Existence increasingly resembles a subscription model, and the fees keep going up. Rents continue to be way up from just a few years ago, and buying a house now requires some form of supernatural assistance unless there’s a trust fund of some kind in your life. But when times get tough, folks get creative, and an increasing number of people are looking into the RV or Van Life.

While living in an RV full-time can definitely be cheaper than renting an apartment or buying a house, there are still costs involved. First, you have to buy an RV or camper. Then you need to rent space at campsites, which range from free (on federal land, but with zero utilities or amenities) to almost $15,000 a year at commercial campsites.

That’s still cheaper than most rents, but if you’re in a real money crunch you might be able to reduce your housing and utility costs to zero—and maybe make a little money as well. If that sounds pretty good to you, consider looking into camp host positions.

What’s a camp host?

A camp host or park host is the person who manages a campsite at a national or state park or a private campground. When folks arrive in their RVs, the camp host greets them, sets them up at their campsite, and makes sure they’re hooked up to the water, electricity, and other amenities, if any. The host is typically also responsible for a long list of other duties, including:

• Maintenance. The camp host typically does light maintenance work, which usually means cleaning bathrooms and other common areas and doing minor repair work.

• Rule enforcement. Campsites usually have written rules governing what’s allowed, noise levels, and other aspects of camp life. When someone violates those rules or has a complaint, the camp host is expected to deal with the issue.

• Information. The camp host is expected to be knowledgeable about camp life in general and the specific campsite under their care, and to answer campers’ questions. They’re not generally expected to be experts about the park itself, just the campsite.

The camp host lives right there in the campsite. Requirements to be a camp host are generally pretty light: You have to be at least 18 years old, you must own an RV of some sort (the type and size of that RV might limit the campsites you can work at), and pass a basic background check. Beyond that, some outdoor skills and familiarity with RV camping are essential.

Benefits and downsides

If you own an RV and enjoy the nomadic camping lifestyle, a camp host position can be an excellent way to cut back on your expenses because they almost always include free RV parking and hookups at the site. That means you can live rent-free and utility-free for as long as you serve in the role—plus you won’t be paying to gas up your RV on a regular basis.

Most camp host positions are volunteer jobs, meaning that the free rent, hookups, and WiFi are all you get in compensation. But some camp host jobs pay—up to $66,000 a year. Most camp host jobs will pay close to minimum wage, determined either by the state where it’s located or by the current federal minimum wage. You have to commit to a specific term of service, which can vary from just two weeks to a year-round commitment. You can also potentially string together several short-term positions in order to have free rent all year. Even if a camp host job doesn’t pay, it’s still an incredible way to cut expenses and save money.

Of course, there are potential downsides to consider:

• The work can be a bit messy, especially cleaning bathrooms.

• You’re more or less always on duty; if campers have a problem in the middle of the night, you’re the one they’re going to wake up.

• It’s a physical job, and can be a dirty one. You’ll also be expected to work in all kinds of weather.

• Utilities vary by campsite. One big pain point for many people is laundry—some campsites offer laundry facilities as part of the camp host perks, but many do not, so you’ll have to consider how you’re washing your clothes.

If you’ve considered all that and think this might be the perfect way to live cheaply and maybe earn some extra cash as well, how do you get a camp host job?

Finding camp host jobs

Finding a camp host position isn’t that different from finding other types of work. There are several ways to look for these jobs:

• Job boards. Just like any job, you can look for camp hosting positions on sites like Indeed. There are also camper-specific job boards like Kamper Jobs or CoolWorks, and campsite operators like Vista Recreation post hosting jobs needed for their campsites as well.

• Parks. State and National Parks are always looking for volunteer and paid camp hosts. You can find a lot of information by visiting various state park websites, or contacting the National Park Service or Forest Service.

If you’ve decided to pursue a camp host position, there are a few tips to keep in mind:

• Plan ahead. Just because these are volunteer or low-paying positions doesn’t mean you can just stroll in and get one. It can take several months between applying for a camp host job and getting it, so research where you want to live and get started early.

• Be flexible. There are a lot of parks and campsites around the country. If you’re seeking a host job to save some money, be prepared to travel. You might need to line up more than one position if you’re hoping to make this a full-time gig, and moving from one spot to another to keep those free hookups coming can require some logistics.

• Be certain. The RV camping life isn’t for everyone. If you’re new to it and mainly inspired by your anemic bank account, try a trial run as a camp host before you fully commit.

If you already own a camper, hosting offers a potentially cost-free living situation. If you think the camping lifestyle might work for you, it’s definitely worth checking out.

Source: LifeHacker – You Can Become a ‘Camp Host’ and Live at National Parks for Free

I’ve written a lot about different star-gazing opportunities, from meteor showers to interesting planetary alignments, and I usually suggest finding a dark area for best viewing results. But what does “dark” even mean?

The Bortle Scale and the measurement of darkness

The growing prevalence of light pollution caused by our accursed civilization created the need for amateur astronomers to classify which areas in the nighttime sky are dark enough for good stargazing. Enter the “Bortle Scale.” Created in 2000 by astronomer John E. Bortle, the scale breaks darkness into nine levels—from Class 1, the darkest skies, to Class 9, heavily light-polluted urban areas where you’d be lucky to see the North Star. Put simply, for the best stargazing, you want to be in a place with the lowest Bortle number possible. 

Thankfully, there’s technology that can instantly identify the Bortle number of anywhere on earth. If you’re looking for the nearest, darkest spot, you can check out this Light Pollution Map, enter an address or global coordinates, and identify the amount of light pollution anywhere. Don’t be surprised if it’s challenging to find Zone 3 or lower—about 83 percent of the world’s people live under light-polluted skies. Basically, anywhere with even a small city means light pollution.

Recommended products:

• Telescope filter

• Red LED headlamp

• Xasteria: Astronomy Weather app

• PuTian Merino Wool Blanket

• Ghirardelli Chocolate Premium Indulgence Hot Cocoa Mix

Finding the right area to stargaze

A dark night sky isn’t worth anything if you can’t see it, so find somewhere with an unobstructed view of the sky, or at least the part of the sky you want to see. Putting a mountain between you and the city is a great strategy for blocking out light; so is getting to the side of a wilderness area or body of water. Elevation can help too, because you’ll be above the haze, fog, smoke, and smog that can obfuscate your view of the heavens. You don’t necessarily need to travel off themgrid to stargaze, though. There are often spots right off the road—or even big highways—that are suitably dark. It’s not the few small highway lights highway that keep the stars dim; it’s the cumulative effect of all the lights in a city.

Plan around the phase of the moon

A full moon is beautiful, but it will basically blot out dimmer celestial objects; and unlike manmade light pollution, there’s no way you can avoid it except to wait until around a new moon. Clouds will obviously keep you from spotting anything in the sky too, so check the moon phase when you begin planning, and then start checking the weather when you get closer to the days you plan to leave.  

Connect with a local astronomy organization 

Most enthusiasts love to talk shop about their passion, so hook up with a local astronomy club or two to glean their inside knowledge of the best spots nearby to stare at the wonders of the cosmos. They probably have a Facebook page where you can ask questions online, and they probably have regular meet-ups if you’d rather talk to people in person. 

Travel to an even darker place

If you’re planning to travel for longer than one night in search of darker skies, check out the Dark Hotels website. It mashes up the international light pollution map with hotel listings from booking.com and Airbnb’s database. It helps make planning a stargazing trip super easy. 

Visit a Dark Sky park or reserve

If you want to take the guesswork out of stargazing entirely, consider visiting a dark sky park or reserve. These designated nature areas are designed to preserve darkness and provide optimum viewing for planet nerds, and if you visit the website of the International Dark Sky Places program, you’ll find a searchable listing for over 200 spots in 22 countries with “outstanding dark sky conditions and protection practices.”

Book a stay at an astronomy hotel

If you have the cash and like to do your stargazing in style and with as little planning as possible, consider an astro-hotel. Places like the Adero in Scottsdale, AZ provide guests with a dedicated “stargazing lawn” with telescopes and astronomy guides. The Hyatt Maui in Hawaii hosts a nightly “Tour of the Stars” with telescopes on the hotel roof, or you could check out the Northern Lights at the Alaska’s Lodge at Black Rapids. Those are only three of many astro-hotels all over the world.

Make the most of the darkness you have

Maybe you can’t plan a faraway trip to an expensive hotel in an area with a perfect Bortle score, and that’s obviously okay too. Looking up at the sky doesn’t have to be big deal, and the stars are still pretty when you see them from your backyard or fire escape. No matter where you go to stargaze, you can make the most of whatever darkness you have. 

• Set up your telescope one hour before viewing: If you’re using a ‘scope, they say you should give it an hour for the optics adapt to the conditions.

• Bring along a lens filter: If you’re using a telescope or binoculars in an area with light pollution, a filter can cut out a significant amount of glare. 

• Give your eyes a chance to adjust: It takes about a half an hour for your eyes to truly open up to the darkness. Don’t look at your phone or any other source of light during this time, unless your phone is emitting only red light.

• Set your phone to emit only red light: If you’re going to use your phone, you can change the setting to only red light easily (Red light doesn’t kill your night vision like other colors do.) On an iPhone, go to Settings > Accessibility > Display and Text Size > Color Filters. Click “on,” then “Color Tint,” and move both the “intensity” and the “hue” sliders all the way to the right, and, voila, red phone.

• Only use a red flashlight: You can navigate with a red flashlight or headlamp, but it won’t affect your night vision like other colored lights will. It’s also the kind thing to do for anyone else who’s out looking at the stars.

• Keep warm: You can’t go wrong with a wool blanket or two. 

• Bring a friend: Bring a friend and a dog and a mug of hot chocolate. (This might be the most important rule of stargazing).

Source: LifeHacker – Where to Find the Darkest Skies for Stargazing

Living arrangements change, and sometimes we need to prevent someone who has, once had, or may have a key to our home from being able to use it again. In situations like these, we might assume that changing our locks is the only option, but fortunately, that’s not the case. Instead of replacing an entire lock, it’s often possible to get away with simply rekeying it—a process that’s typically cheaper and easier. Here are some examples of when it makes more sense to rekey a lock than replace it.

What’s the difference between rekeying and replacing a lock?

Replacing or changing a lock involves removing the entire existing door lock and hardware and installing a different lock and hardware. It typically costs between $50 and $300, depending on the type of lock, whether you’re installing it yourself or hiring a professional to do it, and the complexity of the labor. Rekeying a lock, on the other hand, is limited to changing the pins inside the lock itself, so its current keys would no longer work, though the lock and hardware remain the same. This can cost as little as $10 or as much as around $160, based on several factors we’ll discuss below.

When does rekeying a lock make more sense than replacing it?

After years of use, some locks wear down, and no longer function properly. In this scenario, replacing it with a new lock is the solution. Similarly, if someone wants to change the look of a door, they may want to remove their current lock and hardware, and install a new set in a different color or finish. But beyond these relatively straightforward examples, homeowners have to decide between rekeying or replacing their lock if they want all current keys to the house to stop working.

Here are a few examples of when it makes more sense to rekey a lock:

• If one of your house keys gets lost or stolen

• If you had a roommate or ex who moved out and you no longer want them to be able to access your home

• If you have multiple exterior doors with different keys from the same brand and you want them to match

• If you purchase a new home and want to put off the expense of changing the locks, but want to make sure any current keys no longer work

Can you rekey your own locks?

Rekeying a lock is typically done in one of three ways:

1. Purchasing a rekeying kit and doing everything yourself

It’s not necessarily a beginner-friendly DIY project, so you’ll need some time and patience, along with a rekeying kit specific to the brand and key type of your current lock (e.g., a specific type of Schlage lock). These kits typically cost $12 to $15, and come with the materials you need to rekey six locks. It’s also possible to get a rekeying kit that can be used on any lock from a particular brand, but those usually go for $70 to $100, and they come with a lot of pieces you won’t end up using.

2. Calling a locksmith to come to your home and rekey your lock

You’ll probably pay between $50 and $160 for the convenience, but there are a few situations where this makes sense—like if security is a concern and you need it done quickly, or if you’re trying to rekey locks that have different manufacturers and you don’t want to buy more than one kit, or you have security concerns.

3. Removing the lock from your door and bringing into a hardware store to have it professionally rekeyed

In most cases, this will work out to be the cheapest and easiest option. Be sure to call ahead to make sure that a particular hardware store offers this service. In the past, I’ve had locks rekeyed at Ace Hardware: It took around 15 minutes, and cost $10 per lock with two keys included.

Source: LifeHacker – Here’s When Rekeying Your Lock Makes More Sense Than Replacing It

Between making our homes more energy efficient, and providing us with a cool breeze, ceiling fans are all the rage here at Lifehacker. We’ve sung the praises of newer bladeless varieties, and why you should reverse their direction during the colder months. Now, we’d like to suggest a relatively inexpensive but game-changing upgrade for your current ceiling fans: installing a remote control.

Some homes have several ceiling fans, so we’ll narrow down our recommendation to ceiling fans in bedrooms, living rooms, and anywhere else you lounge. Who wants the hassle of having to stand up and reach for—then pull down—a chain dangling from above every time they want to adjust the fan or its lights? That’s right: no one.

This is especially true if you wake up in the middle of the night either freezing cold—and need to turn the fan off—or roasting hot, and need to turn it on. All that moving around and stretching to reach the chain will disturb your slumber far more than pressing a few buttons on a remote from the comfort of your bed. If you’re unfamiliar with remote controls for ceiling fans, here’s what to expect in terms of prices, features, and the installation process.

What to consider when buying a ceiling fan remote control

To give you an idea of what’s out there, here are a few examples of highly rated ceiling fan remote controls, and their standout features:

• YukiHalu Universal Ceiling Fan Remote ($15.08): A solid basic option. The receiver is smaller (2x3x1”) than some that come with other remotes, which makes the installation process a bit easier. It also comes with a wall mount for the remote, so you have the option of using it like a switch, and removing it when that’s more convenient. In addition to turning the lights off and on, and controlling the speed of the fan, the remote also has a shut-off timer. A family member has used this remote for four years without problems.

• Humpptom Universal Wifi Ceiling Fan Remote ($30.59): A wifi-enabled remote that can be controlled with your phone, Alexa, Google Assistant, or the Smart Life app. While it doesn’t have a shut-off timer, it does come with a dimming option for compatible light bulbs. 

• Nexete Universal Remote and Wall Switch ($39.97): Comes with both a remote and a wired wall switch, so you can control the fan without having to find the remote. The downside is that the installation process is more complicated. 

Installing a ceiling fan remote control involves basic electrical work, like connecting wires. The overall process is largely the same for most remotes, with slight variations, as noted in the descriptions of the products above.

Source: LifeHacker – You Should Install One of These Remote Controls for Your Older Ceiling Fan

Sweeping the leaves, dirt, and debris off your wood deck can be enough to keep it relatively clean—that is, unless it’s coated in a layer of something slimy. In addition to making your deck slippery, and potentially dangerous, the growth of algae, moss, and/or fungi can do some serious damage. Here’s what to know about why your deck is so slippery, how to get rid of the slime, and why it’s so important.

Why is my deck so slippery?

Regardless of whether they’re covering grass, pavement, or a wood deck, fallen leaves make surfaces slippery when it rains. If they’re left on a deck long enough, they keep the wood perpetually moist, and create the ideal conditions for the growth of algae, fungi, or moss. Not only does a coating of algae, fungi, or moss make the deck quite slick, it may also leave green or black stains on the wood, even after the leaves and other debris have been cleared away.

Is algae bad for a deck?

Moisture is the enemy of wood. Over time, constantly damp wood may warp, swell, crack, and eventually, start to rot. When algae, fungi, and moss grow on damp wood, they tend to spread quickly, and make the moisture problem even worse—and, unlike leaves, can’t be easily swept off a deck. 

Even if, for some reason, you’re not concerned about your slippery deck being a falling hazard, and you don’t mind the green or black stains, you should still get rid of any algae, fungi, or moss covering it—it can harm your wood, and shorten your deck’s lifespan. And while algae and the like will cause more extensive damage to untreated lumber, they can grow on, stain, and harm treated wood as well. 

How do you remove algae from a wood deck?

Whether you’re dealing with algae, fungi, or moss growing on your wood deck, here are a few ways to get rid of it:

DIY bleach solution

Most advice on how to remove algae, fungi, or moss growing on your wood deck begins and ends with bleach. If you want to go straight to the hard stuff, and don’t mind working with bleach—and it running off into whatever surrounds your deck—you can make a DIY cleaning solution by mixing the following items in a large bucket:

• 1 quart of household bleach

• 3 quarts of warm water

• ⅓  cup of ammonia-free powdered laundry detergent OR ammonia-free dish soap

Use the solution and a stiff-bristled brush or broom to scrub the slippery and/or stained parts of your deck, then rinse it off with a hose. Repeat the process on any stubborn spots, if needed.

White vinegar and soap solution

Combine one gallon of warm water, one cup of white distilled vinegar, and a few squirts of Dawn dishwashing liquid (or something similar) in a bucket. Once again, use a stiff-bristled brush or broom—we’re partial to the broom version, to avoid bending down and working on our hands and knees—to scrub the deck, then rinse it with a hose. Repeat if necessary. 

Use a premixed solution

There are also plenty of premixed solutions specifically formulated to remove algae, fungi, and or moss from wood decks, including 30 Seconds Outdoor Cleaner, Concrobium House & Deck Wash, and Mold Armor E-Z Deck, Fence & Patio Wash. Follow the directions on the packaging. 

Pressure washing

Though some experts caution against pressure washing a deck, others point out that it’s possible to do it without damaging the wood. The key is to use a fan attachment, and avoid high-pressure settings. If water alone isn’t cutting it, use your pressure washer to apply one of the solutions above—as long as yours is equipped with a tank or basin that allows you to do so.

Once you’ve removed the algae, fungi, or moss from your deck, do what you can to keep it clean, including sweeping any leaves and other debris off your deck right away.

Source: LifeHacker – Why You Need to Clean Algae From Your Wood Deck (and How to Do It)

Tired: “My favorite Christmas movie is Die Hard.”

Wired: “My favorite Christmas movie is Eyes Wide Shut.”

You could be forgiven for finding the now-annual seasonal discourse vis à vis Die Hard’s status as a holiday movie exhausting. What began as a funny bit of trivia has become an ice cold hot take from the “funniest” guy in the office.—there’s even officially licensed, branded merchandise celebrating the film’s Christmas bona fides! Any discussion on the topic is purely academic at this point, and I think we’re all ready to move on.

The real question is, move on to what? Which only-technically-a-holiday-movie movie will emerge as the choice of “actually…” cineasts the internet over? Forgive me for suggesting that Die Hard could ever get old, but there will surely come a day, when you’ll want watch a different so-called Christmas movie. Tastes and seasonal holiday celebrations may vary, but here are 28 reasonable alternatives.

The Thin Man (1934)

Cloud storage has changed the way we take care of our data. In the past, you needed to backup and transfer files between devices directly, or else you wouldn’t have them in multiple locations. If you took photos on your iPhone or Android, for example, you’d often want to plug it into your computer to make sure those photos were both backed up and easily accessible for sharing with friends, family, and the internet at large.

The problem is, we’ve changed the way we deal with data these days. If you plug your smartphone into your computer expecting to transfer all the photos and videos you see in your photos app of choice, you might be surprised to find that only a fraction of the images actually make their way to your PC. It’s confusing, considering that media is accessible on the phone: Why can it just be a seamless transfer?

Google Photos makes it confusing to know which images are stored on-device

That’s exactly what happened with Reddit user Spax123, who took to the Google Pixel subreddit with the issue. This user was trying to transfer their late wife’s media library from Google Photos on her Pixel to their PC, but only the photos and videos from roughly the last six months would end up on their computer. There was about four and a half years worth of images that were seemingly trapped on her phone, and wouldn’t even appear when he took at a look at her Google Drive account.

This story has a happy ending, though. Redditor degggendorf correctly guessed the rest of the photos and videos in the library were saved to the cloud: Only a recent snapshot of photos were actually saved on the Pixel itself, while the rest were being shown as previews from the cloud. Google doesn’t make it clear that’s what happening here, which easily leads to confusion: If you see all your photos in one place, you naturally assume they’re, well, all in the same place.

How to download Google Photos images from the cloud

The solution? Simply log into Google Photos’ web app. Here, you can access your entire Google Photos library and choose to download any and all of the images here to another location, such as your computer.

If you were only interested in a handful of specific images to transfer, it’s easy to download them on-device. You can choose the image in question, tap the three dots More button, then choose Download. This will pull the image from the cloud and onto your phone, which will then allow it to transfer when you connect your phone to your computer.

Source: LifeHacker – How to Download All Your Media From Google Photos

It’s been nearly a month since I ran the NYC marathon. I knew that after such an emotional experience, the longer I took to lace up my shoes again, the harder it was going to be. I’ve missed writing my weekly posts about all things marathon training, and now that I’m finally back pounding the pavement, I thought I’d sling a running hack your way.

For me, the toughest part about returning to running after taking time off is establishing a new routine. When you’re not following a strict (well, semi-strict) training plan, what do you do? Especially for people who don’t consider themselves to be runners in the first place—what do you do? There are a lot of reasons someone might struggle to get into running, but I find a top culprit to be a lack of planning. You have to strike a balance between ambition and flexibility, and then actually hold yourself accountable to your plan. Let’s take a look at why the secret to becoming a runner is the strength of your routine, and how you can establish a running routine yourself.

How to establish a running routine

Time and time again, my friends will tell me they’ve started to get into running, only to lose interest (or quit) within a few weeks. The figures vary, but one study suggests that it usually takes around two months of doing something to make it a habit—and a lot of us don’t make it that long. Then again, as Lifehacker senior health editor Beth Skwarecki has explained before, a lot of our talk about “habits” is not actually about habit formation, but behavior change. She provides this example: “You might think of ‘go for a run every morning’ as a simple habit. But there are a lot of things that go into becoming the sort of person who actually finds it simple to go for a run every morning.”

Your routine—and how well you stick to it—is what makes the difference between whether or not you incorporate running into your life in the long term. Here are some tips for becoming the sort of person who finds it simple to go on a run every morning.

Set realistic goals

You are more likely to stick with a running habit if you start with small goals. That may mean holding yourself back a bit, both in terms of pace and distance. (This topic means a lot to me; one of my first posts at Lifehacker was all about how you need to run slower to run faster.)

Don’t expect to complete your first marathon next week if you’re just starting. Give yourself progressive mini-goals to reach like running a mile without walking, being able to jog for 30 minutes continuously, or taking 5-10 minutes off your 5K time. This will help track progress and keep you motivated.

Create calendar events for yourself

Actually schedule your runs as you would other important commitments. It’s easy to make excuses if your running is random or sporadic. Ensure it’s in your calendar like clockwork; mornings are great for avoiding fatigue and life getting in the way later.

Build up gradually, and slow down

I believe the reason so many people claim to hate running is because what they’re actually doing is sprinting. This dooms them to tire out sooner than they’d like—convincing them that they can’t run long distances, and confirming their assumption that “running isn’t for them.”

Respect that your cardiovascular fitness and musculoskeletal systems need time to adapt. Start with short runs mixed with walking once or twice a week and increase duration, distance, and frequency by no more than 10% each week to prevent overuse injuries.

Prep your gear

Prepping gear ahead of time such as your running watch, shoes, weather-appropriate apparel, water bottle, and headphones goes a long way versus scrambling or postponing if you can’t find an item. Being ready to go makes sticking to your routine much more seamless.

Skip the numbers (for now)

Runners are obsessed wearables or apps to monitor metrics like distance, pace, heart rate, and splits. I get it—reviewing patterns provides valuable feedback, exposes strengths and weaknesses, and keeps you striving towards new marks like an upcoming 5K PR.

But if your main goal right now is simply to establish a routine, I suggest you ditch the metrics. Your priority right now is consistency. Try intuitive running and taking it slow, and maybe you’ll even start to like running. Personally, I think there’s nothing more promising for your routine than actually enjoying the routine.

Source: LifeHacker – The Secret to Becoming a Runner Is a Good Routine

Many of the most popular productivity methods only really work if you know how much time each task is going to take you: Timeboxing, the Eisenhower matrix, Kanban, the Ivy Lee method, and others expect you to be able to plan for the precise amount of time a given project is going to suck from your day. If you estimate wrong, the whole plan kind of falls apart and you’re left feeling discouraged and, well, unproductive. That’s where time trackers come in to help. Here are some of the best ones you can use when doing daily tasks to figure out how many of your precious waking hours are devoted to all the stuff you have to do. 

If you want to be detailed: Clockify

I’ve recommended Clockify for tracking your New Year’s goals already, but it’s a longtime leader in the field. Lifehacker recommended it for tracking your time as far back as 2009, and it’s only improved since then. On the landing page, you’re greeted with a button that says, “START TRACKING TIME — IT’S FREE!” While Clockify does have a subscription model, if you want to be detailed in your time-tracking, you can just use the free version. It’s famous for being a timesheet app, but it allows you to track the minutes of all your work, producing a summary report for each day. (The reports can also tell you how much money was earned per project, how much money was spent per project, and all kinds of other relevant information.) You can even track time offline and it will appear in your account once you reconnect. 

If you want simplicity: TogglTrack

TogglTrack lets you use all of its premium features for free for a month (and a basic version is always free), and it’s simple to use. Other trackers have a learning curve or a steep price, which you don’t have time for when you’re trying to get things done, so this one is a pleasant surprise. I was able to quickly create a project (“Working on articles”) and then add a task (“Time-tracker article”) and put in an estimate of how long I thought it would take me. I hit a button next to the task and a timer started. Eventually, if I kept at it, my dashboard will fill up with my total hours of work, showing me just how much time I really spent. The free version is geared toward freelancers and works for up to five team members, who can use time tracking, a timeline, auto-tracking, idle detection, a pomodoro timer, and over 100 integrations with other software. For $9 per month, teams get all that plus billable rates, time rounding, time estimates, broken-out tasks, and project templates. An $18/month premium subscription will get you schedule reports, time audits, insights, and project and admin dashboards. 

To go at your own pace: TrackingTime

TrackingTime is nice because it has a few different functionalities. It can track you automatically or give you the option to block out time within the software, letting you see (and edit, of course) what needs to be done and how long you have to do it. It integrates with over 50 apps and other softwares so you can track while you work instead of opening TrackingTime to mark it down, and there’s a mobile app so you can take it on the go. Tracking time is free, but if you want to incorporate things like AutoTrack and desktops apps, it’ll be $8 per month. 

If you really don’t want to put effort into this: Timely

Timely is automated, so if you truly do not want to waste time tracking it, here you go. The software makes what it calls “memories” of everything you do on your computer, like software you use or websites you visit‚ and whenever you want, you can just drag and drop the memories into your pre-defined tasks. You don’t have to put every site you visit into the tasks; it’s all private and what you highlight is up to you—you can always toggle it off when you want to visit a certain site. It’s $11 per month to automate your time tracking, categorize time with an AI feature, and make reports, but $20 if you want to sync other project management tools. Just bear in mind this might not be the best option for you if a lot of your work takes place off the computer. 

If you need help staying on task: RescueTime

RescueTime is a time tracker that not only tracks your work, but kind of forces you to stay on it. This is helpful if you keep getting distracted and can make it easy to see how much time a task takes, instead of how much time a task plus all your forays away from the task take. You download the monitoring app to your computer and it collects data on your usage, but it chimes in if you appear distracted or like you’re doing too many things at once. You can even tell the software how much “Focus Work” (or deep work) you want to get done in a day and, once you toggle on a Focus Session, it will block websites you’ve pre-identified as distracting. There is a free version, but you’ll pay $12 per month if you want to see past data, integrate a calendar, or use Focus Sessions. 

Source: LifeHacker – Five of the Best Programs for Tracking Your Time

Cold weather poses a problem for lithium batteries—they can lose their charge more quickly and also become unable to charge as temperatures drop. This is because the chemical reaction in a lithium ion battery will slow down when the temperature drops below about 40 degrees. If you have battery powered snow-removal tools or if you just have outdoor home projects you need to tackle when it’s cold outside, this can be frustrating. It’s more than frustrating when you take into account that charging batteries outside of the safe charging temperature range can damage them permanently. Here are some steps to take to keep your batteries working, even when the mercury drops.

Store batteries indoors

First, you should store your tool batteries in a climate-controlled environment during the cold winter months. If you have an unheated garage, you should bring batteries and chargers indoors to avoid damage, but also to avoid the step of warming batteries up before charging them. This will help you prevent the most common type of winter battery damage, which is caused by attempting to charge batteries in temperatures below 40 degrees. Also, getting a full charge is the first step to extending battery life later on.

Use the pocket method

When you’re not using tools outdoors, you can use the pocket method to keep them warm. Slipping idle batteries or spares into a coat pocket, or better yet, an inside pocket closer to your body, will help them stay warm and avoid losing charge when they’re not in use. Using your own body heat has the added benefit of being free, but it’s limited by the number of pockets you have for carrying capacity. If you’re using a larger tool that requires multiple batteries, you might need something a little more advanced.

Keep tools running when the batteries are in

When you’re using your tools, keeping them running while they’re in the cold will warm up the batteries a little bit—but the downside is that running the tools all the time also reduces battery life. For a short job, or for snow-removal tools like snow blowers, this might be okay, but for longer-term cold-weather use, you’ll need to take more steps to keep the battery juice flowing.

Use a battery cover

When tools are in use, consider using a battery cover to help keep tool batteries warm. These are usually made from silicone, but you can also fashion one out of neoprene foam or another flexible insulation material. Adding covers to your batteries does make battery changing a clumsy affair, but if the insulation buys you some more battery life, you won’t need to swap them out as often.

Use a cooler

To charge batteries outdoors, or to keep batteries in the temperature range where they will hold a charge, using an insulated lunch bag or a cooler to keep them warm can work wonders. A soft-sided lunch bag can accommodate charged batteries, but you can also run the cord for a charger through the opening, zip it closed around the cord, and use a battery charger inside the bag to avoid damaging the battery during charging. With a hard-sided cooler, you’ll need to cut slots in the lip around the top of the cooler between the sides and the lid to accommodate cords for chargers, but these can be excellent for containing heat during charging.

Use hand warmers

Using hand warmers as a back-up heat source or when the temperature is extremely cold can also help, and can be used in conjunction with both the pocket and the cooler method of battery insulation. There are both disposable and reusable hand warmers, so you can choose whichever one works best for your conditions. While you don’t want your batteries to get too hot (over 100 degrees), some instances call for external heat sources. You can toss a hand warmer into your battery insulation cooler, or you can use one in your pocket if you notice that the batteries are getting chilly.

Source: LifeHacker – How to Keep Your Tool Batteries From Dying in Cold Weather

Most streaming services have raised their prices in the past year—some more confusingly than others. Back in June, Paramount+ merged with Showtime, and, as a result, its pricing increased—but not only for people interested in actually watching Showtime content. Both Paramount+ pricing tiers—ad-free with Showtime and ad-supported without Showtime—are now more expensive, even though only one of these tiers actually offers more content.

The cheapest Paramount+ plan costs more than ever

The most affordable Paramount+ subscription has ads, and does not include Showtime content. It’s called Paramount+ Essential, and it will now cost you $5.99/month, up from $4.99 before the merger. If you prefer paying for a year upfront, then you’ll be shelling out $59.99/year—an increase of $10 to the annual fee. Note that these prices don’t include local taxes, which may or may not apply to you depending on where in the U.S. you live.

This plan does not include a live stream of your local CBS station. You will, however, be able to access NFL on CBS and UEFA Champions League soccer matches through separate live feeds.

Paramount+ With Showtime pricing

For those who want Showtime and an ad-free experience, the Paramount+ with Showtime plan is the one to choose. It costs $11.99/month, or $119.99/year, excluding taxes. This includes all the content available on both these streaming services, now merged into one.

This plan does cost $2 more per month when compared to the old Paramount+ only model, but you do get more content with this increase. If you subscribed for the year prior to the merger, you’ll be grandfathered in until it’s time for your next billing cycle. Once that time comes, however, you will be charged at the new rate.

Source: LifeHacker – Paramount+ With Showtime Is Going to Cost You More

In the decade I spent outside the United States, none of the homes I lived in had hot water instantly available 24 hours a day. The hot water storage tanks were small, and when they were empty, that batch of hot water was gone. To get more, you had to turn on the hot water heater, and wait at least a half hour for enough water to accumulate in the tank to take a decent shower, or do a sink’s worth of dishes.

This took some getting used to initially, but once I got in the habit of only heating the water that I’d use right away, the idea of having a giant tank that not only stores a large amount of hot water, but keeps it heated around the clock sounded a) luxurious, and b) extremely expensive. Now that I’m back in the U.S., I can confirm that I was correct on both counts. Fortunately, there’s a way we can help our hot water heater keep its tank of water at the right temperature without having to use quite so much energy: Wrapping it in a special insulating blanket. Let’s get cozy.

What is a hot water heater blanket?

A hot water heater blanket—also known as a jacket—is exactly what it sounds like: A sheet of insulation made from fiberglass, foam, foil, or a combination of materials that wraps around a hot water heater’s tank to help it maintain its temperature. With less heat escaping from the tank, the hot water heater won’t have to use as much energy to keep the water inside of it hot.

These insulating blankets are especially useful if your hot water heater is located in your basement—as opposed to in a utility closet on or above the ground floor—because it’s probably colder down there, and therefore would need to use more energy to keep the water hot inside the tank.

Recommended products:

• Reflecto-Foil Water Heater Jacket ($38.88)

• Frost King SP57/11C All Season Water Heater Insulation Blanket ($30.47)

• SmartJACKET Water Heater Insulation Blanket ($47.85)

• Reach Barrier 3016 Water Heater Insulation Kit ($33.73)

• US Energy NASATECH Water Heater Insulation Jacket Kit ($44.44)

What is an R-value?

When looking at hot water heater blankets, or even your tank itself, you may come across a rating called an R-value, which is determined by how effective an insulating material is at resisting heat flow. The better the insulation, the higher the R-value.

According to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), your hot water heater tank itself should have an R-value of at least 24. You can usually find the R-value on a sticker on the tank or in the owner’s manual, but if you can’t, carefully touch the outside of the tank: If it’s hot or warm, it likely needs to be insulated—but the DOE recommends insulating it even if it’s not.

Do hot water heater blankets really work?

By the DOE’s calculations, your hot water heater blanket should pay for itself in roughly a year. This is because the agency estimates that insulating your hot water heater’s tank can reduce its standby heat losses by between 25 and 45%, which should translate to a savings of approximately seven to 16% in water-heating costs.

Although most of these blankets indicate that they’re safe to use on the tanks of both electric and gas-powered hot water heaters, according to the DOE’s website, “most experts agree that heat loss in a gas water heater goes up the flue,” so a blanket “accomplishes no purpose for these types of heaters.” That said, others have pointed out that if your gas hot water heater is old, and the tank isn’t well insulated, a blanket should help at least a little—just be sure not to cover the flue, or have any part of the blanket touching the bottom of the heater (or wherever the flame is located).

Lastly, the DOE also recommends checking your local codes and utility company regulations before purchasing or installing an insulation blanket, as they’re prohibited in some areas.

What to consider when buying a hot water heater blanket

The biggest decision you’ll have to make when purchasing a hot water heater blanket is whether or not to get one made from fiberglass. While fiberglass is the thickest and most effective type of insulation for a hot water tank, it’s also messy, shedding little fibers that go everywhere and are dangerous to breathe in (so you need to wear a face mask when working with it). It’s also uncomfortable and itchy to touch.

If you’d prefer avoiding fiberglass, you can get a hot water heater blanket made from a combination of foil, foam, and (special) bubble wrap. It’s not as effective as fiberglass, but it’s easier (and less uncomfortable) to install.

Most hot water heater blankets cost somewhere between $30 and $50 and are easy to install yourself, especially because they typically come pre-cut to fit your tank, often as part of a kit, along with heat-resistant tape, step-by-step instructions, and sometimes even a small knife for trimming any excess insulation. Here are a few of my favorites:

Reflecto-Foil Water Heater Jacket ($38.88): This kit comes with enough material to cover a 40-gallon tank, but a larger kit is also available. In addition to the reflective foil and tape, a small utility knife is also included.

Frost King SP57/11C All Season Water Heater Insulation Blanket ($30.47): This three-inch-thick vinyl-backed fiberglass blanket provides the superior insulation of fiberglass, but with less shedding than other products made from the material. It’s supposed to fit hot water tanks as large as 60 gallons, but in practice, it can be hard getting it to fit tanks that hold more than 50 gallons (unless you want to really stretch it out).

SmartJACKET Water Heater Insulation Blanket ($47.85): Made from 99% aluminum foil, this insulating blanket is designed to fit most 20- to 80-gallon hot water heater tanks. 

Reach Barrier 3016 Water Heater Insulation Kit ($33.73): This kit comes with a pre-cut panel of foil-covered bubble wrap insulation and temperature-resistant tape, making installation quick and easy.

US Energy NASATECH Water Heater Insulation Jacket Kit ($44.44): This non-fiberglass insulation kit comes with 42-square-feet of material, which should fit most 20- to 80-gallon tanks. 

Be sure to take measurements of your hot water heater tank before making a purchase: These blankets aren’t one-size-fits-all.

Source: LifeHacker – You Should Swaddle Your Electric Hot Water Heater in an Insulating Blanket

Walking is one of the more accessible forms of exercise. Not only can you do it without special equipment or memberships, you may even already get your steps in without formally considering it to be a workout. But how fast do you have to walk for it to “count” toward improving your health? New research may have an answer. 

The meta-analysis, published this week in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, compared the risk of type 2 diabetes for people who walked at different speeds. (In many cases, people were asked to report how fast they walked; in others, they wore activity trackers like Fitbits or completed a timed walking test at a clinic visit.) Here’s how they categorized the various walking speeds: 

• Easy or casual walking: less than 2 miles per hour (30:00 per mile)

• Average or normal walking: 2-3 miles per hour (20:00-30:00 per mile). This corresponds to the 3 mph that Google Maps uses to estimate travel time when they give you walking directions.

• Fairly brisk walking: 3-4 miles per hour (15:00-20:00 per mile)

• Brisk/striding walking: 4 miles per hour or faster (15:00 per mile)

Many people find that 4 miles per hour is about the fastest they can walk without breaking into a run. (This will, of course, depend on personal factors like how long your legs are.) 

In this analysis, people who walked at an average or “fairly brisk” pace were less likely to develop type 2 diabetes later. (The average follow-up time period was eight years.) The faster people walked, the better, with brisk/striding walking being associated with a 39% lower risk of type 2 diabetes compared to easy or casual walking.

Based on these results, you’d want to walk faster than 2 miles per hour, if you can. (2.5 miles per hour is the speed that’s usually considered to count as “moderate” intensity exercise.) But the authors note that their results are of “low to moderate certainty, mainly from studies with a high risk of bias,” which means we might need to take them with a grain of salt.

Why does walking speed matter?

This isn’t the first study to compare walking speed to health outcomes. Previous studies have found that people who walk faster are less likely to have strokes, to die of cardiovascular disease, or to develop cognitive decline or dementia. 

But does walking protect you, or is it just a sign that you’re already healthy? Possibly both. 

A group of physical therapists wrote in a 2015 review that “Not only is [walking speed] indicative of an individual’s functional capacity and general health status, the measure has been shown to be predictive of a range of outcomes, including response to rehabilitation, functional dependence, frailty, mobility disability , cognitive decline, falls, institutionalization, hospitalization, cardiovascular-related events and mortality, as well as all-cause mortality.”

In other words, it’s possible that walking speed is just a stand-in for overall health. If you’re too sick to walk very fast, your health may already be declining. But we also know that exercising is good for your health, and that exercising tends to make you better at exercising. 

Walking is cardio, after all, if you walk at an appropriate speed. If you don’t get much exercise, a normal walking speed of 2.5 miles per hour is enough to count as “moderate” exercise (the kind we should all do for at least 150 minutes a week, or about 20-30 minutes per day). Jogging or fast walking can count for some of your “vigorous” exercise minutes, which count double. 

Ultimately, we don’t have a perfect way to measure the amount of exercise necessary for health. Step counting has been a favorite because it’s easy to measure with a pedometer, a smartwatch, or even by keeping your phone in your pocket. Walking speed helps here, too: the faster you walk, the more steps you’ll get in. 

But still: we already know that 10,000 steps is a bullshit goal; the number of steps you need to improve your health ranges from 2,800 to 9.800, depending on which study you’re reading and how they defined their health-related outcomes. Most medical and fitness professionals will tell you that the more you can walk, the better—and that if you currently walk slowly, you’ll likely be able to walk faster as you become fitter. 

Source: LifeHacker – How Fast You Need to Walk to Get Real Health Benefits

Hang around the Internet long enough, and you will see hacks that will supposedly change your life. Everything in your pantry has a secret, awesome off-label use, and every distasteful chore you have on your to-do list can be made easier with some creativity (and perhaps a pool noodle).

But not all hacks are on the same level. There are some truly innovative ideas out there that definitely add value to your everyday routines, but some hacks are really just alternative ways of doing things without much benefit to them—and some actually make things harder.

For example, if you live in an area of the country that experiences significant snowfall every year, you may have glanced at the calendar and realized that winter is coming—and with it, snow to shovel. If you search around for hacks, you may have read that using that wet-dry vac in your garage to suck up the snow will make your life easier. While this will, technically, work, it will most likely not make your life or your snow removal experience easier. In fact, it will make it actively worse.

Using a wet-vac for snow is too slow

Shoveling or even blowing snow off your property and sidewalks can be tedious as it is—if you have a lot of property to clear you’ll spend a few hours out there stamping your feet and cursing the weather. So the idea of magically vacuuming up the white stuff might seem like a brilliancy. Except vacuuming snow will take you much, much longer.

If you have a larger vacuum with a wider attachment, it might go a little faster. But you’ll also be dealing with different types of snow cover—light, fluffy snow might get sucked up more easily, but dense, soggy snow will be a slow, grinding process.

A wet-dry vac full of snow is way too heavy

Let’s say that you have a super-powered shop vac with an enormous attachment that makes short work of even the slushiest snow. Great! If you have an average wet-dry vac with a capacity of about 12 gallons, you’re going to fill that sucker up fast. Even if you have a monster wet-dry vac with a 30-gallon capacity, you won’t get far before you have to stop vacuuming, open up the vac, and dump out the snow.

And a larger capacity also means your wet-dry vac will be heavy. There’s a reason so many people have heart attacks shoveling snow—it’s heavy, heavy stuff. Depending on how dense it is, snow can weigh about 20 pounds per cubic foot, and that 30-gallon vac can hold about four cubic feet of stuff. So at full capacity, you’re hauling 80 pounds of snow, then dumping it out. Repeatedly. Even a 12-gallon wet-dry vac is about 1.5 cubic feet, so you’re lugging 30 pounds of snow around.

A wet-dry vac can’t handle ice

If you walk out of your door to a winter wonderland of dry, fluffy snow, maybe you can get away with vacuuming it up. And if you’re absolutely determined to be cool and avant-garde and use your shop vac, you might chew your way through some dense, wet snow. But your wet-dry vac will do absolutely nothing about snow that has been tramped down by passing pedestrians, or frozen into solid ice by extremely cold temperatures.

Yes, that’s also a problem you face when using a snow blower—but the blower at least has the advantage of being a faster and more efficient tool for the purpose even if you have to go back over your work with a scraper or some kind of ice melt. And if you’re shoveling you can scrape that rock-like ice up as you go.

Put these three factors together and what you get with the wet-dry vac solution is a slow, grueling process that stops feeling like a hack about half an hour in. Will it work? Yes, it will work. Your wet-dry vac will suck up that snow just fine. Is it better than shoveling or blowing that snow (or hiring local urchins to do it for you)? Probably not. So it’s not much of a hack.

We all wish we could find a way to just make snow disappear from our sidewalks, front steps, and yards. Someday science may hear our pleas. But for now, leave the wet-dry vac in your shop and get to shoveling.

Source: LifeHacker – Why Using Your Wet Vac to Clear Snow Is a Bad Idea

Whether you’re working on a formal report or a casual business email, whatever you write is going to be read by someone else—which means it should be grammatically correct. There’s no shame in struggling with grammar when writing; everyone has their skills, and those might not be yours. But we’re lucky enough to live in an age in which our own failings can be accounted for with technology—like these five grammar-checking Chrome extensions that can help keep your writing clear, concise, and easily comprehensible. 

The old reliable: Grammarly

Grammarly is probably the extension you first think of for correcting your writing, and with good reason: It’s been around a while, has a bunch of features, and is available in a free version. Not only does it check spelling and grammar in real time, but it aims to improve your writing all around by addressing your tone and word choice, helping you to create the right vibe and give the impression that youhave a way with words. For $12/month, you can add a vocabulary booster and a plagiarism checker, but even the free features are worth the download. 

The best grammar checker if you want to improve your writing skills: Scribens

A lot of extensions will just fix the “errors” in your writing (a term that should be used lightly, since using a simpler word in place of a more “impressive” one isn’t really an error), which is great in real time, but what about if you want to improve for the future? A key feature of Scribens is that it provides explanations for the issues it detects with your grammar, spelling, style, and punctuation, so you can see why it’s advising making the changes and can reshape your writing going forward. It’s free, but $10.90/month will get you unlimited corrections and a faster processing speed. 

The best grammar checker if you work with different languages: Ginger

What makes Ginger special is its translation feature, which makes it especially helpful if you work in an environment where multiple languages are commonly used. There’s even a text-to-speech feature to help you with pronunciation. Ginger checks grammar and spelling in real time, but also offers wording suggestions based on context clues in your work. There’s a free version, but if you want reports analyzing your errors or unlimited corrections, you’ll pay $13.99/month. 

The best grammar checker if you use a lot of unique words: LanguageTool

Your job or academic major might be one that features a lot of unique jargon that would trip up your average grammar checker (not to mention actual people who aren’t experts in your field). If that’s the case, try LanguageTool, which features a customizable dictionary you can add to so your go-to industry terms don’t keep getting flagged. It supports over 20 languages and covers all the traditional checks on your punctuation, grammar, and style. The basic features are included in the free version, while a more thorough premium version (which promises to catch more errors) starts at $19.90 per month.

The best grammar checker for homework: WhiteSmoke

WhiteSmoke’s focus is more on writing than correspondence, so it’s a solid tool if you do a lot of homework like essays or other long form writing. For $5 per month, you get a grammar checker, plagiarism checker, and translator; $6.66 per month adds integration with Windows and browsers, in addition to one-click proofreading and a computer license. For $11.50 a month, you get all that, plus two more computer licenses and customer support by phone. 

Source: LifeHacker – The Best Chrome Extensions to Check Your Grammar