Lifehacker

Cilantro is one of the most divisive flavors in the culinary world. You’re either in the “it’s soapy” party or the “it’s absolute magic” party. (Or maybe we just like the taste of soap? Who’s to know.) One thing’s for sure—it’s a powerful herb. The stem and the leaves pack a strong herbal kick, but there’s a more…Read more...

Tar is sneaky. Because it’s used to patch asphalt that’s roughly the same color, you may end up stepping on tar without realizing it. Or maybe you drove on a road repaired with tar on a hot day, came home to find black stains on your car, and immediately cleaned it off (using this Lifehacker article for guidance), but…Read more...

Most potted plants—whether they live indoors or outdoors—require some level of maintenance. Even succulents, air plants, and others you can essentially neglect for long periods of time, need to be watered occasionally. Plus, over time, dirt, dust, and other debris may end up settling on (and under) the leaves.Read more...

In a recent New York Times article, longtime flower gardener Jenny Rose Carey proclaimed that when it comes to flowers, “September is the new May.” Each year, she visits fall gardens around the country to see what’s still in bloom in September, then applies what she learned in her home garden.Read more...

Picture an electrical outlet cover or a light switch plate: What color is it? If you’re thinking of one that’s plastic and either white or off-white (either by design, or because of layers of grime), you’re not alone.Read more...

For the approximately 15 to 30 percent of Americans allergic to cats or dogs, getting a furry friend can be tricky. And while you’re twice as likely to be allergic to cats than dogs, generally speaking, allergic reactions to dogs tend to be worse.Read more...

Since its invention in 1826, modern photography has been constantly evolving. But technology aside, the fact that we have the ability to look at actual images (as opposed to illustrations or painted portraits) of people’s faces from almost 200 years ago is pretty remarkable.Read more...

When was the last time you washed your pillows? Not your pillowcases or protectors, but the actual pillows? Yeah, the ones with the yellow stains.Read more...

For a few weeks each year, nature puts on a show in certain parts of the country. Sure, fall means that a long, dark winter is ahead of us, but before everything gets too bleak, some regions get to enjoy watching their leaves change color.Read more...

We often envision the internet as an open source of boundless information, but that’s not always the case depending on where you live or whose network you’re connected to. In many places, certain web activity or content will be outright blocked, and we’re not just talking annoying paywalled websites. For example, your…Read more...

If you have fall allergies, the time is nearly upon us for sneezing and itching. (Depending on where you live, it may have already begun.) Here are some tips for how to deal with the pollen and manage your symptoms.Read more...

Unless you’re a data scientist or have another job that commonly uses data visualization, selecting the right way to represent information can feel overwhelming. Software like Excel can stuff any type of data into almost any type of chart—but which one is the right one for the story you’re trying to tell?

Some folks keep a few houseplants in their home just to have a splash of color or a bit of nature in their interior spaces. But houseplants can have a huge impact on the look and feel of your home, and incorporating them into your interior design is a great way to bring a dash of drama without making any permanent…Read more...

Instagram verification is pretty darn strict. In order to obtain the blue badge, you need to meet a specific series of requirements—so if Instagram contacts you, informing you you’re eligible for verification, you’d probably jump at the chance. Well, don’t: It’s a scam.

Most parents of kids who play sports are familiar with the situation: 60 kids sign up for soccer, but only two coaches volunteer. If someone else doesn’t step up, 20 kids—including possibly yours—won’t get to play. You’d volunteer, of course, but you’ve never even played soccer (or whatever the sport may be). Surely…Read more...

Your relationship with your boss can determine just about every aspect of your job—including your workload, job satisfaction, and overall career prospects. Given the power differential, much of those things can seem out of your control. That’s where “managing up” comes into play: Managing up is the process of…Read more...

Updated COVID booster vaccines have now officially been authorized and recommended by the FDA and CDC. There is a Pfizer booster for ages 12 and up, and a Moderna booster for ages 18 and up. The new shots replace the existing boosters for those age groups, and there is a new set of rules to figure out whether you…Read more...

In a country that’s no less hostile to workers than it has ever been, it’s surprising that we have a holiday dedicated to the achievements of the labor movement and trade unions. (Though it’s highly debated whether Labor Day is really a holiday for the working class.) Many movies do a pretty damn good job at laying…Read more...

This trick, like many kitchen origin stories, came from necessity. A friend and I were preparing a Funfetti cake for a birthday party, and realized we only had two eggs instead of the requisite three. With no time to run out to the store, and the gall a glass of wine’ll give you, we figured, what’s the worst that…Read more...

Sometimes the churning sturm und drang of a dying republic are drowned out by purity and light. This week, our momentary respite from despair comes from Corn Kid, a kid who likes corn so much, it might save the world.Read more...

Turning your house into the home of your dreams can be expensive and time-consuming, especially if your goals include changing the way it looks from the outside. If a full-on exterior remodel is still years away—or not in the cards at all—here are a few easy ways to make your house look expensive.

You know what’s awesome? In crime movies when someone leaps behind the wheel of a car, kicks a cover off the steering column, mashes a couple of wires together and peels out. Hot-wiring a car is action-oriented, badass, and seems like something anyone could pull off. But what about in real life? I looked into it…Read more...

As the parenting trends drift further away from punishments and hard discipline, there is still a conflict among parenting communities—and maybe even within your own household—over how to get kids to do what needs to be done without being either too harsh or too permissive. We’ve talked about natural consequences for…Read more...

I hate washing dishes, and buying dishwashing supplies. Two types of soap seems like overkill, yet it is impossible to keep a clean kitchen without dishwashing liquid (for hand washing) and dishwashing detergent (for the dishwasher). If you feel similarly, you might be tempted to try this viral dishwashing detergent…Read more...

The first day of every month should be for planning and getting your shit together, but most of us aren’t planner-toting wunderkinds. Still, there are a few things that most of us can do to keep the month going smoothly: Specifically, household items that need to be cleaned once per month. Clean them on the first of…Read more...

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Tofu puffs are my favorite form of tofu. They’re pre-fried, chewy and crispy, with a honeycomb-like interior that absorbs sauces like a dream. They’re also fairly hollow inside, which makes them a good vehicle for stuff and things—in this case, pizza sauce and mozzarella cheese.Read more...

Everyone hates leaf blowers, and it’s not hard to see why. For most people, the noise is reason enough; if your neighborhood has lawns, the chainsaw-level buzzing is inescapable for most of the year, and it always seems to start at the worst possible time. But the biggest, best, and most correct reason to loathe leaf…Read more...

As much as Apple will want you to buy the iPhone 14, your old phone is probably serving you just fine, even if the company doesn’t officially support it anymore. But the bigger problem with aging tech isn’t necessarily the lack of official software support, it’s when third-party developers stop making apps for your…Read more...

If you’ve ever come home hungry to a fridge that only has stray vegetables and a door of condiments, you can relate to the emotional breakdown I had recently after a recent vacation. Jet-lagged and hungry, I nearly teared up when I opened the fridge. Inside, there was a lone cabbage, rolling around like a tumbleweed.…Read more...

Solar panels have been around for a long time, and in many areas, you can see them all over the place. They’re powering street lights and emergency signs, and increasingly they’re showing up on your neighbors’ roofs. Solar energy offers a lot of benefits to your home, reducing energy bills (even earning you money if…Read more...

Slow, easy running is the bedrock of any running program, whether you’re aiming to beat a race time or just trying to get your heart a bit healthier. We’ve detailed the benefits here, along with tips for sticking to your chosen pace. But what if you just can’t run that slow?Read more...

After halting its launch sequence late in the game earlier this week, NASA is once again set to send a massive rocket hurtling into orbit around the moon. The Artemis I is now scheduled to launch on Saturday, Sept. 3 between 2:17 p.m. and 4:17 p.m. ET, and you can watch the blast-off (plus the pre-flight briefings and…Read more...

As long as there has been Twitter, there have been tweets that needed a second chance. Twitter users have begged the company to implement an edit feature for years, but Twitter rarely makes sweeping changes to its platform—with some notable exceptions including the 280 character limit and choosing who gets to reply to…Read more...

I am not a naturally neat person. I try, but it’s never been a particularly easy or intuitive process. During calmer times, I am able to get by, but when life gets chaotic, which is pretty much all the time now, keeping the house clean feels like an almost-impossible task. During these times, one handy survival trick…Read more...

Winter weather does a number on your home, and if you’re not on top of your maintenance schedule, you might be in for some unpleasant surprises come December. It might still feel too warm outside to be worrying about some of these tasks, but summer and early fall are the perfect time to do some preventative…Read more...

There are online murmurs growing lately about the fairness of credit scores and consumer credit reporting. It’s a heated issue: This semi-hidden number can define a person’s life, but few people understand how exactly a credit score is determined. So where do credit scores come from? Who decides what they are? How…Read more...

In an overwhelming world, small acts of kindness can seem to have little meaning. In a world where bad things are happening every day, how much can a small action matter, anyway?

Sony and Microsoft announced the next round of video games coming and leaving their respective subscription platforms in September, just in time to fill these last summer weeks with some quality gaming. As always, we’ll include everything both companies have confirmed so far, but it’s always possible more games could…Read more...

Unless you have an uncreative, uncurious mind, you know that “vegetarian” does not mean “bland.” Sure, bland vegetarian food exists, but have you ever had a baked, under-seasoned chicken breast? Meat doesn’t always equal flavor, particularly when we’re talking about broth.Read more...

With so much of our culture hyper-focused on what a person eats (and what a person weighs), it can be hard to define what “overeating” actually is—and when that overeating becomes a bigger problem. Do you simply have a big appetite, or are you actually struggling with an eating disorder? Here’s how to decipher the…Read more...

We’re on our second week of the school year over here, and my kids have already gotten sick of the meals they thought they would want every day. So let’s turn to everyone’s favorite meal planning subreddit, r/EatCheapAndHealthy, to get some ideas for what to put in those lunchboxes.Read more...

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Both of my younger (identical) sisters are accomplished visual artists, whereas I—in spite of having taken Drawing for Non-Majors during my last semester at the University of Florida—struggle to draw stick figures. This lack of artistic ability extends to cake decorating, or anything that requires fine motor skills. I…Read more...

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Chrome extensions are supposed to make your browser even better—but not all of them can be trusted. As hard as Google tries, the Chrome Web Store isn’t a marketplace of innocent utilities. While most are properly vetted, some slip through the cracks, just as they do on the Play Store and even Apple’s App Store. Now,…Read more...

I’m not here to judge reality dating shows. Not even a little. TV trash or TV treasure, that’s all in the eye of the beholder, and sometimes watching pretty people and their drama is, oddly enough, the perfect way to relax. If one s looking for validation in that type of entertainment, it’s entirely fair to suggest…Read more...

Google pumps out new software for its web browser like clockwork; so often, in fact, you might tend to tune out new versions when they become available. Don’t skip Chrome 105, though—it patches a bunch of nasty security vulnerabilities, and adds a few new features to boot.

As the summer wraps up, let’s check in with all our favorite streamers. The second annual Disney + Day, a marketing event disguised as a “celebration,” is set for Sept. 8. As you probably heard, everything is totally chill at HBO Max (no it isn’t). The big thing with Netflix is that it’s no longer the giant it once wasRead more...

The vet isn’t particularly fun for most dogs—they expect to be poked, prodded, and are often separated from you. Some dogs are anxious and scared about going to the vet, while others get protective and reactive. My dog looks for any possible escape the moment we enter the office and would dig through the brick wall if…Read more...