Lifehacker

If you’ve had the fortune of coming across SMART goal setting, you’ll know the acronym stands for Specific, Measurable, Assignable (changed into “Attainable”), Realistic, and Time-related. In particular, specificity makes goals easier to plan for and track. For example, “eat less takeout,” isn’t as good as, “eat…Read more...

Even if you’ve never purchased a Sara Lee product, you’re probably familiar with their long-running jingle, which makes the bold claim that “nobody doesn’t like” their line of frozen desserts and other tasty carbohydrates. But it looks like they may need to take people with peanut allergies off that list, following a…Read more...

Renting an apartment comes without the commitment of a mortgage, but often without the luxury of customization, too. Generally, the owner or landlord sets the rules on what can and cannot be changed, with some stricter ones even banning holes in the walls for pictures.Read more...

Given how much destruction droughts can cause, it can be easy to forget the fact that having too much water is also a problem. And not only when a massive, area-wide flood drowns a town—just one heavy rainstorm can do a surprising amount of damage to a garden.

Hearing your wireless devices are vulnerable to something called “FragAttacks” doesn’t exactly inspire joy. However, the word is scarier than the risk; there’s no evidence that anyone is actively exploiting wireless devices via these vulnerabilities, even given the millions that could be susceptible to…Read more...

WhatsApp’s controversial new privacy policy goes into effect May 15, 2021. The updated agreement gives Facebook permission to collect your WhatsApp data, and lots of people aren’t happy about it. That said, users are not forced to accept the new terms automatically—but those who don’t agree to them will experience…Read more...

I grew up in a rural town in Michigan with several relatives who are avid hunters and, therefore, had guns in their homes. (In one case, those guns were probably stashed in random ceiling tiles and hollowed-out books, in preparation for an imagined future government raid.) Today, I live in Flint, Mich., a city with…Read more...

Microsoft is rolling out an Outlook update to fix a strange bug for Microsoft 365 users that’s causing email text to disappear as it’s typed and incoming messages to show up blank. In other words: a productivity-killing nightmare, whether you rely on Outlook for work or for fun.Read more...

The CDC’s advisory panel on vaccines has now recommended the Pfizer COVID vaccine for everyone age 12 and up, in a 14-0 vote. This follows an FDA decision on Monday to extend the vaccine’s authorization to this age group. The vaccine appears to be as safe and effective in this age group as in young adults, according…Read more...

Just two days after the Food and Drug Administration authorized Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use in children ages 12 and up, parents of adolescents got more good news: It can be given at the same time (or close to the same time) as any other vaccines they may be due to receive.Read more...

You can now add your preferred pronouns to Instagram, and I highly encourage you to do so even if you feel like you don’t really need. The more people that do, the more we can normalize this behavior and make the process of sharing and accepting pronouns better for all.

The IRS says that over $1.3 billion in 2017 tax refunds is still up for grabs—money that belongs to an estimated 1.3 million people who have yet to file their tax returns for that year. However, if you’re owed money, you’ll have to move fast—there’s only one week left to claim it, as the IRS will stop holding on to…Read more...

All signs indicate Americans are ready to get back into their regular vacation routines this summer, and airlines are doing what they can to lure customers back into the air. Airline staff, pilots, and flight attendants traveled a difficult road over the past 15 months, from figuring out how to operate with limited…Read more...

There are so many things to consider when you have to tell your kids you’re going to get divorced (we have a whole guide about it here). You want to present as much of a respectful, united front as possible; you want to make sure they know they’ll still be loved and supported by both parents, and that this isn’t…Read more...

Workout programs are typically organized by the week. You might lift weights on a three-day program, or a five-day program, for example, leaving the days in between as “rest” days. But what does resting really mean? You don’t have to just chill on the couch those days; you have options.Read more...

Anyone who has every plowed their way through a pile of fresh pineapple has most likely felt its sting. Eating too much of the fruit can make your mouth feel scraped raw, which is quite the betrayal when you consider that fruit is supposed to be “good for you.”Read more...

We’ve all wondered as we carry a bunch of mostly-empty glasses and mugs from the workspace to the kitchen: What would happen if I dumped these in my pothos plant?

Even though we’re well into spring, it’s not too late to plant your own garden. If you’re an experienced gardener—or at least have attempted to start one in the past—then you probably have at least some of what you need to get started again.Read more...

Cooking on your stove means cleaning your stove afterwards.Read more...

Crying is often regarded as a sign of weakness, and even something to be ashamed of. But let’s continue to normalize crying, not only because those arguments are bullshit, but because science agrees that crying is important, actually. It releases toxins like stress hormones from our bodies, it triggers the production…Read more...

Aukey makes good chargers, or so the many reviews and roundups of them lead me to believe. However, if you’ve been Amazon shopping lately, you might be surprised to find Aukey’s portfolio of products mysteriously missing.

With the recent upswing in cryptocurrency value during the pandemic, you might be feeling a sensation of intensifying FOMO if you don’t own some already. But are you really missing out, or is crypto an overhyped gamble? Well, the answer really depends on your investing strategy and your appetite for risk. Here’s a…Read more...

I love a boxed brownie mix. I think it is very hard to make a brownie that tastes better than one made with the Ghirardelli dark chocolate mix, especially when you consider the price point and amount of effort required. But that does not mean I don’t like to tweak and futz with the mix—part of fun of using mixes is…Read more...

At one time or another, we all say things we regret. Perhaps you have a tendency to make bad jokes (and can’t read the room). Perhaps you love to air your hot takes on the latest social media controversy (and find yourself a bit confused when the outrage turns back on you). Perhaps you’re just a bit of a loudmouth.

Returning to the gym after a long time off is a strange feeling. You’re either weaker than before, or you’re fit in a different way (maybe you didn’t lift while your gym membership was on pause, but you ran a lot), yet you still remember your old weights, your old paces, your old routines.Read more...

Introducing your friends to a new podcast is a lot easier if you can link them directly to a part of the episode you think they’ll enjoy. There are several podcasting apps that let users send time-stamped links that will start from a specific part of the episode—including, now, Spotify, which recently added the…Read more...

Maybe you forgot that your unemployment benefits were taxed, or that you had stocks which paid out taxable dividends tucked away somewhere in your portfolio—either way, a tax bill can surprise you, and sometimes when you can least afford it. If you won’t be able to pay your tax bill right on May 17, consider the…Read more...

Google is going to start enrolling all of its users in two-step verification, if they haven’t set it up already. Will it come as a shock to some? Sure. But that’s fine; the surprise will fade away, leaving accounts that are much more secure than they were previously, especially for those people who use easy-to-guess …Read more...

When you’re job-hunting, salary is the first thing you think about but the last thing you’re technically allowed to talk about. It’s a bitter irony of hiring etiquette: You do your best to market yourself in such a way that you’ll secure an offer, but don’t you dare talk about money until the time is right.

Last night, as I was trying to wind down, I saw a tweet that read “what a normal and ultimate spaghetti hack!” There was a video attached. In this video—which is a rip-off of an older TikTok video—a white woman in a “Plant Lady” shirt pours cold two cold, Costco-sized jars of Prego onto a granite (or maybe it’s…Read more...

I spend at least an hour a day scrolling through my Instagram feed looking at pictures of cats. I send photos of cute rescue cats with names like ‘Moo’ and ‘Bathmat’ to my friends. I ask people about their cats a lot, too. “Does she shed a lot? Can you send me photos?”

Much like the two more prominent mythical creatures who visit our kids, the scope of the Tooth Fairy’s operations can vary from home to home. But unlike Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny, parents need to be prepared for her arrival on virtually any night of the year, as the loss of a tooth is a fairly unpredictable…Read more...

Valheim players worried about all the time they’re spending outside of World of Warcraft can now kill two birds with one stone. Thanks to a new—free—mod, you can explore the beloved realms of Azeroth from within everyone’s favorite Viking survival game.

“Find and Replace” is one of the most fun tools for getting data organized, fixed, and in whatever final state you need, and our friends over at How-To Geek have turned up another great use for the feature: getting rid of images in your Microsoft Word documents.Read more...

Instead of paying for monthly credit monitoring, why not do it yourself? Normally the three credit bureaus—Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion—only offer one free credit report per year, but because of the pandemic those same reports are available for free every week until April 2022.Read more...

Political TV shows are a staple in American entertainment, with sensational dramas like House of Cards or character-driven comedies like VEEP giving us a fictional look into the inner workings of actual governmental systems. While most are blown wildly out of proportion, like Scandal (although based on real fixer Judy…Read more...

The tricky thing about sunscreen is that, if applied properly, it’s invisible. So how can we tell when enough of an invisible thing is enough? In general, we can probably start with the assumption that the amount we’re applying isn’t enough—because, according to the American Academy of Dermatology, most people only…Read more...

A fresh, hot Popeyes biscuit is a precious thing: tender, salty, and greasy—everything you want a fast food (or, sometimes, a homemade) biscuit to be. But something terrible happens once they cool. Something dark. They harden into impenetrable pucks of sadness, unworthy of consumption by man or beast. (I would not…Read more...

Since different walls are comprised of different materials, the methods you use to repair a hole are often going to be specific and tailored to the wall that needs fixing. Here’s how you might tackle your more standard wall issues, so you can patch up the tears, craters, and dents.Read more...

Fungus and yeast infection-causing germs can build upon the earbuds as you jam them inside your ear canals, not to mention wax that visibly sticks to their surfaces. After sending an earbud swab out for analysis, Inside Edition even found pneumonia-causing bacteria such as staph aureus on regularly used earbuds, and o…Read more...

Clubhouse might feel like an exclusive... well, club, but you may discover it isn’t for you once you finally get to try it out yourself. Whether you find one of the numerous Clubhouse ripoffs competitors more appealing, you just don’t like the open audio conversation format, you find the app’s constant access to your…Read more...

It’s a staple of any kitchen and the simplest of seasonings, perfect with everything from meats to dressings to chocolate. But did you know that sodium chloride’s course texture and water absorption makes it perfect for removing stains and scrubbing grime? When combined with vinegar or lemon, salt can be a powerful…Read more...

If you’ve ever run a large Facebook group, you know the toll that spam, trolls, off-topic posts, or other conversation-killing problems can take on maintaining a sense of community. Now, Facebook is attempting to make the monumental task of keeping the peace in these online spaces a little easier with the launch of new…Read more...

Nuzzles, cuddles, and walks were available in abundance as people were confined to their homes during the pandemic, holed up with their pets, who were blissfully unaware of the mortifying circumstances of the outside world. But now that the United States appears to be turning a corner (fingers crossed) with increased…Read more...

During the pandemic, some of us may have been showering less (perhaps much less) even as we spent more time sanitizing surfaces (well, at first). As we recalibrate to the new normal, let’s take a look at our cleanliness routines and figure out what we actually need to do every day—and what we can skip.Read more...

Life is full of awkward and uncomfortable moments. We can’t avoid them altogether, but we can handle them with grace. Or, at minimum, we can handle them with enough honesty to help take the wind out of their sails. Whether it’s forgetting someone’s name, talking about sex, or just not quite knowing what to say, here…Read more...

A couple weeks ago, I was craving chocolate cake. The problem? I had no eggs, butter or milk in the house. I hadn’t been shopping in a while—blame the grocery-delaying habits I developed during the pandemic—which meant I was low on just about everything you need to bake. Luckily, baking isn’t a zero-sum game; there…Read more...

Summer is just around the corner, which means playgrounds, bike rides, pool time, trips to the beach, and a whole lot of related whining about sunscreen application. It’s unlikely that your kids are ever going to love getting slathered with the stuff—after all, it delays their fun. But if you go in with a plan, you…Read more...

It’s impossible to be too prepared when buying a home. It’s probably the biggest purchase you’ll ever make, but it’s also one of the most complicated as well. If you’re thinking of becoming a new homebuyer, make sure you’ve got the following ten tips in the bag.

Peloton has suffered a data breach. The good news? The information about your exercise habits that subsequently became freely accessible by outsiders isn’t all that damning. Peloton’s delayed response, however, is far more concerning.Read more...