Lifehacker

One of the perks of having a garden, or living somewhere with access to wildflowers, plants, and trees, is being able to spend time outdoors, surrounded by all types of greenery.Read more...

Face masks have now become essential travel accessories. Even during those few months when Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidance on indoor face mask use loosened, they were always required on flights. Now, facing a variant that’s more easily transmissible than the previous ones (Delta, not the…Read more...

During the Victorian era, it wasn’t uncommon to take a leisurely Sunday stroll through your local garden cemetery—perhaps stopping for a picnic lunch. But for the most part (with a few exceptions, primarily in large cities) people don’t spend a lot of time hanging out in cemeteries anymore. With everything else going…Read more...

Here at Lifehacker, we’ve made our stance on LeVar Burton and his podcast, LeVar Burton Reads, pretty clear: We are grateful for and appreciate them both. Back in 2019, former Lifehacker staff writer Nick Douglas selected the two-parter where LeVar reads “The Merchant and the Alchemist’s Gate” (part 1, part 2) as his…Read more...

Did your Hot Vax Summer pan out the way you thought it would? If not, Wendy’s is offering a consolation prize in the form of free chicken nuggets. (And yes, obviously they’ve dubbed it “Hot Nugg Summer.”) In addition to giving away crispy chunks of fried chicken meat, the fast food chain is offering several other…Read more...

You can now demo Windows 11 from your internet browser, thanks to a new webpage created by a resourceful developer known as “Blue Edge.”Read more...

After months and months of nonstop bad news, we’re all feeling run-down and looking for ways to destress and center ourselves. Have you considered meditation? Sound baths can help you stay focused during meditation—and you can even do them at home. Here’s how.Read more...

This month, HBO Max announced plans to overhaul its utterly terrible app experience, which is good not only because you’ll be able to load your watchlist or fast-forward 10 seconds without your Roku overheating, but also because there’s no reason the most consistently interesting, most-bang-for-your-buck streaming…Read more...

When I put the question of how to remove dank odor from one’s bedsheets to my trusty WhatsApp mom chat, one mom replied, “WTH. Don’t do things in your sheets that make them smell!?”

The final film in the Neon Genesis Evangelion “Rebuild” series, Evangelion: 3.0 + 1.01 Thrice Upon a Time, recently dropped on Amazon Prime, introducing a new generation to the series’ concentrated doses of mech action and sadness, and re-traumatizing a generation that had finally begun to pick up the pieces and move…Read more...

Citing the Delta variant of COVID, the Department of Homeland Security announced earlier today that they were extending land inbound border restrictions for Canada and Mexico through Sept. 21. But do these restrictions affect Americans? And what about travel by air? To clear up any confusion, here’s a complete rundown…Read more...

When I was shopping for my first kayak and debating options from $250 on up, I happened across a $99 inflatable kayak that seemed too good to be true. There has to be a catch, I thought. No way this is a real boat. Later, after I had bought my real kayak, I noticed the inflatable had dropped to $50 on sale. I snapped…Read more...

Losing a parent is as close to a universal experience as it gets, but that doesn’t mean any of us are truly prepared. When it happens to your significant other, you might be at a loss for how to help them grieve and cope, but that’s one of your responsibilities as a partner. Here’s how to be there for a partner whose…Read more...

As we are all grappling with the summer surge of COVID-19 due to the Delta variant, there is also another virus that has been circulating widely, called respiratory syncytial virus (or RSV). RSV is an incredibly common respiratory virus, one that usually circulates between October and February. But with this year’s…Read more...

These days, no matter how early I wake up, I can’t seem to reach the material plane and become a functioning human before 2 p.m. I’ve always been prone to a more languorous disposition—most of my productivity is the result of some sporadic fit of manic can-do—but this mysterious uptick in hours during which I am only…Read more...

Big Brother! 1984! Scary buzzwords! Look, it’s understandable why you’d be skeptical of big tech, especially when their products ask for more and more of your personal data. But let’s focus on one specific issue today: Apple’s Face ID is absolutely, totally, uncontroversially safe to use, and it only makes your iPhone…Read more...

A good picnic feels spontaneous, but sometimes it takes a little planning to help things feel unplanned. Keeping a picnic go-bag of shelf-stable treats means you’re ready for a picnic no matter when it’s suggested (even in the dead of winter, if you’re into that kind of thing).

You can generally assume the size of your smart device’s display is directly proportional to its battery life—the bigger it is, the more often you’ll need to charge the device. But while the GPS-only variants of the Apple Watch usually only need to be charged once every couple days, cellular models need to hit the…Read more...

The alternate headline for this post was “10 of the Best Basic (Lazy) Mom Meals.” But seeing as how I am triggered by any insinuation, even jokey ones, that moms are lazy—because, hello, the mental labor we do while sleeping just to figure out how we are going to get Child 1 to and from soccer while Children 2 and 3…Read more...

Spatial audio support is finally rolling out to the Netflix iOS app. The feature should be available soon to all iPhone and iPad users running iOS or iPadOS 14.6 (or higher).

There are a variety of reasons you may want to prune your plants or trees, from keeping them to a certain shape or size, to promoting fuller growth and more buds. But before you start snipping away, take some time to learn about the different types of pruning and how they can yield different results.Read more...

There are some great Bluetooth headphones out there. AirPods Pro, Sony WF-1000XM4, and Jabra Elite Active 75t dominate the earbud market, while the Sony WH-1000XM4 and Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 are among the best of the over-the-ear variety. Still, as good as all these headphones sound in a myriad of…Read more...

Let’s say you don’t have a lot of money to invest—maybe only a few hundred dollars—and you want to buy stock from a big company like Amazon or Google. Unfortunately, single shares in those companies can cost thousands of dollars. That’s where fractional shares come into play: they allow you to purchase only a small…Read more...

This week’s internet features a scolding pee doctor, a porn site that banned porn, and some hugegungous waves. (Kids are into some weird shit.)

Sure, your phone or tablet has the hardware for complex gaming experiences—but the real sweet spot of mobile gaming is mindless, play-for-a-minute experiences. The sort of thing you gravitate toward while you’re toiling away in the dentist office waiting room or when it’s 1 a.m. and you still can’t fall asleep. But if…Read more...

I love a good fitness podcast, especially when I’m double-dipping by learning about fitness while I’m doing fitness—learning about strength training science while I’m on a run, for example. Here are 13 great podcasts you can enjoy if you like to do the same, or if you just like to feel athletic while you’re driving or…Read more...

Your dog can’t verbalize how they feel, which means the only way you know that they’re sick is by observing physical symptoms. But when it comes to poisoning from tainted food, beyond having to clean up after a few messes, there’s always a risk your dog will develop long-term issues—or that you won’t know anything is…Read more...

With a handful of cities and plenty of private businesses now requiring proof of vaccination to admit patrons, it’s likely you’ll need to present your COVID-19 vaccine card to someone at some point. Unfortunately, these cards are too large for most wallets and pants pockets, and likely to get lost or damaged in the…Read more...

Retailers are increasingly accepting cryptocurrency for physical items, but did you know you can spend crypto on ephemeral experiences like travel too? As more cryptocurrency holders indicate a willingness to spend, travel retailers are rushing to meet the demand. Here’s a look at your options for funding a vacation…Read more...

Having a well-organized labeling system for your home’s circuit breaker and electrical outlets is a goal many strive for but few fully attain. We know why it’s important: Nobody enjoys a game of Figure Out Which Breaker Is Connected to That One Specific Outlet when it’s time to do a renovation or repair. It’ll never…Read more...

Conjure up an image of the perfect steak and you’ll likely land on a red and juicy interior enveloped in a savory, browned crust. Add in a sizzling cast iron pan, a splash of garlic and herb-infused butter, maybe some flaky sea salt sprinkled on top in salt bae fashion, and you’ve come pretty damn close to perfection.…Read more...

Google’s RCS Chat text messaging protocol is quickly replacing the outdated SMS messages we’ve been stuck with for decades. RCS enables tons of user-friendly features on Android, like read receipts, real-time notifications when the other person is typing, and end-to-end encryption. Y’know, the stuff iMessage and…Read more...

One feature a number of fitness trackers offer is a metric called “heart rate variability,” or HRV, which is the interval of time between each heartbeat. But given that we tend to think of our hearts beating at a steady and predictable pace, the fact that the interval between each beat varies can be a hard concept to…Read more...

One of the biggest trends of 2021 is nostalgia. Experts— or at least the folks who get paid to forecast such things—suggest that nostalgia will continue to be a major theme of the coming year. We’ve rediscovered the joys of classic cocktails (thanks Stanley Tucci), breakfast quiches, and canned foods, but I’m here…Read more...

If you ever find a young bird with scruffy feathers, hopping around looking sort of clueless, with no parents to be seen, you might think it’s in trouble and needs to be rescued. But that’s probably not the case. Most likely, you have just found a fledgling.

Is the rock opera on the verge of a comeback? The trailer just dropped for Annette, a romantic fantasy (I think?) starring Marion Cotillard and Adam Driver and coming to Prime Video this month, and it’s giving us the excuse to revisit some of our favorite movie musicals.Read more...

Coffee! We all know and care about it so much that I couldn’t even think of a proper lede to write about it. In fact, I’m sipping my delightful morning brew while writing this post. It’s the only way to start the day.Read more...

I’m not a witch, so I don’t know when summer officially “ends,” but for me, the season always feels over after my birthday. This summer really flew by, and the most interesting thing I “did” was get really into zucchini. I used to think I didn’t care for zucchini. Now I love it. People can change.Read more...

We get it. Job-hunting can be a stressful, anxiety-provoking experience. Poring over hundreds of job listings with unrealistic qualifications and LinkedIn kindly inviting you to “see how you compare to 34 other applicants” can drain even the most confident soul.

The best part of any camping trip is the campfire, but if you aren’t an expert at arranging your logs and kindling, building one can be an uphill battle. But with a ball of dryer lint and a few other tools, you can make a handy firestarter that will serve you well on those cool outdoor evenings.

Since Apple “courageously” removed the headphone jack with the iPhone 7, other (for reasons that are still up for debate), most other flagship smartphones have followed suit. After all, many of us use wireless headphones these days, and those who don’t can get by with a dongle. But those that prefer the old school…Read more...

Millions of people order coffee from cafés, specialty shops, and mega-chains every single day. It’s become a normal part of our lives—a routine. But routine breeds comfort and familiarity, and we’ve all seen people take that comfort and familiarity way too far—and it turns them into the type of customer that no…Read more...

Normally, making mortgage payments with your credit card is a bad idea. The one exception, though, is when you’re chasing a rewards bonus on a new card, because there’s a scenario in which it can pay off—here’s how it works.Read more...

Variants of the virus that causes COVID-19 didn’t really make news until this year, despite the virus spreading around the globe all through 2020. There’s some misinformation out there blaming the vaccine itself for these variants, but that seems to be based on a misunderstanding. Let’s explore the facts.Read more...

Grass stains are both tough and annoyingly common. The stains come from a mix of chlorophyll, xanthophylls, and carotenoids that stick to our clothes and are hard to scrub out, but hope isn’t all lost—in this small instance, we can beat nature. Here’s how to get rid of stubborn grass stains for good.Read more...

T-Mobile confirmed a security breach that leaked over 48 million current, former, and prospective users. T-Mobile says it closed the server vulnerability hackers used to access the files, but the leaked information is now for sale online.Read more...

You’re probably not making the most of your Apple Watch if you aren’t using it for fitness, and while you’re exploring this topic, you should consider tweaking the stats the watch shows you, too.

The Pixel 5a with 5G (which, let’s be real, we’re all just going to call “the 5a”) is Google’s latest “budget” smartphone. At $449, it isn’t cheap, but it’s far more affordable than other flagship devices. Of course, Apple has a budget phone of its own in the iPhone SE. If you’re in the market for a ~$400 smartphone,…Read more...

If you’re wondering where your child tax credit payment is for August or July, you’re not alone. Some families are still waiting to receive the monthly checks worth up to $300 per child, although the good news is that for most people, these delays are temporary. Here’s a look at what’s going on.Read more...

Many of us are carrying a little bit more weight now than when we were in our 20s. However, as tempting as it is to blame this weight gain on a slowing metabolism, that may not actually be the case, according to a study released last week in the journal Science.Read more...