Giants, according to tradition, were creatures so massive that they caused the Earth to quake when they walked. In the 1940s, archaeologists in Argedava, Romania, oversaw an excavation in search of precious artifacts belonging to Dacian commander Burebista. Ionita Florea, now an elderly man, accompanied the archaeologists.

He was the one who removed a massive skull that was three or four times larger than ours. Romanians discovered massive gold bracelets. When he informed the archaeologists of her finding, he was fired right after, and researchers proceeded to investigate the site. strong>More than 80 enormous skeletons were discovered/strong> by the conclusion of the excavation.

Nobody actually knows where the skeletons are now. In reality, when locals of Scaieni attempted to establish an apple orchard, they uncovered an old cemetery of giants. In 2009, a local television station began investigating the Bucegi Mountains.

Shortly after, the investigation’s lead report received a phone call from an anonymous individual threatening the journalist with dire consequences if they continued, or else something horrible will happen to them. The unidentified man then hung up after saying that they were playing a very hazardous game. Nobody knows what truly happened there or what the investigation’s purpose was since journalists are still refusing to talk about it.

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Tips for the Best Sleep Ever

It’s a fact: getting a solid 7-8 hours of sleep is good for you. We know being better rested not only makes us more mentally clear and physically energized for whatever the next day brings, but what might surprise some is how much our skin, mood, weight, immunity and even memory benefits from catching those all-important ZZZs.

Not all sleep is quality sleep, however. The goal is to reach a deep, deep slumber, otherwise known as REM. There are lots of things we can do to encourage a successful snooze! Below are some of my six best tips for creating an optimal sleep environment:

1. Shut It Down
Turn off any and all screens (tv, laptops and smart phones, too!) at least 45 minutes before bedtime. These activities rev us up, keeping our brains wired when we should be winding down. In addition, the glow of the screen actually delays the release of melatonin, the sleep hormone. Instead, I like to read a book or magazine.

2. Lights Out 
Twinkling stars are dreamy however studies show that light signals our brains to be awake and therefore we get the best sleep in the pitch dark. Black out liners are concealed behind your existing curtains or shades, so you can keep the design you love and get the sleep you need.
3. Shut Eye
If your partner wakes up for water in the middle of the night and turns on the light (don’t you hate that?!) you’ll have nothing to worry about when you’re wearing a soft sleep mask.
4. Sleep Sounds
White noise machines produce low level soothing noises that tune out everything from neighbors bickering to barking dogs. You can always download an app to get those ambient sounds that will help you sleep tight, or try one of these noise machines to get the job done.
5. Rest Your Head
Pillows are sometimes underappreciated and thought of as a one-size-fits-all situation. That is not the case! Take the time to choose what type is right for you. Factor in whether you’re a back, side or stomach sleeper. Decide if you prefer a soft and cloud-like material or something firm and sturdy. The right pillow can make a major difference in your snoozefest.
6. Breathe Deep
Essential oils such as lavender, ylang-ylang, and chamomile promote relaxation. I don’t prefer to light candles when I’m about to go to bed because, hello danger! I do appreciate satchels, mists and diffuser sticks, which also get the scented job done.
Now that you know how important sleep is, what are you going to try first? I’m going to start with a little meditating before bed, reflecting on all the things I’m grateful for during the day and grabbing a good book! The key is creating a routine you can sustain and relaxes you. Hopefully you have the tools to do it now!

10 Tips And Tricks To Learn Any Language

1. KNOW WHY YOU’RE DOING IT

This might sound obvious, but if you don’t have a good reason to learn a language, you are less likely to stay motivated over the long-run. Wanting to impress English-speakers with your French is not a very good reason; wanting to get to know a French person in his or her own language is another matter entirely. No matter your reason, once you’ve decided on a language, it’s crucial to commit:

“OK, I want to learn this and I’m therefore going to do as much as I can in this language, with this language and for this language.”

2. FIND A PARTNER

Matthew learned several languages together with his twin brother Michael (they tackled their first foreign language, Greek, when they were only eight years old!). Matthew and Michael, or the Super Polyglot Bros. as I’d like to now refer to them, gained their superpowers from good-ol’, healthy sibling rivalry:

“We were very motivated, and we still are. We push each other to really go for it. So if he realizes that I’m doing more than he is he’ll get a bit jealous and then try and outdo me (maybe because he’s my twin) – and the other way round.”

Even if you can’t get a sibling to join you on your language adventure, having any kind of partner will push both of you to always try just a little bit harder and stay with it:

“I think it’s a really great way of actually going about it. You have someone with whom you can speak, and that’s the idea behind learning a language.”

3. TALK TO YOURSELF

When you have no one else to speak to, there’s nothing wrong with talking to yourself:

“It might sound really weird, but actually speaking to yourself in a language is a great way to practice if you’re not able to use it all the time.”

This can keep new words and phrases fresh in your mind and build up your confidence for the next time you speak with someone.

4. KEEP IT RELEVANT

If you make conversation a goal from the beginning, you are less likely to get lost in textbooks. Talking to people will keep the learning process relevant to you:

“You’re learning a language to be able to use it. You’re not going to speak it to yourself. The creative side is really being able to put the language that you’re learning into a more useful, general, everyday setting – be that through writing songs, generally wanting to speak to people, or using it when you go abroad. You don’t necessarily have to go abroad; you can go to the Greek restaurant down the road and order in Greek.”

5. HAVE FUN WITH IT

Using your new language in any way is a creative act. The Super Polyglot Bros. practiced their Greek by writing and recording songs. Think of some fun ways to practice your new language: make a radio play with a friend, draw a comic strip, write a poem, or simply talk to whomever you can. If you can’t find a way to have fun with the new language, chances are you aren’t following step four.

6. ACT LIKE A CHILD

This is not to say you should throw a tantrum or get food in your hair when you go out to a restaurant, but try learning the way kids do. The idea that children are inherently better learners than adults is proving to be a myth. New research cannot find a direct link between age and the ability to learn. The key to learning as quickly as a child may be to simply take on certain childlike attitudes: for instance, lack of self-consciousness, a desire to play in the language and willingness to make mistakes.

We learn by making mistakes. As kids, we are expected to make mistakes, but as adults mistakes become taboo. Think how an adult is more likely to say, “I can’t”, rather than, “I haven’t learned that yet” (I can’t swim, I can’t drive, I can’t speak Spanish). To be seen failing (or merely struggling) is a social taboo that doesn’t burden children. When it comes to learning a language, admitting that you don’t know everything (and being okay with that) is the key to growth and freedom. Let go of your grown-up inhibitions!

7. LEAVE YOUR COMFORT ZONE

Willingness to make mistakes means being ready to put yourself in potentially embarrassing situations. This can be scary, but it’s the only way to develop and improve. No matter how much you learn, you won’t ever speak a language without putting yourself out there: talk to strangers in the language, ask for directions, order food, try to tell a joke. The more often you do this, the bigger your comfort zone becomes and the more at ease you can be in new situations:

“At the beginning you’re going to encounter difficulties: maybe the pronunciation, maybe the grammar, the syntax, or you don’t really get the sayings. But I think the most important thing is to always develop this feel. Every native speaker has a feel for his or her own language, and that’s basically what makes a native-speaker – whether you can make the language your own.”

8. LISTEN

You must learn to listen before you can speak. Every language sounds strange the first time you hear it, but the more you expose yourself to it the more familiar it becomes, and the easier it is to speak it properly:

“We’re able to pronounce anything, it’s just we’re not used to doing it. For example the rolled r doesn’t exist in my form of English. When I was learning Spanish there were words with the hard r in them like perro and reunión. For me, the best way to go about mastering that is actually to hear it constantly, to listen to it and to kind of visualize or imagine how that is supposed to be pronounced, because for every sound there is a specific part of the mouth or throat that we use in order to achieve that sound.”

9. WATCH PEOPLE TALK

Different languages make different demands on your tongue, lips and throat. Pronunciation is just as much physical as it is mental:

“One way – it might sound a bit strange – is to really look at someone while they’re saying words that use that sound, and then to try to imitate that sound as much as possible. Believe me, it might be difficult at the beginning, but you will. It’s something that is actually quite easily done; you just need to practice it.”

If you can’t watch and imitate a native-speaker in person, watching foreign-language films and TV is a good substitute.

10. DIVE IN

So you’ve made the pledge. How to proceed? Is there a proper way to go about learning? Matthew recommends the 360° maximalist approach: no matter which learning tools you use, it’s crucial to practice your new language every single day:

“I tend to want to absorb as much as possible right from the start. So if I learn something I really, really go for it and try to use it throughout the day. As the week progresses I try to think in it, try to write in it, try to speak to myself even in that language. For me it’s about actually putting what you’re learning into practice – be that writing an email, speaking to yourself, listening to music, listening to the radio. Surrounding yourself, submerging yourself in the new language culture is extremely important.”

Remember, the best possible outcome of speaking a language is for people to speak back to you. Being able to have a simple conversation is a huge reward in itself. Reaching milestones like that early on will make it easier to stay motivated and keep practicing. And don’t worry, you won’t annoy people by speaking their language poorly. If you preface any interaction with, “I’m learning and I’d like to practice…” most people will be patient, encouraging and happy to oblige. Even though there are approximately a billion non-native English-speakers around the world, most of them would rather speak their own language if given a choice. Taking the initiative to step into someone else’s language world can also put them at ease and promote good feelings all around:

“Sure, you can travel abroad speaking your own language, but you’ll get so much more out of it being able to actually feel at ease in the place you are – being able to communicate, to understand, to interact in every situation you could possibly imagine.”

How to Cut an Onion Without Crying (We Tried Everything!)

Chopping one up is guaranteed to turn on the waterworks—and man does it burn. Tired of turning into a blubbery mess while making stir-fry or soup, I decided to find a way to end the recurring sob fest once and for all. I did some research to learn why onions make everyone so misty-eyed and tried seven relatively simple strategies to stop the weeping. (I skipped ones that seemed completely ridiculous or dangerous, like trying to chop an onion in a bowl of water or holding a match in my mouth.)

Why Onions Make You Cry
In a nutshell, it’s all about the chemicals. Science lesson: Onions contain naturally occurring amino acids called sulfoxides, and when you cut into them, their cell walls become damaged, says the Institute of Food Science and Technology. This causes the sulfoxides to be converted into a super-annoying and irritating gas. The gas wafts from the onion into your eyes, which start to sting and produce tears in an attempt to wash the gas away. If it wasn’t so painful, it would probably be pretty cool.

What Worked, What Didn’t
According to experts at the University of Bristol, the best bet for cutting the tears is to keep the gas away from eyes in the first place. If only it were that easy. Plenty of the tactics I found, recommended on website after website, seemed to involve taking steps to keep the gas at bay. But not all of them worked. And some of them were downright bizarre. Here are the ones that got the job done—and those that were a total waste of time.
Tip 1: Freeze the onion.

Apparently, cold slows the conversion of sulfoxides into those awful eye-stinging gases. So I stuck a peeled onion in the freezer, figuring that peeling it would help the cold better penetrate the deeper layers. Half an hour later, I started slicing. My hands felt like they were on the verge of getting frostbite—but I didn’t cry!
The verdict: It works.

Tip 2: Soak the onion in cold water.

A cold water bath chills the onion, which slows down the production of the gases. But it wasn’t as quite as effective as the freezer method. Plus, I was worried that my knife might slip on the damp onion. So I had to slice slower, which gave the onion some time to warm up.
The verdict: Not the best, but better than nothing.

Tip 3: Use a super sharp knife.

A sharper knife cuts cleaner, theoretically causing less gas-releasing damage to the onion’s cell walls. Since I wasn’t in the market for buying an entirely new slicing device, I figured the next best thing would be to sharpen the knife I already have. It made chopping a little less uncomfortable, but it still wasn’t as helpful as freezing the onion.
The verdict: My half-hearted attempt yielded half-hearted results.

Tip 4: Microwave the onion.

I couldn’t find an official explanation for why nuking a whole onion would make me less weepy. Probably because one doesn’t exist. Microwaving the onion only made it slightly soft and, consequently, harder to slice. (Plus the smell was kind of gross.) Tougher slicing meant more damage to the onion cell walls, which meant the release of more gas. And more tears for me.
The verdict: Total failure.

Tip 5: Keep a piece of bread in your mouth.

This sounds totally ridiculous. And yet, it worked. Likely because the spongy texture of the bread (I held it between my front teeth with my lips slightly open) absorbed some of those noxious gases before they had the chance to float up to my nose and eyes. Plus who doesn’t love a little snack while they cook?
The verdict: It works.

Tip 6: Wear goggles.

If they can keep water from getting into your eyes, surely they can block a little bit of onion gas. Except, I didn’t have any goggles. So I put on a pair of sunglasses instead. Which, aside from making me look ridiculous in the kitchen, didn’t really have much of an effect. Probably because the sunglasses didn’t create a seal around my eyes the way the goggles would. Also, I was still breathing, so the gases could still sneak in through my nose.
The verdict: Didn’t really work, but maybe full-on onion-cutting goggles would have made a difference (but seriously who has those?).

Tip 7: Keep the sliced side on your cutting board.

If the cut-side of the onion is face down, less gas will float up toward your face. But it’s impossible to keep all sides of a cut onion facing your cutting board at the same time. (Doesn’t one side always have to be on the cutting board, unless you’re slicing the onion while holding it in your hand?) This didn’t seem much different from how I normally cut an onion, so it didn’t help me cry any less.
The verdict: Didn’t work and doesn’t even make sense.

How to clean a laptop fan?

Like PCs, laptops use fans to blow air on components that would otherwise overheat. Typically a laptop will have one or two fans cooling the main processor and graphics chip or chipset. Many designs use a so-called heatpipe system to draw heat away from these components, with a single fan cooling a heatsink which is attached to the heat-pipes. The heatsink will have lots of 'fins' to dissipate the heat, and dust can also build up between these fins, reducing cooling power enormously.
What you need to know is that the fans in a laptop are even more critical than in a PC. With everything packed in to make the laptop as slim as possible, there's very little room for airflow. And that means that even small amounts of dirt and dust can hamper a fan's effectiveness.
The first signs of a clogged up fan are random Windows crashes as the system overheats. Or, if the vents are blocked with dust rather than the fan blades, you'll notice the fan running constantly or at a high speed than usual.
You can try various techniques, with the easier methods having a lower success rate.

Method 1:Blow out the dirt
If you're not confident using a screwdriver to dismantle your laptop, grab a can of compressed air or try a camera lens air duster if you have one. Vacuum cleaners are not recommended: they're quite ineffective at removing dust and they can also cause a build-up of static electricity which you don't want around a laptop.
Obviously make sure the latop is powered off before you start. Insert the nozzle of the air duster into the vents (or as close as you can get it) and start blowing the dust out. Try and stop the fan blades turning using a long plastic object - you'll have a hard time removing dirt from a spinning fan.

Method 2: Open up the laptop
For those that are happy to wield a screwdriver, turn off the laptop, flip it over, and remove the battery. If there is one, remove the plastic or metal panel in the base and hopefully it will reveal the fan. Your success here will depend entirely on your laptop model. If you don't see the fan at all, you'll have to go one step further and remove other parts. There are many YouTube videos that show how to take laptops apart: just search for your make and model.

Now it's time to blow out the dust, something you might want to do outside. The best way to do this is with a can of compressed air. If using compressed air, press the button in short bursts from lots of different angles. Don't get too close with the nozzle and stop the blades moving as per method 1. You'd do well to unscrew or otherwise remove the fan at this point and check for any other dirt clogging up the heatsink or air vents.
After you've blown out all the dust, replace the panel and battery and you should find that the fan runs much quieter when you power the laptop on again.

Method 3: Replace the fan
The plastic bearings in laptop fans don't last forever and if your fan is emitting a loud whine (which it didn't when you first got the laptop) it's probably time to replace it. Here, ebay is your friend. It helps if you have a popular make of laptop: we found a lot of Dell, HP, Acer and Asus fans but you'll be able to search for your exact laptop model.

This Is What Will Happen When You Start Drinking Honey Water Every Day

Water is good for you, we all know that. We hear no end that we should be drinking more and more water. After all, water is a vital component for our bodies, let’s not forget that we’re made up of 80% water! Which is actually a very strange thought when you overthink it. Water basically maintains all of our everyday bodily functions from transporting vital nutrients and oxygen to helping with our day-to-day digestion of food. So we’ve successfully established we NEED it.

But fancy making your water even more helpful to your system? Just add honey, yes honey! I know what you’re thinking.

It’s full of sugar.

But it’s so sweet?

How can honey be healthy?

Fear not friends, honey is actually pretty damn good for you. Drinking a glass of warm honey water everyday can increase your health and even prevent against disease. Yep you heard right, THIS is what will happen if you start drinking honey every day…

Your Gas Will Reduce
I know, I said gas *eww*. But seriously, if you suffer from bloat or feel gassy on the regular then a mug of warm honey water will help to neutralise the gas in your system. You’ll feel half a stone lighter in no time.
You Will Boost Your Immune System
Honey owns some pretty impressive immune system boosting properties. Be sure to buy raw, organic honey to gain maximum benefit from the bacteria killing assets! It’s full of enzymes, vitamins and minerals that will protect you against any nasty bacteria.

You Will Flush Out Toxins
Honey and warm water is one of the best combinations to flushing out waste from your system. Say goodbye to toxins and hello to a detox. Oh and a quick tip – adding lemon will improve this even further by helping to increase urination. Just saying.

Your Skin Will Become Clearer
Yep! Honey is a natural anti-oxidant which means it helps to flush away any waste and thanks to antibacterial properties it helps to keep your skin clean and clearer than ever. This infographic gives a pretty good overview as to why and how you can get better skin by using honey, anyone up for a DIY honey exfoliator?

You Will Lose Weight
So your first thought is probably BUT SUGAR. Yes there is sugar in honey but it’s totally different to white sugar, its natural sugar! These natural sugars will help to satisfy your everyday sweet cravings for naughty treats such as cake, sweets, chocolate and cola. In fact if you swap your sweetener packed drinks for honey water you’ll be saving up to 64% more calories!

Your Sore Throat Will Improve
There’s a reason warm honey water is a winter favourite, it can help to soothe a sore throat and warm you up in the colder months. Honey is a natural remedy for respiratory infections and the common cough, so next time you have a pesky winter cold, reach for the honey (raw and organic though of course).

Your Blood Sugar Levels Will Regulate
As we’ve discussed, whilst honey does contain a fair amount of sugar, it’s not the same as white sugar – the combination of fructose and glucose actually helps the body to regulate your blood sugar levels, it’s also said to lower cholesterol too. Not bad.
You’ll Be Preventing Risk Of Heart Disease
And that’s got to be pretty good right? The flavonoids and anti-oxidants in honey are also pretty handy at helping to prevent and reduce your risk of heart disease. Research has shown that honey slowed down the oxidation process of bad cholesterol in human blood – which can have a harmful effect on your heart leading to attacks and even a stroke.

So what are you waiting for? Grab that honey and boil that kettle!

How to save battery on your device?

Smartphone batteries don't last forever, and some devices have an almost-embarrassing screen-on time. Those big, luscious AMOLED and LCD screens and taxing apps are an obvious drain on your battery, but there are lots of things you can do behind-the-scenes to make your Android last longer. Let's explore how to increase battery on your smartphone.

How Android batteries work

First, some background: most smartphones have either a lithium-ion battery or a lithium-polymer battery. Both are actually lithium-ion though, and as such, do not have a 'memory', which means you can charge them from any level – you don't have to fully discharge them before charging them up – and you don't have to charge them all the way to 100 percent.

In fact, these types of batteries suffer from low voltage problems, so it's actually better to partially charge them (say, from 20 percent to 90 percent) than to fully charge and fully drain them. Battery care is always open for debate though, so for every accepted tip there will be someone that says it makes no difference. Just find the ones that work for you and you can increase battery on your Android device.

To our chagrin, most flagship devices released in 2016 don't have removable batteries. This looks like it won't change anytime soon. And despite most of them being close to 3,000 mAh they still need to be optimized, especially for Pokémon Go. Take advantage of some of the tips below and really get the most out of your smartphone.

Black wallpaper can increase battery

If your phone has an AMOLED screen (like most Samsung devices), use a dark-colored background. Black wallpaper can increase battery life because AMOLED screens only illuminate the colored pixels. Black pixels are unlit, so the more black pixels you have, or the more darker pixels, the less power is needed to light them up.

To download a completely black wallpaper, tap the link here. Now, save the picture and go into your Settings. From there tap Wallpaper hit Choose wallpaper and scroll down to Gallery. You should be able to find the black wallpaper you just saved. Hit set to wallpaper and lock screen. Watch the video below to see how this is done.

Doze

With the arrival of Marshmallow came a new feature called Doze, which helps you get more out of your device's battery. Along with Google Now on Tap, Doze is the most notable addition to Marshmallow. It is enabled by default and essentially allows your device to enter hibernation mode when it has been sat unused for a prolonged period of time.

The effect of this is that your phone now sleeps when you sleep, and will lose just 3-5 percent of its battery power during an average night, rather than up to a quarter, as it would have done without Doze. Apps are not obliged to use Doze, and you can view which ones use it and which don't in Settings and edit the list if you want to. In addition, Sony has said it's planning to incorporate its own enhanced stamina mode into Marshmallow for its Xperia range.

Turn off Google hotwords

Stop your phone from always listening. Google's OK Google voice searching is a fantastic and often very functional feature. The problem is that it can wreak havoc with your battery. Especially if you don't actually use it or only use it occasionally.

Go into Google settings from your app drawer and tap Voice heading. On the next page, select OK Google detection. In this menu, the best option for battery life would be to untick all the boxes, but if you are a fan of OK Google, just tick the From the Google app box to ensure your device is only listening when you're in the Google app. Follow along with the video below for the full process.

Don't let your apps fall behind the times

Keep your apps updated. There's a reason developers constantly update apps, and most of the time it's for memory or battery optimization. Keeping your apps updated also means you have the best optimizations available. Likewise, delete old apps you no longer use, because these may be running background processes that chew up RAM and battery life. Once you've ensured your apps are up-to-date you can go through them individually and check if they're optimized for battery life. This can be done quite quickly. Just go into your Settings and tap Battery. From there hit the menu button (three dots at the top right of your screen) and go to Battery optimization. From there you can see which apps are optimized and change them. You can only change the non-essential system apps. Watch the video below to see how this is done.

Don't use adaptive/auto brightness

Don't use display auto-brightness. It may sound useful, but auto-brightness is usually way brighter than you really need. It's better to manually set the brightness to a level that is low but comfortable, and bump it up when necessary. This is one of the best ways to improve your battery life, because the screen is one of the biggest battery suckers.

To ensure your adaptive/auto brightness is off go into the Quick settings in many devices and you should see Auto with a box above and a checkmark in it. Uncheck this box and your auto will be off. With some devices you might need to go into the Settings then tap Display. From there you should see Brightness level and in it you'll find the auto settings.

Turn off vibrate and haptic feedback to save battery

Switch off vibrate. Unless you really need that added awareness, turn off vibration alerts for incoming calls. It actually takes more power to vibrate your phone than it does to ring it. Turn off haptic feedback too (that buzz you get from typing on the keyboard). Sure it feels cool, but it doesn't really add anything to your experience, and it's another battery drainer. Watch the video below to see how you can do this.

Set your 'Do Not Disturb' or 'sleep' schedule 

Set sleep times or blocking mode to switch off Wi-Fi and mobile data when you don't need them. If your phone is basically off limits at work, set your device to not ring, vibrate or connect to the internet while you're at work. Many phones have a Do Not Disturb setting for just this purpose.

Likewise, you can set your phone to airplane mode when you're asleep or use sleep or blocking modes to set up limits for what your phone does during certain times of the day, whether that's while you're asleep, at work or in a meeting. Cool apps such as IFTTT let you create rules that can help you save battery life too.

You don't need to be connected 24/7

Turn off GPS, Bluetooth, NFC, Wi-Fi and mobile data whenever you don't need them. Turning off location data, or changing your location settings to use Wi-Fi or 3G data rather than GPS works perfectly well. This will increase battery on your Android device.

Only turn on Bluetooth and NFC as long as you need them (even though they consume very little power), and there's no need to have both Wi-Fi and mobile data turned on at all times, especially if you know exactly when you'll need one or the other.

If you use Wi-Fi a lot though, say at home and at work, then it makes sense to keep set your Wi-Fi to 'Always on during sleep' as this uses less power than to have your Wi-Fi reconnecting every time you wake your phone. Most of these can be found in your Quick settings.

Don't get bogged down by widgets

Ditch widgets you don't need, especially those connected to the internet, such as weather widgets. If you have multiple widgets across several home screens, which are constantly syncing and updating (Twitter, reddit, weather, Gmail and the like), you're not doing your battery any favors. Just hit the apps when you need them.

If you already have a bunch of useless widgets on your device then you just need to do a couple of things and they'll be gone. Long press on a blank space on your home screen. Now drag the widget you don't need into the trash bin at the top or bottom of your screen (it depends on the brand).

Explore the battery saving features on your phone

All ROMs, whether stock Android, OEM UIs such as TouchWiz, or custom ROMs like CyanogenMod, have various settings in the menu to help conserve or optimize battery consumption.

HTC has Extreme Power Saving Mode, Samsung has Ultra Power Saving Mode, Sony has STAMINA mode and so on. Find these various options for your device and ROM and make them work for you.

Even if your phone doesn't have layers of battery saving features like some (or you simply don't want disable so many features), at least make use of the basic battery saver mode. Even stock Android Lollipop has it by default and Android M has the great Doze feature (as mentioned above) to help reduce battery consumption while your phone is asleep.

Don't fall into the auto-sync trap

Turn off auto-syncing for Google accounts. If you don't need every single Google account updated every 15 minutes, just go into Settings and Google account and turn off auto-sync for those apps you don't need constantly updated.

Some apps – like email – let you manually refresh when you launch them, rather than running multiple auto-refreshes throughout the day when you may not need them to. The same goes for Twitter, Reddit and co. Unless you need constant updates or push notifications (like for Facebook or your calendar) just sync when you actually use the app.

How To Effectively Protect Your Skin During Winter?

The Best Tips : During winter, your skin will get dry, flaky, and chapped. This can make you feel uncomfortable and itchy, but there are many practical ways to protect your skin during winter.

1. Cover your skin, head to toe.

It’s your natural instinct to bundle up, but don’t just pile on the layers. Make sure your skin is completely covered. Wear gloves on your hands‒preferably waterproof, if you live in a snowy climate. Wrap a scarf around your neck and protect any of your chest that isn’t covered by your coat. A hat pulled low will keep your ears warm, as well as protect your hair from wind and cold.

2. Don’t wash your hair every day.

It seems counter-intuitive, but you need to stop washing your hair every day. Shampooing your hair actually strips it of natural oils that keep your scalp healthy and moisturized. If you wash your hair every day, or almost every day, stopping might make your scalp overproduce this oil, so it might feel greasy for a little bit. Soon enough, your scalp will realize that it’s not being stripped of the oil and adapt to being washed every few days.

3. Protect your hair when you do wash.

People think about keeping skin moist in cold weather, but rarely does anyone think about their hair. During the winter, your hair will get dry, which makes it brittle and susceptible to damage. For these few months, change to a shampoo that will provide more moisture than what you usually use, as long as it’s still healthy for your hair. Also look for a shampoo or hot oil treatment that will heal your hair, if it’s already been exposed to the cold and wind.

4. Change you skin care routine to provide more moisture.

The moisture from your skin evaporates quickly in the cold and wind of winter months, and your skin is producing less natural oil as well. Use a thicker, heavier moisturizer than you do in warmer seasons, as long as it is still good for your skin. Any change in your skin care regimen might cause you to break out initially until your skin gets used to it, so be aware that there’s an adjustment period before you give up on a certain product. Make sure you’re applying this new lotion as soon as you get out of the shower to lock in moisture, and wash it off with warm water every night to give your skin a chance to breathe.

5. Use sunscreen.

Sounds silly, doesn’t it? Who applies sunscreen before bundling up in a coat and mittens? You should! Though it may not be warming you up as it does in summer, don’t think the sun isn’t just as dangerous. In fact, the sun glaring off ice and snow might cause even more harm. Apply sunscreen half an hour before you go outside to give it a chance to dry and not stick to your clothes, and reapply frequently if you’ll be in the sun for long.

6. Use hand lotion.

You use your hands for every task, all day, but it’s still so easy to forget that they need the most care. Often, you might not notice your hands need help until they’re chapped and cracked. Use a heavy moisturizing cream in the morning and evening, and apply lotion every time you wash your hands if you feel that soap and water dries them out too much. If you don’t want to get smears on your electronic screens or computer keyboards, make sure you find non-greasy lotion.

7. Prevent chapped lips.

You don’t realize how much you lick your lips until they start getting chapped! Use a moisturizing lip balm throughout the day to prevent this and keep your lips soft. Use it as part of your full body moisturizing routine, but also carry a tube with you to reapply as often as you need. If you’re going out in extreme cold, you can put a layer of Vaseline on top of your lip balm to keep the cold off of your lips even more.

8. Stay warm, not hot.

When you’re cold, you want to be hot‒it’s only natural! Who knew it was bad for you? Going from cold to hot will actually make your skin drier more quickly. If you stay warm, you’ll have a more even temperature, and it’ll be better for your skin. Using a humidifier instead of a space heater will also help infuse moisture into the air. Remember this rule for bathing as well, and use warm water for showers instead of hot. The hot water will cause skin irritation and strip moisture from your hair.

9. Avoid wet clothes.

Wear as many waterproof items of clothing as you can, including gloves, boots, and your coat. Once your clothes get wet, change out of them into something warm and dry. Staying in wet clothes will irritate your skin, and can cause itchiness and sores.

10. Stay hydrated.

You might want to sip hot coffee or cocoa, but it’s important to stay hydrated during colder weather. Avoid alcohol consumption, which dehydrates the body. Make sure you’re drinking your suggested eight glasses of water a day, which will not only help your body stay hydrated, but also your skin. Hydrated skin will be healthier, and combined with this moisturizing routine, your skin will look so great, you won’t even know it’s cold outside!

Top five Clever Car Tricks for Winter

Icy windshields messing with your morning?

Who likes scraping off ice—especially when you're in a hurry? Save yourself the trouble and rub a raw onion half on your windows and windshield the night before a big freeze; this strange little car trick will keep frost from forming on the glass. Another way to avoid ice? Cover your windshield with rubber bath mats.

Wiper blades frozen to your windshield?

Soak a soft cloth with full-strength rubbing alcohol and wipe each blade. The alcohol will keep the blades from sticking to the window so they'll function properly even on the coldest day of the year. 

Car door lock covered in ice?

There are a couple ways to quickly unfreeze your lock so you can get in your car. One trick: heat your car key with a match or lighter, then gently push the heated key into the lock to melt the ice as you apply pressure. Another option is to take a regular drinking straw and blow directly onto the frozen lock. The heat from your breath should melt the ice in no time.

Foggy windshields blocking your view?

Cold months often mean constantly being plagued with fogged up windshields and windows, a dangerous condition if you're on the road. To quickly clear fog without leaving a smudgy mess behind, keep a chalkboard eraser in your car. Alternatively, rolling down the window and letting some fresh air in will quickly defog windows.

Icy side mirrors?

To prevent ice from forming on side mirrors, cover them the night before with plastic bags secured with rubber bands or clothespins. When you remove the bags in the morning, the mirrors will be ice-free.

How to Lose Weight Faster, But Safely

No gimmicks, no lies. Just 14 science-based nutrition strategies to jump-start your slim down.

Making small, specific goals is key to losing weight long-term — but now can you get motivated now? Check out our favorite, no-fail jump-starts to feeling like your old self (i.e. back into your skinny jeans) ASAP!

1. Prioritize real, whole foods.

Make sure that everything you're eating is whole — as in nothing processed or packaged. Since salt is a preservative, these are the foods that are highest in sodium — something to keep in mind when planning your meals. Plan on making sure that all items you choose are fresh: that means filling up on fresh fruits and veggies, whole grains, low-fat dairy and lean protein.

2. Know your limits with salt.

When it comes by buying snacks, a "low sodium" product has to be 140mg or less per serving — so if you're REALLY in a bind, you can follow that guideline for what to put in your card.

3. Go for that cup of joe.

Start your day with a cup of coffee. Caffeine is a natural diuretic and an excellent source of antioxidants, which protect your cells from damage. You can have up to 400mg — about a Venti Starbucks coffee — daily, according to the 2015 Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

Not much of a coffee drinker? Tea is also a natural diuretic, and types of herbal tea such as dandelion or fennel root can also lend a hand. In fact: When a recent study compared the metabolic effect of green tea (in extract) with that of a placebo, researchers found that the green-tea drinkers burned about 70 additional calories in a 24-hour period.

4. ...and skip sugar-y beverages.

Plain and simple: We just don't feel full by liquid calories in quite the same way as we do real food. Drinking a juice or caramel-y coffee drink, for instance, won't make you feel full the way eating a bowl of veggie-and-protein packed stir-fry will. So monitor your intake of juice, soda, sweetened coffee and tea drinks and alcoholic beverages. If you consume one of each of those beverages during the day, you'll have taken in at least 800 extra calories by nighttime — and you'll still be hungry. (Incidentally, alcohol may suppress the metabolism of fat, making it tougher for you to burn those calories.) Some other ways to skip sugar? Check 'em out here.

5. Buy a set of 5-pound weights.

It's a one-time investment you'll never regret. Here's why: Strength training builds lean muscle tissue, which burns more calories — at work or at rest — 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The more lean muscle you have, the faster you'll slim down. How do you start strength training? Try some push-ups or a few squats or lunges. Use your free weights to perform simple biceps curls or triceps pulls right in your home or office. Do these exercises three to four times per week, and you'll soon see a rapid improvement in your physique.

6. Eat spicy foods — seriously!

It can actually help you cut back on calories. That's because the compound capsaicin, a compound found in jalapeno and cayenne peppers, may (slightly) increase your body's release of stress hormones such as adrenaline, which can speed up your metabolism and your ability to burn calories. What's more, eating hot peppers may help slow you down as you eat, since you're less likely to wolfed ow that spicy plate o'spaghetti (and stay more mindful of when you're full). Some great ones (with additional benefits): Ginger, turmeric, black pepper, oregano and jalapenos, all of which are flavor top-trends for 2017!

7. Go to bed.

As funny as it sounds, sleep deprivation may make you fat — and not just because you're susceptible to cases of the late-night munchies (although there's that too). There's tons of research that demonstrates getting less than the desired amount — about 7 hours — of sleep per night can slow down your metabolism. Plus, when you're awake for longer, you're naturally more likely to nosh (you'll physically feel hungrier!) So don't skimp on your ZZZs, and you'll be rewarded with an extra edge when it comes to shedding pounds quickly.

8. Write it down.

Loads of research demonstrates people who log everything they eat — especially those who log while they're eating — are more likely to lose weight and keep it off for the long-haul. Start tracking on an app like MyFitnessPal when the pounds start sneaking up on you. It'll help you stay accountable for what you've eaten. Plus, you can easily identify some other areas of your daily eats that could use a little improvement when it's written out in front of you.

9. Take a hike (or a walk!).

Don't get me wrong — exercising at any time is good for you. But evening activity may be particularly beneficial because many people's metabolism slows down toward the end of the day. Thirty minutes of aerobic activity before dinner increases your metabolic rate and may keep it elevated for another two or three hours, even after you've stopped moving. What that means for you: You're less likely to go back for seconds or thirds. Plus, it'll help you relax post meal so you won't be tempted by stress-induced grazing that can rack up calories, quickly.

10. Resist the urge to skip a meal.

Listen up: Skipping meals will not make you lose weight faster. If a hectic day makes a sit-down meal impossible, stash an energy bar or a piece of fruit in your car or tote; stash snacks in your office desk-drawer and make a point of getting up to grab a nosh — anything that will keep you from going hungry! Going long periods of time without food does double-duty harm on our healthy-eating efforts by both slowing down your metabolism, and priming you for another binge later in the day. (Think: You've skipped breakfast and lunch, so you're ready to takedown a whole turkey by dinner!) Make it your mission to eat three meals and two snacks every day, and don't wait longer than 3 to 4 hours without eating. Set a "snack alarm" on your phone if needed.

11. Eat your h20.

Sure, you certainly need to drink plenty of water to help expedite the process of ridding your body of excess sodium. But that can (and should!) also be consumed in the form of high-water content foods. Reach for cucumbers, tomatoes, watermelon, asparagus, grapes, celery, artichokes, pineapple and cranberries — all of which contain diuretic properties that will also help you stay full due to their higher fiber, high water content.

12. Munch on mineral-rich foods.

Potassium, magnesium and calcium can help to serve as a counter-balance for sodium. Foods that are rich in potassium include leafy greens, most "orange" foods (oranges, sweet potatoes, carrots, melon) bananas, tomatoes, and cruciferous veggies — especially cauliflower. Low-fat dairy, plus nuts and seeds can also help give you a bloat-busting boost, ad have been linked to a whole host of additional health benefits, such as lowering blood pressure, controlling blood sugar, and reducing risk of chronic disease overall.

13. Ignore the gimmicks.

At any given time, there are dozens of weight-loss hypes in the marketplace that claim to have the ability to take off 10 pounds in 10 days, or whatever. Desperation can tempt us to try anything — from "clean eating" to cutting out food groups entirely. Keep in mind: Just because an avocado-walnut-"crunchy"-kale-salad dripping in coconut oil is deemed "clean" by a so-called "expert" on your Instagram feed does not make it an unlimited food. Moral of the story? Avoid fads, eat real food, watch some Netflix and use this winter as a time to relax and unwind (perhaps with a glass of wine in-hand). Now that's my kind of detox.

14. Look for our emblem on food labels.

Ultimately, weight-loss for the long-term requires some short-term behavior change and healthier habit formation. That's why we created our Good Housekeeping Nutritionist Approved Emblem, which exists to help turn smart food choices into healthier eating habits. All GHNA foods and drinks are simple, transparent and make it easier to find — and eat — good-for-you foods without additional time, effort, and cost. We target the lifestyle-related factors that make healthier eating hard, and find simple but creative solutions that actually work! Look for the emblem on labels wherever you shop for food!