Patrick Allan, Lifehacker

Patrick Allan

Lifehacker

Los Angeles, CA, United States

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Recent:
  • Unknown
Past:
  • Lifehacker
  • Lifehacker India

Past articles by Patrick:

The Benefits and Risks of Lucid Dreaming

The first step for aspiring oneironauts is to let your mind know that your dreams really do matter. → Read More

Poach an Egg Right in Your Instant Ramen

Among the endless ways of making instant ramen better, poaching an egg sits near the top. → Read More

Weed Out Unused Kitchen Tools With the Box Method

This simple process takes the guesswork out of downsizing. → Read More

Why You Need Multiple Savings Accounts

Staying on top of your saving goals is easier when they're separated into different accounts. → Read More

How to Make Your Home Less Welcoming to Spiders

Spiders offer plenty of benefits in terms of pest control, but that doesn’t mean they’re always welcome guests in your home. Here are some easy ways to keep your home from becoming a spider’s paradise—without calling an exterminator. → Read More

How to Make the Perfect Spa-Like Bath at Home, Because You Deserve It

You don’t have to go to an expensive spa to relax and achieve momentary bliss. The same luxurious bath experience can be had in your own home, on your own terms, without spending a fortune or going somewhere public to get it. → Read More

Why Cats Knock Your Stuff Over—and How to Stop Them

Cats love to knock stuff over and push things off tables, which can lead to a lot of broken items. Are they mean-spirited goblins that hate your stuff? Sort of—but not exactly. Here’s the truth about this annoying behavior and how you can prevent it. → Read More

Find the Best Spots for Houseplants In Your Home With the "Shadow Trick"

If you want to brighten up your home with some lush, green plants, it’s important to consider how much light they’ll need. Different plants thrive in different conditions, so you can’t cram everything in front of the same window and hope for the best. Instead, you should judge each plant’s specific needs and find a spot with just enough light to keep them happy. → Read More

The Real History of St. Patrick’s Day

When you think of St. Patrick’s Day, you might think of green beer, shot glass necklaces that say “Kiss Me, I’m Irish,” and everyone suddenly talking about how Irish they are. That’s all well and good, but you might not know much about the holiday’s origins or the saint it celebrates. Well, take off that stupid hat, let’s get educated. → Read More

How to Organize Your Geeky Stuff to Make Your Home Feel More Grown Up

A while back I decided my apartment looked like a teenager lived there—video games were front and center, comic books were lying all over the place, and there were toys strewn about for no reason—so I made my place look a little more sleek, organized, and “grown up.” It can be done, all without sacrificing the things we love. → Read More

The Best Way to Reach Out to Someone You Ghosted

So you ghosted out of someone’s life without warning, and now you want to reconnect. Maybe you were busy or weren’t ready for a relationship, or maybe you were just scared. Whatever it was, you’ve moved past it, and want to reach out to give friendship—or more—another shot. Here’s what you can try. → Read More

How to Opt Out of the Most Popular People Search Sites

People search websites are convenient for finding nearly anyone’s personal information—but not so much if you don’t want your own information, including your addresses (past and present) and the names of your family members and known associates, available for all to see. Many of these services are free or cost very little to use, and they provide a really detailed picture of an individual… → Read More

Remove Odors From Your Entire Home by Simmering Vinegar

No need to cover up a smell when you can neutralize it. We’ve written in the past about how a bowl of vinegar can deodorize a room, but the same advice can be expanded to an entire house with slightly more effort: Simmering that same vinegar on the stove can maximize the reach of its odor-eating power. → Read More

Where to Start When It Feels Like Nothing Is Going Right in Your Life

Having a bad day can happen from time to time, but then there are longer stretches that can turn into weeks or months of feeling unmotivated, lost, or hopeless. Life may keep piling it on, but here are a few starting points for how you can climb out of your hole and get back on track. → Read More

When Can You Refreeze Foods After Thawing?

Freezing food is a great way to keep it fresh when you buy it in bulk, but after something is thawed, it’s not always safe to refreeze. Often the answer to the question, “can I refreeze this?” is “it depends.” → Read More

How to Get Your Neighbor’s Dog to Stop Barking Incessantly

In theory, dogs are great. They’re loyal, loving companions who’ll sit with you after a hard day and tilt their head empathetically when you’re feeling down. But then, there are those dogs that love to hear themselves bark. It’s especially aggravating when your neighbor’s dog likes to bark all night long, or yaps every time you go anywhere near their house. Fortunately, there are some things you… → Read More

What It Feels Like to Die

Even though death is a universal experience, we don’t know a whole lot about what it actually feels like to die. What happens to your body and mind throughout the transition of being alive to being dead? The good news is that there is some research on this and when you learn about what we do know, it makes the whole thing a little less terrifying. → Read More

How to Check If Your Hair Loss Is Within Normal Limits

It can be alarming to look at your comb or the shower drain cover and see a clump of hair. Not only could it clog your pipes, it can cause you to worry that it’s a sign of serious hair loss. But chances are what you’re seeing isn’t anything to be concerned about—and if you want to be sure, there are easy ways to check for abnormal hair loss without visiting a doctor. → Read More

Red Flags to Watch Out for When You Start Dating Someone

The early days of dating someone new can be wonderful. You’re getting to know someone, learning about all of their quirks and figuring each other out. Part of that is recognizing if something about them seems off. If, in the first stage of seeing someone, you see too many of these red flags flying instead of fireworks, you might want to look for love elsewhere. → Read More

See Who's Mooching Off Your Netflix Account by Checking Its Recent Access

Depending on how much you pay for your plan, your Netflix account can only be used by so many people at once. Exes, old roommates, or thoughtless siblings—anyone you’ve unwisely trusted with your password—might be mooching off the account you pay good money for, but it’s not too difficult to find out if they are. → Read More