Life Hacker
This Week's Top Downloads
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.
Why It's Always Worth Asking for a Hotel Upgrade
A lot of people are uncomfortable with haggling, but just one quick question at a hotel's front desk has a great chance of earning you a better room on your next vacation or work trip.
Twipster Strips Twitter's Cluttered Interface Down to the Essentials
Safari/Chrome: If Twitter's web interface is a little too busy for your liking, Twipster converts it into a minimal and responsive list of Tweets, with none of the clutter.
Garden Without The Back Strain with this DIY Seed Gun
Everyone loves a good backyard garden, but hunching over a pile of dirt to plant all of your seeds isn't much fun. If you want to take some of the back bending out of the equation, this PVC seed gun should do the trick.
Cut Lemons Lengthwise to Get More Juice
When you need lemon juice for a recipe, nothing beats fresh-squeezed, but it's always a struggle to coax a lot of juice out of the fruit. As it turns out, the secret is to cut the lemon lengthwise.
Add Custom Backlighting to Your Keyboard
A lot of nice gaming keyboards come with backlit keys, but you don't get any say over the color of the light. Some don't even let you make fine-grained adjustments to brightness. Luckily, it is possible to make some alterations on your own.
Sip Grabs Color Codes From Anywhere, Instantly
OS X: If you see a color on the web or in an app that you particularly like and want to save for later, Sip makes it incredibly fast and easy to store it for later use.
Top 10 Everyday Life Hacks That Take 10 Seconds or Less
Sometimes, you can do something the fast way, or you can do it the right way. Other times, those two things are one and the same. Here are 10 everyday tasks that you can do in 10 seconds or less.
Buy a New Toothbrush Whenever You Buy Toothpaste
Dentists recommend buying a new toothbrush every 3-4 months, but it's hard to remember when it's time to get a new one. One simple way to remember is to just buy a new toothbrush whenever you buy toothpaste.
Find a Quick Exercise Routine You Can Actually Stick to This Weekend
Exercise: most of us hate it and wish we did it more often. The key? Finding a routine that doesn't take too long but also doesn't try to pack two hours of work into four minutes, leaving you feel like you're lucky to be alive. Over the last couple of years, tons of of quick exercise routines you can actually stick to have surfaced. Pick one and get started this weekend.
What's the buttoning protocol for a two-button suit?
Great discussions are par for the course here on Lifehacker. Each day, we highlight a discussion that is particularly helpful or insightful, along with other great discussions and reader questions you may have missed. Check out these discussions and add your own thoughts to make them even more wonderful!
Lifehacker This Chart Helps You Find the Right Career Based on Salary and Growth | Gawker We Are Rai
Lifehacker This Chart Helps You Find the Right Career Based on Salary and Growth | Gawker We Are Raising $200,000 to Buy and Publish the Rob Ford Crack Tape | Gizmodo Warning: Don't Drink and Internet | Jalopnik Lexus LFA Owner Forces Town To Remove Speed Bump Because He Can
"Self-Delusion Is One of the Greatest Inventions in Human History"
At some point you've been told to fake it 'til you make it, and that's because with a little effort you can delude yourself into believing—and then becoming—whatever you hope to be. As A.J. Jacobs, author of Drop Dead Healthy, points out in this quote, we're a lot more flexible and less stubborn than we may think. He explains:
Why the Shower Gets Hot or Cold When You Flush (and How To Prevent It)
A sudden burst of piping hot (or freezing cold) water is a showering human's worst nightmare. But what's the cause? And how can you prevent it? The DIY experts at Stack Exchange provide a few tips.
How To Turn Your Android Phone Into A Gaming Powerhouse
Your Android phone isn't just for widgets, talking, Google Now and photos. It can also be one of the world's best gaming platforms, if you're willing to spend a little time on it.
What's Your Favorite Cheap Home-Cooked Meal?
Cooking at home can save you a lot of money, but you can also rack up a huge grocery bill learning to make certain dishes that don't always turn out better than their cheaper counterparts. What are your favorite inexpensive, home-cooked meals?
Use Caulk to Paint Straight Edges Like a Pro
Getting that precise, straight line on edges of a wall or where the wall meets ceiling is one of the hardest parts of painting. It's even worse if you have textured walls or ceilings. The Make It & Love It blog reveals this "pro painter's secret" to sharp lines perfection.
Office Supplies, Ranked
Every day at Lifehacker, we share with you tips on how you can work or live better using stuff you probably have just lying in front of you. But like our compatriots at Gawker, we've decided to make a definitive list that tells you which of those things is the best.
This Chart Helps You Find the Right Career Based on Salary and Growth
If you haven't settled on a career yet, this interactive chart from Rasmussen College can help you find the best options. It organizes occupations into four quadrants based on salary, expected job growth, and number of opportunities available.
Two Clever Ways to Case a Pillow Faster
Putting on a pillow case isn't all that hard, but it can start to get a little unwieldy if you have a lot of pillows to case and they're kind of big. Use these two tricks to get it right quickly, every time.
