Not really a life hack but: folding bicycles are so, so convenient for everyday use (fits in every elevator, fits under your desk at work, fits in public transportation even when it’s crowded, etc)
I really don’t know how they are not a lot more common; you only need a mountain bike if you actually ride on mountain trails often enough. Even non-folding city bicycles are way more comfortable for everyday usage (higher handlebar position and cushiony saddle <3)
Got some domed glass pot lids but the one you need broke? Simply invert the handle on the next size up and you get a universal lid that fits any pan! Condensation pools in the middle instead of dripping over the sides.
Ahh I get it now. My lids have handles that are riveted on so I can’t do that :( goodwill has a hundred lids missing pans tho I can get one there for a buck
Putting a case on your phone, if the phone is newer you can get a good resale price, doubly so if you use a screen protector as well, it also prolongs the use of your phone and makes you realize how much ewaste is created by not keeping older devices up to date with software and repairs when its still in working order.
I had my last phone so long(about 5-6 years I think) that I was forced to get a new one because it was no longer supported.
I know they have to have a cut off somewhere, but around 5 years doesn’t seem like that long for a device. Maybe I’m just getting old, or planned obsolescence or something.
But yes, having that phone for a longtime prevented ewaste and saved me quite a bit of money. Be nice to your phone and it’ll go longer than the company supports it.
Long live LineageOS. I’m a big fan, I’ve been using it for years, while it was still called CyanogenMod. I used it on my HTC Magic in 2009, and my Galaxy S in 2011.
I used Cyanogen on my HTC Dream, the first android phone! It still only lasted a few years, because the tech was sooooo fresh. But it would have not lasted as long if I wasn’t using Cyanogen!
I’m an iPhone bitch now, and I’m typing this on a six year old iPhone that’s about to get a new software update. Still as fast as when I got it. I’m updating this year though, because I desire a 120hz screen and USB-C.
Was going to put lineage os on my current phone 3 years ago (I have a motorola one action) but Motorola locked the phone so I wasn’t able to save it from android 11
Also for the screen protector get a privacy screen protector. It’s just a glass screen protector with a polarising lens to make the screen opaque at oblique angles, so eg someone sitting next to you can’t see your screen. Obviously not foolproof, just don’t be viewing anything super sensitive on your phone if there’s other people next to you, but it’s good for just getting more privacy while using your phone on the bus or something.
Also, buy a mainstream phone that is guaranteed to get updates. I’ve saved money from buying lower tier phones in the past, but then they stop getting updates within a few years, making them worthless. With a mainstream phone you can sell it and upgrade every few years.
Yes to the case, no to the screen protector (depending on your phone model).
Most phones have some version of gorilla glass or ultra scratch resistance glass. If you’ve got this, you probably don’t need a screen protector. Your screen is probably harder than any screen protector you can buy, and that protector will scratch, and now you need to replace the screen protector to get rid of the scatch, over and over again until you just live with a scratched up protector, and a perfectly good screen underneath.
While we’re at it… unless you are doing some extreme sports, I recommend a cheap, lightweight case with some key features.
Corner protection: Your phone corners are where it will break when you drop it. Get a case that completely encloses the edges of the corners, and provides good protection there.
Raised bezel: You don’t need to go overboard here, but make sure that your case edges extend past your screen. If you lay your phone screen down on a table, no part of the screen should contact the table.
I used to get OtterBox and ultra duty cases, but lately, I just get a cheap plastic case with a rubber/soft plastic edge for corner protection. No screen protector, and my phone looks brand new. Just avoid getting sand in the same pocket as your phone, or putting two phones in the same pocket.
Or at the very least keeping it in do not disturb mode. I started doing that years ago, and it was life changing. Only things it notifies me of are calendar reminders and actual phone calls.
This will sound stupid. But if you press your thumb onto the center of your hand, and then close the others fingers around and press, you’ll suppress your gag reflex.
This saved me when I had to take some medicine as big pills. Without this trick they often got stuck in my throat, and it could take me minutes to properly swallow. With the trick? No problems anymore.
Ooo, does that have something to do with how moving your arms like that flexes muscles around your throat? Is this an autonomic process like flexibg the timpani muscle when chewing?
I heard something like this the other day. Is it the same thumb as the palm? 'Cos I can’t press my right hand thumb to the palm of my right hand very hard.
Problem is, some take way longer to heat up from exercise.
I will usually not reach a comfortable warm until 1-2 hours in doing regular walking (and no, I will not do a 250m sprint to finally feel warm).
For everything else: Agreed. For cycling in the cold I recommend biking gloves. Game changer!
My experience with exerting in the winter is I start feeling hot around the neck and upper torso first. So if I’m wearing a thermal jacket below a windbreaker, I’ll start with leaving the thermal zipper down a bit but have the windbreaker’s up all the way.
I think that flu thing is an old wives tale. You usually get flu because you breathed it in. The association with cold is because during cold weather people spend more time in poorly ventilated areas.
Drink water instead of soda, alcohol, other sugary drinks. Eventually you’ll find yourself to be an expert water connoisseur and prefer water over pretty much all beverages.
There’s a difference between high quality plastic performing filtration while it’s cold plastic and cold water vs crap plastic that’s regularly exposed to high temperatures during transport and storage with the same water contained the entire time.
Maybe, I’m no expert. But, I’ve seen a test showing a consumer water filter increasing microplastics by 1000%. Could just be only that specific filter or filter type. I believe it was a Zero filter, which I think uses resin beads for ion exchange.
Interesting, I used ZeroWater for a while … and know others that do. But yeah, searching around it seems it’s only ConsumerLabs.com that came up with that result and all other filters were removing microplastics.
I have a water filter at home. I never use bottled water. Almost every public space also has clean and safe water so if you bring a reusable water bottle with you, you’ll have free water everywhere.
6 wide? Damn, I couldn’t dream of that… Must be heaven. Honestly no benefit to odd numbers the bigger the better but with my screen size I can’t go any bigger than 5x5
We use these things call E Track Straps at work for years. They only really work right in one position, but for some reason, I’m the only one who can put them in the right position. I don’t think anyone’s even managed it by accident.
But yeah, growing up, legos, block toys, kinetics, things like that. When I got into video games, I always preferred the FPS games. Things like Quake or Halo needed you to understand the map layout and plan around the physics of the players and weapons.
I’ve always tried to do this and conceptualized it as “square up to your work”. I would love to teach my sons this. I was just finding myself at weird angles trying to do something or having the tools or items I was using scattered. It helps so much to get your space organized!
I didn’t realise how much other people didn’t do this until i looked at a corner for five minutes, then came back having built a basic speaker stand that fitted perfectly and the husband lost his goddamn mind
(I mean basic, i just cut a base down and mounted a pole on it)
It’s just compose ~ ~ (tilde tilde). The compose key sequences are often the most logical thing you can think of. Emacs C-x 8 is good but you have to try and guess the unicode name of the character.
It’s the interrobang. It literally means “?!” Like WTF?! But in one symbol. It mattered when “cost per letter” or typesetting spacing mattered. I still like it and use it often enough. As for chess, honestly, yeah, it could be used for that.
When given the option, read the instructions, and save for future reference. (A URL / bookmark doesn’t count as saving unless you control the hostname (including DNS).)
I have a plastic container where I put all instruction manuals plus hardware that comes with it that I don’t need right then. It was very useful when I decided to mount my soundbar a decade after I bought it and knew exactly where the mounting clips and template were. Any time I need to check the manual for specs or something, I just need to look through a pile and will find it.
If you have a toilet that, when flushed, turns your shower into lava, adjust the toilet filler valve so it’s barely open and you’ll have much less of a problem.
Also, if the water coming out of your faucet is hot enough to harm you, turn down the temperature of your water heater. You will save quite a bit of money too.
Edit: and check the anode in your water heater every 5-ish years. So much cheaper and easier to replace that than the entire tank. Pay attention to your water heater.
Absolutely correct. However, I’ve lived in apartments where I couldn’t control the water heater temperature and other people might be in the same situation who might benefit.
Just commenting to say you cannot simply lower the water temperature. If you go too low there is a risk of legionella and nobody wants that. So please, before you lower your water temperature, do some research.
I believe 60 degrees is basically the lowest you can go safely. Different sources seem to indicate that.