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Welcome back to another installment of Lifehacker’s tech-advice series, Tech 911. You write in with your tough questions, and we provide the hard answers, a little humor, and a bit of head-scratching if you have a particularly perplexing question.Read more...

When you’re troubleshooting your computer or installing a new operating system, you may need to “boot from a disc” or USB device (like an external hard drive or flash drive). Here’s what that means—and how to do it.

Siri can be used to control a whole lot more than just Apple’s devices, apps, and services. One such third-party service is the Spotify iOS app, which just recently began testing Siri support for some users.Read more...

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What’s the point of all these digital assistants, anyway? To make life simpler, of course. The Google Assistant, in particular, can not only help answer life’s burning questions and control smart devices, but it can also act as your very own personal reminder bot.Read more...

What a week it has been. A lot going on. I don’t know how you like to relax, but if your weekend plans involve catching up on the news and political discourse, might I suggest you make yourself this delicious peach-mint cocktail before logging on.Read more...

You’ve been approached about a new gig—but it’s complicated. You’d be happy to stick with your longtime employer, but you’re not sure if that’s realistic, and your spouse doesn’t want you to relocate. Here’s how to think of this decision as an opportunity, not a chore.

So much of self care is self-focused, whether it’s an indulgence like a nice bath or work like making yourself a doctor’s appointment. But what happens when you take the focus off yourself for a minute, and learn how to do something that exists for its own reason? Drive stick, learn to knit, bake some bread.Read more...

Every week, we share the shortcuts, workspaces, and productivity tips of our favorite experts. This week, we’re going behind the scenes at Lifehacker. I’m Meghan Walbert, and this is how I work.

If you are among the nearly half of Americans who leave the water running while you brush your teeth, here are two good arguments for changing your habit.Read more...

Doordash is the latest of the “services you probably use, or at least have an account with” companies to suffer a large data breach. And while your passwords likely haven’t been compromised, it’s possible that your physical address is floating around in the Internet somewhere, among other identifying information.Read more...

I have long been a fan of Taco Bell’s Crunchwrap Supreme. It’s cheesy. It has sour cream. It’s in an interesting, supposedly portable shape. It has a lot going for it, but Taco Bell’s meat doesn’t have a ton of flavor, and the cheese sauce could use a little pizzazz. To make a Crunchwrap that’s practically gourmet, we…Read more...

Every week, we share the shortcuts, workspaces, and productivity tips of our favorite experts. This week, we’re going behind the scenes at Lifehacker. I’m Heather Hass, and this is how I work.Read more...

Merriam-Webster is at it again, adding hundreds of new words to its English dictionary, a process it refers to as “a happy fact of life for a living language.” We happen to share in their excitement over new words. It is a happy fact, after all, that they’ve finally expanded the definition of they to include being…Read more...

I hate to break through your pumpkin spice daydreams, but surprise! The holidays are right around the corner. If you plan to participate in any level of holiday cheer in the next couple of months, your money is going to need to be ready. So put down that latte and take three steps to strengthen your finances right…Read more...

Spend an hour at the gym and you’ll likely come across at least one type of gym jerk during your workout. Some jerks don’t re-rack their weights, others don’t wipe down equipment, and the worst kind of jerk takes up the only squat rack in your gym to curl for an hour.Read more...

I hope you enjoyed our month of cycling this September, where we hopped on our bikes, ventured outdoors (perhaps), and took a look at some training plans to build fitness specifically for longer and faster rides. To close out the month, I’d like to highlight some tips from readers about how to transition from casual…Read more...

Umbra UDRY Drying Rack and Microfiber Dish Mat | $10 | AmazonRead more...

When you’re on a flight, you lose all sense of physical boundaries. You split armrests with the passengers next to you and what little legroom you have with the passenger reclined in your lap. Naturally, you’ll look for comfort in the little things—like the ability to see out your aisle’s window.

International Coffee Day is Sunday, September 29. Some coffee brands will observe the day by donating portions of sales to charities; others will “raise awareness” about how the coffee industry enriches sellers at the expense of underpaid farmers. Some will give out free coffee. Here’s where to get yours.

Echo Speakers have excellent features that make them great for Alexa-powered smart home setups, but they’re not necessarily known for stellar audio quality, especially Amazon’s more affordable options.Read more...

One of the best parts of macOS, introduced in Mojave, is the operating system’s Dark Mode. It’s a system-wide trigger that gives you a gloomier color theme across your core Mac apps and any third-party apps that support the feature—and I think it’s a lot easier on the eyes, but maybe that’s just me.Read more...

Duck fat and butter are my two favorite fats, so it’s mighty perplexing to me that—until today—I had never combined them into one magnificent spread. You may think I’m being hyperbolic when I call it “magnificent,” but I assure you, all other praise falls short. When you combine duck fat with butter and whip the heck…Read more...

Dealing with automotive fluids might be one of the more miserable the unsung inconveniences of being your own mechanic. And even if you pay somebody to maintain your car, it’s important to know the age and condition of your car’s various bloods.

Every week, we share the shortcuts, workspaces, and productivity tips of our favorite experts. This week, we’re going behind the scenes at Lifehacker. I’m Nick Douglas, and this is how I work.Read more...

We know that kids are over-scheduled and over-worked. We know they have less down time, less time to be bored and less time to play than we did as kids. But what we may not have realized is that all the pressure on students—particularly those in “high-achieving” schools—is causing higher rates of anxiety, depression,…Read more...

Bluetooth technology is a ubiquitous part of our lives, and a crucial tool in the fight against cord clutter. It’s also notoriously finicky. And when your laptop, phone, or other device is hooked up via Bluetooth to a wireless speaker or pair of headphones and the audio playback starts to stutter, it can be nothing…Read more...

There are now even more ways for you to navigate your Xbox One without using a controller. Microsoft announced that it’s launched a skill on Google Assistant that allows you to control basic navigation and system-level commands on the console using the Google Assistant apps on iOS and Android. It sounds like something…Read more...

I’ve always wanted to learn how to code. I’d like to at least learn enough of a programming language to create some basic automations—or figure out some neat ways to control the various LED lighting kits I own.Read more...

If you are signed up with a credit monitoring app, you’re probably familiar with its most common alert: “no major changes to your credit.”Read more...

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Liquid smoke can be used to impart woodsy, charred flavors to cocktails, but it’s a little one-note. Smoky wood is an excellent flavor, but why stop there when you could flavor your cocktail with smoky tea, smoky cinnamon, or smoky star anise?

Routines can be stable and comforting, but they can also turn stale and confining over time. All those inspirational messages telling you to break out of your comfort zone aren’t just trying to sell you bungee cords. Doing something new and potentially frightening helps stave off burnout and is good for your brain.…Read more...

When I saw this post on Reddit the other day, I almost skimmed right past it. It was titled, “Parents: What are your real thoughts about having kids? Would you still have them, after everything you’ve been through?” But I paused. I knew there would be a lot of “Parenting is so hard, but I wouldn’t trade my kids for…Read more...

There’s nothing wrong with an occasional overreaction, but if you’re getting upset, angry, or overly defensive constantly, it’s unpleasant for you and for the people around you. Here’s how to stop.Read more...

Right now, everyone and anyone interested in the state of American politics is diving head-first into a series of hypothetical scenarios. If impeachment proceedings continue as planned by House Democrats, then it would open up an investigation by the House Judiciary Committee, followed by a vote by that committee on…Read more...

Hi friends! It’s “How We Work” week at Lifehacker. I’ve been here long enough that I’ve covered the usual questions several times over. So instead of the usual phone/computer/to-do list hacks, I’ll give you a glimpse of my habits and routines in the area of health and fitness.Read more...

The world is filled with animals of all shapes and sizes, and far too many of these critters are difficult to distinguish from their relatives. If you’re watching a documentary, looking out your window, or taking a hike, you may be confused about what specific creature you’ve just spotted.

In case you’ve missed the news this week—and avoided social media entirely—on Tuesday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced a formal impeachment inquiry into President Trump. This announcement comes in response to Trump’s phone call with Ukraine’s president and a larger complaint from a White House…Read more...

Inflatable camping pillows are great...if you enjoy not sleeping!

In a recent issue of the Recomendo newsletter, Mark Frauenfelder suggested a three-tool kit for cleaning earwax out of the mesh screen of your AirPods. My AirPods were in dire need of a deep clean, and the cleaning method we once recommended on Lifehacker is just gross, so I ran out and bought the wax-loosening tiny…Read more...

With impeachment proceedings against President Donald Trump a virtual certainty, and given the president’s pathetic attempts to deflect what is now a full-blown scandal over pressuring Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to investigate Joe Biden’s son Hunter, let’s take a trip down memory lane to remind ourselves…Read more...

Subscriptions are all the rage, and it’s easy to see why. Everyone loves a “buffet” model for content—see Netflix, et al—where you can just pay a single reasonable monthly fee for unlimited access to a body of stuff you’re interested in, be it documentaries, 90s-era TV shows, or (now) apps.Read more...

If you don’t need to buy groceries or home essentials in bulk, you may have assumed that shopping at a warehouse club like Costco or Sam’s Club is simply not for you. If you’re shopping for a small household or have limited storage space, the cost of a yearly membership may not be worth it.Read more...

If you fry a lot of bologna—and you should—you have probably noticed two things, one being that it smells divine. But the second, less pleasing phenomenon you might have observed is that it has a tendency to balloon up, lifting up and away from the pan.Read more...

I have used the term “special needs” freely and often throughout my life. I have a brother with autism, and the phrase is pretty versatile and, I thought, inoffensive.Read more...

You’re far from home. You passed the last familiar Cumberland Farms a hundred miles back. Where do you go for a reliable cup of coffee?Read more...

Finding any accurate health information online can be a daunting task these days, and when it comes to abortion, there are anti-abortion groups specifically trying to mislead people who just want information on their own pregnancy and options for ending it.Read more...

Amazon announced a bunch of new stuff at a big event in Seattle today. Chief among them are a volley of new features and improved functionalities for Alexa. Some of them are pretty neat. One of them involves Samuel L. Jackson.Read more...