Lifehacker

Any outdoor living space is a big upgrade, especially in warm summer months, when a deck or a patio will be a great spot for cookouts and summer get-togethers. While it might not seem like there’s much of a difference, a deck is different from a patio. For some homes, a deck will be a better fit, while for others, a…Read more...

If you were born between 1981 and 1996, you’re a Millennial—which means that the leading edge of that cohort is now celebrating their 41 birthday and you’re part of the largest generation in America by population. However, despite being such a large portion of the population, only 17% of homeowners are Millennials.…Read more...

Sunburns can be serious, but for the most part, we know how to treat them at home: Use cool compresses, grab some aloe gel, and drink plenty of water. There are times, however, when a sunburn can need medical attention, even if it feels like one of those things you would never consider a trip to the doctor for. Here’s…Read more...

Google Lens is a useful tool for learning more about the world around you. You can use it to scan a QR code, search the web using a picture of a dress you saw in a store, or translate text in a foreign language. While many of us use this feature on our Androids and iPhones, it’s also available on desktop via Google…Read more...

As far as pets go, chickens are incredibly useful to have around: A pet chicken will lay eggs, eat food scraps and common garden pests, and their poop can be used for compost. Raising chickens is also a good way for kids to learn about where their food comes from, and the work that is involved in getting those eggs to…Read more...

I love bacon, but I detest bacon packaging. It is hard to open elegantly, impossible to reseal, and difficult to get bacon out of—a step that is crucial if you wish to actually enjoy bacon. (Also what is the deal with the random piece of cardboard inside the packaging? Can we not just print nutritional info on the…Read more...

I love a corn nut. I think the crunchy, nixtamalized kernels are bigger than snacking, but that does not negate the fact that they are an incredible drinking snack. But corn nuts—also known as quico, cancha, and chupi—are not made with corn straight off the cob. These toasty little niblets are actually made with…Read more...

I can’t stand cherries. Not the way they taste—they’re fine—though never once have I thought, “Oh man, I can’t wait to dig into a bowl of cherries.” It’s their unparalleled ability among fruit to stain surfaces, clothes, faces, and fingers practically on sight that gets under my skin, literally. (Especially in the…Read more...

Whether a “restructuring” results in layoffs or your own job performance earns you the boot, it can be devastating to be told that your time at a company has come to an abrupt end. It’s important to consider how you’d respond to such news in advance of it ever happening, though, because your reaction in that moment is…Read more...

Last week I asked you for your unwritten rules of flying. This was a request not for hot takes, but an attempt to lock down the bylaws of air travel that should be common sense, but for some reason are not a given. Reading through over 150 responses, I was forced to wonder if human beings were ever really meant to fly…Read more...

If there’s a single defining characteristic of the older people I’ve known, it’s an unwillingness to recognize the validity of challenging information, a close-mindedness where they seem convinced that their personal opinions are the absolute truth.

Girl Scout Cookies are not only delicious, they are something of an American pastime. The problem, though, as we all know, is that they come around but once a year. If you don’t want to wait until sometime early next year for your fix of Do-si-dos, a good alternative may already exist in a grocery store near you. A…Read more...

Gentle giants, cuddly friends, vicious monsters, deadly dragons: Even the earliest film depictions of dinosaurs evidence our complicated relationship with Earth’s prehistoric thunder lizards. Windsor McCay’s puckish Gertie the Dinosaur might be stubborn, but she’s unlikely to eat you, and might even dance if you ask…Read more...

I hate to hand it to the French, but the best beach/hiking/picnic sandwich is jambon-beurre (ham-butter). It’s just baguette, butter, and ham, and it is perfect.Read more...

With so much content out there, the start of the summer is the perfect time to sit back on some of the blockbuster-type films you might have otherwise skipped while binging your favorite shows in the fall and winter. Or, you could take this time to revisit old favorites coming to new platforms. Personally, one of the…Read more...

I knew “a lot of” brain development happens during a child’s first few years of life—but I wasn’t aware how incredibly fast the process occurs. Considering that an infant’s brain doubles in size by the time they turn one, its newborn neurons are making, “at least one million new neural connections every second,” …Read more...

TikTok recently discovered a scientific truth about avocados: the green flesh of a cut avocado won’t turn brown overnight if it isn’t exposed to air. Unfortunately, the hack that’s supposed to protect your avocado is an unsafe one, according to the FDA.Read more...

WWDC 2022 is nearly here. While most of Apple’s Worldwide Developer Conference is actually a series of presentations and events for iOS, iPadOS, macOS, and watchOS developers, most of us are focused on Apple’s main keynote. Here, the company shows off new features and changes coming down the pipeline across its…Read more...

Smartphones have transformed our lives, mostly for the better, but they’ve also increased the access people can potentially have to your private information the moment you hand yours over. When you allow someone else access to your phone to make a call, swipe through a few pictures, or try out a new game, you might…Read more...

iTunes. A Obi-Wan would say, that’s a name I’ve not heard in a long time. Apple killed the game-changing Mac application in 2019, splitting its combined services into three simplified apps: Music, TV, and Podcasts. While this decision was in many ways a good one, those of us who have used Macs for years (or even…Read more...

Following the recent recall of 49 Jif peanut butter products thought to be linked to a Salmonella outbreak, several companies that use the peanut butter in their snacks and desserts have issued their own recalls, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

One of the most frustrating things about Google Drive has finally been fixed: You can now cut, copy, and paste files using standard keyboard shortcuts when using Google’s cloud storage service. Sadly, this feature is restricted to Google Chrome and its derivatives though, so you’re out of luck if you’re on Firefox or…Read more...

There are still people out there who think that being gay is “unnatural,” but they couldn’t be more wrong. Same-sex behavior, from co-parenting to mate-attraction behavior to sex, is incredibly common in the animal world. It’s been observed in more than 1,500 animal species, from insects and other invertebrates, right…Read more...

Read more...

If you love eating lunch but abhor paying for it, you’ve come to the right place. In a seemingly endless sea of apps, there are a handful of ones that not only keep more money in your pocket, but more food in your mouth, too. I’ve been playing the chain restaurant fast food app game for a long time, so believe me when…Read more...

There has been a unionization boom in a variety of industries over the past year, to the point where you might not even realize the wide variety of companies and industries that now have unionized employees (or employees fighting to unionize). If you like the idea of working somewhere where you will benefit from the…Read more...

Music is great, and babies love when you sing to them. But does that mean your baby will grow up smarter or hit their milestones faster if you play Mozart for them as they’re growing up? Not really.Read more...

Windows is the de facto PC operating system for the majority of people, but that doesn’t mean it’s perfect. Windows 10 (and Windows 11) is pre-loaded with tons of Microsoft apps like Edge and Windows Media Player that you may not want, and certain data-tracking settings turned on by default. It’s also notorious for…Read more...

Let’s start with some bad news: Amazon is discontinuing Cloud Cam support this year. The company launched the proprietary security camera system in 2017, but after only five years on the market, is closing down shop for good. The good news is you won’t be left without a security camera option, since Amazon is offering…Read more...

Peak Streaming is disrupting the entertainment industry, but not so much that the old way of doing things has gone away entirely. So even as Prime Video delivers season three of The Boys (which, to the casual viewer, looks a lot like the precursor to HBO’s Peacemaker), it’s also copying Netflix’s success in adapting a…Read more...

Vrbo just release its first-ever list of “Vacation Homes of the Year” that recognizes ten best-in-class vacation homes across the U.S. According to Vrbo, the year’s best vacation homes “are all located in popular vacation destinations and met required selection criteria, including a combination of 5-star ratings,…Read more...

What do Oprah Winfrey, Julia Roberts, and Jake Gyllenhaal have in common? Yes, they all have more money than me, but they also each have an enjoyment for gardening. It’s not hard to see why; whether you’re looking to spend more time outdoors or just interact with people over a common interest, there’s quite a bit to…Read more...

My two main obsessions in life are books and podcasts. Hearing people gush about books is the best ways to convince me to read more of them, so naturally, I consume more than my share of book podcasts. They’re a great way to eavesdrop on the kind of book-loving conversations you used to have to join a book club to…Read more...

In this month’s installment of Extremely Specific Niche Streaming Theater, we have Players, a new mockumentary series on Paramount+ set in the world of esports. If you don’t know what esports are, the best way to describe it is “playing video games and calling it sports.” (I am not mocking esports when I say that; the…Read more...

Having the police show up at your door with a search warrant isn’t something most law-abiding citizens prepare for. The general assumption is that if you don’t engage in crimes, you won’t ever have to stand by while a bunch of officers tear through your house. But just because you can’t imagine something doesn’t mean…Read more...

Witch hazel is a flowering shrub found in North American and Japan. Its leaf, bark, and twigs contain tannins that have medicinal qualities. When distilled into a liquid, witch hazel is a common over-the-counter analgesic found in many medicine cabinets. You may have used witch hazel to combat minor cuts, but the…Read more...

Nintendo Switch Online’s N64 emulator makes revisiting your favorite 3D games of the past a breeze. You can experience gems like Ocarina of Time, Banjo-Kazooie, and Star Fox 64 in high resolution and on-the-go. However, it’s not all peachy: If you replay Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards using the service, you might…Read more...

uBlock Origin is among the best browser extensions for protecting your privacy on the internet. Its default settings are great for most people, but with some adjustments, it can be even more effective. Before you make these changes, though, remember that the more blocking options you enable, the higher the risk of…Read more...

The Google app for iPhone doesn’t get enough credit. No, it’s going to suddenly turn your iPhone into an Android flagship, but it will give you instant access to some of the Google features that make Android flagships so great, and you can adjust your settings to make your Apple phone work more like one running…Read more...

If you’ve ever considered taking a Pilates class, you might be intimidated by the machine contraption—called a reformer—that is used in many studios. A reformer is a bed-like machine with a sliding platform and detachable resistance bands. But as common as reformers are in specialty studios, mat classes—which require…Read more...

Back in 1939, scientists at Harvard began a longitudinal study in order to “identify the psychosocial predictors of healthy aging.” The study, which is still running to this day, indicated that the single factor that correlated most strongly with happiness as you age is the quality of your personal relationships.…Read more...

Read more...

Whether you have a century-old, freestanding clawfoot model, a colorful midcentury drop-in, or something more modern, your bathtub probably takes up a good portion of your bathroom. Even if you don’t take baths regularly (and if that’s the case, why not?), you still are spending a lot of time in its vicinity.Read more...

Read more...

A garbage disposal’s job is to remain out of sight, and make food waste disappear. So when it’s working properly, it’s easy to forget about it. This, in turn, makes it difficult to remember that your garbage disposal is an appliance that requires at least minimal maintenance.Read more...

The whole idea that certain people with “green thumbs” are naturally better at growing plants than others makes it sound like gardening is more about luck than skill. But, as anyone who has tried their hand at starting a garden armed only with the information they retained from elementary school science class can…Read more...

When it came to bathing in America, bars of soap reigned supreme for part of the 19th and much of the 20th century. But by the late 1980s, traditional solid bars of soap started getting some stiff competition from liquid alternatives known as “shower gels” and “body washes.”Read more...

When it comes to caring for plants, much of the focus is on making sure they get the right amount of sunlight and water. But even if they are, your plants won’t really thrive unless they’re getting what they need from the soil.Read more...

As much as we love our pets, sometimes they can make a mess. This includes everything from taking all of their toys out of the container and flinging them around the room for no reason, tracking mud from outside throughout your home, or leaving everything they touch coated in a layer of fur.Read more...

When working in your garden or yard, you go in with the expectation that you’re going to get a bit dirty—given that you’re probably working with actual dirt. You may even have dedicated shoes or items of clothing to wear while gardening that you’re not concerned about getting covered in soil and stains. But your hands…Read more...