Lifehacker

It is August, which means I should have had a decent tomato sandwich by now, but the weather in Portland is a mess, my garden is a disaster, and none of my tomatoes have ripened to the point of being sandwich-worthy.Read more...

I’ve learned a lot in my many years in the gym, and beginner-me would be shocked and appalled by the things present-me does during workouts. With the benefit of experience, I now do exercises I used to think one should “never” do, and I’ve broken pretty much every other rule besides.Read more...

It’s hard to convey sarcasm in writing, but the consequences of using or interpreting a sarcastic phrase wrong can be serious. Sarcasm is, after all, “a sharp and often satirical or ironic utterance designed to cut or give pain” or “a mode of satirical wit depending for its effect on bitter, caustic, and often ironic…Read more...

Growing up, I was always a big beef eater, with pork being my second meat of choice. Unless it was battered and fried, I didn’t have much time for chicken. I thought it was boring, tasteless, pedestrian. But a proficient cook can make chicken taste really good, and a creative cook can make it taste outstanding. Ali…Read more...

Eggplant doesn’t have a strong foothold in American cuisine, and that needs to change. I’m surprised by how many adults I’ve met who’ve never eaten it, and others who won’t touch the stuff unless it’s covered in marinara and mozzarella. I love eggplant parm as much as the next girl, but there’s so much more to this…Read more...

Conventional wisdom says there isn’t really anything you can do for a broken toe. Well, conventional wisdom is dumb as hell. As it turns out, there are interventions that can—and should—be used when you break your toe.

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Last weekend, a Connecticut man went inside his house after doing some yard work only to see a wild black bear had taken up residency in his kitchen. The homeowner, Bill Priest, knew exactly what to do. This is because the same bear had previously broken into his garage refrigerator merely one weekend earlier. …Read more...

Although air travel with little kids is no walk in the park—especially when you yourself are terrified of flying—you at least get to keep your little ones in your line of sight for the entire journey. What about travel scenarios when you need to send your kid on a flight alone, as an unaccompanied minor?

In my experience, anyone who engages in competitive athletics of any kind will gladly eat, drink, or wear anything that will ethically enhance their performance. Runners eat disgusting gels to boost their energy and spray themselves down with lubricants to reduce chafing. And we’ve all seen football players sucking…Read more...

Apple Arcade is Apple’s solution to mobile gaming’s biggest stumbling block: Nobody wants to pay for individual games, but constant micro-transactions are equally painful. Five dollars per month for a large library of ad-free games that aren’t pay-to-win feels much more palatable. That is, until your favorite Apple…Read more...

If you’re fighting with your partner every day and it’s affecting your ability to connect or have a stable life outside of your relationship, you may be fighting too much. But before you freak out that your relationship is doomed because of the four fights you had last week, know that bickering all the time is not…Read more...

After seemingly endless false starts, Neil Gaiman’s graphic novel opus The Sandman is finally coming to Netflix this week. Gaiman’s work has never translated easily to the screen, but when the process works, it has gifted us with singular films like Coraline and Stardust, and shows like Good Omens and the…Read more...

I’m not one of those joyless people who thinks there’s something wrong with giving children creative and unusual names—I’d rather meet a little kid named Killarney than Kevin any day. But parents are tying their offspring to the associations people have with certain names, so they should at least consider what they’re…Read more...

Eggs are really pretty bland on their own, so they heavily benefit from added seasonings like a spritz of hot sauce, ketchup, or onion powder. I enjoy many sauces and dips with my eggs, but a recent discovery has me hoarding seemingly empty olive jars in my fridge. Make your eggs irresistible by getting them dirty…Read more...

As parents, we all want to make our children happy—we want them to have that coveted toy or the next fun experience. But there are always going to be times when your children want something that doesn’t fit into the family budget; a pricy new video game, an expensive summer camp, or a trendy piece of clothing is not…Read more...

One of the most devastating lessons of early childhood is that you sometimes have to apologize even when you’re not sorry. These days, you might not be snatching a toy from another kid just because you decided they had it long enough, but that doesn’t make having to force an apology any easier. Here’s how to do it and…Read more...

Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is one of the year’s best-reviewed Nintendo Switch games, thanks to its deep combat, sweeping story, and giant world that’s fun to explore. The game is engrossing from the moment you start, but there’s a way to get even more immersed in this epic JRPG.

Monkeypox is now definitively more widespread than just a few cases, with New York, California, and Illinois declaring emergencies and the World Health Organization calling it a Public Health Emergency of International Concern.Read more...

While there is no shortage of money saving tips for every college student to know, certain costs for an advanced education are unavoidable, like purchasing a laptop. And with the price of computers seeing a 1.3% increase in the last month alone, finding a deal on this essential item isn’t always easy. Luckily, a…Read more...

I grew up eating a lot of canned vegetables, mostly at my grandmother’s house but occasionally at home. (I was a big fan of making pizza bagels in the toaster oven, and often use canned mushrooms as a topping.) My mom used them sparingly, but it was the only kind of vegetable my grandmother cooked with, even if that…Read more...

There was one point during the depths of quarantining in 2020 when I convinced myself I was going to get really into painting. Two years later, I can’t bring myself to throw out the barely used paintbrushes and canvases shoved at the back of my closet. We all experimented with different coping mechanisms during the…Read more...

Generally, tech companies would rather you not repair your own stuff. It’s a problem that spans devices and machines of all kinds, from computers to lawn mowers, and has fueled what is known as the “right to repair” movement, which basically boils down to “if I bought it, I should be able to fix it.”

If your pup likes to swim and splash in ponds, pay attention if one of your favorite watering holes suddenly looks green or smells funny. This time of year, microscopic creatures called cyanobacteria can “bloom,” sometimes creating chemicals that are toxic to animals and people.Read more...

Having sex is (theoretically) fun, but it’s not without its potential pitfalls. According to research conducted by the U.K.-based Euroclinix, 17% of respondents admitted they’d injured themselves having sex at one point or another. The good news is only 2% of respondents felt the need to seek medical attention for…Read more...

If you’ve ever woken up to a broken water pipe in your home, a busted water heater, or have suffered through a flash flood that turns your basement into a swamp, you know that water can be one of the most destructive and damaging elements. If you own a home, you will eventually come to the realization that water…Read more...

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There’s nothing worse than feeling out of sync with the world as you struggle to adjust to a new timezone—especially when you’re on vacation and eager to get out an explore a new place. While every body is different, there are a handful of ways you can help yours make the adjustment more quickly. Here are 12 useful…Read more...

Love hurts sometimes, but when it comes to dating in a down economy, sometimes your wallet takes a bigger wallop than your heart. From gas to groceries, you’ve probably noticed things are more expensive than ever these days. You can thank inflation for that.Read more...

Last week I asked you to reveal the fast food items that you personally love, but know to be tragically underrated. While you might be inclined to keep the secrets to yourself, spreading the word about these hidden gems is an act of service. Think about it: If you’re the only loyal consumer, these underrated items…Read more...

There are many ways to prepare and consume hot dogs, and I enjoy the entire spectrum. Give me a grilled dog, an air fried dog, a split or spiraled dog, a Costco dog, or a chili dog. I will eat them all. I do, however, have a special place in my heart and stomach for dirty water dogs.Read more...

The term “narcissist” is thrown around a lot to describe any self-centered person, but narcissistic personality disorder is a real diagnosis that can be pretty serious. While we tend to frame narcissists as villains when we talk about them, it’s important to remember that someone with NPD has a mental condition, and…Read more...

If you, like me, end up with random bruises from bumping into furniture and struggle to get places without getting lost, the issue might a poor sense of spatial awareness. Spatial awareness is knowing where your body is in space, which includes where it is in relation to other objects or people. Spatial awareness also…Read more...

Making cheesecake is a pain in the ass, and something I only make for special occasions. Part of the problem is that I go all out. It’s a full production: Crumb crust, full-fat, full-sugar, three inches tall, baked in a water bath until just set, and cooled in the fridge overnight. Since I don’t always want to do all…Read more...

With the recent updates in iOS 15, the on-device Siri feature is surprisingly consistent at doing on-device tasks like setting timers, alarms, reminders, and calling people. In fact, placing calls is something that Siri has always been good at, and it does an equally good job for cellular calls or FaceTime calls. Now,…Read more...

Curious about those cable machines in your gym? Just as we guided you through some of the best beginner-friendly exercises to do with kettlebells and with TRX style suspension trainers, today we’re taking a look at some of the best exercises you can do with a cable machine.

There is no greater harbinger for summer’s end than the reemergence of back-to-school sales. And while your feelings towards this annual calendar event might be complicated, there’s no arguing that the less money spent on pens, markers, paper, folders, and notebooks—so many notebooks—the better.

There’s a lot going on in the night sky this month. I’m talking planets, meteors, asteroids, a supermoon, probably space aliens—it’s getting wild up there. Here are the celestial highlights of August 2022.

Summer is hot. This is known. No one expects summer to be cold. But this summer and last have been hot in a weird way. My fine city just broke its record for “consecutive days of temperatures 95℉ or higher,” and my single air conditioning unit is struggling to keep my living room below 80℉. (Also: My refrigerator is…Read more...

It’s not news that drinking water is very important. There’s been plenty written on how to determine the amount you should be drinking every day and then find creative ways to hit that mark. What might come as a shock, though, is that you can actually drink too much water—and doing so could be very hazardous to your…Read more...

Buying a house is a significant investment—for most of us, it’ll be the largest purchase we’ll ever make, and the biggest debt we’ll ever take on. Which can cause heart palpitations once you realize the house itself is just a collection of home repair bills waiting to be paid.

If the name of a product tells you how it’s meant to be used, you can usually take it at face value. Dog leashes restrain dogs. Garlic keepers hold garlic. We all know what car washes tend to wash. But when it comes to my spice cabinet, I’ll put those spices on whatever I damn well please. It’s time to free steak…Read more...

While the odds of getting struck by an exploding manhole cover are low, they’re not zero. According to the 2021 New York City Mayor Management Report, the New York Fire Department responded to 261 instances of manhole covers being dislodged by the force of explosion in the 2021 fiscal year. This is not a problem…Read more...

You’ve certainly been on both sides of a compliment sandwich—it’s the overrated idea that to give better feedback, you should sandwich the core criticism with positivity before and after. Finding praise to give is easy enough (even if you need to embellish the truth here and there). What about when you’re struggling…Read more...

iPhone’s Focus mode, which is a supercharged version of Do Not Disturb, gains new contextual abilities with the iOS 16 update. Over the last year, the Focus mode has become an integral part of life for users who want to separate work from life, or for specific activities. And now, you can use a new feature called…Read more...

A private outdoor space is one of the best reasons to buy a home. We dream of having our own space to show off to our friends, keep our kids busy (and tuckered out), and even earn a little extra cash.

The sharing economy seemingly allows you to turn every skill you have and everything you own into an income stream. In addition to driving and delivering and dog walking, you can rent out your home, car, RV, garage, and/or parking spot to strangers for cash. In the last few years, backyard swimming pools have also…Read more...

A new study suggests that dating-app users are are more likely to casually date and have casual sex. Surprise! While we probably didn’t need a study to state the obvious, casual sex still gets a bad rap, especially if that’s what you’re exclusively seeking. Our sexual wants and needs ebb and flow with life, and…Read more...

The name of the game for streaming in August: Reboots. Reboots, remakes, and reimaginings. As excited as I get to see beloved classics in a new light, I can’t help but be skeptical. Why mess with perfection, whether that “perfection” means the uplifting history in A League of Their Own (coming to Prime Video Aug. 12)…Read more...

Every year, and with every iOS update, it seems Apple tries to do something new when it comes to iPhone notifications. We’re not talking about reinventing the wheel or going the Android route—just incremental changes that improve your quality of life, at least as it pertains to your device.Read more...