Lifehacker

Cybersecurity is constantly in the news, and for good reason. Bad actors are always on the lookout for vulnerabilities in software to exploit for personal gain: Your PC, running Windows and an assortment of apps, is in the crosshairs, so when Microsoft drops updates to patch security flaws and vulnerabilities as…Read more...

After the winter months of rain, snow, ice, and frost, your driveway might not be looking its best—especially now that spring has sprung, and the weeds are further highlighting all its newly formed cracks. Repairing cracks in your driveway is important to keep them from getting larger, eventually requiring repaving or…Read more...

Like all good Americans, I love a murder podcast, but sometimes the ever-increasing bodycount can be a bit much even for me. Sometimes I just want to listen to stories about people who steal from, terrorize, and psychologically destroy other people without sending them to the boneyard. I guess I’m getting soft in my…Read more...

Of all of the foods I buy on a regular basis, the price of eggs varies the most. They can cost two bucks for 18 or seven whole American dollars per dozen—a pretty big discrepancy for a quite basic food.

Gmail is simple, friendly, and easy to use. You likely set it up once, and have been using it the same way ever since. And why not? You send and receive email without issue, so what’s to change? Well, it turns out, quite a bit.Read more...

Tulip season is upon us. And if you enjoy bedecking your home with fresh, seasonal flowers, you may be wondering how you can keep your next tulip purchase standing upright. Because while these colorful bulbs are known for brightening up any room, they’re also known for their tendency to droop. While some droop is…Read more...

Avian flu is back in the news following an outbreak in the Midwest and Northeast, and the subsequent euthanizing or death of over 21 million birds since February. Lately, it has been reported that the bird flu is now being blamed for an increase in the cost of turkey and eggs.

Burrata is a beautiful thing. For the uninitiated, burrata is a cheese comprised of a tender shell of mozzarella, wrapped around a luscious mixture of mozzarella curds and cream. That inside mixture is also known as “stracciatella,” and it is what gives burrata an edge over mozzarella. I like to eat burrata with stone…Read more...

A new home comes with a lot of moving parts. It can feel like there’s no end to the documents and contacts swirling around, from insurance information, mortgage documents, and new bill-pay accounts, to any number of contractors offering who-knows-what services.

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Dating in high school is hard. You’ve got wild hormones, an overwhelming curiosity (paired with trepidation) about sex, loads of pimples, and a shaky sense of self, the world, and where you fit in it. During this time of shape-shifting self-esteem, it’s easy to think that the people you had epic crushes on—the ones…Read more...

The list of potential disasters is endless. At least, that’s what my anxiety tells me. Like many of you, I’m prone to envisioning myself in any number of dire scenarios. What would I do if I were stranded in the desert, or stuck in a crowd crush, or locked in the trunk of a car? I need answers: Is there a special spy…Read more...

There are always new social media platforms launching, but few have the staying power of Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, TikTok, Truth Social, WhatsApp, and Telegram. Each day seemingly promises us some new platform, most of which we ignore or maybe use for a brief time before ultimately ignoring; others have…Read more...

If you own a home of some sort, you are familiar with how expensive any sort of renovation or repair can be, so many homeowners try to mitigate that expense with sweat equity—i.e., doing tasks themselves whenever possible. Trading time and effort for money is a solid decision, but can lead to awful experiences. For…Read more...

We all deserve a good night’s sleep, which is why it’s frustrating when sweating keeps us from getting the rest we need. If you’ve ever woken up drenched in sweat after a night of tossing and turning, you know how unpleasant it can be. It’s one thing if you’re wearing flannel pajamas in the middle of summer (bad choice…Read more...

No one wants to be the person who accidentally spills coffee on their MacBook and ends up losing all their data. The laptop can be easily replaced, but if you don’t have a backup, you face the uninviting prospect of permanent data loss. Luckily, backing up your Mac right now is effortless and cheap, and there are…Read more...

If you’ve been following my stretching journey, this is the part where it starts to get interesting. After establishing a routine, I’ve been starting to think about whether I’m stretching in the most effective way or not. Recently, I tried some new techniques.

A wise man once said, “Eggs are nature’s cooking school in a shell, a pathway to teaching yourself everything you need to know to become a passable home cook.” With this one (cheap, ubiquitous) food, you can learn at least five different cooking methods (fry, poach, boil, scramble, bake), and get familiar with fats,…Read more...

Receiving an invitation to your high school class reunion can be emotionally complex, to say the least. Here is proof that you are aging (and quickly!), as well as a solicitation to go socialize with other aging folk with whom you may or may not have gotten along when you were younger. You might feel worried about…Read more...

This Friday and Saturday are the beginning of Passover, the eight-day holiday celebrating the Israelites escape from slavery in Egypt. Its beginning is marked in Jewish households with a Seder, a ritual meal in which the story of the the Exodus is told. Once nearly exclusively observed by Jews, Seders are becoming …Read more...

Mmm, nail polish remover. That sweet-smelling elixir—wait, sorry. I was sniffing my nail polish remover and I blacked out for a minute. We all know this pungent beauty staple definitely does not smell sweet. But the same chemical that provides its trademark unpleasant scent is what makes it great at cleaning dirt,…Read more...

My iPhone’s display is a mess. Some of that mess makes sense: I expect nicks and scratches on my screen when my iPhone, say, falls out of my pocket onto cement. However, many of these scratches have mysteriously accumulated over time, through no misuse of my own. Under direct sunlight, it’s a massacre. If your iPhone…Read more...

In an era of rising inflation and economic uncertainty, the list of things once considered “first-world” problems gets shorter every day. For example: Pump bottles of lotion that stop working with at least an inch or two of skin-saving goop left at the bottom.

If there is one thing I will not stand for, it is slander against deviled eggs. They’re the perfect little handheld appetizer. Kitschy but not gimmicky, small yet substantial, and near endlessly customizable. They also taste good. You can keep them simple with mayo, mustard, and paprika, or dress them up with bacon,…Read more...

It always warms my heart to receive a bouquet of flowers. This is a frequent occurrence for me, due to my many, many suitors. At the same time, taking care of flowers also brings me a lot of stress. After all, a bouquet of flowers, much like love, is fleeting. The wilt is inevitable—but it doesn’t have to be…Read more...

Summer is fast approaching, and your family is probably itching to take a trip somewhere. While it’s easy to say screw it and head to Disney World or Six Flags—again—and we wouldn’t dream of criticizing busy parents for taking the path of least resistance, there’s also something to be said for taking a vacation that’s…Read more...

Gardening season is full of promise: the fresh vegetables, beautiful flowers, and sense of accomplishment. But it can also be a—literal—pain in the neck (and back). Kneeling, crouching, reaching, lifting, and pulling are all part of garden upkeep, and sometimes these things catch up with even the most enthusiastic…Read more...

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If you’ve been following the news lately, you may have heard about the Capitol Hill fox that bit a total of nine people, including a Congressman and a reporter. As amusing as the fox sightings have been, the story took a more serious turn in recent days, as the fox was captured and discovered to have rabies.Read more...

You need comfortable furniture on your deck or patio if you’re planning to do entertaining in the warm weather, but because they’re exposed to the elements, these pieces can wear out over a season or two. If some of your outdoor furniture is looking worse for wear, don’t run out to buy new versions just yet. Save…Read more...

Leaving a beloved pet home alone while you go off to work—or, worse, on a short trip—can be challenging. While we can’t be with our pets 24-7, there is plenty of technology available to us to make sure they’re safe and well-cared-for in our absence. Here are some of our favorite gadgets that can help keep our pets…Read more...

The news that old-school adventure game pioneers Roberta and Ken Williams are returning to gaming after 25 years with a virtual reality version of classic game Colossal Cave got me thinking about how awesome text adventure games were. Elden Ring is cool and all, but sometimes you want to type “GO NORTH” and enjoy some…Read more...

There’s a ton of space-related news dominating the headlines right now. Billionaires are engaged in a space race, celebrities are riding along in rockets, and 1,500 pages of UFO-related reports were just declassified by the government. The age of space tourism may soon be upon us, but the age of space curiosity is…Read more...

Real estate listings sound like they should be pretty straightforward, but if you’re not familiar with the terminology and abbreviations, it can seem like they’re written in a different language. Some things are self-explanatory, like seeing “primary bedroom” and knowing it’s what has been traditionally known as a…Read more...

Traditional lawns—as in, the ones that require ripping up a piece of land, removing any plant life, and then planting and growing a uniform type of grass, which society dictates must be maintained in a certain way—are not the only option for your yard. (For more background, read Lifehacker writer A.A. Newton’s lawn…Read more...

Last year, people had high hopes for what was supposed to be “Hot Vax Summer,” but things didn’t quite pan out. Truth be told, we have no idea what’s in store for us in a few weeks—let alone a few months—but if nothing else, the folks at the Farmers’ Almanac have made their usual predictions about the upcoming…Read more...

When we first learned about plants in school, they seemed so straightforward: Make sure they have the right amounts of soil, sunlight, and water, and they’ll grow. Then we learned that it’s a little more complicated than that, and many different factors determine whether and how well a plant will grow.Read more...

As our name suggests, if there’s a way to make life easier, or cut down on the time we spend doing stuff we’d rather not be doing, we’re all about it. And sometimes in our quest to find life-simplification solutions, we’ll come across certain hacks or tips that seem like they’d save time and energy, but in the end,…Read more...

After spending two years at home with your dog more than you probably ever had before, there’s a good chance that you’ve grown even more attached. So when it comes to booking summer travel, you may be considering bring your dog with you on vacation instead of paying for boarding or a petsitter.Read more...

Some mornings I don’t need to look out the window to know it’s going to be a lousy weather day. The grayness can be felt before it’s visually perceived and confirmed. Maybe it’s the precipitation that makes the air heavy with dread, but this morning, before I opened my eyes and performed that daily ritual of mindless…Read more...

You obviously know that turning off lights and powering down electronics is one way to lower your electricity usage and, as a result, money. But what about leaving your phone on its charger overnight, or leaving your devices plugged in while they are asleep or turned off? Is it really worth unplugging them when not…Read more...

Most of have had to face the dreaded, “Tell me about a time you made a mistake” question while interviewing for a new job. And while the whole point of an interview is to put your best foot forward—and nobody relishes disclosing past work failures—with a little advanced preparation, your response can actually work in…Read more...

No dating cliché has endured quite like the infamous belief that “opposites attract.” Clichés are often rooted in some truth, and while this one has been upended a little in these divided times, there are still elements of honesty within it. Here’s what to know about why and how opposites attract—and what you can do…Read more...

iMessage revolutionized texting for iPhone users. It replaced SMS with a new, better, faster protocol. Now, Android is trying to do the same with RCS. And while it’s getting there, it does have one issue: It doesn’t automatically fall back to SMS if a message doesn’t go through—instead, you’re asked to manually send…Read more...

Apple Watches are impressive little computers, but they don’t last forever. After enough time, the battery starts to go, which can ruin your chances of closing your daily rings. On top of that, the watch starts to slow down, to the point where you think you’d be better off upgrading to the next Apple Watch generation.…Read more...

I like to think of myself as good at Wordle (caring about Wordle is one of my worst personality flaws and I’m embracing it, thank you very much), so I was thrilled to see that the New York Times has a new tool called WordleBot that can grade your performance on any past Wordle.Read more...

People tend to use meal planning as an attempt to gain control over their diet and budget. Usually, they have a goal to “eat better” and “stop buying takeout.” That is almost never my goal when it comes to meal planning (or anything else). My goal is always to have to do less and to experience more pleasure, which is…Read more...

A deck can be an extension of your living space during the warmer months, becoming a second living room for get-togethers or a quiet retreat to soak in a summer breeze. For all their usefulness, decks can be a pain to maintain and can become an eyesore as they age. Keeping your deck looking sharp and ready for use…Read more...

Can anything spice up a roll in the hay more than worrying about how many calories you’re burning while you do it? Impossible, right? So let’s take a look at the energy expenditure of various ways of having sex, as calculated by the world’s greatest scientific minds. And when I say scientific minds, I mostly mean…Read more...

Watching television used to be a pretty straightforward experience. At one time, there were roughly seven channels and you got them by fiddling with an antenna. But the proliferation of programming platforms and the advance of technology has made interacting with your television a much more complex experience. Enter…Read more...