Low-Tech answers to high-tech problems
Tue Feb 26, 2008 10:19AM EST
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Sometimes the answer is not to go out and buy another gizmo or gadget. Here are some new uses for everyday things that can help you get out of a jam.
Wet phone?
The toilet, the sink, a puddle, the laundry… it's so easy for your phone to wind up soaked through and through. Everyone has an opinion on how best to dry out a wet cell phone, but the technique I like best is to remove the battery and place the phone in a bowl of uncooked white rice. The rice wicks the water from the phone. (If your phone uses a SIM card, remove it too. At least you'll have your data.)
Drying out a wet phone with a hair dryer is often a first impulse, but heat can damage the phone even more. For more ideas on drying, from using silica gel to halogen lamps, see Wikihow.
Sleep through the alarm clock?
OK, this one will cost you a cheap wineglass. Break the stem and put your phone inside. The glass amplifies the sound. This one (and photo) come courtesy of Lifehacker.
Need a filter for your camera flash?
Cell phones demand that you get up close and personal when you take a photo, and often the flash will wash the color right out of your subject. To diffuse the flash, use a white coffee filter to make an impromptu filter. I tear the bottom off the cone and put the ruffles around my phone like one of those doggie flea collars.
Taming cords
There are plenty of products you can buy to help keep your gadgets' cords together, but the tube at the end of the toilet paper roll gives you the same results. Real Simple ran this photo in a recent issue.
DVDs with scratches
A lengthy discussion at Lifehacker compared techniques for getting through a movie when your DVD is scratched. The consensus called for either furniture polish or car wax. Apparently the wax fills the scratch and you can watch the movie without missing a scene.
Just put a gob of the stuff right on the disk and wipe. The secret involves using a cloth like an eyeglass cleaner (not a napkin or tissue) to wipe the wax in.
Floss your keyboard with sticky tape
This one reminds me of Garrison Keillor's running duct tape saga, but sticky tape is pretty handy when it comes to removing the crumbs that get embedded in your keyboard. (You would never think of eating at the keyboard, would you?) Seriously, hold the tape in your hands and do a flossing-like thing between the keys. Hey, get the lint off your pants while you're at it.
Flash drive trees
Somehow flash drives multiply in our house like amoebas. Now don't laugh, but those inexpensive earring trees have a second life as a flash drive sorter. With your flash drives all hanging from the tree, you can pick the one that coordinates best with your wardrobe each day.
Got a favorite low-tech tip to share?
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67 Posted by bill8by5 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:07PM EDT Report Abuse
Something I found that gets scratches out of CD's and DVD's is Brasso. It also takes scratches out of a watch crystal too. It takes a bit of elbow grease to get deep scratches out - like when your grandson used it for a frisbee and it landed on concrete - it's wise to hit it with some pledge afterward. That will keep the surface from being scratched as easily next time it goes for a flight. Recommend teaching your grandson how to do this so he can learn the error of his ways and thus, saving you the hard work.
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68 Posted by angel-rn@sbcglobal.net on Thu Sep 3, 2009 2:54PM EDT Report Abuse
Okay, I can tell by some of the comments and spelling that some of you love a good joke! And you know that someone is going to try everyone of these things because people are that stupid! Like Craig Ferguson says on his late night TV show--'If its on the internet, it must be true!!!!!!!!!!' P.S. On the "LOW tech" idea--------I thought using a dishwasher would be using something requiring MORE energy??!!! ;)
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69 Posted by dan_dassow on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:36PM EDT Report Abuse
I use the hard-sheck eye glass cases to store my wireless network interface cards. They are the perfect size and the wireless cards remain undamaged when packed in my laptop bag. Using uncooked rice as a desiccant works for other electronic devices such as iPods and laptops. I have used uncooked rice to also dry out books that I dropped in water. There is a safety issue with using a cheap wine glass to amplify a cell phone. A safer alternative is to use a small wooden box as a sounding board. Men's cologne and other gift items are frequently packed in these wooden boxes. Using sticky tape for cleaning a keyboard is a variant of using sticky tape for removing lint from clothing.
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70 Posted by vaughn_acv on Thu Sep 3, 2009 10:32PM EDT Report Abuse
My personal favorite for correcting, or at least dealing with, scratches on CD/DVD media is...saving a little feces from a medium hardness poop. Take a little with your finger and wipe it in circles on the disk. Use a fine silk cloth to buff the surface once the crap is uniformly rubbed in. Don't bother with cleaning it off as in the banana example because that would remove the protective and corrective coating from your poop. Once all that is done load, play and enjoy your viewing and smelling experience. Oh and make sure you use only your poop as using somone elses may not work and is just plain gross!
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71 Posted by mail_chic_5 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 7:04PM EDT Report Abuse
I have a remedy for you. While you are sitting here reading all these tech remedies and getting indigestion from it. Eat a tablespoon of mustard. Instant relief. I wonder if you can clean your disc with it too??? Thanks for the great tips!
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72 Posted by mail_chic_5 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 7:04PM EDT Report Abuse
I have a remedy for you. While you are sitting here reading all these tech remedies and getting indigestion from it. Eat a tablespoon of mustard. Instant relief. I wonder if you can clean your disc with it too??? Thanks for the great tips!
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73 Posted by ladylighthouses on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:55PM EDT Report Abuse
I keep a small paint brush beside my computer at all times. As soon as it gets a little dust or crubs, I take the paint brush and sweep it away.
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74 Posted by markup1969 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 7:08PM EDT Report Abuse
LMAO ear wax???????? toilet????? Please tell me that people are using the toilet for its intended use to flush most of the things that are posted on here.
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75 Posted by markrossi123 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 7:08PM EDT Report Abuse
To avoid dog hair in your keyboard, arrange for your dog to have his/her own computer, preferably a laptop. Dogs, unlike cats, love playing at the computer, and are remarkably adept with the keyboard...
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76 Posted by markrossi123 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 7:08PM EDT Report Abuse
To avoid dog hair in your keyboard, arrange for your dog to have his/her own computer, preferably a laptop. Dogs, unlike cats, love playing at the computer, and are remarkably adept with the keyboard...
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77 Posted by siimpsons_fan1424 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 9:22PM EDT Report Abuse
i kno this is kinda really stupid and obvious but if you use a semi-deflated beach ball and put ur ipod on it, it serves as a good and safe place to place it. If you have an ipod case and dont want to remove the case to put on dock than just keep the case on plug it in and put on beach ball. one in about 12" circumference should do the trick. :P
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78 Posted by deniserodman5091 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:41PM EDT Report Abuse
I work for a movie rental chain, we use a cleaning machine that works every time. It is pretty much a table router with sponges that spin and apply a coat of what is virtually car wax to the discs. Their is a course pad to smooth the plastic and a smooth pad to buff on the car wax.
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79 Posted by muttwitch on Thu Sep 3, 2009 7:30PM EDT Report Abuse
To open jars with vacuum sealed screw on tops, pierce the top with an ice pick. It will open easily once the pressure is equalized. This works on the largest and smallest jars.
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80 Posted by iluvwetlands on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:23PM EDT Report Abuse
an ordinary index card--lightly dampened--or apply double stick tape to edge-- works great to get pet hair out of the key board. just turn and use a new edge with each swipe--better than the credit card technique because it will actually grab the hair--not just scoot it---
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81 Posted by avwarrior on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:00PM EDT Report Abuse
Before applying the Turtle Wax to the DVD please remember to put the disc in the DVD Rewinder so it won't miss any scenes when you fill in the gaps!
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82 Posted by sqzdog on Thu Sep 3, 2009 9:37PM EDT Report Abuse
You all will think this is crazy, but another good way to clean your keyboard is to put it on the dishwasher. Just wrap the cord with a rubber band and place it in there. No soap is necessary. Then (you will really think I am crazy...) Put it in your oven on the middle rack on the lowest warm setting you have. This allows the water to dry. This really does work. It was in a textbook for a computer class I took and I tried it with an old keyboard. Worked like a charm!!
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83 Posted by toosharpthings on Thu Sep 3, 2009 10:17PM EDT Report Abuse
A great way to solve a lot of the world's problems is take the scratched dvd and hold it with your teeth as you put your head into a wood chipper
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84 Posted by supermanfan1986 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 9:48PM EDT Report Abuse
I know this is totally off topic...but the remark about toothpaste reminded me that you can clean jewlrey with toothpaste makes it all shiney and you dont have to take your jewlery anywhere to get cleaned.
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85 Posted by comi_cozi on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:28PM EDT Report Abuse
when you cant open a pickel jar just turn it up side down placing it on the lid and using somehting like a screw driver and prie very very litly on the lid and let some air in the jar and you can now open the jar EASY ohh Bee Carefull as to much presure you can break glass jar and INJURE YOUR self and die from it soo be warrend!
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66 Posted by nar_comix on Thu Sep 3, 2009 7:33PM EDT Report Abuse
....More than half of these low tech suggestions are completely bogus and STUPID.