On a smaller scale financially I do consider some purchases to be sort of investments. I've never had much money so we're not talking big ticket items at all. I've found that good tools, musical instruments and guns especially used ones hold their value well and IMO would retain that value or even increase in value…

Really? This counts as a life-hack? Must be a slow day for you folks. With an I.Q. over 50 or so you should be able to figure out how to open a beer bottle with almost anything. A lighter, spoon, knife, belt buckle, key, table top (or any other hard surface), or even your teeth if you're REALLY desperate, and…

I didn't mean to imply that the method you described would be ineffective, I expect it would work just fine. I was just responding to your doubts about starting with cold water. In fact your proposed method may, in fact, be superior to some degree, though I suspect it wouldn't be noticeably better. Cooking potatoes…

I follow your logic and it seems sound but the proof is in the pudding (or the potatoes as the case may be). I cooked in fine dining restaurants for years and this was always the way we did it. Even when cooking fifty pounds of potatoes in a giant pot, they come out perfect if you just start with cold water and dry…

Omni anyone?

Crash test ratings are probably better than the majority of factory produced Chinese autos.

Yeah, but these are corporations, mostly really big ones. They will gladly sell you a worthless extended feature warranty and generally squeeze every dime they can out of you. They will also play dumb with you if it's to their advantage. So if you can game their system to your advantage, good for you, it's all part…

Man I loved these games, so much more interesting than the shoot em up FPS games. I really liked the fact that the point was to try not to kill people. Things like sneaking up behind, black-jacking an enemy and hiding his unconscious body in the shadows was so much more interesting to me than blowing up aliens or…

I use Google voice to keep my cell phone bill down to about $15 a month. I have a prepaid by the minute plan and I've got an app called GrooveIP on my Android which let's me send and receive calls through Google voice without using any minutes. I only need/use my cell number when I don't have access to Wi-Fi.

This whole thing strikes me as highly specious, it really reminds me of the Jenkem scare. Remember jenkem (A.K.A. "Butt Hash") the supposed trend of huffing the fermented gas from shit/sewage? Though it may have actually happened among some dirt poor street kids in Zambia in the mid '90s. An american kid made a…

I'm a Wilderness EMT and was a hiking and rafting guide in the desert for many years. One VERY important thing to remember (especially in arid climates) is that your body cannot absorb water as quickly as it loses it during heavy exertion. Meaning even if you start out hydrated and continue to drink water as you…

Ok, no arguement on synthetic's advantages, but I feel the title is misleading. First off, from what I've read and experienced, oil is oil. As long as it's detergent and the correct viscosity, brands mean nothing, just get what's cheap or on sale. I'm almost positive that consumer reports backs this up. Also,…