Pac-Man
Pac-Man’s got to be right up there with Mario as one of the most recognisable videogame characters of all time. And because his basic design is simple, you can see him everywhere. Whenever you take a slice of pizza or cut a segment from a cake, he’s there. Then the noise starts to go in your head: waka waka waka waka waka…
Check out this nice collection of things that look like Pac-Man:
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Retrain Your Brain
Give Your Brain a Boost
Can't remember where you put your glasses? Blanked on your new colleague's name? "Forgetting these types of things is a sign of how busy we are," says Zaldy S. Tan, MD, director of the Memory Disorders Clinic at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston. "When we're not paying good attention, the memories we form aren't very robust, and we have a problem retrieving the information later."
The key, says Harry Lorayne, author of Ageless Memory: Simple Secrets for Keeping Your Brain Young, is to get your brain in shape. "We exercise our bodies, but what good is that great body if you don't have the mental capabilities to go with it?" Sure, you could write everything down, keep organized lists and leave electronic notes on your BlackBerry, cell phone or PDA. But when you don't have access to those aids, or if you want to strengthen your brain, try these expert-recommended strategies to help you remember.
Brain Freeze #1
"What the heck is his name?"
• Pay attention. When you're introduced to someone, really listen to the person's name. Then, to get a better grasp, picture the spelling. Ask, "Is that Kathy with a K or a C?" Make a remark about the name to help lock it in ("Oh, Carpenter -- that was my childhood best friend's last name"), and use the name a few times during the conversation and when you say goodbye.
• Visualize the name. For hard-to-remember monikers (Bentavegna, Wobbekind), make the name meaningful. For Bentavegna, maybe you think of a bent weather vane. Picture it. Then look at the person, choose an outstanding feature (bushy eyebrows, green eyes) and tie the name to the face. If Mr. Bentavegna has a big nose, picture a bent weather vane instead of his nose. The sillier the image, the better.
• Create memorable associations. Picture Joe Everett standing atop Mount Everest. If you want to remember that Erin Curtis is the CEO of an architectural firm, imagine her curtsying in front of a large building, suggests Gini Graham Scott, PhD, author of 30 Days to a More Powerful Memory.
• Cheat a little. Supplement these tips with some more concrete actions. When you get a business card, after the meeting, jot down a few notes on the back of the card ("red glasses, lives in Springfield, went to my alma mater") to help you out when you need a reminder.
Brain Freeze #2
"Where in the world did I leave my glasses?"
• Give a play-by-play. Pay attention to what you're doing as you place your glasses on the end table. Remind yourself, "I'm putting my keys in my coat pocket," so you have a clear memory of doing it, says Scott.
• Make it a habit. Put a small basket on a side table. Train yourself to put your keys, glasses, cell phone or any other object you frequently use (or misplace) in the basket -- every time.
Brain Freeze #3
"What else was I supposed to do today?"
• Start a ritual. To remind yourself of a chore (write a thank-you note, go to the dry cleaner), give yourself an unusual physical reminder. You expect to see your bills on your desk, so leaving them there won't necessarily remind you to pay them. But place a shoe or a piece of fruit on the stack of bills, and later, when you spot the out-of-place object, you'll remember to take care of them, says Carol Vorderman, author of Super Brain: 101 Easy Ways to a More Agile Mind.
• Sing it. To remember a small group of items (a grocery list, phone number, list of names, to-do list), adapt it to a well-known song, says Vorderman. Try "peanut butter, milk and eggs" to the tune of "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star," "Happy Birthday" or even nursery rhymes.
• Try mnemonic devices. Many of us learned "ROY G BIV" to remember the colors of the rainbow, or "Every Good Boy Deserves Favors" to learn musical notes. Make up your own device to memorize names (Suzanne's kids are Adam, Patrick and Elizabeth, or "APE"), lists (milk, eggs, tomatoes, soda, or "METS") or computer commands (to shut down your PC, hit Control+Alt+Delete, or "CAD").
• Use your body. When you have no pen or paper and are making a mental grocery or to-do list, remember it according to major body parts, says Scott. Start at your feet and work your way up. So if you have to buy glue, cat food, broccoli, chicken, grapes and toothpaste, you might picture your foot stuck in glue, a cat on your knee looking for food, a stalk of broccoli sticking out of your pants pocket, a chicken pecking at your belly button, a bunch of grapes hanging from your chest and a toothbrush in your mouth.
• Go Roman. With the Roman room technique, you associate your grocery, to-do or party-invite list with the rooms of your house or the layout of your office, garden or route to work. Again, the zanier the association, the more likely you'll remember it, says Scott. Imagine apples hanging from the chandelier in your foyer, spilled cereal all over the living room couch, shampoo bubbles overflowing in the kitchen sink and cheese on your bedspread.
Brain Freeze #4
"What's my password for this website?"
• Shape your numbers. Assign a shape to each number: 0 looks like a ball or ring; 1 is a pen; 2 is a swan; 3 looks like handcuffs; 4 is a sailboat; 5, a pregnant woman; 6, a pipe; 7, a boomerang; 8, a snowman; and 9, a tennis racket. To remember your ATM PIN (4298, say), imagine yourself on a sailboat (4), when a swan (2) tries to attack you. You hit it with a tennis racket (9), and it turns into a snowman (8). Try forgetting that image!
• Rhyme it. Think of words that rhyme with the numbers 1 through 9 (knee for 3, wine for 9, etc.). Then create a story using the rhyming words: A nun (1) in heaven (7) banged her knee (3), and it became sore (4).
Brain Freeze #5
"The word is on the tip of my tongue."
• Practice your ABCs. Say you just can't remember the name of that movie. Recite the alphabet (aloud or in your head). When you get to the letter R, it should trigger the name that's escaping you: Ratatouille. This trick works when taking tests too.
Brain Freeze #6
"I just can't memorize anything anymore!"
• Read it, type it, say it, hear it. To memorize a speech, toast or test material, read your notes, then type them into the computer. Next, read them aloud and tape-record them. Listen to the recording several times. As you work on memorizing, remember to turn off the TV, unplug your iPod and shut down your computer; you'll retain more.
• Use color. Give your notes some color with bolded headings and bulleted sections (it's easier to remember a red bullet than running text).
• Make a map. Imagine an intersection and mentally place a word, fact or number on each street corner.
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Creative uses for ...well stuff...
Things you didn't know you can do with toothpaste
Clean silverware and jewelery to perfection: the results will amaze you. Simply dab a bit of toothpaste onto a dirty silver ring, for example, rub gently all over, rinse with water and dry. Simple and easy - and no need to use those smelly chemicals.
Treat zits and bug bites: Don't go and smear toothpaste all over yourself... But, it you get stung by a bug or you have an annoying pimple just before an important date - try out the toothpaste. Put a small amount of it on the bite or zit, and leave it to dry. Works wonders, I tell ya!
Save your CDs: This is pure magic. I tried this and was amazed by the results. If you have a CD that is scratched to death, you can use toothpaste to fix it. Watch this video and follow the instructions:
Defog: If you are a scuba diver, then you probably know this trick. New diving masks and swimming goggles get fogged very quickly, and spitting in them before going in the water doesn't always work. Instead of saliva, try toothpaste - rub the paste on the inside of the lenses, rinse well and your vision will be clear.
Remove crayons from walls: Yep, if you have naughty kids, some toothpaste may come in handy. Use it to clean your walls and hope that your children find other ways to express themselves.
Eliminate smell from your hands: Been chopping onions? Can't get rid of the smell? Rub your hands in toothpaste and wash carefully. Smelling of mint is much better, isn't it?
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Unusual Uses For Peanut Butter
Lube it up
Peanut butter is an excellent lubricator. If your lawnmower blades are getting a little tight and rusty – smear on some of the spread and voila – perfect lubrication. This hint is particularly useful because almost every time I need lube, I don’t have any around – but I always have a jar ofpeanut butter in the cupboard. It can be used for virtually all your lubrication needs.
Animal Medicine
If you own a cat or a dog, you will know how hard it can be to get them to take their medication – especially when it is in pill form. Fortunately cats and dogs love peanut butter – so next time you have to give them some medication, mix it up with a spoonful and feed it to them. No more struggling with the animal as you hold its mouth open and try to force feed it a bitter pill.
Butter Replacement
Most recipes that use butter can be cooked with peanut butter instead. In cookies and cakes this can make a wonderful and subtle taste difference. Next time you are making fudge brownies, try usingpeanut butter instead – it will be like eating a huge Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup. You can also stir peanut butter into a sauce instead of butter to give it a nutty finish.
Mousetrap Bait
Mice are not particularly fond of cheese – so it is strange that it is the first food people go for when they are baiting their mousetraps. What most people don’t know is that mice preferpeanut butter – how this has been proven I do not know, but the fact that peanut butter is so much cheaper than cheese, makes this tip a very handy and frugal one. So next time you need to bait a mouse trap, don’t bother loading it with camembert or 5 year aged cheddar, stick on some trustypeanut butter.
Price Tag Removal
Despite the major advances in science in recent years, no one seems to have managed to invent a label that can be removed easily without leaving any glue behind. Fortunately, we havepeanut butter. Rub some of the tasty spread on the label glue and rub with a cloth – it works brilliantly.
De-fish the house
If you have ever fried fish, you will know that it leaves behind a rather unpleasant fishy smell in the house. To help eradicate the smell, take a tablespoon of peanut butter after you have finished frying the fish, drop it in the frying pan and fry it off for a minute or two. The smell of peanut butter is the house is much more enjoyable than stale fish and oil.
Leather Cleaner
Peanut butter is an excellent cleaner for leather furniture. Just rub a small amount on and work it in in a circular motion. Remove with a buffing cloth and there you have it! The caveat to this tip is peanut-butter smelling furniture. To avoid that you might want to mix a little perfume oil in it – but not too much. Also, if you do add the perfume, make sure you don’t mix up your jars or you will end up with a peanut butter and jelly sandwich that tastes like mouth wash.
Yumm! Peanut Butter Cookies
This one doesn’t seem quite so weird, but it is included because these cookies use peanut butter as the main ingredient!
Gum Remover
While it doesn’t happen quite so often to us adults, children often end up with gum in their hair. This would normally be followed up by a lot of tugging and pulling with a comb to remove it, and the eventual chopping of the locks. But what most people don’t realize, is that peanut butter is a perfect “gum remover” – not only will it remove gum from hair, but it will remove it from carpet and any other object that is tainted with the chewy stuff. Just rub somepeanut butter into the gum and you can wipe the whole mess off with a cloth.
Shave with it
Believe it or not, peanut butter makes a great shaving gel. Just apply it like you would apply the gel, and shave as normal. It works just as well and anyone that has bought a container of shaving gel will know, it is a hell of a lot cheaper. The end result is a very smooth shave and, as a bonus, the oils in thepeanut butter are very good for your skin, so you don’t need to spend even more money on moisturizer for your legs or face. You might want to remember to use smooth peanut butter though – the chunky stuff doesn’t work quite as well. If you want to see this in action, a rather foul-mouthed girl has made a youtube clip of herself shaving her legs. You can view it here – but be warned – there is plenty of obscene language so it isn’t safe for work.
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Unusual Uses for Paper Clips
Ever since inventor William D. Middlebrook received a patent for paper clips (the ones we use now) in 1899, they have become a household word. There were other ideas for bent metal fasteners, but Middlebrook's invention was the one that held on. Other than fastening papers together or making great thin metal chains, here are some unusual uses for paper clips.
Unbreakable Bag Closers
I used to buy those plastic "Snack Saver" clips to close up potato chip bags, cereal bags and other food containers. "Snack Savers" are cheap- you can buy 3 on a card for a buck. Unfortunately, I found that "you get what you pay for" because the cheap plastic closers were always breaking. Once I got bright and started using paper clips instead, no more problems! Not only that, but paper clips actually work better for closing bags because they hold them shut tighter!
Zipper Pull Replacement
Here's another use for paper clips that will boggle your mind. When the zipper pull broke off of my favorite winter parka while I was out doing errands, I took it to a local cleaner to have it repaired. The lady behind the counter said she could easily replace the pull in just a few minutes for seven bucks. I thanked her for her time and left. Once I arrived home, I slid the end of a paper clip into the zipper pull and it's worked fine ever since. If you really want to be fancy, you can find a paper clip that matches the color of your coat, but I think silver goes with everything.
Cherry Pit Remover
I've heard of a plunger-type cherry pit remover, but I've never owned one. I find the task much easier to do if you just use a paper clip. You'll need to grab the clip and "unfold" it so it looks like a square "S." Then, push it down into the middle of the cherry until you feel it hit the pit. Hook the curve of the paper clip under the pit, then pull it up and out.
Bathroom Door Key
If you have one of those bathroom door locks that has a small hole in the knob and little kids in the house, then you've probably already found yourself banging on the door begging them to come out. Instead of yelling until you're hoarse, grab a large paper clip, spread it out until it's fairly straight, then stick it into the hole in the knob. The lock will release and you can then get into the bathroom.
Christmas Tree Ornament Hooks
Every year when we take down the Christmas tree and store it all away, I carefully put the ornament hooks back into their small cardboard box. Come next year, do you think I could find that box again? Another unusual use for paper clips is to use them as ornament hooks on your Christmas tree. They're actually stronger than ornament hooks you buy, and I can always find them in my desk!
Reach Electronic Reset Buttons
I think the manufacturers of electronic devices and the makers of paper clips are in cahoots. Why? Have you ever noticed how tiny the holes are on electronic devices where the reset button is located? The instructions tell you to hit the button with a ballpoint pen. I have yet to find one that has a point that reaches in far enough. So, another unusual use for paper clips is to use them to reach the reset buttons on all of your electronic devices.
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Unusual uses for gold
Conductor / Connector
Gold's ability to conduct electricity and facilitate connectivity has been known for decades. Since the 1930s it has been used in telecommunications equipment from fuses to switches. Just about anything electronic contains gold circuits. The microchips in computers, cellphones, even that little locator chip embedded under your pet's skin contains gold. It is common to find 24 ct gold plated electrical adapters and plugs for audio and video cables.
Industrial
The ability to conduct heat, add strength, and reflect light, makes gold a popular industrial element. Gold is used for everything from coatings to lubricants to mouldings in manufacturing. A recent search for gold plated auction items on Ebay.com turned up 38,302 items, mostly jewelry & crafts. Also found were: musical instruments and curling irons. In addition to plating, gold can be found as a glaze, thin leaf, and liquid. In its solid form coins, jewelry and sculpture are prominent.
Imaging
Photos printed in gold produce high quality lasting images. New technology uses gold ink in ink jet printing. High quality compact disks coated in gold resist scratches and last longer.
Implants
Most people associate gold body parts with gold fillings or caps on teeth. It can also be used in medical implants from stents to pace makers because it is resistant to bacteria and deterioration.
Chemical Cleansers
Used as a chemical catalyst, tiny gold particles are used in industrial settings to provide a cleaning mechanism for chemical reactions. It is important for pollution control, energy production and food production.
Beauty Regime
Chinese beauty product manufacturer Umo offers massage cream, facials, and other products containing gold.
Health Supplement
The Japanese originated the tradition of ingesting thin films of gold in beverages and food as a sort of "vitamin". In India and Egypt, it is taken as a powder or a tablet.
Sun Block
Astronauts wear gold coated visors in space, not as a fashion statement, but to protect their eyes from dangerous sun rays. Gold covers many parts of space craft and modules to deflect harmful radiation.
The windows of entire buildings, like the Royal Bank Plaza building in Toronto, are coated in gold to reflect light and decrease utility bills
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Other Uses for WD 40
Lubricates tracks in sticking home windows and makes them easier to open.
Spraying an umbrella stem makes it easier to open and close.
Restores and cleans roof racks on vehicles.
Lubricates and stops squeaks in electric fans.
Lubricates wheel sprockets on tricycles, wagons, and bicycles for easy handling.
Keeps rust from forming on saws and saw blades, and other tools.
Lubricates prosthetic limbs.
Keeps pigeons off the balcony (they hate the smell).
Removes all traces of duct tape.
Florida's favorite use is: "cleans and removes love bugs from grills and bumpers."
If you sprayed WD-40 on the distributor cap, it would displace the moisture and allow the car to start.
It removes black scuff marks from the kitchen floor! Use WD40 for those nasty tar and scuff marks on flooring. It doesn't seem to harm the finish and you won't have to scrub nearly as hard to get them off. Just remember to open some windows if you have a lot of marks. Wash off after use.
Bug guts will eat away the finish on your car if not removed quickly! Use WD40.
(Other uses were discredited by Snopes.com, to see original article, click here)
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Other uses for Bounce Fabric Softner Sheets
Since Bounce is designed to help eliminate static cling, wipe your television screen with a used sheet of Bounce to keep dust from resettling.
Dissolve soap scum from shower doors. Clean with a sheet of Bounce.
Freshen the air in your home. Place an individual sheet of Bounce in a drawer or hang in the closet.
Prevent thread from tangling. Run a threaded needle through a sheet of Bounce before beginning to sew.
Prevent musty suitcases. Place an individual sheet of Bounce inside empty luggage before storing.
Freshen the air in your car. Place a sheet of Bounce under the front seat.
Eliminate static electricity from venetian blinds. Wipe the blinds with a sheet of Bounce to prevent dust from resettling.
Wipe up sawdust from drilling or sand papering. A used sheet of Bounce will collect sawdust like a tack cloth.
Deodorize shoes or sneakers. Place a sheet of Bounce in your shoes or sneakers overnight so they will smell better in the AM.
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Unusual Uses for Hydrogen Peroxide
Besides the odd scraped knee and that one fateful summer where you decided you’d look better as a blonde, you haven’t had much time for the medicine cabinet staple hydrogen peroxide. However, it should be noted that it does have a number of wild and unusual purposes…
But first, a discussion of what exactly this bubbly little solution is: In its purest form, hydrogen peroxide, or H2O2 as it is referred to by chemists and other science-nerds, is actually highly toxic. What you are generally getting when you buy an over-the-counter variety is only 3% hydrogen peroxide, with the rest made up of plain ol’ H2O! Hydrogen peroxide is probably best recognized by its signature brown bottle, which is used not as a marketing strategy, but to actually protect the bottles’ contents, which are highly sensitive to light.
But let’s talk about all of its many uses:
Cranky-sore:
According to folklore, holding a capful of H2O2 in your mouth for one minute daily will prevent you from developing canker sores (mouth ulcers) and will whiten your teeth too! Unfortunately, there have been no credible studies to prove this one, but it is one of those widely-held internet beliefs, with many people swearing up and down that it offers a protective benefit.
Neat Freak:
Certified as an effective sanitizer by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), hydrogen peroxide can be used to disinfect counter tops, chopping boards and other cooking utensils (and it leaves a nice fresh smell too!) Simply dampen a kitchen cloth with the solution or spray directly onto surfaces (just be careful for splash-backs since it will stain your clothes!)
Mold Master:
According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, hydrogen peroxide is among the substances that can be used to rid your home of mold (though even they admit that there really isn’t enough evidence on its efficacy to broadly recommend it as a first line treatment.) Our advice? It might be worth a shot!
Chemical Appeal:
Picked up your produce in a dodgy section of the grocery store? Get it super clean – without harming diners – by using hydrogen peroxide as a vegetable soak. Not only will it remove the pesky dirt, a study published in the Journal of Food and Science suggests that it might remove strains of the stomach-ache inducing E-coli. This solution can also be used to wash meats and poultry.
Super Soap:
Beef up your regular kitchen soap by adding roughly 2 ounces of 3% H2O2 to the bottle. It will add an extra – and safe – sanitizing boost to your everyday dishwashing routine!
Bathing Beauty:
According to alternative therapy practitioners, adding about half a bottle of hydrogen peroxide to a warm bath can help detoxify the body and also help with the immune and eliminative properties of the skin. Our take on all this? We’re skeptical of the claims, but a bath is always a nice way to relax and the addition of hydrogen peroxide will leave you – and the tub – squeaky clean!
Vegetation Avenger:
To avoid chemicals and harmful pesticides, you ditched grocery store produce in favor of growing your own. But then you ran into trouble with insects and had to haul out the industrial spray to fend off the critters. Next time, before disaster strikes, mix up a solution of 10% hydrogen peroxide by diluting 30% hydrogen peroxide (available at a feed store) with water and spray it on vegetation to keep it bug-free and healthy. But please, be extremely careful when handling hydrogen peroxide at these concentration levels as it can burn the skin and severely damage the eyes.
Salad Saver:
Couldn’t finish last night’s tossed salad? Provided there’s no dressing, spray a solution of 1/2 cup water and 1 tablespoon of hydrogen peroxide, drain, cover and refrigerate. According to those in the know, it will prevent wilting and better preserve your salad.
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Great Uses for Vinegar
While we typically use vinegar for salad dressings and pickling, this beneficial acid has a multitude of wonderful household uses. Here are just a few. Be sure to add in your own tips in the comments below!
Better Tasting Coffee
Once a month, brew up a pot of white vinegar. Follow with two cycles of water before steeping your next round of joe. (You can do this for your washing machine as well.)
Rust-free Spigots, Nuts, Bolts, and Tools
Simply soak the rusty item in white vinegar overnight!
Kill Bacteria in Meat
Marinate meat in apple cider vinegar for several hours (or overnight). This brine not only helps make the meat more succulent, but kills bacteria as well!
Keep Boiled Eggs from Cracking
Add in a couple of tablespoons of any vinegar to the water you boil your eggs in. This not only prevents cracks; it makes them easier to peel.
Sore Throat?
Add a few tablespoons of vinegar to your humidifier overnight. Drinking a few tablespoons of apple cider vinegar can help with colds, too.
Dandruff? No problem!
Rather than treating your scalp with harsh, chemical-filled shampoos and treatments, simply rinse your hair in apple cider vinegar for several days in a row and watch your scalp clear up!
Skin Issues
Acne, mosquito bites, rashes, itches, sunburns, and many other skin maladies can be relieved or cleared up – safely and quickly – with a gentle vinegar dabble a few times a day.
Lint-free Clothes
Add one cup of white vinegar to your wash.
House-breaking the Puppy?
Equal parts white vinegar and water will quickly remove urine stains.
Kill Weeds
Avoid the harsh garden chemicals. Kill weeds by pouring white vinegar on cracks and pathways to eliminate pesky plants.---
Unexpected Uses for Beer
There are many different uses for beer besides getting drunk.
There are many useful uses for beer besides drinking it and having fun. Most of us just enjoy drinking beer, but the truth is, it can be used in a variety of different ways. Especially when you don’t want to throw away any extra beer you have. Here are just 10 examples of what you can do with them.
Marinate meat in it – Use beer instead of wine to marinate your meat. Not only does it taste better, but it also makes the meat softer and more tender.
Help grass grow easier – pour beer on those irritating brown spots on your lawns to help your grass grow. The grass absorbs the nutrients, sugar and energy it needs to be able to grow.
Kill slugs & snails – Fill containers or wide-mouthed bottles or something of the sort with beer about a quarter to half way up. Then bury these in your garden. The slugs or snails will be attracted to them and drown.
Kill mice – This may sound a little far-fetched but fill a bucket or pail up about a third of the way with cheap beer with a board or something leading to the rim at the top. The mice, smelling this, will jump in, and not be able to climb out.
Calm a stomach-ache – Just sit down and drink a beer. This carbonated drink will settle your stomach right down. The alcohol helps reduce the pain as well. Don’t use if you have an ulcer or gastritis.
Polish gold – Wet a piece of cloth with some beer and start rubbing your gold (no stones) to get the shine back. Use a second cloth to dry it.
Bathe in it – Add a few cans of beer into your bath. Believe it or not, it will do you good. The yeasts are good for softening and soothing the skin.
Polish wood furniture – Let some beer sit until it goes flat, then, dampen a washcloth with it, and rub your wooden furniture. This will polish it, and give it a more shiny and healthy look.
Cook with it – When boiling shrimp, try using beer for the cooking liquid. Season as you wish, but don’t overcook.
Drink it! :p
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Unusual Uses For Coffee
Coffee is very useful for a whole host of different things that you just would not think about. From using as an ant killer to making compost, cleaning drains to cleaning greasy ashtrays, you will be amazed just what ordinary coffee that you have at home can be used for. Here is my top 10 favorites.
To get rid of ants put used coffee grounds onto the ant hills, this will have to be done for each hill as the pesky things will move to another home.
Kitchen drains tend to get smelly, simply get a cup of coffee grounds and tip down the plughole making sure you tip a kettle of boiling water down slowly & leave to work on the odors.
For a quick fix on fabrics soak garment in strong black un-sugared coffee, this is an inexpensive way to dye clothes brown in an emergency but remember it will not be color fast.
Coffee grounds can be used to clean any stain resistant surface, it has a mild & gentle abrasive element & smells fresh too, particularly good for smelly ashtrays and greasy surfaces.
To help plants to flourish add coffee to your soil, this is best done in small amounts of soil so you can add 1 cup of lime to balance acidity if need be, another way is to empty it straight onto your compost pile with other kitchen waste.
Fishermen, when transporting maggots & worms put them in a container with moist coffee grounds & they will be easier to pick up when you need them & they also like coffee as much as we do so it will make them live longer too.
Coffee can be used as an odor neutralizer if there is a power outage & the food in the freezer defrosts & goes off, simply fill a bowl or two with new or used coffee & leave in the freezer over night.
When it comes to cleaning/sweeping out open fires sprinkle some used coffee grounds over the hearth or wherever you have to clean & it will sweep up easier & stop the coal dust from rising up in your room so better for environment.
Gardeners if you grow carrots add some coffee to your seeds before sowing, not only does this make the seeds easier to sow, the smell also repels root maggots & other pests allowing for thicker juicy carrots.
Many people take exception to neighbors cats using their garden as a toilet, a mixture of used coffee grounds and & orange peel put round plants and in beds you want left alone will provide a pungent smell that cats do not like and so will find someone elses garden to use.
All of the above tips are great ways to use up all the used coffee grounds that would otherwise just be put down the drain or in the bin, why not put it to good use.
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Unusual uses for Coco-Cola
Cola drink has many more uses than just for drinking, here are a few.
Clean oil patches with cola
Grease and oil spilled on your drive will leave dark stains. A very simple way to remove oil stains is to pour cola on them and leave overnight, rinse off with with soapy water the following morning.
The oil will magically have disappeared.
Cleaning a filthy toilet with coke
To clean a really filthy brown stained toilet and bring it back to white, pour down a litre bottle of coke and leave it overnight.
Cola for Mice
Cola can be used as a safe way to kill mice. Pour some in a small container, the mice will drink the cola. Because they can not burp or vomit they will become bloated and die.
Remove road haze from your car windshield with cola
To remove road haze from your car windshield simply clean it using cola. You will be amazed at the results.
Remove rust spots from chrome car bumpers
To remove rust spots from chrome car bumpers: Rub the bumper with a crumpled-up piece of aluminum foil dipped in Coke.
Sunburn relief with cola
To cure effects of overexposure to the sun. (sunstroke) give the patient non diet cola. It works
To clean corrosion from car battery terminals
Pour a can of Coke over the terminals to bubble away the corrosion.
To loosen a rusted bolt, use cola
Applying a cloth soaked in Coke to the rusted bolt for several minutes.
Use cola to bake a moist ham
To bake a moist ham: Empty a can of Coke into the baking pan; wrap the ham in aluminum foil, and bake. Thirty minutes before the ham is finished, remove the foil, allowing the drippings to mix with the Coke for a sumptuous brown gravy. (We use Vernors Ginger Ale in my family)
Use cola to remove grease from clothes
Empty a can of Coke into a load of greasy clothes, add detergent, and run through a regular cycle. The Coke will help loosen grease stains.
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Unusual Uses for Old Business Cards
We Collect Hundreds of Them. What Are They Good For?
A Tooth Pick.
Tear off a corner and fold it into a point. Voila! A Stimudent sans peppermint. A toothpick that cannot and will not puncture your gum by mistake. A quick clean before an appointment.
A Fingernail Cleaner.
You are about to sit down for an important meeting and suddenly realize that there is something noticeably yucky under one or more of your fingernails. Your manicure kit or Swiss Army knife is not handy. An old business card will do the trick!
A Slight Wedge To Balance Furniture, etc.
Folded over on itself, enough times to create the needed depth, the business card can be used to level out the legs of a wobbly chair or table.
Noisemakers For The Wheels Of Your Child's Bike.
When we were kids, we would sometimes clothespin playing cards to the supporting bars of the fenders on our bikes so that the cards would be struck by the spokes on the wheel creating a motorized sound that we liked. Old business cards will do the same thing without destroying the one deck of playing cards you still have lying around the house.
An Impromptu, but Short, Shopping List.
Leaving a few near the refrigerator leaves them handy to jot down items you need to get at the store.
Non-Sticking Post-It Size Notes.
Write brief notes to people. Disposing of the card is then THEIR problem.
A Drawing Media For Kids.
Children enjoy drawing and coloring on different shaped things. Asking a six-year-old to draw one family member on the backs of each of several business cards can give them a half-hour of fun to share and play with.
A new kind of card game
Creating games using the lank backs of the cards to make your own game idea a
reality.
A Tool Of Deception For People You Don't Like.
Carry a few old business cards in your wallet. When you encounter someone you wish you hadn't, hand them one of them as you leave. By the time they figure out (if they do) that it isn't you, you'll be well on your way and the person you are get to get away from will have become someone else's problem. I realize that this one is kind of tricky and perhaps even mean - but decided to include it anyway!
I'm sure there are hundreds of other uses and possibilities. I leave some of them in many different places just in case I need one quickly: In the car, in the small table by the front door of my home, in my wallet and desks at home and at the office. You never know when one will come in handy. Use this list to stimulate your own thinking caps and use those old business cards creatively before they enter the world of (hopefully) paper recycling.
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99 Extraordinary, Creative and Unusual Uses for Ordinary and Everyday Objects
A neat writeup on Life Hackery.com
83 things you can do with a Penny
Many people assume that the penny is no longer good for anything, but not according to members from the forums – there are still a lot of things that you can do with a penny. Here are 83 of them (Disclaimer: Some of these activities involve defacing pennies which may be illegal)
Found at Saving Advice.com
The many uses for gummy bears.
Scientific Experiments
Pranks
Home Decor
Crime
Cake Decorating
Fashion
The Arts
ETC
At Mental Floss.com
Top 5 most creative uses for old CD's
Mini Hovercraft
Disco Ball
CD lamp
Amazing Q-Ball
CD Sculptures
At Tech Blog.com
10 Extraordinary Uses for Sugar
Ordinary white sugar has many uses in and out of the house.
Make Cut Flowers Last Longer
Improve Outdoor Plant Health
Hand Cleaner
Wasp Trap
Soothe a Burned Tongue
Kill Cockroaches
Fly Catcher
Start a Fire
Keep Biscuits and cakes Fresh
At Gomestic.com
Top 10 strange uses for human hair
Wig making
Test Tress Making
Help people grow food
Clean-up Oil Spills
Make clothes
Create furniture
Craft a work of art
Making soy sauce
Nesting material
Crafting a rope
Found at The Beauty Brains.com
50 Great things you Never Knew you Could do with Tennis Balls
Incuding:
Removing scuffs on floors
Protect your surfboard
Pencil holder
Trailer hitch cover
Make a flower
Christmas ornament or snowman
ETC
At Life Hackery.com
69 Techie Uses for Duct Tape
Dust off your computer
Prevent Carpal Tunnel
Make your own mousepad
Rebind your manuals
Keep children away from outlets
ETC
Found at Virtual Hosting.com
Unusual uses for your camcorder
Make small unreadable objects larger through your television
Make a real family album
Use as a driving tool
ETC
At Videomaker.com
30 Uncommon uses for Aluminum Foil
Shine up rusty chrome
Clean your oven
Make your soap last longer
Keep birds out of your fruit trees
Protect your furniture
Steam your silk or wool garments
ETC
At Life Hackery.com
Unusual uses for cling plastic wrap
It's the thing with the cling:It amazingly handy for covering leftovers and, of course, microwave dishes. Here are a few other unique ways to use the stuff.
Preserve paints and spackles. When you're done painting, protect leftover paint from drying up by placing a layer of cling wrap across the top of the can before hammering the lid back on. Another tip: wrap your paintbrush in cling wrap at the end of a day's painting. You can pick up again in the morning, no rinsing, no hassles.
Salvage corked wine. Sounds like a fiction, but this one's true! Screw up a square foot of cling wrap and stuff it into your wine bottle. Swirl gently for five to 10 minutes, depending on how badly "off" the wine tastes. The wrap removes that bitter taint from your beverage.
Pack silverware. Moving? Stop silverware – any flatware, in fact – from clinking, clanking and getting all mixed up. Just use a little cling wrap around the handles of each dozen or so utensils.
Get a non-slip grip. Have slippy plastic handles on your garden tools or kitchen mop? Wrap a length of cling wrap around and around to get a nice, secure grip. It costs nothing and saves your hands from blisters!
Banish frizzies. Get the perfect frizz-free 'do by trying the Saran Wrap hair-drying method. Check out this You Tube clip for a step-by-step tutorial. (Yes, I do wish I had gorgeous hair like this!)
Keep ice cream fresh. If working your way through a carton of ice cream takes you a few weeks or longer, use the cling wrap trick to prevent crystallization. Cover the top tightly with wrap, then replace the lid. If you have a half-gallon-size cardboard carton, wrap the entire thing for long-term storage.
Deny wintery breezes access to your home. In a pinch, a little cling wrap can seal drafty window frames. It's no substitute for weather-proofing strips but, hey, it works and it's inexpensive.
Clean silverware and jewelery to perfection: the results will amaze you. Simply dab a bit of toothpaste onto a dirty silver ring, for example, rub gently all over, rinse with water and dry. Simple and easy - and no need to use those smelly chemicals.
Treat zits and bug bites: Don't go and smear toothpaste all over yourself... But, it you get stung by a bug or you have an annoying pimple just before an important date - try out the toothpaste. Put a small amount of it on the bite or zit, and leave it to dry. Works wonders, I tell ya!
Save your CDs: This is pure magic. I tried this and was amazed by the results. If you have a CD that is scratched to death, you can use toothpaste to fix it. Watch this video and follow the instructions:
Defog: If you are a scuba diver, then you probably know this trick. New diving masks and swimming goggles get fogged very quickly, and spitting in them before going in the water doesn't always work. Instead of saliva, try toothpaste - rub the paste on the inside of the lenses, rinse well and your vision will be clear.
Remove crayons from walls: Yep, if you have naughty kids, some toothpaste may come in handy. Use it to clean your walls and hope that your children find other ways to express themselves.
Eliminate smell from your hands: Been chopping onions? Can't get rid of the smell? Rub your hands in toothpaste and wash carefully. Smelling of mint is much better, isn't it?
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Unusual Uses For Peanut Butter
Lube it up
Peanut butter is an excellent lubricator. If your lawnmower blades are getting a little tight and rusty – smear on some of the spread and voila – perfect lubrication. This hint is particularly useful because almost every time I need lube, I don’t have any around – but I always have a jar ofpeanut butter in the cupboard. It can be used for virtually all your lubrication needs.
Animal Medicine
If you own a cat or a dog, you will know how hard it can be to get them to take their medication – especially when it is in pill form. Fortunately cats and dogs love peanut butter – so next time you have to give them some medication, mix it up with a spoonful and feed it to them. No more struggling with the animal as you hold its mouth open and try to force feed it a bitter pill.
Butter Replacement
Most recipes that use butter can be cooked with peanut butter instead. In cookies and cakes this can make a wonderful and subtle taste difference. Next time you are making fudge brownies, try usingpeanut butter instead – it will be like eating a huge Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup. You can also stir peanut butter into a sauce instead of butter to give it a nutty finish.
Mousetrap Bait
Mice are not particularly fond of cheese – so it is strange that it is the first food people go for when they are baiting their mousetraps. What most people don’t know is that mice preferpeanut butter – how this has been proven I do not know, but the fact that peanut butter is so much cheaper than cheese, makes this tip a very handy and frugal one. So next time you need to bait a mouse trap, don’t bother loading it with camembert or 5 year aged cheddar, stick on some trustypeanut butter.
Price Tag Removal
Despite the major advances in science in recent years, no one seems to have managed to invent a label that can be removed easily without leaving any glue behind. Fortunately, we havepeanut butter. Rub some of the tasty spread on the label glue and rub with a cloth – it works brilliantly.
De-fish the house
If you have ever fried fish, you will know that it leaves behind a rather unpleasant fishy smell in the house. To help eradicate the smell, take a tablespoon of peanut butter after you have finished frying the fish, drop it in the frying pan and fry it off for a minute or two. The smell of peanut butter is the house is much more enjoyable than stale fish and oil.
Leather Cleaner
Peanut butter is an excellent cleaner for leather furniture. Just rub a small amount on and work it in in a circular motion. Remove with a buffing cloth and there you have it! The caveat to this tip is peanut-butter smelling furniture. To avoid that you might want to mix a little perfume oil in it – but not too much. Also, if you do add the perfume, make sure you don’t mix up your jars or you will end up with a peanut butter and jelly sandwich that tastes like mouth wash.
Yumm! Peanut Butter Cookies
This one doesn’t seem quite so weird, but it is included because these cookies use peanut butter as the main ingredient!
Gum Remover
While it doesn’t happen quite so often to us adults, children often end up with gum in their hair. This would normally be followed up by a lot of tugging and pulling with a comb to remove it, and the eventual chopping of the locks. But what most people don’t realize, is that peanut butter is a perfect “gum remover” – not only will it remove gum from hair, but it will remove it from carpet and any other object that is tainted with the chewy stuff. Just rub somepeanut butter into the gum and you can wipe the whole mess off with a cloth.
Shave with it
Believe it or not, peanut butter makes a great shaving gel. Just apply it like you would apply the gel, and shave as normal. It works just as well and anyone that has bought a container of shaving gel will know, it is a hell of a lot cheaper. The end result is a very smooth shave and, as a bonus, the oils in thepeanut butter are very good for your skin, so you don’t need to spend even more money on moisturizer for your legs or face. You might want to remember to use smooth peanut butter though – the chunky stuff doesn’t work quite as well. If you want to see this in action, a rather foul-mouthed girl has made a youtube clip of herself shaving her legs. You can view it here – but be warned – there is plenty of obscene language so it isn’t safe for work.
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Unusual Uses for Paper Clips
Ever since inventor William D. Middlebrook received a patent for paper clips (the ones we use now) in 1899, they have become a household word. There were other ideas for bent metal fasteners, but Middlebrook's invention was the one that held on. Other than fastening papers together or making great thin metal chains, here are some unusual uses for paper clips.
Unbreakable Bag Closers
I used to buy those plastic "Snack Saver" clips to close up potato chip bags, cereal bags and other food containers. "Snack Savers" are cheap- you can buy 3 on a card for a buck. Unfortunately, I found that "you get what you pay for" because the cheap plastic closers were always breaking. Once I got bright and started using paper clips instead, no more problems! Not only that, but paper clips actually work better for closing bags because they hold them shut tighter!
Zipper Pull Replacement
Here's another use for paper clips that will boggle your mind. When the zipper pull broke off of my favorite winter parka while I was out doing errands, I took it to a local cleaner to have it repaired. The lady behind the counter said she could easily replace the pull in just a few minutes for seven bucks. I thanked her for her time and left. Once I arrived home, I slid the end of a paper clip into the zipper pull and it's worked fine ever since. If you really want to be fancy, you can find a paper clip that matches the color of your coat, but I think silver goes with everything.
Cherry Pit Remover
I've heard of a plunger-type cherry pit remover, but I've never owned one. I find the task much easier to do if you just use a paper clip. You'll need to grab the clip and "unfold" it so it looks like a square "S." Then, push it down into the middle of the cherry until you feel it hit the pit. Hook the curve of the paper clip under the pit, then pull it up and out.
Bathroom Door Key
If you have one of those bathroom door locks that has a small hole in the knob and little kids in the house, then you've probably already found yourself banging on the door begging them to come out. Instead of yelling until you're hoarse, grab a large paper clip, spread it out until it's fairly straight, then stick it into the hole in the knob. The lock will release and you can then get into the bathroom.
Christmas Tree Ornament Hooks
Every year when we take down the Christmas tree and store it all away, I carefully put the ornament hooks back into their small cardboard box. Come next year, do you think I could find that box again? Another unusual use for paper clips is to use them as ornament hooks on your Christmas tree. They're actually stronger than ornament hooks you buy, and I can always find them in my desk!
Reach Electronic Reset Buttons
I think the manufacturers of electronic devices and the makers of paper clips are in cahoots. Why? Have you ever noticed how tiny the holes are on electronic devices where the reset button is located? The instructions tell you to hit the button with a ballpoint pen. I have yet to find one that has a point that reaches in far enough. So, another unusual use for paper clips is to use them to reach the reset buttons on all of your electronic devices.
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Unusual uses for gold
Conductor / Connector
Gold's ability to conduct electricity and facilitate connectivity has been known for decades. Since the 1930s it has been used in telecommunications equipment from fuses to switches. Just about anything electronic contains gold circuits. The microchips in computers, cellphones, even that little locator chip embedded under your pet's skin contains gold. It is common to find 24 ct gold plated electrical adapters and plugs for audio and video cables.
Industrial
The ability to conduct heat, add strength, and reflect light, makes gold a popular industrial element. Gold is used for everything from coatings to lubricants to mouldings in manufacturing. A recent search for gold plated auction items on Ebay.com turned up 38,302 items, mostly jewelry & crafts. Also found were: musical instruments and curling irons. In addition to plating, gold can be found as a glaze, thin leaf, and liquid. In its solid form coins, jewelry and sculpture are prominent.
Imaging
Photos printed in gold produce high quality lasting images. New technology uses gold ink in ink jet printing. High quality compact disks coated in gold resist scratches and last longer.
Implants
Most people associate gold body parts with gold fillings or caps on teeth. It can also be used in medical implants from stents to pace makers because it is resistant to bacteria and deterioration.
Chemical Cleansers
Used as a chemical catalyst, tiny gold particles are used in industrial settings to provide a cleaning mechanism for chemical reactions. It is important for pollution control, energy production and food production.
Beauty Regime
Chinese beauty product manufacturer Umo offers massage cream, facials, and other products containing gold.
Health Supplement
The Japanese originated the tradition of ingesting thin films of gold in beverages and food as a sort of "vitamin". In India and Egypt, it is taken as a powder or a tablet.
Sun Block
Astronauts wear gold coated visors in space, not as a fashion statement, but to protect their eyes from dangerous sun rays. Gold covers many parts of space craft and modules to deflect harmful radiation.
The windows of entire buildings, like the Royal Bank Plaza building in Toronto, are coated in gold to reflect light and decrease utility bills
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Other Uses for WD 40
Lubricates tracks in sticking home windows and makes them easier to open.
Spraying an umbrella stem makes it easier to open and close.
Restores and cleans roof racks on vehicles.
Lubricates and stops squeaks in electric fans.
Lubricates wheel sprockets on tricycles, wagons, and bicycles for easy handling.
Keeps rust from forming on saws and saw blades, and other tools.
Lubricates prosthetic limbs.
Keeps pigeons off the balcony (they hate the smell).
Removes all traces of duct tape.
Florida's favorite use is: "cleans and removes love bugs from grills and bumpers."
If you sprayed WD-40 on the distributor cap, it would displace the moisture and allow the car to start.
It removes black scuff marks from the kitchen floor! Use WD40 for those nasty tar and scuff marks on flooring. It doesn't seem to harm the finish and you won't have to scrub nearly as hard to get them off. Just remember to open some windows if you have a lot of marks. Wash off after use.
Bug guts will eat away the finish on your car if not removed quickly! Use WD40.
(Other uses were discredited by Snopes.com, to see original article, click here)
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Other uses for Bounce Fabric Softner Sheets
Since Bounce is designed to help eliminate static cling, wipe your television screen with a used sheet of Bounce to keep dust from resettling.
Dissolve soap scum from shower doors. Clean with a sheet of Bounce.
Freshen the air in your home. Place an individual sheet of Bounce in a drawer or hang in the closet.
Prevent thread from tangling. Run a threaded needle through a sheet of Bounce before beginning to sew.
Prevent musty suitcases. Place an individual sheet of Bounce inside empty luggage before storing.
Freshen the air in your car. Place a sheet of Bounce under the front seat.
Eliminate static electricity from venetian blinds. Wipe the blinds with a sheet of Bounce to prevent dust from resettling.
Wipe up sawdust from drilling or sand papering. A used sheet of Bounce will collect sawdust like a tack cloth.
Deodorize shoes or sneakers. Place a sheet of Bounce in your shoes or sneakers overnight so they will smell better in the AM.
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Unusual Uses for Hydrogen Peroxide
Besides the odd scraped knee and that one fateful summer where you decided you’d look better as a blonde, you haven’t had much time for the medicine cabinet staple hydrogen peroxide. However, it should be noted that it does have a number of wild and unusual purposes…
But first, a discussion of what exactly this bubbly little solution is: In its purest form, hydrogen peroxide, or H2O2 as it is referred to by chemists and other science-nerds, is actually highly toxic. What you are generally getting when you buy an over-the-counter variety is only 3% hydrogen peroxide, with the rest made up of plain ol’ H2O! Hydrogen peroxide is probably best recognized by its signature brown bottle, which is used not as a marketing strategy, but to actually protect the bottles’ contents, which are highly sensitive to light.
But let’s talk about all of its many uses:
Cranky-sore:
According to folklore, holding a capful of H2O2 in your mouth for one minute daily will prevent you from developing canker sores (mouth ulcers) and will whiten your teeth too! Unfortunately, there have been no credible studies to prove this one, but it is one of those widely-held internet beliefs, with many people swearing up and down that it offers a protective benefit.
Neat Freak:
Certified as an effective sanitizer by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), hydrogen peroxide can be used to disinfect counter tops, chopping boards and other cooking utensils (and it leaves a nice fresh smell too!) Simply dampen a kitchen cloth with the solution or spray directly onto surfaces (just be careful for splash-backs since it will stain your clothes!)
Mold Master:
According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, hydrogen peroxide is among the substances that can be used to rid your home of mold (though even they admit that there really isn’t enough evidence on its efficacy to broadly recommend it as a first line treatment.) Our advice? It might be worth a shot!
Chemical Appeal:
Picked up your produce in a dodgy section of the grocery store? Get it super clean – without harming diners – by using hydrogen peroxide as a vegetable soak. Not only will it remove the pesky dirt, a study published in the Journal of Food and Science suggests that it might remove strains of the stomach-ache inducing E-coli. This solution can also be used to wash meats and poultry.
Super Soap:
Beef up your regular kitchen soap by adding roughly 2 ounces of 3% H2O2 to the bottle. It will add an extra – and safe – sanitizing boost to your everyday dishwashing routine!
Bathing Beauty:
According to alternative therapy practitioners, adding about half a bottle of hydrogen peroxide to a warm bath can help detoxify the body and also help with the immune and eliminative properties of the skin. Our take on all this? We’re skeptical of the claims, but a bath is always a nice way to relax and the addition of hydrogen peroxide will leave you – and the tub – squeaky clean!
Vegetation Avenger:
To avoid chemicals and harmful pesticides, you ditched grocery store produce in favor of growing your own. But then you ran into trouble with insects and had to haul out the industrial spray to fend off the critters. Next time, before disaster strikes, mix up a solution of 10% hydrogen peroxide by diluting 30% hydrogen peroxide (available at a feed store) with water and spray it on vegetation to keep it bug-free and healthy. But please, be extremely careful when handling hydrogen peroxide at these concentration levels as it can burn the skin and severely damage the eyes.
Salad Saver:
Couldn’t finish last night’s tossed salad? Provided there’s no dressing, spray a solution of 1/2 cup water and 1 tablespoon of hydrogen peroxide, drain, cover and refrigerate. According to those in the know, it will prevent wilting and better preserve your salad.
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Great Uses for Vinegar
While we typically use vinegar for salad dressings and pickling, this beneficial acid has a multitude of wonderful household uses. Here are just a few. Be sure to add in your own tips in the comments below!
Better Tasting Coffee
Once a month, brew up a pot of white vinegar. Follow with two cycles of water before steeping your next round of joe. (You can do this for your washing machine as well.)
Rust-free Spigots, Nuts, Bolts, and Tools
Simply soak the rusty item in white vinegar overnight!
Kill Bacteria in Meat
Marinate meat in apple cider vinegar for several hours (or overnight). This brine not only helps make the meat more succulent, but kills bacteria as well!
Keep Boiled Eggs from Cracking
Add in a couple of tablespoons of any vinegar to the water you boil your eggs in. This not only prevents cracks; it makes them easier to peel.
Sore Throat?
Add a few tablespoons of vinegar to your humidifier overnight. Drinking a few tablespoons of apple cider vinegar can help with colds, too.
Dandruff? No problem!
Rather than treating your scalp with harsh, chemical-filled shampoos and treatments, simply rinse your hair in apple cider vinegar for several days in a row and watch your scalp clear up!
Skin Issues
Acne, mosquito bites, rashes, itches, sunburns, and many other skin maladies can be relieved or cleared up – safely and quickly – with a gentle vinegar dabble a few times a day.
Lint-free Clothes
Add one cup of white vinegar to your wash.
House-breaking the Puppy?
Equal parts white vinegar and water will quickly remove urine stains.
Kill Weeds
Avoid the harsh garden chemicals. Kill weeds by pouring white vinegar on cracks and pathways to eliminate pesky plants.---
Unexpected Uses for Beer
There are many different uses for beer besides getting drunk.
There are many useful uses for beer besides drinking it and having fun. Most of us just enjoy drinking beer, but the truth is, it can be used in a variety of different ways. Especially when you don’t want to throw away any extra beer you have. Here are just 10 examples of what you can do with them.
Marinate meat in it – Use beer instead of wine to marinate your meat. Not only does it taste better, but it also makes the meat softer and more tender.
Help grass grow easier – pour beer on those irritating brown spots on your lawns to help your grass grow. The grass absorbs the nutrients, sugar and energy it needs to be able to grow.
Kill slugs & snails – Fill containers or wide-mouthed bottles or something of the sort with beer about a quarter to half way up. Then bury these in your garden. The slugs or snails will be attracted to them and drown.
Kill mice – This may sound a little far-fetched but fill a bucket or pail up about a third of the way with cheap beer with a board or something leading to the rim at the top. The mice, smelling this, will jump in, and not be able to climb out.
Calm a stomach-ache – Just sit down and drink a beer. This carbonated drink will settle your stomach right down. The alcohol helps reduce the pain as well. Don’t use if you have an ulcer or gastritis.
Polish gold – Wet a piece of cloth with some beer and start rubbing your gold (no stones) to get the shine back. Use a second cloth to dry it.
Bathe in it – Add a few cans of beer into your bath. Believe it or not, it will do you good. The yeasts are good for softening and soothing the skin.
Polish wood furniture – Let some beer sit until it goes flat, then, dampen a washcloth with it, and rub your wooden furniture. This will polish it, and give it a more shiny and healthy look.
Cook with it – When boiling shrimp, try using beer for the cooking liquid. Season as you wish, but don’t overcook.
Drink it! :p
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Unusual Uses For Coffee
Coffee is very useful for a whole host of different things that you just would not think about. From using as an ant killer to making compost, cleaning drains to cleaning greasy ashtrays, you will be amazed just what ordinary coffee that you have at home can be used for. Here is my top 10 favorites.
To get rid of ants put used coffee grounds onto the ant hills, this will have to be done for each hill as the pesky things will move to another home.
Kitchen drains tend to get smelly, simply get a cup of coffee grounds and tip down the plughole making sure you tip a kettle of boiling water down slowly & leave to work on the odors.
For a quick fix on fabrics soak garment in strong black un-sugared coffee, this is an inexpensive way to dye clothes brown in an emergency but remember it will not be color fast.
Coffee grounds can be used to clean any stain resistant surface, it has a mild & gentle abrasive element & smells fresh too, particularly good for smelly ashtrays and greasy surfaces.
To help plants to flourish add coffee to your soil, this is best done in small amounts of soil so you can add 1 cup of lime to balance acidity if need be, another way is to empty it straight onto your compost pile with other kitchen waste.
Fishermen, when transporting maggots & worms put them in a container with moist coffee grounds & they will be easier to pick up when you need them & they also like coffee as much as we do so it will make them live longer too.
Coffee can be used as an odor neutralizer if there is a power outage & the food in the freezer defrosts & goes off, simply fill a bowl or two with new or used coffee & leave in the freezer over night.
When it comes to cleaning/sweeping out open fires sprinkle some used coffee grounds over the hearth or wherever you have to clean & it will sweep up easier & stop the coal dust from rising up in your room so better for environment.
Gardeners if you grow carrots add some coffee to your seeds before sowing, not only does this make the seeds easier to sow, the smell also repels root maggots & other pests allowing for thicker juicy carrots.
Many people take exception to neighbors cats using their garden as a toilet, a mixture of used coffee grounds and & orange peel put round plants and in beds you want left alone will provide a pungent smell that cats do not like and so will find someone elses garden to use.
All of the above tips are great ways to use up all the used coffee grounds that would otherwise just be put down the drain or in the bin, why not put it to good use.
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Unusual uses for Coco-Cola
Cola drink has many more uses than just for drinking, here are a few.
Clean oil patches with cola
Grease and oil spilled on your drive will leave dark stains. A very simple way to remove oil stains is to pour cola on them and leave overnight, rinse off with with soapy water the following morning.
The oil will magically have disappeared.
Cleaning a filthy toilet with coke
To clean a really filthy brown stained toilet and bring it back to white, pour down a litre bottle of coke and leave it overnight.
Cola for Mice
Cola can be used as a safe way to kill mice. Pour some in a small container, the mice will drink the cola. Because they can not burp or vomit they will become bloated and die.
Remove road haze from your car windshield with cola
To remove road haze from your car windshield simply clean it using cola. You will be amazed at the results.
Remove rust spots from chrome car bumpers
To remove rust spots from chrome car bumpers: Rub the bumper with a crumpled-up piece of aluminum foil dipped in Coke.
Sunburn relief with cola
To cure effects of overexposure to the sun. (sunstroke) give the patient non diet cola. It works
To clean corrosion from car battery terminals
Pour a can of Coke over the terminals to bubble away the corrosion.
To loosen a rusted bolt, use cola
Applying a cloth soaked in Coke to the rusted bolt for several minutes.
Use cola to bake a moist ham
To bake a moist ham: Empty a can of Coke into the baking pan; wrap the ham in aluminum foil, and bake. Thirty minutes before the ham is finished, remove the foil, allowing the drippings to mix with the Coke for a sumptuous brown gravy. (We use Vernors Ginger Ale in my family)
Use cola to remove grease from clothes
Empty a can of Coke into a load of greasy clothes, add detergent, and run through a regular cycle. The Coke will help loosen grease stains.
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Unusual Uses for Old Business Cards
We Collect Hundreds of Them. What Are They Good For?
A Tooth Pick.
Tear off a corner and fold it into a point. Voila! A Stimudent sans peppermint. A toothpick that cannot and will not puncture your gum by mistake. A quick clean before an appointment.
A Fingernail Cleaner.
You are about to sit down for an important meeting and suddenly realize that there is something noticeably yucky under one or more of your fingernails. Your manicure kit or Swiss Army knife is not handy. An old business card will do the trick!
A Slight Wedge To Balance Furniture, etc.
Folded over on itself, enough times to create the needed depth, the business card can be used to level out the legs of a wobbly chair or table.
Noisemakers For The Wheels Of Your Child's Bike.
When we were kids, we would sometimes clothespin playing cards to the supporting bars of the fenders on our bikes so that the cards would be struck by the spokes on the wheel creating a motorized sound that we liked. Old business cards will do the same thing without destroying the one deck of playing cards you still have lying around the house.
An Impromptu, but Short, Shopping List.
Leaving a few near the refrigerator leaves them handy to jot down items you need to get at the store.
Non-Sticking Post-It Size Notes.
Write brief notes to people. Disposing of the card is then THEIR problem.
A Drawing Media For Kids.
Children enjoy drawing and coloring on different shaped things. Asking a six-year-old to draw one family member on the backs of each of several business cards can give them a half-hour of fun to share and play with.
A new kind of card game
Creating games using the lank backs of the cards to make your own game idea a
reality.
A Tool Of Deception For People You Don't Like.
Carry a few old business cards in your wallet. When you encounter someone you wish you hadn't, hand them one of them as you leave. By the time they figure out (if they do) that it isn't you, you'll be well on your way and the person you are get to get away from will have become someone else's problem. I realize that this one is kind of tricky and perhaps even mean - but decided to include it anyway!
I'm sure there are hundreds of other uses and possibilities. I leave some of them in many different places just in case I need one quickly: In the car, in the small table by the front door of my home, in my wallet and desks at home and at the office. You never know when one will come in handy. Use this list to stimulate your own thinking caps and use those old business cards creatively before they enter the world of (hopefully) paper recycling.
---
99 Extraordinary, Creative and Unusual Uses for Ordinary and Everyday Objects
A neat writeup on Life Hackery.com
83 things you can do with a Penny
Many people assume that the penny is no longer good for anything, but not according to members from the forums – there are still a lot of things that you can do with a penny. Here are 83 of them (Disclaimer: Some of these activities involve defacing pennies which may be illegal)
Found at Saving Advice.com
The many uses for gummy bears.
Scientific Experiments
Pranks
Home Decor
Crime
Cake Decorating
Fashion
The Arts
ETC
At Mental Floss.com
Top 5 most creative uses for old CD's
Mini Hovercraft
Disco Ball
CD lamp
Amazing Q-Ball
CD Sculptures
At Tech Blog.com
10 Extraordinary Uses for Sugar
Ordinary white sugar has many uses in and out of the house.
Make Cut Flowers Last Longer
Improve Outdoor Plant Health
Hand Cleaner
Wasp Trap
Soothe a Burned Tongue
Kill Cockroaches
Fly Catcher
Start a Fire
Keep Biscuits and cakes Fresh
At Gomestic.com
Top 10 strange uses for human hair
Wig making
Test Tress Making
Help people grow food
Clean-up Oil Spills
Make clothes
Create furniture
Craft a work of art
Making soy sauce
Nesting material
Crafting a rope
Found at The Beauty Brains.com
50 Great things you Never Knew you Could do with Tennis Balls
Incuding:
Removing scuffs on floors
Protect your surfboard
Pencil holder
Trailer hitch cover
Make a flower
Christmas ornament or snowman
ETC
At Life Hackery.com
69 Techie Uses for Duct Tape
Dust off your computer
Prevent Carpal Tunnel
Make your own mousepad
Rebind your manuals
Keep children away from outlets
ETC
Found at Virtual Hosting.com
Unusual uses for your camcorder
Make small unreadable objects larger through your television
Make a real family album
Use as a driving tool
ETC
At Videomaker.com
30 Uncommon uses for Aluminum Foil
Shine up rusty chrome
Clean your oven
Make your soap last longer
Keep birds out of your fruit trees
Protect your furniture
Steam your silk or wool garments
ETC
At Life Hackery.com
Unusual uses for cling plastic wrap
It's the thing with the cling:It amazingly handy for covering leftovers and, of course, microwave dishes. Here are a few other unique ways to use the stuff.
Preserve paints and spackles. When you're done painting, protect leftover paint from drying up by placing a layer of cling wrap across the top of the can before hammering the lid back on. Another tip: wrap your paintbrush in cling wrap at the end of a day's painting. You can pick up again in the morning, no rinsing, no hassles.
Salvage corked wine. Sounds like a fiction, but this one's true! Screw up a square foot of cling wrap and stuff it into your wine bottle. Swirl gently for five to 10 minutes, depending on how badly "off" the wine tastes. The wrap removes that bitter taint from your beverage.
Pack silverware. Moving? Stop silverware – any flatware, in fact – from clinking, clanking and getting all mixed up. Just use a little cling wrap around the handles of each dozen or so utensils.
Get a non-slip grip. Have slippy plastic handles on your garden tools or kitchen mop? Wrap a length of cling wrap around and around to get a nice, secure grip. It costs nothing and saves your hands from blisters!
Banish frizzies. Get the perfect frizz-free 'do by trying the Saran Wrap hair-drying method. Check out this You Tube clip for a step-by-step tutorial. (Yes, I do wish I had gorgeous hair like this!)
Keep ice cream fresh. If working your way through a carton of ice cream takes you a few weeks or longer, use the cling wrap trick to prevent crystallization. Cover the top tightly with wrap, then replace the lid. If you have a half-gallon-size cardboard carton, wrap the entire thing for long-term storage.
Deny wintery breezes access to your home. In a pinch, a little cling wrap can seal drafty window frames. It's no substitute for weather-proofing strips but, hey, it works and it's inexpensive.
Friday, September 26, 2008
Coincidence or Conspiracy?
Have a history teacher explain this if you don't believe it!
BUT!!! There's ONE thing that is blatantly WRONG.
BUT!!! There's ONE thing that is blatantly WRONG.
Can you find that fact? DO YOUR HOMEWORK!
Abraham Lincoln was elected to Congress in 1846.
John F. Kennedy was elected to Congress in 1946.
Abraham Lincoln was elected President in 1860.
John F. Kennedy was elected President in 1960.
Both were particularly concerned with civil rights.
Both Presidents were shot on a Friday.
Both Presidents were shot in the head.
Now it gets really weird.
Lincoln's secretary was named Kennedy.
Kennedy's Secretary was named Lincoln.
Both were assassinated by Southerners.
Both were succeeded by Southerners named Johnson.
Andrew Johnson, who succeeded Lincoln, was born in 1808.
Lyndon Johnson, who succeeded Kennedy, was born in 1908.
John Wilkes Booth, who assassinated Lincoln, was born in 1839.
Lee Harvey Oswald, who assassinated Kennedy, was born in 1939.
Both assassins were known by their three names.
Both names are composed of fifteen letters.
Now hang on to your seat.
Lincoln was shot at the theater named "Ford."
Kennedy was shot in a "Lincoln" car, manufactured by "Ford."
Lincoln was shot in a theater and his assassin ran and hid in a warehouse.
Kennedy was shot from a warehouse and his assassin ran and hid in a theater.
Booth and Oswald were assassinated before their trials.
And here's the kicker...
A week before Lincoln was shot, he was in Monroe, Maryland.
A week before Kennedy was shot, he was with Marilyn Monroe.
Abraham Lincoln was elected to Congress in 1846.
John F. Kennedy was elected to Congress in 1946.
Abraham Lincoln was elected President in 1860.
John F. Kennedy was elected President in 1960.
Both were particularly concerned with civil rights.
Both Presidents were shot on a Friday.
Both Presidents were shot in the head.
Now it gets really weird.
Lincoln's secretary was named Kennedy.
Kennedy's Secretary was named Lincoln.
Both were assassinated by Southerners.
Both were succeeded by Southerners named Johnson.
Andrew Johnson, who succeeded Lincoln, was born in 1808.
Lyndon Johnson, who succeeded Kennedy, was born in 1908.
John Wilkes Booth, who assassinated Lincoln, was born in 1839.
Lee Harvey Oswald, who assassinated Kennedy, was born in 1939.
Both assassins were known by their three names.
Both names are composed of fifteen letters.
Now hang on to your seat.
Lincoln was shot at the theater named "Ford."
Kennedy was shot in a "Lincoln" car, manufactured by "Ford."
Lincoln was shot in a theater and his assassin ran and hid in a warehouse.
Kennedy was shot from a warehouse and his assassin ran and hid in a theater.
Booth and Oswald were assassinated before their trials.
And here's the kicker...
A week before Lincoln was shot, he was in Monroe, Maryland.
A week before Kennedy was shot, he was with Marilyn Monroe.
Monday, September 22, 2008
Things That Irritate a Sane Person
A piece of foil candy wrapper makes electrical contact with your filling.
A station comes in brilliantly when you're standing near the radio, but buzzes, drifts and spits every time you move away.
It's bad enough that you step in dog poop, but you don't realize it till you walk across your living room rug.
People behind you in a supermarket line dash ahead of you to a counter just opening up.
People who ask "Can I ask you a question?"
People who point at their wrist while asking for the time.
The car behind you blasts its horn because you let a pedestrian finish crossing.
The elevator stops on every floor and nobody gets on.
The person behind you in the supermarket runs his cart into the back of your ankle.
The radio station doesn't tell you who sang that song.
The tiny red string on the Band-Aid wrapper never works for you.
There are always one or two ice cubes that won't pop out of the tray.
There's a dog in the neighborhood that barks at EVERYTHING.
There's always a car riding your tail when you're slowing down to find an address.
Three hours and three meetings after lunch you look in the mirror and discover a piece of parsley stuck to your front tooth.
When you need a salesperson, you can never find one.
You can never put anything back in a box the way it came.
You can't look up the correct spelling of a word in the dictionary because you don't know how to spell it.
You drink from a soda can into which someone has extinguished a cigarette.
You had that pen in your hand only a second ago, and now you can't find it.
You have to inform five different sales people in the same store that you're just browsing.
You have to try on a pair of sunglasses with that stupid little plastic thing in the middle of them.
You open a can of soup and the lid falls in.
You reach under the table to pick something off the floor and smash your head on the way up.
You rub on hand cream and can't turn the bathroom doorknob to get out.
You set the alarm on your digital clock for 7pm instead of 7am.
You slice your tongue licking an envelope.
You wash a garment with a tissue in the pocket and your entire laundry comes out covered with lint.
Your glasses slide off your ears when you perspire.
Your tire gauge lets out half the air while you're trying to get a reading.
A station comes in brilliantly when you're standing near the radio, but buzzes, drifts and spits every time you move away.
It's bad enough that you step in dog poop, but you don't realize it till you walk across your living room rug.
People behind you in a supermarket line dash ahead of you to a counter just opening up.
People who ask "Can I ask you a question?"
People who point at their wrist while asking for the time.
The car behind you blasts its horn because you let a pedestrian finish crossing.
The elevator stops on every floor and nobody gets on.
The person behind you in the supermarket runs his cart into the back of your ankle.
The radio station doesn't tell you who sang that song.
The tiny red string on the Band-Aid wrapper never works for you.
There are always one or two ice cubes that won't pop out of the tray.
There's a dog in the neighborhood that barks at EVERYTHING.
There's always a car riding your tail when you're slowing down to find an address.
Three hours and three meetings after lunch you look in the mirror and discover a piece of parsley stuck to your front tooth.
When you need a salesperson, you can never find one.
You can never put anything back in a box the way it came.
You can't look up the correct spelling of a word in the dictionary because you don't know how to spell it.
You drink from a soda can into which someone has extinguished a cigarette.
You had that pen in your hand only a second ago, and now you can't find it.
You have to inform five different sales people in the same store that you're just browsing.
You have to try on a pair of sunglasses with that stupid little plastic thing in the middle of them.
You open a can of soup and the lid falls in.
You reach under the table to pick something off the floor and smash your head on the way up.
You rub on hand cream and can't turn the bathroom doorknob to get out.
You set the alarm on your digital clock for 7pm instead of 7am.
You slice your tongue licking an envelope.
You wash a garment with a tissue in the pocket and your entire laundry comes out covered with lint.
Your glasses slide off your ears when you perspire.
Your tire gauge lets out half the air while you're trying to get a reading.
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