View Full Version : Clever little ideas
Welcome to the "Clever little ideas" thread. :smile:
This is one of the most collectively intelligent groups I have the pleasure of knowing. I'm sure that there are several clever methods you have for doing tasks, handling equipment, aplliances, cooking, cleaning, computers, etc., in your daily lives. How about sharing some of them?
I'll start.
When I have a greasy job to do, such as changing the oil in a car, I take some liquid soap and rub it into my hands until it is dry. Then when I finish the job, washing the liquid soap off your hands carries away most of the oil and dirt with minor trouble and much less scrubbing.
The hose that supplied washer fluid to my rear window developed a hole. When I tried to wash the rear window, the washer fluid squirted onto the car sitting behind me at the intersection.
My clever idea: I didn't fix the hole. Instant defense against tailgaters. They follow too close, I'd have my Cherokee pee on them.
Edit: Obviously, I'm hedging my bets. If I don't win 'most intelligent', at least I still have a chance at 'laziest'.
Zenparticle
Apr19-07, 11:43 AM
The hose that supplied washer fluid to my rear window developed a hole. When I tried to wash the rear window, the washer fluid squirted onto the car sitting behind me at the intersection.
My clever idea: I didn't fix the hole. Instant defense against tailgaters. They follow too close, I'd have my Cherokee pee on them.
.
Hehe I like that! And if you really wanted too, you could subsitute the fluids with acetone-but that's kinda cruel..(doh and flammable)
Here's mine- when I cut onions I do so with the onion submerged in water-no more tears!
My wife and I keep spray bottles around filled with 50:50 rubbing alcohol and water. It's a great cleaner (especially windows, mirrors, counter-tops) and it's really cheap.
brewnog
Apr19-07, 12:08 PM
Make your own fossils by putting fish bones in a bucket of cement.
Then leave them out in the garden as a fun weekend activity for children.
For removing cat hair from clothes, duct tape wrapped inside-out around a beer can works great.
I have no idea if this next one works or not; I've never tried it. Someone told me decades ago that if you need to cut glass without a proper tool you can lay a string soaked in lighter fluid down on it in the pattern you want and light it. A mild tap then supposedly breaks it along the burn line.
Someone told me decades ago that if you need to cut glass without a proper tool you can lay a string soaked in lighter fluid down on it in the pattern you want and light it. A mild tap then supposedly breaks it along the burn line.
Or ask the fire department to bring a mower with them when they come to put out the flames. :rofl:
(Sorry Danger, couldn't resist.)
Jeez, I read that as saying "grass!" :rofl: :yuck: :rofl: Darn, where's the moron smiley?
Ivan Seeking
Apr19-07, 02:53 PM
When I have a greasy job to do, such as changing the oil in a car, I take some liquid soap and rub it into my hands until it is dry. Then when I finish the job, washing the liquid soap off your hands carries away most of the oil and dirt with minor trouble and much less scrubbing.
I learned that trick from an Amway salesman. He used this as a sales point for their general cleaning product.
When I was a kid, my uncle bought me a season ticket for the L.A. Rams games for several years in a row. While learning to maneuver the Coliseum at which we became real pros, I learned that one can cut through any large crowd by holding up a cup of hot coffee and announcing, "Coming through, look out, hot coffee!!!". For some reason people part like the Red Sea and make room. :biggrin:
I'm not completely sure about this one, maybe some of you physics guys can chime in on this, but my dad told me years ago that if you buy gasoline in the morning when it is cooler, you will get more volume per gallon than if you buy it later in the day when it is warmer and lower density.
I'm not completely sure about this one, maybe some of you physics guys can chime in on this, but my dad told me years ago that if you buy gasoline in the morning when it is cooler, you will get more volume per gallon than if you buy it later in the day when it is warmer and lower density.Gasoline stored in underground tanks does not change temperature very much. As a kid, I worked part-time for a grocery store with gas pumps, and I used to go check the levels with a graduated scale and wipe down the stick with a rag between readings. That gas was always pretty cool even on hot days.
brewnog
Apr19-07, 03:41 PM
Gasoline stored in underground tanks does not change temperature very much. As a kid, I worked part-time for a grocery store with gas pumps, and I used to go check the levels with a graduated scale and wipe down the stick with a rag between readings. That gas was always pretty cool even on hot days.
By the time it's gone through rubber hoses in the sunshine it's heated up and expanded quite a bit, but this is after the meter so there's not a lot of difference.
light_bulb
Apr19-07, 03:56 PM
put some vegetable oil on a rag to easily rub off peeled off sticker residue.
NeoDevin
Apr19-07, 03:59 PM
I used to manage a gas station, and most meters nowadays are adjusted for this. In the past (like, 30+ years ago), this was true, but not anymore. They measure the temperature of the fuel going through them, and adjust the volume it reads accordingly.
I used to manage a gas station, and most meters nowadays are adjusted for this. In the past (like, 30+ years ago), this was true, but not anymore. They measure the temperature of the fuel going through them, and adjust the volume it reads accordingly.
Yeah, it was about 30 years ago.
Moonbear
Apr19-07, 04:13 PM
And even if theoretically true, in reality, the difference would probably be pretty imperceptible for a typical tank of gas, or else you lose it when it spills out of the tank as it expands AFTER in the vehicle (I hear that really is an issue in hot climates, but gas caps have been designed to help prevent it?).
If you need to cut a cake at a party and need a lot of pieces cut quickly, but neatly, dental floss soaked in water works great. You can make a perfectly straight cut the entire length of the cake.
I save my used dental floss just for this reason. :yuck:
If you need to cut a cake at a party and need a lot of pieces cut quickly, but neatly, dental floss soaked in water works great. You can make a perfectly straight cut the entire length of the cake.
I save my used dental floss just for this reason. :yuck:
Cool idea. This would be great for where I work. We have monthly birthday parties with cake. This would save cleaning a kife before and after use and cut the cake faster.
I'll start saving used floss myself! (heh heh, more cake for me if they find out.) :biggrin:
And even if theoretically true, in reality, the difference would probably be pretty imperceptible for a typical tank of gas, or else you lose it when it spills out of the tank as it expands AFTER in the vehicle (I hear that really is an issue in hot climates, but gas caps have been designed to help prevent it?).The thermal expansion coefficient for gasoline is 950 x 10 -6 compared to water which is 210 x 10 -6 so although 4x that of water it still seems pretty minute when talking about a car fuel tank. http://www.ac.wwu.edu/~vawter/PhysicsNet/Topics/Thermal/ThermExpan.html
about 1% change for a 10 C change in temperature.
berkeman
Apr19-07, 05:17 PM
-- When doing pushups, pause for about 2 seconds at the top each time. This lets blood flow back into your muscles to get oxygen back in (you can feel the whoosh in your arm muscles). You'll be able to do about 50% more pushups with this trick, although it will take about 200% longer!
-- When going on your training runs, take along a GripMaster light tension (4-button) hand exerciser. Gently work the buttons as you run, and switch hands a few times per mile. It's amazing how much easier it makes the run go. Must take your mind off the run or something.
-- After learning about brake and throttle control at a racetrack school on my sportbike, and after reading a performance driving book about left-foot braking when driving a car with an automatic transmission, I started using both feet when driving my car. It's amazing how much you can smooth out your driving, cornering, stopping, starting, etc., if you use both controls together in the transitions. Roll off the throttle as you roll onto the brakes, and visa-versa. It's the fastest way around a racetrack, and it's the smoothest way to drive on the street. Great stuff!
out of whack
Apr19-07, 05:24 PM
Clever little ideas:
1. Don't waste your money on expensive binoculars. Simply stand closer to the object you wish to view.
2. Your neighbor's car aerial, carefully folded, makes a usable coat hanger in an emergency.
3. Save electricity by turning off all the lights in your house and walking around wearing a miner's hat.
4. Avoid parking tickets: leave your wipers turned on when you park.
5. Use a telephone directory as a free personal address book. Simply cross out people you don't know.
6. Safety tip. When throwing someone a knife or other sharp instrument, always throw it blade first as they invariably tend to turn in the air.
7. Extend the life of your carpets by rolling them up and keeping them in the garage.
8. Thicken up runny low-fat yogurt with a spoonful of lard.
9. If your vegetarian guests claim that tofu, Quorn and other meat substitutes tastes exactly like the real thing then serve them meat. They won't know the difference.
10. Make shopkeepers feel as you do by meticulously inspecting bank notes against the light before accepting them.
11. Keep the seat next to you vacant by smiling and nodding at people as they walk up the aisle.
12. Dyslexics, deliberately misspelling words gives you a better chance of spelling them correctly.
13. Quit smoking tip. Stick one cigarette from each new pack up a fat friend's behind, filter first, and put it back in the box. This simple step significantly reduces the temptation to have another.
14. Put an end to exasperating seat-up/seat-down debates, pee in the sink.
15. Bring your girlfriend to tears when you're having sex: phone her up and tell her.
16. Deter goldfish from having sex by throwing a small bucket of cold air over any that you catch in the act.
17. Spice up your sex life with rodeo sex: take her from behind, call her by the wrong name and time how long you can stay mounted.
18. An empty aluminum cigar tube filled with angry wasps makes a renewable-energy vibrator.
light_bulb
Apr19-07, 05:24 PM
-- After learning about brake and throttle control at a racetrack school on my sportbike, and after reading a performance driving book about left-foot braking when driving a car with an automatic transmission, I started using both feet when driving my car. It's amazing how much you can smooth out your driving, cornering, stopping, starting, etc., if you use both controls together in the transitions. Roll off the throttle as you roll onto the brakes, and visa-versa. It's the fastest way around a racetrack, and it's the smoothest way to drive on the street. Great stuff!
on a stick your always hitting the clutch so i can see using two feet but wouldn't you just be revving the engine and burning up your brake pads faster with an automatic?
berkeman
Apr19-07, 05:33 PM
on a stick your always hitting the clutch so i can see using two feet but wouldn't you just be revving the engine and burning up your brake pads faster with an automatic?
Not very much. You only do it in the transitions, so by the time you are hard on the brakes, you are mostly off the gas, and visa versa. On a sportbike for example, you are taught at the racetrack classes to coordinate the motion of your right hand, so that as you roll off the throttle, you are progressively squeezing the front brake lever harder and harder. This helps the front suspension to compress progressively, which maximizes traction and gives you the strongest braking forces that you can get out of the front tire.
And if you try it in your car, you'll find that mid-corner braking while on the gas can help to settle the suspension some and get you through the corner quicker.
I always use my left foot on the brake with an automatic. Aside from the advantages already mentioned, it significantly reduces reaction time. (When in an 'iffy' situation, I keep my foot hovering a half-inch or so above the pedal.)
berkeman
Apr19-07, 07:19 PM
I always use my left foot on the brake with an automatic. Aside from the advantages already mentioned, it significantly reduces reaction time. (When in an 'iffy' situation, I keep my foot hovering a half-inch or so above the pedal.)
Great minds think alike! I also use it to reduce reaction time in those situations, but forgot to mention that. Thanks, Danger. :cool:
gravenewworld
Apr19-07, 07:20 PM
I think I read once that the average person spends almost 24 hours of their lifetime looking for the remote for the TV. Could someone please invent a button on the tv so that when you push it, your remote starts beeping? I'm not sure if this has already been done before.
When riding a Harley (and some other bikes, of course) the clutch is swimming in an oil bath. It does not harm the clutch to feather it, and it saves wear on other components if you will feather the clutch to slow, maintain position, and gently resume speed with the clutch only.
For removing cat hair from clothes, duct tape wrapped inside-out around a beer can works great.
Alternatively, cats make great duct tape removers.
I always use my left foot on the brake with an automatic. Aside from the advantages already mentioned, it significantly reduces reaction time. (When in an 'iffy' situation, I keep my foot hovering a half-inch or so above the pedal.)
In an iffy situation, my right foot is over the brake...
When I was a kid, my uncle bought me a season ticket for the L.A. Rams games for several years in a row.
my elementary school actually used to be the field where the rams practiced before they converted it to a school and the rams left. one of the assistant teachers were the girlfriend of one of the players
if you're in a crowded place and you need some room, if you're with others, just say to your friend 'man.. I still cant believe that (insert disease here) test came out positive..' and cough every 30 seconds or so, and in the middle of sentences for added effect. you should get a bit more breathing room after that.
In an iffy situation, my right foot is over the break...And my hand is on the car door handle :biggrin:
And my hand is on the car door handle :biggrin:
Damn you! You caught my typo :grumpy:
Alternatively, cats make great duct tape removers.
I've never tried that one, but it sounds promising. I do know that the best way to clean the fuzz clogs out of Velcro is to dip it in fish oil and give it to a cat. :biggrin:
Moose, the sort of situation that I'm talking about isn't conducive to arbitrary slowing. It's more for single lane roads where the oncoming driver might be inebriated, or deer-crossing zones, or the like.
Ivan Seeking
Apr19-07, 11:43 PM
my elementary school actually used to be the field where the rams practiced before they converted it to a school and the rams left. one of the assistant teachers were the girlfriend of one of the players
Oh yeah, well my seventh grade teacher once had his butt kicked by Jack Snow. :biggrin:
Oh yeah, well my seventh grade teacher once had his butt kicked by Jack Snow. :biggrin:
Jack Frost's little brother? :confused:
Ivan Seeking
Apr20-07, 02:10 AM
Jack Frost's little brother? :confused:
:biggrin: No, a wide receiver.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Snow_(football)
When I was a kid, he and Roman Gabriel were quite the pair - local celebrities to be sure. To have a teacher who got his butt kicked by Jack Snow was about as cool as cool could be for a young Rams fan!
edit: I just noticed that he went to St. Anthony's in Long Beach, which is where my teacher went to HS. I never did know exactly how it was that they knew each other. Boy, I'm glad I finally got that straightened out! :biggrin:
:surprised Snow died last year. :cry: :cry: :cry:
Jimmy Snyder
Apr20-07, 06:23 AM
On the highway, I use cruise control to stay at 55 mph. I tried this on local roads as well but with undesirable side effects.
On the highway, I use cruise control to stay at 55 mph. I tried this on local roads as well but with undesirable side effects.says Jimmy typing from his hospital bed :rofl:
Never buy fish on a Monday -- not really a clever idea, but good advice :tongue:
Some ideas plagiarised from around the web;
Use vertical strokes when washing windows outside and horizontal for inside windows. This way you can tell which side has the streaks.
Cure for headaches: Take a lime, cut it in half, and rub it on your forehead. The throbbing will go away
Clean a toilet. Drop in two Alka Seltzer tablets, wait twenty minutes, brush and flush. The citric acid and effervescent action clean vitreous
Clean a thermos bottle. Fill the bottle with water, drop in four Alka Seltzer tablets, and let soak for an hour (or longer, if necessary).
For icy door steps in freezing temperatures: get warm water and put Dawn dishwashing liquid in it. Pour it all over the steps. They won't refreeze.
Ants, ants, ants everywhere .... Well, they are said to never cross a chalk line. So, get your chalk out and draw a line on the floor or wherever ants tend to march. See for yourself.
And my personal favourite;
If you or your wife lock keys in your vehicle, just call home on cell phone and get the person who answers the phone to get the spare set of vehicle keys with remote, and while you hold your cell phone neer the vehicle get them to unlock the door of your vehicle over the phone with the spare remote.
Jimmy Snyder
Apr20-07, 07:54 AM
If you or your wife lock keys in your vehicle, just call home on cell phone and get the person who answers the phone to get the spare set of vehicle keys with remote, and while you hold your cell phone neer the vehicle get them to unlock the door of your vehicle over the phone with the spare remote.
I tried this, but as we do not have but one remote, there was no remote inside the car at the time. It did not work.
Furthermore, I cannot lock myself out of the car in this manner as it has been designed to prevent it. When the door is closed it automatically unlocks, then it must be locked either from the inside, or if from the outside then with the remote or with a key.
I just thought of an idea though. My remote has a hole in it to facilitate my putting it on my keychain. It now occurs to me that this is a bad thing to do because the loss of one entails the loss of the other and so I have removed it.
berkeman
Apr20-07, 12:15 PM
If you or your wife lock keys in your vehicle, just call home on cell phone and get the person who answers the phone to get the spare set of vehicle keys with remote, and while you hold your cell phone neer the vehicle get them to unlock the door of your vehicle over the phone with the spare remote.
Urban legend. Sorry.:rolleyes:
Here's another one, to keep television screens and computer screens (the old CRT type) from getting too much static and attracting dust, rub a thin film of toothpaste on the screen.
I never lock myself out of my Wrangler. In fact, I never lock the doors.
Some thieves are stupid and might slice the top open with a knife, costing more to replace the top than anything they might steal from inside. Some thieves are smart and would just unzip the windows.:rolleyes:
In fact, as the weather warms up, sometimes I don't even have doors.
I never lock myself out of my Wrangler. In fact, I never lock the doors.
Ummm:uhh: Where is it you said you park your car? :uhh: Just askin'. o:)
berkeman
Apr20-07, 01:01 PM
Here's another one, to keep television screens and computer screens (the old CRT type) from getting too much static and attracting dust, rub a thin film of toothpaste on the screen.
Not on my computer screens please. Toothpaste is mildly abrasive.
matthyaouw
Apr20-07, 01:04 PM
I think I read once that the average person spends almost 24 hours of their lifetime looking for the remote for the TV. Could someone please invent a button on the tv so that when you push it, your remote starts beeping? I'm not sure if this has already been done before.
I used to be so bad with losing the remote, eventually i just tied it to the tv table with long string.
Here's another one, to keep television screens and computer screens (the old CRT type) from getting too much static and attracting dust, rub a thin film of toothpaste on the screen.A good coating of vaseline does wonders. :biggrin:
If you have fluorescent fixtures with long-tube-type bulbs (I have some in my shop and garage) and a bulb seems to want to flicker instead of coming up to full brightness, just swipe your fingers along the bulb - that often does the trick.
Ummm:uhh: Where is it you said you park your car? :uhh: Just askin'. o:)
I invested in a security system better than locks: Fail-safe auto security (http://www.stickdeath.com/2004auto.html)
Actually, I have that Sentry Key security system. You'd need a tow truck to steal my Jeep. Of course, the drawback is if that I catch someone in the act, I'm not driving for a while, either. If someone tries to steal it, several systems are disabled and take around an hour to reset.
When we lived in a city here, someone kept breaking into vehicles in the lot of the apartment building. I installed a Radio Shack pager alarm in my car. There was no siren or horn in the car, just a transmitter that set off my pager when someone shook it, tried to open the doors, etc, so I could take a run downstairs with my fungo bat. I never had to beat anybody with it - just the threat had them running.
This is a good anti car theft deterrent.
http://physicsforums.com/showpost.php?p=1224706&postcount=2
humanino
Apr20-07, 03:43 PM
A good coating of vaseline does wonders. :biggrin:I never thought of that use before :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:
This thread is great :approve:
This is a good anti car theft deterrent.
http://physicsforums.com/showpost.php?p=1224706&postcount=2
You should have linked to the entire thread. scorpa's response was priceless:
That is a really good idea. I was a bit worried about it until I read that it will not cause damage to the paint on my vehicle.
:rofl: :rofl:
And my personal favourite;
If you or your wife lock keys in your vehicle, just call home on cell phone and get the person who answers the phone to get the spare set of vehicle keys with remote, and while you hold your cell phone neer the vehicle get them to unlock the door of your vehicle over the phone with the spare remote.
My dad's clever idea was to place a spare key in a small metal box with a magnet superglued to it, then hide the box somewhere on the frame under the car. He kept it there for years and hounded on me to do the same after I locked my keys in my car during one of my trips home.
Years later, I was in town visiting and heard a funny story from one his coworkers about half of an overheard phone conversation between my dad and mom. She'd locked herself out of the car at a shopping mall and he was trying to give her directions on where to find the key. She had to call back a few times. Finally, came my dad's shocked question, "What do you mean the only thing you could find was a magnet with some rust on it??!!"
Urban legend. Sorry.:rolleyes:Really? :rolleyes:
It would have been fun to see how many tried it before spoiling it. :frown:
berkeman
Apr20-07, 04:13 PM
Really? :rolleyes:
It would have been fun to see how many tried it before spoiling it. :frown:
Sorry, its still a physics site, after all. I guess I could have moved it to the Independent Research forum...:blushing:
Integral
Apr20-07, 06:42 PM
We had 3 indoor cats, and no easy to access and reasonably out of the way place to put a cat box.
So, I cut a hole in the wall under my computer bench.
http://home.comcast.net/~integral50/catbox/HPIM0909a.JPG
And built this box in the garage.
http://home.comcast.net/~integral50/catbox/HPIM0910a.JPG
The back side opens for cleaning:
http://home.comcast.net/~integral50/catbox/HPIM0912a.JPG
My wife provided an excellent solution on how make the hole thru the wall presentable. It to me is a perfect solution at completely different levels. We cut the bottom out of a cat litter box.
http://home.comcast.net/~integral50/catbox/HPIM0911a.JPG
Then cut the hole in the wall to fit, the lid ring remains in tact so it can be closed by putting the lid on.
light_bulb
Apr20-07, 06:45 PM
i love that :rofl:
renigade666
Apr21-07, 03:11 PM
Integral,
Quite ingenius i must say!
But how did you train the cats to go through that hole to use the litter box ?!?!
Integral
Apr21-07, 03:23 PM
We had already been keeping the litter box inside of a large pet carrier so they where accustomed to an enclosure. This change was no problem for them.
larkspur
Apr21-07, 05:16 PM
I think I read once that the average person spends almost 24 hours of their lifetime looking for the remote for the TV. Could someone please invent a button on the tv so that when you push it, your remote starts beeping? I'm not sure if this has already been done before.
If I turn my TV on with the power button on the TV, then my remote starts beeping. When the remote beeps my cats run to it........:confused:
Moonbear
Apr21-07, 07:13 PM
If I turn my TV on with the power button on the TV, then my remote starts beeping. When the remote beeps my cats run to it........:confused:
Even easier for me...the remote is usually UNDER the cat. I don't know why, but she seems to like to sleep on top of the remote. :rolleyes:
larkspur
Apr22-07, 03:23 AM
Even easier for me...the remote is usually UNDER the cat. I don't know why, but she seems to like to sleep on top of the remote. :rolleyes:
That can't be comfortable. Does she mind when you remove it?
Ivan Seeking
Apr22-07, 02:42 PM
Not a trick but very cool. The deductions for a home based business are based on the percentage of the home's area dedicated to doing business. Since my office is actually a converted barn that counts towards the total sq footage of our home, my percent of usage is very high - nearly a third of the total square footage. This means that one third of all maintenence expenses for all five acres are deductible. This came in handy when, for example, we bought a $10K filter system for the well. Since it was maintenance and not an improvement, this would normally not be deductible now, or later [as a home improvement expense against capital gains], but as a business maintenance expense it is completely legal. This applies to almost everything that we do to maintain the property -weed control, hired help, window replacement as we did a few years ago, tree maintenance, gravel for the driveway, etc. I once knew someone who even claimed their cats as a rodent control expense, but I don't think I could look an IRS agent in the eye and claim that I'm entitled to that one! :biggrin:
Summary thus far:
1. When I have a greasy job to do, such as changing the oil in a car, I take some liquid soap and rub it into my hands until it is dry. Then when I finish the job, washing the liquid soap off your hands carries away most of the oil and dirt with minor trouble and much less scrubbing.
2. My clever idea: I didn't fix the hole. Instant defense against tailgaters. They follow too close, I'd have my Cherokee pee on them.
3. Here's mine- when I cut onions I do so with the onion submerged in water-no more tears!
4. My wife and I keep spray bottles around filled with 50:50 rubbing alcohol and water. It's a great cleaner (especially windows, mirrors, counter-tops) and it's really cheap.
5. Make your own fossils by putting fish bones in a bucket of cement. Then leave them out in the garden as a fun weekend activity for children.
6. For removing cat hair from clothes, duct tape wrapped inside-out around a beer can works great.
7. if you need to cut glass without a proper tool you can lay a string soaked in lighter fluid down on it in the pattern you want and light it. A mild tap then supposedly breaks it along the burn line.
8. When I was a kid, my uncle bought me a season ticket for the L.A. Rams games for several years in a row. While learning to maneuver the Coliseum at which we became real pros, I learned that one can cut through any large crowd by holding up a cup of hot coffee and announcing, "Coming through, look out, hot coffee!!!". For some reason people part like the Red Sea and make room.
9. buy gasoline in the morning when it is cooler, you will get more volume per gallon than if you buy it later in the day when it is warmer and lower density. (May have worked a little a few years ago, but modern gas pumps compensate.)
10. put some vegetable oil on a rag to easily rub off peeled off sticker residue.
11. If you need to cut a cake at a party and need a lot of pieces cut quickly, but neatly, dental floss soaked in water works great. You can make a perfectly straight cut the entire length of the cake.
12. When doing pushups, pause for about 2 seconds at the top each time. This lets blood flow back into your muscles to get oxygen back in (you can feel the whoosh in your arm muscles). You'll be able to do about 50% more pushups with this trick
13. When going on your training runs, take along a GripMaster light tension (4-button) hand exerciser. Gently work the buttons as you run, and switch hands a few times per mile. It's amazing how much easier it makes the run go. Must take your mind off the run or something
14. After learning about brake and throttle control at a racetrack school on my sportbike, and after reading a performance driving book about left-foot braking when driving a car with an automatic transmission, I started using both feet when driving my car. It's amazing how much you can smooth out your driving, cornering, stopping, starting, etc.
15. Read “Out of Wack’s” funny list in post #20.
16. I think I read once that the average person spends almost 24 hours of their lifetime looking for the remote for the TV. Could someone please invent a button on the tv so that when you push it, your remote starts beeping? I'm not sure if this has already been done before.
17. When riding a Harley (and some other bikes, of course) the clutch is swimming in an oil bath. It does not harm the clutch to feather it, and it saves wear on other components if you will feather the clutch to slow, maintain position, and gently resume speed with the clutch only.
18. if you're in a crowded place and you need some room, if you're with others, just say to your friend 'man.. I still cant believe that (insert disease here) test came out positive..' and cough every 30 seconds or so, and in the middle of sentences for added effect. you should get a bit more breathing room after that.
19. The best way to clean the fuzz clogs out of Velcro is to dip it in fish oil and give it to a cat.
20. Never buy fish on a Monday -- not really a clever idea, but good advice
21. Read idea list from the web posted by Art in #39.
21. Here's another one, to keep television screens and computer screens (the old CRT type) from getting too much static and attracting dust, rub a thin film of toothpaste on the screen. (Note that toothpaste is slightly abrasive. It was suggested later to use Vasoline.)
22. I used to be so bad with losing the remote, eventually i just tied it to the tv table with long string.
23. If you have fluorescent fixtures with long-tube-type bulbs (I have some in my shop and garage) and a bulb seems to want to flicker instead of coming up to full brightness, just swipe your fingers along the bulb - that often does the trick.
24. When we lived in a city here, someone kept breaking into vehicles in the lot of the apartment building. I installed a Radio Shack pager alarm in my car. There was no siren or horn in the car, just a transmitter that set off my pager when someone shook it, tried to open the doors, etc, so I could take a run downstairs with my fungo bat.
25. Check out Evo’s post #51
26. My dad's clever idea was to place a spare key in a small metal box with a magnet superglued to it, then hide the box somewhere on the frame under the car. He kept it there for years and hounded on me to do the same after I locked my keys in my car during one of my trips home.
27. Take a look at Integral’s really cool cat box. #57.
Please let me know if I missed any.
If you are working with an electrical extension cord you can loosely knot the appliance cord and the extension cord together before connecting them. this will keep them from accidently disconnecting. The knot should not be tight, just loosely looped around the other cord.
Another extension cord trick that works great with long cords. When you are coiling the cord after use, twist your wrist 180 deg on every other loop when transferring to the hand you are collecting the loops. The keeps the cord relaxed so that there won't be any twists in it and it will lay out easily next time you use it. I also loosely wrap one end of the cord around the loop and plug the male and female connectors together to hold them. NO tangles or twists.
Jimmy Snyder
Apr23-07, 09:09 AM
Please let me know if I missed any.
I was surprised that driving at 55 mph on the highway was not included. This saves more gas than buying it when it's cold.
This is just a basic safety tip, but some people might not know about it. Attach the chuck key for your electric drill, or the collet wrench for a router or saw, to the end of the cord right by the plug. That way, you have to unplug the tool before messing with the business end.
A companion to that is that if you have Evo's tool-using skills, you might want to grind off the trigger lock on hand-held things like drills so you don't activate it by accident. You can still poke it with a screwdriver or something if you really want it locked.
This is just a basic safety tip, but some people might not know about it. Attach the chuck key for your electric drill, or the collet wrench for a router or saw, to the end of the cord right by the plug. That way, you have to unplug the tool before messing with the business end.
This tip also helps you to keep track of the chuck key or collet wrench. Good tip.
I was surprised that driving at 55 mph on the highway was not included. This saves more gas than buying it when it's cold.
Sorry I missed this.
I was pretty proud of myself one night when I was laying on the bed and the remote control was too far away for me to reach on the bed. So I pulled the sheet closer to me so I didn't have to stretch or move :smile: I thought it was a clever little idea.
Cure for headaches: Take a lime, cut it in half, and rub it on your forehead. The throbbing will go away
I don't exactly believe that.
Ivan Seeking
Apr23-07, 12:49 PM
Originally Posted by Artman
Cure for headaches: Take a lime, cut it in half, and rub it on your forehead. The throbbing will go away
I don't exactly believe that.
It works! When the lime juice gets into your eyes you will forget all about your headache.
I was pretty proud of myself one night when I was laying on the bed and the remote control was too far away for me to reach on the bed. So I pulled the sheet closer to me so I didn't have to stretch or move :smile: I thought it was a clever little idea.
Originally Posted by Artman
Cure for headaches: Take a lime, cut it in half, and rub it on your forehead. The throbbing will go away
I don't exactly believe that.
Head On! Apply directly to the forehead! :rofl: :rofl:
Back to electricity...
I have a self-rewinding extension cord bolted under the hood of the car, with the block heater and in-car heater plugged into it. Saves messing about with a separate cord. (Just make sure that it doesn't rewind too hard if you have a plastic grill. )
A wood working tip:
If you are drilling a hole through a board and you need both ends to have a fairly clean hole, clamp a scrap board underneath the one you are drilling that you can also drill into. This scrap board keeps the wood from splintering away from the exit hole on your primary piece of wood.
Another drilling tip:
If you are drilling pilot holes, wrap a piece of tape around the bit where you want to stop your hole. For example, if you need a 1/2" deep pilot hole, wrap the tape around the bit exposing 1/2" at the tip. Then when you drill, watch as you approach the tape and stop your hole when you reach it.
Ivan Seeking
Apr23-07, 06:02 PM
You can cut glass underwater with a pair of scissors.
You can cut glass underwater with a pair of scissors.I had to look this one up, apparently there is a bit of truth to it.
"In less than an hour, Chris was back in my office with the following technical report: "It works, sort of." He held in his hand three crudely cut cathedral glass circles, still wet. We examined the evidence. Most apparent, the circles hadn't been "cut," they had been grozed. Identical results, we agreed, could have been achieved with a cheap pair of grozers and no water. Superior results could have been achieved accidently by a three-year-old with a rusty Red Devil."
http://www.spectrumglass.com/Library/ScoreArticles/NoFishStory.html
It works! When the lime juice gets into your eyes you will forget all about your headache.And remember all about margaritas??? :rofl:
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