Lifehacker

Whether you’re trying to bring a little bit of the outdoors in with some house plants, or spruce up your porch or patio, the planter you use can make all the difference. Choosing pre-made baskets and pots is certainly one option—but those can be pricey, and you might not be investing in long-lasting plants if you are…Read more...

For years, DM-ing on Instagram was an experience you lived through, not something you enjoyed. The social media app was so focused on photo sharing, it neglected to focus on things like standard messaging features like custom notification settings. But since boldly declaring it’s no longer a photo-sharing app,…Read more...

Before the pandemic, many millennials were familiar with living with their parents throughout adulthood thanks to rising housing costs and mountains of student debt. Now what was once an embarrassing anecdote about oneself has become normalized as a result of the pandemic when millions of adults moved home with their…Read more...

This week, nostalgia ruled the young people internet, with everyone in Gens Y and Z paying attention to the trial involving past-his-prime actor Johnny Depp and listening to music from timeless chanteuse Kate Bush. So let’s get ready to go back to the present, Marty.

TikTok creator and mom to, as it says in her bio, a “girl gang” of seemingly endless tween blondes, Fiddely_MomJess, posts videos of her and her daughters playing this “bad word alphabet game.” Some people think they’re hilarious, while others are saying she’s being irresponsible.Read more...

Everyone has a sexual fantasy. Maybe yours involves role playing or dabbling with BDSM. Whatever it is, your sexual fantasy turns you on so it makes sense for you to share it with your partner. But talking about our sexual fantasies out loud to our partner can make us feel uncomfortable and awkward, especially if you…Read more...

If you’ve ever traveled internationally, you know there’s not only a language barrier when you visit another country, but a different tipping culture, too. Do you tip when you’re eating out at a restaurant? What about at a coffee shop? And what percentage are you tipping? What if you’re in Venice? Singapore? All this…Read more...

There’s nothing stupider and more awesome than doing a donut in your car. Burning your tires and wrecking your engine to make a ton of smelly smoke and leave behind a circle of rubber on the blacktop is quintessentially American.

When it comes to summer vacations, most people play it pretty safe. Beach vacations and road trips are the top two vacation plans just about every year, and it’s easy to understand why: These kinds of trips are fairly easy to organize, provide a range of activities, and can be pretty affordable even when the price of…Read more...

Given we’re currently all living at the mercy of spiking inflation and surging gas prices, it’s nice to know there are still a handful of simple ways we can lower on spending on regular household purchase without skimping too much on convenience, if only to give us the illusion we have any control over our financial…Read more...

Grilling a whole fish is an impressive, if slightly intimidating, display of grilling prowess. It’s not complicated—put the fish on the grill and cook until flakey—but the process is rife with potential missteps that can make would-be fish griller a little skittish. The delicate skin can stick to the grates and tear,…Read more...

Are you aware of the glory and splendor that is open box deals? Those items that, when a customer returns them in near perfect condition, retailers can’t put back on the shelves at full price, so they offer them at a steeply reduced price? For many years, they were offered only on tech products. But now, there is a…Read more...

Many workers argue—and numerous studies agree—that remote work allows for a higher quality of life. In response, many workplaces are doing what they can to lure employees back into the office, carrot-and-stick style. More accurately, carrot-and-granola bars-and-kombucha-and-stick style.

According to The Knot, the average wedding in 2021 cost $34,000, a steep price tag for a party that lasts all of four hours. If you’re like me (meaning you also do not have $34,000 to spend on a wedding), you’re probably thinking that there has to be a better way—a cheaper way—to celebrate your nuptials alongside your…Read more...

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Any outdoor living space is a big upgrade, especially in warm summer months, when a deck or a patio will be a great spot for cookouts and summer get-togethers. While it might not seem like there’s much of a difference, a deck is different from a patio. For some homes, a deck will be a better fit, while for others, a…Read more...

If you were born between 1981 and 1996, you’re a Millennial—which means that the leading edge of that cohort is now celebrating their 41 birthday and you’re part of the largest generation in America by population. However, despite being such a large portion of the population, only 17% of homeowners are Millennials.…Read more...

Sunburns can be serious, but for the most part, we know how to treat them at home: Use cool compresses, grab some aloe gel, and drink plenty of water. There are times, however, when a sunburn can need medical attention, even if it feels like one of those things you would never consider a trip to the doctor for. Here’s…Read more...

Google Lens is a useful tool for learning more about the world around you. You can use it to scan a QR code, search the web using a picture of a dress you saw in a store, or translate text in a foreign language. While many of us use this feature on our Androids and iPhones, it’s also available on desktop via Google…Read more...

As far as pets go, chickens are incredibly useful to have around: A pet chicken will lay eggs, eat food scraps and common garden pests, and their poop can be used for compost. Raising chickens is also a good way for kids to learn about where their food comes from, and the work that is involved in getting those eggs to…Read more...

I love bacon, but I detest bacon packaging. It is hard to open elegantly, impossible to reseal, and difficult to get bacon out of—a step that is crucial if you wish to actually enjoy bacon. (Also what is the deal with the random piece of cardboard inside the packaging? Can we not just print nutritional info on the…Read more...

I love a corn nut. I think the crunchy, nixtamalized kernels are bigger than snacking, but that does not negate the fact that they are an incredible drinking snack. But corn nuts—also known as quico, cancha, and chupi—are not made with corn straight off the cob. These toasty little niblets are actually made with…Read more...

I can’t stand cherries. Not the way they taste—they’re fine—though never once have I thought, “Oh man, I can’t wait to dig into a bowl of cherries.” It’s their unparalleled ability among fruit to stain surfaces, clothes, faces, and fingers practically on sight that gets under my skin, literally. (Especially in the…Read more...

Whether a “restructuring” results in layoffs or your own job performance earns you the boot, it can be devastating to be told that your time at a company has come to an abrupt end. It’s important to consider how you’d respond to such news in advance of it ever happening, though, because your reaction in that moment is…Read more...

Last week I asked you for your unwritten rules of flying. This was a request not for hot takes, but an attempt to lock down the bylaws of air travel that should be common sense, but for some reason are not a given. Reading through over 150 responses, I was forced to wonder if human beings were ever really meant to fly…Read more...

If there’s a single defining characteristic of the older people I’ve known, it’s an unwillingness to recognize the validity of challenging information, a close-mindedness where they seem convinced that their personal opinions are the absolute truth.

Girl Scout Cookies are not only delicious, they are something of an American pastime. The problem, though, as we all know, is that they come around but once a year. If you don’t want to wait until sometime early next year for your fix of Do-si-dos, a good alternative may already exist in a grocery store near you. A…Read more...

Gentle giants, cuddly friends, vicious monsters, deadly dragons: Even the earliest film depictions of dinosaurs evidence our complicated relationship with Earth’s prehistoric thunder lizards. Windsor McCay’s puckish Gertie the Dinosaur might be stubborn, but she’s unlikely to eat you, and might even dance if you ask…Read more...

I hate to hand it to the French, but the best beach/hiking/picnic sandwich is jambon-beurre (ham-butter). It’s just baguette, butter, and ham, and it is perfect.Read more...

With so much content out there, the start of the summer is the perfect time to sit back on some of the blockbuster-type films you might have otherwise skipped while binging your favorite shows in the fall and winter. Or, you could take this time to revisit old favorites coming to new platforms. Personally, one of the…Read more...

I knew “a lot of” brain development happens during a child’s first few years of life—but I wasn’t aware how incredibly fast the process occurs. Considering that an infant’s brain doubles in size by the time they turn one, its newborn neurons are making, “at least one million new neural connections every second,” …Read more...

TikTok recently discovered a scientific truth about avocados: the green flesh of a cut avocado won’t turn brown overnight if it isn’t exposed to air. Unfortunately, the hack that’s supposed to protect your avocado is an unsafe one, according to the FDA.Read more...

WWDC 2022 is nearly here. While most of Apple’s Worldwide Developer Conference is actually a series of presentations and events for iOS, iPadOS, macOS, and watchOS developers, most of us are focused on Apple’s main keynote. Here, the company shows off new features and changes coming down the pipeline across its…Read more...

Smartphones have transformed our lives, mostly for the better, but they’ve also increased the access people can potentially have to your private information the moment you hand yours over. When you allow someone else access to your phone to make a call, swipe through a few pictures, or try out a new game, you might…Read more...

iTunes. A Obi-Wan would say, that’s a name I’ve not heard in a long time. Apple killed the game-changing Mac application in 2019, splitting its combined services into three simplified apps: Music, TV, and Podcasts. While this decision was in many ways a good one, those of us who have used Macs for years (or even…Read more...

Following the recent recall of 49 Jif peanut butter products thought to be linked to a Salmonella outbreak, several companies that use the peanut butter in their snacks and desserts have issued their own recalls, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

One of the most frustrating things about Google Drive has finally been fixed: You can now cut, copy, and paste files using standard keyboard shortcuts when using Google’s cloud storage service. Sadly, this feature is restricted to Google Chrome and its derivatives though, so you’re out of luck if you’re on Firefox or…Read more...

There are still people out there who think that being gay is “unnatural,” but they couldn’t be more wrong. Same-sex behavior, from co-parenting to mate-attraction behavior to sex, is incredibly common in the animal world. It’s been observed in more than 1,500 animal species, from insects and other invertebrates, right…Read more...

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If you love eating lunch but abhor paying for it, you’ve come to the right place. In a seemingly endless sea of apps, there are a handful of ones that not only keep more money in your pocket, but more food in your mouth, too. I’ve been playing the chain restaurant fast food app game for a long time, so believe me when…Read more...

There has been a unionization boom in a variety of industries over the past year, to the point where you might not even realize the wide variety of companies and industries that now have unionized employees (or employees fighting to unionize). If you like the idea of working somewhere where you will benefit from the…Read more...

Music is great, and babies love when you sing to them. But does that mean your baby will grow up smarter or hit their milestones faster if you play Mozart for them as they’re growing up? Not really.Read more...

Windows is the de facto PC operating system for the majority of people, but that doesn’t mean it’s perfect. Windows 10 (and Windows 11) is pre-loaded with tons of Microsoft apps like Edge and Windows Media Player that you may not want, and certain data-tracking settings turned on by default. It’s also notorious for…Read more...

Let’s start with some bad news: Amazon is discontinuing Cloud Cam support this year. The company launched the proprietary security camera system in 2017, but after only five years on the market, is closing down shop for good. The good news is you won’t be left without a security camera option, since Amazon is offering…Read more...

Peak Streaming is disrupting the entertainment industry, but not so much that the old way of doing things has gone away entirely. So even as Prime Video delivers season three of The Boys (which, to the casual viewer, looks a lot like the precursor to HBO’s Peacemaker), it’s also copying Netflix’s success in adapting a…Read more...

Vrbo just release its first-ever list of “Vacation Homes of the Year” that recognizes ten best-in-class vacation homes across the U.S. According to Vrbo, the year’s best vacation homes “are all located in popular vacation destinations and met required selection criteria, including a combination of 5-star ratings,…Read more...

What do Oprah Winfrey, Julia Roberts, and Jake Gyllenhaal have in common? Yes, they all have more money than me, but they also each have an enjoyment for gardening. It’s not hard to see why; whether you’re looking to spend more time outdoors or just interact with people over a common interest, there’s quite a bit to…Read more...

My two main obsessions in life are books and podcasts. Hearing people gush about books is the best ways to convince me to read more of them, so naturally, I consume more than my share of book podcasts. They’re a great way to eavesdrop on the kind of book-loving conversations you used to have to join a book club to…Read more...

In this month’s installment of Extremely Specific Niche Streaming Theater, we have Players, a new mockumentary series on Paramount+ set in the world of esports. If you don’t know what esports are, the best way to describe it is “playing video games and calling it sports.” (I am not mocking esports when I say that; the…Read more...

Having the police show up at your door with a search warrant isn’t something most law-abiding citizens prepare for. The general assumption is that if you don’t engage in crimes, you won’t ever have to stand by while a bunch of officers tear through your house. But just because you can’t imagine something doesn’t mean…Read more...