Lifehacker

Not all advice need be professional. Sometimes your problems merit a bit of unvarnished honesty from a dude equipped with nothing more than a computer and a conscience. Luckily for you, I’m that guy. Welcome back to Tough Love.

We’ve talked in the past about the need for parents to be more thoughtful or cautious about what we post about our kids online, particularly once they’re old enough to have a say in the information and images you release into the digital world. But there’s one area in which you may be disclosing too much information…Read more...

You could say the difference between investing and speculation is simply a matter of risk tolerance, with speculation being closer to gambling. The truth, though, is that there’s no clear cut line between them, as all investing carries risk. Still, there are differences worth knowing about, no matter what your…Read more...

An unfinished build of what is assumed to be Windows 11 leaked online, and people are installing it. Based on early impressions, it looks like Windows users are in for a big overhaul: Screenshots show off an all-new macOS-like desktop layout, a redesigned Windows Explorer interface, new Start menus, and some of the…Read more...

The pantheon of movies about a pair of dimwits with an ampersand in the title (see: Dumb & Dumber, Batman & Robin) grew by two in 2020 with the pandemic-impacted direct-to-digital rental releases of Barb & Star Go to Vista del Mar and Bill & Ted Face the Music. This month on Hulu you can live like it’s summer 2020 all…Read more...

Bidets are an everyday bathroom appliance in many other countries, but in the U.S. it’s hardly commonplace and has only recently become more commonly considered (in part from the pandemic and a perceived shortage in toilet paper). If you haven’t considered getting a bidet yourself...well, you should. Here are a few…Read more...

A solid-state drive is one of the best upgrades you can make for your desktop computer. And it’s not very hard to set up: Physically install it, connect the right cables, and reinstall Windows from scratch.

Who among us has not endured a restless night (after night after night) of sleep? When you can’t fall asleep, all you can think about is how you can’t fall asleep. You might even be constantly recalculating how much sleep you’ll get if only you could fall asleep right now. Or now. While we know all that kind of…Read more...

Despite the upheaval of the last few presidential election cycles, the most common U.S. electoral format is inarguably simple... in theory: voters select the candidate they like the most, and whoever has the most votes at the end of the counting wins. (Unless they don’t.)

If you were thinking of traveling to Asia soon, your options are limited, unfortunately. Much of Southeast Asia has undergone a spike in COVID cases recently, prompting new restrictions in many countries. That said, there are a few countries open to American travelers—here’s where you can go:Read more...

Hello everyone, and welcome back to Prix Fixed, Lifehacker’s menu-planning advice column.Read more...

We may pay more attention to our biceps or our butts, but every part of our body is full of muscles that can benefit from exercise. Our necks are no exception.Read more...

Planning a full-fledged garden doesn’t happen overnight. Everything from the best ways to prep the soil to what to plant where takes careful consideration—and perhaps no factor is more cirtical than figuring out the timing.

Pain in your butt or groin from cycling is common, even if you’re indoors on a Peloton or Airdyne, or even your DIY bike trainer. A little discomfort your first day may be normal, but if it persists or grows severe, you may need to make some changes to your bike and how you ride it. Here are some things you can try.Read more...

It seems like we’ve been waiting forever, but finally, the day has almost arrived. Yes, Disney Plus is finally premiering Turner & Hooch, a new TV series based on the quote-unquote classic 1989 Tom Hanks film about a police officer and his canine partner. Oh, also you can watch some kinda new Marvel movie too, if…Read more...

When your career is just beginning—or even once you’ve got some experience under your belt—it can be daunting to speak up when you disagree with a manager. Your boss’ authority is unimpeachable, or so you might think, so even if their directions are unclear or you struggle to wade through their unreadable emails,…Read more...

We know Mr. Clean “Magic Erasers” as the white pads with a shiny bald man telling you to remove scuff marks from walls.Read more...

When the pandemic hit last year, the first thing many parents did was abandon any rules they had in place about screen time. It’s not because the pandemic made us lazy parents; it’s because so many of us suddenly needed to work in the same spaces where our children were learning, playing, and arguing with each other.

If you’ve never heard of Amazon Explore, you’re not alone—it’s a relatively new service that connects you to interactive, one-on-one virtual experiences around the world, whether that’s a shopping session, a cooking lesson, or a “walking” tour. Launched during the pandemic, Explore is Amazon’s bid to, “complement,…Read more...

Eating a sandwich on the beach or near a nice tree is a simple but profound pleasure, but one that can be easily ruined by soggy bread or, conversely, bread so crusty and chewy that it hurts one’s tender mouth. Fortunately, the sandwich considerers at America’s Test Kitchen have isolated the perfect bread for picnics,…Read more...

In my career a parent, I can boast very few untarnished wins—namely, they are: making my daughter believe that frozen grapes are a totally acceptable dessert, teaching her to love Swiffer-ing, and potty training her in three days flat. That last one was my biggest surprise success, as I was fully prepared for…Read more...

Instant ramen may be the perfect cheap food. It’s good by itself, but there’s always creative ways to transform it into something better. My favorite thing to do is to crack an egg into the pot while my ramen is cooking.

Fertilizer can help promote healthier and stronger plants by giving them a well-balanced level of nutrients, encouraging root strength and longer blooms. The general consensus is that you should fertilize your plants during the growing season, which is early to mid-spring, but in reality it’s not that simple: Each…Read more...

You don’t have to go far to find conflicting advice about what to do in the gym. Some people will tell you not to do certain exercises at all; others will debate minutiae like how straight your elbows should be at the top of a press. Encountering diametrically opposing viewpoints can be frustrating when you’re just…Read more...

Spend enough time online and you’ll start to recognize the buzzwords currently standing in for broader social conflicts—maybe even before they enter the mainstream via cable news punditry and hot takes. A new “moral panic” looms with every feed refresh; commentators rail at the rise of “illiberalism”; “wokeness” is…Read more...

Yesterday the IRS launched a portal to service those who aren’t normally required to file taxes but are still eligible for the expanded child tax credit worth up to $3,600 per eligible dependent. The tool is meant to bridge the gap between low-income earners and the IRS, which can’t provide the benefit without a…Read more...

All babies cry. But some babies cry a lot. A colicky baby—defined as a healthy baby who cries for more than three hours a day, more than three days a week—presents a mental, physical, and emotional challenge for new parents beyond what most of us can fathom. To be tasked with consoling a seemingly inconsolable infant…Read more...

Apple shared a bunch of big reveals at this year’s WWDC presentation, most of which were promptly overshadowed by the parade of new iOS 15 features. One of the biggest was the announcement of Private Relay, a new service coming for iCloud+ subscribers that promises to make Safari even more private once you upgrade to…Read more...