Lifehacker

Midterm elections are coming up next week. Hopefully, you already know where your polling place is or have cast your early ballot. If you don’t know where it is and need a little help, Hall & Oates is here.

I do not enjoy carving pumpkins. As you can see from the above Jack-o-lantern, my artistic skills are quite limited, and I usually get very bored halfway through. I do, however, enjoy roasting pumpkin seeds, and then eating pumpkin seeds, while everyone else is still carving bulbous squashes. I believe my activity is…Read more...

Most of us feed our cats with bleary eyes at dawn after they’ve scratched a hole through the door, but there is another way. How you feed a cat, it turns out, can change its behavior.Read more...

Tomorrow is the day you shop at the Halloween pop-up store. Grab some wigs for 75% off. Get cheap makeup. But most importantly, buy yourself a New Year’s Eve costume. I don’t mean go to a costume party on New Year’s Eve; I mean go to a regular party in the fantastic outfit you bought for $5 on November 1.Read more...

For a lot of gamers with demanding jobs, marriages and/or families, the excitement of reading good reviews for games like Red Dead Redemption 2 and Assassin’s Creed Odyssey is tempered by the sinking realization that they’ll never have time to play them. How do you make time for a 60+ hour game when you have a busy…Read more...

You know it’s important to vote. We know that you will enthusiastically show up to the polls this year. However, there are voter suppression tactics (and sometimes just clerical errors) that can prevent you from casting your ballot.Read more...

Noise canceling headphones, a Dyson stick vac, and TriggerPoint foam rollers lead off Wednesday’s best deals from around the web.

Gerber’s suspension multi-plier features 12 tools in one package, meaning you’re spending just $2 per function today. The pliers are the main attraction, but inside the handles, you’ll find knives, a wire stripper, screwdrivers, an awl, a nail file, a ruler, and more.

Google’s Halloween-themed doodle went live Tuesday and it just so happens to be a competitive multiplayer game, of all things, called Trick-or-Treat: The Great Ghoul Duel.

Deciding when to have the second (or third) child can often feel more complicated than having the first.Read more...

You don’t need to spend hundreds of dollars to enjoy the benefits of noise canceling headphones: These TaoTronics noise canceling over-ears are down to just $40 today with promo code KINJAV02.

We’ve been through a lot in our October fitness challenge. We committed to doing some deadlifts, we psyched up and stretched out, we experimented with single-leg moves and unusual objects, and we learned how to get plates on and off the bar without a struggle. Now it’s time to settle up: what did you accomplish,…Read more...

There’s a new scam in town to be wary of, according to the FTC: Calls asking for personal information purportedly sent from the Social Security Administration. But it’s not SSA, it’s a scammer.

The Lumberyard performing arts center lives a double life. Between seasons of live theatrical programming, this Hudson Valley venue rents out space for film shoots, weddings, and conferences. Rental profits and performance tickets fund art and community projects. Adrienne Willis runs both sides of this non-profit…Read more...

Adequate Man Help! My Boss Just Followed Me On Twitter | The Slot What Is Going On With This Highly Suspect Scheme Alleging Women Were Paid to Accuse Robert Mueller of Sexual Harassment??? [UPDATED] | Splinter Jonathan Swan Is a Bootlicker | The A.V. Club Lucy Davis on getting sick from Shaun Of The Dead and watching the…Read more...

After the Civil War, the United States’ Constitution gained three amendments: the 13th outlawed involuntary servitude; the 14th granted citizenship to anyone born in the country, including former slaves; and the 15th outlawed racial discrimination in voting rights. Now, President Trump has said he believes he can…Read more...

At Apple’s big October event today, the Mac-maker announced revamped versions of three products, two of which haven’t received this kind of treatment in a long time. Apple has only made the slightest upgrades to the Macbook Air since it was last redesigned in 2013, and there hasn’t been a new Mac Mini since 2014.…Read more...

It may seem like our kids aren’t listening to us, but new research shows that in an emergency, a mom’s voice is more likely to wake children than a standard tone alarm.Read more...

Life’s too short for slow, unreliable, and expensive-to-maintain inkjet printers. Monochrome laser printers are fast, their toner is cheap, and this Canon model’s only $40 after clipping the $30 coupon. We normally recommend Brother printers, but this is an inanely good deal, especially considering it has Wi-Fi built…Read more...

Some of the most exciting new features on Google’s Pixel 3 and 3 XL smartphones are their new camera features, such as Night Sight (more accurate color- and lighting-enhancements for dark photos) and Top Shot, which helps pick the best photo among a burst of shots you’ve taken.

In case you haven’t already heard, midterm elections are next Tuesday, November 6th, and it is absolutely imperative that everyone who is able to vote, votes.Read more...

You’ve done it. You’ve made it through all the Halloween festivities—the school party and parade, the costume going on and off and back on again, the trick-or-treating, the candy-consumption negotiations—without any major mishaps.

Apple just announced a suite of new computers—new iPad Pros, Mac Minis, and a new Macbook Air. (We’re very excited about that last one). All of these shiny chrome devices are coming soon, hitting stores next Wednesday, November 7. Conventional wisdom dictates waiting for reviews before picking up new gear, but maybe…Read more...

In the 80s, a turtle taught kids how to code, with the educational programming language Logo. Now the browser-based music sequencer turtle.audio combines Logo and Mario Paint to let you program synth loops.

The holidays will be here soon, and for some, that means breaking out the “good” dishes. “Good” dishes are different in every household, but one thing is a constant: you do not want to break the “good” dishes, for doing so would cause much yelling and displeasure, and it’s best to limit those things during the…Read more...

A sale on Osprey luggage, an adjustable dumbbell set, and 30% off Coleman best sellers lead off Tuesday’s best deals from around the web.

If you live on the east coast, the west coast, or in any of those big square states, you almost certainly did not see a deadly brown recluse in your basement that one time. If you know somebody who was bitten by one, there’s a good chance they weren’t. Even within the recluse’s territory, chances are still low.Read more...

My favorite Chrome extension for ad-blocking and privacy, Ghostery, has a new version for Safari on macOS: GhosteryLite.Read more...

American travelers headed to London can now jump the customs line at Heathrow and use the electronic passport gates at the border, just like the locals. The gates were previously reserved exclusively for European citizens.

Because why not, Apple has tweaked App Store product pages and made it impossible for you to see an app’s in-app purchases prior to buying it. Why does this matter? Because if you throw down $5 for an app, you’re probably expecting it to have all the features you read about in the app’s description. You might be less…Read more...

If you live along the U.S. Eastern Seaboard, there’s a good chance you’ve noticed a distinct lack of vibrant autumn foliage this year.

The Root Black Navy Sailor Attempting to Help ‘Stranded Motorist’ Shot and Killed | Deadspin Even The Mighty Premier League Must Bow Before The Power Of America’s Stupidest Sport | Splinter Are You Seeing This Shit? | Jezebel Doctor Won’t Face Jail Time For Dyeing Patient’s Vagina Purple as a ‘Joke’ | The A.V. Club …Read more...

Black Friday and Cyber Monday are right around the corner (Nov. 23 and 26, respectively), and that means the holiday “sale” season is upon us. But as the sales comes, so do the annual reports that the goods aren’t actually discounted that much or worth the price, anyway. How do you know when it’s the right time to…Read more...

We’ve never run a vape trick on Lifehacker. Until today. It’s a pretty specific trick: if you’re locked outside a door, but the door has motion sensors on the other side, you can vape through the crack to open that door. Watch the video above to see it work.Read more...

Luckily for me, I don’t find physical activity to be a chore. I genuinely enjoy biking, running and playing soccer, and do all of those things on the regular. But when it comes to stretching—well, I just hate it! My mantra is basically, “I’ll stretch when I’m dead.” The appealing part of playing sports and working out…Read more...

iOS 12.1 is officially available for iPhones and iPads. The next generation of the operating system comes with a number of new features for your iPhones and iPads. Here’s a quick look at what’s worth checking out in the latest update—and how to get it right now.

The A.V. Club Netflix is just going to keep killing its American Vandals | The Grapevine Al Roker Joins a Full-Color Cast in Megyn Kelly’s Today Slot | Splinter Sarah Huckabee Sanders’ First Post-Pittsburgh Briefing Was a Total Nightmare | Deadspin Steph Curry Is Still Unreal | Jezebel All The Criticisms We Have…Read more...

We see a lot of deals around the web over on Kinja Deals, but these were our ten favorites today.Read more...

You can’t jump into the mind of the person sitting across from you in an interview and know exactly what they’re looking for. But there are, fortunately, some basic qualities most hiring managers think are pretty important across the board.

Anne Lamott is a progressive political activist and writer, the bestselling author of such books as Bird by Bird, Traveling Mercies, Operating Instructions, Plan B, and her latest, Almost Everything: Notes on Hope. We’re such fans of Anne Lamott that we’ve decided to devote an entire episode of The Upgrade to her. We…Read more...

Sandbags are easy to make, but hard to get right. Sand even comes in a bag, if you buy it at the store, but drop that on the ground two or three times and the sand and the bag will part ways.

Pipe bombs mailed to leading Democratic political figures. The murder of two black Americans in a grocery store. The largest anti-Semitic attack in U.S. history. All three hate-fueled events happened in the last week, and leave a country grief-stricken and looking for answers and seeking inspiration.

“What is the best money you ever spent under $20?” asks redditor davy_do. There are some funny stories in there, but we’ve collected only the replies that you can apply to your own life.

On Saturday morning, 11 members of the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, PA, were murdered in a mass shooting that the Anti-Defamation League is calling the deadliest attack on the Jewish community in U.S. history. Here are the groups you can donate to who are offering aid to the community.Read more...

Vizio’s 5.1 channel sound bars changed the game by bringing surround sound to people who didn’t want to buy a receiver or run a ton of wires around their living room, and now, you can get your own setup for just $148.

MacOS: I quit a lot of conversational podcasts early. They get boring for a few minutes, I try hunting for the next good bit with 30-second skips, and I give up and delete the episode. But I don’t quit Scriptnotes—because even though the hosts can go off on tangents or discuss insider topics that don’t matter to me, I…Read more...

If you have done any amount of garlic chopping, you have probably noticed a little sprout in the middle of the clove, called the “germ.” Unlike other, pathogenic germs, this one won’t hurt you, but removing it can make your dish taste a little better (sometimes).

You might know Chris Ballew as the frontman of ’90s alt-rock band The Presidents of the United States of America. But if you’re under, say, eight, you’re probably most familiar with him as Caspar Babypants, a “kindie-rock” icon who makes family-friendly music about topics like a bubble that doesn’t follow the crowd, a…Read more...

A Google WiFi system, a Vitamix, and a 170-piece toolset lead off Monday’s best deals from around the web.

When most people choose a wine, they consider price. While it’s easy to gravitate towards the stuff in boxes at the front of the store, there are affordable gems to be found all around the shop. Such was the case with our Lifehacker staff writer, Alicia, whose expertise in personal finance inclines her toward more…Read more...