Life Hacks – Spoken Edition

Sometimes the best things in life are right in front of you but go unnoticed. Take, as today’s example, the little hook on airplane seats. During a recent flight, my seat neighbor took off her cardigan and hung it on the hook. My mind was blown and I felt silly for not realizing this hook had a purpose. There I was, sitting on my own cardigan like some kind of caveman. So I copied her and sheepishly admitted to not realizing this was a thing.

How do you know when to plant your tomatoes and other warm-weather crops?For those of us in temperate climates, we do our planting in and around Mother’s Day. But depending on where you are, you could have actually started a few weeks ago—or you might still need to wait a bit. Here’s how to tell. Many flowers and vegetables prefer to be planted after the “danger of frost” has passed.

When you’re traveling through unfamiliar territory, sometimes turn-by-turn navigation just isn’t enough. A new design update on Google Maps is here to help you out. Google quietly rolled out a feature that adds visual cues in the form of Street View images of every road you need to turn on while you’re going from Point A to Point B. The update, currently available for Android app users only, is new to the Google Maps app—but it’s not an entirely new concept.

Daily weblog on software and personal productivity recommends downloads, web sites and shortcuts that help you work smarter and save time. A SpokenEdition transforms written content into human-read audio you can listen to anywhere. It's perfect for times when you can't read - while driving, at the gym, doing chores, etc. Find more at www.spokenedition.com

It looks like the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is about to roll out a laptop ban on flights from Europe to the United States. The ban will be officially announced on Thursday, reports The Daily Beast, citing unnamed European security officials. The Trump administration first placed an electronics ban in March on flights to the U.S. from 10 airports in eight Muslim-majority countries in North Africa and the Middle East. At the time, U.S.

Mondays are long, busy, stressful, and apparently, according to Instacart sales data, not very sexy. Sorry, Monday. Using the Instacart Online Grocery Shopping Data Sheet for 2017, Owen Phillips threw together some amusing graphs regarding user condom purchases. When it’s all said and done, Wednesday actually sees the lowest number of condom sales, with the weekend having the highest.

iPhone: Annotable is one of the best image annotation tools around, especially after Evernote abandoned Skitch a couple of years ago. Now, it’s been updated with a slew of new features, making it much more versatile.

It’s asparagus season, people. While you can find asparagus outside these few months, it won’t be nearly as tasty— after it’s picked, the sugars start to turn to starch, which makes the stalks woody and bland.

If you’ve ever thrown a ball or dart, you may have noticed that the harder you throw it the more often you miss your target. Well, a new study suggests that your accuracy is, in fact, directly affected by your throwing speed and physics is to blame.

If you want to know which airports in the world have the best food, ask someone who’s been to almost all of them. This is the grub chef and travel host Anthony Bourdain can’t wait to get his mitts on when he flies.

You’d probably think someone who talks to themselves out loud is a little “off,” but they might actually be on to something. Talking to yourself is a great way to better understand what you’re learning.

Fascinated by the sound of your own voice? Wish you could hear your significant other whisper “turn left here” into your ear while on the road? Well, now you can with Waze on Android. The newest update to Waze adds in a new Voice Recorder menu in the Waze settings under Sound & Voice. After you turn it on, you’ll need to then record all 39 of the phrases Waze uses, like, “All set, let’s go!,” and “Turn right.

Grilled cheese is already one of the best snacks around but, believe it or not, there’s a way to make it even better: add cheese (and other toppings) to the outside, not just the inside, of the sandwich. Cancel your appointments for the day and make this grilled cheese instead. When I saw Popsugar’s suggestion to add even more cheese on top of your sandwich, I was skeptical.

If you have phone phobia, you’re not alone. (I’m a recovering member of the club myself.) If the situation in this country is making you anxious, calling your reps is both a step toward a solution, and a way to give yourself a small amount of control over something. But you have to be able to actually make the call. Calling isn’t the only way to be heard, but it’s one of the most effective.

Nobody enjoys being with someone who is always passive aggressive. If you’re not sure what that looks like, here’s an excellent, and funny, demonstration. “The key to a great relationship is control...” says the doomed couple in this video from the AwakenWithJP YouTube channel. “Control is the thread that keeps your relationship together, and we found that being passive aggressive is the best way to control your partner.