Lifehacker

The brilliance of the Nintendo Switch is how it gives you the ability to go from playing a game handheld to experiencing it on your big screen in seconds. That brilliance is certainly dimmed, however, if you have to deal with intermittent blackouts on your TV. If you’re experiencing this issue with your Switch, there…Read more...

The satisfaction of watching your tiny shoots push out of the ground after weeks of waiting is one of the best parts of gardening—unless your seeds don’t germinate as evenly as you’d like. Some of your seeds may not even sprout at all, or meddling squirrels may have carried them away before they got the chance. But…Read more...

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We may never be completely rid of paper—aside from its advantages, paper will always have a “feel” that simply appeals to some folks—but we’re entering a brave new world where digital documents live harmoniously with their printed cousins. You already might keep e-books on your Kindle and print books on your shelf, or…Read more...

If you’re American, it’s not uncommon for your travel bucket list to include visiting all fifty states. You’ve probably gotten some of the big ones, like New York, California, and Florida, out of the way already—that’s because these states have obvious attractions. No one wonders if there are any fun activities to do…Read more...

The early days of social media ushered in an era of Web 2.0 fears, the loss of privacy and the threat of cyberstalking among them, plus the depressing realization that everyone you went to high school with is overtly racist.

Windows 11 makes a big deal about having an account password, and for good reason. If you’re on a shared computer, or if you’re using a laptop, it’s always best to protect your data with a password of some kind. If you’re using a desktop in your own bedroom, though, repeatedly typing in your password can become…Read more...

If you ever need to keep tabs on small changes to a website, Visual Ping can help. Visual Ping is a website and browser extension that tracks websites for just about any text, visual, and formatting change you specify. In a way, it’s like using the Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine, only in real time.

This week’s trip into the strange corners of culture inhabited by young people is all about different kinds of danger! There’s the danger of talking to strangers online, the danger of going on first dates, and the danger of pursuing scientific achievement. But let’s begin with the danger of tweeting something weird.

Sometimes, we make colossally bad decisions that mess up our lives for a period of time. We stay too long in the wrong job or a toxic relationship. We hang out with the wrong people, or make a risky investment that doesn’t pan out. There are times when our mistakes and failures can be traced back to a specific…Read more...

“Breakfast in bed” is an enchanting concept—and is traditionally considered the proper way to serve breakfast to a mom on Mother’s Day—but runny egg yolks, pools of syrup, and cutlery of any kind add a certain amount of stress and awkwardness to something that should be relaxing. And relaxation on Mother’s Day, more…Read more...

Do you have a cabinet in your bathroom or kitchen somewhere that’s full of medications you don’t use? Those antibiotics you should have finished but didn’t, those painkillers that they gave you way too many of after your surgery, maybe some long-expired vitamins? It’s probably time to get rid of them, and we have some…Read more...

Much fuss is made over the use of digitally manipulated photos in ads and magazines, and for good reason: The impact of altered photos in media on consumers’ self esteem has long been researched—and the results are not good. More recently, the proliferation of easy-to-use apps like FaceTune has led to manipulated…Read more...

If there’s one thing corporate America loves, it’s doling out an office pizza party. You hit your numbers for the quarter? That’s an office pizza party. A longtime worker is retiring? Having a baby? Hitting a milestone birthday? Pizza party, pizza party, pizza party.

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Scammers have no honor: They will pretend to be anyone and say anything they have to in order to get you to give up your personal information. Their latest trick involves impersonating WhatsApp ‘support’ in order to steal your credit card information and break into your messaging account. Don’t give them the…Read more...

After tweeting out a joke and a screenshot of someone messaging me on Hinge, I recently read through a lot of complaints (mostly from men) about how it feels like there are only two options when you reach out to someone on dating apps: Get ignored or get mocked.

The next time you’re deep in conversation with someone, whether it be a platonic, romantic, or business interaction, notice: Are you sitting or standing in similar positions? Are your voices speaking at the same volume? Are your arms or hands doing the same thing?

A pool in your backyard is an awesome addition to your house. Whether it’s in-ground or above-ground, a pool offers plenty of fun and recreation for you and the kids. It’s also a terrific social gathering point, ideal for inviting friends, family, and neighbors over for cookouts and relief from the summer heat. But…Read more...

I don’t care how cynical you are, you will be delighted at the sight of butterflies in your garden or backyard. Not only are these colorful insects beautiful, they pollinate plants, attract birds, inspire Mariah Carey, and provide us with an overused metaphor for transformation.

It’s been less than two weeks, and we’re already talking about another critical Chrome update. To be honest, though, good on Google for staying on top of these things: Sometimes, we find out a company sat on critical security vulnerabilities for months without issuing a new update. At least here, we have a good chance…Read more...

Ah, the toilet. An invention so perfect we haven’t made any substantial updates to it in the five centuries or so since its introduction. The flush toilet you’re using today is essentially the same design introduced by Sir John Harrington in the 16 century—it relies on a water supply and gravity, and uses a…Read more...

Something cool is happening this weekend: Venus and Jupiter will look really close in the sky, almost appearing to touch each other, even though they’re millions of miles apart. They’ll appear their very closest on Saturday, April 30, around 3 p.m. ET. This is known as a “conjunction,” and while the experts at …Read more...

I first saw this valuable life hack on TikTok: Search “Mario Run” on YouTube when you need to keep your kid busy for a while. I did, but I wasn’t sure if the resulting videos would actually hold a kid’s attention. So I proposed to my kindergarten-age daughter that she try out a few. Her eyes widened when she saw the…Read more...

I am old enough to remember when sun-dried tomatoes first fell out of fashion. They were everywhere: in savory pastries, grilled chicken pasta dishes, mashed into cheese spreads, and then—suddenly—they were gone, gauche, unwelcome.Read more...

If you like the idea of a bountiful garden, but you’re less keen on all the watering, fertilizing, and care it entails, I have a gardening philosophy to share with you: It’s called “benign neglect.” The idea is to create conditions favorable for plants native to an area, and just let them do their thing while you sit…Read more...

Your wedding is already going to include a toast, so why not also include a toke? According to a recent survey from The Knot, 93% of people serve alcohol at their wedding, with the average couple spending $2,300 to stock the bar with beer, wine, and liquor. If all of those people are going to hit the sauce on the day…Read more...

Every time I think we’ve seen the last twist on Wordle, there comes another game that manipulates a variable I didn’t even realize was missing. In this case, the new element is competition. Oh, and speed.Read more...

New updates are always exciting. They mean fresh features, bug fixes to solve pesky problems, and an overall new digital coat of paint on your phone. Right now, Android 13 is that coat of paint, adding new tweaks and changes to your Pixel, should you decide to try it out early.

Last week I asked Lifehacker readers to share the little things that go a long way in the bedroom. I’m not talking about wild feats of flexibility or barrier breaking new kinks—I wanted to hear your wisdom when it comes to talking dirty without feeling awkward, the power of a well-placed pillow, or the simple…Read more...

Eating meat off a stick is a unique and elegant pleasure. Grilled, bite-sized pieces of beef, lamb, chicken, or seafood served on a skewer: convenient, delicious, and perfect for holding in one hand while you hold a cocktail (or beer) in the other.

Today is Administrative Professionals Day, and while the existence of this hyper-specific honorary day goes by every year unnoticed by many, there are those who are aware of it. And some of them post earnestly on social media or grab flowers and donuts for their office personnel on the Wednesday of the last full week…Read more...

Fidelity announced on Tuesday it’s going to launch a way for workers to put up to 20% of their 401(k) savings and contributions directly in Bitcoin. This would make Fidelity the first company in the financial services industry to allow this service without having to go through a separate brokerage window, bringing us…Read more...

During the civil defamation lawsuit unfolding between Johnny Depp and his ex-wife Amber Heard, a psychologist testified that, after reviewing mental health records and conducting 12 hours of interviews with Heard, the actress met the criteria for both borderline personality disorder and the lesser known “histrionic…Read more...

If your iPhone’s display breaks, or the battery goes bust, your first instinct might be to make an appointment at Apple’s Genius Bar. For the longest time, that’s exactly the way Apple wanted it. Times have changed, however: People want to repair their own devices, and have the resources to do so safely and…Read more...

If you asked me to list the top 10 shows I once loved that I would guess wouldn’t hold up in 2022, The Kids in the Hall would be at the top. And yet, Amazon has revived the series, which originally ran from 1989 to 1995 on Canadian TV and enjoyed a long life in syndication in the U.S. on Comedy Central, for a new…Read more...

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Weeds are everywhere this time of year, pushing up through cracks in the pavement and sprouting in any place that soil and water can gather. They can be unsightly in your garden but they can also wreak havoc on fences, foundations, and walkways if they’re not controlled. While leaving the dandelions for the bees is a…Read more...

Ah, confidence. That elusive, intangible thing we all know we need to get the jobs, attract the people, achieve the goals, and make the money. The thing that can take years or even decades to develop, a string of good decisions and positive outcomes to maintain, and awhile to regain once it’s been shaken.

Colons and semicolons are the indie rock of punctuation marks. They’re not mainstream-popular like the period. They aren’t obvious and eager-to-please like the exclamation mark. They’re not everywhere like the comma. But the colon and the semicolon have passion. They’re quirky, snobby, and sometimes prickly. These…Read more...

Do you look longingly at those wide, cushioned first-class seats when you board a plane? Us, too. Unfortunately, most of us most commonly fly in coach/economy class, which isn’t exactly the lap of luxury. So we recently asked Lifehacker readers for their best tips for flying both comfortably and cheaply in tight…Read more...

Spring cleaning can take many different forms. Sorting through the closet and donating the clothes you never wear. Going through the cabinets and throwing out spices that expired during the Clinton administration. Poring over your credit card bill and realizing you are subscribed to so many streaming services, you’re…Read more...

Over the weekend, a climate activist from Colorado died after setting himself on fire in front of the United States Supreme Court. Wynn Bruce’s self-immolation coincided with Earth Day, and his friends have told news outlets that he was deeply passionate about climate change. Bruce was far from the first person to…Read more...

Cleaning up broken glass requires you to be thorough. And to be thorough enough, sometimes you need to get resourceful. Even if you have a broom on hand, you might want to try a different method—either the broom will fail to pick them up in the first place, or tiny shards get stuck in the broom bristles, spelling…Read more...

An iPhone works seamlessly with Macs—photos from one show up on the other, as so do calls and messages. But what if you’re on the other side of the fence and use Windows and Android instead?Read more...

Paramount keeps rebooting Star Trek, and I keep coming back, hoping whatever they’re trying now will hit like The Next Generation did back in the ‘90s (I am very old). Strange New Worlds is the latest attempt, and I’ll be damed if the trailer doesn’t make it seem like they’ve finally gotten it right.

Vegetarian sandwiches can be disappointing, especially when ordered from a meat-centric establishment. Too often, the default is a single oily portobello mushroom cap, with some raw sliced vegetables, and maybe a slice of cheese. Often there are sprouts.

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Whether you have a cute little Maltese or a fluffy American Eskimo, you know that nothing is more stunning than when your dog’s coat is bright and white. You also know that dogs don’t particularly care that much about aesthetics and are unlikely to be swayed from rolling in dirt on the grounds that it will make their…Read more...

I’m a huge fan of VR, especially for games with an emphasis on exploration. Skyrim VR is a favorite of mine, for nothing else than experiencing its world in true first-person. It seems fitting, then, for a game like Elden Ring, lauded for its open-world of endless expeditions, to have a virtual reality mode for…Read more...