I learned decades ago how to stop hiccups (with a high success rate). Have someone trace letters and numbers on your back. Trying to figure out the numbers forces you to concentrate and relax the spasms in the diaphragm.
What is one of your favorite life hacks?
Quote from: MightyGiants on January 27, 2025, 10:34:15 AMI learned decades ago how to stop hiccups (with a high success rate). Have someone trace letters and numbers on your back. Trying to figure out the numbers forces you to concentrate and relax the spasms in the diaphragm.
What is one of your favorite life hacks?
Rich: Never heard that one before, but I'll be sure to remember it. Mine is never bet on pro sports. lol
Quote from: Bob In PA on January 27, 2025, 12:14:32 PMRich: Never heard that one before, but I'll be sure to remember it. Mine is never bet on pro sports. lol
It's funny, the woman I learned it from heard it from her college professor. I have seen it work very well over the years, yet it is still a trick few have ever heard of.
As for sports betting, the closest I come is buying boxes for the Super Bowl (which often is the only thing to make the game remotely exciting). From my perspective, I don't understand how betting can be addictive. It's one of the biggest non-activities in my life. I have gone to casinos, and I have gone to the track. I have gambled, and won some and lost some, but I never had any sort of feeling from it that I would say was even remotely addictive.
Positivity and gratitude.
Having an optimistic outlook on any situation and being grateful for the present are my favorite life hacks.
I'm a huge fan of the 4-7-8 breathing technique to fall asleep. It works incredibly well.
The technique is simple:
-Breathe in through the nose for four seconds
-Hold your breath for seven seconds
-Exhale through the mouth for 8 seconds.
-Repeat.
When I do this, I actively feel my heart rate slowing down. By forcing your mind to keep an accurate count of the seconds, you basically clear it of all other thoughts. Whatever thought clutter was on your mind before you started is cleared away, because you need the mental space to keep the count. The deep, slow breathing further relaxes you. It is simple but remarkably effective. I find it usually takes no more than five or six repetitions, and I'm out.
Here's a good quick tutorial:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VSgRAJX9gUc
Letting your wife think she is always right.
Works Everytime.
A few that work, but beware
1) Squeeze bottle ketchup: People automatically squeeze the bottle from the two flat/soft sides. To do it right (or so says the life hack author), you must "squeeze the bottle from the two rounded/hard sides". So I tried it and lo and behold, it worked like magic. It creates a vacuum the pulls the ketchup out instead of being pushed out. Beware: man o man does it work...and once it starts, you can't stop it. It will empty the entire bottle if you don't quickly turn it upright. In my experience, I smothered a hamburger in ketchup before I realized what was happening. It ruined the burger (fixable by using a knife and scraping most of it off), made a mess of my kitchen counter all the way to the sink where it was still coming out. Bottom line: it definitely works, but use caution
2) Opening theft-proof plastic enclosed items. Instead of trying to rip them open with your hands (rarely works and is known to draw blood), or using a sharp knife that is likely to find its way into your flesh... use a can opener to cut around the edges. In my experience, it doesn't work all that well, depending on the package
3) Removing a splinter: put a drop of Elmer's Glue on the sliver...let it dry...peel off
4) As a math major, this one is actually very useful: "25% of 19 is the same as 19% of 25. Percentages are reversible, and one is usually much easier to figure out than the other one."
5) Continuing on the math side of things: People who have a good understanding of ratios, know that trigonometry is the easiest subject among advanced mathematics. Teachers confuse the crap out of kids by teaching the "wrapping function" (every 𝜋 wraps halfway around the circle counterclockwise and every -𝜋 wraps halfway around the circle clockwise, etc) which is confusing, and does more to make kids hate math, than to learn it and find it fun...or at least interesting. In trig, every thing you'll ever use in life is simply understanding ratios. I taught my kids when they were young to understand that ratios can be expressed in many ways...ex: 2:5, 2/5, 2⟌ 5, 5÷2, .400, 40%, etc. Now, when it comes to trig, there are usually two knowns and one unknown. That unknown is nothing more than a ratio of the other two and it is expressed in a sine, cosine, or tangent chart, depending on the two knowns and the one known angle. The ratio is simply expressed like sine .3584, or cosine .9336, or tangent .3839. Use a calculator, multiply the number, and you'll have the answer in a nanosecond. Isn't math fun? :yes:
6) If you are making a soup or stew, and it tastes too salty, throw in a couple of potatoes that will soak up the salt, then pull out the potatoes and throw them in the garbage...meal saved
7) If working on a car engine or other job where your hands get covered in grease, Dawn liquid soap works better than any of the products advertised for getting grease and dirt off your hands. Works great for me anyway
8) Having trouble opening a tight jar lid? Run the lid under hot water for a half minute or so. The heat will cause the metal lid to expand (thermal expansion of solids is just physics in action). Dry and try again, should turn right off. Does for me anyway
Quote from: DaveBrown74 on January 27, 2025, 05:45:28 PMI'm a huge fan of the 4-7-8 breathing technique to fall asleep. It works incredibly well.
The technique is simple:
-Breathe in through the nose for four seconds
-Hold your breath for seven seconds
-Exhale through the mouth for 8 seconds.
-Repeat.
When I do this, I actively feel my heart rate slowing down. By forcing your mind to keep an accurate count of the seconds, you basically clear it of all other thoughts. Whatever thought clutter was on your mind before you started is cleared away, because you need the mental space to keep the count. The deep, slow breathing further relaxes you. It is simple but remarkably effective. I find it usually takes no more than five or six repetitions, and I'm out.
Here's a good quick tutorial:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VSgRAJX9gUc
I count from 100 backwards and visualize the number while thinking of a football or baseball player who had/has that number. If you get to Ken Boswell or Al Weiss, you probably shouldn't have had that late cup of coffee. If you get to Nabors, it's gonna be a long night. lol
Quote from: Ed Vette on February 07, 2025, 07:03:44 AMI count from 100 backwards and visualize the number while thinking of a football or baseball player who had/has that number. If you get to Ken Boswell or Al Weiss, you probably shouldn't have had that late cup of coffee. If you get to Nabors, it's gonna be a long night. lol
I'm giving you a "Thumbs Up" for this for Ken Boswell & Al Weiss! Names I haven't heard in ages :ok: :yes:
Quote from: ozzie on February 07, 2025, 08:44:47 AMI'm giving you a "Thumbs Up" for this for Ken Boswell & Al Weiss! Names I haven't heard in ages :ok: :yes:
The Mighty Mite 6
And Boswell 12
Quote from: DaveBrown74 on January 27, 2025, 05:45:28 PMI'm a huge fan of the 4-7-8 breathing technique to fall asleep. It works incredibly well.
The technique is simple:
-Breathe in through the nose for four seconds
-Hold your breath for seven seconds
-Exhale through the mouth for 8 seconds.
-Repeat.
When I do this, I actively feel my heart rate slowing down. By forcing your mind to keep an accurate count of the seconds, you basically clear it of all other thoughts. Whatever thought clutter was on your mind before you started is cleared away, because you need the mental space to keep the count. The deep, slow breathing further relaxes you. It is simple but remarkably effective. I find it usually takes no more than five or six repetitions, and I'm out.
Here's a good quick tutorial:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VSgRAJX9gUc
I struggled when I tried this. The normal respiration rate for an adult is 12 to 20 breaths a minute. When you add up the three legs, that's nearly 20 seconds (19 actually), which works out to 3 breaths a minute. That's way too slow for me
If you have dry crusty bird poop on your car and you want to remove it easily, place a rag sopping wet with water on it and let it sit there for about a half hour. It will wipe away easily and won't scratch the paint.
I lift weights 2-3 times a week. I'm turning 71 next week so I can't bench press half of what I did in my twenties but that is ok. This habit makes me feel a bit more youthful and who knows, it may delay the day my son puts me in the nursing home.
Quote from: squibber on February 07, 2025, 11:57:47 AMIf you have dry crusty bird poop on your car and you want to remove it easily, place a rag sopping wet with water on it and let it sit there for about a half hour. It will wipe away easily and won't scratch the paint.
I lift weights 2-3 times a week. I'm turning 71 next week so I can't bench press half of what I did in my twenties but that is ok. This habit makes me feel a bit more youthful and who knows, it may delay the day my son puts me in the nursing home.
I get rid of the bird poop as soon as I see it, because I don't want the paint damaged.
Bravo on the weightlifting. Ironically, I think people get more benefit from lifting weights when they are older than when they are younger. Yet, older weightlifters are rare.
Quote from: MightyGiants on February 07, 2025, 12:50:27 PMI get rid of the bird poop as soon as I see it, because I don't want the paint damaged.
Bravo on the weightlifting. Ironically, I think people get more benefit from lifting weights when they are older than when they are younger. Yet, older weightlifters are rare.
Birds and I have an understanding. I don't park under trees and they don't xxxx on my car.
Quote from: Ed Vette on February 07, 2025, 02:14:58 PMBirds and I have an understanding. I don't park under trees and they don't xxxx on my car.
The other week on my Saturday walk, there wasn't a tree within a hundred yards of me, and some bird xxxx on me :cuss:
Quote from: MightyGiants on February 07, 2025, 02:17:19 PMThe other week on my Saturday walk, there wasn't a tree within a hundred yards of me, and some bird xxxx on me :cuss:
That's a sign of good luck. Or... birds just hate you. Watch out for crows stalking you. They swarm.
Quote from: MightyGiants on February 07, 2025, 11:12:36 AMI struggled when I tried this. The normal respiration rate for an adult is 12 to 20 breaths a minute. When you add up the three legs, that's nearly 20 seconds (19 actually), which works out to 3 breaths a minute. That's way too slow for me
I know what you mean and it takes a little getting used to. The key is breathing very deeply on the four seconds part. You need to really fill up with oxygen on that part. The deep breathing itself is part of the relaxation process. I find that it's just enough time without feeling strained. It definitely works for me, although it took a few nights of practice before I felt like I got it down.
I knew it was a legit technique when I could feel my heart rate physically slowing down in the middle of it. The other part of it that I think is important is the mental count. By counting the seconds out one by one in your mind, you simply have no choice but to focus exclusively on that. So any "thought clutter" that was going on in your mind prior to the process is literally forced out. That's a big part of it for me.
This is me with birds.
https://youtu.be/CUUKrHO3wZU?si=fxOxME40NI2GgyGy
I don't park under trees in my driveway but I got a lot of bird droppings after we moved to a more rural location. I must be in a flight path for mostly small birds. It's not uncommon to talk to my car and find a dozen or so droppings on it.
Quote from: squibber on February 08, 2025, 11:25:23 AMThis is me with birds.
https://youtu.be/CUUKrHO3wZU?si=fxOxME40NI2GgyGy
=))
Great movie also. :ok: :ok: :ok: :ok:
I mentioned this to my son and he sent me a bunch. Here are a few
(https://i.postimg.cc/KzvY6KvF/14.webp)
(https://i.postimg.cc/hvNPQp8P/16.webp)
(https://i.postimg.cc/9XkfkQ35/24.jpg)
(https://i.postimg.cc/y848VpYL/25.jpg)
(https://i.postimg.cc/1zMmr90d/31.webp)
(https://i.postimg.cc/QCKjDcLL/32.webp)
(https://i.postimg.cc/9Xs77pQ7/38-366x1024.webp)
(https://i.postimg.cc/xdjJ2ptW/52-How-to-open-a-bottle-if-you-dont-have-a-corkscrew.webp)
(https://i.postimg.cc/nc8Xzh3K/57.webp)
(https://i.postimg.cc/m2QtFWnv/61.webp)
(https://i.postimg.cc/SxdRD7kV/67.webp)
(https://i.postimg.cc/YSy9wr4W/74.jpg)
My one and only bird story:
Driving down the highway about 60 MPH, feeling pretty uppity in my spanking new '99 Buick Riviera. Not the best or favorite car I ever owned, but certainly the one with the most far-fetched luxury
(https://i.postimg.cc/vTYxYfLB/8a7393014d6a7818172b786709897924.jpg) (https://postimages.org/)
When a splat hit my windshield the size of a cow plop. It covered the whole windshield and a good portion of my hood. I couldn't even see where I was going. To this day, I have no idea what kind of bird dropped its load on me...maybe a goose, maybe an eagle :-??
I had to pull over and get some stuff out of the trunk in order to clear away a spot where I could see well enough to go straight to the car wash. It actually left me shaking
That cupcake idea is something I will use. Having a mustache, I always refuse cupcakes because half the frosting ends up in my stache
Quote from: Jolly Blue Giant on February 08, 2025, 12:54:11 PMMy one and only bird story:
Driving down the highway about 60 MPH, feeling pretty uppity in my spanking new '99 Buick Riviera. Not the best or favorite car I ever owned, but certainly the one with the most far-fetched luxury
(https://i.postimg.cc/vTYxYfLB/8a7393014d6a7818172b786709897924.jpg) (https://postimages.org/)
When a splat hit my windshield the size of a cow plop. It covered the whole windshield and a good portion of my hood. I couldn't even see where I was going. To this day, I have no idea what kind of bird dropped its load on me...maybe a goose, maybe an eagle :-??
I had to pull over and get some stuff out of the trunk in order to clear away a spot where I could see well enough to go straight to the car wash. It actually left me shaking
(https://i.postimg.cc/kX1jsTdH/115112518-dinobird.jpg)
Quote from: Sem on February 08, 2025, 01:02:59 PM(https://i.postimg.cc/kX1jsTdH/115112518-dinobird.jpg)
I think that bird plays records with his beak too. Ask Fred or Barney.
Quote from: squibber on February 08, 2025, 10:16:14 PMI think that bird plays records with his beak too. Ask Fred or Barney.
Yes!! I hadn't thought about that in years.
Quote from: Jolly Blue Giant on February 03, 2025, 12:06:00 PMA few that work, but beware
1) Squeeze bottle ketchup: People automatically squeeze the bottle from the two flat/soft sides. To do it right (or so says the life hack author), you must "squeeze the bottle from the two rounded/hard sides". So I tried it and lo and behold, it worked like magic. It creates a vacuum the pulls the ketchup out instead of being pushed out. Beware: man o man does it work...and once it starts, you can't stop it. It will empty the entire bottle if you don't quickly turn it upright. In my experience, I smothered a hamburger in ketchup before I realized what was happening. It ruined the burger (fixable by using a knife and scraping most of it off), made a mess of my kitchen counter all the way to the sink where it was still coming out. Bottom line: it definitely works, but use caution
Definitely going to try this.
Not all life hacks are a good idea. My neighbor (who is an XXXXXXX) tried to get clever before the last snowstorm (3 inches of snow plus freezing rain and sleet). He put a huge tarp down on his driveway.
He was none to happy when he discovered he couldn't move a tarp with hundreds and hundreds of pounds of snow and ice on it. Plus, he couldn't use his snowblower out of fear of pulling in the tarp. He had a bit of a project clearing enough snow off his tarp so he could finally remove it.
Speaking of snow, when a storm is predicted, you should put your windshield wipers up so that they don't freeze on your car.
Plus something I have always done. Again, if we were expecting a decent snow, I always move my car closer to the street, in my driveway, so that there will be less to shovel in order to get the car out. It is easier to just make a path to the car and then move the car up and I have a nice area with no snow to shovel.
Quote from: LennG on February 11, 2025, 02:37:58 PMSpeaking of snow, when a storm is predicted, you should put your windshield wipers up so that they don't freeze on your car.
Plus something I have always done. Again, if we were expecting a decent snow, I always move my car closer to the street, in my driveway, so that there will be less to shovel in order to get the car out. It is easier to just make a path to the car and then move the car up and I have a nice area with no snow to shovel.
I put my wipers up whenever it's forecasted to be below 35 degrees. Chipping ice and snow from a frozen wiper ruins the rubber strip much quicker than normal
But it reminds me of another life hack I learned from a bus mechanic. When wipers start streaking, instead of clearing in a nice smooth/clear manner, it means the edge of the rubber is deteriorating. Take a cloth and pour rubbing alcohol on it and wipe the degraded rubber from the wipers. It really works
Quote from: MightyGiants on February 11, 2025, 08:31:43 AMNot all life hacks are a good idea. My neighbor (who is an XXXXXXX) tried to get clever before the last snowstorm (3 inches of snow plus freezing rain and sleet). He put a huge tarp down on his driveway.
He was none to happy when he discovered he couldn't move a tarp with hundreds and hundreds of pounds of snow and ice on it. Plus, he couldn't use his snowblower out of fear of pulling in the tarp. He had a bit of a project clearing enough snow off his tarp so he could finally remove it.
=)) Stupid is as stupid does.