Learn something new.

[Impeesa]

Kind of an obvious one: Grease fires should be extinguished by either smothering the flame or with a NON-WATER-based extinguisher.

Less obvious: You can indeed extinguish liquid fires with a firehose if you have what are often referred to as "mad skillz." I've seen someone demonstrate by putting out a large 'pan' full of burning diesel fuel (normally the pans are used for fire extinguisher training). He put the hose on a wide spray and used sort of a circular sweeping motion to push the flames off the surface of the fuel. Pretty impressive.

--Impeesa--

 

[CarlZog]

In these situations, flip the order around when you respond: "I have to work late that night, but I would have loved to be able to come to your party." Now that part after the "but" is what you want remembered -- that you wanted to go. They feel better, and they're more likely to ask you again the next time something comes up.

That's really good. I believe that would make a difference.

There are lots of tricks to doing this, but the one that has worked -- amazingly well -- for me is this: when someone tells you their name, use it right away ("Hi, Bob, it's good to meet you"), and then use it again at the end of the conversation ("It was great talking to you, Bob"). You'll be much more likely to remember it.

This is also very true, and, though it sounds even cornier, it also helps if you think to yourself, "This is Bob" as you make eye contact and greet them. I've often worked with field trips of students who I would only see for half a day. This made it easier to remember their names and interract with them. They were always stunned that someone in that situation would actually ask AND remember, and they responded with a lot more interest and enthusiasm.

Carl

 

[reveal]

Make your own Frito Lay Bean Dip

1 (15 ounce) can pinto beans, drained
4 bottled jalapeno slices (nacho slices)
1 tablespoon juice from bottled jalapeno slices
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Combine drained pinto beans with the other ingredients in a food processor. Puree ingredients on high speed until smooth. Cover and chill for at least an hour before serving.

All the ingredients except the pinto beans can be used over and over again. It will get to the point where it costs you about 50 cents to make the same bean dip that costs over $2 a can.

 

[DarrenGMiller]

When you first feel the onset of a sore throat, try drinking or gargling with a small quantity of vinegar. Do it every few hours for the first day and your sore throat usually diminishes. The gist of it is that most things that cause the sore throat find it more difficult to survive in an acidic environment (or so I have been told).

DM

 

[Xath]

In the original 1937 release of The Hobbit, Gollum promises Bilbo "a present" if Bilbo wins the riddle game, with the full intention of giving him the ring of power and it is only after Gollum finds the ring missing that Bilbo suggests that Gollum could just show him the way out instead. This was drastically re-written after Lord of the Rings was released to more-consistently ascribe the corruptive and jealous power that the ring exerts over its steward.

Something for anybody opposed to "Special Edition"s to think about.

Source: The Annotated Hobbit

I love that book! I got it because Doug Anderson was coming to guest lecture in my Tolkien seminar, and it's awesome.

As for helpful tips...

If your clothing stretches out of shape, you can reduce the stretch by steaming it.

Place your iron on top of the stretched area and press the steam button for a few seconds, then lift it off vertically, still holding the steam for a few seconds more. (This lets the steam enter the fibers of the fabric and shrink them down to the original size)

If you want a piece of fabric to hold a shape (loosely) or take a curve, do the same thing above, but place your fabric on something that is the same shape you want your fabric to be (NOT something meltable. if you think it might be meltable or dyed, put a scrap piece of fabric between your fabric and the shape) When you lift the steam off, push the fabric onto the molds using your hands (you may need oven mitts) and hold tightly. Depending on the shape, you may need to repeat this a few times, but it works very well.

 

[CarlZog]

Hangover avoidance (or at least, reduction): At the end of the night, before falling asleep, pop one of the massive, mega multi-vitamins from places like GNC and two large glasses of water. The combination seems to re-supply what you've depleted in an evening of drinking, making life a lot more bearable in the morning.

Carl

P.S. I also had aspirin listed, which I've always used as a word to mean any of the popular otc pain killers. But later in this thread someone else suggested ibuprofen and another said to avoid Tylenol and alcohol, due to the possibilty of liver damage, and yet another person warned that excess ibuprofen can lead to kidney stones..... So stick to vitamins and water I guess.

 

[mojo1701]

Hangover avoidance (or at least, reduction): At the end of the night, before falling asleep, pop one of the massive, mega multi-vitamins from places like GNC, along with a couple aspirin and two large glasses of water. The combination of the three seems to re-supply what you've depleted in an evening of drinking, making life a lot more bearable in the morning.

Carl

Well, according to my driving instructor, hangovers are caused by dehydration by alcohol, so it's probably the water, that helps out.

 

[Greylock]

If you've recently had a hip replacement surgery, don't let them tell you a core decompression on the other is outpatient. Stay in as long as you can and get all the morphine you can handle.

HTH

 

[Tarrasque Wrangler]

You can find a list of secret, off-menu In-N-Out Burger items here.

The answer to life, the universe and everything is 42.

Allow yourself a couple of extra minutes in the morning and park in an distant corner of your office's parking lot. Park a block away if you feel like it. You'll be guaranteed a bit of exercise everyday (which is better than nothing) and you won't have to worry about some jerk tagging your car when he opens his car door.

 

[Pbartender]

When you first feel the onset of a sore throat, try drinking or gargling with a small quantity of vinegar. Do it every few hours for the first day and your sore throat usually diminishes. The gist of it is that most things that cause the sore throat find it more difficult to survive in an acidic environment (or so I have been told).

DM

Heavily salted water also works well.

Often bacteria will die through dehydration via osmosis due to the high concentration of salt... Shrivels them up like pouring salt on a slug.