Lifehacker

Is any social media platform truly troll-free? My theory is that LinkedIn will be our last bastion of exclusively earnest posting. In the meantime, TikTok continues to update ways for users to limit the hate and harassment thrown their way.

If you and your kids are tired of watching It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown and The Paul Lynde Halloween Special over and over and over every October, these 10 new Halloween specials, special episodes, and series are kid-friendly spooky alternatives, and fresh-as-a-newly killed corpse—and all of them are …Read more...

Well, it’s been a year. And like all years, some new and exciting terms have irrevocably entered our lexicon, as evidenced by their inclusion in the dictionary. Keep in mind, a word needs to be circulating for a while—often years—before it can get on Merriam-Webster’s radar. (Except COVID-19: That bastard went from…Read more...

AirPods Pro are one of Apple’s best products. For $249 a pop, they aren’t cheap, but they don’t feel cheap, either. These tiny earbuds pack a ton of power into a small package, delivering excellent sound quality with some great noise control features. There’s just one small hitch; you might start hearing some static…Read more...

I’m about 50/50 on remembering to bring leftovers home from a restaurant. The food is so delicious that I’m taking a special effort to bring it home and eat it again, and yet, I forget it exists for the entire time between getting it boxed up and looking for it in my fridge the next morning.

Noting that South Korean pop culture has become at least as loved outside the Republic as within it should brook no argument in 2021. It all started with the international rise of K-pop, a broad umbrella term for just about any popular music coming from Korea—I’ve spoken to friends with young kids in at least five…Read more...

In recent weeks, you may have seen a recipe for a salmon rice bowl making the rounds on TikTok. In this recipe, TikTok user Emily Mariko puts leftover salmon on a plate and covers it with day-old rice. She then places an ice cube in the rice, covers it all up with a parchment paper, and puts it in the microwave for a…Read more...

Whether you have a Google Home, Amazon Echo, or Apple’s HomePod, your smart speaker shouldn’t go ignored this Halloween. Just as you can ask Alexa to set a timer while you cook, or inquire about the weather with Google, you can also ask your smart speakers to embrace spooky season—if only you know what to ask.

I love cooking. I love eating. I love eating what I have cooked. I do not, however, like decorating my food. Don’t get me wrong, I love a theme, and am always delighted by playful seasonal fare, but I am severely lacking in artistic skills. I am also quite lazy, and easily frustrated by detailed work.Read more...

The general consensus is that everybody hates spoilers, and if you spoil a movie or TV show online, you are a bad person. I tend to agree. It’s a small thing to not be careless about dropping a big plot reveal, on social media or elsewhere (a movie blogger I’ve followed for 20 years decided to ruin the new James Bond…Read more...

Spooky season has arrived, and we are here for it. But one thing that weighs on my mind every Halloween—every holiday, really—is the amount of waste it creates. One UK study revealed that more than 2,000 tons of waste are generated yearly from the costumes alone. How can we have all the fun, all the high-spirited…Read more...

In our image-obsessed society, I understand the temptation to at least try some of the weird beauty hacks I hear about, whether those “tips” come from self-proclaimed beauty gurus on Instagram, glossy magazines, or your mom’s friend Diane who swears it works. I’ve wasted an embarrassing amount of money accidentally…Read more...

There’s a lot of strange equipment in any gym, from the many types of barbells to single-task items like the ab wheel and bicep blaster. But, by far, the biggest treasure trove of “wtf?” is the bucket or rack near the cable machines. There are handles and attachments of all sorts. What are they even for?

Look to the sky on October 19 and 20 for a view of the Hunter’s Moon in its full glory. The moon will be nearly 100 percent full on these days, and will project some beautifully reflected sunlight all over the earth...barring a cloudy night, of course.

Considering we’re amidst the Great Resignation—in which 50% of employees are looking for new jobs—employers are scrambling to retain talent through perks like bonuses, increased pay, and 401(k) plans. But 401(k)s plans vary based on whether employers will match your contributions, and by how much. This leads to an…Read more...

Doctors used to advise people at risk of heart attack to start taking a “baby” aspirin (effectively a low-dose aspirin) as a preventative. But that practice has gotten less common over time, and now the US Preventive Services Task Force says that—in many cases—it provides more risk than benefit.Read more...

Do you struggle to express yourself with words? Consider turning to the one universal language we all share: emo playlists. I believe we, as a society, waste time trying to show off “aesthetic” music tastes. Instead, we should spend more time creating emotionally-charged, hyper-specific playlists. What’s more, we need…Read more...

CRT televisions are widely regarded as the best way to play old video games, and with good reason. Retro games look and play better on CRTs, since that’s the type of display they were designed for. But what if you don’t own a CRT, don’t have the space for one, or can’t find one?Read more...

In the beginning, Apple created the Podcasts app, and it was good. Then, the company updated it, and it sucked. While the app isn’t the worst experience in the world—you’re able to find shows and episodes to listen to—it’s tough to organize those shows and episodes, and it has an overall bloated and unintuitive feel…Read more...

Drywall regularly sustains all kinds of damage, from holes made while hanging shelves and pictures to dings from protruding chair backs and door knobs, but luckily it’s almost as easy to repair as it is to break. Fixing dents and holes in drywall yourself can save you some money and make you feel downright handy,…Read more...

With every new data breach or controversy that comes out of the Facebook corporation, you may consider anew simply deleting your account and all your data from its various social media platforms. If you do, don’t forget that Facebook owns Instagram too—so to cleanse your precious info from their servers, here are the…Read more...

After dropping a thousand dollars on your new iPhone 13 Pro, the idea of spending another $50 or $60 on a case might not be appealing. But you don’t have to splurge on an official Apple case to get solid protection. In fact, while Apple’s cases are pretty good, they’re usually not the best. Whether you’re looking for…Read more...

For a lot of people, Halloween is a confusing time, the time of year when all their previously sane friends choose to scare themselves silly and call it fun. I get it: many movie watchers aren’t excited by the prospect of subjecting themselves to disturbing images that cause them to feel bad feelings for 80–120…Read more...

It’s that time of year when trees undergo their annual shedding. But as delightful as the sight of fallen leaves is, raking them is a lot of work. Before you bag up all those leaves to throw them away, consider putting them to good use. There are a bunch of options, ranging from adding them to a compost pile, to using…Read more...

It seems like we’re on this cryptocurrency roller coaster for the long haul. One name you probably see popping up often is Dogecoin, represented by the classic Shiba Inu Doge meme. Dogecoin started in 2013 as a joke, but despite its origins, it’s now worth actual money and favored by Elon Musk and Mark Cuban. And you,…Read more...

I love a creamed green, because of all the cream. The most commonly creamed green is spinach, and it is my favorite, but spinach isn’t the only green you can cream, oh no. You can cream collards, or mustard greens, or even kale (if you must).Read more...

Whether used for work or to manage your private life, Google Calendar is a powerful tool that can handle a lot more than what most of us probably use it for. Out of the box (so to speak), this cloud-based app come with a robust set of default features that are easy to intuit, which makes it ideal for a lot of people.…Read more...

Last summer, I booked a secluded, moody Airbnb in rural Washington and spent a relaxing few days in a land where everything looked and felt exactly like I was in a scene from Twilight. So when I needed a place to sleep in Portland, Maine last month, I turned to Airbnb in search of another satisfying experience. But…Read more...

Instagram makes teen girls feel worse about their bodies, according to internal Facebook documents published in the Wall Street Journal. (Facebook owns Instagram.) The app is full of pictures of impossibly thin and beautiful people, so that tracks; and we’ve been fretting for years over the dangers of young people…Read more...

This weekend, my daughter, who is eight, had an amazing soccer tournament. She hustled, made smart, strategic passes, and executed some gorgeous crosses in front of goal. She also scored seven times, helping her team win the final and take home the trophy.

While it’s true that your resume should highlight your accomplishments and experience relevant to the job you’re applying for, recruiters usually only spend about 7 seconds looking at resumes, on average. At this stage of the application process, they’re looking for a reason to reject applicants, which is why you…Read more...

Cooked vegetables, with their starches and their pectin, are a pretty excellent thickening agent. By blending them into gravies, soups, stews, or sauces, you can add body (and flavor) without any dairy. If pureed finely enough, these dishes can taste and feel downright creamy.

I am no psychic, but I predict Squid Game will be the Halloween costume this year. But time is running short, as are supplies—so how to assemble yours? For help, I spoke to Emmy-nominated costume designer Robyn Simms, who shared some insider tips on how to throw together a wardrobe of first-rate Squid Game gear.

By now, we all know what NSFW, BTW, and TBH mean. (Right?) For social media aficionados, the list that follows may seem basic—but for those who don’t live online (or spend half their life texting), there are plenty of puzzling acronyms circulating rn. (Often in lowercase, making them even harder to spot.) It can be…Read more...

For how simple coffee seems on its surface, there are a lot of variables that go into making the perfect cup for your individual preferences, from brewing method to strength to temperature. One universal factor, however, is how you store your beans—if you’re not doing it correctly, you’re probably impacting how fresh…Read more...

Are you trying to figure out what makes us tick? Or maybe you’re looking to improve your communication and your relationships? Whatever your interest in the brain and human behavior, we’ve collected our favorite psychology podcasts that you can listen to whenever you’re in the mood to try to figure out why people do…Read more...

Twitter is...something. Those of us who use it often find ourselves hopelessly addicted, scrolling through a sea of jokes, arguments, and many, many toxic accounts. If you find your followers list is full of the latter and you’re sick of them seeing your tweets in their feed, you’ll be happy to know that you can…Read more...

I’ve had a regular exercise habit for more than 20 years, and across the decades, I’ve gone through more phases than the moon.Read more...

It’s a pretty neat time to be an SFF fan with a TV: Apple has an adaptation of Isaac Asimov’s Foundation; Hulu’s got a take on graphic novel series Y: The Last Man; and Leigh Bardugo’s Shadow and Bone books are a series on Netflix, as is The Witcher. The list goes on and on—there’s a ton of Star Wars, Star Trek, and…Read more...

When you know there aren’t many new features to be found, ignoring software update notifications in favor of doing literally anything else can be all too easy. We’re here to implore you to update this latest one, however, since Apple’s latest software is essential to your iPhone and iPad’s security.

When you need mental healthcare, the different terminology can be confusing. Do you need a psychiatrist? A psychologist? What’s the difference between the two, anyway?

While there’s still plenty of room for debate about the long-term value of cryptocurrencies, many financial advisors now suggest including a small amount of it in your investment portfolio. Crypto remains a highly speculative investment, but it’s commonly used as a hedge against inflation and to diversify investments…Read more...

There’s little reason to drain your checking account by spending full price on video game after video game—not when you can save a good chunk by simply waiting for them to go on sale. It’s actually finding those sales, though, that can prove challenging and time-consuming. Luckily, there are websites, subreddits, and…Read more...

Ever since I was a small child, I have been a Diet Coke bitch. Besides the occasional stomach-soothing ginger beer or celebratory Diet Dr. Pepper (my special occasion diet soda), Diet Coke is the only soda I drink with any regularity. (And by “regularity” I mean “at least three a day, even though they give me a…Read more...

Diabetes is a condition where people have high blood sugar and are at risk for all kinds of serious complications as a result. But if you’ve ever had trouble remembering which is type 1 and which is type 2, let’s explain the difference.

Leeks are a notoriously dirty vegetable, and it’s because of how they’re grown (in lots of dirt). Most farmers push dirt up and around them as they grow, which keeps the stalk pale and tender (the dark, green parts are much tougher than the white and light green parts). This, of course, results in dirt and sand…Read more...

Halloween 2021 is shaping up to be a big one as revelers seek to make up for the mid-pandemic bummer of last fall. People are vaxxed, masked, and ready to embrace jump scares instead of the very real terror of the past year and a half. It’s all the more reason you should create a haunted house in your garage to give…Read more...

Butcher block countertops are convenient and attractive, but if they’re not maintained well, they can crack or even develop mold. You can avoid these issues and keep your kitchen surface functioning and looking like new with a only a little bit of effort.

If you plan to ration your kids’ candy haul this Halloween—or end up buying more candy than you need—you might be wondering how long it will last before its quality starts to deteriorate. As a general rule, most candy will hold up for nine months, although that can vary based on the type of candy and how you’ve kept…Read more...

I’m single. I’m extremely online. I’ve watched the people behind Twitter accounts with whom I’ve formed parasocial relationships start to date each after publicly–and presumably privately–interacting on the app. All of these truths lead to a single question: Is using Twitter truly a viable option to find love?Read more...