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Life Hacks: Any Procedure or Action That Solves a Problem, Simplifies a Task, Reduces Frustration, Etc. in One's Everyday Life
Simple solutions to everyday problems!
Wouldn't it be nice if there were a way to make life easier? With Life Hacks, you'll find hundreds of methods that you can start using right now to simplify your life. From folding a fitted sheet to removing scuffs from furniture, this book offers simple solutions to a variety of everyday problems. Each informative entry helps you discover quicker, more efficient techniques for completing ordinary tasks around the home, at the office, and just about anywhere. You'll also learn how to make the most out of any situation with fun, problem-solving tricks like creating an impromptu iPod speaker from toilet paper rolls or snagging a free doughnut at your local Krispy Kreme shop.
Filled with 1,000 valuable life hacks, this book proves that you don't have to search very far for the perfect solution to everyday problems.
Wouldn't it be nice if there were a way to make life easier? With Life Hacks, you'll find hundreds of methods that you can start using right now to simplify your life. From folding a fitted sheet to removing scuffs from furniture, this book offers simple solutions to a variety of everyday problems. Each informative entry helps you discover quicker, more efficient techniques for completing ordinary tasks around the home, at the office, and just about anywhere. You'll also learn how to make the most out of any situation with fun, problem-solving tricks like creating an impromptu iPod speaker from toilet paper rolls or snagging a free doughnut at your local Krispy Kreme shop.
Filled with 1,000 valuable life hacks, this book proves that you don't have to search very far for the perfect solution to everyday problems.
304 pages, Paperback
First published April 15, 2014
1209 people are currently reading
948 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 146 reviews
February 13, 2024
I found many of the tips not relevant to me; some because they were cheap not frugal, some were just plain dumb, and others such as the many iPhone tips don’t apply to me because I don’t have an iPhone. Additionally, some tips are already out of date in this five-year-old book.
In the following sampling of the contents, you see a mix of truth and falsehoods. The first two are legitimate, while the last two have been debunked by snopes.com.
- Instead of hitting backspace multiple times to correct misspelled words, erase the whole word by pressing Ctrl + backspace.
- When watching a DVD, press stop, stop, play, and skip to skip the ads and go straight to the movie.
- It’s completely safe to eat the stickers that are on fruit. Even the glue used to put them on is food grade.
- Pineapple juice is five times more effective than cough syrup. It also prevents colds and the flu.
If you decide to read this book, at least you’re forewarned. Personally, I recommend you pass on it as I don’t think there are enough new and useful hacks to make it worth even the short read that it is.
In the following sampling of the contents, you see a mix of truth and falsehoods. The first two are legitimate, while the last two have been debunked by snopes.com.
- Instead of hitting backspace multiple times to correct misspelled words, erase the whole word by pressing Ctrl + backspace.
- When watching a DVD, press stop, stop, play, and skip to skip the ads and go straight to the movie.
- It’s completely safe to eat the stickers that are on fruit. Even the glue used to put them on is food grade.
- Pineapple juice is five times more effective than cough syrup. It also prevents colds and the flu.
If you decide to read this book, at least you’re forewarned. Personally, I recommend you pass on it as I don’t think there are enough new and useful hacks to make it worth even the short read that it is.
August 2, 2016
Where is my review I must have swapped editions or something.. I will attempt to write it again. Don't you hate when this happens?!
This book was introduced to me by a teacher of mine. He always does an ice breaker at the start of each class, and this is always very effective. He presented the first lesson I had had for over 20 years and in this lesson he asked us all about our names, their origins and our birthdays. This was effective as our class always collects notes for those absent (what is it with youngsters today, they never go to class, actually a lot of the older ones miss class a lot too..) and we bake cakes for birthdays.
I digress! The reason for the book to come up on that first lesson was the subject classification in the Dewey Decimal Classifcation system. What subject does this fall under? Lots: Home economics -- Miscellanea, Consumer education -- Miscellanea and Life skills -- Miscellanea.
This is exactly what this book is. A bit of everything. 1000 hints covering lifestyle, technology, food. A mxed bag. I took note of a lot of them as I went along (numbered 1-1000), some are interesting, some silly and some are just plain weird! Erections and how to avoid them is one example!
This book would make a good gift. I'm considering giving it to a brother in law who is ridiculously frugal (and that's being kind). I think it'd be a clever idea. I might just re-gift. How apt!
This book was introduced to me by a teacher of mine. He always does an ice breaker at the start of each class, and this is always very effective. He presented the first lesson I had had for over 20 years and in this lesson he asked us all about our names, their origins and our birthdays. This was effective as our class always collects notes for those absent (what is it with youngsters today, they never go to class, actually a lot of the older ones miss class a lot too..) and we bake cakes for birthdays.
I digress! The reason for the book to come up on that first lesson was the subject classification in the Dewey Decimal Classifcation system. What subject does this fall under? Lots: Home economics -- Miscellanea, Consumer education -- Miscellanea and Life skills -- Miscellanea.
This is exactly what this book is. A bit of everything. 1000 hints covering lifestyle, technology, food. A mxed bag. I took note of a lot of them as I went along (numbered 1-1000), some are interesting, some silly and some are just plain weird! Erections and how to avoid them is one example!
This book would make a good gift. I'm considering giving it to a brother in law who is ridiculously frugal (and that's being kind). I think it'd be a clever idea. I might just re-gift. How apt!
May 3, 2015
Now that this helpful little volume had gone back to the library, I'm regretting not having jotted down some of the very helpful hints. I've forgotten some. Cool and creative stuff.
July 28, 2018
This book is a very interesting idea, and is based on some blog sites that the author has created. The book offers "simple solutions to everyday problems," in areas ranging from technology to fitness to money to housework. It's a fun and very quick read, and some of the tips are based on common sense and word of mouth, such as the one that suggests using rubbing alcohol to remove ink stains on clothes. But many others are based on some degree of research, and unfortunately there are no sources cited in this book. As a teacher and writer, I can't give it a high rating without those sources.
June 26, 2015
Some good tips, some stupid tips, some common-sense tips. A quick read.
December 30, 2018
My sister gave me this for Christmas. A thousand hacks from How to Quit Smoking to Surviving the Zombie Apocalypse. Possibly the best one is "Feeling ugly? Go sit in a Walmart for two hours. You'll feel a lot better."
November 13, 2024
يحتوي الكتاب على معلومات كثيرة مساعدة مقسمة على فصول: اقتصادية، أكاديمية، حياتية، منزلية...الخ. جيد جدا، وتمنيت لو الكاتبة وثقت بعض المعلومات بالمراجع.
January 31, 2018
2.5 stars. A collection of 1,000 life hacks, or tips, arranged by various headings (Technology, School, Survival and so forth). The author admits that he has gathered them from various places and as a result there is little really original here - as well as at least one case of duplication. Perhaps useful as a refresher or for introducing you to one or two things you haven't come across before - but if you're an established fan of hacks, you'll most likely already be familiar with most of these. Personally I could have done without the 'How to Survive a Zombie Apocalypse' section and I would note, for fellow UK readers, that the tips are heavily weighted towards USA companies and culture, which means that it has limited international applicability.
August 17, 2024
Some good ideas, however, I feel that some of them are really dated, especially when he refers to DVDs and things that essentially don’t exist anymore.
July 18, 2024
HIGHLIGHTS:
1. TECHNOLOGY:
- PPT: When doing a presentation in PowerPoint, always save it as a “PowerPoint Show” (.ppsx). This will open it directly to the slideshow.
- WIKIPEDIA: Replace the “en” in a Wikipedia link with “simple” to strip away the complex and mostly irrelevant information on the page.
- WIKIPEDIA: Confused by a Wikipedia article? Click “Simple English” on the left list of languages and it’ll whisk you to a simplified version.
- YOUTUBE: Want to download a YouTube video? Just add “ss” to the URL between “www.” and “YouTube.”
- add “repeat” between “www.Youtube” and “.com.”
- VOICEMAIL: If you mess up recording a voicemail, press “#” to re-record
- When sharing headphones with friends, turn on the mono audio feature, so that your phone splits the sound equally.
- Your headphones can be used as microphones if you plug them into the mic jack on your computer. This is helpful when recording lectures.
- ProTuber is a free YouTube app on the iPhone that allows you to multitask while playing a video.
- Cleaning out your Windows computer? Search “size:gigantic” and it’ll display all the files on your computer greater than 128mb.
- Change the lock screen on your phone to a picture of your name and contact information like an e-mail address or home number. That way if you lose your phone, the person who finds it can easily see whose phone it is and how to get the phone back to you.
- When signing up for a website, don’t answer the security questions honestly. You’ll actually protect your account and identity more if you always use the same wrong answers.
- TEXT: Accidentally text the wrong person? Immediately put your phone on airplane mode and once it fails to deliver, delete the message.
2. HEALTH:
- Putting deodorant on an insect bite will stop the itch instantly.
- Drinking a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar in the morning can help fight arthritis pain throughout the day.
- Get rid of your motion sickness by sucking on a lemon or eating olives.
- COUGH: Get rid of nighttime coughs by putting Vicks VapoRub on your feet and then placing socks over them. Your cough will stop within minutes.
- Drinking a cold glass of water in the morning will wake you up faster than a cup of coffee.
- Drinking two cups of water before meals can make you lose an average of four and a half more pounds in twelve weeks.
- Don’t eat anything four hours before you go to bed. It really makes a huge difference.
- COUGH: Pineapple juice is five times more effective than cough syrup. It also prevents colds and the flu.
- The cells in your body react to everything that your mind says. Negativity actually brings down your immune system.
- Drinking five cups of green tea in a day can help you lose weight around your belly.
- Getting nauseous from reading in the car? Tilt your head side to side and it’ll go away
- Soak a cotton ball in vinegar and put it on a bruise to make it disappear.
- Put toothpaste on a pimple and it will disappear overnight.
3. HACKS
- Tossing some sage into the campfire will keep you bug-free all night.
- If someone presses all of the buttons on an elevator, you can avoid stopping on each floor by pressing each button again twice.
- To prevent loud noises and backsplash in a public restroom, put toilet paper in the toilet beforehand.
- While driving, move your seat as far back as you can while still being able to touch your pedals. This will help prevent speeding.
- Try applying your deodorant at night instead of in the morning. It’ll be more effective and you’ll sweat less the next day.
- If you ever have to park in a city at night, park in front of a bank. They’re lit up and have cameras everywhere.
- When filling up your car with gas, hold the trigger halfway. You’ll get more gas and less air in the tank.
4. HOME:
- EGGS: When making hard-boiled eggs, throw one teaspoon of baking soda into the water. The shell will come off without a problem once the egg is cooked.
- STAIN: Rubbing alcohol will remove pen marks and stains from pretty much anything.
- STAIN: Toothpaste removes ink from your clothes. Apply it to a stain, let it dry, and then wash your clothes.
5. MONEY:
- When buying something online, only read the reviews that gave three stars. They’re usually the most honest about the pros and cons.
- Golden spending rule: If you can’t afford two of it, you can’t afford it.
- you have a gift card with less than $10 on it, the business is legally required to give you the rest of your balance in cash if you ask.
- Never base your life decisions on advice from people who don’t have to deal with the results of your decision.
6. KIDS
- Parents of seven- to sixteen-year-olds can make their children behave in public by threatening to sing loudly.
- How to get kids to behave on road trips: Bring a bag of candy. Anytime they misbehave, throw a piece of candy in the car trash. It may be kind of mean, but it works! 665
7. FYI:
- Sitting in the back of a plane makes you 40% more likely to survive a crash.
- Minor in what you love and major in what will get you a job.
- Secretaries, tech support, and janitors are the true power in an office.
- Falling air pressure causes pain in birds’ ears, so if birds are flying low to the ground, it almost always means that a thunderstorm is coming.
- When you get a call from a telemarketer, don’t say anything and press “9” on your phone. This will automatically add your number to their “don’t call” list.
- You can call 311 for non-emergency calls to the police.
- Spam texts bothering you? Forward them to 7726 and your carrier will reply asking for the number it came from to help stop spam.
8. RESOURCE:
- Televisor.com - You can enter a show you like on Televisor.com and it will recommend new shows to watch and where to find them online.
- NameChk.com - domain name
- Can’t afford Microsoft Word? Get OpenOffice; it’s the same thing except it’s free and has a lot more features.
- On AccountKiller.com you can instantly remove all of your personal data from websites you don’t want having it.
- The FastCustomer app will never make you wait on hold again. It calls the company for you, waits on hold, and then calls you when an actual human is on the line.
1. TECHNOLOGY:
- PPT: When doing a presentation in PowerPoint, always save it as a “PowerPoint Show” (.ppsx). This will open it directly to the slideshow.
- WIKIPEDIA: Replace the “en” in a Wikipedia link with “simple” to strip away the complex and mostly irrelevant information on the page.
- WIKIPEDIA: Confused by a Wikipedia article? Click “Simple English” on the left list of languages and it’ll whisk you to a simplified version.
- YOUTUBE: Want to download a YouTube video? Just add “ss” to the URL between “www.” and “YouTube.”
- add “repeat” between “www.Youtube” and “.com.”
- VOICEMAIL: If you mess up recording a voicemail, press “#” to re-record
- When sharing headphones with friends, turn on the mono audio feature, so that your phone splits the sound equally.
- Your headphones can be used as microphones if you plug them into the mic jack on your computer. This is helpful when recording lectures.
- ProTuber is a free YouTube app on the iPhone that allows you to multitask while playing a video.
- Cleaning out your Windows computer? Search “size:gigantic” and it’ll display all the files on your computer greater than 128mb.
- Change the lock screen on your phone to a picture of your name and contact information like an e-mail address or home number. That way if you lose your phone, the person who finds it can easily see whose phone it is and how to get the phone back to you.
- When signing up for a website, don’t answer the security questions honestly. You’ll actually protect your account and identity more if you always use the same wrong answers.
- TEXT: Accidentally text the wrong person? Immediately put your phone on airplane mode and once it fails to deliver, delete the message.
2. HEALTH:
- Putting deodorant on an insect bite will stop the itch instantly.
- Drinking a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar in the morning can help fight arthritis pain throughout the day.
- Get rid of your motion sickness by sucking on a lemon or eating olives.
- COUGH: Get rid of nighttime coughs by putting Vicks VapoRub on your feet and then placing socks over them. Your cough will stop within minutes.
- Drinking a cold glass of water in the morning will wake you up faster than a cup of coffee.
- Drinking two cups of water before meals can make you lose an average of four and a half more pounds in twelve weeks.
- Don’t eat anything four hours before you go to bed. It really makes a huge difference.
- COUGH: Pineapple juice is five times more effective than cough syrup. It also prevents colds and the flu.
- The cells in your body react to everything that your mind says. Negativity actually brings down your immune system.
- Drinking five cups of green tea in a day can help you lose weight around your belly.
- Getting nauseous from reading in the car? Tilt your head side to side and it’ll go away
- Soak a cotton ball in vinegar and put it on a bruise to make it disappear.
- Put toothpaste on a pimple and it will disappear overnight.
3. HACKS
- Tossing some sage into the campfire will keep you bug-free all night.
- If someone presses all of the buttons on an elevator, you can avoid stopping on each floor by pressing each button again twice.
- To prevent loud noises and backsplash in a public restroom, put toilet paper in the toilet beforehand.
- While driving, move your seat as far back as you can while still being able to touch your pedals. This will help prevent speeding.
- Try applying your deodorant at night instead of in the morning. It’ll be more effective and you’ll sweat less the next day.
- If you ever have to park in a city at night, park in front of a bank. They’re lit up and have cameras everywhere.
- When filling up your car with gas, hold the trigger halfway. You’ll get more gas and less air in the tank.
4. HOME:
- EGGS: When making hard-boiled eggs, throw one teaspoon of baking soda into the water. The shell will come off without a problem once the egg is cooked.
- STAIN: Rubbing alcohol will remove pen marks and stains from pretty much anything.
- STAIN: Toothpaste removes ink from your clothes. Apply it to a stain, let it dry, and then wash your clothes.
5. MONEY:
- When buying something online, only read the reviews that gave three stars. They’re usually the most honest about the pros and cons.
- Golden spending rule: If you can’t afford two of it, you can’t afford it.
- you have a gift card with less than $10 on it, the business is legally required to give you the rest of your balance in cash if you ask.
- Never base your life decisions on advice from people who don’t have to deal with the results of your decision.
6. KIDS
- Parents of seven- to sixteen-year-olds can make their children behave in public by threatening to sing loudly.
- How to get kids to behave on road trips: Bring a bag of candy. Anytime they misbehave, throw a piece of candy in the car trash. It may be kind of mean, but it works! 665
7. FYI:
- Sitting in the back of a plane makes you 40% more likely to survive a crash.
- Minor in what you love and major in what will get you a job.
- Secretaries, tech support, and janitors are the true power in an office.
- Falling air pressure causes pain in birds’ ears, so if birds are flying low to the ground, it almost always means that a thunderstorm is coming.
- When you get a call from a telemarketer, don’t say anything and press “9” on your phone. This will automatically add your number to their “don’t call” list.
- You can call 311 for non-emergency calls to the police.
- Spam texts bothering you? Forward them to 7726 and your carrier will reply asking for the number it came from to help stop spam.
8. RESOURCE:
- Televisor.com - You can enter a show you like on Televisor.com and it will recommend new shows to watch and where to find them online.
- NameChk.com - domain name
- Can’t afford Microsoft Word? Get OpenOffice; it’s the same thing except it’s free and has a lot more features.
- On AccountKiller.com you can instantly remove all of your personal data from websites you don’t want having it.
- The FastCustomer app will never make you wait on hold again. It calls the company for you, waits on hold, and then calls you when an actual human is on the line.
January 15, 2020
I read this book, so that you don't have to. There are 1000 so called life hacks in this book. When I got to the first false hack, I thought, generously, "One factual error I will give him." After all, everyone makes mistakes. But when I got to the second one, his credibility was strained for me.
Right out of the gate, two of my all time favourite false claims show up as hack numbers 11 and 12: Putting batteries in the freezer to make them last longer and putting a wet cell phone in rice to absorb water are both untrue. In the case of batteries, you could ruin them because of condensation that quickly forms once you remove them from the freezer. In the case of rice, it would be better to ask this question in your favourite search engine: "How to Save a Wet Phone" and follow the advice that doesn't include rice.
By the third false claim, I was going to put down the book, then I thought I'd entertain myself by doing my own fact checking. I didn't check every one. I skipped the ones that I knew were true and ones I didn't particularly care about. The book turns out to be little more than a random selection of mostly unsubstantiated noise direct from the internet with only a few useful hacks. In one case, he lifts a statement verbatim from an online quiz. To wit, hack number 317: "Daytime naps help to improve your memory and cut the risk of heart disease." You can find it at ynquiz.com. In any case, I couldn't find any solid proof for this claim, and factors such as how long you nap for and when, are important in determining its health benefits. Another problem with some of his hacks is that they are misleading. Another example is hack number 18: "Putting your phone on airplane mode will stop ads while playing games." Yes. This is true, but because airplane mode turns off access to any networks including the cell network, if your game depends on being on the internet, you may not be able to play it at all. So this hack doesn't always work.
Here's another one. Hack 56: "Drop a battery from six inches off the ground. If it bounces once and falls over it’s still good. If it bounces around more than that, it’s dead or on its way out." Because of the section this hack appears in, I am assuming he is specifically talking about cell phone batteries. In any case, I don't understand how this is a hack. If you feel you have to drop your battery on the ground, I'm guessing you already have a problem. Another issue this example highlights is that he frequently neglects to be specific about the circumstances and context of many of the hacks.
Describing hacks such as number 54 are sloppy and confusing for the reader: "To move frame by frame on a YouTube video, pause it and then use J or L to go backward or forward." Either this one is out of date or he doesn't know what a frame is. The character L advances the video 10 seconds and J backs it up 10 seconds. I was particularly concerned about hack 250: "Honey, when mixed with vinegar and water, can remove worms and other parasites in your body". I could not find anything to support this claim. Consult a medical professional if you suspect you have a parasite.
Do not depend on hack number 227 either, which claims, "It’s completely safe to eat the stickers that are on fruit. Even the glue used to put them on is food grade." According to Snopes, this is mostly false. Sure you can eat one or two stickers from time to time without any ill effects, but in general don't be eating paper and glue. It's not a good thing. Take off the sticker and wash your produce people.
Some of the hacks are indeed woefully out of date, especially the ones that refer to specific websites or google search terms. Hack 25: "Turn the Google search page into pirate slang by typing in 'Google pirate' and clicking the 'I’m feeling lucky' button [sic] 'Settings' will now be referred to as 'Me likes an’ dislikes'". The instructions don't work, but a little investigation proved that the so-called hack is found by using the URL: google.com/?hl-xx-pirate, albeit not as he describes it.
When I read hack 118 "Poke a fork through the creamy part of an Oreo, so that you can dip the whole Oreo in milk without getting your fingers wet", I wondered, Were you raised by wolves?
There were a few hacks I really loved and did find useful. For example, hack number 2: "Want to download a YouTube video? Just add 'ss' to the URL between 'www.' and 'YouTube'". It's clunky but it works. But my favourite is hack 38: "Go to https://www.youtube.com/disco and enter in an artist’s name. YouTube will auto arrange an awesome playlist based on uploads of that artist". This truly is an awesome hack. It's even better than he describes it. You can use any search term and experiment with what you can get. For example, type in "David Bowie Heart's Filthy Lesson". You will get results for uploaded versions that Bowie did of that song. Type in "cover of What's going on and you'll get versions of that song by various artists.
These last examples do not make up for the errors and sheer sloppiness of this book. Despite the disclaimer that the author and publisher accept no responsibility for misadventure caused by following any of these hacks, this reader thinks that it is extremely irresponsible and unethical to publish this book without rigorous fact checking. There is no excuse for propagating false, incomplete, or misleading information. And the author shouldn't be profiting from it. If he wanted to maximize his credibility, citing sources and proof would have helped. Save your money and time and skip this one altogether.
Right out of the gate, two of my all time favourite false claims show up as hack numbers 11 and 12: Putting batteries in the freezer to make them last longer and putting a wet cell phone in rice to absorb water are both untrue. In the case of batteries, you could ruin them because of condensation that quickly forms once you remove them from the freezer. In the case of rice, it would be better to ask this question in your favourite search engine: "How to Save a Wet Phone" and follow the advice that doesn't include rice.
By the third false claim, I was going to put down the book, then I thought I'd entertain myself by doing my own fact checking. I didn't check every one. I skipped the ones that I knew were true and ones I didn't particularly care about. The book turns out to be little more than a random selection of mostly unsubstantiated noise direct from the internet with only a few useful hacks. In one case, he lifts a statement verbatim from an online quiz. To wit, hack number 317: "Daytime naps help to improve your memory and cut the risk of heart disease." You can find it at ynquiz.com. In any case, I couldn't find any solid proof for this claim, and factors such as how long you nap for and when, are important in determining its health benefits. Another problem with some of his hacks is that they are misleading. Another example is hack number 18: "Putting your phone on airplane mode will stop ads while playing games." Yes. This is true, but because airplane mode turns off access to any networks including the cell network, if your game depends on being on the internet, you may not be able to play it at all. So this hack doesn't always work.
Here's another one. Hack 56: "Drop a battery from six inches off the ground. If it bounces once and falls over it’s still good. If it bounces around more than that, it’s dead or on its way out." Because of the section this hack appears in, I am assuming he is specifically talking about cell phone batteries. In any case, I don't understand how this is a hack. If you feel you have to drop your battery on the ground, I'm guessing you already have a problem. Another issue this example highlights is that he frequently neglects to be specific about the circumstances and context of many of the hacks.
Describing hacks such as number 54 are sloppy and confusing for the reader: "To move frame by frame on a YouTube video, pause it and then use J or L to go backward or forward." Either this one is out of date or he doesn't know what a frame is. The character L advances the video 10 seconds and J backs it up 10 seconds. I was particularly concerned about hack 250: "Honey, when mixed with vinegar and water, can remove worms and other parasites in your body". I could not find anything to support this claim. Consult a medical professional if you suspect you have a parasite.
Do not depend on hack number 227 either, which claims, "It’s completely safe to eat the stickers that are on fruit. Even the glue used to put them on is food grade." According to Snopes, this is mostly false. Sure you can eat one or two stickers from time to time without any ill effects, but in general don't be eating paper and glue. It's not a good thing. Take off the sticker and wash your produce people.
Some of the hacks are indeed woefully out of date, especially the ones that refer to specific websites or google search terms. Hack 25: "Turn the Google search page into pirate slang by typing in 'Google pirate' and clicking the 'I’m feeling lucky' button [sic] 'Settings' will now be referred to as 'Me likes an’ dislikes'". The instructions don't work, but a little investigation proved that the so-called hack is found by using the URL: google.com/?hl-xx-pirate, albeit not as he describes it.
When I read hack 118 "Poke a fork through the creamy part of an Oreo, so that you can dip the whole Oreo in milk without getting your fingers wet", I wondered, Were you raised by wolves?
There were a few hacks I really loved and did find useful. For example, hack number 2: "Want to download a YouTube video? Just add 'ss' to the URL between 'www.' and 'YouTube'". It's clunky but it works. But my favourite is hack 38: "Go to https://www.youtube.com/disco and enter in an artist’s name. YouTube will auto arrange an awesome playlist based on uploads of that artist". This truly is an awesome hack. It's even better than he describes it. You can use any search term and experiment with what you can get. For example, type in "David Bowie Heart's Filthy Lesson". You will get results for uploaded versions that Bowie did of that song. Type in "cover of What's going on and you'll get versions of that song by various artists.
These last examples do not make up for the errors and sheer sloppiness of this book. Despite the disclaimer that the author and publisher accept no responsibility for misadventure caused by following any of these hacks, this reader thinks that it is extremely irresponsible and unethical to publish this book without rigorous fact checking. There is no excuse for propagating false, incomplete, or misleading information. And the author shouldn't be profiting from it. If he wanted to maximize his credibility, citing sources and proof would have helped. Save your money and time and skip this one altogether.
March 20, 2018
"If you're ever attacked by a swarm of wasps or bees, use hairspray to immobilize them."
I'm glad I got this book through the library - that's the life hack I recommend for you.
While there's some valid advice in this book most of it is common sense. Some of the advice is outdated. And some if it is outright weird. In what situation are you attacked by bees but you have hairspray? Why is salt the supposed fix all for everything? A lot of this advice takes more money or time than just doing something the easy way and some of them aren't applicable anymore as companies like Amazon and Spotify change their policies.
It's a quick read but I don't feel like I learned much.
I'm glad I got this book through the library - that's the life hack I recommend for you.
While there's some valid advice in this book most of it is common sense. Some of the advice is outdated. And some if it is outright weird. In what situation are you attacked by bees but you have hairspray? Why is salt the supposed fix all for everything? A lot of this advice takes more money or time than just doing something the easy way and some of them aren't applicable anymore as companies like Amazon and Spotify change their policies.
It's a quick read but I don't feel like I learned much.
Read
June 17, 2015A compilation of all those hacks you see on pinterest and Facebook. fast read with some useful info. the one I'm most eager to test out: acne scar remedy - mix teaspoon of nutmeg and a tablespoon of honey into paste. apply and let set for 30 minutes. rinse. now if only I can prevent hobie from licking it all off!
January 2, 2018
Wow what an overload of info! A lot of terrific ways to make things a little easier. The best part is it's just an easy read to pick up again and again without worry about where you were before. I left a star off because some of the hacks need to be updated, but with this kind of book, that could happen overnight.
December 17, 2016
Good tips
I enjoyed the book some items are out of date. Many things I have never heard of. I enjoyed reading it.
I enjoyed the book some items are out of date. Many things I have never heard of. I enjoyed reading it.
December 16, 2018
A strange little collection of "life hacks" from things that are common knowledge to some truly bizarre suggestions. There are a few good ideas mixed in.
December 14, 2019
This book was okay. Citations for the “research shows” hacks would have added significantly more credibility. Apparently most of the hacks were submitted by people on the author’s website, but even providing some attribution as to where a hack came from would’ve helped. Otherwise, a lot of the hacks just seem like they were made up and pulled out of nowhere just to fill up space in the book.
I realized after reading some of the iPhone hacks that this book was published back in 2014, making a good chunk of the technology hacks obsolete. There were also a lot of hacks that were repeated multiple times, sometimes in the same section. A bunch of hacks are just plain wrong, for example, don’t rub bananas on your scratched DVDs, that will just cause bigger problems. Other “hacks” are just common sense, like drinking milk if you eat something too spicy. Some made me tilt my head, like a “hack” for avoiding embarrassment when buying something. No one should ever be embarrassed about what they need to buy, and if they are, then maybe they need to read a self-help book or shouldn’t be buying said item in the first place? A disturbing number of “hacks” just encourage bad behaviors, like tricks to drink alcohol in public and how to plagiarize a school paper. Those were honestly cringe worthy, and the worst.
Take out all the stuff mentioned above, and this book could’ve easily been cut down to a third. I’m honestly tempted to commit the cardinal sin of books and take a red pen through it to mark out all the junk so I don’t have to sift through it to find the actual useful hacks like peppermint oil spider repellent, and simmering vanilla extract and cinnamon for a delightful DIY air freshener. Honestly, I’m probably better off just going online and making a Pinterest board of the best stuff cause I guarantee they’re all on the internet somewhere, and that will save me the effort and guilt of marking up a mediocre book.
Not bad, but not good either. A solid middle of the road book with SOME interestingly useful information, but honestly not worth buying because you can find all this stuff online through Pinterest or just Googling.
I realized after reading some of the iPhone hacks that this book was published back in 2014, making a good chunk of the technology hacks obsolete. There were also a lot of hacks that were repeated multiple times, sometimes in the same section. A bunch of hacks are just plain wrong, for example, don’t rub bananas on your scratched DVDs, that will just cause bigger problems. Other “hacks” are just common sense, like drinking milk if you eat something too spicy. Some made me tilt my head, like a “hack” for avoiding embarrassment when buying something. No one should ever be embarrassed about what they need to buy, and if they are, then maybe they need to read a self-help book or shouldn’t be buying said item in the first place? A disturbing number of “hacks” just encourage bad behaviors, like tricks to drink alcohol in public and how to plagiarize a school paper. Those were honestly cringe worthy, and the worst.
Take out all the stuff mentioned above, and this book could’ve easily been cut down to a third. I’m honestly tempted to commit the cardinal sin of books and take a red pen through it to mark out all the junk so I don’t have to sift through it to find the actual useful hacks like peppermint oil spider repellent, and simmering vanilla extract and cinnamon for a delightful DIY air freshener. Honestly, I’m probably better off just going online and making a Pinterest board of the best stuff cause I guarantee they’re all on the internet somewhere, and that will save me the effort and guilt of marking up a mediocre book.
Not bad, but not good either. A solid middle of the road book with SOME interestingly useful information, but honestly not worth buying because you can find all this stuff online through Pinterest or just Googling.
January 20, 2021
Rant incoming.
Where do I even start? I stumbled across this e-book and thought "Mhm, sounds like a funny short read and it's for free - let's give it a go." But booooy is this book bad, I would not even think about buying it as a present for anyone.
1) The order doesn't really make sense. Sometimes one "life hack" could be put into a different sections. Some of the suggestions are even double and in twice in more than one section. That's one way to come up with 1000 "different" ones. lol And don't get my started about these short Top 10 lists which sometimes just include plain simple words.
2) There's no PROOF for anything suggeted in there.
3) Some tips are just WRONG. Don't put toothpaste on a spot!! NO!!!
4) Some tips are like "You can use this for that" - while no normal person has said thing at home in my opinion.
5) Never put tech related stuff into a book - it will be outdated in 6 months. Don't put Apple/IOS exklusive stuff into a book - that just makes you look like you're an Apple Boi.
Better just skip the book and google stuff if you're find yourself in a situation where you need a "life hack". It also saves you about 20-30 minutes I spent reading this book ;)
Where do I even start? I stumbled across this e-book and thought "Mhm, sounds like a funny short read and it's for free - let's give it a go." But booooy is this book bad, I would not even think about buying it as a present for anyone.
1) The order doesn't really make sense. Sometimes one "life hack" could be put into a different sections. Some of the suggestions are even double and in twice in more than one section. That's one way to come up with 1000 "different" ones. lol And don't get my started about these short Top 10 lists which sometimes just include plain simple words.
2) There's no PROOF for anything suggeted in there.
3) Some tips are just WRONG. Don't put toothpaste on a spot!! NO!!!
4) Some tips are like "You can use this for that" - while no normal person has said thing at home in my opinion.
5) Never put tech related stuff into a book - it will be outdated in 6 months. Don't put Apple/IOS exklusive stuff into a book - that just makes you look like you're an Apple Boi.
Better just skip the book and google stuff if you're find yourself in a situation where you need a "life hack". It also saves you about 20-30 minutes I spent reading this book ;)
October 24, 2021
This book is a collection of 1,000 life hacks. It contains tips in different categories ranging from kitchen tips to wildlife and Zombie Apocalypse survival, to travel tips, study tips, etc.
I used it as a light read in between reading nonfiction books. Each page has only three hacks, so you'll be able to read it fast.
I found a lot of useful tips and hacks but many are irrelevant for me as I'm not from the U.S. Many hacks are for U.S. brands or use items only available in the U.S. Probably half the hacks are irrelevant for me.
But the ones that are relevant, I found many gems though these could also be found with a Google search or on Quora.
I will still recommend that you get and read this book (and note or copy the hacks that you find useful).
It's still a useful book. So, 3 stars. One star less for having 50% irrelevant hacks.
I used it as a light read in between reading nonfiction books. Each page has only three hacks, so you'll be able to read it fast.
I found a lot of useful tips and hacks but many are irrelevant for me as I'm not from the U.S. Many hacks are for U.S. brands or use items only available in the U.S. Probably half the hacks are irrelevant for me.
But the ones that are relevant, I found many gems though these could also be found with a Google search or on Quora.
I will still recommend that you get and read this book (and note or copy the hacks that you find useful).
It's still a useful book. So, 3 stars. One star less for having 50% irrelevant hacks.
October 7, 2019
Want to know how to best remove crayon from the walls? Take away the stench from your shoes? Save money? Get freebies? You can find the answers to these and more here. Bradford's easy to read book is both insightful and entertaining (the ways to survive a zombie apocalypse made me laugh out loud). I've used a few of these (like the tip about rubbing alcohol taking out ink, that works like a charm), and have heard of several. I think most if not all are worth at least a try. If you are not adventurous, I know there are YouTube videos, like Mental Floss, that have tried several of these, with varying degrees of success.
January 12, 2017
50% interesting/useful (and sometimes mind blowing tips), 25% things I'm doubtful work (ordering a pizza and asking the delivery driver to give you a ride home?) or are just plain dumb (using a toilet paper roll to make an iPod speaker really?), 20% common sense things everyone already knows and 5% inspirational sayings/tips you find on cat posters. Still, the 50% of tips that seem really useful make up for the rest...and I am kind of curious to try some of the ones I'm doubtful about (like tricks to get free trials and whatnot).
October 28, 2024
A helpful hack treasure trove!!
Lots of really cool and often, rather easy solutions to quite a grab bag of life's little, as well as, not so little, sometimes daily but always unexpected pitfalls we are all faced with from time to time. From full on road blocks to annoying inconveniences, the solutions to many of them can be found here. It's the kind of book that's good to have around. With the way life is these days, chances are, it won't be long before the time comes when you'll be really glad that you did!!
Lots of really cool and often, rather easy solutions to quite a grab bag of life's little, as well as, not so little, sometimes daily but always unexpected pitfalls we are all faced with from time to time. From full on road blocks to annoying inconveniences, the solutions to many of them can be found here. It's the kind of book that's good to have around. With the way life is these days, chances are, it won't be long before the time comes when you'll be really glad that you did!!
May 26, 2018
Some of these are crazy, outright dangerous, true but list the wrong causes, true but list the wrong thing they help with… but overall I had a few good laughs.
It concentrates too much on being a literal American translation and does not translate meaning, for example, its recipes use “cups” as a unit of measuring. Also, way too much Oreo and Apple fanboying.
Some lectoring (found a couple of misspellings and wrong hyphenation for German) would also not have gone amiss.
It concentrates too much on being a literal American translation and does not translate meaning, for example, its recipes use “cups” as a unit of measuring. Also, way too much Oreo and Apple fanboying.
Some lectoring (found a couple of misspellings and wrong hyphenation for German) would also not have gone amiss.
December 11, 2020
"Peanut shells are edible. So are the stickers on fruit." Maybe, but who does that?! These are a couple samples of the funny, but not very practical examples in this book. I did find some good takeaways. I now put my phone on airplane mode occasionally to charge faster; I don't, however, attempt to do 1,000 jumping jacks/day to burn a pound in a week. This book's greatest strength is that it's fun as a conversation piece with family and friends.
June 13, 2021
Out of 1000 life hacks, “drink water” comprised at least 10. There were several others repeated as well. Ten were ridiculous tips on surviving a zombie apocalypse and at least 20 were about getting drunk. Some were absolutely wrong (I know from experience) and several are ethically questionable at best.
An easy read and a not-terrible way to kill a couple hours, but not something to take seriously.
An easy read and a not-terrible way to kill a couple hours, but not something to take seriously.
December 12, 2024
# 397 If you are feeling nervous, start chewing gum. You're brain will reason that you're not in danger you wouldn't be eating if you were.
That is how the whole book is structured. There is an index to search for specific hacks as well as the chapters being divided into technology, fitness, school, etc. It's a lot of information to read through and I feel like a Google search would have been a better option.
That is how the whole book is structured. There is an index to search for specific hacks as well as the chapters being divided into technology, fitness, school, etc. It's a lot of information to read through and I feel like a Google search would have been a better option.
October 31, 2016
Interesting
This book was very interesting. It does give you a lot of tips and some websites, but does not elaborate or give examples.
You can go through quickly or just read a few tips a day.
I hope I retain many of the tips because I didn't write any of them down and this is a borrowed book. Happy Reading!
This book was very interesting. It does give you a lot of tips and some websites, but does not elaborate or give examples.
You can go through quickly or just read a few tips a day.
I hope I retain many of the tips because I didn't write any of them down and this is a borrowed book. Happy Reading!
November 6, 2016
Useful and fun
Much to my surprise, many of the around-the-home and tech hacks were new to me and will come in handy. Some of the other topics had tips that seemed less than honest. As a former teacher, I can guarantee that some of the "study" hacks will get you a solid F, so use with care.
Much to my surprise, many of the around-the-home and tech hacks were new to me and will come in handy. Some of the other topics had tips that seemed less than honest. As a former teacher, I can guarantee that some of the "study" hacks will get you a solid F, so use with care.
July 7, 2017
This is a handy book to have around to check on solutions to everyday problems. There are 1,000 practical solutions to most problems found around the house. It is a great reference of how to solve a problem and most practical problems can be found in this book. Some I remember when growing up as a kid. I strongly recommend it.
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