Lifehacker

The early ‘90s represented a kind of Big Bang for the time loop narrative. Groundhog Day certainly wasn’t the first instance of a repeating time narrative in fiction, but it presented the relatively convoluted science fiction conceit with such humor, poignancy, and panache that it’s hardly surprising that, since then,…Read more...

If you want to save a couple cents, get deep into zero-waste living, or prepare for your post-apocalypse lifestyle, recycling your old soap scraps into new bars is a great place to start. It’s easy, fun, and you can tell yourself your creation is just as good as store-bought soap.

It’s easy to get stuck in a negative frame of mind, and a lot harder to snap yourself out of it. You might feel trapped by the constant fear of failure, or perhaps mired in jealousy over things you don’t have. Being consumed by negative emotions isn’t likely to help you change your circumstances for the better—but w…Read more...

To some enthusiastic food bloggers, the air fryer is an intuitive appliance that can cook anything and everything. To certain members of my family, it is an inscrutable black box that exist to take up counter space. (“What should I use it for?” they ask, prompting me to spam them with my own content.) The truth lies…Read more...

There are a ton of great free workout programs out there, and they’re not too hard to find, especially once you start browsing fitness forums like the ones on Reddit. But even when these programs are free, there are still barriers to getting started, like figuring out how to get a program from a spreadsheet into your…Read more...

I’m generally in favor of humanity bending mother nature to our will, but when it comes to breeding dogs, we’ve gone too far (OK, also with regard to climate change).

No matter how hard they tried, the killjoys and technophiles of the world simply could not kill off vinyl records. Every time a new audio technology hit the market, predictions of the Death of Vinyl would follow—and when Compact Discs arrived 40 years ago, it seemed like that death had finally come. Who wouldn’t want…Read more...

Have you ever been enjoying a sleeve of Oreos when someone decides to chime in with the fact that, actually, a serving size is only three cookies? We hear about “serving sizes,” “portions” and often “portion control” all the time, but what do they actually mean? Is there a meaningful difference, or do they all end up…Read more...

Tarts are the rich, European great-aunt of the American dessert pie. Dainty, refined, understated, and a little pretentious, usually boasting ingredients so rich that a tiny sliver is all you need. You can bet that the scalloped crust of such a tart is super tender and crumbly, too. Besides flavor and texture, part of…Read more...

Reddit is one of the few social media websites that allows you to develop full-fledged apps for the service. That’s why you’ll find lots of high-quality Reddit apps on the App Store and the Google Play Store. And in many ways, these third-party apps are better than the official Reddit experience.

Another month, another Chrome update. This time around, we get Chrome 98, which will be rolling out today, Feb. 1 to Chrome users everywhere. Once updated, you can take advantage of fun new features and changes, like a built-in screenshot tool and upgraded emojis. Some changes, however, won’t be obvious out of the…Read more...

If I’m not careful, the late afternoon “hangries” have a way of sneaking up on me during that in-between time when lunch is a distant memory but it’s not yet time for dinner. When it happens, rather than taking some extra time to prepare a healthy snack, I find myself rummaging through the cupboards in search of…Read more...

“Cuck” remains a common insult these days, though it really peaked as a pejorative around 2016 or so. It’s one of those words that has kind of lost its meaning and is now used any time a person wants to convey that someone else is somehow a “beta”—secondary to or beholden to something or someone. But what if you’re…Read more...

Like human children, your canine kids are not immune to cuts, burns, sprains, and other injuries, ranging from very minor to life-threatening. Because dogs can’t actually tell us what hurts and how much, it’s up to us to be on the lookout for issues and know how to manage them. This includes having first aid supplies…Read more...

Your accent says a lot about you: It tells someone where you were raised, hints at your ethnicity, and gives out clues about your social class and economic circumstances. Even though the details of your life obviously change long after your accent is “set,” there is still a lot people can guess about you from the way…Read more...

Last week we asked you what you wish you had known before adopting your pet, and as always, Lifehacker readers delivered. (I also asked for some cute pet pictures; sadly, you did not deliver nearly as many of those as I would have liked).

We all have some gross personal habits, if we’re honest enough to admit them. We may smack our gum, or belch when (we think) no one’s listening; we may even dig for nasal gold once in a while when the winter crusties are upon us and a tissue just won’t cut it. But nothing—nothing—can come close to the gross habits of…Read more...

I have never believed there is a “best way” to cook any particular food. I have my favorites, and recognize that some techniques are more effective than others, but there is no one, perfect way to fry an egg. (There are at least eight.)Read more...

Every day, flying commercial reaches new depths of pain and suffering. Airlines keep finding new ways to save pennies, which almost always translates into new humiliations for passengers. And while many of the factors that make flying so awful are systemic, including overworked flight crews and the chaos of security…Read more...

There are many reasons to move away from Spotify. Apple Music now has lossless audio at a cheaper rate. If you use Amazon Prime, Prime Music comes free; if you have an Echo smart speaker, it’s the cheapest way to stream your music. Spotify doesn’t have music by Neil Young or Joni Mitchell. No matter the reason,…Read more...

For a number of reasons, living during a global pandemic for nearly two years has caused a lot of people to rethink their life choices—including their current job. These aren’t all necessarily people looking for a career change, or to follow whatever they see as their “true calling.” It also includes those who now…Read more...

We’ve all been there. You’re on a first date, or in a meeting, or trying to be a considerate airplane passenger—whatever the reason, you’re holding in a fart. Sure, it’s uncomfortable—but could it be dangerous to your health? Could not passing gas cause you to pass away? Could you die by “silent but deadly?” (Okay,…Read more...

Spotify is the leading music streaming service, but its Premium membership might not be for everyone. Maybe you have a better deal with Apple Music or Amazon Prime Music. Maybe you don’t want to support Spotify because of the Joe Rogan fiasco. No matter your reason is, if you’re looking to break up with Spotify, the…Read more...

Pokémon Legends: Arceus turns the video game series on its head in more ways than one. and from its open-world concept to the redesigned way you interact with wild Pokémon, plenty of these changes are for the better. And one of the biggest isn’t obvious, but might dramatically affect the way you catch Pokémon from…Read more...

Outdoor space is always a good thing in a home. No matter how nice your interiors are, human beings are animals, and as such, we are meant to roam free with the wind in our hair. While typical suburban homes often have a sizeable backyard, and some rural homes come with plenty of acreage to enjoy, the more urban your…Read more...

Whether you’re waiting for your free at-home COVID-19 tests from the government to arrive in the mail, or you’ve already stocked up and have a few sitting around, you should know that how—and more importantly, where—you store these rapid tests matters.Read more...

Public displays of affection have long been a touchy topic, pun intended. Some people just have handsy, exhibitionist tendencies while others are horrified by the idea of copping any type of feel in public. Since the world has opened up post-lockdowns—with a few starts and stops along the way—and we have reemerged…Read more...

The first time I heard an ad for Noom—the so-called “anti-diet” weight-loss app—I was carrying more than a few extra post-anorexia pounds. The other things I carried far outweighed the weight gain: namely, a functioning brain and a fuller outlook on life and my self-worth. Still, I wasn’t exactly at peace with my…Read more...

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After any winter storm comes the time when you have to get out from under the blanket, and head outside to take care of your sidewalks and/or driveway. Clearing the snow away is one part of the job, but once the rest of the snow starts to melt when the sun comes out during the day—and then freezes again when…Read more...

Though we may associate coyotes with the desert, or the mountains—or wherever roadrunners live—there’s a good chance they’re in or near your area. It doesn’t matter whether you live in the suburbs, the country, or even in a city, because coyotes are quite adaptable and can make their home in a variety of climates.Read more...

Even if you haven’t been following along with football season, we feel obligated to tell you that it will soon come to an end. Not because you should feel pressured to watch the playoffs and get to know the teams that move forward, but because the Super Bowl is exactly two weeks from today, and that means food deals…Read more...

Part of the appeal of Fridays is looking forward to what you’re going to do over the weekend (at least for those who typically have Saturdays and Sundays off). Maybe you start off thinking that you’ll take some time to relax, but after an hour or two on the couch or in bed (or wherever you go to unwind), a feeling of…Read more...

Even if you know nothing else about baseball, you probably are aware that Babe Ruth is one of the game’s most famous players. Sure, if you grew up in the 1990s, then there’s a chance you were introduced to The Babe—aka the Sultan of Swat, the Titan of Terror, the Colossus of Clout, the King of Crash, the Great Bambino…Read more...

Though long-associated with lining drawers and shelves, contact paper has a lot more to offer. And if your only experience with it has been limited to clear (to cover your workbooks in school), white, and the range of pastel-colored patterns available in the ‘90s, you’re in for a surprise.

You may floss, brush morning and night, get twice-yearly cleanings, and use mouthwash at the right time. But, are you also scraping your tongue? If not, you may want to add this step to your routine to raise your oral hygiene to the next level.

This week, we got our first look at Apple’s next slate of updates for iPhone, iPad, and Mac. iOS 15.4, iPadOS 15.4, and macOS 12.3 bring a slew of new features and changes to their respective platforms, including Universal Control, new emoji, and support for unlocking your iPhone while wearing a mask. You won’t see…Read more...

Werewolves take note: In February, the moon will be full on Tuesday, the 16th, so plan for your transformation accordingly. The moon will appear above the horizon at around sunset and will be brightest at around midnight.

Your heart beats faster when you’re working hard, so it’s a good way to tell if you’re exercising hard enough...right? Well, not exactly. Your heart rate is only a good gauge of effort in certain types of exercise. And it can even steer you wrong if the numbers are miscalibrated.

If you are tired of NFT and cryptocurrency bros hyping their “investments” every second they’re awake and tweeting, you are not alone. Sadly, it appears as if social media companies are enjoying the non-stop engagement this crowd provides. Twitter is even now allowing people to use hexagonalNFT profile pictures on its…Read more...

Working in a capitalist system has always led to a unique sludge of emotions. There are names for these self-perceptions and feelings, some of which—like “imposter syndrome”—we were familiar with before the pandemic, and some of which—like “burnout”—have become trendier in the last two years.Read more...

Ignorance is bliss. Accountability isn’t. If you’re the sort of person who likes to take their own sweet time to reply to messages, you probably don’t want the pressure of read receipts hanging over your head.

Scrolling through social media, one could get the impression that taking supplements can fix just about anything. However, when you look closer at the evidence, you’ll find that the majority of them just don’t work. In a possible exception to this rule, collagen supplements have been receiving a lot of attention…Read more...

Teenage culture can be depressing, dark and senseless, whether we’re talking about hopeful movements falling apart for no reason, game show winners being bullied, or bleak adolescent TV dramas.Read more...

There’s no substitute for a letter from Hogwarts, but in lieu of actual magic, Harry Potter fans can pretend to be witches and wizards wielding their iPhones as wands. Apple’s Siri has three spells built in and a handful more that you can set up using Shortcuts.

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The news that wonder-boy billionaire Elon Musk is serious about developing technology that connects our brains directly to our computers (and electric cars) got me thinking about whether it’s a good idea to become a cyborg now and beat the rush.Read more...

Sure signs of winter include: the sudden desire to wear long underwear, a craving for hot chocolate, and a proliferation of snowy road disasters highlighted in the IdiotsInCars subreddit.

There are two kinds of people in the world, and I’m the kind that cannot fall asleep if a TV is playing anywhere near me. Fortunately, I married someone who feels the same way. But plenty of folks love to fall asleep with the TV on—and some 60% of Americans watch it in the hour before bed, according to one 2011…Read more...

If your laptop tends to overheat, you’re likely familiar with the signs: fans that spin louder than a jet engine, a computer that’s too hot to use on your lap, and the general sense that your machine is fighting for its life. Constant overheating is no way to live with a laptop—in fact, you can help cool it down using…Read more...