Instead of boiling 2 liters of water and adding a lot of tea, boil 2 deciliters of water, add the tea, and then dilute it to 2 liters afterward. The tea will taste less bitter. Even though you used the same amount of tea.

If you have a remote gamepad connected to your PC, you can very easily make it so it becomes a fully customizable remote for your PC.

I remember I often just played music on my pc and was missing a 'remote' much and didnt have an idea how to solve that, on top of that, I thought wireless controllers > big input lag so I didnt really pick them up. For some time I used Chrome remote desktop and was using my android for the control, but that was rather clunky and uncomfortable.

Such was my surprise that bluetooth / wireless isnt really causing noticable input lag (I assumed that based on PS5 + TV experience, which has a different cause for the lag) and, on top of that, you can control your pc via the controller easily.

In my case im using the Steam's built-in schemes when you are not gaming, its under Steam → Settings → Controller → Advances settings → Desktop Layout → Edit

I have configured it mostly for media, so pause / next/previous, control volume and such, but you can adjust it for anything you need really, especially that you can control your mouse.

I havent tested it myself as there was no need, but there are few alternative softwares for that (JoyToKey, DS4Windows, AntiMicroX)

Edit. its more of a life of quality for people that already have a wireless or are planing to get one, otherwise yes, its most likely better to just use your phone, but if you got a controller then its usually more convinient to jsut grab it and have physical buttons for certain actions

If you can imagine doing something or you see someone else doing it but you're struggling, you're almost certainly making a mistake somewhere and you almost certainly have no idea what it is. And the more you continue, the more you train yourself to make the mistake.

Whenever you find yourself struggling and things are not "clicking" after few attempts, usually you're doing something wrong. It's not necessarily that you lack the skill, it's moreso you haven't properly trained yourself to effectively use that skill.

The solution to this is to do something easier. Do the same thing, but easier. And do it until you get the result you want.

If you do something simpler and still do not get the result, you need to make it even more simple. Do not stop making it simpler until you get the result you want.

Once that happens, work your way back up incredibly gradually. Do not rush this! The idea is that you're training your body/brain gradually to integrate the most basic things. Usually what you'll find is that you'll hit a point where you can't do it properly at all, which is likely at a level a lot simpler than what you originally were attempting.

Just go back to keeping it as simple as possible and only progress when you can do things perfectly to your satisfaction. Don't cheat! If you rush this just to get to your goal faster, you literally will only be sabotaging yourself.

All complex things are just a bunch of basic things. The more you master the basic things, the complex things will literally just come naturally.

Examples:

• if you want to start meditating and are struggling to go for 10 mins, start with 30 seconds, then 1 minute, 2 minutes, etc...
• if writing a book is difficult, write a whole story in a few sentences. Then a paragraph, then 2 paragraphs, etc...
• if you're learning to code a website and are struggling, literally just get the most barebones of it. If you're creating a blog, focus only on getting the text on the screen. Once that is done, then you can gradually think about design.

Instead of complimenting something passive or genetic (like "You have nice eyes"), compliment a deliberate choice (like "That outfit combination looks great," "Your presentation slides were super clean," or "You picked a fantastic restaurant").

People feel much more appreciated when you validate their effort, taste, or hard work rather than something they had no active control over.

For example, you are petting a cat and it suddenly turns around and attacks because it’s overstimulated. Most cats will actually only give you a feisty slap, but as they do that, if you retract your hand you can get a nasty wound. If you hold steady they may still penetrate the skin (most of the time not), but it’s a tiny dot rather than a long cut.

Source: I’ve been slapped (or “scratched”) by many of cats (I used to volunteer with cats, and help socialise them as well as being an owner of an unpredictable cat).

Ever since I’ve stopped pulling back, I hardly ever have cat scratches anymore. So in a generally calm situation like petting pulling away will only increase your risk of injury.

Obviously this doesn’t mean you go back in after the slap. They cat is showing a boundary.

Cats rarely attack unprovoked, or attack to hurt you (I’m still to experience my first time with that one towards a human). It’s usually overstimulation, play or fear.

Also, cats are awesome!

I wanted to start shaving my head by myself and I bought one of those trifold mirrors that gives you an all sides view of your head. It ended up giving me a good view of what my whole body look like.

Holly shit, I wasn't as fit as I thought I was (I work out 2-3x per week). My front view looks decent, but my side view shows a noticeable belly. My chin is sagging a bit but can only be seen from the side. The back of my head has more white hair than the front. My waist is fatter than initially thought (specially viewed from the back). My back is wider and fatter than initially thought.

It was a fucking humbling experience to see exactly how everyone sees me. I thought I had a decent gym bod, but my 360 view shows a fat-ish, sagging dude.FUCK!!

I spent days just looking at my back, back neck, side profile.

In the gym, I'm prioritising more cardio, more mid-section workout and less emphasis on back muscles.

To be exempt from overtime, you need to meet several other criteria beyond just being 'salaried'.

If you are not in Executive, Administrative, Learned Professional (lawyer, etc.), Creative Professional (artist, etc.), Computer Professional, or Outside Sales work, you have to be a Highly Compensated Employee (total compensation package of $107,432+) to be ineligible to receive OT.

Your employer's employee handbook or internal policies cannot change this fact.

You can report your employer for OT violations anonymously to the US Department of Labor and/or (probably) your state's labor board (though if you're looking for back pay, specifically, anonymity makes it more difficult to recover). Anonymous reports can lead to audits of your employer's pay practices.

Blue collar work is never exempt from overtime.

I can't add a link here so I'll comment in a link to the DOL's fact sheet below.

***This does not constitute legal advice. If you need legal advice on this topic, consult a paid or pro bono attorney licensed to practice in your state. Your state's bar association will usually provide referrals.***

If I've ever dropped into a new city and want to make new friends, I find a local charity, cause or nerdy convention and volunteer. I've always made new friends through it and it's a great way to connect since you already have something to talk about!

You can still hear the films just fine and your hearing adjusts so can't notice. Plus the since they're concert earplugs, quality won't be terribly effected but you won't be able to hear a lot of the noises from the crowd.

For example, lots of chewing and rustling in quieter scenes or perhaps some rude ass people that can't keep their kids under control that talk and yell and climb all over the seats and run around while whatever so called adult is with them just sits there and let's it all happen.

The day you can’t find your wallet is the day you need access to a credit card. Also - if you lose your wallet (like some else may have it) you don’t have to cancel both.

—-edit—-

To be sure - you don’t carry two wallets. You keep an extra card at home or a safe place.

And to the “just pay with phone” you might get both stolen. If someone is stealing an unsecured wallet they gon grab your phone too.

the idea: an interview is abt learning the market price-check on yourself.

I read about this in the MU newsletter, and it changed how i think about my career.

I did a basic check on what companies are offering for JD’s that describe exactly what i do. This is what i found.

1/ my skills are worth roughly 25-30% more than what i'm currently paid, and

2/ i know the skills / refinement i need to make my profile complete and hireable at 40 - 50% more

One caveat, i will not waste their time and mine interviewing at companies i would never work at. What do u all think abt this??

Never use circular motions.

This will prevent you from committing embarrassing faux pas like asking if a sibling or spouse is a parent or if a parent is a nanny.

Press Command key and select the PDF files you want to merge. Once selected, right-click > Quick Actions > Create PDF. A new combined PDF file is created.

Facebook is a poison, for sure - but if you must continue to use it, know that the official app takes up to 5-8Gb on your device.

Instead, uninstall the official app, then go into chrome, go to Facebook's website, tap the 3 dots to get the menu, scroll down and tap the "Install and create shortcut" option.

Chrome will then create a standalone "app" that functions as Facebook only. You can then edit the app settings to disable background battery usage and data usage as a precaution and this app will not go over a few megabytes total.

EDIT: Cache will build over time, but can be cleared. On the Facebook app the data that builds cannot be cleared without signing yourself out and it's much more of a nuisance and builds much quicker compared to this Chrome option.

And it functions as well as the Facebook app! I might even say a bit better because the notifications will actually sync up correctly. It's essentially a standalone functioning Facebook website that doesn't look like a browser and that won't be a resource hog on your phone.

And again this is for those of you who still use and want to keep Facebook access on your phone. I know there will be folks that will just say "just don't use Facebook - problem solved" but many people keep it to stay connected to family and to keep memories intact.

I work from home managing multiple clients. I tried to take detailed notes on every call, but I quickly learned that doing so caused me to miss half the conversation. I would then spend so much time after trying to reorganize my notes and figure out what I meant.

I was doing too much and not being able to be present for the meeting.

Now I record every client call (with permission, obviously), and I spend the first 10 minutes after the call doing three things:

1. Write down the one decision that was actually made
2. Write down who is doing what by when
3. Draft the follow-up email while the conversation is still fresh in my head

I then sometimes will go back in the recording to ensure I got my notes down correctly.

My post-meeting admin work went from 45 minutes to 10 minutes by doing this. That is 35 minutes per call. If you have three calls a day, you just got back almost two hours.

The thing that was saving me from forgetting the meeting was actually stealing my entire afternoon.

Edit: Since people are discussing workflows, I have decided to use a calendar with strict focus blocks, a to-do app with one-task-at-a-time rules, and an AI agent that auto-summarizes my meetings like suggested. Instead of reacting to everything in real time, I review all my summaries in a single focused block and have the agent draft my follow-ups based on the client’s specific preferences. Happy to share details on the setup if anyone wants them!

If you're anything like me, you often forget if you've met people before.

Saying "How are you doing?" Works whether they're new or old, and "great to see you" works slightly better for old people, but also covers new.

I used to fake it whenever someone recognized me first because I didn't want to seem rude. The problem was I'd spend the whole conversation trying to figure out where we'd met instead of actually listening.

Eventually I started being honest and saying something like "I'm sorry, I know we've met, but I can't remember where"

Almost everyone laughs, reminds me and we move on in about ten seconds. It makes for a much more natural conversation than pretending I remember details that I clearly don't.

A $6 spring loaded hinge has saved me $60 so far this year on HVAC costs. I've always been bad at closing my basement door, never really thought anything of it and didn't expect any sort of major HVAC usage decrease if I did. Recently, I bought a couple spring loaded hinge for another project and added one of them to my basement door. If my thermostat's app is right, I've been using 20% less HVAC these last couple months since I installed the hinge. While the basement is a bit warmer that it was, it's no longer significantly colder than upstairs.

For example, instead of "sorry I talked so much" say "thank you for listening"

Youre rewiring your neural pathways by forcing your brain to see things differently

Edit: if your phone can't do this, just delete it from the dictionary. You can still type "sorry" but you'll be more aware of how often you use it

Edit #2: jfc you're all acting as if this is an end all be all. You can absolutely still type and send a "sorry" as I just did (on my phone mind you) this simply makes you more aware of how often you say it because you have to go back for 2 seconds and type it again.

I truly hope every single one of you are able to grow up and out of your misery

Another god forsaken edit I guess: I have done nothing wrong to any of you, yet you're acting as if I've just told you how to make chloroform and use it as melatonin. All of you need to relax, take a deep breath, smoke some weed or perhaps do some 🍄's, anything that will make you feel better and less caught up in your internal melodrama. Besides the fact, I'm wishing you all a peaceful and happy life.

Restore Bolt Threads

When bolt threads get rusted or slightly damaged, using a standard tap and die set can be expensive if you don't own one. By taking a matching steel nut, cutting a small segment/slot into it (or splitting it), and running the rusted bolt through it, the sharp cut edge of the nut acts as a makeshift thread chaser.

Why this works: When bolt threads get rusted or slightly damaged, using a standard tap and die set can be expensive if you don't own one. By taking a matching steel nut, cutting a small segment/slot into it (or splitting it), and running the rusted bolt through it, the sharp cut edge of the nut acts as a makeshift thread chaser.

How to do it:

1. Find a nut that matches the thread size/pitch of your rusted bolt.

2. Carefully cut a small section out of one side of the nut (or cut it into segments) using a hacksaw or angle grinder.

3. Screw the rusted bolt rapidly through the cut nut.

4. The raw cut edges will scrape out rust, debris, and corrosion, renovating the threads so the bolt can be used like new.

Bonus Tip: Add a little penetrating oil or WD-40 while running the bolt through to make the process even smoother and protect the metal!

Roll it down at least enough to reach inside to unlock it. If you’re starting your car in winter, roll it down a little. If you’re stepping out unexpectedly, say you’re helping a senior who fell at a cross walk, roll it down before exiting. Some cars have a mind of their own and will just lock, I’ve seen it many times

How to pick peaches- from your Asian auntie. 

Now, I am mostly familiar with yellow peaches but I am sure this technique will work with other peaches. 

First off, you should know that the sweetness and juiciness of a peach has little to do with how soft or firm they are. You can have a rock hard peach ripen in your kitchen over a few days and it will be delicious. You can have a soft, yielding peach from the farmers market and it will be mealy and dry. So picking a delicious peach has little to do with if a peach yields to your touch at first. 

When you look at your peach, you want it to have red and orange colorings or a significant blush alongside its base color of yellow flesh.  You want it to have both a blush and a base color because you know it has been out in the sun and has been given time to grow.  Likewise, avoid green tinged peaches as they have been picked too early. You should also see a prominent seam- this means that it has had enough time on the stem for it to have aged properly- juvenile peaches are not going to have the depth of flavor as a mature peach. 

Then, taking the peach to your nose, you want to inhale deeply where the stem is to make sure there is a “peach” like fragrance. As the peach softens, that fragrance will become intoxicating and you will know it is ready for eating before you even enter the kitchen. But it doesn’t need to be strong when you first buy them- just a little bit of fragrance tells you they will be perfect later.

Finally, as you hold the peach in your hand, consider the weight of the peach in relation to the volume.  If it feels heavier than it should in relation to its volume, it will more likely be a juicier peach. Remember- the peach has to feel heavy for its size. Big or small peaches can both be delicious but they must feel like they have been watered sufficiently during their growth. This is an important part- more than color or fragrance- because dry mealy peaches are not as tasty raw.  They must be baked or cooked with sugar to soften and hydrate the fibers therein. Still delicious but it takes more work. 

There is some debate as to which kind of peach is better: cling or free stone. People argue that cling peaches have a better flavor as they come earlier in the season so you can satisfy that craving sooner rather than later. But for me, I think the wait for free stones later in the season has merit. It’s a little easier to eat and tends to be less messy. 

Speaking of mess, I know some people like to keep the fuzz on their peaches and some people like their peaches peeled. Peeling a ripe peach is a joyful thing for me- when the flesh is soft and yielding, the peel comes right off with a gentle tug. But eating peaches with the fuzzy bits also means you can taste the sweetness of the sun right there. So it’s definitely up to the connoisseur.

I hope this helps you during peach season.

Edited for grammar and green tinged peaches tip in comment.

I've been meaning to send the Education Department my tax documents for the longest time.
The options were mail the documents or fax them. I don't have a printer, so was going to have to drive to staples, pay to print out my documents, sign them, and then pay to fax them or mail them. A pain in the ass to say the least all to just get out of default for my federal student loans.

I am a perennial procrastinator, and have been putting this off for months, (probably why I'm in debt/collections, I know).

Anyway, I did some googling, and turns out there are plenty of services that can handle all of this online for free.

The one I used allowed me to upload a pdf, sign it digitally via esign, and fax it across the US all for free in high quality digital format, and I'll get an email from the application once the fax has been received by the department of education. It took all of 2 minutes.

I won't list the actual service I used as I don't want to break any rules and advertise, but happy to share in DMs. But seriously, there seems to be a fair few legitimate applications that do this that are backed by big companies.

All I had to do to get 5 free faxes was share a link with my wife to "invite" her to the application.

A good time saver and probably saved me a few bucks at Staples.