8 posts were split to a new topic: Spin-Off thread from Life Hacks about Defund Police
I test AA and AAA batteries by dropping them from about 6" above the kitchen counter. If they bounce at all, they dead.
Hey, me too!
A new one that I have just recently (in the last couple of weeks to use) is when I plug my charger into my phone and it sends me an alarm saying THERE IS MOISTURE IN either the usb port or the charging port. Of course I panicked, chucked the hairdryer into the vent to dry it out plus other methods, but nothing worked. So, after googling, I came to realise this is a common condition in Samsung phones, and the remedy is to stick the charger into the port, wait for the ALARM to go off, hit the RESTART button for app 30 seconds, then restart again and the bloody thing works like a charm. I didn’t figure it out on my own, but damn if google doesn’t help with hacks when you need them!
The one my mom had was lighter and smaller than any smart watch. I can’t see how that would be ‘dam uncomfortable’. Like I said, about the size and weight of a thumb drive. Actually a little shorter. And you could where it like a watch, or just stick it in a pocket.
Can you explain?
This is the first I’ve heard of this. It works? What orientation when you drop them? Vertical? Horizontal? Why does it work?
I heard that if you drop them a few inches onto a hard surface, on the negative end, it may restore a little bit of charge. To be used in situations where the need is immediate and urgent, like when the TV remote wont work.
What I do when the TV remote doesn’t work is to swap the batteries, left for right. That seems to keep the device going for a while longer. I’ve also heard that just cleaning the ends of the batteries (where the contacts are) also helps.
Mine only has one battery. I just spin it a few rotations.
Batteries are physical objects with a specific chemical composition. that composition changes when the battery depletes, and affects the physical properties of the battery/case system.
This is speculation but maybe the chemicals are less dense after the reactions are done, so the metal case is left more rigid than when it was new.
I suspect you’ll get the same result from just spinning the batteries without removing them. I have a feeling all you’re really doing by removing and reinserting them is (slightly) cleaning the terminals and helping those last few angry pixies get out.
That may be the case in general, but I’d be surprised if it applied to batteries. Either because it simply doesn’t apply to the chemicals found in them or it happens on such a minute scale that any differences are negligible and/or undetectable to a random human dropping them on a kitchen table.
Huh, turns out it’s not reliable, but not entirely wrong either. Apparently, as the battery degrades, the zinc turns to zinc oxide, which, according to the article, is used in golf balls to make them bouncier.
What a beautiful video clip about halfway down that article. It perfectly illustrates the drop test vs charge %.
I drop it negative side down but I doubt it matters all that much. If it is a fresh battery it will land and perhaps tip over but doesn’t really bounce. A used battery will bounce a cm or so.
Sure, it was a hard plastic tab with sharp edges that fit on lanyard that had a Velcro quick release. While lightweight, Mom said it was scratchy as hell. We had plans for me to replace the lanyard with one of my softer ones the very next day when she took her final fall. She had gotten up to use the bathroom during the night. She lay on the floor for about 4 hours before my brother found her and called an ambulance. She passed away about a week later due to cancer.
Thanks. Been there.
I tried everything to get her to keep it close to her. She said that she would bobby bin it to her fleece jacket. Or put in the pocket. Bullshit, she never did, nor had it when I came over. Her excuse was that it was “Hanging on my walker” Well if you fall, where will your walker be? It will NOT be accessible to you, that’s where.
Drove me nuts. And the excuses where total bullshit.
I, healthy and happy at 62 keep my cell phone with me. Just in case. I work from home alone 10 hours a day. I have a wife that still drives to work and is home every night. But I don’t go anywhere without my phone.
When my Wife walks the dogs, I ask “Where, and do you have your phone”.
At 62 years old, I know that accidents sneak up on you. You can be as careful as you can be, but there is always one waiting for you. It’s unavoidable.
My Mom had two emergency devices. One could be worn on a lanyard, about the size of a pocket watch. She kept it beside her bed.
The other was the size of small watch and was on a comfortable band which she wore on wrist where she used to wear her watch. When I visited her, I always made sure she was wearing it.
Re cutting bell peppers - I didn’t figure this out on my own, but here’s the proper method (should cue to 1m). It’s an awesome trick.
One that took me a long time to notice: if you have a bunch of paperboard cartons (e.g. think beer bottle six pack cartons) that you want to stack for recycle, if you squash them flat they just pop back to their normal shape. If you flatten then bend them slightly while flat, they stay flat and you can stack a bunch of them easily.
My gf will take a horse out for a ride and 50% of the e time she forgets her phone. Our horses are steady, but a deer jumping up right in front of them will freak them out a bit.
Not sure if this counts as a “life hack” but one thing it unfortunately took me years to figure out is that you never lend anything to anyone unless you are prepared to never see it again. It started with pens in high school, then books, movies, albums/music CDs, food storage containers… they’re never coming back.