Lifehacker

Summer has officially drawn to a close (at long last, if you ask me), which means if you are the type of person who favors fall travel over battling crowds in the heat, this is your time. Yet with the uncertainty surrounding a COVID surge in the autumn and winter, travel plans are increasingly never set in stone.

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Washing machines—is there anything they can’t do? Just kidding: There are plenty of things you shouldn’t wash in your machine. Plus, the machine itself has to be washed, which is tedious. Still, there are some surprising uses for yours, even if it’s not usable for every situation. Here are a few ways you should be…Read more...

Your PC’s password is not something to be shared lightly. It’s the keys to your kingdom: From work, to social media, to banking, your whole world is likely accessible from your Windows machine. Consequently, Microsoft is begging us to not be idiots who will hand our passwords over to anyone who asks. But they know…Read more...

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It’s a tough life out there for a bird, but natural threats like predators aren’t the only reason. Of the top three causes of wild bird deaths, two can be easily eliminated or reduced: outdoor cats and large, bonkable windows.Read more...

Your podcast app’s discovery tab is very good at suggesting you listen to one of the new big podcasts backed by a major network—and certainly a lot of those shows are going to be great—but there are plenty of podcasters making beautiful content, and doin’ it on their own.

Sliding glass doors are known for being an easy access point for burglars—the latches on these doors are often small and not particularly sturdy, which can make it a real security concern. But there are some simple and effective ways you can make a sliding glass door safer and harder to break into.Read more...

Enrolling your kid in sports can help keep them active, teach them to work with a team, and build their confidence. But sports also have the effect of separating participants into winners and losers, which has the potential to evoke some pretty crushing emotions in a child. To help your kid manage the big emotions…Read more...

If you’re freaked out at the thought of speaking in front of people, you’re not alone: More Americans fear public speaking than death. But unlike death, public speaking happens over and over, whether it’s “going around the circle and introducing ourselves,” or accepting your People’s Choice award.

The combination of cheese and pickles is something I deeply enjoy. I will eat the two foods without the help of cracker or bread, but I’m also a big fan of the pairing on a cold and grilled sandwich. Pickle-studded cheese crisps, however, are somewhere in between the two. It’s just cheese and pickles, but the cheese…Read more...

A pair of suede shoes or linen pants might be the star of your closet, but you may also be tempted to keep those items stored away rather than risk getting them dirty. Maybe you don’t let anyone sit on your velvet couch, and you keep your grandmother’s lace tablecloth packed safety away, even during special occasions.…Read more...

When it comes to selling secondhand items online, there’s no shortage of options. From Facebook Marketplace and Nextdoor, to classics like Craigslist and eBay, if there’s something you’re looking to buy (or sell), there are many ways to find it.Read more...

There’s a lot of information out there—including on this site—listing garden tasks to complete in a particular month, or ahead of a certain season. And while there are always jobs you can do now to make your life easier in the future, some gardening experts say that when it comes to a pre-winter cleanup, less is more.…Read more...

The relationship between dogs and mail carriers is complex. As a common TV trope, it’s often played for laughs, but to the roughly 5,400 postal employees who were attacked by dogs in the U.S. in 2021 alone, it’s a serious job hazard.Read more...

Light bulbs are one of those things that you don’t really pay attention to until one burns out and you have to replace it. So when that time comes, do you replace it with an incandescent bulb, or a newer LED bulb? Here’s what to know about the differences in cost between the two.Read more...

Sometimes, interruptions are necessary—like if someone’s pointless speech at an awards show rambles on too long. But most of the time, interruptions that involve one person talking over another are rude and aggravating. And unfortunately, some people are chronic interrupters; no matter how many times someone points…Read more...

Thursday, September 29 is National Coffee Day. International Coffee Day—a separate made-up holiday that includes our friends abroad—falls two days later, on Saturday, October. 1. The important part is that there are coffee deals and freebies galore. Here are a few to consider.Read more...

It might not feel like it, but your wifi router is one of the most personal things you have in your home. All the internet traffic from every connected gadget in your home goes through this little device. That’s reason enough to protect it from any outsider—and protecting your main internet connection doesn’t require…Read more...

There’s no shortage of scammers out there pretending to be debt collectors, harassing you via call and text day after day. If you are blocking these numbers, you want to to be certain they really are scams, though, and that you’re not ignoring legitimate debt collectors (who can find you on social media, by the way).Read more...

There are two key signifiers that cement the fact that I am, officially, unambiguously, and regrettably, an adult. It isn’t my age (which, depending on the day and who you’re asking, is anywhere from 27 to 50 years old), and it isn’t the horizontal lines deepening on my forehead from the countless times people, life,…Read more...

I’m slow to catch on sometimes. Even though I’d had intermittent wheezing over the years, I didn’t learn I had asthma until my 30s. And even though air purifiers are widely recommended by almost everybody in the asthma and allergy world, I never looked into them. A “purifier,” really? Sounds hokey.Read more...

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Are you one of those elite grocery shoppers who calmly and methodically works your way through the aisles, cart tidy and organized, all produce in one section and boxes neatly stacked and standing upright? Or are you more of the hot mess variety, who flies through the store when you’ve got 20 minutes between baseball…Read more...

With the 14 Pro and 14 Pro Max, Apple has finally brought an always-on display (AOD) to the iPhone. Android devices had the feature for years ago and Apple has been producing compatible OLED displays for almost as long, yet only now are we able to keep our iPhone displays illuminated 27/7. Huzzah! Except the execution…Read more...

Lena Dunham is having a banner 2022, releasing two new films—her first self-penned, self-directed projects since Girls ended in 2017. The first out, Sharp Stick, is about a 26-year-old babysitter who loses her virginity to a married client. The other, dropping on Prime Video Oct. 7, is an adaptation of the beloved…Read more...

Don’t Worry Darling is opening in theaters this week, offering us our first chance to find out if the movie is better and more interesting than the production-related drama that’s dogged it for months. The production involved COVID-related delays, of course, but also at least one major casting conflict: Shia LeBeouf,…Read more...

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Dear Food and Drug Administration: You need to start asking me what things are real and what things are fake among teenagers before you send out warnings. This week’s real-things: Chinese teenagers pretending to go to American high school, a rapping politician redefining “cringe,” and a video game critic taking a huge…Read more...

The newly trending term “quiet quitting” typically refers to someone doing their job at the bare minimum to achieve work/life balance and move away from hustle culture. It’s not really about “phoning it in” but rather seeking more appropriate boundaries at work, like by leaving work on time every day, or outright…Read more...

As capable and in control as we may feel, the mind is able to trick us in many ways—and one of those ways is through cognitive bias. Cognitive bias is a systematic error in thinking that happens when the brain attempts to simplify the information it is processing and interpreting, which can then impact the decisions…Read more...

I’m a big fan of “elevated” video games designed with serious intent—think Papers, Please or This War of Mine—but sometimes I want the opposite. Sometimes I want to play a game that is as dumb as possible, a game so funny and ridiculous, it becomes literally impossible to think about anything while playing it. (It’s…Read more...

I have, in my life, put many different things and stuff into scrambled eggs. Cornstarch, cream of tartar, mirin, anchovies, and olive juice are just a few of the egg add-ins I have tasted and loved. But all of them pale in comparison to Dijon mustard, which has quite literally blown my mind just now.Read more...

So you consider yourself the opposite of a quiet quitter (which is a major misnomer, if you haven’t heard). Instead, you’re an overachiever—always striving to accomplish more and more. As we’ve said before, the stress that comes from overworking yourself can backfire, actually hurting your ability to do your job…Read more...

We last saw Copenhagen planks in our rundown of the best bodyweight exercises that actually build strength. But it’s an under-appreciated exercise, and deserves a spotlight of its own. The Copenhagen plank looks a bit like a side plank: You’re leaning on your hand or elbow, other arm away from the ground, trying to…Read more...

When you open Google Maps, it’s usually either for somewhere you’ve never been before, or a location you visit all the time. The app makes it easy to find a new restaurant or venue or try, but it’s just as good for monitoring traffic on your daily commute. We all have a host of frequent locations we enter into Google…Read more...

Buying vegetables in bulk is a good way to save money on already cheap (or not so cheap) vegetables. Many of them will keep for weeks in a cool, dry place, but even the most zealous vegetable enjoyer can find themselves with too much of a good thing. In moments like these, you turn to your freezer.Read more...

Most people wouldn’t necessarily think of cleaning an electrical outlet, what with the risk of shock and all—but they can get dusty just like anything else in your home. Dust can build up on the surfaces and prevent cords from making contact, and can even cause fire in extreme cases. To keep your outlets looking and…Read more...

Work burnout can take many forms: a general lack of enthusiasm for your work, cynicism about your co-workers, or the general fatigue associated with showing up every day to a job that has overworked you to the point of exhaustion. Depending on how bad the situation is, solutions can range from leaving the company…Read more...

Even if you’ve never once contemplated the flooring you walk on, buying a house will change that fast. There’s a reason everyone on House Hunters asks what kind of floors are in each house they visit: It’s because hardwood floors and laminate flooring are two very different things, but it can also be difficult to tell…Read more...

In case you weren’t aware, it’s nearly October, which means it’s almost time for Halloween. But you don’t need me to remind you of this fact; instead, just read the press release highlighting Paramount+’s schedule for the month, which inserts multiple puns (“A View From the Eeeeeeeek!”; “Peak Screaming”) to to…Read more...

Many people don’t like the camera cutouts that take up space on our smartphone screens. We’ve seen some ambitious applications for these cutouts in the past, like turning it into an old-school notification LED, but Apple takes the creative cake with the iPhone 14 Pro’s Dynamic Island. And while it’s entirely possible…Read more...

The FDA does not want you to cook your chicken in NyQuil. Nobody, in fact, wants to cook their chicken in NyQuil—that’s the whole joke. But the FDA issued a warning about “social media challenges involving medicines” because even shitposts can kill you, if you choose to make shitposts that are dumb enough.

Too often, things that are considered passive income are more of a misnomer than financial gurus would have you believe. In reality, many of the endeavors that get described as passive—like real estate, book royalties, or online sales—require a lot more work and consistent effort than the word “passive” suggests.…Read more...

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All cookies are beautiful just the way they are. As one of my top three favorite things, I’ll almost never turn down a cookie, and certainly not because of its looks. But there’s a drop-cookie beautification trend, and it has to do with making sure your cookies have the perfectly jagged, crinkly tops. It turns out,…Read more...

The lingering pandemic, rising crime, an uncertain economy: All good reasons to visit your doctor to get screened for anxiety, or so says the federal government. The advice isn’t just aimed at people already experiencing mental health issues—this week, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, an advisory group…Read more...

Rowers are having a moment. Hydrow seems to be forcefully inserting itself into our Instagram feeds (or is that just mine?), and even Peloton is selling one of them. We can probably credit the Crossfit boxes of the world for the machines’ ubiquity, as rowers provide a brutal workout but also stand up neatly against…Read more...

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You can see October’s full moon, called “The Hunter’s Moon,” rise on Sunday, October 9. It will be at its absolute brightest at at 4:54 P.M. ET, but you’ll have to wait for it to float over the horizon to see it. Or check it out on Saturday night; it won’t be fully full, but it will be close enough.