Good Advice Not Asked For - Now With 100% more Asked For!

[Musicman247]

So this thread is a place for all of you to bequeath your vast knowledge upon us. Have a tip about something? Put it here. Know the best way to do something? Do tell! Have a political opinion you just have to get off your chest? Go away. This ain't the thread or forum for that.

This also isn't an Ask The Forums For Advice thread. That stuff can go in General Discussion.
We're going to try it as a straight advice thread and see how it goes.

So, to start us off, I'll give a couple examples.

• Wash your knives by hand. Putting them in the dishwasher with other utensils can damage them.
• Want a mocha but don't want to leave home? 1 packet of hot chocolate mix in your coffee does the trick.

[Aarah]

Wash your knives by hand. Putting them in the dishwasher with other utensils can damage them.

My utensils and cutlery have also been getting rust on them from putting in them in the dishwasher, which I despise greatly.

Tip: Have trouble separating egg yolks from the white by hand? You can use a plastic water bottle. Squeeze the bottle in the middle, place the mouth of the bottle on the yolk, then release the squeeze. It creates a sucking action that will lift the yolk into the bottle.

This technique also works if you have overfilled a container with liquid and you want to remove some without spilling it everywhere.

[Dark Spark]

To intensify the flavor of lemon custard or lemonade, lay the squeezed-out lemon peels in the cup of sugar for a few minutes. The sugar will draw out the essential oils more effectively than simply grating the peels.

[Believe]

Never ever force a fart.

[leroybrown]

Does your vehicle have 'cloudy' headlight lenses? Buy a bottle of bug spray which contains 99% deet (probably gotta get it online, 'deep woods' stuff is around 20%ish I think) and spray it on the headlights then wipe it off with a rag. To date I haven't found anything more effective and I've tried a kit from 3m which contained several grit sandpapers, various drill attachments including a buffer pad as well as polish.

Some people have had luck with toothpaste but the only thing that did for my headlights is leave them minty fresh.

[AKB]

Be able to rephrase anything you are told and no one will ever not thing you are listening to them, or they will explain whatever they're talking about in a bit more depth since they knew you were listening, but you may not have gotten the information perfectly. There are some people who act like you not parroting back exactly what they said means that you did not listen, those people are all elderly or in their twenties. Kill both groups who do this.

If you can run for over a mile without pause, you are literally fitter than most people in the first world, and you have an ultimate fallback option if things go awry in any situation in the first world. This tactic is less valuable anywhere else.

[Dohva.]

If your curly hair getting dry and hard to manage? *note: thick tightly wound curls* In a small plastic bottle, mix 2 tblsps of coconut, almond, and olive oils, add in two drops of vitamin e oil, and lavender or peppermint essential oil. Deep condition your hair with this once a week.

[BetaB17]

If you ever have a wound that is more than superficial (i.e worse than a paper cut) then do not use hydrogen peroxide on it >_> use alcohol or white vinegar instead.

Peroxide oxidizes on contact before turning into basic water, killing bacteria and any fresh cells it manages to oxidize. Basically, your washing a wound with a mild acid(minus being acidic), thus taking even longer to heal.

For superficial wounds, it's fine, plus it'll likely do good for preventing or cleaning out an infected wound. The oxidizing effect even works better on pus than even alcohol (but burns just as badly), but still be wherry on anything more than superficial or very minor.. so no burns, scraps, deep cuts, or anywhere that's sensitive(as if that needed to be said). Personally I use Peroxide if toe nail clipping goes bad

[Aarah]

I know this thread is called 'Good advice not asked for' but can we also use it to ask for advice? Like 'anyone know how to get ketchup off a rug?' Or would that be too topsy turvy?

[Musicman247]

Ehhh, we can try it for a while, I guess. I'm flexible.

[Josjie]

If you ever get stabbed by something, do NOT pull it out. Leave the blade. Arrow. Whatever. And then find a doctor.

Seriously. Real-life is not Oblivon/Skyrim. Also, food does not heal you. For most people with their bad eating habits it'll most likely kill you. That's right people, Bethesda has been lying to you for years.

They should have stickers on the really bad food. HP -1 / 10 years.

[The SheoDovah]

When dealing with the police, it is generally not a good idea to shout "FUS RO DAH!" at them as you are not a dragonborn. Oh and don't wield a bloody greatsword.

Also, when making pastabake, use cheese that is easy to grate and does not fall apart. Cheeses that tend fall apart upon being grated make for a poor bake of the pasta. Experiment with everything and do whatever you want with it! Want fish? Go ahead, want steak in it? Sure, want pepsi in it? You sick freak! No-one uses soda in food! Go soak your head in shame!

Shame on you.



Shame.

[MARS]

I don't think anyone but you knows what pastabake is, TLD.


If you feel sorry for a beggar/homeless person but are not sure what they would spend money on, offer food, drink or other non-monetary help. It's always safer. Don't forget to ask about allergies.

[Dark Spark]

... Oh and don't wield a bloody greatsword.

True enough. Having unsightly blood on your sword blade not only invites bothersome questions about how it got there in the first place, it holds all the ingredients you need to produce rust on the steel.

When it comes to oiling a blade, you have many options. Choij oil is essentially plain ol' mineral oil with a clove scent, so ordinary mineral oil will work just as well. If you want to cut a cake or food at a wedding or other ceremony, strip off the old oil with vodka and re-oil the blade with vegetable oil prior to use. Afterwards, clean off the vegetable oil and reapply another protectant, as cooking oils will turn gunky and rancid over time.

Breakfree or any other silicone-based CLP will work for an active cutter. And the problem with WD-40 is a matter of longetivity: WD-40 works, it just doesn't work for long. It dries up and wears away very fast. On the other side of the coin, if you want to display a sword and never bother with having to re-oil it every month, museum wax will provide long-term protection from rust.

[Aarah]

Got dirty silver? Don't want to buy silver cleaner? Toothpaste does the trick! I always clean my earrings with it and they come up nice and shiny.

[The SheoDovah]

Then i must spread the word of the Pastabake.

Also, when setting up a new cult, don't use your real name and ditch your original one. No-one cares about Bob's death cult but Lord Vader's Cult of Enlightment has a better ring to it.

When working on roleplays, don't put it to one side and work on it every few weeks as the story can get messed up.

And when crossing the road, if you want to test if you are a superhero, don't try to stop a truck. If you do, you are very likely to get run over. If you do happen to be a superhero, congrats! everyone knows who you are. Nice going.

[Dohva.]

Can we make this thread a bit less silly? And just return to its intention of being helpful? Thanks.

[The SheoDovah]

I think I may be having a bit of trouble adjusting to being in between jobs. I am literally having trouble not sleeping after midnight and annoyingly, it seems that my body keeps going "No, Mr Dovah, you will sleep when i tell you to." instead of it sleeping when i damn well want to sleep. I mean, i literally did not fall asleep until 4 something in the morning and i am starting to fall back into my lazy habits again. Last week, i slept in a lot. This is temporary but i think i am slowly going to become at risk of being a right miserable [&@%!]. (not depression, just what i used to be like prior to getting a job, aka sir rants a lot and wants to punch things in the face after being rejected for the billionth time). I do intend to volunteer my services but because i expect to be working any day soon via temping, i'm guessing i'm asking how the bloody hell do i cope with not being in work?

Also, are nightclubs are good place to socialise along with that one other thing which i hope i don't have to flat out state in a bid to be subtle?

Also, when making coffee, don't use a wet spoon that you partially dried lest you like having coffee stained sugar and for the love of god, if you're british, have fish and run out of chips, put your on your list! Just don't do i did and forget about it.

[Mattbott]

Juice adds weight to citrus fruit so when buying lemons/limes, choose the heavier ones. It is possible (although I haven't proven this scientifically yet), that lemons and limes with less juice are more likely to float, so use the ones that sink. Unless of course you want your slices to float in your glass/jug

so when shopping for lemons/limes pick one up in each hand and carefully discard the lightest, and keep sorting through the fruit until you have found the heaviest ones (if you are allowed to do this in your grocers). Make sure your hands are clean before though, and be careful not to damage the ones you don't want

heating up lemons and limes helps release the juice so 10 seconds in a microwave or in a bowl of hot water will make more juice. Rolling them on a surface with your hand has a similar effect though perhaps not as effective. But rillong may be preferable as it has a far smaller carbon footprint

keeping half a lemon in your fridge will reduce odors and remind you what yellow looks like at night (in case you live in a city where orange street lights illuminate everything, for example)

that's almost all I know about buying lemons and limes

[The SheoDovah]

Ignore expiry dates and use common sense. I know some people will use them as the rule but you'll be surprised at how much longer something lasts. Milk, for example is good for 3-4 days after it's expiry date and is a case of using yer nose. Meats, i wouldn't advise as that is a dodgy area. Always freeze bread as it can last for weeks instead of going moldy quickly.

[BetaB17]

Speaking of mold, if and when your produce has a spot, dont just think removing the blemish removes the mold itself. First off, say for bell peppers, you want to scrub wash the surface but not too rough to tear it. This helps remove any spores it or fellow peppers may have. Keep mind to dry them before storing any away!

Next so, know how most molds grow, especially with veggies. Mold typically grows from the inside out, meaning by the time symptoms show on the surface, its long since progressed. Also know that softer n 'fleshy' foods will not mold well, n beware anything dairy n bread bc its better to accept your loses.

Bc of how it molds, I find bell peppers easy to salvage, more so than a strawberry bc its hollow n thick in flesh. Bc of how the mold 'roots' out, cut generously around, n not just trim the borders. Strawberries howeer are hard to salvage, so dont expect much, and cut deep if its only one spot btw. Once you removed the afflicted sites, it should be safe to cook with.

[Dohva.]

I found out the other day that when squash are growing, the little flowers at the end are supposed to be plucked off so that the squash doesn't rot before harvest. Just passing on that tidbit to my fellow gardners out there.

[VirtualWeasel]

Probably none of you will relate, but I need to post this here because I'm sick of seeing this [&@%!].
Stop making [&@%!] films. Please.

1. Invest in a good goddamn mic. Bad audio is the literal worst thing that can be done in your production, and there's a reason why sound mixers have an expensive day rate. That being said, a good mic is not going to break the bank—your average price for a decent Rode mic is around 200-400 dollars—and although my views are a bit skewed because I'm used to film prices, trust me, it's cheap as hell when it comes to audio/video.

2. Depth of field. Depth of field, depth of field, depth of field.

3. Thirds. Thirds thirds thirds thirds thirds thirds thirds thirds thirds thirds.

4. Useless inserts. Here's a rule to live by, friends: if it's not integral to the story, don't [&@%!] shoot it.

The end.

[KingFeraligatr]

I know that I don't know.

I came up with that before I heard it was a thing. I also don't live by it, but meh, it's a true statement.

[Dark Spark]

Well, there's the stuff you know, the things you have considered but cannot quantify, and all that you haven't even thought of.

Or, as Donald Rumsfeld awkwardly put it: There are known knowns, known unknowns, and unknown unknowns.