Posts Tagged ‘lifehacks’

Introduction to Snakes of Australia
I have found a powerpoint presentation online that is an introduction to a more in depth presentation on snakes, snake bites, and how to treat them. It was put together for an organisation called Living With Wildlife, which is based up in Williamstown, South Australia.

Here are some fascinating things:

• If a snake species lives across a wide geographical area – its venom is likely to be very different in the different zones to the extent that that snake’s anti-venom might be rendered useless.
• Venom does not remain a static composition but changes over time
• There are different types of bite from a scratch on the skin to a chewing bite
• Sometimes snakes can bite and not inject venom
• When Brown Snakes are disturbed, one in four of their strikes are bluff strikes in which the snake does not even attempt to bite
• There are some snakes with very weird names such as small-eyed snake, bardick, Stephen’s Banded Snake, curl snake, greater black whipsnake, lesser black whipsnake.

One of the most encouraging slides covers the snake’s hierarchy of response mechanisms. When they become aware that we are near, they first try to hide, if that fails they try to escape, if that fails they give a warning (hiss), and if that fails they bite as a last resort.

The snake first aid slide is worth noting too, as it covers the main steps in dealing with snake bite including making sure there is no danger, contacting emergency services, not disturbing the bite, wrapping a bandage around the whole limb, not removing clothing, and not giving the patient food or drink.

This is an excellent mini-presentation and there are contact details on the starting page if you want to find out more about the course.

Fail Blog
Fail Blog is a simple blog that captures images and videos that convey the spirit of “fail”. Fail is a popular term among geeks, in particular, as shorthand for “this is wrong, this is not working”, and it is particularly laden with sarcasm.

Some of them push the boundaries a bit, so enter with a broad mind. Here are some of my favourites:

• Girard’s Hardware sign – “everything on sale at regular price”
• A terrible model-elephant playground in which children slide down a slippery dip that emanates from the elephant’s rear end – charming
• A video clip of a soccer game in which a player wins the ball off the goal keeper, has nothing between him and the goals and slams the ball with a big kick, directly into the air, into the crossbar and back into the field of play – whoops
• An unfortunate placing of a “no standing” warning, directly under a wheelchair/disabled sign
• A box of shatterproof Christmas ornaments, in which one of the baubles had shattered
• And I love this one – the cover of a book entitled, “Finer points in the spacing and arrangement of type,” and it is terribly spaced
• And my absolute favourite is a postcard with “greetings from Amsterdam” emblazoned across a photo of the Eiffel Tower!

When you have some time to spare and need a smile – failblog.org.

50 ways to improve your life in 2009
US News and World Report has compiled its fourth “ways to improve your life” list with its usual eclectic array of activities and challenges. Now please don’t get me wrong, this is not a list that will change your life or save you from yourself, it is simply a list of quirky things to consider incorporating into your life for a little more colour and variety.

The list is broken into four categories and here are my picks of the bunch:

• Money – lose the microwave mentality. Microwave ovens teach us to seek instant results and that can be disastrous on the financial front. This article points to a financial version of the slow food movement, teaching us to save for things and not seek the quick fix or the easy credit. It points out that retailers in the US are bringing back layaways (what we call lay-bys) as part of this movement. It predicts that “slow money” people will be the ones with better credit in the future, making them able to dive in and buy bargains when they present, even though they won’t always carry the latest gadgets.
• Body – an afternoon nap. Latest research covered in this article says a 15-20 minute nap is more refreshing than a couple cups of coffee to get you through the afternoon. It claims it is also more effective at keeping you alert than grabbing an extra 90 minutes of sleep in the morning. There is one catch though – if you go beyond 20 minutes you risk entering deep sleep and that will make you wake up groggy and feeling much worse for wear. In which case you will probably need to have some coffee when you awake!
• Mind – publish your book yourself. On-demand publishers are sprouting up on the internet and the new breed allows you to print one book at a time if that is all you need. Lulu and blurb are two services mentioned and there are plenty more online, and in Australia, if you search the internet. Most services allow you to get an ISBN number which means you can then see if a local bookstore will sell it for you.
• World – learn to hypermile. This is strange practice in which people drive to save fuel. On the surface, that sounds fine, but some extreme hypermilers go to extremes such as turning off their engines when going downhill or going down exit ramps, and driving close to semi-trailers to take advantage of their draft. The practice hinges on keeping tyres fully inflated and driving at 90 km/h rather than 110. One aspect that is counterintuitive to me is that using cruise control saves fuel. Apparently it cuts out a lot of the little accelerations that we do as we drive manually.
• Play – learn to play Bridge. According to this article, Bridge is not only good for the brain but good as a social activity. And it is not just little old ladies who play – Bill Gates and Warren Buffett love playing the game too, and they’re billionaire businessmen!

You can look at all the suggestions at the US News and World Report.

Bleed The World
This is a spoof of Feed The World, aimed at satirising the original effort for feeding the poor, instead turning attention to world bankers and share trading companies who have fallen on hard times – the ones who “bleed the world”.

I think the site sums it up best, “At Christmas time we should always spare a thought for those less fortunate than us. After 20 years of bleeding the world, the global financial community has fallen on hard times. These people desperately need our thoughts, prayers and lots of our money. If you have any investments or savings left, or any money left over at the end of the month please, please give generously. Merry Christmas.”

You can watch this music video at bleed the world.

50 things everybody should know how to do

This article is a rich resource of how-to links and videos covering a pretty comprehensive list of basic life skills. Sadly, the only one missing that I think is important is “how to make or find the perfect espresso”, but I guess they had to cull some things from the list. The full list is here and the headings are below.

1. Build a Fire – Fire produces heat and light, two basic necessities for living. At some point in your life this knowledge may be vital.

2. Operate a Computer – Fundamental computer knowledge is essential these days. Please, help those in need.

3. Use Google Effectively – Google knows everything. If you’re having trouble finding something with Google, it’s you that needs help.

4. Perform CPR and the Heimlich Maneuver – Someday it may be your wife, husband, son or daughter that needs help.

5. Drive a Manual Transmission Vehicle – There will come a time when you’ll be stuck without this knowledge.

6. Do Basic Cooking – If you can’t cook your own steak and eggs, you probably aren’t going to make it.

7. Tell a Story that Captivates People’s Attention – If you can’t captivate their attention, you should probably just save your breath.

8. Win or Avoid a Fistfight – Either way, you win.

9. Deliver Bad News – Somebody has got to do it. Unfortunately, someday that person will be you.

10. Change a Tire – Because tires have air in them, and things with air in them eventually pop.

11. Handle a Job Interview – I promise, sweating yourself into a nervous panic won’t land you the job.

12. Manage Time – Not doing so is called wasting time, which is okay sometimes, but not all the time.

13. Speed Read – Sometimes you just need the basic gist, and you needed it 5 minutes ago.

14. Remember Names – Do you like when someone tries to get your attention by screaming “hey you”?

15. Relocate Living Spaces – Relocating is always a little tougher than you originaly imagined.

16. Travel Light – Bring only the necessities. It’s the cheaper, easier, smarter thing to do.

17. Handle the Police – Because jail isn’t fun… and neither is Bubba.

18. Give Driving Directions – Nobody likes driving around in circles. Get this one right the first time.

19. Perform Basic First Aid – You don’t have to be a doctor, or genius, to properly dress a wound.

20. Swim – 71% of the Earth’s surface is covered by water. Learning to swim might be a good idea.

21. Parallel Park – Parallel parking is a requirement on most standard driver’s license driving tests, yet so many people have no clue how to do it. How could this be?

22. Recognize Personal Alcohol Limits – Otherwise you may wind up like this charming fellow.

23. Select Good Produce – Rotten fruits and vegetables can be an evil tease and an awful surprise.

24. Handle a Hammer, Axe or Handsaw – Carpenters are not the only ones who need tools. Everyone should have a basic understanding of basic hand tools.

25. Make a Simple Budget – Being in debt is not fun. A simple budget is the key.

26. Speak at Least Two Common Languages – Only about 25% of the world’s population speaks English. It would be nice if you could communicate with at least some of the remaining 75%.

27. Do Push-Ups and Sit-Ups Properly – Improper push-ups and sit-ups do nothing but hurt your body and waste your time.

28. Give a Compliment – It’s one of the greatest gifts you can give someone, and it’s free.

29. Negotiate – The better deal is only a question or two away.

30. Listen Carefully to Others – The more you listen and the less you talk, the more you will learn and the less you will miss.

31. Recite Basic Geography – If you don’t know where anything is outside of your own little bubble, most people will assume (and they are probably correct) that you don’t know too much at all.

32. Paint a Room – The true cost of painting is 90% labor. For simple painting jobs it makes no sense to pay someone 9 times what it would cost you to do it yourself.

33. Make a Short, Informative Public Speech – At the next company meeting if your boss asks you to explain what you’ve been working on over the last month, a short, clear, informative response is surely your best bet. “Duhhh…” will not cut it.

34. Smile for the Camera – People that absolutely refuse to smile for the camera suck!

35. Flirt Without Looking Ridiculous – There is a fine line between successful flirting and utter disaster. If you try too hard, you lose. If you don’t try hard enough, you lose.

36. Take Useful Notes – Because useless notes are useless, and not taking notes is a recipe for failure.

37. Be a Respectful House Guest – Otherwise you will be staying in a lot of hotels over the years.

38. Make a Good First Impression – Aristotle once said, “well begun is half done.”

39. Navigate with a Map and Compass – What happens when the GPS craps out and you’re in the middle of nowhere?

40. Sew a Button onto Clothing – It sure is cheaper than buying a new shirt.

41. Hook Up a Basic Home Theater System – This isn’t rocket science. Paying someone to do this shows sheer laziness.

42. Type – Learning to type could save you days worth of time over the course of your lifetime.

43. Protect Personal Identity Information – Personal identity theft is not fun unless you are the thief. Don’t be careless.

44. Implement Basic Computer Security Best Practices – You don’t have to be a computer science major to understand the fundamentals of creating complex passwords and using firewalls. Doing so will surely save you a lot of grief someday.

45. Detect a Lie – People will lie to you. It’s a sad fact of life.

46. End a Date Politely Without Making Promises – There is no excuse for making promises you do not intend to keep. There is also no reason why you should have to make a decision on the spot about someone you hardly know.

47. Remove a Stain – Once again, it’s far cheaper than buying a new one.

48. Keep a Clean House – A clean house is the foundation for a clean, organized lifestyle.

49. Hold a Baby – Trust me, injuring a baby is not what you want to do.

50. Jump Start a Car – It sure beats walking or paying for a tow truck.

Pick Up Pal

No, this is not an online swinger’s service, this is car pooling service with a slight twist. Drivers and would-be passengers both register independently on the site and then the site’s proprietary system matches drivers to passengers using a raft of preferences. Part of the twist is that you can also find a driver to deliver some goods for you, rather than just take you for a ride.

Who pays? The passengers pays an agreed price to the driver and the driver is then billed for 7% commission by Pick Up Pal.

It was launched in January 2008 by a Canadian, whose mum signed the Kyoto Protocol on behalf of the Canadian government. I guess that gives some street cred to a service like this! The site claims to have saved 480,000kg of CO2 emissions and to have coordinated 1.5 million km of travel.

Another clever aspect of this site is the free website offer for groups holding events or organisations with high people traffic. It is called the eco-rideshare program, and the free sites helps people come together to share transport to/from the event or organisation.

If you want to explore the site, sign up as a passenger and look around, at PickUpPal Adelaide.

Juice Bag

Here’s a glimpse into the future. Reware, a US-based company, has just released a solar powered attaché case that can recharge your mobile phone, PDA, and other accessories while you are on the move.

The bag sells for about AU$330 and can power an army of small devices. It doesn’t have the “juice” to charge a laptop at the moment, but you never know what’s around the corner. You can find out more at http://rewarestore.com/product/profolio.html. – hat tip to Lee Hopkins

Wiki Send

If you have ever had to send a large file to someone and did not want to burden your recipient’s email server, Wiki Send is a free tool you will find useful. You can use this service to upload large files, up to 100 meg, and then send a link to your recipient who can visit the site to download your file. If you give your recipient a week to download the file, the service is fast. If you choose to give them more than a week up to 90 days, the file will be put into the second class service area, and will download at half the speed.

I have also been using YouSendIt but WikiSend has a cleaner and simpler interface. Start sending files now at www.wikisend.com.