 37 languages, and they're on sale for $99.97 right now (reg. $157) through August 13.Read more...

In my garden, I'm the hero. I raised those plant babies-I fed and watered them, encouraged them with daily affirmations, and then mark their progress each day in the garden with little thank you's" and cheers. The villains in this story are the pests, and as we hit peak produce-growing, they are out in force. Aphids,...Read more...

Spicy cold tofu may very well be the quickest recipe I know. I've made myself numb to the prep time" and cook time" I see at the tops of most recipes-it's rather subjective to the maker's skills and experience, and it's particularly offensive when a recipe claims to take 15 minutes and it really takes an hour....Read more...

The protein influencers on TikTok are at it again, trying to force cottage cheese into a role it never asked for in the first place. They've moved on from cottage cheese ice cream, and have set their sights on protein cookie dough," made from cottage cheese, protein powder, and almond flour.Read more...

Despite the incredible flexibility and utility of paint, we tend to be narrow in our appreciation of the stuff. Most of us think of paint as something that goes on our walls, our vehicles, and (maybe) the occasional piece of wooden furniture. Maybe you've considered painting wall tile or your tub. But paint is so...Read more...

The filing of criminal charges against a former president for trying to overturn an election is both a cataclysmic historical event and an incredible annoyance to people who respect the truth. Thanks to Donald Trump's latest indictment, even greater mountains of bullshit will be spread throughout our culture for years...Read more...

The TOKK CAM C2+ is a small wifi camera that you can stick to your body, hide near your door, or put on your dashboard, and it's on sale right now for $60.99. You can hide this small camera to keep an eye on your home, garage, bike, or other property, and use the free iCookyCam app on iOS or Android to check in...Read more...

For anyone who craves color, comfort, and nostalgia, modern living spaces can seem dull. But figuring out how to fit your own personality into your home's decor can be tricky, especially if you want a cohesive, pulled-together look. Luckily, there's a design style that can help you get all your cozy, dreamy,...Read more...

Welcome to How I Became," the Lifehacker series where I ask real people about how they really got their jobs. This week I had the pleasure of chatting with Matt Chapman, a modern watchmaker. The official term is horologist:" someone who studies the art of designing and making watches and clocks.Read more...

Capers are the exclamation point on a dish. The tiny buds of pickle-y brightness function as a kind of pick-me-up. All tomato sauces, and any risotto benefit from them, most pan sauces can use the kick, and no bagel and lox is street legal, in my opinion, without em.

One of my favorite things about summer is that it gives me the opportunity to eat my weight in tomato sandwiches. But even I can get a little overzealous and end up with a few too many maters, so prolonging their life becomes a priority. I refuse, however, to put them in the fridge, as refrigerated tomatoes are gross...Read more...

The internet is anything but private-a quick Google search of your name will prove that. But just because our information is out there doesn't mean we need to give up all notions of privacy. As such, Google is rolling out three new privacy tools starting today to help you protect your personal information on Search.

Paint can add all kinds of dimension to a room. It can help make your space bigger or smaller, and it can even affect your mood. If you want your decor to match your mood all the time, there's a new, psychedelic option to take advantage of: Mood-ring paint, also known as thermochromic paint, will react to temperature...Read more...

You may have already bought your baby an adorable sun hat and a bottle of sunscreen, but there are a few other considerations you'll need to make to be sure baby's first beach trip is a success. (To be clear, you still need the adorable hat and the sunscreen, though.)

I've lost my kids during a Target run more times than I care to admit, which makes me reluctant to give them more freedom to venture out into the world. Though I may misplace my children once in a while, I've somehow never lost my smartphone. This troubling fact has made me wonder if I should invest in a system to...Read more...

In an effort to modernize and streamline its operations, the IRS has unveiled plans to achieve paperless processing" for tax returns by 2025. In a press release Wednesday, the agency lamented how it receives about 76 million paper tax returns and forms each year, and that its limited capability to accept these forms...Read more...

Blind baking pie crusts should be simple: You line crimped, chilled pastry with parchment or foil, fill with dried beans to weigh it down, and bake until crisp. I've been making pies for years, but until I switched my weights from dry chickpeas to this trick-which I learned from Supreme Pastry Genius Stella Parks...Read more...

The winter is long, dark, wet, and cold. When the first buds of spring flowers begin to pop in March, it's like a hit of dopamine, giving us all hope that the sun will come out again, someday. But what happens in late spring, when we enjoy six gloriously predictable weeks of spring color, is like a marketing campaign...Read more...

Being able to instantly pluck the day of the week for a given date out of your mind can seem like a magic trick, but it's actually not that difficult-if you're willing to put in a little work and do a little math.

When you're buying something basic, you might think all the products are the same, and just add the cheapest option to your cart. While I can't tell you what to do in every situation, I can gently advise against doing that when picking up a desk fan. Little fans can pack a punch, but you need one with a good design...Read more...

Whether your location and user profile data were stolen on Meta (Facebook), you never got your full refund from SeatGeek for a canceled event, or DirecTV called you without your consent, you might just be able to claim damages with the many class-action settlements happening this month. (And those are only a couple of...Read more...

You're doing summer right if you're enjoying all the fruit pie you can get your hands on. Heaps of fruit are often cooked down to make a flavorful sauce from the juices, but it's not without a downside. The texture of the fruit is forever changed, and sometimes it gets downright mushy. Luckily for us, there's the...Read more...

If I were to give you a peach and tell you it was basically a tomato, you would look at me with concern. and you would be wrong to do so. No, the two fruits don't taste all that much alike-a peach is sweet and fruity" in the classical sense, while the tomato is noticeably tangy and packed with savory glutamates,...Read more...

Smartphones can do so much for us on a road trip: navigate with GPS, play some tunes, and act as a mobile hotspot for the kids in the back seat, all at the same time. Obviously, you'll want to have the phone plugged in so it can charge while it's working. And then, before you know it, your phone is hot to the touch...Read more...

As of Aug. 1, 2023, incandescent lightbulbs are effectively banned for sale and manufacture in the United States-mostly.