Lifehacker

Do you cheat at Wordle? That’s going to depend on your definition of cheating, of course. Peeking at somebody else’s screen when they’re solving is cheating. Googling “Wordle answer” is cheating. But what about some of the other gray areas?Read more...

If I have one hindrance as a food writer, it’s my textural issues—my aversion to the gelatinous and the jiggly. As a child, they were so bad that I refused to eat peanut butter & jelly sandwiches (because of the jelly) and didn’t touch a gummy bear until I was in my 20s. I also had a traumatic run-in with Jell-O in…Read more...

If you spend enough time on TikTok, you’ll likely run across a video of someone brutalizing a bottle of Fabuloso cleaner with a caption like, “Had to try this hack!” After stabbing a hole through the plastic bottle, they’ll set it in their toilet tank, then show you how the toilet water turns the same color as the…Read more...

I recently tweeted that my favorite kind of podcast is the kind that makes me say, “I didn’t know that could be a podcast!” And I mean it.

For big retirement savers, the silver lining of record-setting inflation is the record-setting cap increase for your 401(k) in 2023. But if you leave a company–whether or not it’s on your own terms—what happens to your employer-sponsored retirement account? While you have a few options for handling an old 401(k), some…Read more...

The class action settlement du jour is from the Thinx period underwear company, having to do with allegations that the menstrual products contain harmful chemicals that potentially cause fertility issues or cancer. While Thinx denies these allegations, they are providing the following options for people who submit a…Read more...

Goldeneye is back, baby! The game that changed first-person shooters is finally available to play on Nintendo Switch and Xbox for new and veterans gamers alike (sorry, PlayStation players). We already knew there’d be differences between the two platforms—namely, that online play would be a Switch exclusive. But, as it…Read more...

Bacon can save a salad. There’s no single formula for a salad, but we’ve all had ones that needed a star ingredient. The only downfall to simply tossing in a handful of chopped bacon is that the darn stuff falls to the bottom, and it’s hard to stab with a fork due to its crispy wiles. Stop losing your bacon to the…Read more...

So many of our everyday sayings are based on descriptions or metaphors that everybody understands—or at least that’s what we assume. But when you use idioms that refer to old technology, kids these days don’t necessarily know what you’re talking about.

More and more job listings now come with salary ranges—whether because the company posts it voluntarily, or because it’s the law. The reasoning behind pay disclosure laws is that increased transparency will bring about pay equity, regardless of an employee’s race or gender.Read more...

While certainly a good way to relax, as long as humans have used it, cannabis has also been a wellness tool. From seeds discovered in ancient China to salves in ancient Egypt and spiritual smoothies in ancient India, the list is as curious as it is comprehensive, especially considering our modern outlook on the plant.…Read more...

If you’ve ever been broken up with, you might have heard the explanation, “I’ve just got so much going on right now.” It might have been followed with “It’s just not a good time for me,” or the clichéd “It’s not you, it’s me.” Balancing life demands can be complicated—friendships, health, finances, and jobs are no…Read more...

You’ve probably heard it many times before: If you want to get over someone, you need to get under someone. But even if a rebound hookup feels good in the moment, does it really mend a broken heart? According to Dr. Jess O’Reilly, Lovehoney relationship expert and sexologist, it depends on the individual and how they…Read more...

I’m no grammar purist. Trying to nail English down to a particular set of rules will leave you heartbroken and muttering, “it’s supposed to say 12 items or fewer” to a disinterested supermarket checker. Language changes constantly and it belongs to all of us to use or misuse however we like. “Irregardless” now means…Read more...

Fried dough is a broad category. Doughnuts, elephant ears, funnel cake, and beignets all fall into this particular basket, and while no two taste exactly the same, they always taste good. The easiest iteration of this carnival-esque treat? Little balls of store-bought pizza dough, fried to golden perfection.Read more...

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We lift to grow and strengthen our muscles, so it’s natural that a lot of us find bodybuilders’ piece-by-piece mindset appealing: You focus on the specific muscle that you want to work, and make sure that you feel it working.Read more...

I have been working on rekindling the romance with my Instant Pot. I’ve had her for at least half a decade, and right now we’re working on perfecting a yogurt recipe. It’s going well, but the resurgence of activity has forced me to come to terms with just how grody this thing can get, particularly the little ridge …Read more...

You might think your know your hometown pretty well, but I’m willing to bet there’s a lot you don’t know—something noteworthy that happened in a spot you walk or drive past every day without thinking about, like the building that’s been there forever, or the park you relax in every now and then. Well, there’s an easy…Read more...

If you’re part of the growing sense that Airbnb isn’t worth its cost these days, you’re likely back to booking hotels during your travel. Even if the cost is comparable to an Airbnb, with a hotel you’re also buying certain perks—most notably, housekeeping services. But how do you show your gratitude for the people…Read more...

Many apps, browser extensions, and sites claim to tell you the best time to buy flights, but nothing is as good as a money-back guarantee, and Google is offering it on some flights with the relaunch of their price guarantee program. The price guarantee program first launched in 2019 but was cut short because of the…Read more...

HBO’s The Last of Us has been described as a show that breaks the video game adaptation curse, and it’s certainly unique in the way it has almost singlehandedly shifted the dialogue. If a third-person zombie game can be prestige television, can an Oscar for Mario and Luigi be far away?Read more...

I’ve been dealing with a surplus of French toast recently, but such is the life of a recipe tester. I ate what I could, but the remaining slices either went in the fridge or the freezer for future snacks or breakfasts. Luckily for me, today is the future, and I’ve decided to forgo the syrup in favor of meats and…Read more...

We all know walking is good for us. While the old “10,000 steps” goal was never really based on science, studies have shown that generally speaking, the more you walk, the healthier you are. But the United States is a country custom-built for the car. While more than half of our trips outside the home are typically…Read more...

I’m here today to tell you about all the new stuff coming to HBO Max in February 2023, but I’m not super enthused about it, to be frank. The list below is fine—on Feb. 7 alone, the streamer adds two Oscar-nominated films in All That Breathes and Empire of Light, and there’s a new Harley Quinn Valentine’s Day special…Read more...

Admit it: Your photos app is a mess. Sure, it’s full of fabulous memories from years of hangouts, travel, and ordinary life. It’s also full of useless screenshots, duplicate photos, and embarrassing snapshots that inspire us to wonder, “what was I thinking?” Whether you have an iPhone or an Android with a bloated…Read more...

Is your setup incomplete without multiple monitors? Whether it’s a MacBook connected to a display, or a Mac Studio with two monitors, there are several apps that can enhance your workflow. Some of these apps will help you optimize your display; others let you adjust settings on each individual display.

The early months of 2022 saw a big uptick in this secondary market industry, as many big retailers’ shipments had been stuck on cargo ships and then arrived all at once. Many of those retailers offloaded a lot of that excess product to salvage stores and liquidation outlets—and you can still find many of those…Read more...

Soup is a favorite cold weather meal for many. It can warm you from the inside out, or soothe a troubled tummy, but there is nothing less satisfying than a meek, watery bowl of soup. Luckily, there are many ways to make good soup, and I have taken the liberty of compiling some of my favorites.Read more...

If you are like many parents, your summer childcare solution is Tetris-ing together a patchwork of day camps to keep the kids entertained and yourself employed from June to August. Yes, it’s ridiculous, but summer day camp registrations start opening up around the beginning of February. (If you send your kids to…Read more...

You’ve heard of inflation—get ready for eggflation. Even more so than other grocery items, egg prices skyrocketed in 2022 and continue to soar in 2023. You’ve probably noticed these astronomical prices on grocery store shelves—or noticed no eggs on the shelves at all. Here’s what to know about the current state of…Read more...

There are many things that can smell gross in your home, but a stinky sink drain is one of the worst. It lingers at the corner of your consciousness, always there, vaguely bothering you. How did it come to this, and how do you fix it There are a few common ways that your drain may have gotten smelly, but that’s…Read more...

Valentine’s Day falls on a Tuesday in 2023, which means most of us will be working. If treating your special person to a dinner out in’t in the cards on a weeknight, your first if going to have to be creative enough to tide them over until Friday night.

Potatoes have been saddled with a reputation of being “unhealthy,” and it’s unfair. The potato is just a lump of mostly starch (and a surprising amount of vitamin C) that grows in the ground. It’s as down-to-earth as a vegetable can get—literally. Sure, we can fry it in oil and call it a chip, but that’s hardly the…Read more...

On Thursday, Jan. 26, Asteroid 2023 BU will buzz by the earth. The asteroid is small, less than five meters wide, but it’s coming in close. The space rock will be passing by at around 2,178 miles above the atmosphere—a near miss in cosmic terms—and will be closest to us at 4:17 p.m. ET.

I’m a big advocate for keeping your tech as long as possible. I still have my original Touch Bar MacBook Pro, and I plan to run it into the ground. But one legitimate reason to upgrade your tech is when a company stops supporting it with security updates. That begs the question: How long can you use an iPhone before i…Read more...

We don’t yet know which two teams will be playing in Super Bowl LVII (that’s 57, for anyone else who is neither nerd nor jock) on Sunday, Feb. 12. We’ll find that out by the end of this Sunday, Jan. 29, when the Cincinnati Bengals, Kansas City Chiefs, Philadelphia Eagles, and San Francisco 49ers play in the conference…Read more...

One of the pillars of success for working in a professional kitchen is “Do as much as you can in as few steps as possible.” The fact is, you don’t have the time for any extra or redundant steps; every move has to be purposeful, as well as the quickest option available. That’s why many tools in professional kitchens…Read more...

Nothing lasts forever. The shiny new appliance you buy today will be a broken piece of junk in a few years or decades. A few years ago a friend’s parents finally had to upgrade from their ancient tube television in a huge wooden cabinet to a smart TV—and they quite sensibly simply placed the new TV on top of the old…Read more...

A car’s “check engine” light is so mysterious. “Something is wrong!” it visually screams. What is wrong? Is my engine about to explode? Or did I just forget to tighten the gas cap again? The light just sits there, shining at you. “Check it!” Fortunately, there’s an easy way to find out what it’s trying to communicate…Read more...

The Start Menu is an iconic Windows element (let’s pretend Windows 8 never happened). It’s the launch pad of Windows, providing access to files, apps, controls, and more. But lately, the Start menu hasn’t been working as expected, and neither have Windows search or certain apps.Read more...

The trailer makes the comparison clear: Your Place or Mine (Feb. 10), the upcoming Netflix rom-com starring Reese Witherspoon and Ashton Kutcher as transatlantic best buds who swap cities for a few weeks, is aiming for When Harry Met Sally...in 2023.Read more...

As electric vehicles continue to grow in popularity, more and more EV startups are following Telsa’s example of the direct-to-consumer style of sales, cutting out what many consider to be the auto-sales middleman: dealerships. While dealerships offer the customer certain advantages (an array of vehicle options, the…Read more...

You’ve probably seen iPhone Home Screens that just look cool, sporting dynamic text, fun images, and custom icons...but even with iOS 16's new Lock Screen editor, there’s no way to use Apple’s built-in tools to make them. For that, you’ll need to look outward.Read more...

Though end-of-days narratives date back to ancient Mesopotamia at least, the pop culture of past few decades has us convinced there’s at least a 70% chance the apocalypse will specifically involve hordes of shambling undead. When it comes to the final days, it’s mostly George Romero’s world; we’re just all dying in…Read more...

Moral panics are something. I started looking into them because of this nonsense about woke-ified M&Ms, and was quickly overwhelmed by the sheer number of imminent threats to our society, our children, and our Very Way of Life that I’d completely forgotten about. There were subliminal sex messages baked into Ritz…Read more...

If you’re worried about your MacBook’s webcam spying on you, you might be tempted to buy a cheap, plastic camera cover. You can get them for just around $5, but you should actually steer clear of them. The cons far outweigh the pros.

You already know about the 12 “laws” of psychology that are actually bullshit, and the 11 psychological terms that you’re probably misusing. Now it’s time for the next step in your pop psychology re-education: phenomena that pop culture has taught you about, but that aren’t necessarily real.Read more...

I have always liked fake crab, the lunchmeat of the sea. I was introduced to it years before I had the real stuff, and I’ve always found it good in an uncanny valley sort of way. It’s sweet and savory, and does pretty well in a dip or seafood salad. Though it may seem like a processed, thoroughly modern food, surimi…Read more...

Sometimes the simplest decorations make the most beautiful desserts. The naked cake really leans into a minimal attempt at frosting, and you can get away with decoratively sticking candy bars into your dessert. Here’s another decoration to add to your minimalist repertoire. It’s elegant, extremely versatile, and…Read more...