Handy hints for your home. A selection of the best useful uses for your useless knicknacks. Even Viz magazine has household tips for the busy reader, as does lifestyle guru Peter Baynham. [more inside]
posted by mippy on Jan 4, 2011 - 12 comments

Broken Secrets is all about things you may not know but might find useful. These secrets are not things you shouldn’t know; more likely, they’re just interesting things you might not know yet. [more inside]
posted by netbros on Jul 18, 2010 - 19 comments

Rules of Thumb is a user submitted (and voted upon) collection of the world's greatest rules of thumb for different situations, from playing Blackjack to choosing a bicycle frame.
posted by jonson on Jan 9, 2008 - 38 comments

Tricks of the Trade . In an article in The Morning News, Defective Yeti asked readers to reveal the secrets of their profession:

Attorney: Do whatever it takes to fit your contracts onto a single page. Even sophisticated negotiators can be charmed by the lack of a staple.

Auto Mechanic: Always put copper grease on the battery terminals after servicing a car. The performance benefit is negligible, but when customers look under the hood they will immediately see that something’s changed and thus feel happy to pay you.

Handyman: If you have to change a light bulb where the glass is broken, you can press a potato into the metal base to unscrew the remains of the bulb from the fixture. Got any secrets to success or even just survival in your racket?
posted by planetkyoto on Aug 24, 2004 - 130 comments