Wallpapers: May 2015

Tuesday, 12 May 2015

Don't Just DIY To Save Money, Do It To Build Your Usefulness

Lifestyle inflation tempts people to spend money to solve their problems. You can afford to throw out pants with holes in them, so why fix them? For starters, you miss out on learning useful skills.

As personal finance blog Pretend to Be Poor explains, when you're broke, you have to find creative solutions to problems that often require learning new skills. When your clothes rip, fixing them is cheaper than buying new ones. When your apartment is tiny, you find new ways to conserve space. Learn to fold your clothes more efficiently, rather than buy bigger luggage. Many problems can be solved by buying something that fixes it for you, but those things won't teach you new skills:

Some people feel excited when they find the next new product that will make their life easier. Don't get me wrong, I love my microwave and dishwasher. But others seek accomplishment in spending less, and this often results in becoming more useful. For example, I love Indian food, but I don't love spending money at restaurants. So I'm learning to make Indian food. Neil enjoys riding his bike because it's free exercise and saves on transportation costs. For both of us these money-saving measures are enjoyable in part because we feel accomplished after a challenge.

Finding a DIY solution isn't always about finding the most cost-effective way of doing something. Indeed, some things may never be worth the effort. However, in many cases, the skills you can learn by trying to do something the cheap way can be far more worthwhile in the long run, not just to your budget, but to making you a more useful, capable person in general.

Clean Corroded Car Battery Terminals With Coca Cola

If you ever find yourself with a car that won't start because of corroded battery terminals, you can get yourself going again with just a can of Coca Cola.

I'm from the south, where we know that Coca Cola is magical stuff, and I've used this trick several times myself over the years without scrubbing the terminals afterward. Perhaps it's the acidity level, but more likely it's just the foaming action. I have also tried water and it didn't so so well if you didn't also use a brush to scrub the corrosion away. A flat soda and sodas other than colas also don't seem to work as well.

If your terminals continue to corrode easily, you should probably get that checked out. It may be time for a new battery or you may be able to protect those terminals against corrosion. But if you're stuck somewhere, a can of Coca Cola may just get you back on the road.

How to Clean Battery Terminals With Coke | HowToDoYourself

Hide Valuables In A Secret PC Tower Drawer Made From An Old Bay Drive

Having a drawer built into your computer can be a great way to use an empty 5.25" bay slot. If you have an old 5.25" bay drive-like a CD or DVD drive-you can make your own drawer and disguise it.

A hidden drawer would be a great place to stash flash drives or discs with information you'd rather keep to yourself, and this guide from Instructables user tomatoskins can show you how to do it. You'll need an empty bay in your computer tower (including the bay cover), an old 5.25" drive of some kind, a push-open push-close latch, and a few other minor components. When it's all set up, you'll be able to push the seemingly empty bay slot and the drawer will pop open. It's possible to buy drawers like this online, but when you make it yourself, it's a lot easier to disguise it. Check out the complete guide at the link below.

Hidden Computer Drawer | Instructables

The Geek's Hiking Bag

Being a tech enthusiast means carrying around a few extras when you go hiking. Here's what Lifehacker reader Random Michelle carries when she and her husband hit the trails.

Michelle and her husband like to take lots of pictures and make GPS maps of their hikes when they get home. Their bag's a High Sierra Diplomat Lumbar Pack and here's what's inside:

Canon EOS Rebel Xsi camera

OP/TECH USA Pro Strap

FlexARMOR X dSLR Camera Case

Vaultz Mesh Bag

Garmin Oregon 550T

Eneloop AA rechargeable batteries

Tracks Compact Travel Staff

Sharpie

Sea to Summit Accessory Straps

PackTowl, medium

PackTowl, small

Seattle Sundries, Gardener's Gold Soap

S-Biner

Dried fruit (in Ziploc bag)

Dark chocolate (in a Ziploc bag)

Vitamin C drops/throat drops (in a Ziploc bag)

Pill case with Acetaminophen

WetOnes wipes

Tissues Lip balm (SPF 15)

Hand lotion (SPF 15)

CeraVe SPF 50 Sunscreen (not pictured)

Bandana

Samsung Galaxy S5 cell phone -Garmin Fit app

Spare camera battery

Spare eyepiece

Extra SD card

Gallon size Ziploc bag (for if it suddenly downpours)

Kershaw pocket knife

LED flashlight

Waterproof matches

Pill case with anxiety meds (case from Etsy)

Girly stuff (in Day of the Dead bag (from Etsy))

Ankle brace (not pictured)

If you have a great go bag with a useful organization scheme and great features, let us know! You can share your bag by posting it to your personal Kinja blog using the tagfeatured bag or adding it to our Lifehacker Go Bag Show and Tell Flickr pool. Photos must be at least at least 640x360. Please include information about your bag, what you put in it, and any relevant details about how you made it awesome. If yours catches our eye, we might just feature it!

Make Dishes Fresh And Sparkly With A Lemon Wedge In The Dishwasher

The Kitchn found a way to easily harness that power. Every time you do a load of dishes in your dishwasher, stick a lemon wedge up in the top rack on a skewer or in your cutlery department. After a normal wash, you'll get a faint lemon scent and the tiny bit of citric acid left in the wedge will make everything look spotless. You can even do this with a used lemon wedge if you have any left over from cooking or other tasks. Don't throw those leftover wedges out, throw them in the dishwasher.

5 Tricks You Must Know If You Own An Apple Watch

Congratulations on your brand new Apple Watch; we are sure that you love flaunting the new gear as much as you can. But do you feel comfortable when it comes to using your prized possession? If not, here are 5 tricks that you and every Apple Watch owner should know; these tricks will make your life and using the watch easier.

1. If you scroll the crown of your watch, it would zoom the screen in and out. Good for those who like watching the details in those small pics, right?

2. Just like in your smartphone, you can swipe the screen down to access the notifications. Keep swiping for more and more in case they don't fit one screen.

3. Swiping the screen up would give you an option of 'pinging' your phone, in case you can't find your cell and have no one around to give you a ring.

4. If you are getting a phone call, keep your palm over the watch and it would silence the ringer.

5. Lastly, and more importantly, you can take a screenshot of your Apple Watch screen using the crown and side button. Press both of them together and click! The screenshot is there.

Monday, 11 May 2015

American Idol' Ending After Season 15 (UPDATE)

UPDATE: Fox executives explained the network's decision to cancel "American Idol" after its fifteenth season on a conference call with industry reporters on Monday. According to EW, Fox Co-Chairman/ Co-CEO Gary Newman said, "You know, it was not an easy decision. 'American Idol' has been such a vital part of Fox for its run and we spent a lot of time talking with producers about the future of 'American Idol' and collectively we arrived at the conclusion that it was time to bring the show to an end.”

Newman and other Co-Chairman/ Co-CEO Dana Walden emphasized the celebratory aspect of the show's final season and Newman called it a "true season-long celebration." He said, "We’re already talking about surprises we can have for the fans to make it feel special and make send it off that makes it as significant as the run it’s had on our network."

EARLIER: Fox has just ushered in the end of an era. The network announced on Monday that the forthcoming season of "American Idol" will be the show's last. "American Idol" Season 15 will begin airing in January 2016 and will feature longtime host Ryan Seacrest and current judges Jennifer Lopez, Keith Urban and Harry Connick, Jr. The final episodes will pay tribute to past contestants, winners and fans throughout the season, serving as a "celebratory event."

"American Idol" has been a staple in Fox's lineup since it debuted in 2002 with original judges Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson. Other famous judges have included Mariah Carey, Nicki Minaj and Steven Tyler. It was also the major launching pad for Seacrest, whose face became a fixture on TV, and dozens of singers including Carrie Underwood, Jennifer Hudson, Kelly Clarkson, Jordin Sparks, Phillip Phillips, Adam Lambert, Chris Daughtry and Katharine McPhee.

Last season, the show was paired with ratings megahit "Empire," and on thefirst night without the show, "Idol" dropped 26 percent in the ratings.