Helpful hints and tips...

[beautiful loser]

I'm always looking for helpful hints to make things easier in life. If you know any that might help all of us out, please respond. Sometimes, they can save a lot of time and frustration. Well, since I started this thread I'm sure I'm expected to start with some. I've used of all of these and they do work.

- If you borrowed someone's car, rented one, or bought a new one and need to gas up and don't know what side the gas tank is on, look at the fuel gage. There is usually a picture of a gas pump with a small arrow pointing to the left or right. That's the side to fill up your tank.
- Push the side tabs in on a box of aluminum foil. Now, when you pull out a sheet, the roll will stay in the box (just discovered this about five years ago....man, I feel dumb..haha).
- Vinegar will remove rust from metal objects. Soak it in white vinegar for a few hours and then wipe away the rusty buildup.
- Vinegar will also remove built up residue on a shower head. Soak it over night and it will be good as new. If you can't remove it then put a vinegar filled baggie over the shower head and use a rubber band to keep it in place.
- Coca Cola is great for many things...poured on battery posts to remove corrosion, poured on windshield to remove stubborn road and bug film (be sure to wash off after applying), poured into wash to remove stains, especially wine stains.
- If you use a cell phone to wake you up, place it in a drinking glass to make the alarm much louder.
- Lamp has broken light bulb? UNPLUG the lamp and get a potato. Cut potato in half, mash the cut end into the broken light bulb and unscrew it.
- If you dropped something small attach a stocking or thin cloth on the end of the vacuum cleaner hose. It will suck up the missing item but won't go into the hose.
- In the US, if you are driving on the highway and want to know what side the exit will be on, look for your exit number. The exit number is above the name of the street. If the number is to the right of the street name, the exit is on the right. If it's on the left side, the exit is on the left.
- If you have some of those coat hangers from a clothing store that have those two clips on the ends break off the clip ends and use them as chip bag clips.

 

[TheRealCallie]

- If you use a cell phone to wake you up, place it in a drinking glass to make the alarm much louder.

EMPTY glass. EMPTY. That is a very important detail.

 

[Minus]

EMPTY glass. EMPTY. That is a very important detail.

Yeah, now you tell me.

 

[beautiful loser]

- If you use a cell phone to wake you up, place it in a drinking glass to make the alarm much louder.

EMPTY glass. EMPTY. That is a very important detail.

I'm sorry I didn't "dumb it down" for you

 

[guardian]

If you have dropped and lost something small on the floor like an earring stud, prescription pill, eyeglass screw and the like, find it by placing a lit flashlight on it's side, on the floor and slowly rotate the flashlight. Items will show up with a long shadow. Think late afternoon winter time sunsets with their long trailing shadows. Law enforcement uses this to locate small clues.
I found a tiny eyeglass screw from across a large room by sighting down the barrel of the flashlight.

now i gotta go replace my cell water deadens sound ya know...

 

[Valentine]

* If your vacuum cleaner is clogged due to dust or some other object getting stuck in the hose or something similar, take an ordinary metal clothes-hanger, unravel the tied part to turn it into a rod, and bend it into a straight shape. You now have a perfectly serviceable poking rod that can easily knock out built-up crap from inside your vacuum. This is also good for reaching into tough places or getting rid of cobwebs if you don't have a broom or something else handy, and it can be folded and unfolded as necessary.
* If you are going on a cruise, or any other activity that would trigger seasickness or motion sickness, keep your eyes shut. The vertigo (and subsequent throwing-up) that comes with seasickness and the like is mainly a miscommunication between the eyes and your legs; when they can't agree on what you're standing on and how you're supposed to be balanced, you feel sick. That's probably not entirely how it works, but I know that closing your eyes helps because of lesser sensory input for your brain to handle at once.
* Carry a roll of Tums (the anti-acid chewable tablets) with you wherever you go, so you don't have to get caught in a situation where your stomach acid finds its way onto your esophagus and makes you feel like you've got heartburn. Tums are basically calcium tablets that neutralize these acids and kill that pain really quick. Plus, they taste almost exactly like candy, aren't too expensive, and if I'm not mistaken, are actually good for you.
* If you wind up swallowing toothpaste or find someone else who has (like a careless or unknowing child), calcium is the answer. Drink milk (dairy or soy; soy is actually better), or chew a couple of the aforementioned Tums. The main 'toxin' in toothpaste is the flouride, which calcium binds to and neutralizes, preventing it from causing any problems. I learned this after the first and only time I called the Poison Control Center when I was a kid and freaked out after swallowing some.

 

[murmi97]

Free mp3s:
-on Amazon; (in the digital music section) leave the search bar empty, press Go, and then sort by Price Low to High.
-Archive .org Audio tab, Music, Arts & Culture tab, browse the collection (lots of older and unsigned music can be found here)
-BIRP .fm; Playlists tab menu, torrent or zip entire playlists.
-Insound .com; click Music tab menu, click Free MP3s.
-Last .fm; (for users only) scroll down on Home page to find Free Downloads (by your artists), then click Browse all free downloads.
-Purevolume .com; click Top Downloads tab.
-TheMusicNinja .com search Playlists and Features for songs listed with download links (not as fruitful or easy as the others
I'm 90% sure this is all legit. Get the admins to delete my post if is isn't. Most likely no Top 40 artists on any of the sites I mention, though you can find just about every genre of music to freely download. And if there are any other sites you know about I'd love to be let in on them.

 

[painter's radio]

- Lamp has broken light bulb? UNPLUG the lamp and get a potato. Cut potato in half, mash the cut end into the broken light bulb and unscrew it.

what?

 

[TheRealCallie]

- Lamp has broken light bulb? UNPLUG the lamp and get a potato. Cut potato in half, mash the cut end into the broken light bulb and unscrew it.

what?

If you can't get the bottom part of the light bulb out of the lamp because it broke off too low.

 

[painter's radio]

Can't say I've ever, in my whole time on this earth, had a lightbulb break inside a lamp.
How does it break in the first place? Is it an American thing? :s

 

[TheRealCallie]

How does it break in the first place? Is it an American thing? :s

Well, it happens when one screws it in too tightly. If it's an American thing, I would have to guess that we just screw tighter than you.

 

[LonelySutton]

Can't say I've ever, in my whole time on this earth, had a lightbulb break inside a lamp.How does it break in the first place? Is it an American thing? :s

This just happened to me. My cat knocked over the lamp. The shade was one of those that was affixed to the base so that part shattered the bulb from the bottom up... leaving the base of the bulb still in there.

Ironically the potato thing was the only thing on the list I knew about.

 

[painter's radio]

Well, it happens when one screws it in too tightly. If it's an American thing, I would have to guess that we just screw tighter than you.

So I've heard!

[video=youtube]

But seriously, there must be some reason this never happens in the UK, besides the intensity of the screwing. I'm thinking the quality of materials used (you Yanks and your honeysuckle lightbulbs!) in the bulb - does the attachment go rusty and cause it to snap when unscrewing? Does the bulb explode when it dies, like a sun going supernova, only on a much smaller scale? *pop* - as opposed to an infinite kaboom!

THERE IS A LOGICAL ANSWER TO THIS RIDDLE AND I MUST FIND IT OUT BEFORE 12 MIDNIGHT TONIGHT

REPOST THIS TO 10 A.L.L. PEOPLE'S MESSAGE INBOXES OR ALL YOUR LIGHTBULBS WILL EXPLODE

 

[beautiful loser]

Well, it happens when one screws it in too tightly. If it's an American thing, I would have to guess that we just screw tighter than you.

So I've heard!

[video=youtube]

But seriously, there must be some reason this never happens in the UK, besides the intensity of the screwing. I'm thinking the quality of materials used (you Yanks and your honeysuckle lightbulbs!) in the bulb - does the attachment go rusty and cause it to snap when unscrewing? Does the bulb explode when it dies, like a sun going supernova, only on a much smaller scale? *pop* - as opposed to an infinite kaboom!

THERE IS A LOGICAL ANSWER TO THIS RIDDLE AND I MUST FIND IT OUT BEFORE 12 MIDNIGHT TONIGHT

REPOST THIS TO 10 A.L.L. PEOPLE'S MESSAGE INBOXES OR ALL YOUR LIGHTBULBS WILL EXPLODE

Has nothing to do with quality of the bulb or how tight you turn it or the filament going to hell. In Lonely Sutton's case as well as mine, the lamp was KNOCKED OVER and the bulb shattered. I've also seen the ceiling type get hit with a ladder as someone is moving one to paint another part of the room. BTW, Google is your friend

 

[painter's radio]

fresia google. If everyone walked around saying "google is your friend" to everyone else then there'd never be another conversation again until the end of time. The next time a stranger asks me for directions or the time I'll try your method and say "google is your friend" at them. And what should I have googled? "Why do some people's lightbulbs break?" "Why are some people unable to look after their lamps?"

I must admit it's a handy tip, should I ever need to use it. I am just surprised to see it's a somewhat common problem seeing as I've changed thousands of lightbulbs over the years and never encountered it. And I have 2 naughty cats.

 

[TheRealCallie]

fresia google. If everyone walked around saying "google is your friend" to everyone else then there'd never be another conversation again until the end of time. The next time a stranger asks me for directions or the time I'll try your method and say "google is your friend" at them. And what should I have googled? "Why do some people's lightbulbs break?" "Why are some people unable to look after their lamps?"

I must admit it's a handy tip, should I ever need to use it. I am just surprised to see it's a somewhat common problem seeing as I've changed thousands of lightbulbs over the years and never encountered it. And I have 2 naughty cats.

I've never caused a bulb to break in a lamp before, but my ex is an moron, so I've seen it happen...twice.

 

[kamya]

I've been sitting under a bulb that decided to spontaneously shatter all over the room before. I dunno. I guess it just happens sometimes.

 

[painter's radio]

Man if that happened to me I would be SO freaked out. Devils from the underworld stepping through the portal popping my lightbulbs and honeysuckle.

Did you potato it afterwards?

 

[Minus]

How does it break in the first place? Is it an American thing? :s

The only one i have ever had break was in someone's oven. I imagine that over the years, heat, moisture and what ever else is in oven air, helped stick the light bulb base to the socket. When the bulb eventually burned out, on trying to remove it the bulb glass separated from the light bulb base.

I had heard of the potato trick and tried it. In this case all i got was a shredded potato for the effort. I eventually ended up forming a flap with one side of the base, so that there was something to grip, and removed it that way.

 

[johnny196775]

I used to brake light bulbs on purpose and record the sound. Slowed way down they can sound very interesting.

And have a nice day.