Have some extra pool noodles around? This video is chock-full of great pool noodle tricks, including a way to spiral-cut them into padding you can wrap around almost anything.
Spend a lot of time playing indoor games where you’re keeping track of points? It sucks to have to stop the action to draw a line on a chalkboard, which is why Instructables user JeffreyLoucks created his own voice controlled scoreboard system using an Alexa and IFTTT.
Being happy isn’t just something you achieve by ticking off certain boxes (or else we’d all do it). It’s a mental state that you have to practice over time. To get better at it, use the AIM method.
We’ve all seen couples who flood our timelines with photos of themselves on vacation, out to dinner, walking around, at home, doing nothing....you get the drift. A few aren’t an issue, but when it gets obsessive, there may be a psychological reason at play, and this Science of Us video explains why.
Sunscreen is sunscreen, so you’d think the way you apply it doesn’t really matter, but choosing between cream or lotion and a spray-on sunscreen can impact the likelihood you’ll use it, the amount of coverage on your skin, and even the actual protection you get. Let’s find out which might be better for you in this sunscreen showdown.
Samsung’s robotic vacuum, Kindle ebooks, and a Lodge skillet lead off Sunday’s best deals.
Chrome: Go Incognito does one simple, very useful thing: It opens your current tab in Incognito mode, then removes any reference to that tab from your browser history. You know, in case you click a link or open something and you just forgot to do it in Incognito Mode first. It’s happened to all of us.
Every week, we share a number of downloads for all platforms to help you get things done. Here were the top downloads from this week.
If you ever find yourself lost in the wilds of a warmer climate, the strong leaves from a palmetto plant can help you build a shelter.
There are few things that go together better than Minecraft and the Raspberry Pi, and the little microcomputer meant to teach kids coding can do even more with Minecraft. The folks at MagPi, the official magazine of the Raspberry Pi Foundation, have a free PDF that teaches you everything you need to know.
I spent a good portion of this last week hanging out with a baby, and that child loved those little pouches of pureed fruits and vegetables. Always curious, I took a taste of her peach-mango pouch and thought “this wouldn’t be so bad in a cocktail.”
Resistance bands are those big, rubber band-like pieces of workout equipment that most people ignore at the gym. Pity, too, because they’re awesome and are incredibly travel-friendly. This graphic shows you the many strength-building exercises you can do with them, in and out of the gym.
If you want to add a little green to your home—whether it’s green for nature’s sake or green because you like the idea of growing food—you don’t need a lot of space to do it. Here are some suggestions to add a little plant life to your home or office, no matter what size it is.
iOS: As the saying goes, not all who wander are lost, and if you’re journey is more complicated than point A to point B, you can finally add more than one destination in Google Maps for iOS when you’re trying to get directions.
A fantastic DJI Phantom bundle, cooking gloves, and a drop biscuit pan lead off Saturday’s best deals.
You’re on your way to a birthday or holiday celebration when you realize you don’t have a gift. All you have is some cash in your wallet. With this folding trick, that’s all you’ll need.
SwiftKey works by learning words and phrases that you commonly use, and can sync that personalized data to the cloud so that you can access it from multiple devices. A recent bug, though, caused some emails and phone numbers in the predicted text to be sent to the wrong users.
When you’re out catching ‘em all and taking over the gyms in your neighborhood, you need the best tools for the job. This digital toolbox will help you level up faster, defend your gyms longer, and win more battles.
Lollapalooza kicked off last night, but things are getting going in earnest today with the likes of Major Lazer, Miike Snow, and Future hitting the stage tonight. Good news too, you can live stream pretty much everything all weekend long over on Red Bull TV.
We’re all probably a bit ashamed of the amount of produce we allow to spoil in the fridge, but these Rubbermaid FreshWorks containers use a few neat tricks to extend your food’s lifespan, and avoid unnecessary waste.
Windyty is a gorgeous weather map that’s overlaid with current temperature conditions, wind patterns, and can be customized to show as much or as little weather information as you deem necessary. You can add cloud cover, precipitation, and more, and there’s even an Android app to take it all with you on the go.
One of the most frustrating parts of moving into a new home or apartment is the furniture Tetris you have to play in order to squeeze all your big items around tight corners and stairways. Box springs can be particularly pesky, but they’re so simply constructed that you can partially cut them in half.
It’s no secret that Anker makes your favorite charging gear, and their popular and compact PowerPort 2 is on sale for just $8 right now with promo code bigdeal5. Note: Only available on the white model.
The router is a troubled gadget. Despite its importance, a router is often the most boring device you can usher into your home. The Amplifi solves that by being one of the fastest, easiest to use, and most attractive routers available. But you’ll need $150 to invest in this guy.
This week we discussed what happens at Comic-Con and why it’s awesome, matched Pokémon Go with our running routine, learned about alternate investments, compared sous vide cookers, and more. Here’s a look back at this week’s most popular posts as July comes to an end.
Money challenges are a great way to learn about your financial habits and save some cash at the same time. We’ve been throwing out a new money challenge every month, and this month, we asked you to Upgrade and Save. How’d you do?
Hello Hackerspace! I feel like I’ve been so not present lately because I’ve been vacationing hard! Given that I’ve been vacationing, I realized that I should make the weekly theme something vacation related! This week, I declare it to be: How to have a successful car trip! It’s truly an art. I think you should bring some nice easy to eat healthy protein snacks, lots of coffee and plenty of podcasts to keep yourself entertained. Oh and never travel in major cities during rush hour. I’ll be going to New Brunswick, Canada this weekend, so no major cities but still, it’s a long ride without a lot of landmarks. What should I do?
AKG headphones, a 2-in-1 Lodge dutch oven, and the most popular underwear lead off Friday’s best deals.
Over the past two weeks we have, like we do every year, given you a snapshot of the essential apps, extensions, and downloads we think every user of every major platform should try. Miss one? Here they all are, in one tidy package.
iOS/Android: Keeping everyone in the loop on a group trip isn’t easy,but Prava gives you one place to plan your travel, activities, and everything else, and even gives you a place to share photos, events, and ideas while you’re on your trip.
By now you may have grown tired of hearing about zucchini noodles (aka “zoodles”) but I’m here to break up your veggie noodle boredom with eggplant noodles. You don’t even need a spiralizer.
Reward miles are a little misleading. They aren’t always based on how many miles you fly, and the rewards don’t actually equate to miles, either. There are tools to help you compare flight prices in terms of miles, but this rule of thumb works well for estimating.
You’ve probably got a half dozen pairs of earbuds lying around, but if you’re ready to step up to over-ears, Amazon’s selling AKG’s K545 closed back headphones for $100 today, or about $50 less than usual.
Last night was the final day of the Democratic National Convention. Now, the race to the nomination is officially over. The nominees are settled. The race to the White House between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump begins. Here’s everything you need to know.
It’s an annual tradition for parents all across the country. The summer starts to wind down. They get a letter from school about their student’s enrollment. They start seeing hints of “back to school” at the store. Th kids are dressed in clothes that are almost too small and worn from a summer of play.
Hands down, Nespresso is the easiest way to make decent espresso at home, and their Inissia model is on sale on Amazon for just $70, one of the best prices we’ve ever seen.
This summer is blazing hot, which means it’s the best time to hit the beach and party. This playlist will help get you in the mood to have fun while the sun tries to melt your face off.
There comes a time in almost every mature, adult relationship when you think about marriage. You look at your significant other and imagine the future. Maybe it’s the way the sun made their eyes sparkle in that moment, their shameless guffaw at the latest straight-to-Netflix Adam Sandler “comedy,” or maybe they have selflessly dedicated days of their lives to nursing you back from your latest bout of flu, you gigantic baby. This is the person you want to spend every day with from now on, until there are no days left for you.
There are all kinds of trainers, videos, and products that say they can get you a flat stomach in no time, but there are no shortcuts to six pack city. It takes a lot of work, discipline, and time.
Finally, now is the winter of our stickerless discontent. Twitter announced a new feature that lets you put stickers on images over a month ago, but it’s just now been made available to all users. Heck yeah, it’s sticker time.
Pickled onions are a great condiment for sandwiches, salads, and anything else that needs a tangy, flavorful topper. Here’s an incredibly easy way to whip up a batch in only 15 minutes.
If you, uh, have a tendency to use filler words like “um” or “like” when you talk, it’s not the end of the world. Turns out they can actually be a good thing—as long as you use them right.
The further you get in your career, the harder it is to pinpoint—and then do something about—your personal and professional shortcomings. Why is that? How do you figure out your weak spots and then address them?
Chrome: The Speedtest web site has long been the go-to method of quickly testing your download speeds, but if you find yourself doing it a lot, you might want a more accessible solution. The Speedtest Chrome extension does just that.
It’s too hot to even leave the house for ice cream, but it’s easy to make it yourself with this Cuisinart soft serve machine. The ICE-45 even includes three mix-in dispensers that automatically add sprinkles, chocolate chips, or other small extras to your treat. The sweetest part? $71 is the best price Amazon’s listed in 2016.
Part of traveling is eating out, enjoying the city, and experiencing local cuisine—but eating out every night may not be in the budget, so you’ll need some supplies for your hotel room or Airbnb. That’s where TimeResQ comes in. They’ll bring you groceries, toiletries, or other supplies.
This week was a landmark one for owners of the nearly 500,000 Volkswagen 2.0-liter diesel cars affected by the Dieselgate emissions fiasco, as U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer granted preliminary approval of VW’s settlement with regulators over the emissions-cheating vehicles. With that complete, VW has now rolled out a website for TDI owners to start filing their claims.
Windows: Built-in desktop widgets left Windows with the end of the sidebar, but they’ve always been available with third party apps like the always-incredible Rainmeter. Win10 Widgets is a Rainmeter package that brings a lot of those informative widgets back to Windows in a way that looks natural in Windows 10.
Poached chicken is usually the star of the chicken salad, but Lucky Peach has a recipe that uses cold, leftover fried chicken to make a super simple, tasty salad. (Extra credit if that chicken is KFC; all that MSG means umami-packed goodness.)
I would vote for the candidate that promised to put a 5-port USB charger on every desk and nightstand in the country, but until that comes to pass, we’ll have to buy our own. Anker’s 40W model is down to $24 today with code ANKERPU7, and even includes five microUSB cables to add to your collection.