Lifehacker

They say it’s more dangerous to use a dull knife than a sharp knife. That’s because if you struggle with a dull blade, you’re more likely to slip—and no one wants that.Read more...

My mother’s dental history reads like a horror novel: multiple fillings, root canals, implants, jaw surgeries, gum tissue grafts, and full veneers. Emotional costs aside, the financial investment has been massive. As a result, she drilled the importance of twice-daily brushing and flossing into me from a young age.…Read more...

If you’ve managed to escape the past few years without encountering a loved one who has become buried in misinformation or disinformation, count yourself among the lucky few. Most of us do have that relative who has gotten lost in the world of online conspiracy theories or swept away by a vortex of ridiculous…Read more...

If your concept of caterpillars is primarily based on reading Eric Carle’s The Very Hungry Caterpillar, a specific image likely comes to mind when you picture these many-legged insects. Not only does Carle’s titular caterpillar have a distinctive look, his insatiable appetite (and instant regret in the wake of a…Read more...

Between its reasonable prices and streamlined Scandinavian design (and sure, those meatballs), IKEA is a perennially popular spot to pick up stylish furniture, quirky decor items, and other home essentials. Even if the store’s pop culture reputation as the site of many a breakup is well-deserved, the ability to pick…Read more...

Your credit score is important to lenders, as it helps them assess you as a credit risk, but it’s important to you, too, because it ultimately determines the interest rates you pay on credit cards and loans. While I knew this in my early twenties, the significance didn’t really sink in until I thought of it in terms…Read more...

We tend to think of cucumbers as cool and crisp, best smashed and served in salads, or brined and pickled. But there is beauty in a cooked cucumber, especially a grilled one.Read more...

Even though COVID-19 infection rates and hospitalizations are declining across the country, some gray area and potential danger remains: Fifty percent of U.S. adults have been fully vaccinated, which is a remarkable achievement and a sign of impending normality, but a high share of adults remain hesitant or outright…Read more...

Apple’s iOS 14.6 and iPadOS 14.6 launched this week, adding several new features to iPhones and iPad devices including new voice controls, expanded tracking functions for AirTags, Family Sharing options for Apple card payments, and, of course, tons of bug fixes.Read more...

If you don’t want your partner, spouse or roommate snooping on your Google search or YouTube watch histories but you don’t want to resort to using incognito mode, good news: you can now hide both behind password verification.

If you’re one of the 56% of Americans who lives paycheck to paycheck, you might sometimes need to source some extra cash to tide you over until payday. Increasingly, people are turning to cash advance apps to cover their bills—typically you can get a few hundred bucks for a small fee, without worrying about an…Read more...

Where most people need to dab their foreheads, my sweat glands unleash an unrelenting flood when it’s hot outside. The technical term to describe my plight is “sweaty bastard,” and perhaps you’re familiar with our breed.Read more...

Walking is an easy way to get some exercise in your day, and it delivers mental health benefits as well. I’m one of the many people who added daily walks to my routine during the pandemic, and they improved my life so much I don’t intend to stop. But does walking do enough for your body that you can count it as cardio…Read more...

I first heard about the genre of “size comparison” videos on YouTube from this article in the New York Times, written by a mom whose seven-year-old son had become obsessed with them. He’s at a developmental age where kids are finally able to sort things by size or quantify with more ease, so it makes sense that…Read more...

PlayStation 5 stock has been scant since launch, but buying the console will probably get even more difficult in the coming weeks. Many PS5-exclusive games are now available or nearing launch, and we’re sure to see big reveals at upcoming events like E3 and Summer Game Fest that are likely to increase demand for the…Read more...

This week we’re kicking our butts into gear and developing a solid running habit with help from Strength Running founder Jason Fitzgerald. And just in time too, because Lifehacker’s very own Meghan Walbert, co-host of The Upgrade, has been working on learning to enjoy the workout herself for this month’s Lifehacker…Read more...

For some reason, people of a certain age love to collect bottles of expired salad dressing. In fact, a recently expired bottle of Trader Joe’s Green Goddess dressing in my own fridge is just one more damning piece of evidence I am slowly morphing into my grandmother, one food item at a time (the package of cheap…Read more...

No matter how much advice you get before getting married, nothing can quite prepare you for what it’s really like. Over the years I’ve been married, I’ve learned a few things I didn’t expect about what life after the wedding would be like. Here are the things I think everyone should consider before they get married.

Hey.

It may feel as though we’ve finally said goodbye to winter, but alongside the warmer weather comes hurricane season. In anticipation, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) recently released their predictions for the 2021 hurricane season, which begins on June 1.Read more...

If you’ve ever wondered if you should invoke something or evoke it, you’re not alone. Not only do the words sound similar, but the difference in their meanings is subtle, and they’re also not likely to be words we use often. That’s when it’s time to invoke the knowledge of the grammar gods.Read more...

After being cooped up inside all winter (especially within the past two years) it can be easy to get carried away with your summer plans—including the ones involving plants. You may head to the garden center with the intentions of picking up a few seedlings and supplies, and somehow end up with more plants that you…Read more...

Updated 5/24: Samsung has extended the data transfer deadlines for Samsung Cloud users. We’ve updated the article below with the new cutoff dates and added extra information on syncing Samsung Cloud with OneDrive.

Citing labor shortages, 23 states have announced that they’re opting out of the federal government’s unemployment assistance program, which includes a top-up of $300 per week on state employment benefits. Here’s a look at which states are ending the payments, and when they’ll get cut off.Read more...

As we draw closer to August, you and I will be tempted and tried by False Tomato Season. Though I have never in my life had a truly fantastic tomato before the eighth month of the year, I refuse to learn, and always end up being betrayed by at least one good-looking but disappointing-tasting tomato.Read more...

Unless you’ve been avoiding the news completely in recent months, you’ve probably heard about the wild ride that is the cryptocurrency market. Bitcoin and Ether are experiencing huge swings in value on a daily basis, while Dogecoin—created as a joke in 2013—has become a very real (if volatile) asset thanks in part to…Read more...

Imagine sitting on a barstool, with kids—kindergarten age and younger—darting across the floor, screaming for their parents, and generally posing a liability for any inebriated adult who might have the misfortune of colliding with one of these tiny people. Suffice it to say, I have an axe to grind against parents who…Read more...

Just as speed is not the only way to make progress in running, adding weight to the bar is not the only way to make progress in lifting. There are many ways to measure the process of getting stronger and fitter, so let’s discuss some ways you can set benchmarks for yourself along the way.Read more...

When summer heat and humidity hits for real, cold showers and box fans can only do so much. At some point you’ll need to actually cool the air in your house if you want to stay comfortable. Without central air conditioning, that can be a real struggle.Read more...

It’s a good time to get a retail job, as big chains are struggling to fill job vacancies, and are in some cases increasing hourly wages or offering hiring bonuses. If you’re shopping around for a gig, it’s also worth considering which chains offer the best employee discounts, as they can potentially add up to hundreds…Read more...

The word “crybaby” evokes a certain image: a child who seems to tear up over things of little consequence, multiple times a day, and for several minutes per cry session—and who seems too old to do so. There is a societal expectation that by a certain age, maybe around the time they start kindergarten or first grade,…Read more...

As humans, most of us are uncomfortable talking (or even thinking) about death, whether it’s our own, or the loss of loved ones—including pets. And while people never want to think about anything happening to their pets, that’s one of the inevitable aspects of having a furry companion. Even though you might think you…Read more...

The last movie I saw in theaters before the pandemic turned moviegoing into a hazy memory was Cats, the infamously wrong-headed adaptation of the inexplicably popular Broadway musical. That it was a late-night “rowdy” screening hosted by a popular bad movie podcast only made me feel a little less unclean.

Mushrooms and moisture have a tense relationship. Mushrooms seem to love moisture and grab onto it every chance they get, but the relationship is a toxic one, as moisture hastens the shrooms’ slimy demise. That makes it your job, as the mushroom storer, to keep them as dry as possible (until you’re ready to eat them).Read more...

Duct tape works miracles, but it often leaves behind a sticky reminder of its adhesive, regardless of where you’re using it. Most people try and fail to remove the remnants of duct tape, which can create an eyesore when its mostly removed—especially if you attempt to scrape a surface clean with some kind of tool.

Life is full of big decisions, and they tend to inspire a lot of thought around this time of year as graduates accept their diplomas and plan for the road ahead. With that in mind, here’s some advice to help you along the way, from deciding where to live to deciding where to work, and so on. Of course, none of these…Read more...

Few leftovers are as welcome as pizza—which is why it’s never a bad idea to practice smart pizza math and order a size up. And while I’d never fault you for eating a spare slice cold, straight from the fridge (possibly while standing in the dark in your underwear at 2:30 a.m.), I implore you to stop microwaving them…Read more...

Too often, runners try to improve by focusing exclusively on their running. They attempt faster workouts, higher mileage, speedier overall paces, or more frequent workouts. This approach may lead to injuries, as more training is inherently risky. (We don’t call them “overuse injuries” for nothing!) Instead, if runners…Read more...

When you’re looking for a new job there’s a lot that can go wrong, from formatting your resume improperly to being tripped up by questions during the job interview. Mistakes will happen—some bigger than others—and most of them are survivable...but there are certain pitfalls to avoid that can make your job search run a…Read more...

When you’re in elementary school, having friends from a different grade can be an indicator of your social status. Hanging around with kids in the grade below yours might be seen as a negative, but if you manage to get in with the older kids, you must be doing something right. Interesting, considering that either way,…Read more...

When I wrote last week about considering whether it’s time to change our parenting styles as we emerge from the pandemic, one reader reached out to ask me if I’d ever heard of gentle parenting. I did not think I had, but it sure sounded nice, so I decided to dive into the topic. I discovered that this is the type of…Read more...

With the boom of Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) retail financing, the preference for no-interest installment plans has prompted popular payment apps like PayPal to launch their own versions. If you’re a regular user of PayPal who’s new to this form of payment, here’s a look at how it works and how to set it up.Read more...

Growing up, catfish was one of my favorite foods—one of the only fishes I enjoyed eating, in fact. As I got older, and lived and traveled outside of the South, I begin exploring (and appreciating) other types of finned food, but it took a while for me to appreciate salmon. It tasted so radically different from…Read more...

The first time (or maybe every time) you’ve purchased towels, perhaps you based your selection on 1) what’s cheapest and 2) is it a towel. But as it turns out, if you’re in a position where you have some flexibility in your towel budget (keeping in mind that they are an investment), you may be interested in learning…Read more...

Look: we know that we’ve heard a lot from the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) over the past year. What were they supposed to do? We’ve been living during a global pandemic caused by a virus never-before-seen in humans, and we all had/have a lot to learn.Read more...

Whether you’re addressing a group of people at work, or having a one-on-one conversation with a friend, you have the challenge of competing for their attention with their phone (and everything on it). And beyond that, there’s the question of whether they’ll actually retain anything you’ve told them.Read more...

As anyone who has led a team knows, being an effective manager involves more than making sure work gets done and goals are met. But for perfectionists, those aspects of the job can be especially challenging—because the only way to guarantee that everything is up to their standards is to do it (or at least carefully…Read more...

If, like so many others, you first got into gardening during the pandemic, you’ve probably already figured out that it involves more than planting a few seeds or baby plants and letting nature work its magic. Sure, you may be aware that using fertilizer can help your plants grow, for example, but you may not be…Read more...

Remember back in the day (i.e. 2019) when we took the simple act of leaving our home for non-essential purposes for granted? After more than a year of limiting our time in public to outings related to work, emergencies or getting basic supplies, going out to do something because you’d actually enjoy it sounds almost…Read more...

According to a report by Check Point Research, many popular Android apps put your personal data at risk due to poorly secured third-party services.