Lifehacker

There are certain things you’d like to “hone” and there are things you’d like to “home in on,” but these things are not the same. However, it’s one of those pairs of words and phrases that sound so similar and have similar meanings (like further and farther or then and than) that it’s easy to mix them up. But in an…Read more...

This time of year, the sky provides welcome visual treats for mere mortals on the ground. You might already be thirsting for the next big thing in the cosmos, considering the Lyrids have already come and gone this month, and the pink Super Moon has already waned into a less stunning phase.

Apple recently unveiled its M1 iMac models for 2021. The new desktop computers come in a variety of joyful hues: blue, green, orange, pink, purple, yellow, and classic Mac silver. While the available color options differ between the new iMac’s various hardware configurations, they all have one thing in common: white…Read more...

It seems that no matter where I buy my garlic, at least half of my haul is always on the verge of sprouting. As the germ (the little sprout thing in the middle) ages and turns green, it becomes bitter, and while I am capable of removing it, it’s an extra step I like to avoid. Luckily, freezing your garlic stops the…Read more...

It’s that time of year: You’ve put your sweaters in a box under the bed, the window air conditioning units are reappearing around the neighborhood, and you’ve noticed the garbage has started smelling terrible. Yes, it’s almost summer, which means we’ll be soon be cranking up our cooling systems, resulting in higher…Read more...

Every pantry needs a few varieties of dried chiles. If you have a decent stash, you need little more than to add them to some hot water in a blender to whip up a rich, flavorful sauce at a moment’s notice. The only drawback is dealing with the skins, which never break down no matter how long you soak them—meaning you…Read more...

It’s planting season, but before you head to your local garden center for fancy (and expensive) solutions to your gardening problems, consider that you might have some of what you need already in your pantry. One of those things is vinegar.Read more...

If last summer was the season of all the camps shutting down, this summer is the season for figuring out how to keep them open. As we wind down a school year that has been largely centered around schools trying to figure out how to get kids back in the classroom as safely as possible, parents are looking ahead to a…Read more...

The pause on federal student loan payments and interest ends in October, but are you prepared? Considering that 55% of borrowers aren’t confident that they’ll keep up with their payments later in the year, you might want to make a plan now, as there are no guarantees student loan forbearance will continue or debt…Read more...

It never fails. Right when you’ve got your hands full, or you’re doing dishes and they’re covered in soap, or you’re working outside and all muddy, the phone rings. And the last thing you want to do is muck up your screen or AirPods to answer the call. Good news: In iOS 14.5, you can now answer phone calls while…Read more...

Now that most of my buds are on their way to being fully vaccinated, I am getting cautiously excited about feeding them. And though there might be a slight re-learning curve when it comes to making fun, casual conversation, I am pleased to say that I have already perfected my menu-planning strategy for when I get to …Read more...

When it comes to business etiquette, a few unwavering standards seem to exist, without any definitive rules explaining why—consider the expectation that you will always send a thank-you note after an interview. And while the choice of file format to use when emailing your resume may depend upon why you are sending it,…Read more...

If you are only washing your new household items after the first time you use them, you might be missing a crucial first step. Often, the cleaning process should commence as soon as the packaging or tag is removed. Even if they look clean, clothes bought off the rack have been touched, tried on, and hauled around…Read more...

A substantial new version of Telegram is rolling out now for all platforms. The update includes new shopping features for buyers and sellers, updated voice chat tools for groups, new gesture controls on mobile, and more.

For most Americans, closing their laptop or clocking out at the end of an eight-hour shift at a restaurant or construction site is the norm, give or take a half-hour or so for lunch. And as tiring as a day of work can be, it’s easy to forget that over a century ago, people died to afford us the right to an eight-hour…Read more...

You’ve long been able to add some quirky effects to your Clips videos in iOS, but iOS 14.5 brings new augmented-reality effects to the app that you can use to fill your room with Party City-style lasers, virtual confetti, and plenty more. You’ll need an iPhone 12 Pro or iPad Pro with LIDAR (March 2020 or later) to…Read more...

The best online deals don’t require much effort and have real cash value. With that in mind, if you haven’t bought an Amazon gift card before, the company is currently offering you an extra $15 for doing so, so long as the card you buy is worth $50 or more. Of course, you don’t actually need to send someone that gift…Read more...

It’s a given that masks are important to wear indoors and in crowded settings, but the CDC now officially says they are not always necessary outdoors. Masking outdoors is still recommended if you are in a crowd, or if you are unvaccinated and will be near others outside your household who are also unvaccinated. But in…Read more...

Reboots have been at the forefront of pop culture for so long, you might be nostalgic for a time when every other film or TV show wasn’t trying to cash in on the reputation of an established brand. Just last week, Warner Bros.’ second attempt to turn the Mortal Kombat video game series into a film franchise arrived in…Read more...

About two weeks ago, my air fryer stopped working. Luckily, Instant Pot was able to send me a new one (thanks, warranty!), but that half-month without my Vortex Mini made me realize just how much I have come to rely on it.Read more...

Transitions are a pain point for most parents of young children. Even the smallest of moves from one activity to another can cause a meltdown in a toddler anxious over not knowing what’s coming up next. So it only makes sense that one of the biggest transition a little kid can make—going from mom’s house to dad’s…Read more...

According to numerous reports, Windows 10 updates KB5000842 and KB5001330 cause annoying performance bugs for games running in windowed modes. Per Microsoft’s patch notes, “a small subset of users have reported lower than expected performance in games after installing KB5000842 or later updates. Most users affected…Read more...

If you’ve assembled IKEA furniture, you’ve used an Allen wrench. These slim, L-shaped contraptions are often the only tool included in the packaging, even when you’ll need others to finish the job. There’s a good reason for this: Most people don’t own Allen wrenches, and when you need one, nothing else will do.

When our kids are babies, we cater to their every need and want. We’re their whole world, so it doesn’t matter how exhausted or busy we might be—when they call for us, we jump to attention. We go everywhere they go, and experience what they experience right along with them. As they get older, though, the way we spend…Read more...

Even if your social media threats are more a whimper or an annoyance than a full-scale war from internet strangers, you can still keep images of your house (and ideally, your address) from sitting around on Facebook.Read more...

Even as sales at retail chains improve, a low labor participation rate has caused a shortage of workers, leading some companies to offer perks like boosted wages, hiring bonuses, and even subsidized tuition to lure in employees. If you’re vaccinated and looking for a job, this might be a good time to shop around.

In terms of flavor and price point, it is hard to beat bacon grease as a cooking fat. It’s smoky and salty and—if you’re already eating bacon—you can enjoy the grease as kind of a “bonus” byproduct at no additional cost and use it to cook your entire meal in a single pan.Read more...

One iOS 14’s headline features—in that it is making headlines by pissing off advertisers—is “App Tracking Transparency,” a setting that lets users opt out of all tracking, including the data an app collects when you’re not using it (much to the chagrin of advertising platforms like Google and Facebook).

Right now, only seven European countries (Croatia, Cyprus, Georgia, Greece, Iceland, Montenegro, and Serbia) allow Americans to visit as tourists. But the president of the European Commission has announced a plan that would allow fully vaccinated people from the U.S. to visit for nonessential reasons—assuming the EU…Read more...

Paper towels are just another form of non-recyclable paper waste, and you’re probably using them way more often than you need to. On average, according to the U.S. Census data and Simmons National Consumer Survey (NHCS), some 45.3 million Americans use eight or more rolls of paper towels a month. As a single-use…Read more...

Distilled vinegar is so good at cleaning so many types of surfaces that we sometimes forget it also cleans the air. If you’ve run out of Febreze but your living room is starting to smell a little funky, you can clear that stink right up with a bowl of vinegar.Read more...

Due to a backlog of tax returns held by the IRS, millions of Americans are experiencing weeks-long delays in receiving their tax refunds, far beyond a typical turnaround time of three weeks. The IRS has acknowledged the delay, but why is it taking so long—and when can you expect to see your refund?Read more...

Tell me if this sounds familiar: You’ve been training to do something—your first pull-up, let’s say—and after weeks or months, you finally make it. Hooray! But the following day or week, you try to do it again, but now you can’t. Did you get weaker? Did your training not actually pay off? Are you a failure? Should you…Read more...

Every few months, news of another dangerous TikTok “challenge” circulates that horrifies parents everywhere. From the “Skull-Breaker Challenge” to the “Benadryl Challenge,” kids are always finding new, perilous ways to dare each other into harming or even killing themselves. The latest recirculation is called the “…Read more...

It goes without saying that we’re tired of seeing our coworkers’ faces in small boxes on Zoom—and maybe we’re even looking forward to being in the same room again. With Zoom’s new Immersive View feature, you can join other meeting attendees in the same virtual space, like a boardroom, coffee shop, classroom, or…Read more...

Despite its fancy reputation, most French cooking is shockingly simple, understated even, which is what can make it so difficult to master. Besides butter, there’s nothing much to hide behind, and a lot of French dishes hinge on having good ingredients and decent technique. Take this simple grated carrot salad—or…Read more...

Wikipedia is one of the internet’s last bastions of freely accessible public information, and since it’s relatively unspoiled by the type of polarization common on social media it can feel refreshing to research anything from the mechanics of aircraft toilets to Alexander the Great without being bombarded by trolls or…Read more...

Before Listerine killed germs in your mouth, it killed bacteria on bathroom floors. Yes, back in the late 1800s, Listerine, which was originally developed as a hospital-grade antiseptic and later used as “a pharmaceutical specialty for dentists,” was commonly sold to consumers as an all-purpose cleaner, used to …Read more...

Chrome desktop users have long been able to outfit the browser with third-party extensions that track prices and help you find the best deals, but those add-ons don’t work on Android. Luckily, Google is rolling out a new feature in Chrome mobile that will keep a vigilant eye out for price drops on shopping tabs you…Read more...

Raising a child is full of surprises. No matter how many books, parenting forums, and articles you read, the truth is that nothing can completely prepare you for it. After become a parent, though, I now have the gift of hindsight, so here’s what I would say if I could go back to before my daughter was born and tell…Read more...

Mother’s Day is a pretty straightforward holiday in many homes. Mom sleeps in, the kids bring her breakfast in bed, and she receives some handmade cards, small gifts, or flowers. But in many other homes, the day is a stark reminder of loss—a painful day for adults who’ve lost their moms and for moms who’ve lost their…Read more...

The purpose of small claims court is to allow for people to resolve their disputes quickly and inexpensively, for claims that are usually less than $10,000. Knowing when to use them, on the other hand, is a little more complicated. Here’s a look at when they’re worth the bother.Read more...

We love our readers, don’t we, folks? I know I do. For the most part, the people who read and comment on Skillet (and Lifehacker in general) make up a pretty pleasant portion of the internet, and I’m always impressed by the creative and unique food hacks and recipes some of you come up with. In fact, the…Read more...

When you actually stop to think about it, sharing a bed with another person—for the purpose of sleeping—is kind of a terrible idea. Sure, you may get used to sleeping next to a partner and feel more secure doing so, but in terms of sleep quality and disruptions, it’s hard to beat having your own bed.Read more...

It happens to the best of us: one minute you’re innocently scrolling through Zillow listings, and the next you’re planning your life in a a former industrial town where you’ve found the historic house of your dreams at a price you can seemingly afford. You might even go to the next step and see the house in-person,…Read more...

Pretty much everything about moving is hard and annoying and makes you swear that you’ll never move again. But moving with a large collection of (or even a few) houseplants is even trickier. You want to make sure they survive the trip, that their pots don’t break, and that the soil doesn’t spill everywhere and get the…Read more...

Sure, there are all those feel-good local news stories about how the pandemic has “brought out the best in people,” and while that may be the case sometimes, a lot of people are still feeling pretty bitter about the whole thing. If you’ve shared your bitterness on Twitter, you may have gained (or lost) a few…Read more...

Fear of failure makes sense. We’ve all experienced failure at some stage, realized it’s not great, and are worried about feeling like that again. But our brains are hard to please. Because in addition to the fear of failure, many people also experience a fear of success.

Once you’ve decided to paint the interior of your house—or even just a room—the next decision is much harder: picking a color scheme. Maybe you really like canary yellow, but you’re worried about making that kind of commitment. Or maybe you mentioned that you’ve decided to paint, and everyone keeps telling you that…Read more...

The pause in administration of the Johnson & Johnson/Janssen COVID-19 vaccine appears to be at its end. The CDC’s independent advisory panel, ACIP, voted today to once again recommend the vaccine for everyone aged 18 and over, even though there is a very small risk of blood clots in women under age 50. Vaccinations…Read more...