Lifehacker

Last week it was flurona. This week it’s something called “deltacron.” We’re primed to go “oh shit” when we hear about a new variant, because we’ve been burned by quite a few of them by now. But the scary names outnumber the things we actually need to be scared of.

There’s a good chance you were gifted a number of wine bottles over the holidays. There’s a greater chance that you’ve already worked your way through them, and it’s time to hit the wine store for your next event. Whether you’re hosting a fancy dinner party or you’ve been assigned “wine duty” for a casual…Read more...

In 2018, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a federal ban on sports betting, leaving wagering rules and regulations to the states. Since then, sports betting has taken off all over the country, but not in every state. Below is a list of where you can legally bet on a game and where you cannot.

Bahamian-American actor, director, and cultural ambassador Sidney Poitier died last week at 94. Though he retired from filmmaking nearly two decades ago, he remained one of the most influential people in Hollywood: The child of potato farmers in the Bahamas who became a wildly consequential figure in American film and…Read more...

I love nonstick pans. I use mine mostly for frying eggs, pancakes, and breakfast potatoes—three of the stickier breakfast foods. I buy ‘em cheap, rarely wash them, and never run them through the dishwasher, and I’ve found they last a pretty long time, provided no one takes any metal utensils to them. (I’ve heard tell…Read more...

Accidentally deleting stuff is not fun. It can be all too easy to mistakenly erase photos, files, and conversations from your accounts, sometimes without even realizing it. Many of these platforms, luckily, have some type of “trash” system, which allows you to save your info before it’s permanently deleted. Believe it…Read more...

Not-so-recently built homes are often described by realtors as having “good bones,” meaning a strong structure and high level of quality and craftsmanship at their core. Of course, you can’t see beneath the paint and drywall when house-hunting, so how can you tell if the home you’ve got your eye on has this desirable…Read more...

You may have noticed that the dollars in your wallet seem to suddenly be worth something less than a dollar. For that, you can thank inflation, a measurement of decreasing purchasing power. The current U.S. inflation rate is 6.8%, which is the highest it’s been in forty years. What that means in practical terms is…Read more...

Ground beef accounts for 46% of all retail beef consumption in the United States in 2020. You probably have some in your fridge right now. If that’s the case, you’re going to want to check the label to see if it’s part of a multi-state recall of ground beef products because of possible E. coli contamination. Here’s…Read more...

Every time you open the Music app on your iPhone, there’s a good chance that you’ll be staring at a loading icon for a lot longer than you’d like. Apple Music may be a great service for streaming and discovering music, but it iPhone app tends to be much slower and buggier than your expect from a flagship Apple product…Read more...

Exposed brick walls can give your room a warm and rustic feel—but maintaining them can be more daunting than you might initially realize. You can bring them back to their former glory, though—or update them with some paint—by following these simple steps.

In honor of the late, great Betty White, why not take inspiration from her most iconic acting role and add some Golden Girls dazzle to your home? While we might not all have the fortitude (or the desire) to go full-on ‘80s Miami retiree, we can all take some pointers from their enthusiastic tropical flair. Here are…Read more...

Celebrations aren’t complete without dessert. Even on a normal day, dinner is just a little more special when you know there’s going to be cake. But the three things that make them downright irresistible are the same things we have to watch out for—fat, sugar, and carbs. What a glorious combo! Responsible for hundreds…Read more...

Your first day in the gym can be pretty intimidating. I remember spending a whole semester in one half of my university’s gym because the other room was, I don’t know, scary. And if you haven’t been to the gym in a while—or ever—you probably have questions. So let’s talk through the very, very basics.Read more...

Everyone approaches relaxation in their own way: Some view having—and taking—the time to relax as their right, and something they prioritize. Others see it as something that must be earned, and is only taken after a particular amount of work, or certain tasks are accomplished (and no sooner). But what most approaches…Read more...

It’s no coincidence that Marie Kondo’s show “Tidying Up” premiered on Netflix on January 1st. The year was 2019, and even though that feels like a different era, some people still start the new year with the urge to purge their home of clutter and unwanted items.

When buying a new car, it can be easy to get caught up in all the special features and amenities, or mentally calculating how much money you’re going to save, thanks to the vehicle’s superior gas mileage. But over time, both the excitement and that new-car smell wears off, and the most important feature becomes…Read more...

It’s a new year, but so far it’s looking pretty similar to 2021. And 2020.Read more...

Winter may not be everyone’s favorite season, but it does produce some of the best (or at least cutest) content on the internet: Videos of puppies playing in the snow. But a quick romp in fresh powder is one thing—what about staying outside or longer periods of time?Read more...

With winter setting in across the country, and the COVID-19 pandemic still going strong, it looks like we’ll be spending a lot of time indoors for the next few months. Though it can be tempting to crank up the thermostat inside your home when it’s cold outside, doing so on a regular basis throughout an entire season…Read more...

Capturing the natural beauty of a snowy winter day seems like it would be fairly straightforward, but it’s (usually) not as simple as grabbing your phone or camera, heading outside, and immediately getting the perfect shot.Read more...

There is likely to be a lot more erratic weather in our climate-changed future—more storms, more droughts, and more drivers stuck in their cars in horrendous blizzards, like hundreds of motorists in Virginia were this week. It’s probably too late to do much about climate change, but you can at least be prepared for…Read more...

COVID-19 and the flu are both respiratory viruses that can be anywhere from annoying to life-threatening, and public health experts have been worried about what might happen if both become widespread at the same time (the dreaded “twindemic”). Besides their individual tolls on the healthcare system, there’s also the…Read more...

You could get away with not knowing much about cryptocurrency in 2021, but it’s a new year, and with the crypto market now worth $3 trillion, you’ve got no excuse not to become crypto-literate. Here are some of the year’s biggest buzzwords you should know—and a couple less-new ones to make this brave new monetary…Read more...

There are a lot of reasons you might prefer to keep your religious beliefs—or lack thereof—to yourself. In a society that typically defaults to faith of some kind, it can be feel daunting to “come out” as a non-believer. Atheists can sometimes be stereotyped as jerks who want to debate or discount other people’s…Read more...

It’s frustrating when your computer doesn’t do what you ask. If you no longer need a disk image connected to your Mac, and you go to eject it, it can be frustrating to be met with an error: “The disk couldn’t be ejected because the Finder is using it.” Using it for what?Read more...

Didn’t we just have an Olympics? Yes—but the 2020 Summer Games were booted into 2021 by COVID, so we’re back here again already. The 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics (or the Second Global Pandemic Games, if you prefer a bit of post-apocalyptic flair) kick off on Friday, Feb. 4 and run through Sunday, Feb. 20, and are set…Read more...

In a country that seems more divided than ever, Americans remain united on one subject: Air travel sucks. From the ever-shrinking legroom to the ever-growing list of fees for basic amenities, it’s a deeply unpleasant experience. But another reason we all despise air travel so much: fear.Read more...

Young people are all over the place this week, recreating the meals on doomed ocean liners, eating Oreos with mustard, and getting all twee with each other. Here’s everything you should know about.

These days I’m perfectly content to take inspiration from wherever it comes. It’s probably an exaggeration to suggest that the human race has reached rock bottom (I wouldn’t care to see what that looks like), but a scan of the news or even a look out the window can certainly invite the thought. In short, it’s…Read more...

The Reminders app keeps growing on us. With the latest iOS 15 update, you now have access to tags and smart lists, which makes it possible to use it as a movie or reading list tracker.

Home improvement projects have become increasingly popular—but the same thing that’s driving their increased demand is also causing prices to rise. Not only do materials cost more now, appliances and labor do, too. You might still be able to squeak in that kitchen upgrade or home office retrofit, though, if you follow…Read more...

Many of us have spent a portion of our free time over the last two years looking at home listings online—first with aspirations of getting outside of our current four walls, and then out of desperation over the out-of-control real estate market.

Let me paint you a picture: You’re cooking breakfast. Today, you’ve decided to make soft scrambled eggs in brown butter. You plan to finish this scramble with a healthy handful of finely sliced chives, or maybe green onion if you’re out of chives. You will eat the eggs with toast.

If you live anywhere long enough—or you simply skew towards the nostalgic—it’s easy to accumulate a staggering array of sentimental items, aka clutter. You may not want to let go of tickets stubs, old meaningful letters, or the shirt you wore on your first date with your spouse. Because hey, one day, you might want to…Read more...

January is Hollywood’s “dump month,” when studios release misfit movies that aren’t worthy of Summer blockbuster season and aren’t good enough for December’s award-eligibility season—movies that seemed like a good idea at the time, which, once finished, they’d rather forget.

Twenty-twenty-two was supposed to be the year that everything got back on track. When we’d all return to our normal lives and finally head back to a chilly cinema to watch that Top Gun sequel that has been sitting on the shelf for three years. Yessir. 2022, when it was all going to happen.Read more...

Living in a neighborhood can be a pleasant experience of convivial support, backyard barbecues, and lasting memories. Or it can be a years-long exercise in weakening patience and muted rage. (Or something in between.) To have the best chance of co-existing harmoniously with your street-mates, watch out for these…Read more...

Teenagers are now eligible for booster doses of their COVID-19 vaccine, the CDC has announced. Until now, boosters were only for adults aged 18 and up. Children with weakened immune systems can now also get a third primary dose, even if they are not old enough for a booster.

Tracking the calories and macronutrients in the food you eat can help you reach your nutrition-related goals, from weight loss, to weight gain, to trying to get a better handle on your intake of protein and vitamins. To gauge this information accurately, you’ll want to get a food scale. But then what?

January is usually a month of purging, consolidating, and cleaning, but this January seems particularly suited to it. Omicron is infecting nearly everyone I know, and the weather is terrible—there isn’t much reason to leave the house; might as well clean it.

No company wants to be sued. Since lawsuits can be common for large companies, especially large tech companies, it makes sense that these organizations create strategies to reduce their chances of being sued in the first place. But when those tactics are subtle, scummy, and anti-consumer, as is apparently the case…Read more...

If you’re trying a Dry January, it’s probably starting to get hard. It can help to think about some of the reasons why it’s good to give your liver a break every once in a while.

It’s good to make your home feel like you, but there are also a slew of decorating choices that will make the place look chintzy, basic, or even plain creepy. If you’re going for that kind of vibe, fine. If not, consider changing any of the following decor-don’ts that are a part of your home.

If you’re new to gardening or woodworking—or if you just want to update your refinishing skills—a workshop or adult camp might be for you. Get some hands-on experience and some pro tips in one of these beginner courses for adults.Read more...

We live in the most connected time in history. We can collaborate with people who live thousands of miles away, virtually visit places without leaving the comfort of our homes, and we can—with varying results—express our every thought to the entire world.

Apple Music’s curated playlists are good enough for many people, but they can’t compare to a customized playlist built to suit your tastes. Even better, there are ways to mix, match, and combine multiple Apple Music playlists to create a mammoth list of tracks to suit any mood. You can also define certain rules, such…Read more...

Cold weather is officially here (at least, it is in areas that typically get cold this time of year.) (I’m not talking about southern California.) (I am never talking about southern California.)

The internet loves two things: A fresh trend, and word games. Wordle is both, and even has a love story in the mix. On Sunday, the second day of 2022, the online word game went viral and was played by more than 300,000 people.

CES 2022 is here, running from Jan. 5 to Jan. 7 —with a few notable names opting out of the in-person shows. If you didn’t snag a ticket but still want to experience it, though, you’re in luck. There are plenty of ways to livestream it this year.