Lifehacker

You’re probably familiar with the concept of the SMART goal: specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and timely. That kind of goal can get results, but it might not be the best way to get you where you want to go.

It was recently discovered that the Samsung Galaxy S10 and S10+ have a major security flaw that makes it easy to bypass their fingerprint locks. On a scale of “one” to “not good,” we are definitely towards the right on this one.

My love for tamagoyaki has been well documented, as has my antipathy towards single-use appliances. The latter, paired with a very small kitchen, has kept me from purchasing the square pan required for making the little grilled egg squares, which is sad because I love them so.Read more...

Every time I go to buy a new computer monitor, I ask myself the same thing: Why am I doing this? Why not just run everything through the gigantic monitor I already have, otherwise known as my big-ass television?Read more...

OpenTable is a handy option for making restaurant reservations at any hour of the day or night, especially if you prefer to avoid speaking to anyone by phone. But if you have an OpenTable account, you’re most likely giving the platform permission to use and share your data, including your dining preferences and…Read more...

You’ve finally found the one, and now you have to figure out what to do about your finances. If happy couples on Instagram are any indication, you just mash every part of your life together and live happily ever after. And that mashing includes your money.

So you’ve made it to the end of a lengthy job interview without a misstep. But moments before you can confidently head out the door, the hiring manager slams you with one more, asteroid-sized question: “Why do you want to work here?”

We do our best to highlight cool new beta features for popular apps and operating systems when they show up, but the truth is that new features and ideas are always being tested on every active piece of software. As long as those products have a beta program, you can test them out at any time.

If you’ve noticed that your tween or teen girl has been regularly wearing a uniform of oversized T-shirts, Birkenstock sandals, shell necklaces and messy buns held in place with scrunchies, she may be a VSCO girl—especially if she’s been begging for you to splurge on a $35 Hydro Flask.Read more...

Yesterday theater chain AMC launched its own streaming service, a first for a cinema operator, that allows members of the company’s AMC Stubs service to buy or rent films through the chain.

National Pasta Day is Thursday, October 17. It reminds me of a charming Salon interview with a man who sucked the marrow out of a seven-week Olive Garden pasta pass. “If I could say I collected $1,800 in Olive Garden meals, that is big. I don’t know what city you’re in or anything, but in rural North Carolina, that’s…Read more...

Glad ForceFlex Plus Tall Kitchen Trash Bags - 80 ct. | $8 | Amazon | Clip the 25% couponRead more...

The Apple TV app has been available on just about every Apple device since the service launched, and began appearing on select Samsung smart TVs in the past couple of years. And as of today, Apple TV is (finally) available on a wide array of Roku devices.Read more...

If you’ve got your eyes on a brand new Google Pixel 4, you might want to consider pre-ordering it through Amazon.

Before all these impossibly uncanny meat approximations hit the market, mushrooms were the meatless workhorse of vegetarian and vegan cuisine. Though the new faux animal proteins have pushed veggie burgers beyond the ol’ portobello-between-two-buns, I urge you to not forget about mushrooms as a meat substitute,…Read more...

Democratic candidates for president want to overhaul health care. But who will pay for it? That was the question during last night’s fourth primary debate, which featured 12 candidates on one stage vying for attention. But the discussion around health care may have resulted in more questions than answers. A lot of the…Read more...

It can seem like kids’ expectations around birthday parties are getting out of hand. (Sorry, little Johnny, a backyard circus with pony rides isn’t in the budget this year!) But it’s possible that we’re projecting our own insecurities onto our kids. Just because seven of Johnny’s classmates have had birthday parties…Read more...

Apple released new updates today to both iOS 13 and macOS Catalina. If you don’t like bugs or other issues that prevent you from doing whatever it is you’re trying to do—like complete a macOS Catalina installation without it screwing up—you’re going to want to update your iPhone and/or Mac as soon as possible.Read more...

If you’re wondering how the top Democratic candidates’ tax plans differ from each other—and how those plans might change how much you pay in taxes—there’s a new online tool to help you visualize what each candidate is proposing.Read more...

Tuesday night’s Democratic debate marked several firsts; it was the single largest number of candidates on stage in any primary debate and the first to devote time to discussion of women’s reproductive rights. It was also the first debate in which nearly every candidate squared away with Elizabeth Warren, the apparent …Read more...

It’s hard to beat sheet pan meals for convenience. Roasting proteins and vegetables side by side in the same pan is a fuss-free path to a complete meal. Well, almost complete—where’s the sauce? A sheet pan is still a pan, so why do we reserve pan sauces for skillets?

For parents of kids with disabilities, autism spectrum disorder or sensory issues, Halloween can come with not only the usual obstacles of loud noises, special effects and unusual lighting, but also with the very real challenge of finding a costume that is functional, comfortable and fun. But there are more options…Read more...

I’ve previously talked about how the Internet Archive is a great place to play your favorite abandonware from decades ago within your browser, and it’s even better now. The archive has added 2,500 new MS-DOS titles for you to try out, and they are all free of charge.Read more...

If you’re someone who can’t ever seem to get a good night’s sleep, and even a later start time to your day won’t help, you’re not alone. Sometimes, those bags under your eyes have less to do with the length of sleep you’re getting and more with the actual quality of your sleep.

Toomas Hendrik Ilves, son of Estonian refugees who fled the country during the 1944 Soviet takeover, saw his country regain independence in 1991. In 2006 he became Estonia’s fourth president. We had a long talk about his accomplishments as president, a position that holds no executive power and thus relies on…Read more...

Recently, a stalker found and attacked a Japanese pop star, in part by using an eye reflection to figure out what train station she uses. (He then waited for her at the train station and followed her home.) This got us wondering: how easy is it to get clues about somebody’s location from their selfies?Read more...

So you went and did the thing you swore you’d never do: you cheated on your partner. You probably have a lot of questions, including about what happens next. If your partner decides to end the relationship, there’s not much for you to do, but if they want to stay together, you have some work ahead of you. It won’t be…Read more...

Landlords usually have one big question when you inquire about a rental: Do you have enough money to pay for it? Coughing up your last pay stub is often enough to convince the powers that be that you’re responsible enough to pay the rent each month, and some landlords even spell out the minimum monthly income they…Read more...

The Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL will be available through every major U.S. carrier, but as of now, Verizon’s the only one with preorders already open. And what’s more, they’re offering a couple of pretty incredible deals on Google’s latest and greatest.

Besides forcing society to examine what comedy really is, TikTok drives all sorts of discourse, both political and not. But after one user posted a behind-the-scenes look, it has people talking about Panera’s macaroni and cheese, which is reheated from a frozen state to a servile temperature in—horror of…Read more...

Even if you’re careful to turn off the lights when you leave a room or pay for the lowest-tier internet plan, it’s safe to say these monthly costs are a pain. You shell out a lot for your service, and when it doesn’t live up to expectations, you can be left (literally) in the dark, wondering what you’re even paying…Read more...

We all knew Google would announce its Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL during today’s Made by Google 2019 event, but the company showed off a handful of other devices, too: a new Pixelbook Go laptop, an update to the Pixel Buds wireless earphones, and a new Nest smarthome speaker (and mesh wifi system).Read more...

One of Sparkle Leigh’s favorite stories to read during Drag Queen Story Hour is The Story of Ferdinand. Ferdinand, published in 1936, tells the story of a Spanish bull who’s supposed to be a manly bullfighter, but all he wants to do is go sit in the flowers and take in the beauty.Read more...

On November 12, Disney will officially launch its streaming service, Disney+, as a competitor against other major platforms like Netflix and Hulu.

We all know that being generous and helping people makes us feel good. Doing so doesn’t always have to cost a lot of money or take up a lot of time.

Google’s Pixel 4 made its official debut today. It’s arriving soon—October 24—and you can preorder it right now. But before you plunk down $799 for the Pixel 4 (or $899 for the Pixel 4 XL), here’s a quick look at how Google’s next smartphone stacks up against the competition:Read more...

The application that revolutionized and upended the music industry lived long enough to see itself become the villain. Thanks to the new macOS Catalina update, iTunes has finally been laid to rest.Read more...

I like to discover my music anywhere but the radio: playlists, TV soundtracks, best-of lists, subway bands, TikToks, overheard songs in bars and stores and coffeeshops...and podcasts. What a fantastic medium for trying out new music. A music podcast is like your favorite radio show on demand—and of course many of the…Read more...

Work-life balance for creative types is more like work-work-life. You’ve got to find time for both your work responsibilities and your non-work responsibilities, plus time for the people you care about and the communities you support, plus time for rest and recuperation, plus time for that big creative project you’re…Read more...

Some pickles—cucumbers, onions, and even carrots—are obvious, but grapes are not an obvious pickle. Grapes are a surprising pickle, an unexpected pickle, an intriguing pickle. If you leave them whole during the fermentation process, they’re a fizzy pickle.Read more...

Happy Google day! The search giant announced a handful of new devices, including brand-new Pixel Buds, the mighty Pixel 4 smartphone, and an updated Nest Mini.Read more...

O-Cedar MicroTwist Microfiber Twist Mop | $10 | AmazonRead more...

Despite our best efforts to not scare the crap out of our kids at an early age, our kids have friends. And those friends have older siblings or YouTube and are often all-too-happy to introduce them to the horror villains of our childhood—Freddy Kruger, Pennywise, Michael Meyers, Jason Voorhees. Remember how creepy…Read more...

Maybe you’ve heard of this thing called The Witcher. It’s a book series, three video games, soon-to-be a Netflix show, and a hallmark of Polish culture. Maybe you’ve heard about it but never really tried to figure out what the fuss is. Now that The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is coming to Switch, you say: “Well, I wish I…Read more...

If you haven’t booked your plane ticket for Thanksgiving yet, you might be better off waiting until November.

As an adult, you probably don’t have someone constantly commenting on your posture, the way an elementary school teacher or parent may have done in the past. But sitting up straight and not slouching are arguably even more important when we’re grown. Sure, having good posture looks better, but also, how we sit, stand…Read more...

One of the bummers of buying a non-Pixel Android smartphone is that you are beholden to your manufacturer for Android updates. In other words, Google devices typically get giant upgrades like Android 10 first, and you have to sit and be envious until you get your shot—possibly months after the fact—if you splurged for…Read more...

Now three debates in, it’s becoming clearer than ever which of the Democratic candidates has an actual shot at the presidency. And tonight’s debate in Ohio will likely become another make-or-break moment for most of these presidential hopefuls, including those candidates still struggling to make a splash.

Novelist Cormac McCarthy has spent twenty years editing what feels like the opposite of a novel: scientific papers by faculty members and postdocs at the Santa Fe Institute. Some of the scientists he worked with have paraphrased and compiled McCarthy’s best writing advice. It applies to all kinds of writing, from…Read more...

A few days ago, I asked you for your favorite news aggregator apps. We got tons of responses, but it was pretty clear which apps were going to be our top recommendations within the first batch of comments. Without further ado, here are the best RSS readers/news aggregators, plus a few alternatives for good measure.