An emergancy fm/am radio with a crank generator and solar panels.
Came in clutch when power was out, not only could I listen in on the news, I could also charge my phone.
I’d list it as unexpected because I did not expect to actually have to use it. But im really glad I had it.
Waterproof mattress protector. Pays for itself after one accident or spill.
10 foot long phone charger
A large magnet. I bought it on a whim ~20 years ago for $20 (still online for same price). I got it on a whim while buying gifts from an educational toy website. It comes in handy whenever I drop something small that ferrous or just need it to hold onto things.
I got a cheap office chair when I moved out after college. It was like $15+20 and it’s super comfortable and still use it daily over 10 years later.
It’s just foam stapled to plywood but really good support.
One of these stainless steel bars of “soap”. It’s for getting onion and garlic smell off your hands. I was skeptical when my partner bought it, but it totally works. Rub on your hands under cold water and it’s like you never even looked at the garlic.
Fyi this also works with a steel faucet or sink in a pinch
Okay so maybe I’ve grown to used to the smell of garlic but is it a common problem that people are worried about their hands smelling like garlic/onions? Maybe it’s because I wash dishes as I cook, so whatever I chopped/prepared them on I would have washed in the sink while it started to heat up in the pan, but I guess I need to sniff my fingers more after doing so.
I don’t know about worried, but onions absolutely make my hands reek. To the point where it can ruin a meal I’m eating, especially if it’s a hand food like a burrito or burger or something. I don’t mind garlic on my hands, but onions are just awful for some reason.
I don’t have one of these bars, but I’m seriously contemplating it.
Ill report back tomorrow, I’m sure I’ll end up making something with onions or garlic in it haha
I think it’s home cook weird shit, now sell me something to get rid of fried food smell from clothes. I’ll live with garlic and onions which smell amazing over fried oil smell that saturate you skin and leave you as a soggy French fry
I… cook in a terry cloth (“towel”) bath robe when I know I’ll go out after cooking. I guess it functions similar to a smoking jacket:
To protect their clothes, many men would wear their robes-de-chambre while smoking in private. These robes acted as a barrier against ash and smoke
Probably doesn’t help for not having your hair smell
You basically have to add grease lightning or something similar to your wash to get that stuff out.
I like when my hands smell like onions/garlic/bits. Makes for a nice lil smell-snack later!
That’s not gonna end well. 😅
Or the outside of a stainless mixing bowl. That’s what I use since there’s usually one drying next to the sink anyway. And it’s also useful as a bowl!
So any stainless steel will do that. No need for a special disk. I use a stainless steel cocktail shaker to peal garlic. Then when I rinse it clean it also removes the smell from my hands.
Just drop the cloves into the shaker and shake hard for 30-45 seconds. Most of the garlic is now peeled and some just need a bit help. So much faster and easier.
Yep. Still useful for people without stainless fixtures, or cocktail shakers.
Useful for people with those things too! We have one and I love it. I hit it with hand soap and use it like a regular bar to both clean my hands and get rid of the smell.
Since it’s for that specific purpose it sits in the soap tray by the sink and is always right where I need it. No hunting for some random steel utensil.
These are mostly a myth to my understanding.
There is some theory on how the chromium in stainless steel could help with breaking down and removing the smelly compounds from onions and garlic off your hands, but there aren’t any studies proving this.
In my experience just properly washing your hands with water for 15-20s works just as well. I think the “soap” kinda works because it tricks people to not just rinse their hands.
It’s true, I’ve never used one of these and was absolutely lying about their effectiveness.
You’re saying that as if I’ve never used one. I have, and I don’t see a difference to just washing my hands with water. But to each their own ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Regarding your jib. I like the cut.
Your understanding is incorrect.
Water plays a crucial role in this process. As you rinse your hands and rub them against stainless steel, the surface acts as a catalyst for redox reactions. Sulfur compounds on your skin are chemically altered, potentially breaking them down into less odorous forms.
Why would I want to remove that smell 😍.
(half joking)
It’s my favorite part of cutting onions
Same, I love the smell of garlic. Do they make bars of soap made of garlic so I can always smell that way?
I’ve had this shit in my cart for like 5 years. Lol I really should just buy it.
Does this also work for jalapenos?
No. The heat from peppers is an oil. Dry finger tips absorb the oil. So either gloves or rub a drop of neutral oil on your fingers before handling peppers.
What’s
neutral oil
and is it neutral regarding everything or just
peppers
Neutral flavor. So something like canola. Things with a strong flavor can impact the taste of the dish.
As hugin said, the best way to wash oils off your hands is with other oils. Pour a little bit of whatever cooking oil you have on your hands and make sure to thoroughly spread it on your hands, like in between your fingers and under your nails, then wash with hot water and soap. The capsaicin oils will mix with the cooking oils, dilute, and be more noticeable to remove. This also works for poison ivy oils and pine sap
Not that I’m aware of.
“I too love to rub heavily metals into my skin”…idk if anyone has said this before lol
One way window heat shield. Reflects 85‰ of the UV back out. Sticks to the window using only water.
Noticeable difference in temperature for any sun-facing windows
Are you using these on double glazed windows? I’ve read this film could get them to crack under the heat.
Yeah double glazed, and no hasn’t been an issue by my reckoning
Thanks that’s good to know!
I did this at my last House and it was fantastic.
Just need to remember that once it’s dark outside the reflective side “switches” and everyone can see clearly into the house.
That’s just how a normal window works
Yes but the film has a one-way mirror effect and most people don’t put 2 and 2 together and think the window is opaque when is not.
wait really? and isn’t that always the case with any window?
Somewhere i worked had that. (Edit: but more for privacy)
It was so funny seeing passerbys using it as a mirror.
Absolutly funny 10/10Probably you mean 85% of infrared, not 85 parts per thousand (or 8.5%) of ultraviolet?
Window film is so glorious. I have my bedroom windows blacked out with it, easier to sleep, and yes, always cool temperatures in there.
I added these last summer too. Roughly a hundred bucks to cover three patio sliding doors. Huge difference.
How easy are they to cut to size, or if you need to use multiple to cover a window how does the gap/seam look? Have been thinking of getting them, but we also want to replace our windows at some point. I assume you can’t just reuse them?
Pretty easy to cut, but of course it’ll never be perfect, and it’s better to cut smaller than larger since it sticks to the window using water, and needs a complete seal, so any corners that overlap a frame will just slowly force the whole thing to peel off.
Very easy to re-use, it sticks using water and requires a flat piece of card (e.g. an old credit card) to spread it out over the window
Is that the static type then that are reused and just need water, with adhesive backed ones being single application only?
Huh, never heard of the adhesive type. I’ve used the static/water ones for ~4 years without any issues
At least in home depot, some of them come with a specific blade tool, or one that’s not too much more expensive. It’s hard/sharp enough to seamlessly cut through the tints, but not scratch your window.
Oh man, there’s this German company Beurer that makes simple equipment for medical home application. They make this sort of zapper thing, which is battery oper and it just heats the shit out of a little ceramic plate. Put that on a bug bite, it heats away the irritation. No more itch, no more venom in your body, just gone.
I am no longer careful around biting bugs. Keep in mind it’s not supposed to work for stingers.
I figured for 15 euros it’d be too bad if it doesn’t work but I now can’t imagine not having it.
I’ve since also bought a TENS/EMS machine of theirs and a laser hair removal tool is underway for my wife.
I completely trust this company based on just two products.
Oh wow, there’s a product out there? I’ve been heating the back of a spoon on the stove and applying it directly to the skin for a minute all these years. You gotta do it carefully, but it works very well!
Nerdage
The mechanism relies on denaturing the mosquito proteins injected with the bite. Meaning the heat causes the proteins to loosen up and deform so they no longer interact with the surrounding tissues in the same way.
I’ve just run a spoon under the hottest possible tap water. It’s hot enough to work and it’s not hot enough to actually burn you
I’ve been using a spoon and a lighter like a heroin addict all this time…
My wife swears by it. For me it does nothing. She gets wasp-sized bumps from mosquito bites.
BiteAway gang!
I got a device from a competitor (the original company’s devices are >20€ nowadays). Worked great, too, but its longevity sucked - the next year, the ceramic plate didn’t get hot enough anymore, even with fresh batteries. Yet another example of “buy cheap, buy twice”.
I don’t have a device for this, but I do the same thing by running water as hot as I can stand over bites and it works.
Yeah I use the hottest running water and also scrub it with soap to get as much as possible off.
I’ve also used a hair dryer to heat the bites up but you have to be careful not to hold it too close to the skin and burn yourself. I’m very reactive to bug bites and I seem to get a million bites within seconds of going outside.
What did beurer make in 1930-1940ish?
Not sure what you mean by this. Are you just trying to gage some reason because it’s a German company? They made heating pads, heated blankets, stuff like that.
I think they’re referring to Bayer, which was absolutely active during that time…
Broke single mom here. My H&M usually offers a buy one get one discount on boys’ cotton boxers, so whenever I buy a pack for my 12 year old son, I grab myself one as well and they serve pretty well as pajama shorts which I pair with a cheap oversized cotton tee.
For some reason it makes me happy you’re on here, I thought it was all tech neckbeards. Wish your family luck in bargain hunting!
As a fellow non tech person… There are dozens of us!!
Raises hand tentatively…
Although I do feel I’m learning stuff from being on here.
Same.
I’m no programmer by any means, but I’ve always been more tech-savvy than the average bear. I finally took the plunge and added a Linux partition to my computer because I read enough posts here that piqued my curiosity.
There are dozens of us! I’m a mom who works in publishing and don’t know a linux distro from a pokemon (other than Pikachu.)
I’m an old lady but I also happen to use linux! You don’t have to be a tech neckbeard for that, just dislike Windows.
I bet you there is a distro called Pikachu, just to fuck with people like us.
I became a full-on programmer after joining Lemmy. Coincidence?
Nope not a coincidence at all
Excuse you. Some of us have a well kempt full beard thank you very much.
Not to mention the broke single mum tech neckbeards!
Go mombeards!
Very wholesome! How do you keep yours and his from getting mixed in the laundry?
The packs come in different colors so I use the white ones and he uses the grey ones.
A roll of really heavy duty velcro. The kind that can, for example, stick a sledge hammer to a wall. It’s about $12 for 5 feet or so, and about a 1" piece is sufficient for most tasks, so it lasts a very long time. I use it for all kinds of stuff; it’s amazing how many uses for it you find when you have it.
What kind of uses did you have for it?
He stuck a sledgehammer to his wall.
Something every kobold needs.
A lot of small things. I have some velcro on the wall in few rooms that I can stick a tablet to, for example. I’ve got velcro holding down a few items on my desk - a USB hub, speakers and the like, that I want to move sometimes, but that were commonly getting knocked off (by the cat). I’ve got a small whiteboard and a few places I can stick it, so I can use it to sketch something up and take it with me to our workbench, for example, and not have to precariously balance it.
All things that could be solved with other solutions, obviously, but the heavy duty velcro just happens to be a one-size-fits-all solution that leaves no permanent marks and is very convenient to set up.
I have a IKEA pergola on my backyard and I’ve been trying to come up with a way to attach some plastic paneling on top of it without drilling. This might be it.
Most common adhesives will be less effective under hot (ie sunlight) conditions.
If you don’t need it to come off, 3Ms GPH (General Purpose High-temp) VHB tape. 50% of your car is probably held together by it.
Thanks, interesting industry knowledge. I need the panels to come off some day though. Otherwise I would have looked at glues/epoxies from the start.
Just in case you havent seen it: Don’t call it velcro
That’s pretty funny. Unfortunately for them, I and probably almost everyone else don’t really care about their brand identity, so I’ll keep calling it all velcro. I’ll also keep call all tissues Kleenex, and all adhesive bandages Band-Aids, and all the others that have become synonymous with their product. That’s what they get for being too successful, I guess.
Less syllables always wins.
Kleenex, tissue. Band aid, bandage. Xerox, copy. IPad, tablet (some people call their android tablets iPads) Plucker, flosser.
It’s not really that bad. Some are even shorter:
Google, search. Invisalign, retainer.
Some are iffy:
Sharpie, permanent marker. (You could just say marker, depending on if you have any other markers in the house to disambiguate from.)
And some are definitely shorter as brand names:
Q-tip, cotton swab Velcro, hook and loop Sawzall, reciprocating saw
(And if there was a shorter name for “oscillating multi tool” I would be so happy.)
I can’t think of any others.
How do you get the velcro to stick to the wall so you don’t rip it off if it’s so strong? (And no, don’t just say more velcro!)
It’s velcro all the way down!
It sticks with adhesive, and I don’t doubt it would rip wallpaper right off, but using adhesive remover before trying to pull it off lets you work it off slowly and not cause damage to paint or surfaces.
Last time I did install work we used double sided Velcro for cable management. I snagged a roll and made a jig to split it in half with a box knife to get twice as much and I’ve still got a ton left over a decade later. It’s really handy stuff to have around and better than zip ties in most applications I use it for.
Dual Lock!
I bought a reusable tote for like $3 in the section at the front of Target where they stick all the cheap stuff. It looks like it’s made of woven burlap. It says “Going to Market” on the sides. It’s shorter than the standard reusable tote, but a reasonable width.
I bought it on a whim and thought it would sit in my trunk after I forgot about it. I use it all the time, and I’ve gotten a ton of compliments on it at checkouts of various stores.
I knew I wouldn’t regret starting to use user notes.
Isn’t everyone a better off Ted fan? Some people just don’t know it yet.
Actually, I just realized that I have only seen Portia de Rossi in two things and they were both fucking killer. Maybe I should watch ally mcbeal…
Both excellent points!
Its incredibly useful. Kind of interesting to recognize an unhinged jackass from one thread being normal a week later.
It’s too bad I don’t have a note about you, because I feel like that would make this more contentious but probably interesting.
If I were going to make one about you, and you were as honest as you think you can be, what do you think it would say? I haven’t looked at your post history and I don’t remember your username from elsewhere (sorry), so I’m genuinely curious how you’ll choose to represent yourself.
You can use mine.
That’s very kind of you, but I hesitate to take the word of the noteless and I can’t just take you at your word that you are bereft of hinges.
close enough.
User notes? What are these, and how would I go about using them?
As for what they are, the green text in my screenshot.
How depends on how you access Lemmy. In my client, Connect, I expand a comment, tap the three dots to the right of it, and click “add user note.”
I’ve never been so proud of a title!
It’s great that you got it working; hopefully it serves you well. I’ve primarily used it to mark people who aren’t worth an argument to me (“argues in bad faith”) and people with whom it’s extra worth engaging ("seems clever, " “shares a fandom,” in a few rare cases just their first name to make it stand out if it’s a friend but I didn’t notice the username).
Tbh I’ve only got, like … Five user notes.
edit: One more now!
Aww, sadly I’m iOS and not Android, so I can’t use Connect nor I guess user notes.
Voyager calls them “tags.”
Ahh, ok! Thank you!
I can’t comment on your particular client, but I suspect most of them should support it in some form.
It looks like Thunder is available for Android and iOS. I dont really use it but I do have it installed, so I took a look. It has a “user label” function that looks pretty similar and is added through the same basic process.
Note that I am very much not an expert on Lemmy and even less so on anything Apple, but I bet a way can be found! And if not you always have the option of submitting a feature request to the developer of whatever app you do use.
Good luck!
I’m honored!
$20 bread maker I found at at a thrift store. There’s no telling how many hundreds of loaves of healthy, fresh baked wheat bread I’ve churned out of that thing over the past two years, especially now that we’re grinding our own wheat too.
I got a bread maker for free. I asked my coworkers and THREE different people said they had a bread maker that’s just sitting there, unused as gifts that they don’t want.
I’m one of those who gave my bread maker away. The problem was when I was making bread with it, it was so good I’d quickly eat it all up and kept gaining weight, so I stopped using it.
Bread makers & pasta makers…
There’s like three new in box every time I go thrifting
I loved my breadmaker back in the day. I’m in an apartment these days though, so no room for a new one after the last one broke.
Did you try getting rid of the old one and putting the new one in its former place?
An Aeropress. I bought it when work removed the free coffee and was super surprised at how good it tasted vs what they were serving. Later, I found a bean hand grinder that fits right inside the Aeropress plunger and now I take it on work trips, vacation and camping.
It’s not fully inclusive for $20 because you need a cup, some way to procure and heat water and beans but still, it’s served me well.
I didn’t buy an aeropress for years as I had a coffee machine and was like, surely that’s better.
But finally got one, and my god. The simplicity. The ease of cleaning. The nice coffee.
It’s basically my sole way of making coffee now, despite more pricey alternatives at my disposal.
+1 for the Aeropress!
I find a good pour over cone makes better tasting coffee with a little less fuss, but the aeropress is irreplaceable for iced coffee.
The clever dripper is pretty nice pour over cone with a shut off valve.
When I’m making just one cup of coffee I use an aero press, for 2+ cups I use the clever dripper.
I’ve found that it tastes kinda plasticky compared to my glass French press. Am I aeropressing wrong?
Is it an authentic aeropress, not a cheap knockoff? There are a bunch that sell under the same name but aren’t in fact manufactured by aeropress ltd., and those can taste off since the cheap plastic is not certified for use with boiling water, and might not even be bpa free.
It’s Aeropress™ and purchased from a reputable roaster. I suppose it’s unknowable to me if some shenanigans were pulled further up the supply chain.
I’ll add that the thing I noticed is that it tastes plasticky if I use water at 205°F but not 185°. I prefer the hotter temp because I think it gives a better extraction, and I need the caffeines.
Very strange, I’m using water straight from the kettle just after bringing it to a full boil, and don’t taste anything plastic.
I have an old one, maybe they were manufactured differently. The main part is a hard plastic. I never noticed a plastic taste, but it could also be the rubber/silicone plunger stopper that imparts a taste. They do now sell a glass one, but I’ve heard that it’s overpriced.
I know people who also swear by their French press. From what I know, regardless of the brew method, the grind is the most important factor, followed by the water quality and temperature.
If its made before 2009 its likely not BPA free and you should consider upgrading to a modern one. I think the plastic was changed again around 2014. Mine is from that time period and doesnt have an after taste either.
As well as the glass one you can get one made of tritan, which would be my pick over the glass as its mostly the same look, a lot cheaper, and pretty much unbreakable.
Metal Chopsticks $9 https://www.amazon.com/BamLue-Stainless-Chopsticks-Dishwasher-Restaurant/dp/B07RTNWLM1 These are no longer for sale. They are not just for eating. Great for deseeding jalapenos, tomatos. Mixing small sauces. Too many uses to list. They are super durable. Very ‘buy it for life’ vibes. The tip texture is the most helpful. Not to be used as Ninja weapons.
Chopsticks are also nice to mix fluids in a bottle because for some they are long enough
I also started eating potato chips with them, can reach deeper in + clean handseating chips with chopsticks also slows me down and some times prevent me from overeating chips
You’ll get better over time, so it’s a time limited benefit.
I’m gonna leave this right here…
SNACTIV LITE Finger Chopsticks… https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BXG8ZTNG
Rolling my eyes hard.
…and then I saw the pic of the PS controller. I’m now reconsidering everything I know.
I do those things as well. I have some metal deep frying ones, they are about 14" long. I use them a lot when stirring deep soup pots. And when they are dirty, I use the fat end to swish the dish sponge around in deep containers that my had can’t fit in.
Ooh, I’ll try to remember this next time I’m having chips!
I dont understand how people eat with metal or plastic chopsticks. Wood? Sure, it practically holds itself
Yeah rice is impossible for me with anything but wooden chopsticks
I always have metal chopsticks on me.
A Victorinox Swiss army knife. Bought it used for 10€, and it has everything from a very good blade to screwdrivers, a bottle opener, pen and tweezers. Always in my pocket in case I need it.
It’s weird, but despite owning a couple of nice pocket knives, I almost never have actual use for them. My tactical torch though, is freaking amazing, and given my shitty old eyesight, I use it every day.
Oh yeah a torch is also one of those things that you’ll never catch me without. Though mine is quite a bit over the $20 mark.
I’d be lost without my pocket knife. I use it daily, I’ve even gutted a moose with it.
One of those tiny sd ones? I have a couple and love them. I carry a skeletool cx now but if I had to carry only the little victorinox I wouldn’t complain.
It’s a Climber, a 91mm model. Just small and sleak enough to be bearable on my keychain. The small ones are missing screwdrivers which I use quite often
