Lifehacker

We’ve reached the time of year when colder, wetter weather is becoming more frequent, but there are still days mild enough to finish last-minute outdoor projects before winter. And if you’ve noticed that each spring, your paved driveway looks a little (or a lot) worse for wear, you may be wondering what you can do to…Read more...

There’s something special about a real, wood-burning fireplace: The scent, the crackling sounds, and watching the logs slowly burn down to glowing embers. But they’re also a hassle, and pretty dirty. Because of that, many people have opted to install gas fireplaces instead.Read more...

Over time, a lot can happen to your home’s windows—both inside and outside—including scratches. If you happen to notice some scratches on the glass, you may not even be sure how they got there. (Unless you just saw a toddler reach for a pair of keys and go to town scribbling on a window. If so, it’s probably that.)Read more...

Depending on who you ask, the 1990s were the last great decade for romantic comedies. Sure, there were some in the early 2000s too, but the genre—known for cheesy plot lines and setting unrealistic dating expectations for pretty much everyone—sort of fizzled after that.

Knowing how to unclog a drain is an important life skill. But what’s even better than successfully unclogging a drain? Not having to do it in the first place. The problem is, many people tend to think of a drain as a way to get rid of things—whether or not our drains are equipped to handle them.Read more...

It’s a good weekend to stay inside and download some video games. While real-life Black Friday doesn’t happen for another week, PlayStation and Xbox are already running virtual Black Friday sales in their respective online stores, so you can snag some cheap games without waiting in long lines at Wal-Mart. While not…Read more...

It’s the season of giving, but when it comes to kids who have playrooms already overflowing with toys, books, games, and puzzles, the holidays can bring an unwanted influx of stuff adding to the mess you’re already struggling to contain.

By this point, pretty much everyone is aware that air fryers are “just small convection ovens” and that they “don’t really fry anything.” But, semantics aside, having a tiny convection oven on your counter is pretty convenient. Air fryers—on the whole—rule, and you can (and should) harness their full power to make…Read more...

The FDA authorized Moderna and Pfizer boosters today for everyone aged 18 and older, and the CDC’s advisory panel followed up with a recommendation to match. Bottom line, if you’ve been holding out because you weren’t sure if you’re eligible, you’re now definitely cleared to go get one. The only requirement is that…Read more...

If you’re buying a gift for someone with an iPhone, it’s likely they have an Apple Watch on their list (if they don’t own one already). Apple Watch is the most popular smartwatch in the world; the only problem is, there are quite a few of them to choose from. Between the Series 3, Series 7, SE, and others, how do you…Read more...

From wreaths to string lights, indoors and out, holiday decorations can be a hassle to put up—and they can damage your walls, siding, and doors with unnecessary (and permanent) hardware. Instead, here’s how to decorate easily and breezily without the added holes and permanent hooks, while also better protecting the…Read more...

The PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X are big, and you’ll likely need to make room to place one of these consoles in your home theater or on your desk.

Cranberry sauce is probably the easiest Thanksgiving dish you can make from scratch. Add 12 ounces of cranberries to a pot, along with a cup of sugar and a cup of water. Bring to a boil and let simmer until the cranberries pop and reduce into a thick, jelly-like sauce. Put it on turkey and eat it.

Searching for data or photo lockers will lead you to many apps. Some of them are genuinely secure—others, less so—but given that you’re dealing with secure data (documents, photos, security codes, or bank details), you maybe don’t want to trust a third-party iPhone app that happens to have a thousand 5-star reviews.…Read more...

Long gone are the days of the monoculture, when everyone settled for watching one of the same three shows every night (because that’s all that was on). Today, the only thing that unifies our viewing habits is how much time we all spend figuring out what to watch—there’s so much good stuff out there, figuring out how…Read more...

We’ve all had a rough couple of years (decades?), but that doesn’t mean everything will continue to slide downhill. Maybe I’m a foolish optimist, but it’s the holidays, and these 10 technologies and trends make me genuinely hopeful for the future. Maybe we’ll wind up living in the hopeful sci-fi vision of the ‘50s,…Read more...

When you’re heading somewhere likely to have spotty internet coverage, downloading your favorite TV shows and movies beforehand is always a solid plan. Most streaming services allow you to do this to some extent, but until recently, you could only download Amazon Prime Video content onto a mobile device. Well, no…Read more...

Talking to a friend about health can be hard enough, but talking your parents about any kind of change can feel borderline impossible. Combine these two endeavors, and it can feel like you’re on a fool’s errand.

Now more than ever, there is a push for toy and clothing manufacturers to create gender-neutral options for kids; ones that don’t exclusively push pink, fluffy princess gear on girls, and firetruck-themed everything on boys. Offering unisex products enables children to play and explore outside of traditional gender…Read more...

This week, the kids are raging against work, throwing cheese at cars, and enjoying the trailer for the new Spider-Man movie. Youth is wasted on the young.

You may have noticed we’re in the thick of gift-giving season. Well, I’m not; my shopping is basically done. (Those supply chains will not have their way with me, no they will not.) But as I peruse the list of gifts I have purchased over the past month, I ask myself: Is any of this any good? Does my 11-year-old really…Read more...

I do two workouts most days: a session on a spin bike in the morning, and weightlifting in the afternoon or evening. But I remember a time when two-a-days sounded like an incredible amount of work, the domain of pro athletes and people who had an unhealthy obsession with exercise. It turns out that doubling up on…Read more...

While its original series don’t always have the marquee value of those on rival services, Hulu has quietly been building one of the strongest catalogs of original content in the Peak Streaming era—the recent delights of Only Murders in the Building being but one case in point (pun slightly intended).Read more...

The traditional Thanksgiving menu is not exactly vegan friendly (or even vegetarian friendly). Nearly every dish contains cream, butter, eggs, or turkey stock, and the whole thing is centered around a large, dead bird.Read more...

Split chores. Built-in company. Someone else’s expensive snacks for you to steal in gradual, imperceptible portions. There are a lot of compelling reasons to have roommates, but odds are your decision to live in a shared household is primarily a financial one.

If only the words to the kid’s song were true: Clean up, clean up, everybody everywhere. Clean up, clean up, everybody do their share.Read more...

If your iPhone won’t stop dropping calls, it can be difficult to troubleshoot. After all, you can’t just switch to Cingular Wireless anymore, and without the support of the network with the fewest dropped calls, what are you supposed to do? If your issue is tied to an iPhone 12 or iPhone 13, however, there is a new…Read more...

The weird thing about franchise canon is you have to take the good with the bad. This means that Disney/Lucasfilm has spent the better part of the past decade working overtime to fix the parts of the official Star Wars storyline that, uh, don’t really work—retroactively making them at least seem better by retconning…Read more...

Even with the many music streaming options to choose from these days, Spotify is still the king for millions of users. While the app is enjoying a long, successful run, it hasn’t shined in every category. Real-time lyrics have been notably absent from Spotify’s features for some time now, as competing services like…Read more...

Siri is no one’s favorite virtual assistant, and if it’s also always pronouncing your name wrong, it’s doing little to endear itself to you. As recently as iOS 14, you could let Siri know its pronunciation was incorrect, and tell it the correct way to say your (or another contact’s) name. This method has been removed…Read more...

Last week I asked you all for your favorite, non-negotiable, I-will-flip-a-table-if-it’s-omitted side dishes and, unsurprisingly, you had some opinions. Everyone was, however, very polite, which I appreciated because people can get heated about potatoes, gravy, and casseroles.

Electronics are among some of the best, most-coveted gifts, but top-of-the-line tech isn’t cheap. Here’s a look at the best time to buy electronics for those on your gift list (or for yourself) before the holiday season passes us by.Read more...

Popular stock trading app Robinhood recently experienced a security breach that exposed the personal information of millions of users. While most Robinhood users—and their investments—are apparently safe, a follow-up investigation revealed more information was stolen than originally thought, and users need to take…Read more...

When I decided to teach myself how to cook, I wasn’t hoping to create elaborate, show-stopping meals. I just wanted to be able to take a look at what was in the fridge and be able to whip something together like a functional human adult. But since I had no kitchen experience at all, making a tasty stir-fry seemed like…Read more...

The official-unofficial kick-off of the holiday season, aka the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, is returning in full force this year. After 2020’s crowd-less experience, thousands of parade-goers are expected to line the streets of Manhattan on Thursday, Nov. 25, while millions more will tune in from across the…Read more...

Is it time to let go of your iPhone or iPad? Are you upgrading to a newer, better model, or passing it on to a family member? Maybe it just has to go in for repair. Before you do any of that, you’ll first want to completely wipe your iPhone or iPad to securely remove your personal data, Apple ID, and Activation Lock…Read more...

I am wholly and unwaveringly a December Christmas decorator. (Before kids, sometimes it was mid-month before I decked any halls.) No ornament leaves its box, no sprig of holly tickles the mantel, no tree makes its way through the front door until Thanksgiving has passed. I’m generally not down with seasonal rushing;…Read more...

The holidays are largely about enjoying many of your favorite foods—it’s not really a holiday meal unless your plate is overloaded with an entire constellation of colors and textures. However, if you are hosting a small Thanksgiving, the total volume of food, prepared in their usual proportions, can become…Read more...

LinkedIn has been a bit slow to hop on the dark mode train, but it’s finally begun rolling out a more eye-pleasing theme. The feature comes to both LinkedIn’s desktop website, as well as its iPhone and Android apps; so if you’re job-hunting late at night—or scrolling to see what the latest business influencers are up…Read more...

The CDC director brought up a math equation in a press conference recently, one that a lot of parents have been doing in our heads ever since vaccines for 5- to 11-year-olds first became available: No matter your age, if you want to be fully vaccinated for Christmas, Sat., Nov. 20 is your last chance to start a Pfizer…Read more...

The Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro are lauded for their many features, but one common criticism for both devices surrounds the fingerprint scanner. This year, Google opted for an in-display fingerprint scanner, which is awesome in theory—it allows for an edge-to-edge display, without worrying about taking up any screen real…Read more...

More American workers quit their jobs in September 2021 than ever before, leading some academics to speculate that “boomerang employees” (a cute name for “rehires”) will soon be much more common. Boomeranging is nothing new, especially in high-turnover industries—and under the right circumstances, it’s beneficial for…Read more...

Winter weather has a way of getting inside the house. Muddy boots and wet clothes can make a big mess inside, especially with extra items from guests, but you can organize your mudroom or create a drop zone for winter gear to keep your house both clean and dry.

Smoked turkey is one of the most delicious forms a turkey can take, but not everyone has a smoker (or even a grill). Thankfully, you don’t need one. You can make your very own smoked turkey right in your regular ol’ oven.

Malware is no fun (some would say it bytes, if they were very funny). If installed on your Android device, malware can steal data, mess with functionality, and, on top of it all, trick your phone into installing more malware. Nobody intentionally downloads malware onto their phone, but it can be trickier than you…Read more...

If you’re planning to lift a heavy weight, it’s important to do warmup sets to prepare yourself. Normally you’ll lift the bar, then add some weight, and then add some more weight, and so on. But how many of those jumps do you need to take before you can considered yourself warmed? And what happens if you choose too…Read more...

With macOS 12 Monterey, the Shortcuts app made its debut, enabling automation on iPhones, iPads, Apple Watches, and HomePods. If you’ve installed Shortcuts on your Mac, you should try some of the best automation routines for your computer. As you do, you’ll benefit from these useful tips to help you make the most of…Read more...

Have you noticed your Mac slowing down after you upgraded to macOS 12 Monterey? You aren’t alone. Plenty of people have reported seemingly random slowdowns and extraordinarily high RAM usage across various apps—even ones that don’t otherwise require much RAM, such as Tweetbot, have been consuming a lot of memory. If…Read more...

It’s finally your turn on the family’s desktop computer. It takes forever to boot up. (You kill time by rapping along to the bridge in Evanescence’s “Bring Me To Life,” feebly blasting from your iPod nano.) You’re finally online. What’s the first site you visit to express your emo musical taste, rearrange your…Read more...

The ability to build a PC is a valuable skill if you’re serious about gaming or interested in computer tech in general. Installing future upgrades, troubleshooting errors, and fine-tuning your machine to run games and apps is a lot easier when you know exactly which components are in your PC, how they connect to each…Read more...