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Volume one
Welcome
Sometimes you might not
even realise there’s much
a
simpler way of doing a
difficult job: these are life
hacks. In this first volume
we'll walk you through tips
and tricks on everything
from building a garden shed
to surviving a marathon.
It's a lifeline for hapless
DlYers and a guidebook for
technophobes, but even if
you think you're life hack
a
guru, prepare yourself for
some truly elegant solutions
to problems you've never
even thought of.
es
FE ho
06 THE RIGHT WAY 14 UNLOCK 1,000S 24 JUMP-START
TO PUT UP A TENT OF HIDDEN YOUR CAR
NETFLIX MOVIES
Top tips that will make sure you'll Flat battery? Getting moving
always be a happy camper No more region restrictions again is a lot simpler than you
08 GRIND COFFEE 16 PUT UPA might think
WITHOUT A SHELF STRAIGHT 26 DECORATE
GRINDER LIKE A PRO
Avoid the pitfalls of this back-to-
There's no need for allthose basics DIY task Dodge a potential DIY disaster
whizzing electrical gadgets 18 MAKE THE with this handy painting guide
10 WRITE A NOVEL PERFECT SMOOTHIE 28 HOW TO CAST
IN MONTH A FLY LINE
A The ideal method and a tasty
It's possible! Bust that block and recipe for a healthy breakfast Fly fishing made easy
pen a bestseller in no time 20 ESCAPE A 30 COVER UP A CAR
12 CHOP WOOD BURNING BUILDING PAINT SCRATCH
LIKE A CHAMP
In a house fire, these tips could Save yourself a hefty bill and buff
Safe and effective tips make allthe difference out the bodywork yourself
wy
no.
W
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Fy GSE
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3« GET BETTER 40 COOK THE
ACOUSTICS IN PERFECT PULLED
AWKWARD ROOMS PORK ROLL
Max out speaker configuration Pig out with these tips fortender,
34 STEPS TO AVOID mouth-watering pulled pork Go from hobby vlogger to
TERRIBLE EBAY 42 TURN YOUR internet sensation
CUSTOMER SERVICE PHONE INTO A 48 CARVE LIKE A PRO
When eBay goes wrong 3D HOLOGRAM Show dad how it's really done at
36 TURN YOUR A projection project every family meal
TABLET INTO A 44 SURVIVE YOUR 50 FIX PUNCTURED
A
PLAYSTATION FIRST MARATHON BIKE TYRE WITHOUT
A REPAIR KIT
This emulator makes a console Great tips for preparation and
out ofyour Android tablet getting you through the big day Don't let a flat catch you out
38 BUILD A SHED 46 BECOME 52 USE THE CLOUD
AYOUTUBE
Level up your DIY skills with our Make organising documents and
SUPERSTAR
garden shed-building guide imagesa lot simpler
Y
lag
Camping isn'tsobad,right?Afewnights you?), youwillhavethetentupandthetea
awayfrom itall,getting intouchwith brewing in minutes, aswe'vedoneallthe
natureand livingthesimplelife—does groundworkforyou andaddeda smattering
thatsound nice?Well,yes, intheoryitcan ofpatienceand know-howto helpmake
bea lovelyexperience, butthatsmall bag this process less likea nightmare.
THE RIGHT containing a baffling collection offabric, Aswith seeminglyeverything,a little bit
loops, ties andtelescopic poles may infact ofcommon sensegoesa long way.Aslong
WAY TO PUT beatemporaryhomeforawhile, butthe asyou've remembered allthe kit (double-
stressofputting thetentupcould makeyou checkeverything isinyourtent bag before
1) wishthatyou had headedtoa hotel instead. you march offintothewilderness), pickthe
Fearnot,though,foras longasyou've rightspotandtakeyourtimethenyou're
packed thiscopyofGadgetmagazine guaranteed the perfecttenting holidaywith
Top tips that will make onyourcamping trip(andwhywouldn't nofrustration whatsoever.
sure you'll always be a
happycamper
01 Location, location,
location
Thefirstthing todoispickthe
perfectspotforyourtent. If
you'vegotan allocated plotona
campsite,then itshouldalreadybe
shelteredand flat, butifnot,make
sureyou getaspotthat’saslevel
aspossible,shelteredfromthe
wind — nexttoa hedge isalwaysa
good idea —andwith notreesor
powerlinesoverhead. Ifthespot
isexposed, trytomakesureyou
havethewind behindyousothat
itdoesn'tblowthroughthetent,
andalways pitch itatleastten
metresawayfromanyopen firesor
barbecuestoavoid anystraysparks
landing onthetent’smaterial.
0 Getyourselforganised
Soyou've pickedtheperfectspot; now
it’stimetogetthetent up. Unpackeverythingand
ensureeverythingyou need istherebeforeyoustart. 0 Layout the poles
Apartfromthetent itself,youshouldalsohavea Nowfixtogetherallofthepolesandthen layouttheinner
smallrubbermallet (youcan graboneforaround canvasonthespotyou'd liketocamp, takingcarethattheentranceis
£2atHalfords) toknock inthetent pegs. Unlessyou facingthecorrectway. Followingtheinstructionsthatcamewiththetent
havea particularlyfancyorunusualtent, it’ssafeto (and don'tpanic ifyouthinkyou've lostthem,asthey'reoften attachedto
assumethatyou haveanumberofpoles (probablyof theinsideofthetent bag) begintothreadthroughthefirstofthepoles.
differentsizes), an innercanvasandan outerone(or Theyusuallygofromcornertooppositecorner,andtherewillbeseveral
flysheet}togooverthetopofit. smallsleevesalongthetopofthe innercanvastofeedthepolesthrough.
Startingtotake shape CAMPING
O
Withapolealreadythreadedthrough,connect
eachendofittotheeyelets inthecornersandthen MUST-HAVES
you're readytoinsertthenextone.Thiswillbeharder,
asthebentshapeofthefirstpolewilldoitsbesttoget Cinch
inyourway.Takethisstageslowly.Carefullythreadthe Pop-up Tent
polethroughthesleevesandtrynottopullthepoleat
anypoint,orit’slikelytocome apartunderthesleeve Possiblythecoolesttent
— and it'sanightmaretotryandthen connect itback you'deverown.Itpopsup
up. Oncethrough, insertthepole intotheothertwo injustafewsecondsand
eyelets, andyoushouldthen haveabasictentshape. comeswithLEDlighting
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Offthepeg
O
Throwtheflysheetoverthe
tentandmakesurethattheseamsof Scrubba Portable
both parts match up.You'llneedto Washing Machine
attach-theflysheet byeithertiesor Betyoudidn’tthinkyou'd
clips eitherwillbeattachedtothe beabletotakeawashing
insideoftheflysheet,sogoaround machinewithyou.Drop
each seamconnecting thetwoparts _ yourclothes,waterand
ofthetent. Nowpegoutthecorners detergentinand,usinga
oftheentiretent, pullingthepeg neatinternalwashboard,
loopstightsothattheshape isrigid yourclothescouldbeclean
andtheflysheet isn'ttouchingthe injust30seconds.
innertent—you'llgetcondensation £35 $55
inthemorning ifyou do. Pegs thesc|rubba.com
should bedriven inatroughly45°
pointing intowardsthetentinorder
tostopthem becoming unhooked if IceMule Cooler
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BioLite
Finishing touches
O PowerLight
Now,finishoffbygoing aroundthetent Bundle
peggingoutanyloopsalongthesides.When itcomes
tothedoorofthetent, makesurethatthezipsareall Thisbundlegivesyoua
thewaydown, otherwiseyou mightfindthatthefabric standardlanternortorch,
istootighttoclosethem afterwardsifyoudon't.The ™ butitcanalsobeusedto
coloured guylinesarethereforextrasecurityin high chargeupyourphone,and
winds, andyoucan adjusttheir length-bymovingthe / comescompletewitha
plastic runnerupanddowntheropes ifyoustart pairofdaisy-chainlights
with itaroundonethirdofthewayupfromtheground, foroverheadlighting.
then thatwillhelptoavoid peopletripping overthem. £85|$110
bioliteenergy.com
ae
3935
LD)
COFFEE
WITHOUT A
4
Da Sea
Is hammer up to
a
gem
GOMEDIEVALWITH APESTLE ANDMORTAR
Soyou'vefinallyrealisedthatinstantcoffee Tkhitechree'nsacuppobsosaibridlisty, athnadttyhoautwmoauyldhabveeiademalofrotarrthaendjopbe.sItdleeallu,rbkuintgtriincktyh,eabsathckeornouonnde,somfoyoouthr
isdisgustingandthatthe‘fresh’stuffyouget surfaceofthebean makesthemtrickytocrush.Thebestmethod istostartwithasmall
isfarfromthebrewyougetfromyourlocal amountofbeans, crushthemandthen swapthemforafewmore.Themoreyou practice
coffeeshop.You'vedecidedthat it’snowtime yourtechnique,thentheeasierthis method gets.
togrindyourown coffee beans. But it’snot Didthismethodwork?Yes
quiteasstraightforwardasyouthink: high-tech
grinders have loadsofsettings —turning your
beans intoanything from gravelto powder.
Beforeyou goinvesting a load ofmoneyin
a newgrinderand start pounding the lifeoutof
everycoffee beanthat'scrazyenough tocome
within afive-mile radiusofyou,though, it’s
worth spending sometime looking intowhat
youwantyourgrindertodo, andthesortof
coffeeyou liketodrink.
Ifyou reallyfancythe DIYapproach, then
we've gota range ofoptionsforyoutogrind
coffee beanswithoutalltheexpenseand hassle
ofhavingtogeta grinder. Witha bitofpractice
and a smattering ofpatienceyou'llsoon be
makingcoffeethattastes infinitelybetterthan
anything fromoneofthechains.
&
\\
STICKYOURBEANSABLENDER
Itseemsobviousthatadevice used forblending thingswouldbeperfectforgrinding up
coffee, butin realityitdoesn’tactuallyworkthatwellatall. Firstly,thegranulesproduced from
blender-ground coffee beanswillend up beingdifferentsizes — nomatterhowlongyou
grind them for.That's important becausean inconsistentgrindwillaffect boththeflavourand
caffeineextraction ofthebeans. It’sontherighttrack, butnotquitethewholeticket.
Didthismethodwork? No
THE GRIND
IS REAL
You mightthinkmaking coffeeisjustacaseof
| blitzing some beansandstickingthem in hot
water, butgettingyourgrind wrong can leave
a bittertasteinyourmouth literally.Thefiner
yougrind beans, thelargersurfaceareatheywill
haveinwater, meaningthelesstimeyouwant
tosteepthemtoavoid overloading theflavour.
Readontodiscoverthebesttypeofgrindto 4
useinyourpreferred cupofJoe. '
Coarse grind S° e
Yourcafetiere(orFrenchpress}steeps * .
coffeeinwaterforseveralminutes.
beforestrainingouttHe.grounds,50
thegrindneedstobayerycoarse
ortheendresultwilltastevehgbitter.«o
IT’S HAMMERTIME igs
“s
Oneof-theeasiestwaystosmashyourcoffee beanstosmithereensisusinga nice,weighty
object we recommendahammerormeat-tenderising mallet. Putthebeansintoathick
freezerbag (anything toothinwillsimplyripwhenyou starttohammerit)andhammerthem
withshort,evenstrokes. Whilethis isaneasymethod, it’salsoveryhardtogetaconsistentsize
ofground beanssoyourcoffee'stastewill, unfortunately, sufferasa resultofthis.
Didthismethodwork?Sortof
a
Medium grind
m Thisisthekindofcoffeeyou'llmostlybe
usedtodrinkingincafesasitsusedin
adripbrew.Madeinlargebatcheswith
contacttimedictatedbyasmallholein
thebottomofthebrewingbasket,the
att By grindneedstolookliketablesalt.
Fine grind
Yourmorningespressoisbrewed
byusingpressuretoforcewater
throughcompactedcoffee
grounds. Thecontacttimeisvery
short,requiringafinegrindsize.
GENTLYDOES ITWITHA ROLLING PIN
Ifyou're lookingforsymmetryinthesizeofyourcrushed coffeebeans,thenwerecommend
puttingyourhammerawayfornowinfavourofa rolling pin. Putthebeans inatoughfreezer
bag,sothattheywon'tflyallovertheplace, then rolloverthebeanswithjustenough pressure
tobreakthem 'fvoudon'thave arealling nintahand thenyou can substitute |withanyother
cylindricalobjectthatwon'tbreakunderpressure.
Didthismethodwork?Yes
ee
Extrafine grind
naveamucniargersurface
area meaningthetasteic
sPieR)LOM Borers tc £sa2g0e0a|pSpNlia/Anc|es.co.uk partofaTurkishcoffee. - .
WRITE A we
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Throughout Novemberhundreds ofthousands
ofpeoplewillbetaking part in NationalNovel /
Writing Month.Alsoknown NaNoWriMo,
participants inthis competition aimtowritea St
50,000-word novelbeforethe month isover
wi
—that’s1,667wordsa day.Thatmaysound
likeadauntingtask, butthe NaNoWriMo has
~~
a passionate communityofusers,withover
430,000 participating lastyear, whospur
eachotherown.The NaNoWriMowebsite
(nanowrimo.org) also motivatesyou by
awarding badgesfor keymilestones.
There is noformalprize, mostparticipants
doitforthe loveofwriting. Buttherehave
been thosewhohavegoneontofind fame
andfortune: over250 novelswritten during
theeventhave been published. Most notably,
Water For Elephants bySara Gruen waswritten
for NaNoWriMo in 2006. Notonlydidthis
novelgoontobepublished worldwide, it
was alsoadapted intoa moviestarring Reese
Witherspoon and Robert Patterson.
Ifyou'veeverthoughtaboutwriting a book,
this isthetimetotry. Read ontotofind out
howtogetthe mostoutofNaNaoWriMoand
discoverthe bestgadgets forwriters.
x18
@@8
0 Getting started Earning yourbadges
O
Theeventdoesn't begin until midnight, 1November, butyou Onthehomepageyoushouldseeyour‘MyNaNo’profile,this
can sign upforitatanytimeofyear.Onceyou've madeyouraccount will haveinformation aboutyourselfanddisplayyourbadges.Thereare
and selectedwhereyouwillbewritingfromyou can seetheregion's threetypesofbadges: participation,writing andpersonalachievements.
MunicipalLiaison.These people moderatetheforumsaswellasorganise You awardthesetoyourselfbyeitherentering information orbydoing
localeventsthatyoucan attend.Onceyou'reallset upnothing is fulfilling certain requirementsonthewebsite.Youdon’treceiveanything
stoppingyoufromjottingdownyourideas. forearningthem butit'sgoodtoshowoffyourmilestones.
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GADGETS FOR WRITERS
Livescribe 3 Smartpen
ThispenusesBluetoothtosendwhat
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tablet.Itscompanionappcanconvert
yournotesintotextandhasasearch
functionforyourhandwrittennotes.
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OlympusWS-853
Ifyou'restrugglingtogetyourideas
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SS
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Avoidanybackproblemsduring
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Simplycopyandpasteyourworkinto
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Afull-sizebacklitMackeyboardbuilt
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eto, EQFAGsoosFEY
ola NationalNovelWritingMonth
PepTalks
(eatghetratrangnpairattoonnaeteonfsrwyaeaby Somapaes
dog.Thequickbrownfoxjumpoverthalazydog,
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0 Just keep writing 0 Get professional help
Youneedtowrite50,000wordsbeforethemonthends; thevalue Youdon'twriteyournovelonthewebsite,thesiteisthere purely
ischosen because, astheorganiserssay, “it'schallenging,yetdoable”. forencouragementandtohelpyoufinish.Youwriteyourbookhowever
Thisequatesto1,667wordsadayandwriting thatamountwhilstworking youwish, beitbyhand oronakeyboard.Onthewebsiteyou canfind
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thankfully, NaNoWriMooffershelptothosewhoneed it.You'renot arewritingthemost, livestreamswithwritersanswering questionsand
expectedtowritethegreatestnovelofalltime,thegoal isjusttofinish it. moretoolsavailabletokeepthewriter'sblockatbay.
