RIP AIM: Lifehacker Readers' Favorite Memories of AOL Instant Messenger

Drove the other students that used the lab to goof off insane. You made serious missteps with screen names: I had several embarrassing stories. I had moved to California from Texas when I was 14. I had created the screen name TtoThaX. I had gotten sick of that particular reaction so much that I was in desperate need of change. I do miss the individuality that we could show with a screen name....

December 15, 2017 · 2 min · 386 words · Martha Williams

How to Host a Sleepover

When youre a kid, theres no party like a slumber party. Staying up late, learning how to burp the alphabet, eating candy until you pukewhats not to love? When youre a parent, hosting a sleepover is an exercise in taking the good with the bad. Its far cheaper than renting a bouncy house, but what you save in money you spend in energy. The people who actually plan to, you know,sleep....

December 14, 2017 · 3 min · 450 words · Mr. Robert Nguyen

The Best Denver, CO Hacks From Our Readers

Take your time and drink water. Altitude flatulence is real so beware. Evans for hiking/climbing, and Summit County for skiing/snowboarding. Be mindful that Summit County is totes legit and your kit must be on fleek. Jimon finding good food neighborhoods: Get to the Mexican and Asian sections of town for authentic restaurants. If you cant read any signs, the food is going to be awesome. RADams5000on the weather: The weather is horrible here....

December 14, 2017 · 2 min · 354 words · Mr. Jonathan Fields

The Best Savings Tips and Advice From Our Readers

More than half of Americans haveless than $1,000in their savings account. But we can do better than that. Well, Ive been saying that to myself for 4 years. I could saved a good amount in those four years if I lived in the sense of reality. Dont ever take a stab at Keep Up with the Jones! AndSkipErnstadds: Saving is hard until you build the habit, but it is also immensely rewarding....

December 14, 2017 · 2 min · 328 words · Edward Parsons MD

Toronto’s Camouflaged Electric Substations

Some appear like grand Georgian mansions or late-Victorian buildings, while others look like humble suburban homes. Even the most sharp-eyed resident couldnt tell these faux homes apart. Some are not even aware they are living next door to a transformer. This is not a house. Photo credit: City of Toronto Archives Toronto was first electrified in the late 1880s. At that time a number of small private companies were supplying electrical demands....

December 14, 2017 · 1 min · 206 words · Michael Black

I'm Brian Fox, Author of the Bash Shell, and This Is How I Work

Brian Fox is a titan of open source software. We talked to him about his career and how he works. I first recall being interested in technology at the age of 6. It connected to BBN via a modem. The baud rate was probably around 110bpsquite low. I used to hold down the CTRL key while pressing G, which would cause the bell to ring. At age 8 I was a guinea pig in a Wally Feurzeig experiment involving his new Logo language....

December 13, 2017 · 3 min · 528 words · Cameron Dickson

Cultybraggan: Britain’s Last POW Camp

These huts became common in POW camps across Britain and were supposed to be temporary structures. Non-Nazis were graded White, dubious cases were Grey, and hardened Nazis were Black. Cultybraggan was a Black camp, officially designated Camp 21. As expected, Cultybraggan was full of troublesome prisoners. When the plan was discovered, the ringleaders of the Devizes plot were sent to Camp 21. Within a week, Rosterg was lynched and hanged by a mob of enraged POWs....

December 12, 2017 · 1 min · 118 words · Devin Burns

How to Reclaim Your Digital Privacy From Online Tracking

Nowadays it doesnt involve more than a bit of code and a few mouse clicks. you might think of cookies a bit like an event wristband. While cookies have gotten a notorious reputation over the years, they can actually be quite helpful. Some cookies also allow you to remain logged into a site until you deliberately bail out. you might think of cookies a bit like an event wristband. Where things get a bit tricky are with third-party cookies....

December 12, 2017 · 2 min · 371 words · Stacy Lyons

The Best Advice for Saving as Much as You Can

Theres one question I hear as a personal finance writer more than any other. But thats also really, really hard to do. Thats because understanding personal finance is an uphill battle for many Americans. While wages have hardly budged in decades, shareholders and CEOs have never been richer. So what can the average person actually do? Youre going to have a few setbacks, and thats ok. Knowledge is power. Especially automate your retirement savings....

December 12, 2017 · 3 min · 539 words · Robert Strong

What's Better: Apple Pay Cash vs. Google Wallet vs. Venmo

Beyond that, heres a comparison of the most popular payment platforms. Pros: Easy to use if everyone has an iPhone. More private than Venmo (you may not consider this a plus, but I do). Requires you to set up two-factor authentication on your iCloud account. There are no fees to send, request, or receive money. Cons: Both the sender and the recipient need an iPhone/iPad/Apple Watch and iOS11.2/watchOS 4.2 installed....

December 12, 2017 · 2 min · 408 words · Krystal Hughes

How to Ditch Apple Completely

Apple keeps giving us reasons to say goodbye. Swap Your iPhone for an Android gear Ok, lets start with a big one. All you oughta do is backup your iPhone with iTunes and switch off iMessage. Then plug your new Android phone into the same computer and Samsung will handle the rest. So dont give away your old phone yet. Switch From Your Mac to a Windows Computer Next up is your gear....

December 11, 2017 · 3 min · 528 words · Rachel Hicks

Decorating Fences With Trash, The New Zealander Way

New Zealanders have a unique way of discarding their trashthey hang them on fences. Perhaps, the most famous of them is theCardrona Bra Fencein Central Otago. As news about the fence spread, even more bras started appearing. The Cardrona Bra Fence in 2016. They began to attack the fence and the bras were stripped off on numerous occasions. But each time, the bras returned. The roadside fence is decorated with hundreds of toothbrushes of vivid colors....

December 9, 2017 · 2 min · 285 words · Alexander Huber

How to Get a Colleague to Answer Your Work Email

You might think that sending work emails isthe worst. Its the second-worst.The worstis waiting for people to reply to your work emails. And some people just never reply, no matter how much you follow up. Alex wont answer my emails asking about getting the integration set up. Im beyond frustrated at this point, because this isnt this first time Alex has done this. The less analysis Alex needs to do, the more likely they are to take action....

December 8, 2017 · 2 min · 333 words · Lauren Marshall