Lifehacker

Microsoft is deleting books off of its customers’s devices. It’s a harsh reminder that most ebooks can be remotely wiped by the seller, so you’re forever at their mercy. That’s just one reason you should own your favorite books as hard paper copies.

Back Brace Posture Corrector | $18 | Amazon | Promo code BEFO5KGQRead more...

Depending on where you are when you read this, it is July 11 somewhere in the world, and as such a certain convenience store chain sharing numeric similarities is giving away a free Slurpee, no strings attached. It is one of the last good things we have left in this smoldering hellscape, so thank you, 7-Eleven, for a…Read more...

It’s hurricane season, and we’ve got a weirdo storm brewing up in the Gulf of Mexico right now. The storm is heading toward Louisiana, which has already struggled with flooding this week, so it’s time that we issue the following demand, ever so calmly:Read more...

The Gulf Coast is bracing itself for what is likely to be Tropical Storm Barry tomorrow, which may turn into a hurricane by Saturday. Louisiana has already declared a state of emergency and this is the sort of weather you don’t want to mess around with. Now is the time to plan how, when and to where you might…Read more...

If you’re curious about what the Android Q experience will be like, but have been holding off on installing any Android Q betas, it might be time to try out the latest version, released today. Not only is this iteration of Android Q “very close” to what you’ll experience in Android Q’s full public release, as Google…Read more...

One of the very first things I do when I’m faced with a fresh operating system is to fire up its default browser—the meh Edge or Safari—and head straight to Ninite (Windows) or macapps.link (Mac). Both sites allow you to pick and choose apps you’d like to install on your new system. Once you’ve finalized your list,…Read more...

If your dishcloth has been hanging around and wiping up messes for more than a day or two, it’s at risk for contamination from salmonella, E. coli, Staphylococcus and other bacterias and mold. Chris Smith, a consultant virologist at the University of Cambridge and the managing editor of the Naked Scientist, tells The…Read more...

BioLite FirePit | $170 | Huckberry | $220 with solar coverRead more...

We’ve covered the basics of gym etiquette before, and a lot of it is basic common sense. Put things back where you found them, share nicely, be polite. But I know a lot of you have more questions—maybe you’re even shying away from the gym (or some part of it, like the weight room) because you’re not sure what’s okay.

Robocalls are annoying, but combating them is messy and uneven at best. You have some ammunition against this annoyance on your Android or iOS device, but that’s a reactionary tactic, not a proactive one.

Fresh ginger adds a vaguely spicy but surprisingly soothing note to food and beverages, but getting it into a drink usually involves making a syrup or—if you want a little funk—splashing in some brine. But if it’s pure, unsweetened, fresh ginger you’re after, all you need to do is grab your microplane.Read more...

Lifehacker contributor Starre Julia Vartan wrote about the importance of taking mental health days from your job. Mental health is health, and taking care of ourselves should be a priority. But what about our kids? I’ve heard from parents who’ve admitted they let their children occasionally miss school in order to…Read more...

We’re living in a golden age of fake burgers. The Impossible Burger and Beyond Burger both promise, and deliver, meaty flavors without the meat. But how do they compare to the nutrition of an actual piece of dead cow? Pretty closely, it turns out.Read more...

Sharing files over the internet is nothing new, but the process has evolved since the halcyon days of finicky FTP servers and dodgy P2P programs. Now, it’s easy to send large files with a simple web app or cloud service, like Dropbox, and the latter is planning to make this even easier with a new, free file transfer…Read more...

Every year, 7-Eleven gives away free Slurpees on July 11, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. This year you can get two.Read more...

Spirit Airlines’ Big Front Seats, with their 36" pitch and 18.5" width, are not quite as large as the 38" pitch, 20" width seats you’re likely to get in first class on a major airline. However, they’re a lot bigger than the seats you’ll get in economy—and in some cases, a lot more affordable.

You’ve already explained yourself a dozen times—in perfectly clear language, no less—and still they’re not hearing you. Your partner, your best friend, your 10-year-old kid, whoever. You know you’re right; they just need to listen a little better, don’t they? As they go around and around in circles, still missing what…Read more...

We learn to talk at an early age, but most of us don’t have formal training on how to effectively communicate with others. That’s unfortunate, because it’s one of the most important life skills there is, and one you use your entire life. Whether you want to have better conversations in your social life or get your…Read more...

Quick pickles are the MVP of no-stove-required summer side dishes. Despite the name, some versions need to soak for an hour or two before they’re ready to eat. If you need a bright, crunchy vegetable side and you need it now, you can get things started with a little massage.Read more...

If you’ve ever wanted to experience the symphony, but couldn’t—concerts are too expensive, you have kids who can’t sit for long stretches, tickets are tough to snag—here is your chance. Go to an open rehearsal.

Microsoft “re-released” Windows 1.0 this week as part of a partnership with that Stranger Things show I have yet to binge on Netflix. While it’s free for you to download and play with—on Windows, of course—it’s not really Windows 1.0, because it’s full of puzzles and all sorts of other promotional tie-ins that didn’t…Read more...

Most of us have very little unscheduled time in our days—and it’s hard to keep that time unscheduled. For every precious free evening we hope to put towards finally reading that book, cleaning that closet, or simply sitting on the couch doing nothing, there’s a friend, parent, partner, child, or colleague who would…Read more...

I know Amazon Prime Day isn’t until next week, but I’m calling it right now: I have found the best deal of the event, and you don’t even have to wait until July 15 and 16 to get it.

The U.S. Women’s Soccer team has broken records and captured our hearts in its run up to Sunday’s World Cup Finals victory; in return, we owe them a good old fashioned ticker tape parade.Read more...

Squarespace, in addition to funding half the podcast industry, is the standard first choice for building a professional-looking website without being a professional. We talked to one of the actual professionals, the company’s chief creative officer, about his career, his photography workflow, why he wakes up at 5:30,…Read more...

Yee-haw! It’s novelty pool float season, y’all, so hang on tight.

Post-July 4th, things get disgusting, weather-wise, in much of the U.S. In New York City, where I and much of Team Lifehacker live, we spend a lot of time outside, shuffling through the humid, hot-dog-scented soup that is summer in a crowded, polluted metropolis. And so we become indoor cats, taking refuge indoors,…Read more...

Apple made some big changes to its MacBook lineup today—including axing the super-portable 12-inch MacBook, the entry-level MacBook of choice for many. While you can’t buy Apple’s MacBook from its official store anymore, you still have a few options to get your hands on one before they’re gone for good. This also…Read more...

Summer can be a dangerous time of year. The clothes come off, the sun blazes, and the bees and mosquitoes come out. We’re more active, which means more opportunities for accidents, such as ankle twists and bruises. As you head bravely into the outdoors, here’s a toolkit of Android and iOS apps you can use to deal with…Read more...

Ticks are becoming more common in many parts of the US, and it’s good to know the ticks in your area since there are different kinds. It’s also good to know the symptoms of common tick-borne diseases, just in case you get bitten and start to feel under the weather.Read more...

AMD did it. It produced a ridiculously fast series of CPUs that use a lot less power than their competitors and predecessors while also being cheaper and adding some bonus features, like PCIe 4.0 support, only hardcore PC users need. The new $500 Ryzen 9 3900X and $330 Ryzen 7 3700X deliver on many of AMD’s promises…Read more...

Apple made some big announcements today regarding the fate of its entry-level laptops. The company has discontinued the 12-inch MacBook (RIP), the non-Retina display MacBook Air, and made it impossible to buy a MacBook Pro without a (controversial) Touch Bar. Taking their places are an upgraded entry-level MacBook Pro…Read more...

During the summer, people are always trying to get other people to eat outside, or “al fresco,” if you will. And while I’m not above enjoying some Taco Bell in the rose garden (which is what I did last night!), I do think there are some “outdoor foods” that are just as good, if not better, when prepared indoors. One…Read more...

I hate to be a summer scrooge, but it’s time to declare that pool parties with lots of kids are typically just not safe. Parents can get distracted (it’s a party, after all) or misjudge their children’s swimming capabilities or feel a false sense of security because, look, there are so many adults here. The fact is…Read more...

If you’re ready to plan an early fall getaway before the hectic holiday season, Jetblue’s Fall Flash Sale may have a cheap ticket to satisfy your travel craving.Read more...

Unless your job involves playing with puppies and eating ice cream all day while being massaged and told how great you are, you’ve probably experienced some level of stress at work. Technically, even the puppy-ice cream-massage job could get stressful at times, thanks to incessant barking and peeing, and brain freeze.

Everyone has something on their PC worth watching—that funny video you just shot on vacation, some movie you downloaded that you probably shouldn’t have, a highlight from your favorite concert, et cetera. And while you can probably just pull it up in your operating system’s default player, there’s no reason why you…Read more...

I almost lost my high school diary this weekend. Thankfully my old filing cabinet was so heavy, the Craigslist user taking it away had to pull all the drawers out before she could carry it downstairs. That’s how she noticed the diary, some childhood photos, and assorted papers, all of which had slid behind the drawers.

There is a Russian restaurant here in Portland, Oregon that makes the most incredible infused vodka. It is both a very good and very bad thing. The flavors—which range from horseradish to sweet pea—are fresh and clean, and the vodka, which is served ice cold, comes in grams. These two factors, when combined, make it…Read more...

Babies might be small, but planning for them can seem like a mighty feat. We do plenty to get ready for their arrival—we take the hospital tours and birthing classes, decorate the nursery and assemble the crib, throw the baby shower and hire the family photographer. But sometimes we do so much to plan for the arrival…Read more...

So your credit isn’t exactly great—or it’s totally in the dumpster. Or, perhaps you don’t even have a credit score. How are you supposed to show that you can use credit responsibly if your past financial activities don’t have potential creditors lining up to lavish you with offers? A secured credit card is one means…Read more...

The Zoom video conferencing app contains two big security issues for Mac users. First, uninstalling the app the regular way doesn’t actually remove it from your system; instead, by installing Zoom, you’ve actually installed a persistent web server on your system that can be used to reinstall the app without your…Read more...

Eventually, you will die. We all will. But are you dying right now? Probably not, but it never hurts to ask, right?Read more...

Typical study methods like lectures, cramming, and re-reading are ineffective. According to scientific research, they don’t help students retain information over the long term. What works is spaced repetition: “You test yourself on a fact repeatedly, spacing out your repetitions over time.” Coder and writer Nicky Case…Read more...

When I was working to pay down my credit card debt, I opted to earn more instead of cutting back drastically on my expenses. Part of that equation was where I lived: super whackadoodle expensive Washington, D.C. I couldn’t just pick up and spend money to move to a less expensive place, so I decided the way out was to…Read more...

Arcade1Up Street Fighter Classic 3-in-1 Home Arcade | $200 | Amazon | Clip on-page couponRead more...

If your iPhone is giving you grief, a simple reboot is one quick way to troubleshoot whatever is ailing it. But what if your device is freezing up and you can’t summon the standard “slide to power off” screen?Read more...

Maybe it’s an old photo that does it. A picture of yourself in your previous life. You look at the spark you once had and and then you look at your world now—it’s consumed by a child who needs, needs, needs. You suddenly wonder: How did I get here?

Thanks to the internet, you can now learn even complex, difficult lifting skills without an in-person coach. Watch some youtube videos, read some articles, then try it and video yourself. Not sure if you’ve done it right? Just post on your favorite reddit or the social network of your choice, and ask: “Can I have a…Read more...