Lifehacker

Since Apple introduced the Retina display to the Mac back in 2012, most of their lineup has shipped with one of the laser sharp, pleasingly crisp screens. Whether you have a small 12-inch laptop display or a large 27-inch desktop, your Mac likely looks great. So it can be frustrating when you plug it into an external…Read more...

There comes a time in every person’s life when we must ask: How the hell am I going to transport all this crap I have accumulated to a new home? Whether you’re leaving a 9-by-7 bedroom in a third floor New York City walkup or a four-bedroom suburban house with basement, sometimes the biggest challenge (besides…Read more...

Last year, Dropbox stirred up emotions by stating that they won’t be working on a Dropbox client optimized for Apple Silicon (M1) Macs until they see the demand for it—words that thankfully retreated fast, and a new Dropbox client was promised in the first half of 2022. As we roll off this year, the M1 app is…Read more...

“Gamification” is the practice of adding game-like elements to non-game contexts. It isn’t new, nor it is always a negative, but it is being aimed at consumers and employees more and more frequently, whether to keep you addicted to an app, motivated at work, or inclined to spend your money on something.

The days when you graduated college, started a career, and never looked back are long behind us. Lifelong learning isn’t just a catchy phrase—it’s an essential aspect of survival. Even a cursory glance at the last few decades reveals how fast things change, not just in terms of your actual job, but in the way we even…Read more...

You may not have realized that the full gamut of iMessage effects is available on the Mac too—even if Apple’s desktop Messages app doesn’t make it apparent. If you want to send an iMessage with a dose of fireworks, for example, you can do so on the Mac just as you can on an iPhone or iPad. Here’s how to use and send…Read more...

I’ve been working at the same desk for 12 years now, but a problem has arisen in the last year or two. You see, my desk faces away from my home office door because there is a window on the opposite wall, and window-gazing is a big part of my creative process. Recently, I added a pair of noise-canceling headphones to…Read more...

With iOS 15, your iPhone got a somewhat hidden tool that can boost your productivity and help you speed up repetitive tasks, such as copying and pasting multiple items. The tool is called drag-and-drop, and it lets you quickly drag multiple photos into a Word or Google Docs document, allows you to instantly copy links…Read more...

Even as an increasing number of Americans have come to accept the use of cannabis, one thing that hasn’t budged much is how accessible it is. Sure, more states are legalizing the stuff every year, but even where weed is legal, you can’t just walk into the corner store and buy it alongside some toilet paper and a…Read more...

I don’t tend to make product recommendation or write reviews. With the exception of wildly popular appliances like the air fryer and Instant Pot, I try to ensure my recipes don’t hinge on any one piece of equipment, and my own kitchen is stocked with things I inherited, or purchased at Goodwill or the restaurant…Read more...

While buying or selling a home can bring up a lot of personal feelings, it’s ultimately a business deal, and it’s best to keep your cards close to your chest. Expressing every thought you have or sharing every detail about your situation could backfire, making you less competitive, compromising your leverage, or…Read more...

Cats make every home better—this is an undeniable fact. But with every cat comes an unsightly litter box (or two), and the age-old conundrum of where to store it. Sure, you can buy a piece of furniture, like this “storage bench,” that is specifically meant to hide a litter box away and provide your favorite feline…Read more...

You may have noticed that we are firmly in the age of the QR code—every restaurant, state agency, and shop you interact with has a QR code prominently displayed. The technology is one of convenience, taking us to information we want quickly and directly, while hiding the actual destination until we have arrived. That…Read more...

To me, Siri is perhaps the most annoying feature of my iPhone. You can’t fix some of its problems—such as Siri’s inability to comprehend certain basic commands or to reliably return useful results—but there are several settings you can adjust Siri less grating and more useful. Let’s walk through them.

As cold, sleet, ice, and snow descend across many areas of the country, the threat of losing power looms large. While a power outage may pose only a minor inconvenience of eating leftovers by head lamp for a night, sometimes it can have much longer, more costly effects as the food in your refrigerator slowly spoils.…Read more...

Whether you’re trying to write a novel or send an email, it can be hard to get yourself to stick to a set work schedule. I certainly struggle to hold myself accountable; I mean, I know the person who set the terms here, and she’s pretty easy to undermine. That’s why I welcome any sort of productivity hack that will…Read more...

Given my state of origin (Mississippi), it’s not surprising that my favorite cooking fats are bacon grease and butter. They make food taste like home, but they aren’t the fats I reach for if I’m oil-poaching a salmon filet, whipping up a quick vinaigrette, or making a vegan marinara (which, incidentally, is even…Read more...

The secret to TikTok’s addictive nature is twofold. One, it uses an endless scrolling interface, meaning you can swipe through video after video for as long as you can hold out. Two, its algorithm is incredibly effective at figuring out your interests, so it mostly shows you videos you will want to see. If you’ve been…Read more...

Omicron continues to overwhelm hospitals and healthcare workers already worn out by Delta. At this stage of the pandemic, and with the healthcare system once again teetering on the edge, experts are urging people to ditch their cloth masks in favor of N95 or KN95 respirators. But these masks are more expensive than…Read more...

Cloud storage still costs a lot of money: $10 per month for 2TB storage has become the standard with all major services like iCloud, Google One, and OneDrive. And our need for more of it is ever-increasing. From backing up data, sharing hour-long Zoom sessions, to just RAW video files, uncompressed video files or CAD…Read more...

Rochelle Walensky, the CDC director, recently said it was “encouraging news” that most people who have died of COVID-19 had multiple comorbidities. While I’d disagree with the “encouraging” part, I think it’s important to take a look at what comorbidities really are.

Tsunamis can be very, very bad. Caused by earthquakes, underwater landslides, volcanic eruptions, or asteroid strikes, these massive waves absolutely devastate coastal areas. They can take out all infrastructure in minutes, and almost everyone caught in a large tsunami’s waters will die. The 2004 Boxing Day tsunami…Read more...

Every year, homeowners around the world resolve to finally tackle a long list of deferred maintenance projects. After years of hiding stains, cracks, and holes in the walls, we decide that this is the year everything changes. But a few months later, nothing’s been fixed. All it usually takes is realizing you’re…Read more...

Many of us, myself included, would have a hard time thriving without a dishwasher. Sure, we’d survive, but buried under an overflowing, never-ending pile of cooking tools, dishes, and food containers to wash. (It seems pretty never-ending even with a dishwasher.)

Even if you’re using an anonymous user name on Reddit, the site’s default privacy settings expose a lot of your data. Although achieving complete anonymity is impossible, you can stop Reddit from logging each link you click and using your preferences for advertising. These are the top privacy settings that everyone…Read more...

Look, let’s be real: Pandemic notwithstanding, we’re not going to the movies like we used to. A lot of the kinds of dramas we used to buy tickets for have migrated to TV and expanded in scope, and as a result, TV’s gotten...pretty good. This year’s slate of new movies is enticing, but we’ll probably be fine if we sit…Read more...

If your last shopping trip or food delivery included bagged salads, you’re going to want to check the label to see if it’s one of the products being recalled over a risk of contamination from Listeria monocytogenes, according to an announcement from U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Until very recently, I had never watched an entire season of the Real Housewives franchise. I had tried to get into Beverly Hills, but it did not take. For whatever reason (ennui and boredom), I decided to give Salt Lake City a try, and I am now borderline obsessed with a bunch of rich women who live in Utah.Read more...

Whatever your experiences with own mental health, it’s daunting to find the perfect thing to say when someone you care about is struggling with depression. But it’s easier to figure out what not to say.

A cooldown is part of every workout, in theory. Whether it’s a session with weights at the gym, or a run outdoors, you’re supposed to do some kind of slower-paced activity at the end, and maybe even stretch a little. But honestly, I don’t always have the time. And when I skip my cooldown, nothing bad happens. What…Read more...

I’m an Apple fan. I’m pretty much entirely enrolled in the ecosystem, working between my iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch throughout the day (sadly, no iPod). However, there’s one aspect of the Apple universe that I don’t subscribe to, and, in fact, make an effort to steer away from: accessory loyalty.

Cyberattacks are a huge risk, and they’re on the rise. College students—especially those who are away from home, bringing their devices to class, or frequently connecting to public wifi—may be particularly vulnerable to hacks and cybercrime. Here’s how they can avoid becoming a victim of a cyberattack.

As far back as the 1930s, when manual typewriters walked the Earth, people have been predicting that some future generation will no longer need to write with a pen and paper—and these days, it’s true that most communication involves a keyboard of some sort. And yet, longhand is making a comeback. And that’s a good…Read more...

Not all leftovers are on the same level. There are tiers. At the top, you’ve got your pasta sauces, your stews, your chili—the stuff that actually tastes better after a night in the fridge than it does straight off the stove. Then you have your mid-tier, which is most leftovers: mashed potatoes, steak, roasted…Read more...

We live in magical times. Sure, the world’s on fire, but our devices can tell you the name of just about any song playing in your vicinity. The future is now! Solutions for this problem have existed for a while in various apps and built-in services, but now, a new solution comes to Chrome: the next time you hear a…Read more...

As beloved ‘80s/’90s sitcom dad Danny Tanner, Bob Saget dispensed wholesome wisdom with a smile, soaking in the “awwwws” from an audience who loved and appreciated the gentle hijinks of the Full House family. During the same era, he hosted America’s Funniest Home Videos, providing amusing commentary over…Read more...

No one likes a big ego, and the ability to laugh at yourself is an important skill. On the flip side, humility has its limits, too. If you’re someone who really can’t accept a compliment, or you’re constantly downplaying everything about yourself, then your self-deprecation is likely doing more harm than good.

Remodeling evokes a lot of contradictory emotions, from excitement over the possibilities to dread concerning the time, trouble, and mess—and few places are as anxiety-inducing to tackle as a bathroom. But if you’re considering retiling your shower, it may be easier than you think; you probably can do it without all…Read more...

I cleaned out my pantry over the weekend and it led to a lot of existential questions, mostly about sprinkles. In addition to my normal stash, which I’ve had for numerous holiday cookie decorating seasons, my sister gifted me an assortment of pastel eggs, lime green sugar, and other bonbons de décoration that she…Read more...

With COVID case counts still high and potentially more-contagious variants spreading, it’s time to up your mask game. Doubling up is one solution, but N95s and other high-quality masks still provide the best filtration.Read more...

Many of us have goals we want to achieve, whether it’s to eat healthier, work out more, read more books, or other things that we feel we should be doing. Usually, when we think about working toward our goals, we imagine making hard sacrifices along the way—waking up early to go to the gym, spending extra time…Read more...

Got yourself a maxed-out 16" MacBook Pro with Apple’s latest and greatest M1 Max processor? You should know that there’s a hidden “High Power Mode” on your laptop that you can enable when you’re tackling resource-intensive tasks like 4K or 8K video editing. Here’s what the 16" MacBook Pro’s High Power Mode does, and…Read more...

Reddit allows more anonymity than most other social media websites, particularly by allowing burner or throwaway accounts without using an email address. Lately, though, Reddit has made it harder to spot how to create these anonymous accounts—but you can still create throwaway Reddit accounts on desktop and on mobile.

I thought paying for access to hotel wifi was a practice that died a decade ago, but alas, there are still places that charge you to connect your devices to the internet. Some hotels also tack on supplemental charges for other amenities, like pools, bicycles, and beachfront yoga, that you may or may not use and that,…Read more...

Free unlimited cloud storage is typically a myth. If someone sells you on it, it usually comes with many caveats—usually with privacy concerns. But there’s actually a totally free, unlimited cloud storage that is pretty legit, so long as it lasts. And it comes via Telegram.

High-intensity emotions like anger, fear, anxiety, and despair are straight-up exhausting. It’s only natural to want to keep them to ourselves so as not to upset others—or come off as an uncouth over-sharer. But going too hard in the opposite direction is just as harmful in its own way. Here’s what chronic…Read more...

When it comes to terrible things that could happen to you, dying from heart disease is way more likely than a snake crawling out of your toilet, but the snake is scarier anyway. It’s not logical, but a beast slithering out of the sewer while you do your business is just wrong. But don’t worry. It’s not likely to…Read more...

When you fire up a video on reputable streaming services like Netflix or HBO Max, you don’t have to think much about it; you just press play and enjoy. However, if you are (ahem) pirating that video, you might notice that you have a variety of video options to choose from: Bitrate, resolution, and frame rate. What are…Read more...

I only have one fitness goal for 2022: Get real swole. This, of course, involves eating a lot of protein, and sea creatures are a great source. For most of my life, fish was something that was battered in cornmeal and deep fried. If I had to pick one fish to eat for the rest of my life, catfish, prepared as I’ve just…Read more...

We all know the glories of dish soap when used to fight hardened food, grease, and grime on our plates, pots, and utensils (y’all love your Dawn). But are you aware of its myriad potential other uses around the house? From stain-lifting to fruit fly control, behold the many blessed miracles of liquid dish detergent.