Lifehacker

Apple often implements features to keep the average user’s personal data secure, but preventing sophisticated cyberattacks from state-sponsored hacking groups is much harder. To combat these high-level threats, Apple is rolling out a new “Lockdown Mode” for iOS/iPadOS 16 and macOS Ventura. But does it mean anything for…Read more...

Buying a house is always a fraught, stressful experience. For that reason, some buyers opt for new construction when house-hunting. They rationalize that new construction means more control over the style, floor plan, and features of the home—but also that a newly-built home will need less maintenance and present…Read more...

The Mail app on the iPhone is a workhorse, but it rarely gets much love from Apple. With iOS 16 though, Apple is bringing many quality of life improvements to Mail, like email scheduling, recall, and reminders, to make the app more competitive with feature-rich email clients like Spark.

I’m not sure if it’s just me, but everything happening in pop culture this week fills me with ambivalence. I appreciate that you’d want to raise an army of frogs, but am aware of the potential environmental impact. It’s funny to ask your child if they’ll fight alongside you, but fighting is bad. The big telescope is…Read more...

The summer heat is overwhelming, and hot times call for cold foods. Grab some ice cream, you say? A popsicle? That’s quaint. Instead, reach for the unexpected. Although frozen liquids will always have an icy place in my freezer and a warm place in my cold heart, it’s time to embrace a new frozen dessert: the Pop-Tart.

By now, you may have seen the news that a breeding facility in Virginia was inspected and shut down after authorities discovered abysmal conditions for the dogs—which means 4,000 beagles are in need of adoption or fostering. According to the New York Times, the authorities have about two months to find homes for all…Read more...

Spam texts are an unfortunate fact of life now. Looking at your phone to see a strange number or email address with an equally strange message attached is par for the course. However, not all strange texts seem like spam: Sometimes, you receive a message that looks totally legit, just clearly not meant for you. A…Read more...

Sore throats are pretty common and usually nothing to worry about. Sometimes, though, they can point to something pretty serious. I, for instance, had a very dramatic tonsillectomy at the big age of 17 after a year of near-endless sore throats—no amount of at-home remedies could have fixed what ended up requiring two…Read more...

When it comes to eating animals, most white Americans seem to favor muscle and flesh over innards, heads, tails, tendons, and anything that isn’t, well, muscle and flesh. That’s too bad, because those are some of the best bits with the most flavor, particularly in the case of shrimp.Read more...

Read more...

The FDA just authorized a COVID vaccine called Novavax, and the government has secured 3.2 million doses. That gives us a fourth option for getting vaccinated against COVID. So what is it, how effective is it, and who should consider getting it?

Hot sauce on eggs is the perfect way to light a fire under your ass in the morning. The best choice for my eggs has long been Trader Joe’s jalapeño pepper hot sauce (which, according to Reddit, has been discontinued, and I hate that they did this to me); the flavor is bold and a bit fruity, with heat that kicks but …Read more...

The new Consumer Price Index was released this week by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and the results weren’t pretty. According to their report, the CPI-U went up 1.3% in June, beating out last month’s poor performance of an increase of 1% for May. While inflation continues to impact the average consumer’s wallet,…Read more...

Buying a car with a bank loan is so common most of us don’t even think about it—and these days, you increasingly need a bank loan to buy a used car. When you take a loan for a car you’re signing an agreement that says you’ll make the required payments or the lender can come and take the car away from you, but car…Read more...

The Photos app is getting many updates with iOS 16. Between Shared iCloud Photo Library and the new batch-edit feature, it’s easy to lose track of the smaller, quality-of-life features that make their way to your iPhones and iPads. A new Duplicates album is one such feature. Apple now automatically scans your library…Read more...

One of LinkedIn’s most notoriously annoying features is its insistence on snitching. Anytime you visit a person’s profile on LinkedIn, the site lets that person know, which goes against most other social media platforms’ philosophy of, “Sure, check out their page—they’ll never know.” LinkedIn tries to sell you on the…Read more...

Read more...

In 2021, buying a house felt like war. In 2022, it’s hell. Though the madness of last year—when the pandemic sales boom coupled with record low mortgage rates led to massive price spikes and cutthroat competition among buyers—has eased somewhat, inventory is still historically low and prices are still elevated (if …Read more...

A friendly solar-powered glow is a welcoming addition to any porch or patio—and since the components of solar LEDs have become relatively cheap, it’s not hard to find affordable solar walkway lights, string lights, or other small solar fixtures. They often don’t come in a lot of varieties, though, beyond the usual…Read more...

Commercial lobster diver Michael Packard claims he was scooped up by a humpback whale while he was out for a dive last summer in Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Speaking about his experience, he told a local Boston television station, “I felt this huge bump and everything went dark. Then I felt around, and I realized there…Read more...

This week, NASA released the first images from the Jame Webb Space Telescope, giving us a never-before seen view of the cosmos. This towering achievement for humanity allows us to see further out into space, and further back in time, than we have ever been able to before. We can now see the first stars to ever exist,…Read more...

I take wedge salads seriously and treat every ingredient with the respect it deserves. I’m usually not opposed to a store-bought bacon bit or tub of pre-crumbled blue cheese, but that all changes when I build a wedge. I cook and crumble bacon, pull some chives from my garden, and crumble blue cheese that I buy from a…Read more...

We’ve been there many times: You need cash to make a purchase (especially internationally), but there are no in-network ATMs nearby. Now what? We have some tips for how to save as much as possible the next time you’re caught in this situation.Read more...

Living in an apartment as I do, I love watching TV with headphones. It’s not easy (nor neighborly) to design a home theater with booming surround sound that shakes the walls, floors, and ceilings, so headphones are the perfect compromise, allowing me to crank up the volume as loud as I want (or can tolerate), while…Read more...

The fear of flying is real and debilitating for some people, even though millions of people ride around on big jets every year with no issue. We have tons of posts full of facts and tips designed to help people who stress about air travel (including advice straight from a pilot), but none of them include any advice…Read more...

Read more...

If you’re heading to the beach, you’ve probably packed things to do (a book, some sand toys for the kids) and things to eat (the best beach sandwich, of course). But did you remember anything to drink? If you’re like most of us, you probably didn’t pack enough water.Read more...

Finishing a dish with browned butter—or beurre noisette if you’re French—is an easy way to add a little bit of impressive luxury. Once you know how to do it, it almost feels like cheating. Simmer some butter over low heat until the solids fall out, then keep cooking until they turn a deep, golden brown. Spoon the…Read more...

Some things are hard to explain, and body movements are definitely on that list. When you’re lifting a weight or getting into a yoga pose, each of the 600-ish muscles in your body has a specific role. So trainers have come up with metaphors, feelings, and visual descriptions to help get the message across. Sometimes…Read more...

When you book hotels through a third-party vendor, you’re essentially trading flexibility for a lower price. For example, Priceline offers what they call a Priceline Express Deal where you can book a hotel room for up to 60% off its advertised price, but the catch is that they won’t tell you exactly which hotel you’ll…Read more...

It’s a bad sign if you refuse to take your multivitamin when someone else is in the kitchen. It doesn’t happen every time, but no one wants to risk the possibility of someone witnessing their vitamin-induced coffee regurgitation. And then the attempt to force the pill down again...it’s a terrible business. But…Read more...

To add a bold splash of color to your space, watercolor mural accent walls are the rising trend. While you could put up watercolor wallpaper, you can opt for a truly unique mural by painting one yourself—it’s not as difficult as you might think, requiring just a few tools and materials. Here’s what you’ll need to get…Read more...

Apple makes a mean iPhone camera, but when it comes to their Macs, it’s a whole different story. Sure, they’re getting better, with the M1 Macs having the best of the bunch, but there are a lot of Macs out there with subpar webcams. If you use an external display for your MacBook, you might not even have a good webcam…Read more...

Citrus fruits are some of the most versatile gifts Mother Nature throws our way. Life gives us lemons, and we use them to make everything from curd to salad dressing. In fact, we’ve found ways to use the whole darn thing. Of course the fruity middle of a citrus fruit is great, but there is even a way to make the peel …Read more...

Chad Robertson MediaPaying for major home repairs, such as a leaky roof or broken water heater, definitely isn’t the exciting part of homeownership. If you’re going to spend money, you’d probably much prefer to do something fun, like upgrading your outdoor space or remodeling your kitchen.

There’s a beautiful Windows/Android ecosystem in the making. The new Phone Link app for Windows puts your Android notifications, photos, and calls on your PC. You can even run Android apps on Windows 11. But there’s still one thing missing: a shared clipboard. Until Microsoft adds this feature to their Phone Link…Read more...

Even if you forever have the best intentions, you will end up seriously offending someone at some point in your life. No matter how educated, aware, or gentle you are, it’s basically a human inevitability, and it happens to us all. Whether you mean to be offensive or whether you even think the other person should be…Read more...

Cemeteries aren’t just for the dead, the mourning, and edgy teens anymore. With more and more cities rethinking the role their cemeteries play in public life, your local graveyard could be a lovely, quiet spot for a stroll, jog, or even a picnic. Notably absent from this list of wholesome activities: Walking your dog.Read more...

Even though unemployment is currently low and qualified workers are in high demand, it’s still hard to land a job sometimes—especially a good one. Job hunting can be frustrating, but you’ll likely get through it successfully if you can avoid making any of these seven common mistakes.

For something that affects so many Americans, we don’t seem to understand how gas prices actually work. Weird conspiracy theories and free-floating anger run rampant in small talk, blaming everyone from the president to greedy oil company executives to consumers themselves. It has to be someone’s fault.

Parenting is an exhausting marathon, from the early, sleep-deprived days, to the nonstop grind of elementary school extracurricular activities, to the stress of college admissions. These pressures are very real, and not to be underestimated.Read more...

When traveling abroad, you need to do your research to make sure you’re getting the absolute best exchange rate—but even if you touch down in a foreign country having perfectly budgeted out your spending, the best laid plans can go awry. In particular, if you find yourself using a foreign ATM, it’s important you don’t…Read more...

How is it that kids seem to require exponentially more stuff than adults every time you leave the house—but especially when traveling? While you could easily pack your personal items into a carry-on, you need multiple, extra-large suitcases to carry all the clothes, toys, and gear for your children.

There are a few features across Apple devices that remind me why I’m tied into their ecosystem. Universal Control lets my move between my Mac and iPad with using the same keyboard and mouse; AirDrop makes file sharing stupidly simple; Handoff allows you to copy and paste between devices with ease. And a new photo…Read more...

If you got COVID recently, chances are good that it was BA.5, currently the dominant strain in the U.S. This new version of COVID is concerning, even though it’s not that different from the ones that came before it. Here’s what you need to know.

I often root through my fridge looking for undiscovered, sophisticated meals to magically appear. I must have experienced this phenomenon at least once, as I have this hope daily. What I normally find instead are open jars of long-lost olives, dips, and salsas. I consider most of these fair-game accessories for eggs,…Read more...

“Manhattanhenge” is generating chatter again as the phenomenon is coming to an end for the year on Tuesday—but what the hell is it? If you live in New York City (or follow someone who does on social media) you’ve probably seen something about Manhattanhenge, which takes place when the sun sets perfectly between the…Read more...

Read more...

After months of generating hype, Nothing announced the Phone 1, its first smartphone, and second ever product. The idea is to deviate from what the other smartphone manufacturers are making, and develop a smartphone that does exactly what people want it to do (and nothing they don’t).Read more...

Whether we like it or not, we’re all getting older. In fact, according to the U.S. census, the country as a whole is getting older, and the population of adults over the age of 85 is estimated to triple in the next 20-30 years. So it’s not surprising that there are close to one million people residing in assisted…Read more...