Pinterest is hands down one of the best websites for sparking creative ideas. Unfortunately, Pinterest also puts up a major roadblock to your research: It constantly asks you to sign in or make an account before you can browse the various pins.

Luckily, there are a few secret ways to get around Pinterest’s incessant nagging to create an account, making it much easier to searching the website without one.

Search using “site:pinterest.com”

Perhaps one of the most useful ways to search any website is to use Google’s built-in site search. To do this, you’ll need to head to the Google search page, then type in the keyword you’re looking for and follow it up with site:pinterest.com.

For example, if you’re looking for inspiration on kitchen remodels, you can head to Google and type in “kitchen designs site:pinterest.com,” and it will pull up a bunch of results from Pinterest with that keyword. The only downside to this method is that Pinterest will still bug you to log in when you’re visiting the site, but you can close out of the window and look at the pin without much interference. Pro tip: This search tip works with any site. Try looking for something on our site using site:lifehacker.com.

Use a third-party browser extension

It seems like there’s an audience out there that want to be able to use Pinterest without having to log in. As such, developers have created browser extensions to help with that task.

While there are no extensions for Chrome in this space, the Mozilla Firefox extension store has one called Pinterest Guest. It removes the popup and makes browsing Pinterest easier without having to log in. To use it, you’ll need to download Pinterest Guest and activate it in the browser. From there, it’s as simple as browsing Pinterest, clicking the pin in the extension bar, and taking advantage of all the Pinterest pins you can find.

Use Pinterest’s explore page

Despite how incessant Pinterest can be about logging in to view pins, you can actually explore Pinterest without an account if you head over to the website’s Explore page.

Typically when you travel to Pinterest, it automatically takes you to the landing page, which asks you to log in. However, if you go to Pinterest and then click the Explore option near the top, it’ll actually take you to the Explore page, where you can search for specific keywords, see what is trending, and even browse the different categories and topics that the website offers.

Source: LifeHacker – How to Search Pinterest Without Being Badgered to Log In

There was a time when writing a check to buy things was so common it was a skill taught in elementary schools. Today, less than 5% of all transactions involve a paper check. We tend to buy everything using credit cards, cash apps, and digital payments, which means the age of writing hilarious jokes on the memo line of a paper check is over, which is sad.

But not all paper checks have gone the way of the dinosaurs. There are still scenarios when you not only can use an old-timey paper check, but you probably should—not a basic personal check, but a cashier’s or certified check. While you probably won’t need one of these checks often in your life, there are some definite scenarios when they are still your best choice.

Cashier’s and certified checks

There are subtle but important distinctions between a cashier’s check and a certified check, though they are typically used in very similar ways:

• A cashier’s check is a check that draws from a bank or credit union’s funds, not your personal funds (like a personal check does). These checks typically have a lot of security features (watermarks, signatures from bank officers) to ward against counterfeiting. You have to give the bank the funds covered by the check, plus any fees—basically, you’re kind of “buying” the check from the bank, and the bank then pays out on the check when it’s presented.

• A certified check, on the other hand, draws on your account, not the bank’s. It’s typically a little less secure and easier to fake than a cashier’s check. The bank certifies that the money is in your account to cover the check. Whereas with a cashier’s check you have to splash out the money immediately, with a certified check the money remains in your account until the check is cashed.

The choice of a certified or cashier’s check comes down to the fees you have to pay and the need for security. But when would you need one of these?

When you need one

In general, a certified or cashier’s check can be used any time cash, credit, or digital payments aren’t possible—or advisable. Examples include when a merchant won’t accept credit cards (typically because of the high fees), or when you’re buying or selling a big-ticket item like a car with someone you don’t know. The classic example is selling a used car to someone: You probably can’t accept a credit card, and if they pay you with a personal check you might deposit it only to have it bounce. In that scenario you’re out a car and the money. A certified or cashier’s check makes that outcome much less likely.

There are other scenarios that call for a cashier’s or certified check: While a money order is usually a cheaper alternative for smaller transactions that fall into this category, getting money orders for amounts over $1,000 is usually a challenge, which leads to purchasing multiple money orders at extra expense. A cashier’s or certified check is a better alternative, especially if your bank will issue one without a fee.

Finally, a cashier’s check or certified check can give you an advantage when buying or making down payments on big-ticket items because it’s like paying cash or being pre-qualified for a mortgage—the seller doesn’t have to worry about processing fees or whether you actually have the money, because using these checks guarantees you have the funds. This can be compelling when you’re offering less than listed price for something like a car, in the same way making a cash offer on a house can give you a discount on the sale price.

Precautions

Just because certified and cashier’s checks are safe and secure ways to spend money doesn’t mean things can’t go wrong. If you plan to use one to buy something, keep the following in mind:

• They’re difficult to replace. If you lose a cashier’s check, your bank will not be amused. They can’t simply cancel it and issue a fresh one like a regular check, and will probably require you to wait 90 days before declaring the check officially lost. The bank may also require what’s known as an indemnity bond, which transfers responsibility for the funds in the check from the bank to you. That means if the first check turns up somewhere and is cashed, you pay it out, not the bank. An indemnity bond can cost you as much as 15% of the value of the check.

• Counterfeiting does happen. The big risk with a cashier’s check is that most people are unfamiliar with them, which makes creating a realistic fake relatively easy. If someone offers a cashier’s check to you, you should contact the issuing institution to ensure its authenticity.

• Delays. Getting cashier’s and certified checks can sometimes be a lengthy process taking several days. If you’re trying to move fast on a transaction, that could be a problem.

• Fees. As mentioned, banks sometimes charge fees for issuing these checks, and may not be willing to do it at all if you don’t have an account with them. Typically these fees are pretty small, about $10-$15, but it’s still extra money you might not want to spend.

Source: LifeHacker – All the Times You Should be Using a Cashier’s Check (but Aren’t)

The latest TikTok “hack” that has made me question reality is the “marinated” Diet Coke trend. (Brace yourself for a lot of quotation marks in this post.) As a food writer I have a genuine interest in what a marinated Diet Coke could be, so I took a little jaunt down the rabbit hole to see what the hype was—and then desperately clawed my way out. While I can appreciate a super cold and fizzy bev, I’m sorry to report that no Diet Cokes have been marinated. 

Describe this process: A canned Diet Coke goes in the refrigerator for three days or up to two weeks. The Diet Coke is then consumed. What would you name this activity? Maybe the word “storage” came to mind. Perhaps you would call that “drinking Diet Coke.” “Chilling” is also a worthy description (for this entire trend in more ways than one). 

This video mentions the Diet Coke “marinating” process, where the TikToker, hauskris, says the canned beverage should sit in the fridge for at least a few days, but implies longer is even better.  The rest of the “recipe” is how she likes to pour the soda, what type of glassware she uses, and adding lime flavors. All of that is really a matter of preference and how flat or bubbly you like your drink. My main concern is the marinating process. She describes the Diet Coke she’s using as “super cold” because of “marinating” it in the fridge. Let’s talk about that.

What is marinating, really?

I was trying to think of another term for this trend— cured, fermented, pickled—but just like “marinate” they all actually mean something real. 

Marinating is a culinary term for soaking meats, fruits, or vegetables in a liquid. This liquid is called a marinade. The marinade is usually composed of an acid, fat, salt, and maybe sugar. The acid is for flavor and to tenderize tough fibers. The salt helps the flavors penetrate the meat. Oil adds richness, hydration, and encourages browning during cooking, and sugar adds flavor and promotes browning as well. The ingredient list hints at the purpose and benefit of marinating food—to add flavor and to tenderize. 

Does this happen in the Diet Coke “hack?” No. You can’t marinate without a marinade. Furthermore, can you even marinate a liquid? This is when the walls of reality begin to bend if you think too hard. Marinating a liquid with a liquid is just mixing liquids. You can’t marinate Diet Coke, but you can marinate with Diet Coke. Regardless, a can of Diet Coke has no opportunity to mingle with anything, or absorb or lose any flavors from anywhere. The purpose of the can, and any packaging, is to prevent that.

But “marinating” is just to make the soda “super cold,” right?

Maybe “marinating” is just a cute way to describe something that sits for a while. Usually foods marinate for hours so the effects of the marinade can take root. This trend mostly focuses on getting a crispy, cold beverage, so the reasoning is that the longer a can sits in the fridge the colder it gets. While there is some truth in there, that’s just not how temperature works. Otherwise, why even have a freezer? 

The soda, and anything you put in the fridge for that matter, will only get as cold as the temperature the refrigerator is set to. Depending on your Diet Coke’s starting temperature, it will only take up to a few hours (not days, and definitely not weeks) for the beverage to reach the same temperature as the fridge. After that happens, nothing will make the soda colder, besides a decrease in the ambient temperature. 

How can you actually make your Diet Coke colder?

When you play with fire, as they say. You want crispy-cold Diet Coke? What are you doing putting it in a fridge set to a feeble 40°F ? According to NBC South Florida, which specifically mentions diet sodas freezing at a slightly higher temp than the regular variety (regular soda freezes at 30°F), Diet Coke will freeze at 32°F. Looks like you have 8 degrees you’ve been missing out on this whole time.

You could put your cans of Coke in the freezer, but you’re risking cans exploding and spewing soda sludge all over the place. It could be a worthy risk, just make sure you set a timer so you don’t forget about it. 

For the truly dedicated, here’s another option: You can reduce your fridge’s temperature to somewhere between 32°F and 39°F. However, that’s just the main section temperature, and if you’re storing food in the fridge, some items could freeze in the far reaches. Instead, if you’re committed enough, you should really buy a second Diet-Coke-only fridge. Set the temperature to 33°F and load it with Diet Coke. Now you’ll have the coldest beverage on TikTok.

Source: LifeHacker – ‘Marinating’ a Diet Coke in the Fridge Is Not a Thing

In case you missed it, governments and law enforcements agencies can spy on your through your push notifications. It’s not great; in fact, it’s more reason than ever to disable your notifications for good. However, the tide is turning ever so slightly: Apple will now require a judge’s approval before handing over your push notification information.

Last week, Senator Ron Wyden sent a letter to the DOJ imploring them to allow Apple and Google to alert their users whenever a government or law enforcement agency requested their push notification data. This letter got the attention of everyone from tech journalists to politicians, as the lede came as a bit of shock. “What do you mean governments can request our push notification information?” The letter didn’t ask the DOJ to shut down this foreign interference: It asked the agency to free up Apple and Google to warn us about it happening in the first place.

The silver lining in the letter is that Apple responded, saying that Wyden’s public request made it possible for the company to speak more on the subject. While we haven’t heard much in the week since, today, that changed.

Your push notification data is safe, until a judge says otherwise

As discovered by Reuters, Apple quietly updated its law enforcement guidelines this week. Now, the company will refuse to hand over your push notification data to anyone who comes looking for it, unless they have a judge’s order to do so. Apple will basically ask governments and law enforcement, “Got a warrant?” As it happens, this is already Google’s policy, so Apple is playing a bit of catch up here.

While it’s still not great that governments and law enforcement agencies can demand this data from Apple and Google, at least now the legal system adds an extra barrier between you and your info. Unless you end up in a situation where a judge agrees that your privacy should be violated, you should be safe from these demands for your push notification data. Of course, I’m not against disabling all but your most essential alerts just in case.

Source: LifeHacker – Apple Now Requires a Court Order to Hand Over Your Push Notification Info