Lifehacker

Like many children, I went through a dinosaur phase. The idea that instead of people, these giant lizard monsters roamed the earth both terrified and intrigued me. So when my teacher told us that dinosaurs lived in our area too, I needed to find out more. This primarily involved digging holes in the woods looking for…Read more...

Each year, tens of thousands of people descend upon Nevada’s Black Rock Desert the week leading up to Labor Day to take part in Burning Man. Since 1986, like-minded Burners have gathered together in the name of decommodification, radical inclusion, radical self-expression, and the rest of their 10 Principles (though…Read more...

After everything we’ve been through this year, we deserve to have something to look forward to. Unfortunately, many of the usual fall activities—like children in disguise visiting every house in your neighborhood—may not be possible, thanks to COVID. But one thing we can still count on (though at this point, who knows…Read more...

One of the biggest downsides of private student loans is there are fewer borrower protections. Federal student loans, for example, offer more repayment plans, deferment or forbearance, subsidized interest, and loan forgiveness.Read more...

Friday’s Best Deals | Kinja DealsRead more...

I am not a person who wakes up easily, but I’ve discovered over the years that waking up is, unfortunately, necessary to start one’s day. I’ve toyed with evil alarm clock apps and with garden variety snooze-button-hitting, but just recently I found a game changer: you can get the Siri voice to tell you to wake the…Read more...

Well well well, if it isn’t another “holiday weekend” doesn’t actually feel like a holiday because we’re in the middle of multiple crises, and BBQs and parties seem like a trite, retro custom we may never partake in ever again.Read more...

It’s that time again: a bunch of crappy apps have made their way to the Google Play Store, and it’s on you to make sure you don’t have them on your Android phone. If you do, you’ve just been suckered by “fleeceware.”Read more...

Longtime readers will know that, for me, September is running time. It’s no longer blazing hot, so the whole day is open for runs and walks and not just the hours around dusk and dawn. (Sorry, I’m a wuss in the heat). So this month we’re doing another running and walking challenge, but with a twist.

A 4K UHD laser projector, an Anker USB-C power strip, a discount on Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, a Geralt bath statuettte, a Cuisinart stainless steel cookware set, a Diamond Bomb mini set, and a Pony Effect K-beauty matte lipstick lead Friday’s best deals.

Kids have a tendency to think that “fair” means “equal.” An older sibling having a later bedtime isn’t fair; one child having a rough day and receiving special one-on-one time with a parent isn’t fair. But there’s a trick elementary teachers use to teach kids the difference between fairness and equity, and it’s one…Read more...

Earlier this week, residents of Louisiana and Texas who were just pounded by Hurricane Laura endured a heat index of 109 degrees Fahrenheit (42.8 degrees Celsius). This weekend, California is expected to see its second record-breaking heat wave in three weeks. That’s just the U.S. this week; nearly every corner of the…Read more...

As the pandemic ramped up, millions of employees shifted to remote work. According to a Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas report, 35.2% of employees worked from home in May, compared to only 8.2% in February. If you’re now fully remote, you may be eager to see if you’re eligible for a home office tax break—but the…Read more...

Adults aren’t the only ones slumped in front of a computer screen for hours at a time anymore; with the increase in time kids are spending learning from home this school year, often with Chromebooks or other laptops, it’s important to make sure they are set up in the best ergonomic position possible. Starting good…Read more...

I eat a lot of popcorn. Sometimes I eat popcorn that I pop on the stove, sometimes I eat microwave popcorn. Sometimes I eat popcorn that comes already popped in a bag. If I go the bagged route, it is usually Smartfood, because of their really excellent cheese powder.Read more...

It’s an annoying cliché, yes, but I can’t deny the fact that I am basically the living embodiment of one of those “hilarious” Don’t Talk to Me Until I’ve Had My Coffee! mugs. Especially since the pandemic began, my body seems to have determined the most convenient time to decide I don’t need to sleep is the same time…Read more...

Living through the past several months of the pandemic has changed so much about how and where we work—including whether we still have a job at all. If you’re fortunate enough to still be employed, this period may have caused you to reflect on your current position or entire career, and whether it really is the best…Read more...

Yes, we’re wading into these waters this week: The classic PC or Mac debate that spawned countless, hilarious ads from Apple and John Hodgman a decade-plus ago. (I’m sure Microsoft would beg to disagree with Apple’s interpretation, but I think the entire would would agree the Zune should have never been a thing.)Read more...

Aukey 10,000mAh Portable Wireless Charger | $24 | Amazon | Use code UKPTPVBARead more...

After a four-month postponement because of COVID-19, the 146th running of the Kentucky Derby will take place this weekend, on Saturday, September 5. Unlike other sporting events that last for hours, the actual derby itself—known as the “greatest two-minutes in sports”—is quite short. And while sure, watching…Read more...

The concept of Buy Now, Pay Later has been around since the Great Depression. Layaway shopping, which mostly disappeared during the 1980s, involved making a small deposit and installment payments before taking your purchase home. Although layaway made a brief comeback during the Great Recession, it has since been…Read more...

Back in July, our own Abu Zafar showed you how to build a DIY Peloton from a $100-ish bike trainer and an app on your phone. I’ve been using the same setup, off and on, for a month now, and I’m here to report: it holds up. While it’s not as versatile as a Peloton, it fulfills a need that I would normally fill with my…Read more...

Though you probably won’t have a lot of fun playing the game’s multiplayer aspects, since everyone has probably moved on to The Division 2 by now, the solo campaign of Ubisoft’s 2016 first-person shooter The Division is still worth slogging through—especially for the low price of free.Read more...

The first time I lifted at a gym where the weights are in kilos, my well-honed plate math skills became suddenly useless. The numbers were all different, the plates were funny colors, and yet, before long, I discovered I kinda liked it that way.Read more...

Lanyards are often used to keep our most precious objects—keys, for example, or a whistle if you’re a coach or referee—safe and easily accessible. And there is nothing our kids need more now to keep safe and easily accessible than their masks. That’s why, especially if they are young or prone to losing things, a mask…Read more...

At over 30 years old, GIFs are the digital equivalent of a middle-aged millennial: Late bloomers who are now overworked and misunderstood. Today, they’re standard internet currency in text messages and social media threads, and as they’re no longer the fancy new thing, we have gotten a bit lazy with them. I’m talking…Read more...

If you’ve got old or expired car seats collecting dust in the basement, save the date: Target’s popular car seat trade-in program is coming back later this month for two weeks. Target will recycle the old seats for you and give you a 20 percent off coupon for an upgrade in return.

It’s a novice carpenter’s worst nightmare: you’re trying to tighten or remove a screw and you find the head is stripped. You press the screwdriver or drill bit into the head and try to turn, but there’s no friction. First, try throwing a little back into your screw twists. If that fails, try one (or more) of these…Read more...

It is too bad I already did a roundup of the seasonings I keep by my stove at all times, because Knorr’s Caldo de Tomate (tomato bouillon with chicken flavor) deserves to be on that list (with a bullet).Read more...

As the fall approaches, it’s time to start thinking about Medicare open enrollment, which is officially six weeks away. Seniors have the opportunity to pick a new Medicare and Part D prescription plan from Oct. 15 to Dec. 7. You may also switch from a Medicare plan (Part A and Part B) to a private plan with Medicare…Read more...

As if 2020 couldn’t get any worse, we may be seeing more powerful hurricanes making landfall this year. Since these storms could be hitting some otherwise storm-free areas, here is some advice from our staff storm experts: Floridians.Read more...

If you find yourself in a lunchtime rut with your kids (my formula for way too long has been sandwich + fruit/yogurt + something crunchy), it may be time to switch things up—with a charcuterie board full of variety.Read more...

As long as macOS lets you install an app, it should be safe, right? That’s the point of Apple’s Gatekeeper and notary service, which it began to enforce in macOS Catalina back in February. In theory, it means that any app you install on your Mac should have “been checked by Apple for malicious components.” But you…Read more...

I have not hosted, entertained, or partied for about six months, and I would be lying if I said it wasn’t wearing on my little extroverted heart. But the lack of other people doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy party foods—after all, I deserve to be entertained, even if I’m not doing any entertaining.Read more...

When I first came across this post from the Cleveland Clinic about mask anxiety, I thought it had something to do with anxiety caused by other people refusing to wear masks. And while that is certainly something many of us have been struggling with over the past several months, the article is referring to another type…Read more...

Yesterday, the Trump administration ordered a temporary eviction ban in response to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The order—which came through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention—aims to stop the spread of the virus by keeping renters away from shelters or other crowded living arrangements. The order…Read more...

Now that we’re one day removed from Nvidia’s huge announcement for desktop gamers, I trust many of you are feeling tempted to make a September splurge and upgrade your graphics card. Whether you’re going for a reasonable upgrade (the $499 RTX 3070) or the 8K, 60-frames-per-second beast (the $1,499 RTX 3090), there’s…Read more...

It’s pretty great talking to a kid midway through their dinosaur phase. They almost definitely know more dino facts and stats than you do, but they also have a lot of unanswerable questions about what happened to the creatures before they went extinct. It makes sense: it’s kind of hard to imagine something of that…Read more...

Maybe you have to sign up for a time slot at your gym, when you used to be able to mosey on in anytime you liked. Maybe they kick you out after an hour so they can clean. Or maybe your gym is operating as usual, but you’d rather limit the amount of time you spend with strangers who are breathing heavily. How do you…Read more...

Ever since Marvel’s Avengers was revealed to be an endless online game, a la Destiny, prospective players have wondered about potential microtransactions, and just how bad they are. To just be out with it: Yes, there are microtransactions in Marvel’s Avengers. No, you can’t pay your way to a superpowered character…Read more...

If you don’t regularly drive and park in a dense urban area, parallel parking might fill you with anxiety. Certainly it can be a a challenge for even the most seasoned drivers if they’re used to parking in driveways and parking lots—and while many cars now come equipped with automatic parking systems, it’s really a…Read more...

There are two absolute certainties in my life: I’ll never be able to insert a USB correctly on the first try, and I’ll always have to rotate my fitted sheet at least once before I manage to affix it to all four corners of my mattress. But I’ve recently come up with a solution to this problem, inspired by bedding…Read more...

The passing of Black Panther star Chadwick Boseman due to colon cancer is tragic. He was young, he was successful, and he carried the weight of his devastating diagnosis quietly and privately. He is also not alone. “Colon cancer is one of the most common cancers in the United States,” says Dr. Mazen Alastie,…Read more...

As you probably know, wonton wrappers are thin, delicate sheets of flour, water, and egg used to make top tier foods such as fried wontons, wonton soup, and crab rangoon (just to name a few icons). But the little squares can just as easily be dropped into simmering soups, sauces, or plain ol’ water to make piles of…Read more...

Attention fans of free food, specifically food from Wendy’s, specifically chicken nuggets: There is a particularly good deal involving their popular fried and breaded chicken chunks this month. Not convinced? The offer involves 10 free savory nuggets. Here’s what you need to know.

In the latest round of What the hell has happened to humanity?, there are now parents on TikTok who are showing their kids pictures of disabled people or people with diseases that affect their physical appearance. And then they are pretending these strangers are their kids’ new teachers. Because, apparently, if a…Read more...

I’m not going to begrudge anyone for using the modem and router that their ISP provides them. You shouldn’t—because you’re probably paying your ISP to “rent” a device that isn’t very good—but not everyone has the patience or inclination to understand the nuances of wireless networking, or even their monthly bill.Read more...

Haters (people from New England) have said that grits are too “mushy,” but mush can be a glorious thing. Sometimes you don’t need texture or contrast; sometimes you just need something that’s warm, delicious, and scoopable. Sometimes (mornings), you don’t want to chew that hard.Read more...

Parents are shouldering extra responsibilities again this fall, with many school-aged students on a partial or fully remote schedule. Whether you’re relearning eighth-grade history to help your child or need some extra help with your college-level calculous, there are lots of apps and websites that will give you an…Read more...

Apple rolled out iOS 13.7 today. Update your device, and you’ll now be able to see if your state supports the COVID-19 Exposure Notifications Express system. More importantly, you’ll be able to opt-in to receiving these alerts without having to find and set up a standalone app. (Nobody likes app sprawl.)Read more...