Lifehacker

The last time I left my apartment with a wallet in my pocket was March 11, 2020 (guess why). I don’t carry one anymore, because wallets are bullshit, and you should stop using one, too. (If you are someone who prefers to carry a purse, this same advice probably broadly applies—unless you have kids, in which case you…Read more...

If you’ve ever called 911, you know that one of the first things they ask you—often before you’ve even said why you’re calling—is your location. So when you’re teaching your kids how to dial emergency numbers on your phone, make sure they know their address, too. A sticker can help.

There is always some new trend cropping up on Instagram or TikTok that, upon further investigation, isn’t very new at all. Angel numbers are one such “trend.” Have you being seeing digits like 333 and 777 all over your explore page or hearing people mention angel numbers like they’re some serious thing everyone just…Read more...

My grandfather knew what he was doing when he told me to “always carry a pocket knife.” Spending the last few weeks of summer at the beach? You should take a knife. Traipsing off to a cabin the mountains? Take a knife. Spending some time in a luxurious hotel in the middle of a bustling city? Take. A. Knife.Read more...

We’ve all said it. When our child climbs a rock wall for the first time, does a cartwheel, or brings home some less-than-stellar art, it’s almost instinct to toss out an enthusiastic, “Good job!” And while it seems like we’re doing the right thing—offering encouragement and positive reinforcement—parenting experts…Read more...

Booster doses of the COVID-19 vaccines might be available this fall, depending on what data is available and what judgment calls government officials decide to make. Third doses, on the other hand, are already available to people with weakened immune systems. So, what’s the difference?

Whether you use an iPhone or Android, or whether your computer is a Mac, PC, or Chromebook, Google is likely a big part of your digital life. Unfortunately, Google has made location tracking part of that deal; the company monitors and stores huge amounts of your location data across different apps and devices. Cutting…Read more...

Poor, poor Paramount Plus. In the Peak Streaming Era, someone has to be on the bottom, and it’s definitely you.

Trees are a desirable element for most yards in that they create shade, provide privacy, and—obviously—add greenery. But certain trees can also offer up a sweet-smelling fragrance, in addition to their other benefits. Here are some trees you might consider planting, depending on the type of aromas you like.

New cars lose value relative to their purchase price the minute you drive them off the lot. While the exact amount varies with the year, make, and model, Kelley Blue Book estimates vehicles will lose 20% or more of their value in the first year, and around 60% in the first five years.

There are many reasons to change your Nintendo Switch’s system clock. Maybe you play with friends in another timezone and don’t want to do the mental math when scheduling multiplayer sessions, or you take the handheld console with you while traveling and need to adjust the clock as you globetrot.

If you have young kids, chances are, you’ve got some squeeze pouches in your house. While their mess-free convenience, light weight, and packability make them a parents’ dream, knowing how to responsibly dispose of them is not as dreamy.

Those of us fully entrenched in the Apple ecosystem have a lot of batteries to think about; you might have a MacBook, iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and AirPods to boot, all of which are consuming precious portable power by just sitting there. Instead of constantly jumping among products to know whether you need them to…Read more...

Rejoice, at least partially vaccinated doughnut lovers, for Krispy Kreme is doubling down on their free doughnut program, giving away two doughnuts to anyone who has had at least one COVID-19 vaccination shot from Aug. 30 through Sept. 5.Read more...

Sure, maybe you wish you had thousands of dollars to pour into updating your living room so that it sports a new—massive—TV (plus surround sound), new recessed lighting, a large leather sectional to relax on, and a handmade coffee table from your favorite local craftsman. That does sound nice. But if your budget is…Read more...

There are so many games available for digital download on the Nintendo Switch, but the library varies depending on where you live. Tons of fun games are only officially on sale in Japan and Europe, and every now and then a country will get early access to an upcoming global release before other parts of the world.

In case you somehow missed the memo, big, bushy brows are in and have been for a few years now. There are all manner of makeup products and procedures that can help someone with even the sparsest of facial hair achieve full, luxurious brows—or the illusion of them—but how do you even know where to begin? Let’s start…Read more...

There are times when backgrounds sounds can help you sleep or calm you down—like sounds of the ocean or even static noise. There are many websites and iPhone apps that can help you play a wide variety of background sounds, but if you’re running iOS 15 or iPadOS 15, you can just use the built-in Background Sounds…Read more...

I’m not one of those people who uses their cast iron pan for everything. I understand that it can be done, and I understand that a properly seasoned cast iron pan is a thing of slippery beauty, but I’m kind of lazy and will always have a nonstick pan in my arsenal, mostly for egg-making purposes.

There was a time when you could count the big, blockbuster action films starring women on one hand. In a stunning reflection of how things are changing in Hollywood, now you’d probably need to use two hands—and in fact, we’ve progressed so much that women can now lay claim to an extremely problematic, culturally…Read more...

You should think twice before giving out your real email address to a random business or a website. Not only can it lead to spam, but your email address can also end up in a marketing database.

You might have a kid who loves bath time from start to finish—who giggles at the bubbles and merely blinks when they get doused with H20. Or you might, dear reader, you have a child who howls like they’re having their toenails pulled off when the shampoo touches their heads.Read more...

Picture-in-picture (or PiP) is a feature that iPhones have had since iOS 13, and iPads since iOS 9. YouTube, being YouTube, is arriving fashionably late to the PiP party; it announced in June that it would bring the feature to Apple devices for both Premium subscribers and regular users, and just started rolling out…Read more...

Nostalgia for the ‘90s is big right now, so it’s probably not a huge surprise Candyman is coming back. The love-lorn killer with the haunting bass voice and hook hand never had quite the box office cred of a Freddy, Jason, or Michael Myers, but Tony Todd’s performance—and his signature vocal rasp—made him an instant…Read more...

Last year’s flu season occurred in the midst of a COVID-19 surge, sparking concerns of a “twindemic,” in which the coronavirus and the flu would be circulating simultaneously. Healthcare resources would be stretched even thinner, and some people might contract both illnesses at the same time.

Water, temperature fluctuations, and sunlight can all damage your outdoor furniture—but luckily, a few simple maintenance practices can restore dried-out wood, bring back color, prevent water damage, and strengthen the joints of your furniture. You’ll get more life out of your patio, deck, and yard pieces, saving you…Read more...

With the iOS 15, iPadOS 15, and macOS Monterey update, Apple is automatically upgrading all iCloud paid plans to iCloud+. If you’re paying for iCloud storage, you now get access to the Private Relay feature, and the ability to hide your email address online.

The pandemic not only altered the way our kids learn, it also changed how they ate. Gone were the days of prepping lunches the night before or morning of school—now we were making upwards of three meals a day on the fly, even as we balanced virtual learning and working from home. But now that many districts are…Read more...

Growing vegetables indoors takes some finesse, but is entirely possible. It’s even doable for beginners, if you’re willing to do a little research (and maybe practice on a couple of houseplants first); and if you’re an intermediate gardener, well, what are you waiting for? It’s time to take on the challenge of growing…Read more...

As we near ever closer to iOS 15’s fall 2021 release, more and more features are being added to the beta builds. One of the latest additions is a new, system-level translation feature that can translate just about any text on your iPhone’s screen.

We’re all familiar with the basic eco-friendly suggestions, like easing up on single-use plastic, bringing your own shopping bags to the store, and not leaving the water running when you brush your teeth. But beyond the basics, there are a host of interesting sustainability suggestions flying under the radar of the…Read more...

Vegetable oil and canola oil are not sexy. They’re both incredibly cheap, tastes like nothing, and come in big, plastic bottles. Unlike an expensive glass bottle of olive oil or an idyllically-labeled, tiny canister of pistachio oil, neither vegetable nor canola is something you leave out on the counter for guests to…Read more...

It’s already hard enough for parents to find toys that will stir their child’s imagination—in a positive way. Walking down the toy aisle of your favorite store is a minefield of warning labels, messy goop that is certain to ruin your carpet, and packaging that reinforces gender stereotypes.Read more...

Stuffy summer evenings call for dinners that are fast, easy, and require minimal cooking—perhaps a salad, bread, and a charcuterie board piled high with your favorite cured meats. If that’s what’s on your menu though, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) suggests a minor modification: Heat that meat.Read more...

During difficult times, we often find ourselves defaulting to a single, dominant emotion, even when another might be more “logical.” For example, your default emotion may be anxiety, which is what you’ll feel during the stressful times, even if a more appropriate emotional reaction might be anger, sadness, or…Read more...

The FDA had to warn people this week not to medicate themselves with ivermectin, a drug often used to deworm horses. Yes, folks are apparently purchasing the stuff themselves from animal feed stores and using it as a self-treatment for COVID-19.

I wish my skateboarding journey had started like the opening lyrics to Lupe Fiasco’s “Kick, Push,” but I wasn’t 6 years old when I got my first skateboard. Hell, I wasn’t 16 or 26 either. I was, in fact, well into my thirties when I started skateboarding... about a month ago. So, how’d it go?Read more...

Cryptocurrencies continue to grow in popularity, but as interest increases, so does the creativity of scammers looking to capitalize on a cultural shift in order to rip people off. According to a recent report by Trend Micro’s cybersecurity team, there are now scores of fake crypto mining and wallet apps on the Google…Read more...

Storage management on any device can be a challenge. Often without warning, your Mac is like, “Hey, I’m full, friend. Delete some stuff.” Of course, you oblige, but there’s a hitch: “Other” files are taking up a ton of data, and your computer won’t tell you what those “Other” files are. How are you supposed to delete…Read more...

In my experience, exercise dresses are mostly a thing of Instagram ads, and for a while there I thought Halara was trying to make them happen all by itself. But according to two recent articles from New York-based publications (the New York Times and the Cut), these things are everywhere (in NYC, apparently) and…Read more...

There was a period of time, in the early and mid 2000s, when I ordered every salad with “oil and balsamic.” I would drizzle them on, one at a time, then gently toss the leaves with my fork to distribute evenly. It wasn’t good, but it made me feel in control of my diet (and calorie count), which was very important to…Read more...

Writer/director Kay Cannon—who worked with Tina Fey on 30 Rock before penning the Pitch Perfect trilogy and directing the underrated raunchy teen comedy Blockers—is from my hometown. When I was in high school, she even judged me at a forensics meet. I mention this only because that fact is basically the only thing…Read more...

Let me start by saying: I have never been one to share an email address, or (gasp) Facebook account, with a significant other. I don’t believe couples need to “share everything,” especially not a treacly joint social media profile stuffed with photos of their commingled toes at the beach.

Online reviews are a huge part of how we spend money nowadays, and nothing makes people hit that “Order Now” button like a 5-star review. Unfortunately, good reviews are so easily bought and faked that they often drown out the legit ones—even if they’re equally positive.

Sometimes we say things to ourselves that aren’t in our self-interest. Calling yourself a loser or saying “I’m such an idiot” every time you make a mistake isn’t having a positive effect on your self-esteem (on the other hand, you should definitely try affirmations), but beyond the obviously negative self-talk, there…Read more...

Like many people, I picked up Skyward Sword HD to relive one of my favorite Zelda games (that’s right; it’s great). While some critics maligned the motion controls of the original, I never had a problem with them. I had a blast aiming the bow and arrow in real space, and physically changing my sword swings to match an…Read more...

Optimism tells you that your new glasses with the updated prescription will surely make the world around you clearer. And they do! But then you walk outside and everything looks a little off. Maybe the ground looks slanted, causing dizziness, or you find yourself fighting back headaches or nausea. Your new glasses are…Read more...

For many of us, working from home has been a budget-friendly adjustment to our professional lives. Minus any initial home office setup—especially if your employer didn’t provide financial support for it—you likely haven’t had many of the usual expenses associated with getting dressed, commuting, and socializing. But…Read more...

In 2021, a smartphone and a tablet are a college student’s lifeline. Thanks to innovative and useful apps, these devices can help you manage your tasks, keep your calendar, and even help you be a better student through innovative note taking, flashcard, and visualization tools.

Flipping houses is a popular thing to do right now. Your college buddy does it. The guy you used to work for does it. Seemingly everyone on HGTV does it. Hell, even Scott Disick does it. The whole thing seems straightforward: Buy up a crusty old house, do some manual labor, and resell it for much more than you paid.…Read more...