Lifehacker

Airfare prices rise and fall unpredictably; when you book a flight months ahead, there’s no way of telling whether you grabbed the best possible deal unless you check booking websites obsessively.Read more...

Hello you terrible skinsacks of the noosphere, and welcome to Ask Dr. NerdLove, the dating advice column that charges into your love problems like 30-50 feral hogs.

If you want to do something, block off time for it. This includes everything from the task you have to finish at work to the walk you want to take with your family. The novel you want to write. The weekly game night or date night. The sleep you want to prioritize.Read more...

Unlike Jupiter and Saturn, Mercury isn’t making itself easy to be seen this month, but tomorrow morning might very well be your best chance—clear skies permitting, of course.

There seems to be no good way to get corn kernels off the cob. Most “hacks” involve precariously balancing an ear of corn in a bowl, slicing them off, and hoping you don’t slip and slice a finger along the way. Sometimes the bowl catches every last kernel, but more often than not, you get to chase down all the ones…Read more...

When I wrote about calculating the total out-of-pocket cost of your health insurance plan earlier this week, some of you asked why we should bother with health insurance in the first place.Read more...

There’s something so hopeful about first-day-of-school photos: clothes look a little brighter than usual (possibly because you’ve ripped the tags off just an hour before), backpacks seem massive enough to topple your children right over, and if you’re especially creative, chalkboards or whiteboards display a sweet…Read more...

In 2013, analysts at one firm estimated that Amazon shipped 608 million packages in the U.S. alone, meaning the retailer sent over 1.5 million packages each day. This is a convenient and expedient way to do your shopping, sure, but it’s also a drain on resources. Think of the cardboard box or plastic mailers you might…Read more...

There’s a real musty feeling to some old books, where the writing is as caked in dust as an ancient hardcover. But some old books still feel new. I asked well-known literary figures and critics to recommend one surprisingly fresh classic book—a book that’s lively, accessible, or relevant today. And because most of…Read more...

DASH Compact Air Fryer | $56 | AmazonRead more...

Let the fall smartphone wars begin. Samsung came out swinging at today’s Galaxy Unpacked 2019 event in New York City. We watched the entire keynote so you don’t have to, and here’s a quick recap of the company’s biggest announcements.Read more...

Apple’s new credit card, called Apple Card, was announced this spring and isn’t available to everyone just yet—rollout for the card started this week. While a select few (a random drawing of people who signed up for the waiting list) get started using the card, let’s take a look at how it stacks up to your other…Read more...

Now that Disney’s long-awaited streaming service, Disney+, finally has an official launch date (November 12) and more details have been released, it’s clear that this isn’t just a niche supplemental service for Disney fans—the media giant is making a play for dominance in the streaming market. But while Disney has a…Read more...

Your web browser knows a lot about you, and tells the sites you visit a lot about you as well—if you let it. We’ve talked about which browsers are best at ad-blocking, but in this guide, we’re going to focus on the browsers that you’ll want to use to better conceal everything you’re up to from all the advertisers that…Read more...

Anyone that’s done much traveling can tell you the airports you fly to and from (and through) can often make or break your travel experience. I’ve been known to intentionally book slightly longer travel days in order to avoid a connection in a terrible or complicated airport. Living in the Bay Area, I also have the…Read more...

When it comes to fruit, it’s the flesh people want, but that flesh often clings to stems, pits, and peels, and tossing those bits means you’re tossing out flavor. Lucky for us, Queen of Sweets Stella Parks has a solution: Use these supposed scraps to make vibrant no-cook syrups.Read more...

I’m all about letting kids be bored (it’s good for them) and responsible for their own entertainment (they have a ton of toys), but once in a while, it’s nice to provide them with a little inspiration. Especially when they’ve been stuck inside for the past few days because of bad weather and they’re practically…Read more...

If you have a phone, then chances are good you’ve been plagued by at least a few spam calls and texts—probably more than a few. To combat the issue, carriers have started blocking some spam calls and texts by default. Unfortunately, that blocking has also started to affect some Google Voice transcripts as well, The…Read more...

All of us carry around a number of default assumptions about the world—as well as a number of hopes and beliefs through which we filter our current experiences.Read more...

When you look at your paycheck, do you wish the amount was higher? If so, you might be interested in what our many Democratic presidential candidates think about the federal minimum wage and what they intend to do about it.

Over the weekend, at least 31 people were killed in mass shootings in El Paso, Texas and Dayton, Ohio, just days after similar acts of gun violence in Gilroy, California and Brownsville, Brooklyn.

Now you don’t need an HBO subscription to watch some of HBO’s most popular programs. Today the network launched a new “Recommended By Humans” tool that will allow anyone to stream over 50 free episodes, movies, and documentaries—provided they were recommended by, well, a human.

Thursday, August 8 is National Frozen Custard Day, and several chains are offering deals to celebrate. (Frozen custard is a denser, richer version of ice cream made with egg in addition to cream and sugar.) Here’s where to get your free or discounted custard.Read more...

It’s intimidating to email someone whose work you admire, asking for advice, or a coffee chat, or any first meeting that you secretly hope sparks a career-long mentorship. It’s like asking someone on a date while also asking them for a raise. It’s hard and even if you do it right, it might not work! The Harvard…Read more...

This inspired a heated debate in the Lifehacker offices.Read more...

Mortgage rates are the lowest they’ve been since 2016. Does that mean it’s time to refinance your home? Well... maybe.Read more...

Onions are not known for being “creamy.” Bright? Yes. Acerbic? Sure. Painful? Sometimes. But not creamy. However, if you roast them in a hot oven for just shy of an hour, they become just that—soft, mellow, and downright creamy.

A number of companies are starting to have reservations about using real people to “improve” their digital assistants by reviewing what you’ve said to your smart speaker or phone. I’m willing to bet that Microsoft will also soon about-face on this practice, but right now, contractors might be listening to what you…Read more...

There has been a steady parade of meteor showers and shining planets looking to wow us in the nighttime sky this summer, but there’s one thing standing between us and a perfect show: light pollution. It can be hard (even practically impossible) to get out from under the bright lights of the city, but there are still…Read more...

One thing I don’t like about homework for young kids is the fact that after they’ve just spent a whole day sitting at a desk at school, we direct them to another desk at home. It’s inhibiting. Their bodies are wiggly and restless and begging to move.

Apple’s slick new credit card is starting to arrive in a select few digital wallets, but Apple Card has one major limitation that might surprise you: You can’t export your data to financial apps. Apple uses Mint as an example, explaining that exporting is “not currently supported.”Read more...

If you’ve booked an itinerary with connecting flight to save a little money, airlines like United and American generally allow for as little as 30 minutes for you to deplane, grab your carry-on, switch terminals if needed, and find the right gate; it’s an especially tight window, but possible in small airports. This…Read more...

It was bound to happen someday: Someone finally counterfeited my new credit card, and I received an alert that they were trying to make a physical purchase at a local gas station. And here’s a quick explanation of why I almost missed this critical notification (so you don’t have the same issue in the future!).

For many, attending college after high school is a natural next step, one that isn’t questioned for its long-term value. Going to college has been a cultural norm for decades, the widely accepted method for kicking off a white-collar career.Read more...

For the 40th anniversary of the first Alien film, 20th Century Fox commissioned six new short films set in the Alien universe. The most popular was Alien: Specimen, directed and produced by Kelsey Taylor. Taylor has also worked on projects for CollegeHumor, 1 Minute Horror, and several of her own short films. We…Read more...

If you happen to own any silver jewelry, flatware, or anything else that could use a little polishing, Goddard’s silver polishing cloths are the easiest way to bring them back to their original luster, provided they aren’t too far gone.

I really have no allegiance to any airline aside from the one that will take the least of my money, and even then, I often realize I am wrong (Frontier: fuck you!!). BUT, I always try my luck at the seasonal Southwest sale, that magical time of year (that seems to come at least once a month, now that I think about…Read more...

One of the best parts about dogs is how affectionate they can be. It’s almost like they can sense when we’re hurt or feeling down, and then try to help us with extra snuggles or kisses. But while well-intentioned, those kisses—well, licks—may not always be good for your health.

For former Jezebel staffer Ellie Shechet, it is nearly always time to freak out. Doom—personal, professional, planetary—awaits, beckoning at the wings. No one has exactly asked for her advice, but we gave her a column anyway. Advice for the End of the World is a limited edition advice column for catastrophic thinkers,…Read more...

Ads for apps like Stash, Acorns and Robinhood make it look easy to start investing with just a few dollars. But microinvesting newbies should be aware that using these apps to try to make a few extra bucks could leave you with some extra paperwork come tax season.Read more...

Anker first joined in the robotic vacuum arms race about three years ago, and has come out with new, iterative improvements every few months since (of which our readers have purchased thousands). Each new Anker (and later Eufy) RoboVac offered more powerful suction, a thinner profile, Wi-Fi support, or some…Read more...

I am becoming increasingly concerned—alarmed, even—that my favorite food is cottage cheese. It’s an excellent, easy breakfast, makes a wonderful dip when whipped, and—I have just now discovered—is the secret to the fluffiest, sponge-cake-like pancakes.Read more...

Google Assistant has quietly received a major upgrade to its messaging features, giving the AI helper the ability to read messages from third-party apps.Read more...

When you opened up your 401(k), you were probably presented with a few default options. Maybe your workplace automatically put 3% of your paycheck towards 401(k) contributions, for example. Maybe you were told that the company would match your contributions up to 5%, so you elected to contribute 5% to get that company…Read more...

If you’re a college student with an Amazon Prime Student account, now you can add Amazon Music Unlimited to that membership for an additional $.99 a month.

Two rockets carrying large communications satellites are scheduled to launch today within a couple of hours of each other, first from South America and then from North America. You can watch each one go up via livestream coverage.Read more...

“You don’t have to be so angry,” I wish I could tell myself at 16. “Get a real job and stick with it,” I wish I could tell myself at 23. You can’t tell your younger self what you know now. But you can give advice to everyone of the same age. And you can read what other people wish they’d known at your current age: at…Read more...

One of the few perks you might be able to get with your cell phone subscription is free access to paid-for versions of Spotify, Apple Music, and other services—typically offered alongside a carrier’s unlimited data plans. Sure, these plans are usually the most expensive a carrier offers, but getting a free…Read more...

Making pastry in the summer means fighting an uphill battle against the laws of thermodynamics. Even when you’ve taken every possible precaution to keep your ingredients—and your tools—nice and cold, pie dough is still liable to melt the second it hits your counter.Read more...

If you find a good deal for a flight on an unfamiliar booking website, don’t press the “check out” button just yet. This week, one family shared their experience booking a flight through a website claiming to be affiliated with Delta, which turned out to be a scam. In the process, the family lost almost $300.Read more...