Tips for Making Things Easier

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MikeAqua

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#306650 10-Aug-2023 12:40

AI love a simple and effective life tip by which I mean a simple trick or technique that actually works and makes everyday tasks easier. So I thought I'd start this thread for GZrs to share theirs.

Here is one from me: Always crack eggs against a flat surface and you won't get shell chips. I used to always crack my eggs against the rim of the bowl pan, and usually end up getting shell chips I had to fish out. Since I read about cracking them against a flat surface about 4 weeks ago and implemented this technique - not one shell chip.

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#3114096 10-Aug-2023 12:46

I have a good one which has become a part of my daily life!

Cut bags of food which you put in the freezer with a "vertical cut", then you can tie the top of the bag together - don't have to worry about bag clips, wrapping it around the bag, ziplock bags or any nonsense.

Video shows it better than my terrible explanation: https://metro.co.uk/video/mans-hack-sealing-frozen-food-bags-blows-tiktok-2330188/?ito=vjs-link

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BlargHonk

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#3114100 10-Aug-2023 13:04

If the though "I wonder if I should be wearing safety glasses for this?" pops into your head, the answer is always yes

SaltyNZ

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#3114101 10-Aug-2023 13:16

BlargHonk:

If the though "I wonder if I should be wearing safety glasses for this?" pops into your head, the answer is always yes

Yeah, or gloves. Speaking from ... ah, a friend's ... personal experience.

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tehgerbil

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#3114120 10-Aug-2023 13:57

Free tips -

Indoor appliance tips:

•Never use your heatpump on 'Auto' Cooling/heating function. Always use either/or.

•Make sure you clean your heatpump filters monthly.

•Make sure you clean your dryers lint trap every time and exhaust (if exhausted externally) every 3 months. (I stick the vacuum pipe back down the outlet pipe.) Especially if you use a sensor dryer and it's taking a long time to dry your clothes.

Vehicle tips:

•Check your tyre pressure every 2-3 times you fill with fuel, if in doubt set it to 32PSI. Even slightly flat tyres will sap valuable fuel.

•Avoid giving an extra squirt or two of fuel past the auto-cut off. There's a filter designed to absorb fumes which deteriorates from liquid petrol splashes from overfilling.

•If you drive a diesel and have done a lot of small trips, you need to take it for a wee blat on the motorway, the diesel particulate filter only works when the engine is hot enough to burnt the residue.

Houseplant tips:

•Leaves curling/browning at tips especially in winter is caused by humidity fluctuations by heating. Resolve by grouping plants together wherever possible and mist from spray bottle 2-3 times a day if possible.

•Water little but often. 50ml every few days is lot healthier than 250ml once a fortnight. Stick a bamboo skewer into soil, if soil sticks as it's withdrawn then the soil is moist. If it's entirely clean then soil needs water.

•If you suffer from small flying insects inside look up fungus gnats - They're drawn to houseplant soil. If in doubt capture a specimen or take a dead specimen into your local plant store for ID.

•To feed your house plants a foolproof method is seaweed based solutions, plants are very forgiving if you apply too much. Too much high quality fertilizer can cause burning in plants.

Computer tips:

•To help keep your drivers updated many manufacturers provide free software to scan and auto update.
HP = HP Support Assist.
Dell = Dell Command Update.
Lenovo = Lenovo Vantage.
If in doubt you can also just go with Intels update assistant, or AMD's update assistant if you're aware of what chipset you're running.

•If you're getting poor wireless performance always check you're using 5GHZ band wherever possible. I recently had to change the driver level to force 5ghz only as it kept auto negotiating the 'stronger' 2.4ghz band. Went from 20mb/s -> 200mb/s.

•If you're still running a mechanical harddrive or older SSD it's never been easier in history to upgrade to an SSD with Macrium reflect freeware to replicate the drive to the new SSD.

•Ergonomically speaking - Your monitor should be an arms length away, and your eye line should be straight with the top of the monitor bezel. Your elbows should form 90deg angles when typing at your keyboard.

•If you use compressed air or vacuum your PC/laptop never blow/suck it straight into any fans without arresting fan movement first.

•If you've having performance issues and nothing is obviously wrong, check your thermals. Thermal paste is not forever and will decay over time causing frequent thermal throttling.

Around the house:

•Get into the habit of checking your electrical wall plates, many plugs will wiggle out in time.

•Never put knives in the dishwasher or in a sink full of hot soapy water. Keep a microfibre cloth specifically for wiping knives and put away when they're dry.

•Avoid wearing shoes inside, it increases your household microbe and viral count exponentially.

•Get to know your hot water cylinder. Many have a thermostat which can be adjusted up over winter then down over summer. Will save a lot of $$$.

Hope any of these helps someone. :)
Thanks for reading!

eracode

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#3114126 10-Aug-2023 14:10

Easiest way to peel a banana is from the non-stalk end - pinch and peel. Monkeys know this - they’ve done it that way for months.

Sometimes I just sit and think. Other times I just sit.

msukiwi

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#3114128 10-Aug-2023 14:15

eracode:Easiest way to peel a banana is from the non-stalk end - pinch and peel. Monkeys know this - they’ve done it that way for months.

Hahaha 🙃Months!

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ANglEAUT

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#3114130 10-Aug-2023 14:18

MikeAqua: AI love a simple and effective life tip ...

Searching = Hacks that make life a little bit easier.

Actually, I miss discoverability. Often you can find so much more by discovery compared to your "successful" search.

Please keep this GZ community vibrant by contributing in a constructive & respectful manner.

SaltyNZ

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#3114134 10-Aug-2023 14:30

tehgerbil:

Vehicle tips:

•Check your tyre pressure every 2-3 times you fill with fuel, if in doubt set it to 32PSI. Even slightly flat tyres will sap valuable fuel.

•Avoid giving an extra squirt or two of fuel past the auto-cut off. There's a filter designed to absorb fumes which deteriorates from liquid petrol splashes from overfilling.

•If you drive a diesel and have done a lot of small trips, you need to take it for a wee blat on the motorway, the diesel particulate filter only works when the engine is hot enough to burnt the residue.

This 'fuel' stuff sounds ghastly.

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These comments are my own and do not represent the opinions of 2degrees.

jonathan18

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#3114152 10-Aug-2023 15:21

SaltyNZ:

tehgerbil:

Vehicle tips:

•Check your tyre pressure every 2-3 times you fill with fuel, if in doubt set it to 32PSI. Even slightly flat tyres will sap valuable fuel.

•Avoid giving an extra squirt or two of fuel past the auto-cut off. There's a filter designed to absorb fumes which deteriorates from liquid petrol splashes from overfilling.

•If you drive a diesel and have done a lot of small trips, you need to take it for a wee blat on the motorway, the diesel particulate filter only works when the engine is hot enough to burnt the residue.

This 'fuel' stuff sounds ghastly.

Yeah, I was thinking exactly the same thing when reading this; in particular, I don't miss the need for a regular open road drive in my diesel for PPF burn-off, as noted above. I felt the same when reading the thread about calculating the return on travelling to get cheaper fuel. Things that EV drivers just don't have to worry about...

I'm glad my car has TPMS as I don't have the regular petrol station visits for that easy opportunity to check tyres; this reminds me my wife NEVER checks the tyre pressure on her car (also an EV but w/o TPMS), so something I should start doing for her.

neb

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#3114300 10-Aug-2023 18:37

When making pancakes, slip a frying pan in between the element and the batter, it makes cleaning up later a lot easier.

RunningMan

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#3114308 10-Aug-2023 19:09

neb: When making pancakes, slip a frying pan in between the element and the batter, it makes cleaning up later a lot easier.

You're thinking of elementcakes, not pancakes.

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eracode

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#3116544 16-Aug-2023 07:59

msukiwi:

eracode:Easiest way to peel a banana is from the non-stalk end - pinch and peel. Monkeys know this - they’ve done it that way for months.

Hahaha 🙃Months!

I understand they twigged to it only quite recently.

Sometimes I just sit and think. Other times I just sit.

eracode

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#3116546 16-Aug-2023 08:02

neb: When making pancakes, slip a frying pan in between the element and the batter, it makes cleaning up later a lot easier.

Great idea, thanks - that sounds sensible - esp if you've got those old coil-shaped elements - and certainly if you've got a gas hob. 👍

Sometimes I just sit and think. Other times I just sit.

gbwelly

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#3116565 16-Aug-2023 09:02

If you are reassembling something plastic with screws, first rotate the screw counter clockwise until it 'hops' into the original thread before screwing it in.

Behodar

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#3116566 16-Aug-2023 09:06

gbwelly:

first rotate the screw counter clockwise

I'm trying that, but he's getting dizzy.

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