Lifehacker

When even the Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency is starting to get nervous about your unpatched Windows 10 system, maybe it’s time to make sure you’ve downloaded everything you need from Windows Update.Read more...

Xbox Game Pass Ultimate (3 Months) | $23 | AmazonRead more...

We have a plethora of options when it comes to choosing luggage—and yet black luggage seems to be, like, 80% of the luggage I see in my travels. But why? Black luggage is harder to identify and easy to nab (if you’re a thief). If you can’t do away with black luggage for more differently hued options, there’s no need…Read more...

The IRS started to reopen its phone lines after the coronavirus pandemic forced it to shut down its call centers. But you may still struggle to get a real person on the phone.

Speaking up matters, but that doesn’t have to be just metaphorical. If you attend a protest, you may find yourself chanting, cheering, shouting, and otherwise using your voice to be heard loud and clear. The fight against injustice is a marathon, though, not a sprint, so you’ll want to be able to shout again another…Read more...

It’s been a long time coming, but eBay’s mobile app is finally getting a dark mode, meaning shoppers will be able to track their bids late into the night without frying their retinas.

After months of discussion, a brief period of optimism, and then the onset of a global pandemic, it’s official: We’re in a recession.

Removing books you’ve finished from your Kindle has always been possible, but with one catch. Whatever you remove from your device persists in your account. It’s not gone forever, it’s simply gone from the specific Kindle device you’re using.

Chicken salad is not usually perceived as “sexy.” It is a potluck food, a church supper food, an uninspired baby or wedding shower option, often under-seasoned and over-dressed. Bad chicken salad can put you off the category entirely. But good chicken salad? Good chicken salad can be transcendent.Read more...

Looking for something to watch tonight? Every afternoon we’re hunting down and highlighting the best viewing options around.

With the pandemic hitting across the globe, many American travelers have gotten stuck while living or traveling abroad. And with worldwide protests erupting, those stuck Americans may feel called to participate in local demonstrations—which could possibly lead them to be arrested. Here’s what to do if you find…Read more...

Jane Elliot spent her career trying to give white people the slightest taste of the discrimination and racism that people of color experience throughout their entire lives. It started in 1968, in the wake of the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr., when she devised an exercise for the students in her third grade…Read more...

As demonstrations against police brutality and racial injustice continue around the country, apps that blur faces and delete metadata have become a necessary part of any protester’s tool set. Such apps prevent unwanted surveillance and tracking of those in the images and the photographers snapping the shots.

The next time you find yourself staring down a difficult, time-consuming or boring task, don’t tell yourself that you’ll do it later. Tell yourself that it’s going to be difficult, time-consuming and boring. Acknowledge that you’re going to hate every minute of it. Let yourself accept that it’s going to suck—and then,…Read more...

If you are in a position to donate money to organizations aimed at addressing police violence or systemic racism, consider making your donation a recurring, monthly one rather than a single lump sum. Over the course of a year, a small monthly donation can add up to a lot more than a one-time donation, while also…Read more...

Many Americans spent the last few weeks doing very little driving in the name of social distancing and, while the travel break may have allowed commuters to cut down on their driving, adherence to stay-at-home orders has left cars vulnerable to rodent infestations.Read more...

The Blender Bottle is an item “healthy people” own and use, so I’ve never spent a ton of time thinking about it. But that little whisk ball inside the spouted plastic bottle is destined for more than merely blending protein powder—that whisk ball is made for alcoholic greatness.Read more...

You may have seen headlines recently that “patients without symptoms” aren’t driving the spread of the coronavirus. That would seem to suggest that all our measures about masks and distancing are useless—but that’s a misunderstanding of the evidenceRead more...

Distraction is just a fingerprint or screen pattern away all the time—and when you’re driving, that’s just not safe. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports that in 2018, 400,000 people were injured in distracted driving accidents and 2,841 were killed.

Breaking up sucks. It sucks even more when you weigh external factors. Who gets the cat? Who gets the friend group? Who gets to keep the video games? If you’re currently struggling with that last question, we’ve collected some expert advice that might help you.

These past few weeks, we’ve seen countless examples of ‘less lethal’ police weapons being used against protesters, including rubber bullets, bean bag rounds and sponge grenades. Although these weapons—which all have names that make them sound like toys—are certainly less lethal than traditional bullets, they can still…Read more...

The World Health Organization announced new guidance on masks late last week, spurring another wave of eyerolling about how “they” keep changing their minds. Previously the WHO did not recommend that healthy people wear masks; now they say that people over 60 and people with underlying health conditions should wear…Read more...

As the parent of a sports-obsessed 10-year-old, I was grateful that I was able to relive the Michael Jordan era with my son by watching The Last Dance, ESPN’s series chronicling the Chicago Bulls’ 1997-98 championship season. I was even more pleased that it led to us having in-depth conversations about Jesse Helms’…Read more...

Many of us are itching to install the Android 11 Beta 1—the public-facing beta of the next Android operating system, which is likely a lot more stable and contains fewer bugs than the Android 11 developer preview. While a few lucky Android users have gotten their hands on that, the rest of us are stuck with Android 11…Read more...

KZ S2 | $50 | IndiegogoRead more...

Sonos is launching a new controller app known as the S2 Controller App, and while many users will need it to receive feature updates or integrate future Sonos products into their set up, it’s not fully replacing the older Sonos controller app just yet. That’s now the S1 Controller app—and there are still a few…Read more...

There are many fruits and vegetables that make one think springy, sunny thoughts, but none do it quite like the ruby-hued, super-tart rhubarb. It’s great in pies, jams, and even in vodka, but a quick pickling lets you impart a bit of sweet and sour brightness to virtually every kind of dish.Read more...

Given the protests against police brutality these past few weeks, as well as the killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and many others at the hands of police, it’s well worth looking at how the U.S. compares to other countries when it comes to the prevalence of police violence.Read more...

Got any fun plans this summer? Or is your summer going to look much like the end of winter and all of spring this year—except more outdoors than indoors? Most of us will not be going out in public all that much, let alone somewhere fancy. So really, the only shoes your kids needs this summer are water shoes.Read more...

J.Crew, Neiman Marcus, JCPenney, Pier 1 Imports: These are just a few of the retailers that have filed for bankruptcy during the coronavirus pandemic.Read more...

Nobody likes looking like Homer Simpson. At least, that’s how I feel whenever I fire off an emoji to a friend on my smartphone and forget to change the skin tone. If yellow’s your thing, that’s great; I think it looks a bit weird in a text message.Read more...

Looking for something to watch tonight? Every afternoon we’re hunting down and highlighting the best viewing options around.

Even after a weekend of minimal cooking, my partner and I still managed to generate (and wash) four entire sinks’ worth of dishes on Friday and Saturday. After the last “load” was completed yesterday morning, I decided to reward myself with a celebratory brunch hash made with the remnants of a baked potato and a new…Read more...

Surely, by now, we all see the pressing need to talk about race—with our kids, with our parents, with our friends, even with ourselves. If the only thing holding you back is that you simply don’t know where to begin, the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture has launched a new online…Read more...

If you use WhatsApp’s Click to Chat feature, your phone number may be showing up in Google search results.Read more...

Adding her voice to the others discussing racial injustice right now, Oprah Winfrey is going to host a two-night town hall meeting called “Where Do We go From Here?” airing on June 9 and 10. The program will run on OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network, as well as across all of Discovery’s 18 other U.S. networks, including…Read more...

While protesting is essential in a democracy—a hack, you might say, for making your voice heard between elections—any large gathering carries a risk of COVID-19 transmission. But there are ways to reduce that risk, and many protesters have been organizing with those measures in mind.Read more...

If you don’t have a lot of cash to spare—or if you’ve already donated to organizations fighting racial injustice—you can still financially support Black Lives Matter by watching YouTube videos.Read more...

After nearly two weeks of demonstrations, people are still turning out in huge crowds to protest the killings of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, and to support black lives. The weather has been nice for most of these gatherings, but some cites (like Portland, where I live) have seen a fair amount of rain. Even if…Read more...

To respect and acknowledge the protests that are taking place across the country, and to show support for the Movement for Black Lives, we’re taking a break this week from The Upgrade. Instead, we’d like to recommend some podcasts from the voices we should actually be listening to. This is by no means an exhaustive…Read more...

Since the U.S. government started distributing coronavirus economic impact payments in April, millions of people have been anxiously checking the status of their own payment. But for those who are still waiting, you may need to take action in order to get your payment. And there’s a deadline for doing that.

You might be considering taking advantage of the volatile market by investing your savings or stimulus check.Read more...

The United States Postal Service (USPS) is in trouble. Now that companies—and everyone else, really—is relying on email instead of paper mail, their mail volume has dropped by about one-third. On top of that, the president has threatened to veto any stimulus package that includes bailout money for the USPS.

If you’re on the hunt for something new to add to your Netflix queue, the streaming service is adding a handful of new movies and television shows this week including season 6 of “How to Get Away With Murder” and season 5 of “DC’s Legends of Tomorrow.”

After several months of social distancing and staying home, a lot of people are experiencing major wanderlust. And given that we’re still involved in a global pandemic, taking a break from Earth may seem especially tempting. Though we’re not quite there when it comes to space tourism, we can at least get a glimpse of…Read more...

In addition to the physical violence associated with systemic racism, it also has major implications on mental health. Generations of collective trauma is now combined with the anxiety of not only the threat of police violence, but also being in the middle of a global pandemic where people of color are…Read more...

Being cooped up at home for the past few months has made a lot of people discover—or rediscover—home cooking. From sourdough to banana bread, we’ve been spending more time in the kitchen than usual. But as it turns out, we need cooking tips, and unsurprisingly, are turning to Google for help. Here’s what each state…Read more...

As we head into summer, it’s hard not to think about traveling. Not only it is the traditional season for vacations, but we’ve also been cooped up inside for months and most of us are probably itching to explore something new. Of course, given that we’re in the middle of a global pandemic where travel—especially by…Read more...

The indie game store Itch.io has put together a massive bundle containing 742 indie games worth over $3,400 and is selling the whole thing for $5 to help raise money to support the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund and Community Bail Fund.

Like many live events this year, the DC Jazz Festival has been postponed because of the COVID-19 pandemic—but that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy the smooth sounds of some of the world’s best jazz musicians. Despite the official live event being on hold for now, each Saturday, the DCJazzFest from Home Series is…Read more...