Setting Up Your Home Office

Google’s Gemini AI seems to be everywhere these days. It’s in your Gmail, it’s on your phone, and soon, it’ll be in your browser. While Google’s AI browser integration was already live for Google AI Pro and AI Ultra subscribers, it's now rolling out to everyone—and getting a bunch of new features, too. If you’re suddenly seeing a new Gemini button in the top right of your Chrome browser (in the same pane as your tabs), then you’ve already been hit with the update. If not, you may need to use the three-dots button in the top right corner and select Gemini in Chrome to turn it on, assuming you want to. How to use Gemini in ChromeWhen you click the Gemini button, or summon i…

In 2023, Apple introduced the Double Tap feature for Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2. This allows a user to perform common actions, like answering or starting a song, simply by quickly tapping their thumb and index finger together twice. It was an intuitive way to confirm when you wanted to do something on your watch without tapping a tiny touchscreen button, but what if you wanted to dismiss something? Now, with the release of watchOS 26, Wrist Flick is here to solve that problem. Also available on Apple Watch Series 9 (and higher) as well as Apple Watch Ultra 2 (and higher), Wrist Flick is kind of like Double Tap’s evil twin. If you get a notification you don’t like, o…

As Google prepares Android 16 for launch, users are discovering interesting new features in its various betas. The latest one, discovered by Android Authority, allows you to unlock your Google Pixel phone even when its screen is turned off. This is possible on Pixel phones that have an in-display fingerprint sensor and are running Android 16 beta 3. How to unlock your Pixel phone with the screen offHere's how the new feature works. First, get an eligible Pixel phone and then update it to Android 16 beta 3 (I'll go over how in a little bit). Next, go to Settings > Security & privacy > Device unlock > Face & Fingerprint Unlock > Fingerprint Unlock, and e…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Most seeds are grown in seed trays or blocks, but at some point, these seedlings will outgrow their cell or block and require more soil for their roots to grow. In some cases, the weather aligns and you can transplant your seedlings from the tray directly to the garden. But in most cases, your seedlings will need more time inside, protected, before the weather is warm enough, and that means you’ll need to take your seedlings out of the tray and give them a larger container where they can chill out and grow some more before going into the ground. This process is called "up-potting," and while the process itself is simple, t…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Once mold starts taking over your bathroom, it’s not easy to get rid of. If the growth is alarming, paying to have it cleaned can cost hundreds of dollars, but it’s often worth it because getting rid of mold can be challenging (and exhausting). Your best move is to prevent mold from taking root in the first place, which usually involves reducing dampness and being vigilant with cleaning. A better approach might be to design a mold-free bathroom from the get-go. If you’re considering renovating your bathroom, you can choose materials and make design decisions that will make it a lot harder for mold to take up residence. Go …

If you're wondering what your computer's BIOS or UEFI is, and whether or not you need to update it, you've come to the right place. I'll explain what these terms mean, what these pieces of software do, and why it might (or might not) be a good idea to install updates for them. What does BIOS and UEFI mean?The BIOS (Basic Input/Output System) or UEFI (Unified Extensible Firmware Interface) is something every computer has, though unless you're running an ancient computer, you'll have a UEFI installed rather than a BIOS. And we're dealing specifically with Windows computers here: Macs take their own custom approach to this, as Apple is in control of the operating system and …

We're in the final days of Microsoft's free software updates for Windows 10, and a lot of people with perfectly good computers still cannot upgrade to Windows 11. When Microsoft released the latest version of Windows, it put some stringent minimum system requirements in place, the toughest of which was TPM 2.0. This small "Trusted Platform Module" chip (whether virtual or physical) aids with encryption and other security related tasks, but plenty of people have PCs with older TPMs or good gaming machines that lack TPM entirely. Officially, Windows 11 is out of their reach. However, if that sounds like you, there's an easy way to bypass TPM checks and install Windows 11 on…

There are now useful language translation features everywhere you look, whether they're built into your web browser or available through your AI assistant of choice. If you own a recent Google Pixel phone (the Pixel 6 or later), you've also got access to a suite of features known as Live Translate, which work across calls, texts, and media. This functionality works separately from Google Translate, and is actually built right into Android on Pixel devices. It means you can understand conversations you're having or videos you're watching in a foreign language without any additional apps, and it's straightforward to set up and use. Live Translate works quickly, too, leverag…

As you get stronger, you become able to lift heavier and heavier weights. That's the idea at the heart of an often-misunderstood fitness concept: progressive overload. Unfortuantely, there are a lot of myths and misunderstandings about this principle, so here's how to use it to plan your own workouts or judge whether a program you're following will keep you on track. What is progressive overload? Progressive overload is the increase, over time, in the amount of work or stress you ask your body to handle. The term is used two different ways: as a principle of how the human body works, and as a description of how a workout program changes over time. If you want to know how…

As someone who's read and written a lot about various approaches to increasing productivity, I can say with certainty that the majority of the methods out there are primarily focused on how to structure your tasks over the course of a single day. Techniques and plans that call for prioritizing your to-dos, for instance, generally expect you to prioritize your to-dos for that day. The best scheduling advice also typically revolves around how you designate and take on chunks of time throughout a single day. But sometimes—or often—you work on things that span a longer period of time, so you need productivity tips that are more expansive too. And while too much pre-planning …

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Almost everything we do digitally leaves a trace of some kind, and while it can be useful to look back on this past activity—when trying to remember where that great coffee shop you stumbled across is, perhaps—this continual logging and tracking doesn't really align with best privacy and security practices. Meet Tails (The Amnesic Incognito Live System), a Linux distro based on Debian that maximizes user security and privacy. It can run from a USB drive, which means you're able to plug it into any laptop or desktop with a free port (Mac or PC) and take it away again when you're done, with nothing left behind on the compute…

When you're selling your home, many factors can influence whether it sits on the market for weeks or gets multiple offers right away. Everything from its location to its condition can affect the speed of the sale and the final price, and you don’t always have control over all of them. One thing you can control—at least to a degree—is the your home's lighting. “In my experience, buyers aren't just buying square footage; they're buying a feeling,” says Jonathan Ayala, a real estate agent at Hudson Condos in New Jersey. “And lighting is a subtle but powerful way to exert that influence. It's the difference between a buyer perceiving ‘this space needs work’ and ‘I can see mys…

Starting with the Galaxy S24 series, Samsung has started a big push for Galaxy AI on its devices, adding features like Live Translate and Note Assist to all of its most recent mobile releases. A majority of the time, these AI-powered features are processed in the cloud in order to work more efficiently. However, there is a way for privacy-conscious users that want to try out Galaxy AI's features but don't want their data sent to Samsung's cloud servers to do just that. Here's how to enable on-device processing for Samsung's Galaxy AI features. Why enable on-device processing for Galaxy AI?The biggest reason to enable on-device processing for Galaxy AI is privacy. By hav…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Runners often swear by the 80/20 rule for organizing their training—but there's no relation to the Pareto principle of the same name. Let’s talk about where the 80/20 idea comes from, how to implement it, and when it is and isn’t a good idea to train this way. What is the 80/20 rule for running? Briefly, it’s the idea that 80% of your running should be low intensity, and only 20% at medium or high intensity. Recreational runners (like you and me) often run closer to a 50/50 split. The 80/20 rule suggests that we should take some of those faster runs and slow them the heck down to reach a better training balance. The 80/2…

Did you know you can customize Google to filter out garbage? Take these steps for better search results, including adding Lifehacker as a preferred source for tech news. Of all the study tips out there, from those that enhance reading comprehension to those that improve retention, the one I use the most is association, which has its own entry in the APA Dictionary of Psychology: It's "a connection or relationship between two items (e.g., ideas, events, feelings) with the result that experiencing the first item activates a representation of the second. Associations are fundamental to learning theory and behaviorism." Essentially, it's any connection you can form between tw…

Discord's overlay is one of its most useful features, and earlier this year, it got a huge revamp. Now, you can respond to notifications, watch your friends' streams, and have video chats all without leaving your game. All the new functionality comes with a couple new quirks, so let's break down how it all works. If you're not familiar, the Discord overlay is a part of the desktop application that can draw on top of the games you play. Its most common use is to see who's on and speaking in the team chat, by showing small profile icons in the top left of your screen. Due to the change in how the overlay works, you might've noticed this disappear, or be replaced by a new pr…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Did you know you can customize Google to filter out garbage? Take these steps for better search results, including adding Lifehacker as a preferred source for tech news. You may have heard of the Pomodoro technique before—perhaps even here at Lifehacker—and might already be aware it’s a solid productivity hack. But applied in another way, i can actually be more than that: This technique is also an excellent study tool that can help you maximize your focus and retention. It's time-tested, variable, and available to you whether you want to do it the old-fashioned way or call in the help of an app. What is the Pomodoro techn…

Sometimes, the best way to solve a problem is sitting right in front of you. If your problem is that you need a webcam, you can try using your Android phone for the job instead of buying a dedicated device. This is especially useful if you have a spare Android phone lying around and you need it for video calls on your PC or Mac. You can also use your primary Android phone as a webcam, but its utility will be limited since you'll have to keep unplugging it, remembering to put it into do not disturb, or turning on airplane mode to ensure that your video call isn't interrupted. Here are all the ways you can use your Android phone as a webcam. Use the webcam mode on your Andr…

Access to a high-quality webcam isn't always guaranteed: While decent options are now built into most laptops, they're not all of an acceptable standard. Maybe you've got a monitor without a webcam attached; maybe you want a different angle—there are numerous reasons why you might need another webcam. If you've got an iPhone, you've actually got a webcam, too. The process for setting up your iPhone as a webcam has gotten easier down the years, especially on macOS, though you can also use it as a connected camera on a Windows PC with a little more effort. Use your iPhone as a webcam on macOSMacs, iPhones, and other Apple gadgets all work fairly seamlessly together in a var…

The internet is changing rapidly, and the (rather large) chunk of it devoted to adult entertainment is no exception. Porn sites in an increasing number of U.S. states must now verify that their users are adults by requiring them to submit a government-issued ID or some other suitable method of proving their identity. Understandably, this is not necessarily something everyone wants to do every time they visit an adult site. In response, Pornhub, as well as other sites under its parent company Aylo, have gone dark in a lot of these states in protest. As such, many users across these states are now searching for the best VPNs (virtual private networks) to install on their de…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. As YouTube TV and Disney continue their feud over rising channel rates, it's customers that are losing out. One of my coworkers found this out last night when her family couldn't (easily) watch their home team, the Philadelphia Eagles, play—and that was with an NFL Sunday Ticket package added on to their YouTube TV plan. The ESPN/ABC blackout is hitting YouTube TV's sports fans hard, and with Google already issuing compensation to customers, it seems like there's no end on the horizon. Luckily, YouTube isn't the only game in town for watching NFL football. There are a number of alternative solutions you can try while you …

Saving your passwords in your browser—like Chrome or Firefox—provides an easy way to access logins when you need them on websites, and having a safe place to keep strong, unique passwords is better than, well, not. However, browser password managers aren't necessarily the most secure nor the most convenient for filling password or payment fields in apps, nor do they come with features included with third-party password management tools, like encrypted storage or dark web monitoring. If you're transitioning away from your browser's password manager or simply want to remove credentials you no longer use, here's how to delete saved passwords in the most popular browsers. Ho…

Push-ups are a classic exercise to build strength even when you don't have gym equipment available, but not everybody can bang out rep after rep—sometimes you have to work on other exercises to build the strength to start doing push-ups. This is what I'll guide you through today. And if you remember those knee pushups from gym class—well, those are okay, but they aren't your best option. To do knee push-ups, you place your knees on the ground (or on a cushion, if that's more comfortable) and otherwise do the standard push-up motion. Knee push-ups are better than nothing, but they have a few downsides compared to other types of push-ups. The main one is that they are a lo…

The internet is many things, but for many of us, it is far from private. By choosing to engage with the digital world, you often must give up your anonymity: trackers watch your every move as your surf the web and scroll on social media sites, and they use that information to build profiles of who (and where) you are and deliver you more "relevant" ads. It doesn't have to be this way. There are a number of tactics that can help keep your browsing private. You can use a VPN to make it look like your internet activity is coming from somewhere else; if you use Safari, you can take advantage of Private Relay to hide your IP address from websites you visit; or, you can connect…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Ankle weights seem to have tunneled through a wormhole from the 1980s to the present moment, appearing in countless TikToks and Instagram posts. Do they really help tone your legs? Are they worth buying at all? The promises are overrated, but in some cases ankle weights do actually work. Here’s what you need to know. Where ankle weights work bestAnkle weights’ best use is to add a little bit of resistance to exercises where you are moving your legs against gravity. For example, side-lying leg raises become substantially more work for your muscles with even a pound or two of weight on the ankle that you’re raising in the a…