Lifehacker

What if someone told you that all it took to unleash your inner creative spark was five minutes of daily, deliberate practice? Or that a “breakthrough” needn’t be a monumental triumph, but instead be something that makes your day just a tinge easier?

Stop what you’re doing, install Steam on your desktop or laptop PC (if you haven’t already), and go hit up the store page for Quiplash. That’s Jackbox Games’ delightfully fun “submit answers to a prompt and everyone playing votes on what’s funny” experience that’s been a mainstay of many a bored person’s pandemic life…Read more...

We all know Fitbit’s smartwatches track your daily physical activity, but they can now help you track your stress levels, too. Fitbit recently announced the rollout of Fitbit Sense’s Stress Management tracking to the Fitbit Versa 3, Versa 2, Luxe, Charge 4, and Inspire 2.

The combination of Earth Day and emerging from the pandemic during springtime might have you looking for ways to get outside, connect with nature, and plant new life. If you are like me (a person lacking any hint of a green thumb), you need all the help you can get to keep those plants alive. Thankfully, there are some…Read more...

Shopping for toilet paper should not be as complicated or expensive as it is. Brands love to splash their packaging with claims that one of their “mega rolls” is equal to 12 or 18 “regular rolls,” but are less forthright about how much actual paper they are giving you. This makes it almost impossible to compare prices…Read more...

What most people know about the moon is that it orbits Earth, and there may or may not be a giant face carved into it. But the luminescent orb contains multitudes that might interest layman stargazers, and understanding its phases is a good place to start. Memorizing a simple mnemonic device can help your pursuit of…Read more...

iOS 14.5 and iPadOS 14.5 are officially hitting iPhones and iPads next week, but you don’t have to wait until then to get your hands on the final release candidates of the new operating systems.Read more...

This year, U.S. parent are eligible for a tax credit that’s worth up to $3,600 per child—up from a maximum of $2,000 last year—and half of that money will be sent as a monthly check, starting in July. However, since those checks are actually an advance based on the taxes on your current income (as opposed to what you…Read more...

On Thursday, House Democrats passed HR 51, a bill that aims to grant statehood to the nation’s capital. The possibility of adding a 51 state would offer a seismic shakeup to the composition of U.S. politics and tip the balance of power in the Senate toward Democrats.Read more...

There is something exceptionally meaty about lamb. I don’t mean it has a lot of meat on its bones—though it can. I mean the experience of eating it is what eating meat should feel like. It’s often on a bone, and has a strong, deep flavor exactly opposite that of a sterile little chicken tenderloin.Read more...

Compound words are sprinkled throughout the English language—endless combinations of little words that partner up to form new, bigger words. How they come together in the written language can vary, though, and you may find yourself pausing to wonder: Is this a long term, long-term, or longterm problem? That’s because…Read more...

COVID vaccines are free in the U.S. Period. The CDC has been extremely clear about that, but we’re still hearing occasional reports of people getting a bill for their vaccine, or being charged a fee for the service of “administering” that vaccine. In either case, this is illegal. You don’t have to pay it, and you can…Read more...

Chameleon, a coffee company best known for its cold brews, is giving away $3,000 along with a stash of coffee as part of a “ultimate coffee break” prize draw at the end of the month. To win, you don’t have to do anything except provide your name and an email.

After a two-month pandemic delay, the 2021 Academy Awards will finally be handed out on Sunday, and the big question is: Does anyone care enough to watch—whether via live TV or online streaming?

Instagram is adding two new anti-harassment tools aimed at cutting down abusive messages you might receive on the platform. Here’s a quick look at how to set them up once they arrive.

You’re likely never going to encounter anyone whose grandiosity rivals that of The Talented Mr. Ripley, but narcissists of all stripes walk among us. Regardless of their varying quirks, however, the better known hallmarks of a narcissist are largely the same; those who suffer from the condition often crave outsize…Read more...

I can still remember the embarrassment I felt the time a young co-worker walked past my cubicle early one morning and paused to say, “Do I spy ‘the snack that smiles back’ in your bag? Wow, you really are a mom.” In my usual rush to get out the door and drop my son at daycare before heading into the office, his snack…Read more...

A loose door hinge is annoying enough, but it’s even worse when you’ve tried to screw it back in before realizing the holes are stripped and the screws won’t catch. But there’s a clever way to use a stack of toothpicks to fix a loose door hinge, brought to us by TikToker Mercury Stardust. Here’s how it works.

Petroleum jelly is a product found in most every medicine cabinet, but it has a lot of uses outside of the usuals providing minor burn relief, or serving as emergency lip balm, or serving as emergency “personal lubricant.”

I’m a bit of a gadget hoarder. I often tend to assume that I can repurpose some old thing—an ancient phone, tablet, or webcam—into something new, so I’m thrilled to see Samsung finally debut its Galaxy Upcycling at Home program, which gives you a way to turn old phones that you should have sold by now into more useful…Read more...

When it comes to simple, straightforward cooking advice that really ups your kitchen game, Chef Lucas Sin is one of the best Instagram accounts you can follow. From simple roasted sweet potatoes to mapo lasagna, his account is full of solid techniques and delicious recipes, including multiple versions of tomato and…Read more...

Cardio is important for our health in many ways, and we should all aim for at least the minimum requirement of 75 to 150 minutes per week. If you love running, cycling, or hiking and you do it more often, all the better.

Clubhouse must be onto something, because every other social media platform is launching its own version of their live, audio-only voice chats. Twitter, Discord, Facebook, LinkedIn, Spotify, and Telegram all have similar features in development, but the latest company to join the trend is Reddit with its…Read more...

You dream of a couch, but have no idea how your vague inkling of a couch will actually work in your living space. Or you go to a furniture store, measurements in hand, looking to acquire a table, but walk away unsure whether said table will look all wrong, even if it technically fits in your dining room.

Since credit card companies are not required to give you any warning, it can come out of the blue—your credit card is suddenly closed due to inactivity, and your credit score drops. Generally, you risk having your credit card closed after 12 months of inactivity, but it can be just a few months, too, so it’s hard to…Read more...

Most people spend a good amount of money on things like laundry detergent, dishwasher soap, and other consumables. Saving money on them doesn’t have to mean switching brands or waiting for a sale—you can just use a lot less product and still get the same results, if not better. Here’s how much you actually need to get…Read more...

In recent months, the FDA has authorized several over-the-counter COVID tests so that you don’t have to go to a testing center to find out whether you have the coronavirus. Starting this week, you can get an antigen self-test at Walgreens, Walmart, or CVS.Read more...

Whether the loophole lasts a day, month, or forever, a new “Facebook Email Search” program again shows why you might not want to use your regular email address for the sprawling social media site—or any, really. As researchers found, it’s pathetically easy to hammer through a big list of of email address and link them…Read more...

For reasons I cannot fathom (‘80s and ‘90s diet culture), many people my age started their chicken-cooking journey with boneless, skinless breasts. In their defense, breasts do look simple, almost sterile—it’s a piece of pure meat without bones or fat to “deal with.” But bones and fat are what make meat taste good,…Read more...

Cultural diversity is an important concept that shapes us as individuals and as a society. Grasping its importance at an early age means understanding and appreciating that people are different, and that’s what makes the world more interesting. In particular, teaching kids early on about different foods, eating…Read more...

Somehow, in 2021, when everything is “wireless” this and “bluetooth” that and “AirPlay” that and “Alexa” this, there are still wires hanging out of everything. Your desk, media console, nightstand—and, in the work from home era, probably your dining table, too—are laden with so many wires and tripping hazards, you…Read more...

After a rather limp April slate, Netflix is springing into summer blockbuster season in May, packing its release schedule full of original films, high-profile pandemic acquisitions, and long-awaited new seasons of a few of its most popular series (or at least a few with vocal online fanbases—we see you, Castlevania…Read more...

I’ve always appreciated my son’s teachers, all of whom have been wonderful and have taught him a ton—but this year? Well, we all know this school year has been something else entirely. The amount of patience, planning, flexibility, and troubleshooting required to teach a class of fourth graders on a hybrid schedule…Read more...

Summer is approaching, which might mean you’re itching to commute great distances on your bike, perhaps ferrying many of your personal belongings to a beach, lake, or another distant, sun-dappled venue. Or maybe you just want to bike to the grocery store.

Security researcher Rajshekhar Rajaharia took to Twitter the other day to warn about a new scam making the rounds—the goofily named “WhatsApp Pink.” This Android app promises to be a fun new variant of the popular chat app that comes with an all-pink UI. And while the “pink app” part might be true, the app isn’t…Read more...

Despite the pandemic, Americans are paying down their debt, and the delinquency rate on loans is down, too—two factors contributing to the biggest jump in average credit scores since 2016. According to the most recent data, the average FICO score is 711, an eight-point increase from 2019, which nudges a lot of people…Read more...

Moving always requires a certain amount of downsizing and, sadly, my packet drawer was one of the things I let go during my last move. This might have been a mistake, as I did not realize just how heavily I leaned on those little sauces during culinary emergencies.Read more...

Each April 20, weed aficionados everywhere celebrate the elevated state of being high. (In my hometown, an entire 4/20 festival—called Extravaganga—draws thousands of visitors.) And now that weed is being decriminalized and legalized around the country, we celebrate 4/20 more freely—some of us, anyway. But amid the…Read more...

It’s Apple day! And just when I was starting to wonder if the world still had the capacity to get excited about hour-long product announcements. At its “Spring Loaded” event, Apple roared out of the gate, announcing some pretty wicked upgrades to the Mac and iPad product lines. Thanks, M1 chip. I don’t really need a…Read more...

After shedding much of the stigma around weed and embracing its use in mitigating stress, anxiety, and any number of medical conditions, smoking marijuana has a new problem: It’s a lot more complicated that it used to be. The crackling old joints of yesteryear are but a footnote in the sprawling slate of intoxicating…Read more...

Portal 2 turned 10 years old this week, giving us the perfect excuse to return to its timeless (and arguable unsurpassed) puzzle-platforming gameplay. But for those who know the game’s levels like the back of their Companion Cubes, you should check out the recently released free mod, Portal Reloaded, which adds an all…Read more...

Amazon Prime Video’s May slate of original series is a study in literary contrasts. On the one hand, we’ve got The Underground Railroad (May 14), a prestige limited series produced by Oscar-winner Barry Jenkins (Moonlight), adapting Colson Whitehead’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of the same name, a lightly…Read more...

Cryptocurrency continues to gain mainstream acceptance, as PayPal announced that they have added Bitcoin, Ethereum, Bitcoin Cash, and Litecoin to its Venmo app. With a user base of 70 million, the move will certainly make it easier for people to buy crypto—but it’s also a volatile investment that’s taxed like…Read more...

The State Department keeps a list of travel advisories for the world’s countries. Until recently, only about 30 of them were at Level 4: “Do not travel.” Today, an update brings more of them up to that level, due mainly to coronavirus risk.Read more...

You know we get our best ideas from TikTok, and so when we saw this recent video asking for your favorite hack, we had to test it.Read more...

Every enjoyer of THC is familiar with a little phenomenon known as “the munchies,” and a real bad case of them can leave you cramming in snack after snack, never feeling fully satisfied by the various flavors that are gracing your palate. I haven’t found a one-snack solution to the munchies, but I have found that…Read more...

Dealing with an ant infestation is gross and frustrating—just when you think they’re finally gone, they’re back with a vengeance. If you want to rid your house of ants for good, you need to figure out where they’re coming from and what they’re eating so you can pick the right bait.Read more...

Cleaning your coffee maker might be last on your spring cleaning list. After all, the only thing that goes through it are coffee grinds, but hard water deposits and coffee oils can actually affect the mechanics of your machine and change the taste of your coffee.Read more...

If you’re high right now, here’s a question that might cause your brain to short-circuit: Why exactly do we associate pot with 4/20? Is it the birthday of some mythological cannabis deity? Does it have something to do with the end of the semester for college kids? Or are its founders just so stoned we’ll never know?

Google is testing a new “Memories” feature for Google Chrome that collects your browsing history, bookmarks, and other web activity onto a single, searchable page that will help you dig through your browser activity more easily.