View all Tools | By Type | Login and tell us about a tool you love! | TNT Newsletter | RSS
Find Tools and Tips:Tips
Recycling Electronics for Free
Wow! Just noticed this great post about free electronics recycling on Lifehacker.
From the blog post: "The program, which allows you to discard your used electronics in an... Read More
Type(s): Tip, Web Service
Tags: recycling electronics free USPS
Loctite Stick
I can't live without Loctite threadlocker stick (medium strength blue color). I put one of these in every toolbox I own, and I own several. Rarely do I ever tighten a n... Read More
Type(s): Hand Tool, Tip
Tags: nut bolt tightener loctite
Removing Ink Stains from Toys
In my experience, there's nothing makers like more than being a hero, so here's a good tip I saw on BoingBoing for Dads and Moms: acne cream and sunshine will remove ink scri... Read More
Type(s): Tip
Tags: toys ink stains removal
How to Remove Pine Sap from Your Hands
Its the holiday season and between steam punking your wreath and putting homemade solar LED lights on your tree, there is a fair chance that at some point you will have ... Read More
Comments: 2
Type(s): Tip
Tags: Pine+Sap hand+sanitizer
Watt Watt
Watt Watt is a "community for individuals interested in electrical energy efficiency." It has forums on topics ranging from appliances to transport to renewable energy.
An... Read More
Comments: 1
Type(s): Tip, Web Site
Tags: electricity tips save
Clean Your Sinuses
It's cold season! I've been using a Neti Pot for years to clear out my sinuses (my GP recommended it), but this how-to by Noah from Instructables just tickles my funny bone. I... Read More
Type(s): Household Product, Tip
Tags: salt+water sinus neti rinse cold
Event Coordination
Gina Trapani at LifeHacker posted about a cool-sounding new collaborative event organizer. I haven't tried it yet, but it sounds like it's perfect for everything from organizi... Read More
Type(s): Tip, Web Site
Tags: organization events collaboration
Sound Money Tips
Sound Money Tips is a nice site to keep yourself on top of your game. They post a short personal finance tip every day. Some are pretty obvious (like "stay organized" w... Read More
Type(s): Tip, Web Site
Tags: money tips finance
Doggle (Doggie Goggle)
My dog rode with his head out the window, but he had to squint his
eyes against the 55 mph wind. I cut the top off a 2-liter soda bottle
to save his corneas.
Cut off the ... Read More
Type(s): Tip
Tags: dog doggle goggle
Easy Inventory
You do have a digital camera, yes? Well, you can buy yourself some really important and valuable "insurance" if you simply pull out every drawer and box in your shop and pop ... Read More
Type(s): Tip
Tags: tip inventory easy
Money Clip
I have a ton of old clip-on earrings that I've either inherited from my great-grandmother or collected from junk sales (I can't shake the desire to be prepared for playing dre... Read More
Comments: 2
Type(s): Tip
Tags: earrings clip-on clip money tip
A Real Flight Tracker
A few weeks ago, I was preparing to leave a dinner party to pick up my sister at the airport, when Artur Bergman suggested I check Flight Aware rather than the airline website... Read More
Comments: 3
Type(s): Tip, Web Service, Web Site
Tags: flight tracking track flight+tracking airline airport
Wire Spice Rack
A simple spice rack at the workbench can organize smaller bottles of glues, solvents, lubricants, etc.
With less than a dollar's worth of hardware they'll mount to the gar... Read More
Comments: 1
Type(s): Organizing Tool, Tip
Tags: work+bench spice+rack
Tracking Power Consumption
Two recent posts on O'Reilly Radar caught my attention. They both talk about ways to track the hidden power consumption of our gadgets, as well as discuss ways to change how w... Read More
Type(s): Electronics/Gadget, Tip, Web Site
Tags: power+consumption conservation energy
BBQ-tiful
Phil Torrone pointed me to this great listing of BBQ accessories (Father's Day, anyone?) and extras. Some are perhaps more polished than practical, but I love the BBQ wok for ... Read More
Type(s): Kitchen Tool, Tip, Web Site
Tags: bbq grill pizza vegetables wok "father's day"
Light Box
Phil Torrone and Natalie Zee of the MAKE and CRAFT blogs both posted about this great, no-fuss light "tent" that just about anyone can put their hands on. If you've got a cool... Read More
Type(s): Tip
Tags: lightbox seamless background photography lighting
Figure 9 Rope Tightener
This product eliminates the need for knots. I know, it is a good idea to learn how to tie knots, but this makes a lot of things much easier: tie down loads, hang a tarp, secur... Read More
Type(s): Tip
Tags: rope, knots, handy, tight, travel,
Hack The Razr . com
Restore the features your cellular provider removed from your Motorola Razr v3c and v3m.... Read More
Type(s): Software, Tip, Web Site
Tags: Razr cell phone
Cellphone Address Book Timesaver
Have you ever needed a phone number quickly, but ended up scrolling through the thousands of numbers on your cell? (Hyperbole not intended) What I end up doing is choosing the... Read More
Type(s): Electronics/Gadget, Tip
Tags:
When Electronics Get Wet
I've revived a couple of soaked laptops and iPods, and if the machine isn't turning on, you pretty much have to disassemble it as fully as possible. You can find guides all ov... Read More
Comments: 1
Type(s): Electronics/Gadget, Tip
Tags: electronics wet fix repair
Cough Cure
Maybe its just an urban legend, but after receiving an email forward about getting rid of coughs by putting Vicks VapoRub on your feet (dont forget socks, so your ... Read More
Type(s): Tip
Tags: tip cough vicks+vaporub
Firefighter Pants
Firefighter pants are the best snow pants ever. They are waterproof, durable, and warm. Large snaps and buckles can be put on while wearing bulky gloves. Double-padded knees a... Read More
Type(s): Tip
Tags: fireman pants snow
Get Ready for the Eclipse!
From NASA's website:
In the USA, the eclipse will already be underway when the moon rises on Saturday evening. Observing tip: Find a place with a clear view of the eastern ... Read More
Type(s): Tip
Tags: eclipse lunar NASA
Dictionaria
MAKE Senior Editor Phil Torrone sent along this link to a talk about dictionaries by Erin McKean, editor of the New American Oxford Dictionary (which sounds a bit like an oxym... Read More
Type(s): Tip, Web Site
Tags: dictionary erin+mckean words
Literary Clock Instructable
As much as I hate seeing books butchered, I have to admit that this seems to be a good use of your time. (Arrggh! Pardon the pun!) Instructables user mdhaworth has a great how... Read More
Type(s): Tip
Tags: book clock literary reuse
Easy 40-Second Egg
Short on time? Well, you can make yourself a poached egg, if only you have a microwave and an egg (and 40 seconds). Check out Hoopajoo's great Instructable, and never skip bre... Read More
Type(s): Tip
Tags: egg poached cooking timesaver
Painting Tip
Gotta paint the bathroom, kitchen, or bedroom? If you have an airbrush, use it to cut-in: just get a can of compressed air and hook it to your airbrush. It's faster and easier... Read More
Type(s): Tip
Tags: paint spray
Food Expiration Dates
A couple months ago, I finally got fed up with not knowing how long things last in the refrigerator, and spent several days compiling the web's largest (so far as I know) repo... Read More
Type(s): Tip, Web Service, Web Site
Tags: expiration+dates
Gadget Organizer
Gina from Lifehacker has a great tip from a reader: buy a clear plastic shoe organizer and use it to store all your gadegets. You'll be able to see everything at a glance, and... Read More
Type(s): Tip, Web Site
Tags: gadget organizer
Cable Guy
For those of you who have ever cursed while wrestling with a mess of cables under the desk, or behind the entertainment center, or under the Christmas tree (i.e. all of us), h... Read More
Type(s): Tip, Web Site
Tags: organizing cables tip
Look Good in Party Photos
My brother-in-law relayed this great tip: when the photographer comes around taking candids at the next company party, or the waiter snaps a photo of your table at a restaura... Read More
Type(s): Tip
Tags: photography
Solstice Sipper
If celebrating the winter solstice is more in your line of things, the night won't be complete without some homemade mead. Follow the instructions here, and you can raise your... Read More
Type(s): Raw Material, Tip
Tags: mead recipe how-to
Chanukah? Hannukah? Hanukkah? Khanike? Hanookuh?
For me, it's always a moment of doubt: just how do you spell Hanukkah? Asking around the office, I found that a number of us were confused or at least curious at the wide vari... Read More
Type(s): Tip
Tags: transliteration hannukah hanukkah chanukah
Perfume Made Easy
I'm not a fan of most commercial perfumes (they don't really smell like anything in particular), and neither, apparently, is Instructables user Rapiertwit. Check out this nice... Read More
Type(s): Raw Material, Tip
Tags: perfume solid how-to
Digital Photo Frame
Well, the frame may be analog, but here's yet another take on the classic photo-in-frame holiday gift, and this one also allows for more than one photo. In fact, you can have ... Read More
Type(s): Electronics/Gadget, Tip, Toy
Tags: digital+photo frame picture
Vinyl Fruit Bowl
Have an old, scratched-up LP you were going to toss? Don't! Turn it into a fruit bowl instead, following the steps in this well-done Instructable. A lovely way to reuse otherw... Read More
Type(s): Tip, Web Site
Tags: record fruit+bowl vinyl
Photo Cube
A nice twist on the classic gift of a beloved photo in a frame, this clever photo cube project on Instructables.com allows you to use more than one photo and create interestin... Read More
Type(s): Tip, Toy, Web Site
Tags: photo cube frame display
Gravy Train
Instructables user Turkey Tek is full of creative ideas for Thanksgiving. This recirculating gravy fountain might just be my favorite, although it seems about as decadent as C... Read More
Type(s): Tip, Web Site
Tags: gravy fountain
While Away the Hours
MAKE's managing editor, Shawn Connally, pointed out the following grammar problem:
When awhile is spelled as a single word, it is an adverb meaning for a... Read More
Type(s): Tip
Tags: grammar a+while awhile tip
30 Ways to Eat a Pumpkin
Yahoo put together 30 ways to eat a pumpkin. These look pretty good:
* Pumpkin Pancakes
* Pumpkin Brownies
* Pumpkin Cream Cheese Roll
* Pumpkin Ale
... Read More
Type(s): Tip, Web Site
Tags: pumpkin eat cooking recipes
Easy Costume Idea: Clorox Bot
Stumped for a good costume? Dig through your recycling pile, and with some hot glue and spray paint, you won't recognize yourself. Instructable user Chaintool has a great how-... Read More
Type(s): Tip
Tags: recycle halloween costume clorox
Easy Costume Idea: Jelly Belly
In need of a last-minute costume that's clever enough to make up for the fact that it's a last-minute costume? Don't have time for the Clorox bot? Shawn Connally, managing edi... Read More
Type(s): Tip
Tags: jelly+bean costume halloween
Here, There, and Everywhere
Here's an easy but goody grammar tip this week (my head was spinning trying to explain compound words last time).
Most of us could probably explain the difference between ... Read More
Type(s): Tip
Tags:
Hyphenated Compounds
Hyphenating compound words is a very tricky subject, and I thought it was time to tackle it. In fact, Wikipedia claims that "a definitive collection of hyphen rules does not e... Read More
Type(s): Tip
Tags: hyphen compound+modifier grammar tip
Sunk Sink
OK, this is fun: say your sink is clogged. It just won't drain right, and you're constantly having to stop what your doing to let the water level sink enough to wash the dishe... Read More
Comments: 1
Type(s): Raw Material, Tip
Tags:
Lifestyle Hack
When I have a bunch of glasses that won't fit on my usual dish rack, I use a cooling rack on top of a cookie sheet. ... Read More
Type(s): Tip
Tags: lifestyle hack
Kuskokwim Kings (or, how to know good salmon when you see it)
Growing up fishing for salmon with my dad in Alaska, I took for granted a lot of knowledge that many people don't seem to have. Here are a few tips:
When buying salmon, ma... Read More
Type(s): Tip
Tags: salmon cooking tip
The Soul of the Shop
In his essay, "Shop Class as Soulcraft," Matthew B. Crawford writes in praise of manual labor, lamenting the disappearance of the shop class (and shop teachers) as our culture... Read More
Type(s): Tip, Web Site
Tags: shop soulcraft article
Math and Shoelaces
I was toodling around on the internet and found this article about math and shoelaces. With sentences like, Even if God wears shoes with 100 eyelets, these proofs will ... Read More
Type(s): Tip
Tags: shoes shoelaces tying new+scientist
How to Cut an Onion
Ever wondered how to hack an onion? Here's one answer...... Read More
Type(s): Tip
Tags:
Explore More in Community
Events
October
16
November
04
05
06
MOBILE ART && CODE: Mobile Media and Interactive Arts
06
Texas Pottery & Sculpture Guild's 22nd Annual Holiday Sale
06
The 23rd Annual Christmas Festival
06




