Lifehacker

Airplane mode is baked into nearly all of our devices, ready to be toggled on whenever we board an aircraft. Usually when you’re not flying, it’s of limited utility (unless you really don’t want someone to call you). After all, why would you purposely disconnect yourself from the internet ? Well, a couple reason,…Read more...

Large outdoor woodworking projects, from fences to picnic tables, can present a challenge because the wood you choose will need to be able to withstand the elements. Choosing the right kind of lumber will help furniture and structures hold up better against moisture, temperature changes, and pests. Here are some…Read more...

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Passport and driver’s license photos are notoriously bad—about as far from glamour shots as you can get. The only upside to braving the DMV to get a renewed license is the chance to swap out your outdated or unflattering photo.

Recently, I wrote about some of the lesser-known cleaning applications of dishwasher tablets around the house. In the comments, someone asked, “What’s the difference between dissolving the pods in warm water and using that to clean instead of...you know, soapy water?”

Of all the Wordle variations, only a few have stuck with me. I play original Wordle the most regularly. Dordle and Quordle are a nice addition to the routine. When I’m bored, the larger multi-Wordles are fun, and it’s really satisfying to tussle with the AI that runs Absurdle and back it into a corner. But when I just…Read more...

Dress shirts for men can be complicated. Most of us grow up with a very laissez-faire attitude towards dress shirts—especially when it comes to fit and length. Wearing shirts untucked might look a little sloppy, but when you’re younger you don’t care too much about looking a little sloppy, unless you were one of those…Read more...

We generally try to cast a wide net at Lifehacker.com, covering topics that will improve the lives of millions, maybe billions, of people. But that puts us at risk of missing the niche-dwellers and oddballs who would benefit from specific, targeted tips (those of you who might want to steal a relative’s remains, for…Read more...

You and your future roommates have successfully found a new apartment. Congrats! Now, the hard part: Who gets which room? And how will that impact how you split the rent?

Last week, as I was preparing my grill to cook this lamb shoulder, I faced a crisis: I could not find the little metal clips that came with my grilling thermometer. If you are unfamiliar with these clips, they are meant to hold one of your thermometer probes above the grill grates so it can measure the ambient…Read more...

It’s an old cliché that Americans are prudish and shy about nudity while Europeans just strut about half-naked all the time, being all sophisticated and worldly, but there is a healthy Naturist community right here in the U.S., whether you realize it or not. And there are actually fewer rules against taking off your…Read more...

Back in the ‘90s, you needed to have powerful hardware to use an operating system as advanced as, oh, Mac OS 8. Nowadays, you can run the whole thing in a Chrome tab. It’s easy to forget just how far computers have come in a relatively short time. In case you want a quick reminder, you can try running these two old…Read more...

To start with, I used to hate front squats, too, so I don’t want to hear any “but they hurt my wrists” business, OK? Front squats are an amazing exercise for your legs and—secretly—for your back. They have great carryover to other things you might want to do in the gym or in life. And they really, truly do not have to…Read more...

I’m not sure when I had my first un-casseroled green bean, but I don’t remember being particularly impressed. I actually don’t think I was impressed by a green bean, casseroled or otherwise, until I had them blistered and seasoned with Szechuan spices from a Chinese restaurant. Those are still my favorite green beans,…Read more...

Are Macs good gaming machines? Sorta. Macs, and MacBooks especially, aren’t optimized for gaming to say the least, and many games simply do not support macOS. That said, Mac gaming has come a long way in the past few years, and it’s easier than ever to find and play games on an Apple computers (you know, relatively).

April’s full Moon rises on Saturday, April 16, and reaches peak illumination at 2:57 p.m. ET. Lifehack: Enjoy the Pink Moon’s peak illumination while listening to Nick Drake’s seminal, bittersweet 1972 album Pink Moon—there are way worse things you could be doing at 3 a.m. in the springtime.

Your living space may be smaller than you want it to be...but it doesn’t have to look that way. There are several relatively easy to grasp design principles—centering around the concepts of scale, light, and movement—you can employ to trick the eye into perceiving a greater sense of space.

My religious upbringing was, in a word, confusing, so the Easters of my youth were very basket-focused. My mom still send me Easter packages, but I have not been inside a church in I don’t know how many years. I do appreciate Easter food, however, and Passover food, for that matter. I just like food, especially when…Read more...

Food allergies suck, whether you have them yourself or you have to watch out for a child or loved one to make sure they don’t eat the wrong thing. They can fall anywhere on the spectrum from merely annoying to life threatening, and while some are lifelong, others can be temporary. Some mild allergies can be managed,…Read more...

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The COVID-19 pandemic temporarily reduced the amount of weddings, causing people to reschedule or postpone their big day, but weddings are back in a big way now. According to The Knot, 27% of last year’s weddings were ones that had been pushed back, and guest list amounts climbed closer to the pre-pandemic average.…Read more...

Movies seem to be getting longer, but TV shows are getting shorter. As recently as 10 years ago, it was the norm for top-rated shows to produce 22 episodes or more every season. These days, that’s more or less a thing of the past, and only broadcast network shows even seem to bother with a consistent annual release…Read more...

Security updates are not something to be ignored: They patch critical issues with your tech that could compromise your privacy, security, and data. So when a company, like Google, drops a new security update for a device, like your Pixel, you should take note and install the update as soon as possible.

Remember when our minds were all blown when we discovered we could move the cursor on our iPhones by holding the space bar? Well, there are more hidden shortcuts like that—some of which are, admittedly, more useful than others, but all of which are worth a test drive to see if they, too, can become your new favorite…Read more...

Sociological studies, history, and a quick look at Twitter all confirm a simple fact: People are terrible. We’re terrible because we’re born that way, and because we work diligently toward terribleness.

There are a few things in life you can never have enough of. Time and money might be the first two that come to mind, but there are times when storage space on your computer could be a close third. When you unexpectedly run out of space—just as you’re trying to install a large game or download a high-res movie—your…Read more...

Every computer develops some cruft over time: the small app you installed years ago and forgot about, or a cleaning utility you downloaded when you wanted to free up some space, but is still running in the background. Plus, Windows comes with its own bloatware. No matter how old (or new) your Windows PC is, you should…Read more...

PC gaming is rightly considered a “high-end” computer task. While plenty of games will run on weak or outdated PCs and laptops, the biggest, newest games require powerful hardware and gaming-friendly operating systems like Windows or SteamOS—features that tiny productivity machines like Chromebooks lack.

When you hear the words “ray tracing,” your mind likely dredged up images of cutting-edge games. Ray tracing didn’t hit mainstream PC GPUs until 2018, and only the latest generation of consoles supports the tech, so it wasn’t much of a consideration for a majority of the gaming community until recently. Still, retro…Read more...

According to the rules of popular culture, a cop has to answer honestly when faced with the hard-hitting question of “Are you a cop?” Tragically, this is not true. Police officers are legally allowed to lie. In fact, they’re allowed to lie a lot.

Pastry brushes are essential kitchen tools, even if you’re not much of a baker. In addition to applying egg (or mayo) washes to breads and pastries, you can use them to apply a slick sheen of mustard to a leg of lamb (to help the seasoning stick), baste a roast, or paint a whole chicken with mayonnaise. They do,…Read more...

Commercially made cannabis edibles are increasingly available as adult-use retail sales sweep the nation (in slow motion). Once upon a time, you had to DIY, but today, you can consult a trusted shop—if not one of the dozens of cannabis cookbooks coming to market faster than that brownie will kick in.Read more...

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Connection is key in every relationship, but day-to-day life—from work, kids, and chores to our attachment to our phones—can make it difficult to regularly communicate and sync up with our partner. When a relationship hits a snag, it’s not always clear what we need to do to cultivate a healthier and closer connection.…Read more...

Since its February in release, Elden Ring has taken the internet by storm as millions of hapless players explore the Lands Between, die repeatedly (and violently) along the way, and then meme about it. This latest release from Hidetaka Miyazaki and FromSoftware—creators of Demon’s Souls and Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice…Read more...

Though hand sanitizer has been around for decades, it became indispensable at the beginning of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic—and since then, the product has been subject to a number of ironic recalls. Now, hand sanitizers featuring either Mickey Mouse or Baby Yoda on the label are part of another. The voluntary recall…Read more...

A fire pit is a welcoming addition to any backyard. It can become a central gathering point and can extend the warm season by keeping you cozy from spring through fall. Building a fire pit yourself is a tempting project, but there are some things you should consider before taking this on—for your safety and your…Read more...

Last week, Sony announced its revamped “PlayStation Plus” subscription service, offering three different tiers that let you play games online, as well as access exclusive games. If you want access to all games offered, including PS2, PS3, and PSP options, you need to resign yourself to a $120 per year subscription.…Read more...

Originally created as a rust-prevention solvent for use in the aerospace industry, WD-40 has become the go-to product for your home’s squeaky door hinges and stuck bike chains (Which can be counter productive as it then traps dirt and dust inside.) There’s some debate about what the product actually is, however—and…Read more...

If you’re online, you’ve probably been witness to a crime. I’m not referring to the crime of being cringe—I’m talking about people who openly post incriminating information on social media.

One of my hobbies is lurking in a Facebook group called something along the “Trader Joe’s Meal Ideas for Busy Moms.” As in any Facebook group, this one has a fair amount of drama, and several recurring themes: “Look at this bug I found in this bag of produce,” “Look at my charcuterie board,” and “Is this mold?” are a…Read more...

If you’re new to going to the gym, we have a whole guide to the basic, possibly embarrassing questions that may come up in your head. But today we’re going to zero in on one of the more common things to overthink about: How long a time is it okay to spend on a machine?

Though ants can show up in your home any time of year, you may notice them becoming particularly active in the spring. That’s because after spending the winter taking shelter under wood piles or yard debris—or even hiding out inside your walls—the combination of warmer weather and more rain than usual is their signal…Read more...

One of the best parts about spring is finally getting back outside to enjoy nature. Or, at least that’s the case until you run into some sort of obstacle, like an especially muddy trail, seasonal allergies, or ending up with a red, itchy rash after coming in contact with poison ivy, or a similarly irritating plant.Read more...

Although parts of the country are waking up to snow this morning, it is technically spring—which means it’s time for some spring cleaning. And your car is no exception.Read more...

Think back to your days in driver’s ed. Aside from being told to hold the steering wheel at “10 and 2" (something now considered outdated and potentially dangerous), you were probably also constantly reminded to adjust your mirrors and check your blind spot.Read more...

When deciding what type of container is best for growing your plants, you’ve probably at least considered traditional unglazed terracotta pots. They’ve long been a staple of at-home gardening, and for good reason: They’re relatively inexpensive, can be reused, and are porous, allowing for an exchange of air and water.Read more...

After making it through another long winter, warmer spring weather gave us a reason to get excited. But now that allergy season is in full swing, those who live with seasonal allergies—sometimes referred to as “hay fever”—may be wishing that they lived somewhere else. Specifically, somewhere where allergy season isn’t…Read more...

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I used to be freaked out on airplanes. My aerophobia wasn’t severe enough that I took trains everywhere, but it was bad. I had to force myself to board flights, and the days preceding any trip were spent fretting about the upcoming trial-by-airline instead of planning vacation activities.