2017-06-09|Innovation150

Canadian Life Hacks Contest/Conours des trucs et astuces canadiens

• #CanadianLifeHacks
• #TrucsEtAstucesCanadiens

  

• Check out the winning entry from the Innovation150 Canadian Life Hacks contest. The winner received an all-expenses-paid trip for 4 to Sudbury, Ontario (compliments of Sudbury Tourism) to tour the underground SNOLAB laboratory, meet Nobel prize-winning physicist Dr. Art McDonald, visit Northern Ontario's most popular attractions Science North and Dynamic Earth, and enjoy local food, entertainment and the great outdoors!

  

@innovation150_canada

• 2017-03-04: hacking - Canadians were doing it before it was cool. Now we're searching for the coolest, cleverest life hacks around. See link in profile for contest details.

• 2017-04-17: Entering the #CanadianLifeHacks contest is now easier than ever! Just snap a photo of your hack and share to #Instagram, tag @Innovation150_Canada and include #CanadianLifeHacks. That's it! Enter your hack before June 9.

• 2017-05-09: We want to send you here. A trip for four. An incredible science adventure. Contest details in profile link... Thanks to our sponsors @sciencenorth @sudburytourism and SNOLAB.

• 2017-05-12: It's a great weekend to enter the #CanadianLifeHacks contest! Details in profile link.

• 2017-05-14: We are seeing some great entries in the #CanadianLifeHacks Contest. (See profile link for contest details) We love this sauce dispenser life hack from @simonsunatori!

• 2017-06-13: Canadian Life Hacks Contest is Now Closed. Thanks to everyone who entered. Be sure to check out all the life hacks at Innovation150.ca.

• 2017-06-13: Concours des trucs et astuces canadiens. Ce concours est maintenant terminé. Merci à tous les participants. Veuillez prendre connaissance de tous les trucs et astuces présentés à Innovation150.ca.

• 2017-06-13: Thank you @simonsunatori ! The contest officially closed June 9, but keep sending us hacks! They are amazing! Good luck.

• 2017-06-29: And the winner of the #CanadianLifeHacks Contest is @simonsunatori from Gatineau, QC! Thank you for sharing your innovative hacks with us! Dr. Art McDonald was a huge fan of your shower head/soap dispenser combo. See you in Sudbury, thanks to @sudburytourism, @snolab and @sciencenorth!

• 2017-06-29: Le gagnant du concours #TrucsEtAstucesCanadiens est @simonsunatori, de Gatineau (Québec)! Merci de nous avoir fait connaître votre truc innovateur! Art McDonald a beaucoup aimé votre dispositif combinant pomme de douche et distributeur de savon. Au plaisir de vous voir à Sudbury, grâce à @sudburytourism, @snolab et @sciencenorth!

• 2017-08-03: Last week, the winner of the #CanadianLifeHacks contest participated in the Sudbury Science Safari Grand Prize trip, courtesy of @sudburytourism. Here are a few pics of @SimonSunatori & family diving deep 2 KMs underground to the SNOLab research facility for an in-depth discussion about black matter, neutrinos and super novas. Photo credit: @gerryatwork

• 2017-08-03: La semaine dernière, le gagnant du concours #TrucsEtAstucesCanadiens a profité de son grand prix, un safari scientifique à Sudbury, gracieuseté de @SudburyTourism. Voici quelques photos de @SimonSunatori et de sa famille lors de leur excursion à 2 km sous terre dans les installations du laboratoire de recherche SNOLab, pour une discussion en profondeur sur la matière sombre, les neutrinos et les supernovas.

  

SNOLAB @SNOLABscience

• 2017-08-09: Congratulations to #Innovation150 Canadian Life Hacks Contest winner Simon Sunatori! A couple weeks ago SNOLAB had the opportunity to host Mr. Sunatori & some of the Innovation 150 team for an underground tour as part of the contest prize. We had a great time sharing some SNOLAB science and posing for the requisite 'silly group shot'!

  

Innovation150 @innovation150

• 2017-12-21: Thank YOU Simon for making this initiative even more incredible than we ever imagined. We honestly couldn't have picked a better person to have won the #CanadianLifeHacks contest. You are a true genius, innovator and explorer of the world.

Simon Sunatori (@simonsunatori) • Instagram photos and videos

ProjectBoard (@IcicleSteel) - Innovative Life Hacks

Make: Projects (@IcicleSteel) - Innovative Life Hacks

• Theme: "Original Concepts for Innovation by Being Poor & Lazy -> Maximum Efficiency"

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E-mail Signature File with Google Maps URL

• A signature file is a text file for use as a standard appendage at the end of e-mail messages. What is included are the full name, occupation or position, Home Page URL, E-mail address, chat address, telephone number and fax number. Moreover, Google Maps URL with plus code (latitude and longitude coordinates) can be added as a physical location.

  Thank you very much for your attention. Merci de votre attention. Mr./M. Go Simon Sunatori, P.Eng./ing., M.Eng. (Engineering Physics/Génie physique), DTech.c, RD.c, FEC.c, FNA, IEEE-LSM, WFS-LM, BNR/NT (MSS) President & Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Président et directeur général (PDG) HyperInfo Canada Inc. -- Go Simon Sunatori <http://WWW.HyperInfo.CA/GS.Sunatori/> 65, des Parulines <mailto:GS.Sunatori@HyperInfo.CA> Gatineau, QC J9A 1Z4 <facetime:gs.sunatori@me.com> <skype:gs.sunatori> Canada <tel:+1-819-595-9210> <fax:+1-425-984-7292> <https://goo.gl/maps/YB1g7oJUzNMoEjry5>

Indoor Temperature Optimisation via Thermal Inertia

• My house is equipped with a central heat pump system, but I did not used it at all for air conditioning in a year which had record high temperatures in Canada. In fact, the heat pump was completely OFF for 6 months from May to October.

• Here is my method to optimise indoor temperature without activating the air conditioning function of the heat pump. It takes advantage of thermal gradient (the fact that hot air goes up and cold air goes down), and of thermal inertia (the degree of slowness with which the temperature of a body approaches that of its surroundings) in a climate with relatively large temperature difference between day and night in a multi-stage building which has high thermal capacity.

• The lower/upper floor windows are on the opposite sides (north-south or east-west). For ventilation in summer, the air inlets on the basement were opened while those on the upper floor were closed. The indoor temperature is measured on the lower floor where most of my activities take place.

• The method can be reversed in spring and in autumn with different parameters to capture warm air from the outside during the day. Also, it is advised to keep a warm blanket throughout the year.

  time period	temperature outdoor	temperature indoor	window lower floor	window upper floor	ventilation
  00:00 - 04:00	15 C	20 C	open	open	on
  04:00 - 08:00	15 C	20 C	open	open	on
  08:00 - 11:00	20 C	20 C	open	open	on
  11:00 - 14:00	30 C	25 C	closed	open	on
  14:00 - 17:00	35 C	30 C	closed	closed	on
  17:00 - 20:00	30 C	25 C	closed	open	on
  20:00 - 00:00	25 C	25 C	open	open	on

Nitrile Glove for Sealing Finger Wound at Pool

• My favourite beaker mug fell to the floor and broke into pieces. My finger was cut by a piece of glass while cleaning up the mess. I had already planned to visit the centre aquatique for pool and sauna. Instead of cancelling the visit, I covered my finger wound by a disposable nitrile glove and elastic bands.

  

Angled Casserole Bowl on a Divided Dinner Plate Platform

• The Inverted Glass Bowl Stacking by Removable/Reusable/Washable Nano Magic Tape has been very successful. The inverted glass bowl can accommodate a Divided Dinner Plate for eating Quinolent GREEN and Quinolent ORANGE, but none of the segments is large enough to accommodate a casserole bowl for Oatmeal MAGENTA that I eat every morning. It turned out that positioning the casserole bowl at pi/6-radian angle provides the Most Efficiently Angled Eating Position (MEAEP).

  

Double-Decker Microwave Cooking with Inverted Cups

• The Double-Decker Microwave Cooking with Oscillating Turntable and the Double-Decker Microwave Cooking with Rotating Turntable have been successful. My old microwave oven had a rack, but the new one does not. The rack of my old microwave oven can become useful by inverting 4 cups and placing them at 4 corners of microwave oven's cooking cavity in order to mount the rack.

  

Mounting Decorative Cookie Tin's Lid with Rare-Earth Magnets

• There were 2 bare screws on one of the walls in the living room. They used to hang photographs, which no longer exist. Meanwhile, my geological engineer/exploration geologist daughter Évelyne found a decorative lid of ancient metal cookie tin which is made of ferromagnetic material. Seizing the opportunity, I put a disc-shaped rare-earth magnets on each of the 2 screws in order to non-destructively mount metal cookie tin's lid and support its weight.

  

Asymmetrical Conjoined-Twin Holes for Stable Dispensing of Olive Oil

• The Dispensing Olive Oil from a Grape Juice Container functions well, but its spout through single hole was not stable. In order to stabilise the spout, 2 interconnected holes are drilled, one large, the other small. The spout is passed through the large hole first, then lowered to fit the small hole at proper dispensing position. The upper hole has been covered by a piece of gaffer's tape.

  

Dispensing Olive Oil from a Grape Juice Container

• Cardboard package of Bulk by CHO Bag-in-Box Tunisian Pure Olive Oil, 20 L, from Costco arrived FUBAR (F*cked Up Beyond All Recognition). In order to prevent it from becoming SNAFU (Situation Normal, All F*cked Up), I looked around for permanent fix. Fortunately, I had kept a 20-litre plastic container of grape juice concentrate, so I drilled a hole for the spout to dispense olive oil.

  

Localised Draft Prevention by a Cache-Cou

• The Localised Draft Prevention by a Bath Towel as Thermal Shield has been quite successful in closing air gap around the neck area of a human body by a bath towel. However, the bath towel may get displaced during sleep. When an old cache-cou was found while cleaning up my professional artist daughter Véronique's room, I decided to use it in bed instead of a bath towel.

  

Colour Coding a Combination Lock

• Although I wrote down the correct combination for the long-lost combination lock, I struggled to unlock the combination lock for more than 5 minutes. It turned out, or it is quite obvious in retrospect, that there are 2 sets of combinations, one on the front side, the other on the back side. Since they look identical to me, I colour coded the 2 sides by permanent marker pens in order to prevent such confusion in future.

  

Providing Right-Angle Support by Nano Magic Tape

• The Bed Theatre with Mini Projector and Mini Stereo System is in use almost every night. Projecting from iPhone to master bedroom's WHITE popcorn ceiling requires the Mini Projector to be directed upwards at steep angle. In order to prevent Mini Projector from slip-sliding away, attaching defective USB Power Adapter to bed's headboard by Nano Magic Tape Traceless Washable Double Sided Adhesive Tape provides stability to the assembly.

  

Inverted Glass Bowl Stacking by Removable/Reusable/Washable Nano Magic Tape

• The Stable Connection between an Inverted Glass Bowl and a Turntable Glass Tray has been successful. However, connection between the inverted glass bowl and the turntable glass tray is permanent. It occurred to me that Nano Magic Tape Traceless Washable Double Sided Adhesive Tape provides removable/reusable/washable connection between the inverted glass bowl and a dish which is washed and dried after every meal. Tissue paper was repeatedly pressed onto the top surface of Nano Magic Tape in order to reduce adhesion for non-permanent connection.

  

Velcro Attachment of 2 Towels for Sauna

• A local pool has a sauna. Their regulations specify that sauna user must sit on a towel, which is different from another towel to dry the body. Carrying 2 towels could lead to dropping one, so it is desirable to attach the 2 towels. Binder clips are made of non-stainless steel, so they rust very quickly in a high-humidity environment like sauna. So, Velcro is the choice of attachment method.

  

Inverted 1-Piece Serving Bowl as Computer Platform

• The Stable Connection between an Inverted Glass Bowl and a Turntable Glass Tray has been successfully serving my meals. my geological engineer/exploration geologist daughter Évelyne found it useful to use the platform for her MacBook computer. Since I have a MacBook Air computer that I wanted to use at the same time, I flipped a 1-Piece Chip & Dip Clear Glass Serving Bowl in order to form a computer platform.

  

Carbonated Coffee

• A glass of carbonated beverage was obtained FREE at a local corner store Couche-Tard (Circle K). Here is an attempt to try out carbonated coffee by dissolving instant coffee powder into the carbonated beverage. my geological engineer/exploration geologist daughter Évelyne was not quite thrilled about its flavour and taste, but it was a worthwhile experiment.

  

War against School Bus Idling

• Every school day, a school bus parks in front of my house at 06:50. The driver leaves school bus's diesel engine idling for 10 minutes until 07:00, then leaves at 07:10. Shockingly, Ville de Gatineau's by-law permits a heavy vehicle to idle its engine for 10 minutes in 60-minute period. School bus's noise and vibration wake me up, contributing to insomnia. Since it is serious health & welfare issue, I formulated defence strategy to place a garbage bin and a recycling bin where school bus parks. Electric bus, SVP!

  

Wristband for Locker's Padlock Key

• my geological engineer/exploration geologist daughter Évelyne's padlock is not a combination lock but has a loose key. Since it is essential to keep the key with her while swimming at pool or bathing at spa or relaxing at sauna, elastic band was passed through the hole of padlock's key. A knot was made to securely fix the elastic band so that the assembly can function as a wristband while she swims or bathes or relaxes.

  

Quadruple Protection for Transportation of Foods & Beverages

• A local corner store Couche-Tard (Circle K) distributed coupons for FREE foods and beverages. The store is about 1.2 km from home, so it is more convenient to go there by Quetzal Bike. In order to safely transport such foods and beverages home, a drink carrier is put into a cardboard box, which is put into a grocery bag with Sealed Air as cushion.

  

Directionality Change of Portable Mini Bluetooth Speaker

• The Tabletop Theatre with Uni-Directional Acoustic Dome has been very successful, to say the least. When EWA Portable Mini Bluetooth Speaker was acquired, I realised that placing it near the focal point of acoustic dome (mixing bowl) turns the omni-directional speaker into a near uni-directional speaker.

  

Ad Hoc iPhone Stand with 4-Point Manual Massage Tool

• When there was nothing appropriate around to function as an iPhone stand, there happened to be a 4-point manual massage tool, which surprisingly turned out to serve as an ad hoc iPhone stand on the spot providing comfortable viewing position for both landscape and portrait orientations.

  

Paper Bag Sealing by Inserting Bottom into Top

• In order to seal a paper bag, the closed bottom of the paper bag is inserted into the top opening of the paper bag. This sealing method requires no glue or tape. my geological engineer/exploration geologist daughter Évelyne commented that her late grandmother could have come up with such a scheme, justifying this post.

  

Ginkgo biloba Express Germination by Coconut Fibre Coir Pellet

• Quick sprouting of Ginkgo biloba could be achieved by hydrating Coco peat Pellet - Seed Starter - Planting Indoor - Transplanting to Garden or to Pot, then burying each seed into the middle of the hydrated Coconut Fibre Coir. Thus, Ginkgo biloba seeds move straight from refrigerator/freezer directly to Coconut Fibre Coir, skipping stratification (both warm and cold) altogether. The assembly is sprayed with dihydrogen monoxide (H2O) every day.

  

Raised Recycling Bin for Backache Prevention

• When I was having backache while lifting up the recycling bin which is placed on dining room's floor, my geological engineer/exploration geologist daughter Évelyne put it up onto the top surface of a bookshelf in the living room. At the same time, I lined the recycling bin with a BLUE bag which is specified by the municipality for recycling. This position not only saves backache but also expands the use of passage between the living room and the kitchen.

  

Helmet Safety by Flagging Tape

• The Baseball Helmet for Bicycle Riding Protection has evolved to Semi-Permanent Mounting of Goggles on a Baseball Helmet, among others, even attracting attention at Salon du vélo de Gatineau-Ottawa. my geological engineer/exploration geologist daughter Évelyne, who has become an expert on bicycle uglification, advised me to put flagging tape on the helmet for bicycle safety.

  

Wearing a Jacket over a Backpack

• I accidentally wore a fake-leather jacket when I was already wearing a backpack. Despite the appearance of the Hunchback of Notre Dame, it turned out to be practical because it allows me to frequently put on and off the jacket according to ambient temperature changes without putting off and on the backpack.

  

Cooking and Eating with a Spatula

• After cooking something with a spatula, I was too lazy to transfer the food from a cutting board to a dish. I was also too lazy to take out a fork from a drawer. So, I started to eat the cooked food with the spatula that I had used for cooking. The experience turned out to be efficient because there are fewer items to wash.

  

Reincarnation of a Disintegrated Drawer as a Desk

• IKEA drawer in my professional artist daughter Véronique's room had disintegrated after 30+ years of service. Tray sides and tray back, both made of plastic material, split in half, while drawer box bottom made of particle board warped beyond reparation. The structure was still solid and sound, so I removed drawer boxes, cleaned up the frame, and weldbonded the top drawer's front face to increase structural integrity. The result is a genuine desk with non-functional fake drawer face.

  

Pen & Post-It Notes at Tabletop Theatre with Uni-Directional Acoustic Dome

• The Tabletop Theatre with Uni-Directional Acoustic Dome has evolved to be very successful, providing audio-visual experience at meal time. Although my use of pen & paper is extremely limited, note taking can be sometimes useful while watching educational YouTube movies. So, my geological engineer/exploration geologist daughter Évelyne attached 3M Post-It Notes to one of the 2 elastic bands that mount facial tissue box to the golf-ball tower to which a pen is magnetically attached.

  

Quinolont GREEN Salmon Sandwich

• Quinolont GREEN in the shape of ice hockey puck has been phenomenally successful for me as I cook 24 Quinolont GREEN pucks every 8 days and eat 3 pucks every day. Inspired by a sandwich at Maison ODDO called "Le Nordique", I horizontally sliced a Quinolont GREEN puck in half, then put 3 slices of smoked salmon to make a sandwich. Smoked salmon provides not only omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid but also irresistibly great taste!

  

Matching Unmatched Left-Right Gloves

• my geological engineer/exploration geologist daughter Évelyne is right-handed. Naturally, her right gloves were worn out, so they were thrown out. She gave me 2 left gloves, which seemed useless. However, when I tried the worn-out left glove on my right hand, it was flexible enough to stretch to fit my right hand, no problem.

  

Bicycle Safety Enhancement with Flagging Tape

• The Anti-Theft Uglified Bicycle with Helical Stripe Pattern has been successful in preventing bicycle theft. Now, my geological engineer/exploration geologist daughter Évelyne's focus has shifted to uglily emphasising safety by multiple reflectors and bright-coloured flagging tape at bicycle spokes.

  

Carrying Cash in a Pill Container

• Although I have led cashless lifestyle since 1994, it is necessary to carry cash in rare occasions such as spending accumulated beverage container return deposit, for example. Since I had long eliminated physical wallets, a pill container was found to have perfect diameter and height for carrying both coins and bills in order to deal with such necessary evil.

  

Intentionally Precarious Faucet Position for Reducing H2O Usage

• The Semi-Permanent Fountain with a Filterigo Faucet has been very successful. In order to reduce consumption of dihydrogen monoxide (H2O), Filterigo Faucet's spout is placed right at the middle of the double basin sinks. If H2O flow exceeds certain threshold, then messy flood is triggered, necessitating painful cleanup.

  

Aurora Borealis/Australis Projection on Bedroom Ceiling

• I noticed expensive products like "2 in 1 Northern Lights and Ocean Wave Projector", "Aurora Dreams - Northern Lights Lamp", "Northern Lights Projector", etc. Instead of spending money, I can use the successful Bed Theatre with Mini Projector and Mini Stereo System to project YouTube videos such as "Northern Lights in Real Time | Aurora Borealis", "Real-Time Northern Lights in 4K + Healing Music", "Relaxing Ambient Music • Aurora Borealis & Northern Lights Music for Deep Focus & Study", "Watch the Aurora Borealis and Northern Lights in 4K UHD with Relaxation Music", "Watch the Northern Lights in RELAXATION - 4K UHD with Relaxation Music!", etc. onto master bedroom's WHITE popcorn ceiling. The key is to turn on YouTube app's "Additional settings" > "Loop video".

  

Diagonal Jet Spray from Human Wash Showerhead

• The award-winning Human Wash: Showerhead with an Integrated Liquid Detergent Dispenser, which uses Venturi effect, has gone through many revisions for improvement, i.e., the Human Wash Showerhead Discharge Direction Adjustment Scheme, the Showerhead Nozzle Direction of Human Wash, and Human Wash Showerhead Optimisation with Vertical Jet Spray. All of them had either horizontal or vertical jet of dihydrogen monoxide (H2O). When looped resistance band was torn, I realised that diagonal jet is most efficient.

  

Defecation Posture without Losing Balance

• The ideal position that does not constrict one's rectum and lets the stool pass smoothly is 35-degree squat position. So, I had been promoting the Squat Position Emulator with a Foot Rest and the Defecation Position Sign for Visitors instead of buying products like "Bamboo Squatting Toilet Stool", "Bathroom Toilet Squatting Stool", etc. However, raising the feet compromises balance. It suddenly occured to me that simply leaning forward while doing your business, just as my mother had been doing before she passed away, can achieve the same 35-degree squat position without losing balance in the Most Efficiently Robust Defecation Experience (MERDE).

  

Removing Dust Cover of USB Port

• The Stretch-Storing USB Cable by a Towel Hanger has simplified charging of wireless blood pressure monitor (Bluetooth). However, it was still a hassle to open and close the dust cover to access a micro-USB port. Since there is no significant source of dust in the bathroom, I chopped off the dust cover for good. Now, the charging process has been simplified, taking a few seconds less than before and most importantly, providing peace of mind.

  

Double-Decker Microwave Cooking with Rotating Turntable

• The Double-Decker Microwave Cooking with Oscillating Turntable has been extremely successful, to say the least. However, the configuration is limited to Silicone Muffin/Cupcake Pans. My old microwave oven had a rack, but not the new microwave oven. So, I placed a first dish plate, then a shot glass at the middle of the first dish plate, then a second dish plate on top of the shot glass. The double-decker assembly fully rotates on microwave oven's turntable. Balancing the food is essential, of course.

  

Repurposing a Cheese Slicer as a Tongue Scraper

• There are various kinds of expensive dental tools that are specifically built for scraping the tongue. However, a 30-year old cheese slicer with steel wire can clean your tongue just as well. Or simply use your toothbrush. Duh!!!

  

Replacing a Hook with a Keychain Ring on Waist Pack's Keychain Strap

• My waist pack came with a built-in keychain strap to which a plastic hook was attached. However, I realised that the plastic hook cannot accommodate rare-earth magnets, so it would be more practical to replace the plastic hook by a keychain ring made of ferromagnetic steel.

  

Conjoined-Twin Backpacks by Polyethylene Bags

• Although I was already carrying my own backpack, my geological engineer/exploration geologist daughter Évelyne asked me to carry yet another backpack. Without wheels on the backpack, it would have been mission impossible for me to carry combined weight. In order to address such a challenge, I tied 2 shoulder straps by a plastic bag made of high-density polyethylene (HDPE), which is still available FREE at a produce section of any supermarket.

  

Ad Hoc Earplugs by Tissue Paper

• My engineer/mathematician/computer scientist son François was performing at BRAIN FREEZE event in Montréal, QC, Canada. The Techno music event was very loud, so many listeners in the audience were wearing earplugs. However, I did not carry such earplugs. In a desperate attempt to improvise, I tore and crumpled tissue paper that I had in my pocket to create ad hoc earplugs.

  

Fried Egg with White-Covered Yolk

• While cooking an egg in a frying pan, put a teaspoon of dihydrogen monoxide (H2O) and cover the frying pan with a lid. This process creates steam that makes membrane around the yolk coagulate to become opaque (white). The cooking technique had been passed down from my mother.

  

Absorbent Breathable Container for Transportation of Sprouted Seeds

• Ginkgo biloba seeds that have just sprouted are fragile, so care must be taken for transportation. Also, dioxygen (O2) must be provided to the sprouted seeds, while fungal infection must be prevented. Mason Jar's disc-shaped steel lid is replaced by a sheet of porous fabric (e.g., non-woven ShamWow, etc.) which absorbs dihydrogen monoxide (H2O) just in case, then mounted on the jar by screw bands. Ginkgo biloba seeds are planted in Coconut Fibre Coir or Miracle-Gro Potting Mix inside the Mason Jar.

  

Sideway Cutting Method by a Can Opener

• I have used the same manual Swing-A-Way Portable Can Opener for 30+ years. Recently, I was exposed to a different way to use this can opener, so I adapted it to suit my can opener which has different cutting angle. Instead of holding the can opener upright, it is held sideways so that the rotating blade of the can opener cuts the side wall of a steel can. This method is less messier and gives clean straight cut.

  

Double Envelope for Shipping Ginkgo biloba Seeds

• For many years, the Stabilisation of Ginkgo biloba Seeds in an Envelope by Packing Tape has worked well for world-wide shipping of Ginkgo biloba seeds ordered on eBay.com. In order enhance professionalism, a sheet of flyer was replaced by en extra envelope inside window envelope. More importantly, firmness of double-envelope configuration provides better protection from rough sorting machines at Canada Post Mail Processing Plant.

  

Uphill Skis with Ski Poles

• The Uphill Skis were designed to incorporate a ballpoint pen mechanism in order to extend or retract a stick for facilitating climbing hills while cross-country skiing. I drilled a hole on each cross-country ski to accommodate such a mechanism. However, I suddenly realised that a ski pole can be directly inserted into the hole of each ski while climbing a hill.

  

Temporary Ski Binding for Evaluation of One-Time Permanent Application

• I set out to evaluate whether it is worthwhile retrofitting my 30-year old cross-country wax skis with something like PHANTOM Glide™ One-Time Permanent Application. my geological engineer/exploration geologist daughter Évelyne's skis already have permanent, waxless base glide treatment. Since ski binding systems are idiotically incompatible, I drilled 2 holes at the tip of my Nordic Norm (NN) 3-pin ski boots. I passed a piece of steel wire through the holes, then to SNS binding with reinforcement by gaffer's tape before being tied for testing.

  

Folded-Sock Insert for Multi-Layer Boot Protection

• Even after 2 winters of use, my winter boots, which are not even steel-toed, tremendously hurt my little toes with their hard-rubber shell. Stacking 2 layers of socks or the Crumpled Junk-Mail Flyer for Foot Protection does not quite protect little toes enough. So, I twice folded slipper socks that Air Canada provided FREE for overnight flights, and sandwiched the 3-layer unit between 2 layers of socks. The multi-layer protection finally provides comfortable winter boots.

  

Secure Connection to an Extension Cord

• Using an extension cord is tricky if electrical connection is not secure, especially in the case of outdoor power equipment for the garden (e.g., lawn mowers, hedge trimmers, string trimmers, etc.). In order to avoid accidental detachment between female end of the extension cord and male end of the equipment, a knot is made so that pulling force would not lead to detachment of electrical connection.

  

Multi-Height Modular Bathroom Corner Tables by Plastic Containers

• A plurality of stacks of plastic container (of grape juice concentrate) at the corner of a bathroom form modular tables. Multiple functions are achieved depending on the number of plastic containers. One table is used for the Angle-Adjusted iPhone Stand by a Business Card Holder, while the other table is used for the Anisotropic Tissue Paper Folding for Butt-Wiping. Also seen is the Tissue Paper Dispenser on a Toilet Paper Holder with Crossed Elastic Bands and a Spare on Top.

  

Embedding a Resistance Band inside a Toque for Applying Pressure to Earphones

• The Applying Pressure to Earphones by Super-Sized Elastic Band had limited success. In order to remedy somewhat awkward arrangement, the elastic band was replaced by a looped resistance band as a remedial measure. The looped resistance band with a binder clip for adjustment was embedded inside the folded portion of a toque to be invisible.

  

Drying a Plastic Bag by Force-Opening at Suspended Ceiling

• Whenever I try to dry the interior of a plastic bag (e.g., Ziploc), it refuses to stay open. So, I attached 2 disc-shaped rare-earth magnets to kitchen's suspended ceiling and attached to each magnet a clip of a name tag from a trade show in order to force-open the stubborn plastic bag and keep it there until it dries.

  

Slicing Tetra Pak Carton for Carrying Objects

• An empty Tetra Pak beverage carton is sliced by a box cutter to form a lockable box in order to carry objects for travelling, Carton's opening for screw cap must be sliced in 1/2 for the screw cap to lock the box. Even after repeated use, Tetra Pak Box can still be recycled for producing polythene-based products, construction material, etc. A narrow-neck plastic container made of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) can similarly be sliced to form a box as well.

  

Ultra-Stable Liquor Bottle for Holding Water Bottle's Lid with Spout/Straw

• A water bottle having a lid with spout/straw is refilled at least 3 times/day for preparing Matchocoffee. A 30-year old cone-shaped liquor bottle with wide bottom turned out to be ideal for stably holding water bottle's lid with spout/straw at its centre hole in order to avoid messy situation during refilling. It is satisfying that a decorative item has found practical use.

  

Maillard Reaction of Quinolent GREEN Pucks with Baby Powder

• During cooking with high heat, sugars released from starch can react with amino acids via Maillard reaction, forming advanced glycation end-products, contributing aromas, flavours and texture to foods. I laterally sliced Quinolent GREEN Pucks, which had been cooked in a microwave oven. Since I did not have flour to provide Maillard reaction, I used Baby Powder which comprises corn starch.

  

Gooping a Steel Washer between Threaded Lid and Unthreaded Lid

• The Twinning Plastic Container's Threaded/Unthreaded Lids functions quite well with a golf ball being magnetically mounted to the top for easy grabbing. However, the loose ring-shaped rare-earth magnet at the bottom of the lid to support the golf ball was falling down into the container when mode is switched between serve and shake. So, the arrangement was re-designed to goop a steel washer made of ferromagnetic material at centre in the gap between the 2 plastic lids made of diamagnetic material.

  

Sealing Yogurt Container by Disposable Straw

• In the past, when yogurt is half eaten and the rest had to be kept in refrigerator, I was using plastic wrap or 3M Scotch tape to seal the container. It turned out that slit drinking straw, still available FREE from most fast-food restaurants, functions as good sealer. Such disposable straw is made of thermoplastic polymer polypropylene. It is yet another example of making a disposable item non-disposable.

  

Masking Tape for Hair Removal in a Laundry Room

• It is inevitable to find stray pieces of hair while doing laundry, before washing, after washing/before drying and after drying. So, a piece of masking tape is adhered to the surface of a cupboard in the laundry room in order to neatly collect such stray pieces of hair for eventual disposal.

  

Hanging Gloves/Mittens from a Jacket by Rope through Hanging Loop

• The Through-Jacket Gloves/Mittens Attachment by Clips and a Cord Lock did its function, but caused catastrophic spill when one of the mittens hanging from winter jacket's sleeve hit a disposable paper coffee cup. So, rope or elastic band is now passed through hanging loop behind wearer's neck so that when the gloves/mittens are not worn, they stay at the back of a human body, not the front.

  

Multi-Outlet Power Hub under a Dining Table

• Just about everyone at the dining table in the kitchen uses a smartphone, and some of them require power supply for charging smartphone's battery. A limited number of power outlets in the kitchen leads to messy power cord situation, if not fighting. So, a multi-outlet extension cord is placed under the round dining table for peaceful co-existence.

  

Instant Snow Removing by Shower Curtain

• my professional artist daughter Véronique has brought to my attention technique to instantly remove accumulated snow from stairs, which I modified to suit the front stoop of my house. When Weather app forecasted rrival of snowstorm, I placed old shower curtain on the stairs. After snow accumulated, all I had to do was to pull the shower curtain, and the stoop stairs were instantly cleared of snow.

  

Through-Jacket Gloves/Mittens Attachment by Clips and a Cord Lock

• Too many times, a glove or a mitten has fallen to the ground when I was taking out my iPhone from the pocket of a winter jacket, for example. So, I passed a rope through the winter jacket, and attached at each end a clip of name tag from a trade show. The assembly is non-destructive (i.e., no sewing required), and the length of the rope can be adjusted by a cord lock hidden inside the winter jacket.

  

Inclining Stoop Gap by Euroshield Shingles

• There was infiltration of dihydrogen monoxide (H2O) into the basement, making the carpet floor wet. Most likely culprit was the gap between the front stoop of the house and the exterior wall of the foundation. I had kept in the garage some leftover eco-friendly Euroshield: Recycled Indestructible Roofing. So, I stacked them up in layers (4 -> 4 -> 2 -> 1) in order to create inclination into the entrance for deflecting H2O.

  

Bed Theatre with Mini Projector and Mini Stereo System

• Mini Projector with WiFi and Bluetooth, 9500 Lux Movie Projector, 1080P Full HD Support functioned well for video, but audio was underwhelming, especially with noise from its cooling fan. So, I connected an old analogue Mini Stereo System to the Mini Projector. Now, Bed Theatre mirror-projects any programme from iPhone onto master bedroom's ceiling via Wi-Fi with amplified sound. However, 2 extra remote controls are annoying.

  

Dual-Orientation iPhone Stand by an Open Coffee Maker

• The iPhone Stand by an Open Coffee Maker worked reasonably well with temporary adhesion between wireless charger and iPhone by Nano Magic Tape Traceless Washable Double Sided Adhesive Tape for non-MagSafe wireless charger. In order to increase stability and accommodate dual-directionality (landscape and portrait), 2 stacks of rare-earth magnets were added to the assembly.

  

Colour-Coding Microwave Oven's Control Buttons

• I have been using basically the same over-the-range models of Panasonic microwave ovens for more than 20 years. However, I am "Still Crazy After All These Years" due to confusing control buttons. So, I finally took action and colour-coded 3 essential control buttons (Power Level, Sensor Cook, Start) by permanent marker pens. I have the sense of finally overcoming Panasonic's bad user interface (UI) design, and feel "Happy Ever After".

  

Inclined Pillow for Enhanced Hearing

• my professional artist daughter Véronique generously gave me an ergonomic pillow with memory foam when I was suffering from upper back pain. However, tight spacing between the pillow and my ears partially blocked sound from the Bed Theatre. So, I placed one edge of the pillow on top of bed's headboard to give inclination, resulting in better hearing experience from Mini Projector with WiFi and Bluetooth, 9500 Lux Movie Projector, 1080P Full HD Support.

  

Paraffin Wax for Cross-Country Skis

• My 30-year old cross-country skis require "WAX" because they do not have waxless scales or synthetic skins (PHANTOM Glide). Since the original wax set was lost, I applied paraffin wax to the waxing zone at the bottom surface of the cross-country skis. The results are inconclusive because my skiing speed is very slow anyway.

  

iPhone Lanyard to Function as Safety Rope in a Bathtub

• While relaxing in a bubble bath and watching YouTube videos on the iPhone, Murphy's law struck. I dozed off, and the iPhone got dropped into the bath. The successful Integrated iPhone Stand/Lanyard with Snaps Buttons and Double-Sided Hook & Loop Tape has a lanyard long enough to suspend the iPhone from the shower curtain rod to function as safety rope.

  

Elimination of Redundant Part in Fastener Pliers Tool Kit

• The 100pcs Metal Snap Buttons with Fastener Pliers Tool Kit comes with metal snap buttons (stud snap, socket snap) and fastener pliers. One of the 2 WHITE rubber rings on the pliers tool fell off and disappeared, and I could not find it after exhaustive search in the house. Then, I realised that it is not necessary to have 2 rubber rings because the sub-button and the female button are self-aligning anyway.

  

In-Pants Belt as Replacement of Elastic Band

• The elastic band to hold pants in place had become hopelessly weak, so my pants were dropping to the floor. I was about to go shopping to buy elastic bands, but my geological engineer/exploration geologist daughter Évelyne had a spare belt that was slim enough to pass through the elastic-band channel to form an embedded belt. Thanks to Évelyne, yet another expense was avoided.

  

Ginkgo biloba Sponge Stratification for Sprouting

• Ginkgo biloba seeds have a long germination period. You need to warm stratify the seeds for 6 to 8 weeks, and then cold stratify them for 6 to 8 weeks before potting them. Polyurethane foam for packaging in a polypropylene food container turned out to provide ideal environment with optimal humidity for both warm stratification and cold stratification.

  

MatChocoBerries: Anti-Oxidant Snack

• my geological engineer/exploration geologist daughter Évelyne has created a snack with THREE BERRY BLEND (raspberries, blueberries, blackberries), mixed with cacao/cocoa powder and matcha green tea, all containing a plurality of anti-oxidants. She does not like monosodium glutamate (MSG).
  • green tea (caffeine + catechins + epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG))
  • cacao/cocoa (anthocyanidins + caffein + catechins + proanthocyanidins + theobromine)
  • raspberries, blueberries, blackberries (polyphenols)

  

Ginkgo biloba Seeds Served via Toothpick Skewer

• Ginkgo biloba seeds should not be eaten raw because they contain toxin called ginkgotoxin (4'-O-methylpyridoxine (MPN)). Cooking destroys such toxins to make it safe for human consumption. After processing and cooking Ginkgo biloba seeds at high temperature, they are pierced through toothpicks to be served as kebab-style appetizers.

  

In-Mitten Storage of RFID Cards in Cold Weather

• The Lanyard Wrapping around Twinned Public Transit Cards serves well for an OC Transpo PRESTO card and an STO MULTI card. When travelling to another city (e.g., Stockholm, Sweden) in mid-winter, the best approach is to semi-permanently put a Stockholm Public Transport SL card inside one of the mittens in order to avoid taking out the SL card or any other RFID card (e.g., hotel key, credit/debit card, etc.) in cold weather.

  

Cross-Country Ski Carrier with Skiing Band and Pole Straps

• The Cross-Country Ski Carrier with Heavy-Duty Silicone Wristbands has been successful, but the technique does not work well for recent ski poles which do not have bottom holes wide enough to allow skis to go through. However, attaching skis with a skiing band at the top of the skis and pole straps at the bottom of the skis allow the ski poles to function as a handle to carry the entire assembly with ease if holding takes place at the centre of gravity.

  

Pré-Cut Pré-Folded Paper Towel as Toilet Paper

• The Hyper-Thick Toilet Tissue for Dry and Wet Butt-Wiping in combination with the Anisotropic Tissue Paper Folding for Butt-Wiping have been successful. However, my geological engineer/exploration geologist daughter Évelyne has independently created pré-cut pré-folded paper towel by a pair of scissors in order to function as toilet paper.

  

AraChees-O: Single Snack/Desert by Combinatory Lipidation

• My quest for a single protein-rich carbohydrate-free snack/desert has led to the combination of Parmesan cheese (powder), peanut butter (powder) and olive oil (liquid). The ratio between Parmesan cheese and peanut butter is 1:1, and the pre-mixed powder is stored in the refrigerator. For serving, olive oil is gradually added until desired consistency is achieved.

  

Non-Flipping Lids of Food Containers

• In most cases, it is not necessary to flip the lid of a food container (of salsa, peanut butter, pesto, etc.) when you open the container and put the lid aside. Not flipping the lid saves about 1 second each time. Besides, twisting the wrist to flip the lid may worsen carpel tunnel syndrome (CTS) for CTS sufferers.

  

Heating Pad Stabilisation by Lanyard

• The Heating Pad Sandwiched between Mattress Cover and Fitted Sheet in Bed has been successful, but the heating bad was shifting under the fitted sheet due to the movement of my feet. So, I detached a lanyard with a clip from a name tag holder that I received FREE at a conference, then attached the clip to the heating pad in order to stabilise the setup by the mattress.

  

Simplified Power Supply from Mini Projector's USB Port to Fire TV Stick

Amazon Fire TV Stick Lite comes with a bunch of accessories. A USB port is located nearby in most devices (TV set, Projector, etc.), so electrical power can be supplied from the USB port. Therefore, neither a USB cable nor a power block is required. Also, the remote control with 2 AAA batteries is unnecessary because iPhone's Fire TV app (iOS) on can control all functions of Fire TV Stick.

Paper Shopping Bag as a Beverage Container Carrier

• An empty paper shopping bag was found abandoned on a bench at a shopping centre, so I appropriated it. Because my Quetzal Bike does not have a bike basket, the paper bag can be used to carry a plurality of empty aluminum beverage containers to an automated collector machine at a local grocery store. When the paper bag is not used, it can be folded to stay behind a water bottle cage.

  

Fixing Heating Pad's Controller to Bed's Side Rail by Nano Magic Tape

• The Heating Pad Sandwiched between Mattress Cover and Fitted Sheet in Bed has made my extremities warm when I go to bed at night, functioning as electrical blanket to heat my feet. However, heating pad's controller was loose, so it was awkward to use. Nano Magic Tape to the rescue, securely fixing heating pad's controller to bed's Side Rail.

  

Bed Theatre with Projection to Popcorn Ceiling Screen

• Popcorn ceiling is a ceiling with spray-on or paint-on treatments. The bumpy surface is created by particles of vermiculite or polystyrene. Instead of buying an expensive TV Set, I bought a much cheaper Mini Projector with WiFi and Bluetooth, 9500 Lux Movie Projector, 1080P Full HD Support. Projecting from iPhone to master bedroom's WHITE popcorn ceiling shows slight distortion but degradation due to bumpy surface texture is unnoticeable even for text. The screen size is more than 2 m diagonal, and viewing takes place in natural sleeping position. Noise from 2 fans is a bit louder than expected. The setup is adequate until Apple Vision Pro becomes affordably available.

  

Consolidated Single Utility Pouch for Multiple Backpacks

• The latest fiasco of not carrying a spoon has caused rethinking of what to carry. I use either a mini-sized backpack for local excursion or a regular-sized backpack for long-distance trip, each of which has a pocket to carry utility stuff (e.g., bags, gloves, masks, tissue paper, etc.). By consolidating such utility stuff into a single pouch of transparent Ziplock plastic bag in modular fashion, each backpack can have full suite of utility stuff when I go out.

  

Ad Hoc Spoon by Cardboard Cutout

• I was too early at a bus station in Montréal, QC, Canada, so decided to wait at Grande Bibliothèque where Wi-Fi with eduroam works great. There is a coffee shop inside the library, but it was not open. Yet, I needed a spoon to eat yogurt that My engineer/mathematician/computer scientist son François gave me. In such an emergency situation, I cut out a piece of cardboard to form an ad hoc spoon for survival.

  

Double Doubling to Strengthen Magnetic Attachment in Integrated iPhone Stand/Lanyard

• The Ping-Pong Ball MagSafe iPhone Stand with Boundary Setter solved the problem of ping-pong ball assembly's slip-sliding away. However, the ping-pong ball assembly was still slippery within the boundary when it was used as a handle because magnetic attraction force between the rare-earth magnet and the disc-shaped ferromagnetic steel plate extracted from the cap of a food container was not strong enough. So, the rare-earth magnets were doubled to form a stack of ring-shaped one and disc-shaped one. Also, another ferromagnetic steel plate was cut from a food container by an electric drill, then gooped to the disc-shaped ferromagnetic steel plate to double the thickness.

  

Capacitive Touchscreen Rubber Tip Pen on a Retractable Wire

• So-called Touchscreen Gloves may function for a while, but they lose conductivity after wash cycles. So, I switched to Capacitive Touchscreen Rubber Tip Pen. However, it was loose in a waist pack, so one was lost already. Since the Mailbox Key on Retractable Wire in Waist Pack has been very successful, I also attached the Capacitive Touchscreen Rubber Tip Pen to the Retractable Wire.

  

Window Crank Threshold Point Visual Indicator

• The window crank mechanism of one of the windows has deteriorated so that the mechanism gets detached beyond a certain threshold point. In order to visually indicate the safe zone of operation, the threshold point was colour-coded in RED by a permanent marker pen.

  

Storing EarPods and USB Adapter in an Empty Pill Dispenser

• The EarPods Storage in a Pill Dispenser has been battle-tested. Since I switched everything from USB-A to USB-C, an adapter is necessary where USB-A outlet is still prevalent, i.e., in airplane, train, bus, library, etc. The adapter was slip-sliding away from the pill dispenser. So, I put one rare-earth magnet inside the pill dispenser and gooped another rare-earth magnet outside in order to prevent such movement of the adapter which is partially ferromagnetic. It should be a temporary measure until USB-C becomes ubiquitous.

  

Towel Fixing on a Hanger by Polyethylene Foam Pipe Insulation

• A bath towel can be hung in any configuration. However, it is desirable to hang a towel used for drying hands in asymmetrical configuration, i.e., front side long and rear side short, for example. This can be achieved by wrapping the towel on a towel hanger with a piece of polyethylene foam pipe insulation from the top of the towel hanger.

  

Clean Socks for Sweat Absorption

• In a steaming-hot subway station, I was using a sheet of paper towel to wipe off sweat from the face, but it had reached saturation point. I happened to carry a pair of clean dry socks that my geological engineer/exploration geologist daughter Évelyne received from Google. Since the sock was H2O-absorbing, I was able to use it in order to absorb more sweat from my face and neck.

  

Baggage Identification by Non-Functional Decorative Ribbon

• When my mother was travelling by air, she was wrapping non-functional decorative ribbon around her suitcase's handle so that she can quickly identify hers at baggage carousel at airport terminal. I put a pair of snaps buttons so that the ribbon can easily be transplanted to another suitcase. Also, I found that FREE name tag lanyard from conferences can be wrapped around suitcase's handle as well.

  

Integrated iPhone Stand/Lanyard with Snaps Buttons and Double-Sided Hook & Loop Tape

• The Asymmetrical Positioning of Safety Loop for the Integrated iPhone Stand/Lanyard was reconfigured back to be symmetrical, and combined with the MagSafe iPhone Stand with Boundary Setter. The iPhone case was slit at 2 locations at the back for to pass through a piece of solid grosgrain ribbon à la Slitting an iPhone Case for Wearable iPhone's Lanyard. Snaps buttons were attached to the loose ends of solid grosgrain ribbon. A knot on the lanyard plus elastic band were replaced by Velcro Brand One-Wrap Double-Sided Hook & Loop Tape. The lanyard features single/double circum-neck looping and infinitely adjustable length.

  

Snaps Buttons for Securing Recyclable Cloth Bags

• Recyclable cloth bags are prevalent now. However, their softness is often frustrating especially when there is a great number of items to carry because some items would overflow and leak out of a cloth bag. The Fastener Pliers Press with 100PCS Metal Snaps Buttons Kit to the rescue, providing means to close the cloth bag at top-centre for secure transportation of items.

  

Heating Pad Sandwiched between Mattress Cover and Fitted Sheet in Bed

• When I experienced sudden backache, my professional artist daughter Véronique generously gave me a heating pad. Since then, my back healed OK. Since my body is always hot but my extremities stay cold in bed, I decided to keep the heating pad in bed to function as electrical blanket to heat my feet. However, it was always slip-sliding away. So, I sandwiched it between mattress cover and fitted sheet of the bed. It is very warm even at minimum power level, and timer setting for up to 120 minutes limits power consumption.

  

EarPods Storage in an Empty Pill Dispenser

• The TWS Wireless Ear Clip Bone Conduction Headphones dropped to hard surface of a floor and broke, so I am back to using EarPods wired headphones. Putting EarPods into waist pack is always messy, and the original EarPods case is awkward as well. So, the EarPods were wound and put into an empty plastic pill dispenser, which can neatly be stored in a waist pack for travelling. USB-C to USB-A adapter is stored at the bottom of the plastic pill dispenser.

  

Charger-Block MagSafe iPhone Stand with Boundary Setter

• The Ping-Pong Ball MagSafe iPhone Stand with Boundary Setter has been extremely successful. When ESR Wireless Charger with MagSafe and IFEART USB C Charger Block arrived, I realised that the compact block can replace the ping-pong ball. So, a disc-shaped rare-earth magnet was gooped to the IFEART USB C Charger Block with foldable plug to function as iPhone stand for stable self-aligning portrait/landscape orientation with continuously-variable viewing angle. Now, everything iPhone needs is in a single wearable unit.

  

Ping-Pong Ball MagSafe iPhone Stand with Boundary Setter

• The iPhone Synergetic Charger-Stand with a Ping-Pong Ball for Portrait/Landscape Orientation with Continuously-Variable Viewing Angle has been very successful. However, the ring-shaped rare-earth magnet gooped to the ping-pong ball was sometimes slip-sliding away. So, a disc-shaped ferromagnetic steel plate extracted from the cap of a food container (of minced garlic, salsa, etc.), was gooped to the back of the iPhone Charger-Stand in order to limit the movement of the ping-pong ball assembly. Electrical tape is put on the surface of the rare-earth magnet to increase friction. The steel plate functions as heat sink, too.

  

Pre-Pairing Socks for Laundry by Snaps Buttons

• It is so frustrating to find matching socks after laundry, isn't it? Attaching Velcro to the socks needs sewing which is too complicated for me. Also, ring-shaped magnets may be sewn to the socks, but the socks would adhere to the steel wall of a washing machine. The Fastener Pliers Press with 100PCS Metal Snaps Buttons Kit to the rescue.

  

AraCheesOlive: Super-Synergetic Hybrid of Peanut Butter, Parmesan Cheese and Olive Oil

• This snack is a hybrid of beurre d'arachide (powdered peanut butter), cheese (grated Parmesan cheese) and olive oil, packed with vitamins + protein + magnesium (Mg) + monounsaturated fatty acids and no salt added + no sugar added. The weight ratio of the ingredients is 1:1:1.

  

Grass-Height Measuring Stick in a Snail-Mailbox

• My All-Natural Tapestry Lawn with indigenous species (AKA weeds) was indeed Zero-Maintenance, but a close-minded neighbour threatened to call Ville de Gatineau which has close-minded bylaw to ban certain species of ground-cover plants to exceed pre-determined height. So, I rolled up a sheet of paper to form a stick of 180 mm in length, and stored it in an under-used snail-mailbox.

  

Single-Shot Microwave Cooking/Heating

• For eating Oatmeal MAGENTA, I pre-mix oats (protein), olive oil (monounsaturated fatty acid), red wine sediment (resveratrol) and THREE BERRY BLEND (raspberries, blueberries, blackberries), and cook the mix in the microwave oven. I used to cook this mix separately from hot beverage, (e.g., coffee with MSG, etc.), but I realised that Oatmeal MAGENTA and hot beverage can be simultaneously heated up in the microwave oven by pressing only 2 buttons, i.e., "Sensor Cook" then "Start" for a complete meal.

  

Tissue-Box Platform for Microwaving Optical Discs

• my professional artist daughter Véronique needed a plurality of beaten-up optical discs (CD, CD-ROM, DVD, etc.) for a dystopian film that she was producing. So, I put 2 empty tissue boxes on the turntable of a microwave oven to form a platform for multi-disc processing with P-4 for 4 m. A few drinking cups with dihydrogen monoxide (H2O) were also placed in order to absorb excess microwave energy which would overheat and damage the magnetron.

  

Stable Platform for Shower Products on top of a Shower Control

• The apartment of my geological engineer/exploration geologist daughter Évelyne in Kiruna, Sweden, has a shower, but there is a gap between the shower control and the wall. Since it is slippery especially when it is wet, Évelyne put an ice cube tray on top of the shower control to form stable platform for placing containers of body wash, shower gel, shampoo, etc. The ice cube tray is inverted upside-down in order to prevent accumulation of scum.

  

Ad Hoc Dispenser of Q-tips Swabs

• Just about very otolaryngologist advises not to use Q-tips swabs to clean ears, but we dismissively ignore them with respect. my geological engineer/exploration geologist daughter Évelyne found an empty plastic container (of Aloe Vera Soothing Gel), in which she put a bunch of Q-tips swabs for maximum ease of access.

  

Slush Sphere

• The Ice Sphere: Non-Diluting Liquid Cooling by Balloon-Encased Dihydrogen Monoxide is solid ice, but partial freezing of liquid encased in a balloon in a freezer creates slush inside the solid shell of ice outside. The liquid can be alcoholic or non-alcoholic beverage, and drinking straw can be used for consumption, just like SLUSH PUPPiE. The Slush Sphere can be placed on top of a wine glass with minimum contact area for longevity.

  

Upside-Down Storage of Peanut Butter

• The package of natural PEANUT BUTTER Made With 100% U.S. Valencia Peanuts (No salt added, No sugar added) says "OIL SEPARATION OCCURS IN NATURAL PEANUT BUTTER. STIR WELL AND REFRIGERATE AFTER OPENING." Mixing takes less effort if the oil layer is near the bottom, so the containers are kept upside-down while they are in storage, i.e., before mixing and refrigeration.

  

ChiliGPO (Garlic, Pepper, Onion)

• A generous neighbour gave me garlic, hot pepper and onion. I am too lazy to cook them every day with the stress of preventing spoilage. So, I put all of the vegetables into a blender to crush and mix them. Then I added olive oil, black pepper and monosodium glutamate (MSG) to the purée, and heated it up for infusion. The result is very hot sauce called ChiliGPO (Garlic, Pepper, Onion).

  

Sealing Stoop Gap by LDPE Packaging Foam

• The front stoop of my house has a gap into which rainwater flows, like a black hole. Because of the removal of eavestrough/rain gutter from eaves, it is desirable to block the flow of rainwater into the gap. my professional artist daughter Véronique happened to have packaging foam made of low-density polyethylene (LDPE). So, I cut the filler block by a bread knife. It may not look good, but functions well.

  

Krazy Patio Stones

• The Removal of Eavestrough/Rain Gutter from Eaves has eliminated maintenance issues. Because of the excavation in the aftermath of basement flood many years ago, patio stones around the house gradually inclined towards the foundation. Since it is essential that rainwater stay away from the foundation, my professional artist daughter Véronique and professional architect Kevin have kindly helped me in re-placing the patio stones. Now, we can experience spatial distortion similar to the effect at Canada Science and Technology Museum's Crazy Kitchen.

  

Cushion Xenotransplantation from a Sofa to a Patio Recliner

• When an old sofa was scrapped about 10 years ago, I kept some cushions in storage in the basement, just in case. The 40-year old patio recliner used to be comfortable, but the cushion had thinned and the steel spring has worn out over the years. So, I transplanted the cushion from the sofa to the patio recliner, re-establishing comfortable resting in the garage.

  

Puffer Fish Lantern Magnetically Suspended from Hidden Steel Corner Bead

• A piece of plastic-coated steel wire is passed through the hole of a ring-shaped rare-earth magnet in order to magnetically suspends a puffer fish lantern from steel corner bead hidden inside the drywall structure. Tetraodontidae (pufferfish, balloonfish, blowfish, bubblefish, globefish, swellfish, toadfish, etc.) can fill its extremely elastic stomach with water (or air when outside the water) to inflate into much larger, almost spherical shape to evade predators.

  

Making Ice Pucks with a Silicone Muffin/Cupcake Pan

• The silicone muffin/cupcake pan is used for cooking Quinolent GREEN in a microwave oven, but it is used only once in 8 days. While it is not used for cooking, the silicone muffin/cupcake pan can be used for making ice pucks in a freezer. The resulting ice pucks are ideal for a drinking cup or a drinking glass of relatively large diameter.

  

Twinning Plastic Container's Threaded/Unthreaded Lids

• The Removal of Threads on Plastic Container's Lid has been great success in simplifying extraction of Matchocoffee from the container every day. When cacao/cocoa powder, instant coffee, matcha green tea and monosodium glutamate (MSG) OR sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3) are mixed by shaking, threads on the plastic container's lid is essential for safety. Therefore, 2 lids are twinned together to form a stacked lid, WHITE side unthreaded, RED side unthreaded. A golf ball is magnetically sandwiched to the top for easy grabbing.

  

Microwave Cooking of Oatmeal MAGENTA with Heat Sink

• For preparation of Oatmeal MAGENTA, Non-Dairy Beverage was added to Quick Oats, and cooked in a microwave oven: Sensor Cook. When oat beverage is used, heating causes the mixture to inflate and erupt, making a mess. So, a spoon made of steel is left during cooking in the microwave oven as heat sink to dissipate heat in order to prevent such eruption.

  

Motor Oil as Bicycle Lubricant

• Since I abandoned a private car a few years ago to lead hyper-ecological lifestyle with public transit and occasional use of Communauto's hybrid car, I no longer own a vehicle. When I scrap the internal-combustion engine car, I kept spare Engine Oil Lubricant (10W40), and put the liquid into a spray bottle (of Tilex Mold & Mildew Remover) to lubricate the moving parts of my Quetzal Bike.

  

Repurposing a Plumbing Part into a Bicycle Part

• The Stabilisation of a Waist Pack behind a Bicycle Seat by Beverage Cans did not quite keep balance of the waist pack. So, I extracted a plastic board from an old worn-out rear rack bag, drilled a hole at the middle, and passed through 35-year old brass nut and bolt which used to attach toilet tank to toilet bowl. The plumbing part turned into a bicycle part is now effectively stabilising the waist pack behind the saddle of my Quetzal Bike.

  

Replacement of Pitcher's Lid by Plastic Container's Cover

• The plastic lid of my pitcher with 30+ years of service has disintegrated in FUBAR (F*cked Up Beyond All Recognition) fashion. I found plastic container's cover with diameter slightly smaller than pitcher's lid. So, I wound colour-matched electrical tape several times around the plastic cover to size-match its outer diameter with pitcher's inner diameter. With the upside-down plastic cover, the pitcher is now ready to serve for another 30 years.

  

Removal of Silicone Sleeve from Wireless Headphones

• My Wireless Ear Clip Bone Conduction Headphones were equipped with fuselage silicone glue sleeve as skin for comfort of wearing. Since the headphones were so comfortable, I failed to remove them to take a shower. As a result, the silicone sleeve became loose enough to slip and cover the holes where sound is channelled. Because my earlobes are thick enough, I removed the silicone sleeve. There has been no inconvenience since then.

  

Landing Spot Stabilisation for Magnetically Attached iPhone

• The iPhone Magnetic Attachment to a Disc-Shaped Steel Plate with a ferromagnetic steel lid (of a matcha container) on the surface of a cupboard has been successful over many years. However, the iPhone with MagSafe was sometimes slip-sliding away and crashing to the floor due to vibration from kitchen appliances like a blender, a microwave oven, etc. So, a stack of disc-shaped or ring-shaped rare-earth magnets is magnetically attached to the steel plate as a slip-stopper, just in case.

  

MatChoCoffeVin: Ultimate Anti-Oxidant Cocktail in Slush

• Here is ultimate drink with a plurality of anti-oxidants. MatChoCoffeVin = Matcha + Chocolate + Coffee + Wine. A block of frozen-solid dihydrogen monoxide (H2O) is shaved by a manual hand-crank ice shaver. The drink could be called Slush-MatChoCoffeVin or MatChoCoffeVin-Puppie. No sugar added, of course!
  • green tea (caffeine + catechins + epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG))
  • cacao/cocoa (anthocyanidins + caffein + catechins + proanthocyanidins + theobromine)
  • coffee (hydrocinnamic acids + polyphenols)
  • red wine (flavonoids + polyphenols + resveratrol)
  • MSG (monosodium glutamate)

  

Urine Decolourisation Filter Apparatus

• my professional artist daughter Véronique is building an apparatus to make urine drinkable. Urobilin (C33H42N4O6) is the chemical primarily responsible for the YELLOW colour of urine. In order to determine if activated charcoal can decolourise urine, I drilled a hole at the bottom of a plastic container (of cream cheese), inserted a Pitcher Replacement Filter containing activated charcoal, then mounted the assembly on top of a transparent plastic container (of Parmesan cheese). I folded several sheets of paper towel to form a multi-ply filter in order to slow down the fluid flow to the cartridge. Unfortunately, the YELLOW colour of urine could not be removed.

  

Tabletop Theatre with a Facial Tissue Box in front of a Face

• The Magnetic Tabletop iPhone Tower with a Golf Ball on Top has evolved to the Uni-Directional Acoustic Dome on a Magnetic Tabletop iPhone Tower, then to the Rotatable Uni-Directional Acoustic Dome on a Lazy Susan. The table-top theatre arrangement is further enhanced by the addition of a facial tissue box with 2 elastic bands. Moreover, microfibre cleaning cloth and a magnetised ballpoint pen are magnetically attached to the ferromagnetic iPhone tower with a golf ball on top.

  

Permanently-Open Upside-Down Olive Oil Dispenser

• Thanks to the Neo-Hybrid Reconstitution of Powder into Liquid by Olive Oil, my consumption of olive oil (monounsaturated fatty acids: ~75 %, polyunsaturated fatty acids: ~15 %) is ever increasing, especially as efficient energy source. The Permanently-Open Upside-Down Sauce Dispenser has been very successful, so I put olive oil into the sauce dispenser (of Mayoracha Sauce). Squeezing the bottle opens membrane by pressure to dispense viscous liquid. Unlike FIFO Bottle™, the nozzle stays dry when the dispenser is upright on a flat surface.

  

Double Velcro Closure for Nightgown

• Sometimes I wear nightgown all day long when I stay at home. I asked my ex-spouse Michèle to replace a tie with Velcro. Knowing my laziness, she put 2 pairs of Velcro, i.e., 2 hooks (rough side) and 2 loops (soft side), so that if 1 pair of Velcro gets detached, the other pair can still hold the nightgown together.

  

Counter-Intuitive Above-Gap Object Placement for Space Saving

• It is human nature to fear danger even if an object merely appears to fall into a gap. In reality, there is no way that a wine bottle would fall into the gap between the refrigerator top and the kitchen wall because the diameter of the wine bottle is greater than the width of the gap. Defying such psychological perception results in very positive benefits of freeing up more space on the refrigerator top.

  

Differentiation of Postage Stamps on Coils

• In order to fulfil orders of Ginkgo biloba seeds from all over the world, I need postage stamps from Canada Post. Combinations of $1.30 stamps and $1.94 stamps are satisfactory to ship Ginkgo biloba seeds to destinations (Canada, U.S., International) in envelopes. Since the coils of stamps look identical except for "$1.30" and "$1.94" in very fine print in GREY, I colour-coded $1.30 in BLUE and $1.94 stamps in RED by permanent marker pens.

  

Dot on Adhesive Tape for Alignment of Screenshots

• I encountered great difficulty in capturing a plurality of screenshots on iPhone to be made into animated GIF file for article entitled "Air Quality Health Index (AQHI) in Weather app". The animated GIF would show a map in various zooming magnification, but "My Location" must be always at the centre. Such alignment difficulty was overcome by drawing a dot on a piece of 3M Scotch Tape, and adhering it to the surface of iPhone's screen.

  

Removal of Shirt Collar Decoration for Functionality

• A shirt collar is an extra flap of fabric, usually with buttons and a front opening, located around the neckline of a shirt. Originally, the shirt collar's purpose was to fold down over neckwear such as neckties or bowties, but different shirt collar styles serve a number of fashion purposes today, i.e., totally useless decoration. Therefore, shirt collar was removed to make the shirt more functionally practical for outdoor work.

  

Semi-Permanent Attachment of a Coin Pouch to a Backpack/Doubled Grocery Bag

• I have led cashless lifestyle since 1994. However, beverage container return deposit comes in coins that I have to carry because I do not purchase anything at supermarkets where deposit return machine are located. I do not want to carry a coin pouch in my waist pack, so the coin pouch is semi-permanently attached to a mini-backpack or to doubled disposable plastic bags made of high-density polyethylene (HDPE). The plastic bags to carry beverage cans will be reused again and again and again...

  

Transforming a Plumbing Part into a Bicycle Part

• The bicycle stand of Quetzal Bike became loose and unstable. Coincidentally, the toilet in kids's bathroom developed serious leak, so I bought a plumbing repair kit with replacement parts. I suddenly realised that 35-year old brass nut and bolt which used to attach toilet tank to toilet bowl can serve the purpose of stabilising the bicycle stand of Quetzal Bike by inhibiting excessive movement which leads to stress and eventually detachment.

  

Arthropoda-Barrier by Foam Sheet

• I replaced all fancy ceiling light fixtures by simple lightbulb sockets. However, there are 2 holes on each lightbulb socket, through which creatures of Classes arachnida and insecta in Phylum arthropoda such as flies, ladybugs, spiders, etc. were passing. So, foam sheet was cut to weird-shaped pieces to fit into the lightbulb sockets, and each piece was fixed by double-sided adhesive tape. Ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA) foam is made from blended copolymers of ethylene and vinyl acetate.

  

In-Gap iPhone Charging for Space Efficiency

• my geological engineer/exploration geologist daughter Évelyne was waiting for her flight during layover at airport ARN. She found a nice outlet to efficiently charge her iPhone by placing the iPhone at a gap on the cabinet. This way, the counter is not cluttered, so the space can be used for other purposes. iPhone's position was mainly to keep an eye on it while she was sitting in an angle from where she could not see the counter.

  

Emulating VISOR by a Hearing Protector

• The VISOR (an acronym for Visual Instrument and Sensory Organ Replacement) was a medical device used in the United Federation of Planets to aid patients who had either lost their eyesight or were born blind. I realised that a hearing protector can be worn sideways to cover the eyes for emulating the VISOR, which turned out to be pretty uncomfortable.

  

Neo-Hybrid Reconstitution of Powder into Liquid by Olive Oil

• Because it is easier to handle powder for cooking, I switched from liquid peanut butter to powdered peanut butter. To reconstitute peanut butter, I add olive oil instead of peanut oil because olive oil has more monounsaturated fatty acids and less saturated fatty acids than peanut oil does. Also, olive oil contains more calcium (Ca), sodium (Na), iron (Fe), potassium (P), vitamin K, and delphinidin (anti-oxidant) than peanut oil does. Same technique is used to make Parmesan cheese more convenient to eat. Need for mixing discourages overconsumption of snack food.

  

X-Shaped Drain Slit for Selective Draining

• Miracle-Gro Potting Mix's direction for use specifies a "pot with a drain hole". Since I cannot afford such fancy flower pots, I re-purposed a plastic container (of cottage cheese or cream cheese) made of polypropylene. Drilling a hole makes potting mix leak out of the plastic container, so an X-shaped slit was cut at the bottom of the plastic container by a box cutter in order to selectively drain dihydrogen monoxide (H2O) without losing potting mix.

  

Removal of Eavestrough/Rain Gutter from Eaves

• The asphalt shingles were guaranteed for 25 years, but lasted only 20 years. Since they had hopelessly deteriorated, I had them replaced by eco-friendly Euroshield: Recycled Indestructible Roofing, which is guaranteed for 50 years. At the same time, I had eavestrough/rain gutter removed because the foundation is sealed tight after a basement flood many years ago. No more water leakage, clogging by leaves, noise by woodpeckers, etc. Also, falling dihydrogen monoxide (H2O) from the eaves cleans up the entrance and the walkway quite effectively.

  

Removal of Blinds and Curtains from Doors and Windows

• Window Film One Way Mirror Film Privacy Static Non-Adhesive Decorative Heat Control Anti-UV Window Tint for Home and Office Silver was applied to all doors and windows of the house. The infrared-blocking one-way mirror film keeps the interior of the house cool in summer and warm in winter, and even prevents birds from crashing into the windows. I removed blinds and curtains from all doors and windows, except the ones in the master bedroom for privacy.

  

"Split Sky" by Overlapping Infrared-Blocking One-Way Mirror Film

• After 35 years of providing light above winding staircase in the house, the skylight was replaced by Triple-Pane Deck-Mounted Fixed Skylight. Before it was installed on the roof, I applied Window Film One Way Mirror Film Privacy Static Non-Adhesive Decorative Heat Control Anti-UV Window Tint for Home and Office Silver. Affordable single infrared-blocking one-way mirror film for window size 1.22 m x 1.22 m was non-existent. So, I purchased a roll of narrower film (0.60 m x 2.54 m) and attached 2 sheets of film to the skylight. Film's overlap resulted in "Split Sky".

  

Using iPhone under Bright Direct Sunlight

• Using iPhone outdoors on a sunny day under bright direct sunlight was nothing but excruciating pain due to reflection. Ever since I had matte anti-glare screen protector on the iPhone by mobile telecommunications service provider Vidéotron, using iPhone under bright direct sunlight has become pleasant experience. The relatively high price was definitely worth it.

  

Mounting Tissue Paper Box on a PET Container by Compression Tension

• The Tissue Paper Box Attachment to a Bedside Furniture by Nano Magic Tape was serving well, but attachment of headboard to the bed necessitated reconfiguration of tissue paper box attachment to the bed. A container made of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is filled with dihydrogen monoxide (H2O) to form a platform. Compression tension alone is enough to keep the tissue paper box stable enough to dispense tissue paper at maximum convenience.

  

Staggered Glass Casserole Dishes in a Refrigerator for Daily Portion Control

• The Complete Portion Control of Lunch and Supper has been extremely successful, providing me with portion-controlled diet for many years. Each prepared portion of Quinolent GREEN and Quinolent ORANGE is stored in a Glass Casserole Dish With Lid in a refrigerator. The arrangement was neat, but the front-most stack of the row was overflowing from refrigerator's shelf. So, the Staggered Drinking Glasses for High-Density Storage's technique was applied to shrink the length of the row of stacks. Now, each stack contains exact portions for one day.

  

Chest Augmentation by a Teddy Bear for Heart Horse Neck Phone Holder Lazy Bracket

• The Resurrection of Heart Horse Neck Phone Holder Lazy Bracket by a Rare-Earth Magnet is already a success, but its steel-cored lanyard is too short to provide comfortable viewing position for both landscape and portrait orientations. So, a teddy bear is placed at user's chest area, à la Dr. Evil's Mini-Me in order to provide extra distance. An elastic band around 2 steel plates secures the teddy bear by squeezing the steel-cored lanyard.

  

Resurrection of Heart Horse Neck Phone Holder Lazy Bracket by a Rare-Earth Magnet

• my professional artist daughter Véronique gave me a Heart Horse Neck Phone Holder Lazy Bracket as a gift several years back. Weak plastic part of the Lazy Neck Phone Holder quickly disintegrated within 1 day of use, so it was stored away. I decided to give it another chance by gooping a ring-shaped rare-earth magnet to the rotating mechanism of the Heart Horse Neck Phone Holder Lazy Bracket for magnetic attachment to Integrated iPhone Stand/Lanyard Combination's Powerful Magnetic Wireless Charger With Holder (Amazing Quality).

  

Penetrative Stress Ball for Bicycle Handlebar End Cap

• The Extending Bicycle's Handlebar by a Golf Ball was successful except for the golf ball getting looser and looser, finally detaching altogether. Instead of replacing with another golf ball version, a deep hole was drilled into a FREE giftware stress ball, which was then securely attached to bicycle's handlebar by Goop to form an end cap. The stress ball is even colour-matched to bicycle's handlebar.

  

Non-Locking Bicycle Combination Cable Lock

• While riding a bicycle, I was always locking the combination cable lock around the bicycle frame. It suddenly occurred to me that while the combination cable lock is not in use but idling on the bicycle, there is no reason to lock it. It is an example of simple omission of minute unnecessary action contributing to stress relief in lifestyle.

  

Upside-Up Charging of Wireless Ear Clip Bone Conduction Headphones in a Washroom

• In order to keep the Wireless Ear Clip Bone Conduction Headphones charging case upside-up for maximum efficiency in a washroom with a very short USB cable supplied, the charging case is placed on top of one of the twin toothbrush holders attached to a vanity mirror by suction cups. Alternatively, Nano Magic Tape can be put on top of the charger to secure the charging case. The other receptacle of electrical outlet is occupied by upside-down LED Mosquito Killer Electric Fly Pest Zapper UV Light Insect Controller Blue & White.

  

Oxygen Barrier by Floating Olive Oil for Keeping Guacamole Fresh

• Prevailing advice on the Internet for keeping GREEN avocado guacamole from turning BROWN is to pour dihydrogen monoxide (H2O). Such dilution makes guacamole disgusting for me. Since GREEN basil pesto contains vegetable oil, it does not turn BROWN by oxidation. So, olive oil is poured onto avocado guacamole to function as floating dioxygen (O2) barrier.

  

Stable Connection between an Inverted Glass Bowl and a Turntable Glass Tray

• The Extra Transparent Platform for an Inverted Glass Bowl has been successful, especially in combination with the Rotatable Uni-Directional Acoustic Dome on a Lazy Susan, serving at every meal time at home. An extra unused turntable glass tray was re-purposed to function as a platform, replacing a circular Pyrex pie plate. 3M Double Coated Tissue Tape was cut into annular shape and stacked up together in order to secure stable connection.

  

Powder Leak Protection by Plastic Wrap Membrane

• The Triple Leak Protection by Membranes with Negative Pressure was achieved thanks to low-density polyethylene (LDPE) plastic wrap. Similar sealing method is applied to prevent accidental leakage of powder by folding a sheet of plastic wrap, temporarily placing the sheet between a plastic container and its lid, then vigorously shaking the plastic container to mix ingredients for the preparation of Matchocoffee: Anti-Oxidant Zero-Waste Drink Mix.

  

Biasing Electrical Connection of Wireless Ear Clip Bone Conduction Headphones

• The Wireless Ear Clip Bone Conduction Headphones function very well. However, there is loose gap between headphones and its charging case while charging, resulting in unreliable electrical connection especially when the charging case is placed sideways or upside down. So, a piece of electrical tape was folded and adhered to each concave portion of charging case's lid in order to bias contact points by spring action.

  

Displaying Emergency Contacts on MacBook Computer

• The iPhone Shortcut: Tap to Contact Me! Provides a method to display contact numbers on locked screen in case the iPhone is lost. Also, "Emergency" > "Medical ID" on locked screen displays "Emergency Contacts". In MacBook computer's "System Settings..." > "Lock Screen", turning on "Show message when locked" allows you to enter a message or a telephone number to contact in case the MacBook is lost.

  

Asymmetrical Positioning of Safety Loop for the Integrated iPhone Stand/Lanyard Combination

• The Integrated iPhone Stand/Lanyard Combination and the Safety Loop for the Integrated iPhone Stand/Lanyard Combination have protected the iPhone from destruction a few occasions already. However, there were shortcoming like solid grosgrain ribbon's blocking the lightning port, obstructing sound from/to the speaker/microphone, preventing portrait orientation in a stand. So, the safety loop was relocated to the side of the iPhone, with 2 ends stitched together followed by hot melt bonding. This is an example of asymmetry providing better functionality.

  

Baby Powder with Corn Starch for Cooking

• Baby Powder used to be composed of talcum powder (hydrated magnesium phyllosilicate mineral, but is now made of starch derived from corn (maize) grain, which can be used for cooking. Although the label says "Pure Cornstarch", the list of ingredients shows: ZEA MAYS (CORN) STARCH, TRICALCIUM PHOSPHATE (Ca3(PO4)2), PARFUM, all of which are safe to ingest. Actually, Equate Baby Powder is cheaper per weight than Flesichmann's Corn Starch.

  

Magnetic Coupling Demonstration by Double-Decker Platform with Turntable

• The Super-Stabilisation of Double-Decker Platform for a Turntable Tray is adapted to have its turntable tray (diamagnetic material) sandwiched by 2 disc-shaped rare-earth magnets. A ring-shaped rare-earth magnet is attached to the string of a FREE model car from Mazda factory. Rotating the turntable wirelessly moves the model car on the lower deck by magnetic coupling. Such a demonstration should inspire STEM education as there are many existing and potential industrial applications.

  

Mailbox Key on Retractable Wire in Waist Pack

• I installed FITNATE Keyless Smart Fingerprint Lock Bluetooth Digital Code Door Deadbolt Lock with Keypad, so there is no need to carry a key to the entrance doors any more. The one and only last remaining physical key that I need is for Canada Post's Super-Mailbox. The key is attached to retractable wire, which is then stored inside a waist pack in which I put everything possible for outing. I long for a day when Canada Post goes biometric.

  

Drying Mittens by Magnetically Hanging from a Bolt Head

• The Replacing Mitten's Buckle with Rare-Earth Magnets has been successful, as demonstrated by the Attachment of Mittens to Leather Jacket's Collar with Rare-Earth Magnets. When the mittens are wet, hanging is the best method for drying. Since the mittens are equipped with rare-earth magnets, they can be attached to IKEA furniture's bolt head which is ferromagnetic.

  

Barcode Printing on White Mailing Labels

• Sometimes, Universal Product Code on a product must be adjusted or corrected. The UPC-A barcode is visually represented by strips of bars and spaces that encode the UPC-A 12-digit number. Such a barcode can be generated by an on-line tool on the Internet, printed on white mailing labels (25.4 mm x 66.6 mm), and stuck on a product to cover the original barcode. The printout was further simplified by omitting the numbers.

  

Angle-Adjusted iPhone Stand by a Business Card Holder

• The iPhone Stand by a Business Card Holder with the Detachable Augmentation of Friction between Metal and Plastic by Nano Magic Tape has been successful if the iPhone was placed in portrait orientation. If the iPhone was placed in landscape orientation, however, the iPhone was sinking into the valley of the business card holder so that the viewing angle was too low. An empty cylindrical body of a felt tip pen to the rescue!

  

Snow/Ice Scraper for a Cutting Board

• An ice scraper is a hand-held tool for removing frost, ice, and snow from automobile windshield. This FREE giftware version is made of a single piece of plastic, forming sturdy blade and handle portions. The sharp blade turned out to be very useful for removing food residues from any flat surface, e.g., a cutting board in the kitchen.

  

Semi-Permanent Mounting of Goggles on a Baseball Helmet

• I use a bicycle helmet in all seasons for head protection while cycling or cross-country skiing. In winter, the helmet also functions as thermal earmuff. Too many times, it was cloudy when I go out, but it becomes sunny with bright sunlight even though such change was not in weather forecast. So, I decided to semi-permanently attach a pair of goggles to the baseball helmet by passing elastic band through ventilation holes of the helmet. A cord lock terminates the elastic band which is further secured to the helmet by electrical tape.

  

Super-Stabilisation of Double-Decker Platform for a Turntable Tray

• The Double-Decker Platform for a Turntable Tray has been successful, serving as a table-top tray at the dining table. However, the mechanism was not quite stable despite the existence of raised circumference. So, a bolt was inserted into the bottom portion of a piece of plastic dispenser nozzle of dishwashing liquid detergent, then the assembly was inserted into a pre-existing hole at the centre of the Double-Decker Platform for a Turntable Tray in order to function as a shaft.

  

Double-Layering Shower Curtains for Preventing H2O Leakage

• Although I sprayed 3M Scotchgard Protector onto a shower curtain a few years ago, the fabric shower curtain has become permeable to dihydrogen monoxide (H2O) from the showerhead. I found an old plastic shower curtain in storage. Although neither shower curtain is in good shape, double-layering the 2 shower curtains prevent H2O from leaking outside the bathtub.

  

iPhone Stand by an Open Coffee Maker

• The Coffee-Top iPhone Wireless Charging Station has been functioning quite well. However, I suddenly realised that when the filter basket lid of the coffee maker is partially open at diagonal angle, it functions as an iPhone stand in the kitchen. If the wireless charger is not MagSafe compatible, then Nano Magic Tape Traceless Washable Double Sided Adhesive Tape provides temporary adhesion between wireless charger and iPhone.

  

Matchocoffee: Anti-Oxidant Zero-Waste Drink Mix

• The Matchoffee: Anti-Oxidant Zero-Waste Drink Mix has been a great success, providing anti-oxidants throughout the day. Since cacao/cocoa also provides anti-oxidant flavonoids/polyphenols (catechin + epicatechin + procyanidins + theobromine/xantheose), the formula of the drink mix has been updated to be truly the Most Efficiently Anti-Oxidant Supplement (MEAOS).
  • 96/300 | matcha green tea (caffeine + catechins + epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG))
  • 96/300 | instant coffee (caffeine + catechins + quercetin + rutin)
  • 96/300 | cacao/cocoa powder (catechin + epicatechin + procyanidins + theobromine/xantheose)
  • 12/300 | monosodium glutamate (MSG) OR sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3)

  

Lubrication of Cheese Block by Olive Oil

• The Cheese Package Self-Wrap Re-Sealing for Storage has been successful. However, if a cheese block is extra thick, like the ones from Costco, then adhesive force makes it difficult to take the cheese block out of the plastic package and to put put it back into the plastic package. So, a few drops of olive oil is poured around the cheese block in order to function as lubricant.

  

H2O Repellant by In-Sock Membrane for Ski Boots

• My ski boots developed cracks in less than 4 years, leading to infiltration of dihydrogen monoxide (H2O). The Duck/Duct tape-Goop Combination for Leak Sealing Ski Boots cannot be applied when the ski boots are still wet deep inside in spring. So, as a short-term quick fix to prevent wetting of socks and feet, a plastic bag made of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) is sandwiched between the first and second layers of socks.

  

Integrated iPhone Stand/Lanyard Combination with Variable-Length Lanyard

• The Integrated iPhone Stand/Lanyard Combination together with the Safety Loop for the Integrated iPhone Stand/Lanyard Combination has performed very well. However, it was time-consuming to control the length of the lanyard by changing the location of a knot of the USB cable. I realised that making a knot at the end of the USB cable and adding an elastic band that loops around the USB cable achieves quick variable-length lanyard. Matching colours would be nice.

  

Shortcuts: Automation for Aurora Forecast

• Aurora borealis/australis depends on solar activity, which follows an 11-year cycle. The peak is expected between 2023 and 2026. In order to detect solar maximum, I created Automation shortcut in iOS to run daily at sunset. Only if geomagnetic storm is forecast by the Space Weather Prediction Center at National Oceanic And Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), then the shortcut extracts relevant portions of the text to display notification, followed by Aurora - 30 Minute Forecast, which is based on the OVATION model and provides a 30 to 90 minute forecast of the location and intensity of the aurora.

  

Flip-Cap Dispenser for Melatonin Miracle Pills

• The Cannabis Oil Bottle as Melatonin Miracle Pill Dispenser was quantum-leap improvement from melatonin's original container with a super-wide opening, preventing accidental spill especially when I am in bed in the dark. Another quantum leap was achieved by the use of a flip cap from a container of some cleaning agent. The hole of the flip cap was enlarged by an electric drill in order to accommodate the size of melatonin pills.

  

Sleigh Snow Shovel Repair by Stop Leaks Seal Repair Tape

• After more than 25 years of faithful service for providing heavy-duty snow clearing, the sleigh snow shovel developed a serious tear. The sleigh snow shovel appeared to be unrepairable, but Super Strong Adhesive PVC Waterproof Stop Leaks Seal Repair Tape turned out to adhere extremely well to polyethylene blade of the sleigh snow shovel so that it can withstand more winters.

  

Attachment of Mittens to Leather Jacket's Collar with Rare-Earth Magnets

• The Replacing Mitten's Buckle with Rare-Earth Magnets and the Closing Leather Jacket's Collar by Ring-Shaped Rare-Earth Magnets have independently worked just fine. After temporarily losing mittens so many times, I suddenly realised that the mittens can be magnetically attached to leather jacket's collar so that I can operate my iPhone without worrying about losing a mitten, for example.

  

Transforming a Mini Tripod into an iPhone Stand

• While cleaning up the house, a 45-year old mini tripod was unexpectedly found in a drawer. I gooped a stack of ring-shaped rare-earth magnets to mini-tripod's screw at the top so that the Powerful Magnetic Wireless Charger With Holder (Amazing Quality) at the back of the iPhone can magnetically attach to the mini tripod. The full-feature configuration provides adjustable angle, and supports both horizontal and vertical orientations.

  

Snowboard Transportation by Dragging in Snow

• Snowboards are quite heavy in weight. In order to transport a snowboard from one hill to another, hand-carrying a snowboard was too much for my geological engineer/exploration geologist daughter Évelyne. Luckily, there happened to be a string attached to the snowboard, so she attached the other end of the string to one of her boots so that she can drag the snowboard in snow by her foot.

  

Sunken Ice Cube due to Embedded Glass Marble Ball

• Dihydrogen monoxide (H2O) in solid state is about 9 % less dense than H2O in liquid state. Therefore, an ice cube floats to the top of a drinking glass. However, if a heavy foreign object is embedded during ice formation, resulting ice cube sinks to the bottom. The demonstration has pedagogical value, linking to a story such as "Eureka! Archimedes's Principle" of how the golden crown was not made of pure gold (Au) that the king gave the goldsmith.

  

Lazy Susan by Colourful Glass Marble Balls

• Here is a Lazy Susan made by a plurality of colourful glass marble balls sandwiched between 2 circular baking dishes identical in size and shape. A plastic cover of ground coffee container is loosely inserted at the central portion of the stack between the 2 baking dishes without gluing in order to minimise friction of rotational movement, effectively providing ball bearing.

  

Tying Portable Device's Power Cord around a Loop

• Loose power cord for portable household and kitchen appliances (wired electric drill, hair dryer, mixer, etc.) is messy. Neater arrangement is achieved by making a loop first, winding the power cord around the loop, putting the plug into the loop, then tightening the loop. No need for a separate tie of any kind.

  

Overhead USB Power Delivery from a Lightbulb Socket

• The Overhead Power Distribution by a Super-Extension Cord worked well, but routing power cord overhead was not quite efficient. Above the kitchen table on the ceiling, there is Edison screw (ES) which is a standard lightbulb socket for electric light bulbs. With a lightbulb socket-to-plug adapter, USB power can be delivered to an iPhone user just below.

  

Double-Decking Mugs for Space-Saving

• It is more efficient to prepare 2 mugs of Matchoffee at once, for example. Since a bamboo lid fits on a beaker mug and effectively retain heat, another mug is placed on top of the bamboo lid in order to provide double doze of Matchoffee. The configuration is practical especially if counter space or table space is limited.

  

Cross-Country Skiing Technique with a Single Ski

• During cross-country skiing, my geological engineer/exploration geologist daughter Évelyne was having difficulty in a narrow passage. She removed one ski, and single-ski technique worked very well while going steep downhill. However, I got stuck with carrying her unused ski while snowshoeing behind her.

  

Simultaneous Carrying of Cross-Country Skis and Snowshoes on a Backpack

• The Cross-Country Ski Carrier with Heavy-Duty Silicone Wristbands and Carrying Cross-Country Skis and Poles with a Backpack have worked great, but my geological engineer/exploration geologist daughter Évelyne cleverly devised even more efficient way to carry both cross-country skis and snowshoes simultaneously by hanging them to her backpack's straps.

  

Safety Loop for the Integrated iPhone Stand/Lanyard Combination

• The Integrated iPhone Stand/Lanyard Combination functions very well, but just in case the iPhone detaches from the Powerful Magnetic Wireless Charger With Holder (Amazing Quality) under high-G condition, a piece of solid grosgrain ribbon is passed through the existing holes on the iPhone case made for the Slitting an iPhone Case for Wearable iPhone's Lanyard.

  

Integrated iPhone Stand/Lanyard Combination

• Although the Wearable iPhone with a Non-Midpoint Cord Lock for a Variable-Length Lanyard has been extremely successful, I decided to heed my own advice: Never follow "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" but follow "If it works, it's obsolete". Securing the USB cable to the Powerful Magnetic Wireless Charger With Holder (Amazing Quality) and making a single knot make the USB cable function as a lanyard, further simplifying the design. No more losing and searching for iPhone, stand and/or USB cable. USB cable's connector serves as a pendant.

  

Cannabis Oil Bottle as Melatonin Miracle Pill Dispenser

• Melatonin Miracle teaches that hormone melatonin is natural, nonaddictive sleeping agent, so I take a melatonin pill daily for combatting insomnia. However, the container has a super-wide opening, so it is prone to accidental spill especially when I am in bed in the dark. A bottle of Reign Drops Cannabis Oil (THC, CBD) has an opening narrow enough to constrain the flow of melatonin pills to prevent such an accident.

  

Removing Spikes from Crescent Moon Snowshoes

• Crescent Moon Seafoam LUNA Running snowshoes have ice-spikes on the bottom of the shoes for better traction. However, some of the bolts fell off during snowshoeing. After scrambling to find compatible bolts, I realised that the spikes do not make much difference when snowshoeing in deep or shallow snow. So, I decided to remove the remaining spikes. As a bonus, the spikeless showshoes do not damage delicate floor.

  

Fixing Pin-Joint Mechanism of French Fries Potato Cutter Machine

• The pin-joint mechanism of my French Fries Potato Cutter Machine broke due to excessive force exerted by users. Instead of throwing away the entire machine, I was able to find a bolt and a matching nut to pass through the holes of 2 bars and fix up the pin-joint mechanism to function properly.

  

Hanging a Backpack from a Footboard Leg of a Bed

• In a guest room, I was putting my backpack on the floor and keeping it there during my stay. When I had backache, however, it was quite painful to access the content of my backpack. I realised that the room was equipped with a bed having footboard. So, I found it convenient to hang my backpack from one of the footboard legs.

  

Colour-Coding Apple EarPods/AirPods for Left and Right

• I suffer from Developmental Topographical Disorientation (DTD), so I have great difficulty in distinguishing between left and right. Since I am not colour-blind, I used permanent marker pens to put colours to Apple EarPods. Political colours help memorisation, i.e., RED = left (Liberal Party), BLUE = right (Conservative Party). Apple should incorporate such colour-coding into their product design as their accessibility initiative.

  

Reconfiguration of Backpack Sternum Strap

• My attempt to retrofit the Backpack Cross-Strapping to Eliminate a Sternum Strap to my existing backpack miserably failed because of inflexible extra-thick straps. So, I directed my R & D efforts to improve the configuration of backpack's sternum strap by optimising the Quick Side-Release Buckle made of nylon. Each piece (male, female) is now placed at the middle portion of the strap. Nothing else is added.

  

Backpack Cross-Strapping to Eliminate a Sternum Strap

• A backpack with its straps crossing in formation "X" on the front side was devised by my ex-spouse Michèle. This way, there is no need for a sterum strap, so it is ideal for a lazy person like me. It is an example of changing mentality leading to simplification.

  

Long-Lasting Matcha Powder in a Mug

• Matcha powder has electrostatic energy causing it to clump together, so there is always undissolved matcha sediment at the bottom of a beaker mug. Thinking outside the mug, free from cultural paradigm, I realised that putting great quantity of matcha and continuing to "just add water" keeps the drink last much longer without having to prepare another cup again and again. Saturation keeps the liquid near the top at optimal strength.

  

Bulletin Board Stabilisation by Nano Magic Tape

• The bulletin board in the kitchen is inherently unstable due to poor design with only 1 hanging point. The board is made of steel, so magnets of many sizes and weight are attached. A strip of Nano Magic Tape Traceless Washable Double Sided Adhesive Tape adhered at the bottom-centre point of the bulletin board to attach the bulletin board to the wall finally ended years of frustration, and my mind is liberated.

  

Fake Surveillance Camera to Discourage Intrusion

• A Logitech QuickCam Chat was found abandoned in the basement for many years. I tried to resurrect it as a functional surveillance camera, but miserably failed because the device was compatible with PC Windoze only, not with Macintosh (macOS) computers. So, I chopped off its cable and installed the webcam outside of the house at the entrance, gooping it the assembly to soffit. The fake surveillance camera is meant to discourage intrusion.

  

Bibrachial Mug for Matchoffee Consumption

• I was using a beaker mug to consume Matchoffee, which has anti-oxidative health benefits of polyphenols in both tea and coffee. However, it is annoying to switch beaker mug's direction depending on whether I hold the mug with the left hand or with the right hand. A no-handle mug becomes too hot, so a 2-handled training cup for infants and toddlers to the rescue! No need for a bamboo lid.

  

Consolidated Station for Matchoffee and Dispenser Pumps

• The Matchoffee: Anti-Oxidant Zero-Waste Drink Mix, and Red Wine Sediment Dispenser Pump are stored on the kitchen counter since they are used quite often throughout the day. Since I am too lazy to put them into a cabinet where I have to open and close the door, the container and the pumps are put into an open plastic food storage container in order to prevent messy leakage on the kitchen counter. A spoon for preparing Matchoffee is put into a shot glass.

  

Wearing the Charger-Stand with a Ping-Pong Ball Outwards

• The iPhone Synergetic Charger-Stand with a Ping-Pong Ball for Portrait/Landscape Orientation with Continuously-Variable Viewing Angle has been very successful. iPhone's direction was reversed in the Wearable iPhone with a Non-Midpoint Cord Lock for a Variable-Length Lanyard so that the ping-pong ball is now oriented outwards. Optionally, any object with ferromagnetic material can be attached to the rare-earth magnets in the structure, e.g., Apple Lightning to 3.5 mm Headphone Jack Adapter, etc.

  

Ceiling-to-Floor Slinky Line for Motion Detection

• A slinky is hung from a plastic hook that is magnetically attached to a steel corner bead hidden inside the drywall structure. The ceiling-to-floor slinky assembly makes not only aesthetically pleasing decoration but also a detector of minute vibration of the floor below or the ceiling above thanks to its sensitivity. Movement of air can be detected, too.

  

Wearable iPhone with Knotless Attachment of Ring-Shaped Rare-Earth Magnets

• The Wearable iPhone with a Non-Midpoint Cord Lock for a Variable-Length Lanyard has been extremely successful. Another ring-shaped rare-earth magnet makes hanging of the iPhone attached to the MagSafe charger tidier. However, a couple of knots in the lanyard loosened and detached once in a while, so knotless configuration was adopted, as shown in the comparison of solid grosgrain ribbons, i.e., BLACK (knotted) versus BLUE (knotless).

  

Lanyard Wrapping around Twinned Public Transit Cards

• The Twinning Public Transit Cards for Twin Cities has been successful in simplifying selectively scanning transit cards at the RFID reader on a bus/train. However, storing the lanyard back into the waist pack was messy. I suddenly found a way to neatly wrap the lanyard around the transparent name tag holder. Hopefully, an integrated NFC from iPhone's Wallet app or a biometric system will be implemented soon.

  

Olivin-M (Olive Oil + Red Wine Sediment + MSG)

• The Red Wine Sediment Dispenser Pump has been successful, but the need to pump and mix 3 ingredients was too much for a lazy person. Therefore, the 3 ingredients were pre-mixed and poured into a single dispenser pump. Unexpectedly, wine sediment seems to function as natural emulsifier, which helps products containing immiscible food ingredients, like oil and water, to combine.
  • 60 g | olive oil (extra virgin)
  • 60 g | red wine sediment
  • 6 g | monosodium glutamate (MSG) (powder)

  

Oatmeal MAGENTA

• Oatmeal MAGENTA is based on healthy ingredients. Here is the recipe for 1 serving.
  • 180 g | almond beverage OR macadamia beverage OR oat beverage OR soy beverage (unsweetened + fortified)
  • 60 g | Quaker Quick Oats
  • 6 g | red wine sediment
  • mix, cook in a microwave oven: Sensor Cook
  • 30 g | optional ingredient(s)
  • add optional ingredient(s) (e.g., 3-Berry Blend Fruit (Raspberries, Blueberries, Blackberries)) to oats

• 2015-01-10|Sunatori's 0-Waste Diet (Green-Magenta-Orange (GMO) Meals)

  

Anisotropic Tissue Paper Folding for Butt-Wiping

• The Hyper-Thick Toilet Tissue for Dry and Wet Butt-Wiping has been successful as I am not a crumpler but a folder. It has been proven that folders use 50 % less toilet paper overall than scrunchers. In order to increase butt-wiping efficiency even further, 3-ply tissue paper was switched to 2-ply tissue paper with anisotropic folding strategy so that only the middle portion has 12 layers. This is an example of minuscule change resulting in significant improvement.

  

Red Wine Sediment Dispenser Pump

• The Sauce Dispenser Pump with a liquid pump (of hair conditioner) has been successful. For the recipe of Oatmeal MAGENTA in 0-Waste Diet (Green-Magenta-Orange (GMO) Meals), the liquid pump is used to store and dispense red wine sediment which has higher viscosity than sauces (Sriracha, Maggi, mayonnaise, mustard, olive oil, etc.). During wine aging and maturation, anthocyanins can yield polymeric pigments by their reaction with flavanols.

  

Double-Decker Platform for a Turntable Tray

• A turntable was recuperated from the old microwave oven (Panasonic NN-S255W), and turntable's glass tray was re-purposed as a table-top tray at the dining table in the kitchen. However, the glass tray was unstable due to 3 notches at the bottom surface. So, a double-decker tray with raised circumference was dispatched to function as a platform to provide stability. The lower deck accommodates a pile of paper napkin, etc.

  

Attaching EarBuds Wire to Wearable iPhone's Lanyard

• The Wearable iPhone with a Non-Midpoint Cord Lock for a Variable-Length Lanyard has been successful. Since I cannot afford wireless AirPods or AirPods Pro, I must use wired EarBuds, especially FREE ones onboard the airplane. However, he wire tangles and interferes with the lanyard, so I attached the wire to the lanyard by 3M Nexcare Medical Component Plastic Tape. The assembly is too fragile for practical use, so it remains as a conceptual prototype.

  

Making Loudspeaker Uni-Directional by Stick-Hanging

• A JBL Clip Portable Waterproof Wireless Bluetooth Speaker produces great sound, but it must be properly directed to the listener(s). When I am sitting or lying down on a sofa, a stick can be used to hang the loudspeaker from the top surface of a coffee table. The stick is stabilised by gravity from a paperback book or a softcover catalogue.

  

One-Way Valve by a Glass Ball for No-Tie Sealing of a Balloon

• A glass ball is inserted into a balloon from its lip by brute force. Balloons are made of natural latex which is elastic. So, air can be blown into the balloon, but air cannot get out of the balloon because air is blocked by the glass ball at the neck of the balloon. The no-tie sealing by elasticity makes good demonstration of one-way valve which has industrial applications.

  

Spreading Legs for Blood-Flow Circulation by a Stuffed Snake

• My medical condition required me to improve blood flow around the crotch area which was hurting with excruciating pain due to poor blood circulation. It meant having to give up regular position of crossing legs. A stuffed snake created by my ex-spouse Michèle turned out to be an ideal object to force me to spread legs while sitting on a chair.

  

Thermal-Paper Artwork

• When I put a beaker mug with hot matchoffee on a Thank You Note from Amazon, interesting pattern showed up on the Thank You Note which is printed on thermal paper. Thermal paper is coated with a material formulated to change colour when exposed to heat. It is used in thermal printers and particularly in inexpensive devices such as cash registers and credit card terminals. The technique can be used to create thermal-paper artwork which is limited only by imagination.

  

Cat House by Decorating a Dual-Compartment Cardboard Box

• The Heavy-Duty Food-Item Carrier by a Dual-Compartment Cardboard Box with Elastic Bands was a one-time success. My ex-spouse Michèle added decoration to transform the sturdy cardboard box (of plastic Ketchup bottles) from Costco with pre-twinned 2 compartments into a cat house. The cat belongs to my professional artist daughter Véronique and professional architect Kevin.

  

Recycling Bin with Cardboard Liner for Igloo Building

• Family tradition of igloo building in the yard was resurrected thanks to my geological engineer/exploration geologist daughter Évelyne and teacher/nurse Nick. At temperatures just below the melting point of hydrogen dioxide (H2O), snow's ice crystals stick to recycling bin's surface. So, a piece of cardboard is used as ad hoc liner to facilitate transfer of the snow block to the igloo. Suddenly, igloo building changed from f*cking nightmare to joyful exercise.

  

Zero-Cost Snow Walkway beside a Driveway

• Decorative walkway beside driveway is in vogue, costing thousands of dollars for elaborate construction in my neighbourhood. I am having nature take care of decoration, i.e., compacting accumulated snowfall extending the patio stones beside a driveway straight to the street in order to function as decorative walkway at no cost ($0).

  

Nuts Dispenser by a Spout Lid on a Mason Jar

• Arguably, a TikTok post says that a DIY salad dressing dispenser is the BEST KITCHEN HACK EVER. However, the seal between Mason jar's spout lid and the metal ring develops leak if liquid has been dispensed several times. Dry small nuts (almonds, peanuts, pecans, pistachios, etc.) pass through the hole quite well, although large nuts (Brazil nuts, macadamia, pecans, etc.) and bent nuts (cashews, etc.) cause congestion.

  

Sound Absorption by Egg Cartons

• my geological engineer/exploration geologist daughter Évelyne got the idea from watching TV programme Popular Mechanics for Kids (PMK) many years ago. I collected egg cartons for 30 eggs, and she cut them and used Nano Magic Tape Traceless Washable Double Sided Adhesive Tape to attach them onto the door. Now, egg cartons absorb any noise she makes (music, etc.), while any noise I make (YouTube video, etc.) is absorbed as well.

  

Coffee Filter as Protective Liner of a Serving Bowl

• Nacho chips with cheese heated in a microwave oven are irresistible lure for me. However, melted cheese sticks to the surface of a serving bowl, making dishwashing a challenge. So, a sheet of disposable coffee filter is placed on the serving bowl in order to prevent such sticking situation. Although very effective, this solution is only for special occassions as it is not quite ecological.

  

Coffee-Top iPhone Wireless Charging Station

• Space is limited in a kitchen, but my geological engineer/exploration geologist daughter Évelyne needs to charge her iPhone there. The top of a coffee maker provides a convenient spot for a wireless charger, which is semi-permanently attached to the coffee maker by large-surface Nano Magic Tape. Since her iPhone is non-MagSafe, small-surface Nano Magic Tape provides friction between the wireless charger and the iPhone.

  

Fashionable Coffee-Maker Pad by an Obsolete Mouse Pad

• A mouse pad combines open cell sponge rubber and low static polyester fabric. Common use of a mouse pad is for computer mouse tracking. However, the material is also used in applications such as shock absorption and cushioning. An obsolete circular mouse pad found in storage by my geological engineer/exploration geologist daughter Évelyne was deployed to the kitchen in order to provide protection from heat to the delicate finished surface of a stool.

  

Beaker Mug with a Built-In Beverage Coaster

• A beverage coaster was placed everywhere I went with cold or hot beverage in a beaker mug in order to prevent chemical or thermal damage to the surfaces of a desk or a table. It suddenly occurred to me that 3M Double Coated Tissue Tape could be cut in a disc-shaped pad to function as effective beverage coaster. The liner on one side is kept as is, and it stays adhered to the tape.

  

Magnetically Hanging Rubber Gloves for Interior Drying

• Drying the interior space of a rubber glove is a challenge, to say the least. A plurarlity of disc-shaped or ring-shaped rare-earth magnets are deployed in order to magnetically attach rubber gloves and hang them from a steel shelf in the mud room. Drying is done in low-humidity environment with long-term duration just before storage for the next season.

  

Ecological Single-Cup No-Filter Instant-Coffee Dispenser

• Coffee maker's carafe with auto-shutoff feature broke 10+ years ago. The rest of the coffee maker was not discarded but kept in storage. I suddenly realised that the broken coffee maker can function as a single-cup instant-coffee dispenser with hot dihydrogen monoxide (H2O). The scheme is ecological because there is no capsule, no cartridge, no filter, no pad, no pod, no spent coffee grounds to throw away. It can also serve tea, tisane, etc., in a beaker mug.

  

UPC Spoofing with On-Line Barcode Generator and Height Extension

• Québec has a deposit on aluminum, glass and plastic soft drink and beer cans. Deposit for a can 122 mm in height (volume: 355 ml) is $0.05 CAD, while deposit for a can 157 mm in height (volume: 473 ml) is $0.20 CAD. Since can's height is measured optically, adding a piece of paper to increase the height increases the REFUND from $0.05 CAD to $0.20 CAD. Such a profitable scheme could be illegal and also contaminates the recycling process, but it was an interesting engineering exercise to expose a loophole.

  

Wearable iPhone with a Non-Midpoint Cord Lock for a Variable-Length Lanyard

• The Wearable iPhone with a Variable-Length Lanyard and a Rare-Earth Magnet on a Keychain Ring had evolved to the Cord-Locking and Knotting Lanyard Made of Solid Grosgrain Ribbon, then to the Slitting an iPhone Case for Wearable iPhone's Lanyard. However, the cord lock was placed at the top, behind the neck. I suddenly realised that placing the cord lock at the side dramatically increases access for easy adjustment of lanyard's length.

  

Stylish Coffee Table by Stacking up Obsolete Loudspeakers

• My Energy 22 loudspeakers were state-of-the-art 30+ years ago, but they have become non-functional. They are obsolete as my audio-visual and multi-media needs are met by a MacBook Air computer and an iPhone. I suddenly realised that stacking up the 2 bulky loudspeakers makes a stylish coffee table in the living room, providing a casual workstation as well.

  

Fabric Shower Curtain Stabilisation by Rare-Earth Magnet Sandwich

• The 20-year old fabric shower curtain does not have magnets at the bottom. So, I was ready to sew a ring-shaped rare-earth magnet to the shower curtain by making stitches with a needle and thread. However, it turned out that sandwiching the shower curtain with 2 disc-shaped rare-earth magnets functions quite well. The sandwich assembly maintains its integrity because magnetic attraction force between the 2 rare-earth magnets, even with fabric in-between, is greater than magnetic attraction force between the sandwich assembly and the bathtub which is made of enamelled steel.

  

Spray Prevention by Negative Pressure in a Fluid Dispenser

• Sauce inside a fluid dispenser has accidentally fermented, and sprays everywhere when the screw cap is opened. As a pre-emptive strike, the fluid dispenser is squeezed just before closing the cap in order to evacuate air and to create negative pressure inside the fluid dispenser. Fermentation is a metabolic process that anaerobically produces chemical changes in organic substrates through the action of enzymes, forming hydrogen gas (H2) and carbon dioxide (CO2).

  

Nano Magic Tape for Stabilising Dispenser Pump Bottles

• Dispenser pump bottles with Universal Liquids (surfactant) for all Washing is installed at my kitchen sink and at all bathroom sinks. As the level of liquid becomes lower, the dispenser pump bottle becomes quite unstable and even falls when it is touched. Nano Magic Tape Traceless Washable Double Sided Adhesive Tape to the rescue.

  

Nano Magic Tape for Affixing Truck's Nickname Decal

• my geological engineer/exploration geologist daughter Évelyne nicknamed a 4-wheel drive pickup truck that she rented "Joey Junior". She made temporary decal by sandwiching cardboard artwork inside transparent plastic film, then used Nano Magic Tape Traceless Washable Double Sided Adhesive Tape instead of adhesive tape or glue because the decal has to be removed without any trace or damage to truck's painted surface when the rental period terminates in a few weeks.

  

Nano Magic Tape for Securing Power Cable's Ending

• Apple's USB Power Adapter is quite well-designed with foldable wings to wind the power cable while it is not in use, but loose ending is an issue. Nano Magic Tape Traceless Washable Double Sided Adhesive Tape to the rescue. Adhesion is achieved not with chemical adhesives, but via van der Waals forces, which are weak electric forces generated between 2 atoms or molecules that are very close to each other. This technique applies to any portable electrical appliance whose power cable has a plug with flat surface.

  

Deterring Entry to Driveway by a Diagonally-Parked Pickup Truck

• The Deterring Entry to Driveway by a Trash Can, a Compost Bin and a Recycling Bin worked fine. However, when my geological engineer/exploration geologist daughter Évelyne was assigned a 4-wheel drive pickup truck by a gold prospecting company for which she worked, she parked it diagonally at pi/4 radian (45 degrees) on my 2-car driveway in order to deter entry by strangers.

  

Accessible Cooking Appliances by Diagonal Placement

• my geological engineer/exploration geologist daughter Évelyne re-arranged a room by placing a desk diagonally to walls, making the desk more accessible. It occurred to me that cooking appliances in the kitchen could be placed diagonally as well at pi/4 radian (45 degrees). Previously, the door of a countertop toaster oven was interfering with an electric kettle, but diagonal placement of the countertop toaster oven suddenly solved the problem for good.

  

Introduction to Electronics by LED Flashlight

• When the kids were young, high-power white-colour Light-Emitting Diode (LED) was non-existent. As an introduction to electronics, I demonstrated how to build an electronic circuit with a low-power LED in RED or YELLOW or GREEN colour, a push-button switch and 2 AAA batteries connected in series housed in a pill container. The empty space was filled with cotton pads to stabilise the loose parts inside the container.

  

Localised Heat Retention by a Bath Towel as Thermal Shield

• Under a duvet, my torso generates enough heat to make me sweat in bed during sleep, but I feel cold in my extremities. The Localised Draft Prevention by a Bath Towel as Thermal Shield has been quite successful in closing air gap around the neck area of a human body by a bath towel. Since using a blanket under duvet is impractical, I placed another bath towel to cover only the feet area of the bed for heat retention.

  

Integrated Constipation Buster Belt for MERDE

• The Constipation Buster: Accelerating Defecation has been successful, but the setup process was not straightforward. So, the control is now semi-permanently fixed to the window stool with Nano Magic Tape, and the 2 electrodes are tightened to a human body by a belt. A commercial version would be a single-piece unit with mechanical vibrator and electrotherapy electrodes integrated into the belt, controllable by an app. The Constipation Buster proudly joins the Most Efficiently Robust Defecation Experience (MERDE).

  

Ultra-Secure Asymmetrical Double Bed by Sofa-Loveseat Combination

• An ad hoc asymmetrical double bed can be constructed by coupling a sofa and a loveseat together. The double bed provides tight security because non-baby human beings would be stopped by arms and backrests on 4 sides before falling from the bed. So, this configuration is deal for a kid and his/her parent as visitors.

  

Overhead Power Distribution by a Super-Extension Cord

• Over the years, I have accidentally tripped over a power cord on the floor countless times. In order to solve such a primitive problem once and for all, I routed an extra-long extension cord from a power outlet on the wall, behind a curtain rail, through a light fixture (luminaire) on the ceiling, finally to a MacBook Air computer on a desk/table.

  

Neckkerchief: Multi-Function All-Season 24/7 Towel Around Neck

• There is a product on the market called Cooling Towel at high prices. Simply wrapping an ordinary towel around human neck can function not only for cooling in summer but also warming in winter. Also, the towel can absorb sweat, like handkerchief, especially outdoors while walking or cycling. Moreover, the towel stops cold air while sleeping, preventing next-day neckache. Furthermore, the towel can dry hands after hand-washing.

  

Constipation Buster: Accelerating Defecation

• The Vibrator for Inducing Defecation was very successful, but moving parts in the electric motor seem to have worn out. Instead of using a mechanical device, electrodes commonly used in electrotherapy are placed at strategic locations in the hip area in order to stimulate the muscles associated with defecation by electrical pulses of different waveforms generated by the electrotherapy controller.

  

Extra Transparent Platform for an Inverted Glass Bowl

• The Floating Cereal Bowl on a Transparent-Dome Platform by an Inverted Glass Bowl has been successful for facilitating breakfast eating for many years as the transparent dome provides optimum position of food in relation to the mouth. In order to extend the setup to lunch (Quinolent GREEN), supper (Quinolent ORANGE) and snack, a circular Pyrex pie plate is adhered to the top of the inverted glass bowl by Sticky Pad.

  

Perforated Polyethylene Plastic Wrap for Pasta Colander

• I have a nice pasta pot with strainer lid, but it does not go Into a microwave oven which is more energy efficient for cooking with polar molecules such as dihydrogen monoxide (H2O). Regular strainer's holes are too big for thin pasta like capellini. So, I perforated transparent polyethylene plastic wrap with toothpicks and fixed it with elastic band in order to make it function as a strainer lid for a microwave-oven-safe casserole made of ceramic or glass.

  

Blocking an Out-of-Order Bicycle Gear-Shifter

• My Quetzal Bike's gear-shifter mechanism is problematic, as position 1 and position 3 on the left lever tend to derail the chain. Gear shifter's position 2 has no such problem, and the right lever still provides 7 positions. Since a visitor who wanted to borrow the recumbent bicycle could be confused, I idiot-proofed the left lever by wrapping it with a plastic bag made of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) marked "Out of Order". As a bonus, it uglifies the bicycle for anti-thefting.

  

Stretching a Helical Combination Bicycle Lock for Accessibility

• My combination bicycle lock comprises a cylinder portion and a cable portion. The cable portion is coiled as a helix, which is messy when the helical coil is not extended because it is in crowded space with brake cables and gear cables. Since my Quetzal Bike has a bottle holder, I stretched the helical coil of the combination bicycle lock from bicycle's steel frame to the bottle holder. There is no interference with pedalling, and access to the combination lock is much easier.

  

Dishwashing Liquid Container as a Wine Dispenser

• When Sunlight DISHWASHING LIQUID container became empty, it occurred to me that the plastic container of 5-litre capacity is ideal for dispensing dihydrogen monoxide (H2O) or wine in push-button operation. The plastic container has a convenient handle to make it portable, so the dispenser can serve well in a picnic or while camping.

  

Affixing a Sign to a Tree by Flagging Tape with a Cord Lock for Future-Proofing

• The Lawn with Indigenous Species: NO PESTICIDES! and DON'T POOP! was fine when the sign was affixed to the pole of JEU LIBRE sign. When the city removed the pole, I affixed the sign to Ginkgo biloba by steel wire. However, I realised that tree trunk grows in diameter, so it was replaced by non-adhesive RED flagging tape made of flexible polyethylene. The high visibility tape is tightened by a cord lock in order to accommodate future tree growth.

  

Fixing an Extra-Long Item to Bicycle's Frame by Plastic Bags

• After buying Philips Daylight (5000K) T12 Universal LED Light Bulb (2-Pack) at a hardware store, I had to transport it home by Quetzal Bike. Instead of cycling with one hand holding such an extra-long item, I tied the box to Quetzal Bike's frame by several disposable plastic bags which are still available FREE of charge at the hardware store. Similar situation when I tied the utility mat by bicycle bungee cord.

  

Reinforcing a Toilet Seat Cover by 3 Binder Clips

• After more than 10 years of faithful service for providing super-comfortable defecation/urination environment, the toilet seat cover had become loose. Since I cannot afford to buy a replacement, 3 small binder clips were deployed in order to attach the inner peripheral edge and the outer peripheral edge of the toilet seat.

  

Ginger Wine on the Rock

• Ginger helps diminish symptoms of nausea, dizziness, pain, and all-around ickiness. Ginger ale is touted as one of the most effective natural remedies for hangover. As a pre-emptive strike against hangover, ground ginger in powder form is dissolved in wine (RED or WHITE). A couple of ice cubes are added in order to enhance the placebo effect as well.

  

Storopack AIRplus on Steel Chairs at the Airport

• I had to sleep at YOW airport twice because my flight was very early in the morning. Public transportation (bus, LRT, etc.) is not available in the middle of the night. Uber and taxi rides are extra expensive because there are more riders than available drivers. There is a nice waiting area inside the passenger terminal building, but the chairs are made of steel. Storopack AIRplus in Costco's protective packaging can be used as a mattress and a pillow, as shown in the simulation.

  

Ad Hoc Selfie Stick by a Telescopic Pointer Stick Pen

• I carry a telescopic pointer stick in my waist pack. When I need to take a selfie shot with wider field of view, I attach my wearable iPhone with shortest lanyard setting to the telescopic pointer stick, set iPhone's Camera app to front-facing camera, zoom in or out, set timer to 3s or 10s, then tap the shutter button to start the timer.

  

Ice-Domed Figurine by Freezing Dihydrogen Monoxide in a Balloon

• A figurine is placed in a balloon by brute force. Then, dihydrogen monoxide (H2O) from a faucet is put into the balloon. Elastic bands are used to securely close the balloon and to suspend the assembly upside down in a freezer. After a few hours, ice shell forms only in the outer shell while the inner core stays liquid. H2O is drained from the bottom of the dome before cloudy ice forms.

  

Ice Sphere: Non-Diluting Liquid Cooling by Balloon-Encased Dihydrogen Monoxide

• There are products called stainless steel ice cubes which will not dilute the drink. However, the specific heat capacity of stainless steel is only about 500 J/(kg-K), which is much lower than the specific heat capacity of dihydrogen monoxide (H2O), about 4 000 J/(kg-K). In order to take advantage of both worlds, H2O is put into a balloon, then frozen to form non-toxic ice sphere.

  

Magnetically Suspending Canned Beverages and Canned Foods from Refrigerator's Ceiling

• It has come to my attention that some beverage cans are still made of steel rather than aluminum. So, disc-shaped or ring-shaped rare-earth magnets are adhesively or magnetically attached to the refrigerator's ceiling at either pre-determined or random locations. Canned beverages and canned foods are magnetically suspended for easy removal.

  

Coiling USB Cable by Boiling Dihydrogen Monoxide

• Most USB cables are made of Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) which is thermoplastic polymer material that becomes pliable or moldable at a certain elevated temperature and solidifies upon cooling. A USB cable is wound around a cylindrical pen. The assembly is soaked into boiling dihydrogen monoxide (H2O), followed by ice-cold H2O to have the USB cable retain coiled shape.

  

Disposable Mesh Liner for a Kitchen Sink Drain Basket

• Previously, a disposable mesh liner was used for a plastic waste bin at a kitchen sink, but the plastic waste bin was taking up sink space. Since the kitchen sink is equipped with a large drain basket, it was realised that the drain basket can replace the plastic waste bin. The disposable mesh liner is now lining the drain basket underneath the kitchen sink strainer.

  

In-Situ Garage-Door Opener Activation from a Waist Pack

• my geological engineer/exploration geologist daughter Évelyne put a mini garage-door opener inside a waist pack so that the garage door can be opened by putting pressure onto the waist pack from the outside, without opening the waist pack. Therefore, there is no need for taking out the garage door opener, pushing the button, and putting it back into the waist pack.

  

Defecation Position Sign for Visitors

• Academic paper "Comparison of straining during defecation in three positions: results and implications for human health" states that "sensation of satisfactory bowel emptying in sitting defecation posture necessitates excessive expulsive effort compared to the squatting posture". The ideal position that does not constrict one's rectum and lets the stool pass smoothly is 35-degree squat position. Some visitors may not be aware of such benefit, so a special sign with graphical representation is posted above the squat stool.

  

Acceleration of Red Wine Aging by a Microwave Oven

• Barrel aging is the step between fermentation and bottling, which matures the wine and gives it distinct flavours. Compounds from oak wood chips improve wine quality. This process normally takes between 6 to 30 months, but I do not have such patience as I make and consume 21 l of red wine every 2 months. In order to encourage compounds to seep out of oak wood chips, I cook them in a microwave oven at high temperature. Next step may be ultrasonic extraction...

  

Broken Halogen Desk Lamp's Power Block as Stabilising Counterweight

• The Variably-Adjustable iPhone Stand by a Broken Halogen Desk Lamp is rejuvenated as an iPhone stand on a table while I lie in bed next to the table. However, the iPhone stand was still unstable especially when it was hit by accident. Fortunately, halogen desk lamp's heavy electrical power block with a transformer (from 120 VAC to 12 VAC) inside turned out to make an ideal counterweight in order to stabilise the iPhone stand on the table.

  

Magnetically Attaching a Tape Measure to a Corner Bead

• In a recent photo shooting session, a tripod had to be located exactly at a certain distance from the wall. A tape measure was readily available, but it had to be somehow fixed to the wall at the distal end. A disc-shaped rare-earth magnet was used in order to magnetically attach tape measure's hook to a hidden steel drywall corner bead.

  

Bending a Disposable Plastic Knife for Removing Baked Food from a Pie Pan

• The Whoopie Pie Pan - Round - Non-stick is made of carbon steel, but it is not quite non-stick. A disposable plastic knife made of polypropylene or polystyrene has the right size for removing baked food from the pie pan, but the straight knife does not fit the curved pie pan. So, I soaked the disposable plastic knife in boiling dihydrogen monoxide (H2O) at 373 K in a measuring cup, and bent it to give suitable curvature.

  

Hotspot Shield for FREE Full-Screen Viewing of PBS Nova from Canada

• I used to be able to watch Nova programmes on PBS website, but they are now off-limits to residents of Canada who see error message: "We're sorry, but this video is not available." Virtual Private Network (VPN) to the rescue, providing unrestricted access to blocked websites and services. Hotspot Shield Basic is FREE, but there are severe data limits and speed limits. I discovered that once an episode starts in browser's player, Hotspot Shield can be immediately turned off. Yet, full-screen viewing will continue indefinitely until the programme ends. Hotspot Shield Software License and Terms of Service does not seem to prohibit such practice.

  

Semi-Permanent Magnetically-Suspended Cover inside a Microwave Oven In Situ

• For cooking in a microwave oven, some foods require a cover while other foods do not require a cover. So, a ring-shaped rare-earth magnet and a disc-shaped rare-earth magnet sandwich the top surface of a microwave-safe plastic cover. The assembly magnetically attaches to microwave oven's steel ceiling which is made of ferromagnetic material. This way, the plastic cover is stored in situ semi-permanently.

  

iPhone Mirroring to a Television Set with Cathode-Ray Tube (CRT)

• After I cut cable TV 7 years ago, I was using a 22-year-old Sony standard-definition television (SDTV) set with Cathode-Ray Tube (CRT) for watching Netflix and YouTube via a 16-year-old Wii. However, Wii stopped such streaming access 5 years ago. So, I set up iPhone mirroring to the CRT TV set via a Lightning to HDMI Adapter, an HDMI to RCA AV Composite Video Audio Converter Adapter, and an RCA cable. The Wii provides USB power.

  

Carabiner to Function as a Sternum Strap

• A backpack with a sternum strap provides extra support for the rest of a backpacker's body by easing the pressure on the backpacker's shoulders. My mini-backpack does not have such a sternum strap, and the straps are too short to attach together. my geological engineer/exploration geologist daughter Évelyne put a carabiner, hooking the left and right strap at the middle. Optionally, the carabiner can carry an H2O bottle, too.

  

Overhead Suspension of Magnetite by Rare-Earth Magnets from Corner Bead

• Magnetite is a mineral and one of the main iron ores, with the chemical formula Fe2+Fe3+2O4. It is one of the oxides of iron, and is ferrimagnetic. A stack of rare-earth magnets is suspending a heavy piece of magnetite found by my geological engineer/exploration geologist daughter Évelyne from a hidden steel drywall corner bead in a ceiling. The setup (~1 kg) has pedagogical value in which a visitor learns in life-or-death situation that magnetite is a ferromagnetic mineral from rocks.

  

Carrying Documents in a Paper-Towel Cardboard Tube

• Some government documents (e.g., requête d'analyse de biologie médicale, etc.) must be in paper format which is not to be folded. However, a mini-backpack is too small to carry such documents in a letter-sized envelope. So, a paper-towel cardboard tube is used to protect such paper documents until an iPhone app for on-line Electronic Health/Medical Record (EHR/EMR) is implemented. The paper-towel cardboard tube also protects papers inside a regular bag. No need to put them in a thicker file or to be careful with the documents.

  

Lawn with Indigenous Species: NO PESTICIDES! and DON'T POOP!

• During lawn-growing season, lawn signs like "TREATED WITH PESTICIDE" and "KEEP OFF GRASS" are rampant in the neighbourhood. Since my Zero-Maintenance All-Natural Tapestry Lawn is a completely pesticide-free zone with indigenous species (AKA weeds), I put up sign "NO PESTICIDES!". Since neighbourhood dogs have learned to ignore Self-Attaching Sign Post Urine Guard with binder Clips, I added sign "DON'T POOP!" to warn dog owners.

  

Guest Wi-Fi Network with Explicit Password in Network Name (SSID)

• My Internet Package is Fibe 500 with up to 500 Mb/s of Download/Upload speed and Unlimited Monthly usage. Since my own usage is quite low, I do not mind sharing the bandwidth with occasional passers-by in the neighbourhood. So, I set up a Guest Wi-Fi network as community service. Since I am not comfortable with removing the password, I explicitly put password/mot de passe built into Service Set Identifier (SSID). If more residents did the same towards the proliferation of FREE Wi-Fi zones, the world would become a better place. Here are suggested formats.
  • Password: 8195959210
  • Mot de passe: 8195959210
  • Pass/Passe: 8195959210
  • 8195959210
  • ...

  

Tactile Feedback from Keys on a Keyboard

• Even after many decades of touch-typing, I get confused as some keys are tough to pinpoint on a computer keyboard. So, pieces of foam sheet were cut and glued onto special keys like "esc" and "delete" by Weldbond. Tactile feedback by rough texture from keys with foam surface significantly reduces mistyping "`" for "esc", "\" for "delete", etc.

  

Shared Transit Card on Plastic Surface by Nano Magic Tape

• A transit card is shared by family members. Until it becomes an iPhone app (iOS) with Near-Field Communication (NFC), such a physical card can be stuck on a plastic surface by Nano Magic Tape Traceless Washable Double Sided Adhesive Tape. The access method provides easy take-out and return without degradation. Nano Magic Tape's adhesion is achieved via van der Waals forces which are weak electric forces generated between 2 atoms or molecules that are very close to each other.

  

Extending Bicycle's Handlebar by a Golf Ball

• The longer a bicycle's handlebar is, the finer a cyclist's directional control is. A hole is drilled into a golf ball so that a plastic piece can be inserted in order to securely attach the golf ball to the end of the bicycle's handlebar. The connection is reinforced by Goop. The cyclist can hold the handlebar from the side, resulting in different angle of the cyclist's arm.

  

Removal of Hair and Gunk by a Cable Tie

• Black gunk that accumulates in sink drain is created by buildup of bacteria living on hair. In order to remove hair and other gunk, I was using metallic wire. However, a cable tie (also known as a hose tie, zip tie, or tie wrap) made of nylon turned out to be more effective thanks to its ribbed surface with raised pattern of parallel lines which helps prevent slippage by friction.

  

Anti-Theft Uglified Bicycle with Helical Stripe Pattern

• my geological engineer/exploration geologist daughter Évelyne had lost many bicycles by theft. In order to reduce the chance of her latest bicycle getting stolen, my ex-spouse Michèle partially wrapped masking tape around bicycle's top tube, down tube and seat tube, then spray-painted the bicycle in bright YELLOW colour to produce helical stripe pattern.

  

Revelation of RFID Circuit Pattern by an LED Lamp

• Réseau de transport de la Capitale (RTC)'s Occasional card is a non-rechargeable smart card and is valid for short period fares of the General category. RFID tickets are made of different combinations of materials such as paper, thermal paper, cardboard or synthetic materials. Exposing the Occasional card through intense light from an LED lamp reveals its internal circuit pattern.

  

Carrying Boots by Overlapping Compaction

• Heavy-duty steel-toe rubber boots are heavy and bulky. my geological engineer/exploration geologist daughter Évelyne devised an effective space-saving method to carry them to her geological worksite of gold prospecting by inserting the shaft of one boot to the shaft of another boot.

  

Magnetite Sculpture with Rare-Earth Magnets

• Magnetite is a mineral and one of the main iron ores, with the chemical formula Fe2+Fe3+2O4. It is one of the oxides of iron, and is ferrimagnetic. Several pieces of magnetite were collected at an abandoned iron mine. I provided rare-earth magnets, and my geological engineer/exploration geologist daughter Évelyne made a sculpture out of the combination.

  

Roughing up Bicycle Stand's Steel Washer

• My Quetzal Bike's stand with its support brace is secured to the rear hub of the bicycle. Over the years, the connection became loose and slippery enough to require frequent tightening. So, the steel washer was roughened up by a saw and a file in order to increase friction, then sandwiched by Nano Magic Tape Traceless Washable Double Sided Adhesive Tape.

  

Double Duty of Helmet Liner as a Face Mask

• The Seasonal Cache-Cou Sweat-Absorbing Helmet Liner has been successful. I suddenly realised that the helmet liner can function as a face mask as well as cover the ear areas to absorb sweat as originally intended. Although mask mandates may have been lifted, wearing a mask outdoors is essential to mitigate the effect of seasonal allergy due to pollens, dust particles from roads, etc. Sadly, adieu to VéroMask.

  

Tissue-Paper Eye Patch for Strabismus

• I have binocular vision dysfunction called strabismus (misaligned eyes, crossed eyes, wall eyes) like chameleon's eyes, causing double vision only when I am tired. Such double vision is very dangerous for driving a vehicle, so I folded a 2-ply sheet of tissue paper 4 folds to fit the tissue paper behind one lens of the Men Fold Photochromic Sunglasses with Polarized Lens Rectangle Folding Metal Male Sun Glasses, and to form monocular vision.

  

Mirror Replacement by Magnetically Attaching iPhone to a Steel Shelf

• While shopping at a clothing store where mirrors are not available, magnetised iPhone's Camera app can function as a mirror by attaching the iPhone to a steel shelf which is made of ferromagnetic material. my geological engineer/exploration geologist daughter Évelyne successfully selected a PU Rain Jacket with polyurethane-coated fabric.

  

Secure Holding of iPhone between a T-Shirt and a Waist Pack

• Wearable iPhone with lanyard is not quite secure while playing sports or cycling. My favourite T-shirt does not have a chest pocket. Since I wear a waist pack all the time, my iPhone can be inserted between the T-shirt and the waist pack for secure holding of iPhone, while providing easy accessibility. Moreover, this scheme provides body heat to iPhone in winter.

  

Deterring Entry to Driveway by a Trash Can, a Compost Bin and a Recycling Bin

• The Zig-Zag Snow-Maze Pathway to Discourage Unsolicited Salespeople worked fine while there was snow on the ground. When there is no snow on the ground, placing a trash can, a compost bin and recycling bins at the 2-car driveway deters entry by strangers.

  

Ad Hoc Badminton Net by Parked Bicycles

• There is no badminton net on the grass lawn of a neighbourhood park. As an ad hoc solution, 2 bicycles are parked in series in order function as a badminton net to play badminton with my geological engineer/exploration geologist daughter Évelyne.

  

Magnetically Attaching iPhone to a Light Pole for Taking Time-Lapse Video

• In order to take time-lapse video of playing badminton on the grass lawn of a neighbourhood park, my geological engineer/exploration geologist daughter Évelyne magnetically attached her magnetised iPhone to a steel light pole which is made of ferromagnetic material.

  

Cable Organiser with Polyethylene Foam Pipe Insulation

• A number of cables required for mobile and non-mobile devices create very messy situation. In order to alleviate such mess, a piece of polyethylene foam pipe insulation combines power cables, USB cables, etc., and serves as an effective cable organiser.

  

Keychain Ring for Preventing Jeans Zipper from Opening

• A loose slider of a pair of jeans could lead to embarrassing situation when the zipper becomes open. In order to prevent such a situation, a keychain is inserted into the hole of zipper's pull tab. The keychain is hooked to jeans's button in order to prevent the slider from sliding down.

  

Between-Seat Tissue Paper Box in a Car

• If the gap between 2 front car seats is wide enough, then a tissue paper box can put between the 2 front car seats, securely by compressive force provided by the elasticity of the car seat material. In Communauto's vehicle, the tissue paper box can serve both the driver and passengers in front and rear seats.

  

Teddy-Bear Shrink-Wrapping by a Vacuum Cleaner

• For travelling where space is limited in a suitcase, for example, a teddy bear can be put into a plastic bag. Then, air can be sucked out by a vacuum cleaner. The teddy bear belonging to my geological engineer/exploration geologist daughter Évelyne suffocates during the trip, but it will be revived safely when it reaches the destination.

  

Teddy-Bear Sunshade at Vehicle's Rear Seat

• When direct sunlight through a window hits a rear-seat passenger, it is very uncomfortable. A teddy bear belonging to my geological engineer/exploration geologist daughter Évelyne turned out to make an excellent sunshade to shield a rear-seat passenger from direct sunlight. The teddy bear's ears are passed through the car ceiling handle to hold the teddy bear in place.

  

Cutting up a Take-Out Container for Serving Cereals

• A plastic vegetable take-out container is made of transparent polystyrene. The take-out container comprises 3 chambers, which are separated by a box cutter to form 3 separate serving bowls for serving 3 different people. Each ad hoc serving bowl can serve cereals with almond milk where there is limited resources while travelling.

  

Using Shower Curtain as Ad Hoc Privacy Shield

• People travelling together and staying at a hotel/motel room incurs space-time limitation, suffering from lack of privacy. For example, 2 people may have to use a bathroom at the same time. In such a situation, a shower curtain may function as ad hoc privacy shield in order to separate one person from another person.

  

Removal of Threads on Plastic Container's Lid

• A peanut-butter jar made of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is ideal for storing powders (e.g., instant coffee, matcha green tea, Matchoffee, etc.). However, I am too lazy to rotate the plastic lid to open and close the container at least twice a day. Since plastic lid's gravity alone is enough to maintain minimum seal required for such powder, I removed plastic lid's threads by a box cutter so that opening and closing operations are instant without any obstruction.

  

Renewal of a Faux-Leather Jacket

• My 10-year old cheap faux-leather jacket made of synthetic materials was falling apart. First, the disintegrating neck area was patched up by my ex-spouse Michèle's sewing. Second, the disintegrating underarm/armpit area was sprayed with 3M Scotchgard Protector which is advertised to "shield what you want to keep out - spills and liquids - and preserve what you want to keep". Hopefully, the jacket will last for a few more years.

  

Point-Contact Magnetic Cushion by Spherical-on-Planer Rare-Earth Magnets

• A spherical rare-earth magnet is magnetically attached to a pile of at least 1 disc-shaped rare-earth magnet with planer surface in side-by-side lateral arrangement. The point contact between the spherical rare-earth magnet and the planer rare-earth magnet provides cushion effect with minimum friction when a massive object is mounted on top of the magnet assembly. The spherical rare-earth magnet can be replaced by a spherical ball made of ferromagnetic material. The configuration has potential for industrial applications.

  

Pump Mechanism for Hot Sauce in a Glass Container

• The Transferring Hot Sauce from a Glass Container to a Plastic Container has been successful. However, the plastic container of Sriracha sauce (740 ml, 830 g) must still be lifted up for serving. A plastic container of skincare product has a pump mechanism that fits the super-heavy glass container of RedHot sauce (740 ml, 1 230 g). RedHot sauce's acidity is neutralised by alkaline sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3).
  • 90/93 | RedHot sauce
  • 3/63 | sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3)

  

Elastic Cord above a Shirt Pocket to Prevent iPhone Fall-Out

• Several years ago, my iPhone 5 fell out of the shallow shirt pocket onto the hard asphalt surface while cycling, costing me hundreds of dollars to have the shattered glass screen replaced. So, I looped elastic cord and sewed it above the shirt pocket. The arrangement provides triple protection, i.e., the pocket, the elastic cord, and the lanyard.

  

Slitting an iPhone Case for Wearable iPhone's Lanyard

• The Stable Wearable iPhone with Lanyard Made of Solid Grosgrain Ribbon was successful. However, the lanyard was shifting because adhesive tape was not strong enough, so slits were cut at 2 corners of the iPhone case for solid grosgrain ribbon or elastic cord to pass through robustly. Lanyard's Navy and iPhone's purple are analogous colours. The wearable iPhone can be worn 24 hours/day, 7 days/week, 365 or 366 days/year.

  

Permanently Secure Closure of a Broken Pocket of Snow Pants

• My 30-year old snow pants had 1 pocket falling off, and another pocket having a hole inside. So, I removed the first pocket, and disabled the Velcro fasteners of the second pocket. Since I wear a waist pack most of the time, 3 remaining pockets are enough. My ex-spouse Michèle has permanently closed off the disabled pocket by a sewing machine in order to prevent accidental loss of objects.

  

Wearable and Foldable Bicycle Rear-View Mirror with Variable Viewing Angle

• There is a product on the market called Bike Mirror Wrist Wear Armband Cycling Rotatable Rear View Mirror. Instead of buying such a gadget, a case of cosmetic product with built-in mirror is slipped underneath a tight sleeve of sportswear in order to function as a rear-view mirror. The rear-view mirror's viewing angle is variable. The rear-view mirror is foldable, and stability of the assembly is enhanced by ultra-wide elastic bands.

  

Re-Purposing Baseball Helmet's Chin Strap as a Carry Strap

• The Unified Combination of Face Mask and Baseball Helmet by Semi-Permanent Magnetic Attachment has been very successful. The original baseball helmet came with a chin strap, but I had not been using it at all. I realised that the chin strap can co-exist with VéroMask (a high-quality fabric mask produced by my professional artist daughter Véronique) to functions as a carry strap so that the all-season multi-purpose helmet can carry a helmet liner, gloves/mittens, etc.

  

Variable-Tightness Elastic Cord by a Hairpin

• Weight gain/loss causes waist size to change, causing discomfort while wearing a pair of sweatpants. Normally, one can untie the knot, adjust the length of the elastic cord, and retie the knot. Instead, an elastic cord is passed through the mid-point of a metallic hairpin (bobby pin), then the elastic cord is twisted to provide appropriate length by varying the number of twists. Metallic hairpins are coated to be rust-proof to withstand machine wash.

  

Holding Cardboard Tube Upright by Partial Cutting of Adhesive Tape Roll

• One of my kids needed to keep a cardboard tube standing up for a science project. So, he/she slice-cut a roll of adhesive tape at the middle and partially removed 1/2. The thickness of the remaining adhesive tape can be precisely adjusted to fit the circumference of the cardboard tube. Since the roll of adhesive tape is heavier, it can hold the lighter cardboard tube upright during experiments in detachable configuration.

  

Keeping Adhesive Tape Around for Hair Collection

• Normally, about 40 hairs reach the end of their resting phase each day and fall out. Instead of letting the hairs accumulate on the floor, they can be collected by adhesive tape. Where trash cans are not nearby, adhesive tape are found at strategic locations near a bed, a chair, a sofa, etc. There is trade-off between frequent vacuum cleaning and unsightly view.

  

Transferring Hot Sauce from a Glass Container to a Plastic Container

• Tabasco sauce is hot enough, but its viscosity is too low for me. Sriracha sauce (740 ml, 830 g) is viscous enough, but its second ingredient is sugar. RedHot sauce (740 ml, 1 230 g) is viscous enough, and it contains no sugar. However, RedHot sauce comes in a glass container which is too heavy to lift up by hand for frequent dispensing. So, the content of RedHot sauce was transferred into the plastic container of Sriracha sauce to benefit from the best of both sauces.

  

Suspending a Helium-Less Dry-Air Balloon from Ceiling by Static Electricity

• Helium has become prohibitively expensive, so helium balloons are unaffordable for me. So, I use a hand pump (e.g., bicycle tire pump, etc.) to blow dry air into a balloon instead of exhaled air. Rubbing the balloon against hair generates static electricity to keep the balloon attached to the ceiling. The balloon can suspend light objects like a sticker. Exhaled air is aerosol containing endogenously generated droplets which contain dihydrogen monoxide (H2O) and nonvolatile material.

  

Simulated Round/Circular Display by Bed Theatre's Uni-Directional Acoustic Dome

• Advanced cinema formats called Imax and Imax-HD are close to square, and Imax-Dome (formerly Omnimax) is round. The ultimate human-computer communication media feature inherent aspect ratio of 1:1, which is consistent with the fact that the human visual field is circular. Playing a movie with plenty of dark scenes on the iPhone in the Bed Theatre with Overnight iPhone Charging inside a Uni-Directional Acoustic Dome somewhat simulates a round/circular display with 1:1 aspect ratio.

  

Friction Demonstration by Swinging a Knife at Point Contact

• A knife is suspended from a spherical rare-earth magnet on a steel drywall corner bead in a ceiling. When the knife is swung, oscillation lasts a very long time. The more atoms that are interacting in the 2 surfaces, the greater the total frictional force, i.e., greater contact area means greater frictional force. The setup is quite safe, but gives impression that the knife directly overhead may fall down, causing enough uneasiness to encourage unwelcome visitors to leave early.

  

Insulating Butt-Liner inside Jeans for Sitting in Snow

• When the outside temperature is above 273 K, human body generates too much heat during cross-country skiing. Wearing snow pants is impractical in such conditions, so I wear a pair of jeans. However, sitting in snow with a pair of jeans is too cold for the butt. A folded bath towel to the rescue, providing effective insulation.

  

Traction Slippers with Elastic Bands

• I fell from the second-last stairs to the basement, resulting in a bloody arm and a bruised butt. I was wearing slippers whose bottom are very slippery. So, I attached a plurality of ultra-wide elastic bands in order to increase friction between the slippers and the carpet, giving birth to "Traction Slippers" as coined by my professional artist daughter Véronique.

  

Pre-Mixed Matchoffe Powder

• I am too lazy to mix ingredients of the Matchoffee: Anti-Oxidant Zero-Waste Drink Mix twice or thrice a day. So, the dry ingredients are pre-mixed to be added to dihydrogen monoxide (H2O) before heating up in a microwave oven. Either monosodium glutamate (MSG) or sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3) helps mask bitterness.
  • 45/99 | matcha green tea (caffeine + catechins + epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG))
  • 45/99 | instant coffee (caffeine + catechins + quercetin + rutin)
  • 9/99 | monosodium glutamate (MSG) OR sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3)

  

Seasonal Cache-Cou Sweat-Absorbing Helmet Liner

• The Cache-Cou as a Sweat-Absorbing Helmet Liner functioned very well, but it was rather long. Since it is better to have an opening at the top in summer but not in winter, I cut the cache-cou in 2 pieces, one short and the other long. The short piece is left open as is for summer, while the top of the long piece was sewed by my ex-spouse Michèle to be closed at the top.

  

Adjustably-Ergonomic Neck-Relief Pillow with a Folded Bath Towel

• The Neck Pain Relief by Replacing a Pillow with a Folded Bath Towel has been successful. In order to further improve the ergonomics of the pillow, bath towel is asymmetrically folded so that the bottom portion of the low-profile pillow functions as neck support. The height of the pillow is adjustable depending on the user's neck contour. The design has evolved to incorporate the Localised Draft Prevention by a Bath Towel as Thermal Shield. The solution is infinitely inexpensive compared to non-adjustable super-expensive products such as the Polysleep Pillow, Contoured Orthopedic Slow Rebound Memory Foam Pillow, etc.

  

Compact Ad Hoc Kitchen Theatre with a Glass Bowl

• The Rotatable Uni-Directional Acoustic Dome on a Lazy Susan is a full-blown semi-permanent installation. Where building parts are not available, it is still possible to use a glass bowl to assemble an integrated iPhone stand and acoustic dome. Inclination is provided by a wet cloth. The assembly is compatible with the iPhone Synergetic Charger-Stand with a Ping-Pong Ball for Portrait/Landscape Orientation with Continuously-Variable Viewing Angle, and also with the Stable Wearable iPhone with Lanyard Made of Solid Grosgrain Ribbon. The contraption is useful not only for watching YouTube videos while eating meals but also for listening to Text-to-Speech (TTS) of IEEE Spectrum magazine from Books app, for example.

  

Matchoffee: Anti-Oxidant Zero-Waste Drink Mix

• In light of yet another medical research study touting anti-oxidative health benefits of polyphenols in both tea and coffee. Active ingredients come in powder form, so it is truly zero-waste solution, not even composting which generates methane (CH4) gas. Unlike regular green tea, matcha is made using the entire leaf of the tea plant, resulting in higher concentration of anti-oxidants. Taking the best of both worlds makes the Most Efficiently Anti-Oxidant Supplement (MEAOS).
  • 45/99 | matcha green tea (caffeine + catechins + epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG))
  • 45/99 | instant coffee (caffeine + catechins + quercetin + rutin)
  • 9/99 | monosodium glutamate (MSG) OR sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3)

  

Extending Bolts of a Medicine Cabinet by Stacked Rare-Earth Magnets for Hanging Objects

• IKEA's medicine cabinet is assembled by bolts and barrel nuts. These fasteners are made of ferromagnetic material. A plurality of disc-shaped or ring-shaped rare-earth magnets are stacked up to form a rod in order to magnetically attach to the head of each bolt and form an extension which is long enough to be able to hang objects such as surgical masks. my geological engineer/exploration geologist daughter Évelyne pointed out that 1 rare-earth magnet and 1 cheap nail would be more cost effective than a stack of rare-earth magnets.

  

Unified Combination of Face Mask and Baseball Helmet by Semi-Permanent Magnetic Attachment

• The Magnetic Attachment of a Face Mask to a Baseball Helmet by Snap Fastener has been very successful. It was realised that the VéroMask (a high-quality fabric mask produced by my professional artist daughter Véronique) can be semi-permanently attached to the baseball helmet because the unified combination can withstand being worn and being taken off thanks to the rare-earth magnets, reinforced by Goop. Yet another simplification progress for a lazy person.

  

Cord-Locking and Knotting Lanyard Made of Solid Grosgrain Ribbon

• The Gooping a Ring-Shaped Rare-Earth Magnet to a Plastic Cord Lock was OK for a while until the rare-earth magnet fell off. Instead of fixing it, the lanyard made of grosgrain ribbon was reconfigured by coupling the ring-shaped magnet with a stopper knot. As a consequence, a keychain ring has been eliminated, simplifying lanyard design. The end of the knot was heat-melted by flame from a butane torch lighter.

  

Replacing Mitten's Buckle with Rare-Earth Magnets

• A pair of mittens were initially equipped with a buckle to attach them together. Since I am too lazy to push and pull the buckle for attachment and detachment, I replaced the buckle mechanism with ring-shaped rare-earth magnets. Elastic cord was used in order to permanently fix the rare-earth magnets to mitten's tabs.

  

Staggered Drinking Glasses for High-Density Storage

• Sometimes, it is desirable to have higher packing density in a kitchen cupboard for space saving. Placement of drinking glasses, especially wine glasses, can be staggered so that the fat top portion and the lean bottom portion of drinking glasses alternate in each column and each row of drinking glass array matrix on a shelf.

  

Recycling-Bin Space Saving by Heat-Crushing PET Containers

• In order to save space in a recycling bin, boiling dihydrogen monoxide (H2O) is poured into a container made of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) which is thermoplastic as opposed to thermoset. A potato musher is used to press and deform the PET container at high temperature. Although the melting point of PET is 533 K, PET becomes soft at temperature of approximately 343 K which is below the boiling point of H2O at 373 K.

  

Splash Guard on Kitchen Range's Control Panel

• I had been using junk-mail flyer to cover kitchen range when doing oil-heavy cooking on a frying pan. However, changing the settings on the control panel required me to lift up the flyer. It was realised that using transparent polyethylene plastic wrap keeps the settings on the control panel visible and controllable while providing full protection against cooking oil splash.

  

Elastically Securing a Toilet Seat Cover to a Bidet Seat

• The Brondell Swash Ecoseat Ambient Temperature Non-Electric Bidet Seat has given me life-changing experience. However, the Reusable Toilet Mat Seat Case Soft Toilet Seat Cover Bathroom Toilet Cushion often became loose and detach from the bidet seat. So, a piece of elastic cord was passed through the 2 opposite sides of the toilet seat cover in order to securely fit the bidet seat.

  

Pasta-Assisted Fire Flame Transfer

• Pasta is made from unleavened dough consisting of ground durum wheat and water or eggs, so it is flammable in dry state. When a candle at the bottom of a cylindrical object needs to be lit, a long, round strand of pasta can transfer fire flame. Because of higher air-fuel ratio (AFR), the thinner the pasta is, the better. Therefore, capellini was chosen over spaghetti or spaghettini.

  

Emergency iPhone Charging from a USB Port of a Demonstration Unit

• When iPhone's battery is discharged in emergency situation at a store, an AC power outlet can be used for charging. However, most AC power outlets near the floor are filthy dirty. If a store has demonstration units of office equipment (e.g., computers, etc.) or consumer electronics (e.g., TV sets, etc.), then iPhone's USB cable can be plugged into the USB port of such devices for emergency charging because USB power delivery is bi-directional.

  

Fried Egg Cooked inside an Onion Ring

• An onion is sliced to form a ring with thickness of about 10 mm. In a frying pan, olive oil is poured, then the ring-shaped onion is placed. An egg is cracked, and its content is put into the ring-shaped onion. Cooking time may vary depending on ring-shaped onion's diameter and/or thickness.

  

Kids-Resistant Washroom Towel on a Towel Ring

• In the washroom, kids were pulling the washroom towel which was hung on a towel ring all the time, so the washroom towel was often found fallen on the floor. Instead of simply hanging the washroom towel from a towel hanger, it is now tied to the towel ring by a knot to restore hygienic condition and also peace of mind.

  

Head-Open Tennis Ball for a Surprise Gift

• A Wilson "US Open" tennis ball is made of natural rubber latex, so it is relatively easy to cut it open with a box cutter. Once "Head Open", an object (e.g., a Pokémon figurine) can be inconspicuously placed inside, and the open head can be closed to near-original state. The do-it-yourself (DIY) contraption can be a big hit as a surprise gift for kids.

  

Wine Cube for Non-Diluting Ice-Wine Cocktail

• Wine can be poured into an ice cube tray and be frozen to form wine cubes. Unlike ice cubes which are solid dihydrogen monoxide (H2O), wine cubes do not dilute cocktail that calls for wine. Pure ethanol (C2H5OH), which is found in beer, wine, and liquors, has a freezing point of 159 K. However, wine with about 88 % H2O and 12 % C2H5OH has a freezing point of about 268 K.

  

Aluminum Foil as Ad Hoc AAA-to-AA Battery Adapter

• It is devastating when Wii controller's AA batteries run out of energy to play Super Monkey Ball on a holiday when most stores are closed. If AAA batteries happen to be available, then they can be placed in the battery holder, and aluminum foil is crumpled to electrically connect the AAA batteries to the terminals. Both AA and AAA battery have open-circuit voltage between 1.2 and 1.5 V.

  

Lazy Susan for Easy Access in a Refrigerator

• A turntable was recuperated from the old microwave oven (Panasonic NN-S255W), and turntable's glass tray was re-purposed to function as a Lazy Susan to rotate various foods and containers for easy access in a refrigerator. In order to stabilise rotation of the glass tray, disc-shaped rare-earth magnets were placed above and below refrigerator's glass shelf.

  

Spatula Resting Position on a Pan Handle

• When a plastic spatula is not required for a while, it can be put to a resting position at the handle of a saucepan or a frying pan in alignment, instead of spreading food residue on the cooktop or on the counter. Such spatulas, whisks and ladles (from IKEA) are made of silicone, polyethylene terephthalate (PET) or polypropylene (PP), which can take temperatures up to at least 493 K.

  

Outdoor Charging of iPhone in an LDPE Bag

• Outdoor AC power outlets seem to be situated at higher elevation than indoor AC power outlets. An iPhone and a USB cable are placed in a plastic bag (e.g., Ziploc) made of low-density polyethylene (LDPE) in order to protect it from elements of nature. The plug of iPhone's charger is force-pierced through the plastic bag. High dielectric strength and very low electric conductivity make polyethylene an outstanding insulator, so there is no safety issue.

  

Accessible Magnetic Hanging of a Microfibre Cloth

• The Touchscreen Cleaning by Surfactant in a Detergent-Soaked Cloth has been successful for cleaning iPhone/iPad/iPod touchscreens. However, storing the cloth was either messy or impractical. A ring-shaped rare-earth magnet was placed at the centre of the microfibre cloth, then wound around by a thread. The assembly is hung by magnetic attraction force for easy access from any ferromagnetic material such as a steel drywall corner bead.

  

Stable Wearable iPhone with Lanyard Made of Solid Grosgrain Ribbon

• The Balanced Wearable iPhone with Lanyard Made of Polypropylene Ribbon was OK. However, polypropylene ribbon's static electricity was annoying, so it was replaced by solid grosgrain ribbon. The ribbon is diagonally passed through between top-left corner and bottom-right corner of the iPhone case, and is fixed by adhesive tape. Combined with iPhone Synergetic Charger-Stand with a Ping-Pong Ball for Portrait/Landscape Orientation with Continuously-Variable Viewing Angle, a movie can be watched on the iPhone in hands-free fashion.

  

Anti-Slip Eyeglasses/Sunglasses by Brute-Force Bending of Temples

• There is a product on the market called Silione Anti-Slip Eyeglasses Temple Tips Sleeve Retainer, which is supposed to "effectively prevent your glasses from slipping off during work, daily wear, and outdoor activities". In order to prevent slippage of eyeglasses/sunglasses frames, you can simply bend the metallic temples instead of buying such a product. Bending is done by hand, slowly applying brute force.

  

Triangular-Prism Box for Shipping a Parcel

• Because of triangular cross-section with 3 contact lines instead of 4, a triangular-prism box accommodates some objects better than a square-prism box, leading to less vibration in transit to prevent a fragile object from being broken. On Canada Post's website, "Non-standard and oversize mail" or "Cylindrical tube" can be specified.

  

Washroom Theatre with a Car Phone Holder

• The Car DVR/Phone Holders Navigation Head Up Bracket Universal Adjustable Auto Rearview Mirror Mount Cell Phone Holder Bracket Dash Cam Fixing Stands is re-purposely mounted on a towel hanger in a washroom. The viewing angle from the iPhone is variably adjustable so that the setup can create a great washroom theatre to watch Star Trek while doing nature's call pee/poop business on the toilet.

  

Cache-Cou as a Sweat-Absorbing Helmet Liner

• The Sweat-Absorbing Helmet Liner by Sewing a Folded Scarf functions all right to absorb sweat, but it was difficult to make proper alignment. A bandana is somewhat easier to wear, but it is too long, while a tuque is too thick. I found that cache-cou, which is normally worn on the neck, can be worn on the head to make a great helmet liner in order to absorb sweat near the ears and eyebrows. The helmet liner even resembles the Snoopy Cap worn by astronauts.

  

Balanced Wearable iPhone with Lanyard Made of Polypropylene Ribbon

• The Wearable iPhone with a Variable-Length Lanyard and a Rare-Earth Magnet on a Keychain Ring has been so successful that the occurrence of missing iPhone has drastically decreased. In order to further simplify the configuration, a piece of ribbon (from holiday gift wrapping) is passed through the gap between the iPhone and the iPhone case, and secured by electrical tape. The ribbon is tied to itself to form a loop. The ultra-thin super-strong ribbon is made of polypropylene.

  

Gooping a Ring-Shaped Rare-Earth Magnet to a Plastic Cord Lock

• A small ring-shaped rare-earth magnet is gooped to push-button's top surface of a Plastic Cord Locks End Spring Toggle Stoppers Single Hole String Elastic Drawstring Backpack Rope. The arrangement is useful for temporarily attaching an object such as a lanyard with a plastic cord lock to the surface of ferromagnetic material such as a shelf, for example, in tidy fashion.

  

Looping Polypropylene Rope around a Door Knob for Temporarily Holding a Door

• It is sometimes desirable to keep a garage side door open while one is gardening in summer, skiing in winter, etc. A piece of polypropylene rope is looped, and its one end is hung onto a hook on a garage wall. The other end of the rope is hooked to a door knob of the garage side door to temporarily hold the door. The key is to make another loop around the door knob because otherwise the door would close by the force of wind.

  

Force-Removing a Medicine Pill Organizer's Redundant Door

• The Pill Cases Pill Box Weekly 3 Times 7 Compartments Large Medicine Pill Organizer serves me blood pressure pills, cholesterol-lowering pills and vitamin pills. Each morning, I open its door to dispense the 3 pills. One day, I suddenly realised that the pill compartments are sealed well enough by the structure without the door. So, I force-removed the door so that I do not have to open and close it every day. Moving parts are the weakest link of any mechanical system. The manufacturer should increase the number of compartments from 7 to 7 + 1 = 8.

  

Overhead iPhone Viewing by an Ironing Board

• In a guest room, an iPhone is magnetically suspended from an ironing board to form an ad hoc bed theatre. A large disc-shaped rare-earth magnet is attached to the back side of a MagSafe charger. A small disc-shaped magnet is attached to the large disc-shaped rare-earth magnet's peripheral region as a wedge in order to provide optimal viewing angle. The straight overhead arrangement prevents neckache due to improper posture.

  

Cocktail with Rainbow Ice

• Food colour liquid is diluted in dihydrogen monoxide (H2O), then poured into a drinking glass layer-by-layer every 2 hours or so. The drinking glass was placed in a freezer. After 4 layers with 4 colours (BLUE, GREEN, YELLOW, RED), a spectrum of rainbow colours was formed by partial melting of solid H2O to mix 2 colours at each interface. The rainbow ice is ideal for consuming ethanol (C2H5OH).

  

Blowing up a Balloon with Dry Air by a PET Bottle

• Human exhaled breath mostly contains 5.0-6.3 % dihydrogen monoxide (H2O), 79 % dinitrogen (N2), 13.6-16.0 % dioxygen (O2), 4.0-5.3 % carbon dioxide (CO2), 1 % argon (Ar). In applications where dry air is required in a balloon, a hole is drilled through a plastic bottle made of polyethylene terephthalate (PET). Coordination between pushing the plastic bottle and valving the balloon pumps ambient air without introducing excessive H2O into the balloon.

  

Magnetic Attachment of a Face Mask to a Baseball Helmet by Snap Fastener

• In order to facilitate attachment of a mask to a baseball helmet, each elastic cord of VéroMask (a high-quality fabric mask produced by my professional artist daughter Véronique) was replaced by a keychain ring, which attaches to a combination of 2 disc-shaped rare-earth magnets inside 1 ring-shaped rare-earth magnet and 1 disc-shaped rare-earth magnet. The assembly magnetically attaches to baseball helmet's snap fastener made of steel which is ferromagnetic. The configuration is compatible with a surgical mask, too.

  

Stringing Plastic Bags to Carry Crescent Moon Snowshoes

• After snowshoeing to a big-box shopping area, a plurality of FREE plastic produce bags made of high-density polyethylene (PET) at a grocery store for fresh fruits and vegetables were strung together to form a shoulder strap in order to carry a pair of stacked-up Crescent Moon Snowshoes in ad hoc fashion through their holes.

  

Sanitary No-Touch Direct Injection of Mouthwash

• my geological engineer/exploration geologist daughter Évelyne pointed out that injection of mouthwash liquid into the mouth directly from a mouthwash pump increases hygienic condition because a glass/cup is not required. The mouthwash pump's spout does not touch the mouth, either.

  

Vodka-Mouthwash Cocktail

• Unlike ORIGINAL LISTERINE® ANTISEPTIC MOUTHWASH with terribly horrific taste, Crest Scope Classic Mint flavor mouthwash is formulated well enough to have irresistible charm. A cocktail of vodka and mouthwash turned out to be so attractive in flavour and colour that overwhelming majority of people who tried the cocktail liked it without realising the truth. Beer-Mouthwash Cocktail tastes great, too. The GREEN drink has no sugar content, and Scope's active ingredient is ethanol (C2H5OH) anyway despite scary warning on its label: "Do not swallow."

  

Pyroclastic Flow in a Lava Lamp

• A lava lamp consists of an incandescent light bulb which heats bolus of coloured wax mixture inside a glass vessel, and clear liquid. As the warmed wax rises through the surrounding liquid, it cools, loses its buoyancy, and falls back to the bottom of the vessel in a cycle. Vigorously shaking the assembly causes the wax mixture to disintegrate into small piecesin fuzzy liquid, making it look like pyroclastic flow from volcanic eruption.

  

Closing Leather Jacket's Collar by Ring-Shaped Rare-Earth Magnets

• Wearing a cheap faux-leather jacket made of synthetic materials while cycling and cross-skiing in winter is stylish in biker-gang fashion. When the ambient temperature drops to 243 K, however, the neck area becomes very cold. In what I consider as design deficiency, the zipper does not go all the way up to close the gap. So, a ring-shaped rare-earth magnet was stitched to each side of the collar with reinforcement by Goop for closing the gap by magnetic attraction force.

  

Non-Diluting Beverage Cooling by Hydrogel Ice Spheres

• Rehydrated "Crystal Balls" (dried sodium polyacrylate hydrogel) are placed in a drinking glass, which is then put into a freezer to pre-cool the entire assembly. Once outside the freezer, wine or beer or cocktail or soft drink can be poured into the drinking glass as non-diluting method to cool the beverage since dihydrogen monoxide (H2O) stays inside hydrogel. Reusability over many freeze-thaw cycles has not been established yet.

  

Spill-Resistant Beverage Can with a Through-Hole Straw

• The Spill-Proof Drink Cup with a Diagonal Straw for Kids has been very successful for preventing spills from a cup. The orientation of aluminum beverage can's tab is reversed and bent downwards, and a repeatedly-reused single-use straw is diagonally passed through the hole of aluminum beverage can's tab. The configuration is not spill-free, but the diagonal straw and its stability provide enough spill-resistance to reduce parents's stress.

  

Upside-Down Wearing of Wired Earphones inside a Baseball Helmet

• The Baseball Helmet for Bicycle Riding Protection has been quite successful. In order to comfortably wear Apple EarPods with 3.5mm Headphone Plug (wired) inside the helmet without letting gravity take its course, each earphone is reversed so that earphone's stem is oriented upwards and the cord wraps around user's ear behind the ear helix. The reverse-earphone configuration applies to Apple AirPods (wireless) sans cord.

  

iPhone Synergetic Charger-Stand with a Ping-Pong Ball for Portrait/Landscape Orientation with Continuously-Variable Viewing Angle

• The iPhone Hybrid Charger-Stand with a Golf Ball for Portrait/Landscape Orientation with Continuously-Variable Viewing Angle has been very successful, to say the least. In order to reduce the heavy weight of the iPhone stand, the solid golf ball with regulation weight of 45.9 g and diameter of 42.7 mm was replaced by a hollow ping-pong ball with regulation weight of 2.7 g and diameter of 40.0 mm. The ping-pong ball is gooped to a ring-shaped rare-earth magnet which magnetically attaches to a Powerful Magnetic Wireless Charger With Holder (Amazing Quality).

  

No-Mess Peanut-Butter Jar Opening by a Compact Serrated Kitchen Utility Knife

• Opening a peanut-butter jar is often a messy affair because tri-foil induction seal liner of the peanut-butter jar cannot be removed easily without tearing it apart in unpredictable fashion. Rather than pulling tabs around the tri-foil seal induction seal liner, piercing it with a compact serrated kitchen utility knife and cutting it by following the inner contour of the peanut-butter jar made of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) can prevent frustration in the kitchen.

  

Wearable iPhone with a Variable-Length Lanyard and a Rare-Earth Magnet on a Keychain Ring

• The "Roll Up the Tab" to Directly Connect a Lanyard to iPhone was successful. The Variable-Length Lanyard for the iPhone Tie featured a Plastic Cord Lock End Fastener Toggle Spring Stopper and a stopper knot which is tied at the end of the lanyard. Now, a keychain ring replaces the stopper knot, and a ring-shaped rare-earth magnet is passed through the keychain ring. The ring-shaped rare-earth magnet provides tidiness when the iPhone is attached to a MagSafe Charger or to a steel plate landing site. WD-40 Specialist Dry Lube with PTFE was spray-applied to the Plastic Cord Lock End Fastener Toggle Spring Stopper as dry lubricant.

  

Gunk-Free Toothbrush Holder with Hydrogel Balls

• Grey-brown slime gunk and mold at the bottom of a toothbrush holder are disgusting. Instead of frequently cleaning the toothbrush holder, which is too much for a lazy person like me, here is a clean-by-construction method of keeping such slime gunk and mold away by rehydrated "Crystal Balls" (dried sodium polyacrylate hydrogel). Multi-tasking of dishwashing and toothbrushing is possible. As a bonus, toothbrushes stay straight standing upright. A semispherical Self-Balancing Drinking Glass is used for mouthwashing.

  

Stretch-Storing USB Cable by a Towel Hanger

• In the master bathroom, an electric shaver, a wireless electronic scale (Bluetooth) and a wireless blood pressure monitor (Bluetooth) require a USB cable for charging the internal rechargeable battery. I am too lazy to take out a USB charger, hook it up to the devices and put it back to storage each time they require charging. A towel hanger to the rescue. Now, the USB cable is conveniently accessible with minimum effort when needed. However, aesthetic-purists may protest.

  

"Roll Up the Tab" to Directly Connect a Lanyard to iPhone

• The successful iPhone Tie with a Name Tag Lanyard and a Steel Plate has been simplified with direct connection between the cut steel lid (of a matcha container) and the lanyard by rolling up the steel tab. No more keychain rings which change orientation of the lanyard, interfering with functionality. iPhone's Lightning connector port is completely blocked, but operational performance is not affected because charging is exclusively via MagSafe. Low profile roll is compatible with the iPhone Hybrid Charger-Stand with a Golf Ball for Continuously-Variable Viewing Angle. A small ring-shaped rare-earth magnet can be attached to the lanyard, opposite to the iPhone.

  

Safe Storage of Needles/Pins by Rare-Earth Magnets on Nano Magic Tape

• A small disc-shaped or ring-shaped rare-earth magnet was always used to keep steel needles/pins together. However, safety would be enhanced by reducing lost needles/pins if the rare-earth magnet were static. So, Nano Magic Tape Traceless Washable Double Sided Adhesive Tape is used to securely attach the rare-earth magnet to a plastic box of the steel needles/pins at the centre of the bottom wall of the plastic box to prevent undesirable movement of the sharp needles/pins.

  

Sweat-Absorbing Helmet Liner by Sewing a Folded Scarf

• The Baseball Helmet for Bicycle Riding Protection has been very successful, but excessive sweating occurs around forehead and ear areas because of tight fitting of the helmet to the head. Expensive helmet liners are on the market, but my ex-spouse Michèle has kindly folded and sewed a kerchief in order to form an excellent helmet liner for absorbing sweat. Other options include a bandana, a scarf, a tuque, etc.

  

"Ginkgo Circle" Natural Composting of Leaves in Toroidal Pattern

• The Natural Composting of Ginkgo biloba Leaves was initially successful, but the production of Ginkgo biloba seeds has plummeted over the last 3 years since its peak of 12 004 seeds/season. Panic in crisis situation made me analyse the tree's root system in which taproots just around the trunk do not absorb much nutrients, but branchroots farther away from the trunk do. My logical conclusion is to put composted leaves in toroidal (donut-shaped) pattern in order to maximise the absorption of nutrients by the tree. The pattern resembles a crop circle.

  

Bird Saver Window Treatment with Discs and Mice

• Ever since fruit-fly infestation forced an avocado tree to be transferred from indoors to outdoors, several birds have crashed into the window making loud banging noise. So, then-useful but now-obsolete computer wired mice (Apple Desktop Mouse) with then-useless and now-obsolete optical storage discs (CD-ROM, DVD, etc. especially AOL with "1000 HOURS FREE", "3 months free") are suspended from a curtain rod above the window pane as anti-collision measure.

  

Semi-Permanent Fountain with a Filterigo Faucet

• The Filterigo Faucet is a small extension that directs aerated dihydrogen the flow of monoxide (H2O) in all directions, without splashing around the sink. It direct H2O downwards to wash dishes or upwards to drink tap water, rinse my mouth after brushing teeth, etc. Since I am too lazy to change Filterigo Faucet's position each time, it is semi-permanently set to always direct H2O flow upwards. Even if H2O flow rate is set to maximum, H2O flow does not spill outside of the kitchen sink. Simultaneous rinsing of mouth and toothbrush reduces the overall consumption of H2O during each session. Various pump bottles around the kitchen faucet are surfactant (detergent) and isopropyl alcohol ((CH3)2CHOH) on one side, toothpaste and mouthwash on the other side.

  

Variable-Length Lanyard for the iPhone Tie

• Most, if not all, lanyards from free giftware name tag holders do not have any way to adjust the position of the name tag. For the successful iPhone Tie with a Name Tag Lanyard and a Steel Plate, it is desirable to be able to adjust the position of the iPhone. So a Plastic Cord Lock End Fastener Toggle Spring Stopper is attached to the Name Tag Lanyard to make the length of the lanyard variable. The lanyard is passed through a ring-shaped rare-earth magnet for providing stability, and a stopper knot is tied at the end of the lanyard.

  

Ad Hoc Webcam by Zoom app on a Spare iPhone

• I am too lazy to walk or cycle 1.2 km in the rain to the nearest mailbox to send a pre-paid urgent package. So, I used the Zoom app (iOS) on a spare iPhone placed on the front window facing the road to function as a webcam. The webcam setup was successful in the first attempt as I spotted a Canada Post truck in video while I was having lunch in the kitchen nook at the back of the house. I handed the urgent package to a genial letter carrier who was delivering mail at Canada Post's Super-Mailbox just 30 m from the house. Skype app also functions as webcam, sans 1-hour limit of FREE Zoom One account.

  

Single-Helix Drawing Device with a Marker Pen on a Drill

• A helix is a type of smooth space curve with tangent lines at a constant angle to a fixed axis. Here is a single-helix drawing device built by bending the plastic body of a felt-tip marker pen with heat from a butane torch lighter, then attaching the felt-tip marker pen to an electric drill to draw continuous circles.

  

Bed Theatre with Overnight iPhone Charging inside a Uni-Directional Acoustic Dome

• The Overnight iPhone Charging by an Overhead MagSafe Charger inside a Uni-Directional Acoustic Dome has been phenomenally successful. In order to accommodate the iPhone Tie with a Name Tag Lanyard, small rare-earth magnets are placed on both sides of the mixing bowl. Also, the adhesive of Gaffer's tape melted by high temperature in summer, so it was replaced by Super Strong Adhesive PVC Waterproof Stop Leaks Seal Repair Tape. Nano Magic Tape is put at the interface in order to prevent slippage.

  

Triple Leak Protection by Membranes with Negative Pressure

• The Spill Prevention by Negative Pressure in Fluid Containers provides single protection. However, combination with low-density polyethylene (LDPE) plastic wrap provides not double but triple protection against leakage, i.e., negative pressure inside the fluid container, a membrane inside the cap and another wrap-around membrane outside the cap.

  

iPhone Tie with a Name Tag Lanyard and a Steel Plate

• The iPhone Tether with a Name Tag Lanyard was a great start. However, the cut plastic membership card turned out to be too thick and the Lightning connector port of Apple's Silicone Case with MagSafe was too small, so the iPhone was popping out when the tensile force acting on the lanyard became strong. The cut plastic membership card was replaced by a cut steel lid (of a matcha container), and the Lightning connector port was enlarged by a box cutter utility knife.

  

iPhone Tether with a Name Tag Lanyard

• Searching for phone lanyard, phone tether, phone tie, etc. reveals quite a few products on the market. Instead of purchasing, a name tag was detached from the lanyard of a name tag holder from a conference. A plastic membership card, which has become useless since data are put into iPhone's app, was cut to secure the looped lanyard between the iPhone itself and the Silicone Case with MagSafe. Wireless induction charging function is not affected by the mechanism inside.

  

Transformation of Boot Liners into Indoor Slippers with Insoles

• Since a pair of boots were too large, my ex-spouse Michèle has kindly made boot liners by knitting. The hand-made boot liners turned out to be very useful indoors as thermal slippers to increase blood circulation to the feet in winter. Since the rough surface was annoyingly uncomfortable to the skin of human feet, insoles were cut to size and inserted into the slippers.

  

Ergonomic Toilet-Seat Lid Lifting with a Golf Ball

• Now that the toilet seat lid has been replaced by Brondell Swash Ecoseat Ambient Temperature Non-Electric Bidet Seat, the gadget of unknown origin with a suction cup in "Lifting a Toilet-Seat Lid with a Suction Cup Gadget" has been replaced by a golf ball which is more ergonomic and stylish. Adhesion at single point contact has been achieved by combination of LePage No More Nails Heavy Duty Mounting Tape and Goop.

  

Package Carrying between Human's Dorsum and a Backpack

• I bought a Brondell Swash Ecoseat Ambient Temperature Non-Electric Bidet Seat for the toilet. my professional artist daughter Véronique was wearing a backpack which forms a gap on her back. The gap turned out to be suitable for carrying an oversized package of the Brondell Swash Ecoseat Ambient Temperature Non-Electric Bidet Seat in sufficiently stable fashion while she was riding a bicycle.

  

Filling a Bucket by a Polyethylene Foam Water Channel

• A plastic container (of grape juice concentrate) is re-purposed as a bucket, but directly filling it from a bathroom tap is impossible due to limited space. So, a polyethylene foam pipe insulation is adapted to form a water channel from the bathroom sink to the bathroom floor.

  

Plugging Ear Openings of a Baseball Helmet by Polyethylene Foam

• Ear openings of the baseball helmet, which is used for cycling in summer, exposes human ears to fricking-cold air during skiing in winter. my professional artist daughter Véronique was generous enough to professionally cut out 2 pieces from a block of closed-cell polyethylene foam for plugging the ear openings. A layer of aluminum foil was added in order to reduce radiative heat loss. The modified helmet provides not only head protection but also thermal earmuff function which was previously provided by 180s Ear Warmer.

  

Portable iPhone Stand for MagSafe with a Tripod

• The Portable iPhone Stand with a Tripod has been updated to add a landing platform for iPhone 12 with MagSafe. Robust attachment of a steel lid (of a matcha container) to the conical handle of a tripod was achieved by combination of 3M Double Coated Tissue Tape and Nano Magic Tape Traceless Washable Double Sided Adhesive Tape which also functions as single-sided tape. The Tripod iPhone Stand provides not only great portability but also variable height, variable angle and variable orientation, i.e., ideal configuration for a lazy person lying on a sofa.

  

Electrical Tape as Gap Filler in Sunglass Lenses

• Both of the plano lenses of my Eagle Eyes sunglasses had separated from the frame after 20+ years of service because the connection became loose. So, I wrapped a piece of electrical tape around the lenses, inserted the lenses into the frame, then trimmed the excess tape by a box cutter utility knife.

  

Direct Attachment of iPhone MagSafe Charger to Loudspeaker Grille

• The iPhone MagSafe Charger Base by Loudspeaker Grille has been very successful. However, direct attachment of the MagSafe Charger to the loudspeaker grille of Apple Design Powered Speaker was not possible even with venerable Nano Magic Tape Traceless Washable Double Sided Adhesive Tape because of the porous nature of the loudspeaker grille. 3M Double Coated Tissue Tape to the rescue.

  

Non-Destructive Mask Folding for Storage in a Sunglass Case

• In surgical and other reinforced cloth masks, the nose clip is a point of failure if the mask is folded. Since I use a single disposable mask multiple times, it is imperative that a piece of metal in the nose clip receive careful treatment. By carefully folding the mask and storing it in a sunglasses case, the longevity of the mask is enhanced.

  

Heat-Twisting Candle Sticks

• Paraffin is alkane, indicating hydrocarbons with the general formula CnH2n+2. Candle sticks are made of paraffin wax whose melting point is 333 K. When a candle stick is warmed up by dihydrogen monoxide (H2O) liquid at slightly below the melting point, the candle stick can be bent by hand to form various shapes like arch, helix, and even a cross.

  

Under-the-Table Remote Control Switch

• The Pest/Human Repellant by Penetrating High-Frequency Sounds is controlled by a remote control. In order to conduct covert operation, i.e., activating high-frequency sounds without being noticed, the remote control is magnetically suspended from a steel bar of a desk by a ring-shaped magnet. The setup is analogous to a hidden switch under the counter used by banks in case of robbery.

  

Pest/Human Repellant by Penetrating High-Frequency Sounds

• THE LOCATOR BY LAM is a radio frequency (RF) alarm device which emits extremely loud sounds when triggered by a remote control. The device is inconspicuously hooked to the lock of the window towards the street, and emits penetrating high-frequency sounds which are effective in repelling urinating dogs and annoying humans passing on the street as well as mice behind drywalls.

  

Pressureless Balloon for Diaphragm Mechanism Demonstration

• A hole is drilled at the bottom of a transparent plastic container. A balloon is attached to the top of the plastic container. After the balloon is inflated inside, the hole at the bottom is plugged by a piece of Super Strong Adhesive PVC Waterproof Stop Leaks Seal Repair Tape. The balloon remains inflated while its lip is open. The seemingly logic-defying contraption has pedagogical value in demonstrating pressure equilibrium in human diaphragm.

  

Narrow-Bottom Jeans with Wide Belt Loop for Bicycle Riding

• A narrow-bottom pair of jeans ($7.00 CAD at Walmart) is ideal for bicycle riding since no ankle strap or elastic band is needed. It has deep pockets for securely carrying an iPhone. Furthermore, a waist pack belt can go through the jeans's wide belt loop to carry lightweight Amvel PENTAGON umbrella, etc. A keychain can be magnetically attached and a sunglasses bag can be hooked to the waist pack.

  

Baseball Helmet for Bicycle Riding Protection

• My 30-year old bicycle helmet had worn out to become brown-stained due to accumulated dirt and sweat. Since I am too lazy to attach the chin strap every time I wear the bicycle helmet, I replaced it with an "OFFICIAL BATTING HELMET OF MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL". The strapless baseball helmet is compatible with simultaneous wearing of a mask and sunglasses.

  

Plastic Wine Rack as a Towel Rack

• My home-made wine is served by an 18.9-l water dispenser with a manual pump from a drinking water tank. So, there is no use for a wine rack for wine bottles. My ex-wife Michéle took the plastic wine rack and re-purposed it as a towel rack with rolled up towel in each chamber.

  

Air Pillow by Polyair AirSpace

• Polyair AirSpace is used by Amazon as integrated protective packaging. However, wrapping Polyair AirSpace in a bath towel makes a very comfortable air pillow. The key is to place the junction between 2 connected AirSpace bubbles at the middle of the pillow so that the pillow's concave portion aligns with the convex head along the longitudinal axis of a human body.

  

Stress Therapy by Blowing up Polyair AirSpace

• Squeezing bubble wrap to pop is great fun, but blowing up Polyair AirSpace used by Amazon is even greater fun. The plastic film gradually expands and becomes thinner and thinner before reaching the threshold of explosion. Such exercise provides great therapeutic effect. However, Storopack AIRplus in Costco's protective packaging does not give much satisfaction. Wrapping Polyair AirSpace in a bath towel makes a good air pillow.

  

Hydrogel Ball Launch Gun with Magnetic Repulsion Force

• Rehydrated "Crystal Balls" (dried sodium polyacrylate hydrogel) make safe bullets. A hydrogel ball launch gun is built with a plastic medical syringe in stacked-up combinations of disc-shaped and ring-shaped rare-earth magnets, and polypropylene rope. Magnetic repulsion force obeys inverse square law with distance. The configuration has potential pedagogical value in not only ballistics but also friction, elastic properties, electromagnetic phenomena, mechanical engineering, etc.

  

iPhone USB Cable Winding around a Golf-Ball Attachment

• The Magnetically-Detachable iPhone Stand with Golf-Ball Attachment has been very successful, to say the least. It was realised that the iPhone USB Cable can be wound around the neck of the golf-ball attachment and magnetically anchored to the steel plate at the back of the Powerful Magnetic Wireless Charger With Holder (Amazing Quality), resulting in reduced space in the waist pack.

  

Crumpled Aluminum Foil Abrasive with a Handle

• Sometimes, chemical abrasive solutions are not enough or appropriate but physical abrasive substance with steel is too harsh, e.g., removing human skin callus. To deal with such challenges, aluminum foil is crumpled and put into the inner portion of a plastic cap (of olive oil container) which functions as a handle.

  

Blocking Reflection on the Uni-Directional Acoustic Dome by Sticky Notes

• The Uni-Directional Acoustic Domes on a Magnetic Tabletop iPhone Tower has been very successful, to say the least. However, newly installed G120 LED Globe Bulbs 15Watt (150W Equivalent) Edison Style LED Globe Lights Daylight 5000K (Non-dimmable) above the kitchen table causes bright reflection. So, a 3M Post-It Notes is attached to the mixing bowl in order to block the bright reflection.

  

Variably-Adjustable iPhone Stand with a MagSafe Landing Platform

• The Variably-Adjustable iPhone Stand by a Broken Halogen Desk Lamp has been updated to add a landing platform for iPhone 12 with MagSafe. A ring-shaped rare-earth magnet is gooped to the back of the glass cover, then a stack of 3 ring-shaped rare-earth magnets is sandwiched between the glass cover and a steel lid (of a matcha container). iPhone 12 is situated higher for sitting-down position or lower for lying-down position on the sofa.

  

AvocaTomado: Licopene-Spiked Avocado

• This snack is a hybrid of Solanum lycopersicum var. cerasiforme (cherry tomato) and Persea americana (avocado), packed with lycopene + vitamins + protein + magnesium (Mg) and no salt added + no sugar added.

  

Bicycle Tire Inner Tube Repair by Stop Leaks Seal Repair Tape

• Whenever my bicycle got a deflated pneumatic tire, I was using a Bike Patch Kit with sandpaper, patches, cement and buffer. When the cement had dried up over the years, I was about to buy another Bike Patch Kit. However, it occurred to me that Super Strong Adhesive PVC Waterproof Stop Leaks Seal Repair Tape for plumbing could be used instead, considering that air (N2 gas: ~78 %, O2 gas: ~21 %) is a fluid.

  

Bacon-Fat Candle

• Despite high levels of unhealthy saturated fatty acid which raises the level of cholesterol in blood, bacon has irresistibly enticing smell. My ex-spouse Michèle poured melted bacon fat into an alcohol-measuring glass with a wick at the centre rather than throwing it away. Instead of boring paraffin-wax candle, bacon-fat candle produces some excitement in the air.

  

Paint Brush Wrap-Around Temporary Seal by a Nitrile Glove

• A painting session can be disrupted by a lunch break, for example. In order to prevent drying of a paint brush, a nitrile glove is temporarily turned inside out/outside in to enclose the paint brush in wrap-around fashion. The nitrile glove can be reused after the lunch break.

  

Dome-Shaped Quinolent GREEN by a Microwave Egg Poacher

• The inspiration of puck-shaped Quinolent GREEN was the shape of ice hockey puck. Using a vintage microwave egg poacher as a mould, a dome-shaped variant has been developed thanks to the microwave egg poacher's bottom portion which is concave. Flipping the cooked mass makes it dome-shaped on a plate.

  

Frisbee Parasol for the iPhone Holder with a Hula Hoop

• The iPhone Holder with a Hula Hoop has been very successful, to say the least. However, a G120 LED Globe Bulbs 15Watt (150W Equivalent) Edison Style LED Globe Lights Daylight 5000K (Non-dimmable) is too bright for the eyes. So, a Frisbee is gooped to the steel plate landing site and magnetically attached to the Hula Hoop. The parasol provides shade like James Webb Space Telescope's sunshield does, but with concentrically-graded brightness.

  

Night Light by Non-Dimmable LED Light Bulb

• I replaced a CFL light bulb in the washroom by a G120 LED Globe Bulbs 15Watt (150W Equivalent) Edison Style LED Globe Lights Daylight 5000K (Non-dimmable). The Single Pole and 3-Way Wide View Motion Activated Light Control & Dimmer turned out to be incompatible with the LED light bulb as it does not turn off completely. In it's-not-a-bug-but-a-feature fashion, I decided to keep it as is because the non-OFF LED light bulb functions as a night light in the dark.

  

Laterally-Slit Submarine Sandwich

• Here is a submarine sandwich that is laterally slit instead of longitudinally slit. Each slit is filled with different ingredients so that different tastes can be separately appreciated in succession thanks to non-mixing of ingredients.

  

Sticky Pad for Physically Hiding Laptop Computer's Camera

• The camera of a MacBook Air computer has a GREEN LED indicator light, but it may be broken while the camera still functions. In order to prevent embarrassing situations during a FaceTime conference call, the camera is physically covered by free giftware "Sticky Pad" which is elastic enough to easily provide open and close positions.

  

Ultrasonic Jewelry Cleaner for Removing Hair Debris in Multi-Blade Razor

• The most significant factor of ineffective shaving by a multi-blade razor is not a dull blade but accumulation of hair debris between the blades. Hence, the lifetime of a razor is dramatically increased by removing such hair debris from the gap of the blades by an ultrasonic jewelry cleaner. A few drops of surfactant were added to dihydrogen monoxide (H2O). One disposable razor lasted more than 1 year with this hack.

  

Anamorphic Art Images on an inverted Cone on iPhone

• Anamorphosis is a distorted projection requiring the viewer to occupy a specific vantage point to view a recognizable image. An inverted cone is placed on top of the distorted image displayed on the iPhone, producing an upright image on the mirror surface of the shiny showerhead. The image is static, but animation or real-time projection should be possible if an app were to be developed.

  

iPhone USB Cable Tie with Mini Ring-Shaped Rare-Earth Magnets

• The iPhone USB Cable Tie with Steel Core Pre-Tied for Travelling has been successful, but it was taking too much time for a lazy person to tie and untie the USB cable tie. So, each end of the USB cable tie is passed through a mini ring-shaped rare-earth magnet so that the tying/untying function is now done instantaneously by magnetic attraction force.

  

Holding Door Open by Rare-Earth Magnets on Nano Magic Tape

• Sometimes, it is desirable to keep a door open for some reason, but it is pushed back by a hinge which has become loose after 33 years of constant use. One disc-shaped rare-earth magnet is adhered to the tip of a flexible door stop, while a matching disc-shaped rare-earth magnet is adhered to the door, both by Nano Magic Tape. The adhesive force of Nano Magic Tape is greater than the magnetic attraction force between 2 rare-earth magnets.

  

Starting-Point Indicator Arrow for Bulk Items on a Shelf

• I buy non-perishable food items (e.g., cereal boxes) at Costco in super-bulk quantity when they are on special in order to maximise savings. As a Developmental Topographical Disorientation (DTD) sufferer, I get confused where to start after these food items are sorted by expiry date on a shelf. So, a conspicuous arrow on a square sticky pad is put on the cupboard cover above.

  

Sandals-to-Slippers Transformation

• I had used a pair of sandals not only for walking but also for jogging and cycling. When one of the rear strap wore out and detached from the insole, I force-removed all rear straps completely by a pair of slip-joint pliers. Now, the sandals have become highly-functional slippers, robust enough for non-running outdoor activities.

  

Tricking the Bank with Negative Line of Credit

• I usually pay off credit card debt automatically by preauthorised payment, so the Line of Credit is kept only for emergency purposes. However, banks have annoying tendency to close unused accounts after a couple of years of inactivity. So, $10 was transferred to the Line of Credit account in order to prevent such undesirable account closure.

  

Directional Arrows on a Credit/Debit Card

• Developmental Topographical Disorientation (DTD) refers to lifelong inability to orient despite the absence of any apparent brain damage, neurological condition or general cognitive defects. As a DTD sufferer, I cannot orient a credit/debit card to proper direction at a Point-of-Sale (POS) terminal which does not take Apple Pay. Société de transport de Montréal (STM)'s transit fare ticket has non-ambiguous arrows in bright RED, so the arrows were cut off and glued to a credit/debit card.

  

Discretely-Adjustable Height Workstation by an Ironing Board in a Hotel Room

• Some guest rooms, hotels and Airbnb sites provide an ironing board which is adjustable in height. Sitting on a bed or on a chair, the arrangement makes a great ad hoc workstation with a laptop computer, a tablet computer and/or a smartphone because the height of beds and chairs varies from very low to very high.

  

Detachable Augmentation of Friction between Metal and Plastic by Nano Magic Tape

• The iPhone Stand by a Business Card Holder has been successful. However, when the business card holder is on smooth top surface of stacked plastic containers (of grape juice concentrate), friction between metal and plastic is too low. Nano Magic Tape to the rescue, preventing slip slide away while providing detachability. Guidelines can be drawn by a marker pen for reproducibility

  

Micro Plastic Container for Carrying Heterogeneous Pills in a Waist Pack

• Pills (e.g., blood pressure, cholesterol, melatonin, painkiller, vitamin, etc.) do not have to be carried separately. Instead, they can be mixed together in a small plastic container (of unknown origin) in order to minimise space requirement in a crowded waist pack during a short trip lasting several days.

  

Sucking Bugs into a Concave Tissue-Paper-Lined Vacuum Nozzle

• It is so easy to suck bugs into a vacuum cleaner, but the bugs may live long and prosper in the tank of the vacuum cleaner, proliferate and come out. 8-ply tissue paper is attached to the nozzle of a vacuum cleaner with an ultra-wide elastic band to form a concave portion. Bugs (ants, flies, mosquitos, spiders, etc.) sucked into the concave portion can be wrapped alive with the tissue paper for humane disposal by flushing into the toilet, for example.

  

Handle Barrier for Minimising Spills during Food Consumption

• Many food-spill events occur while eating at the table. The Floating Cereal Bowl on a Transparent-Dome Platform by an Inverted Glass Bowl has been successful. Simply orienting the handle of the casserole bowl toward the person who is eating food forms a barrier for minimising mess from a spill event. The Daily Pill Dispensing by Non-Remembering Discipline is incorporated inside the inverted transparent glass bowl.

  

Handle Bridge for Minimising Spills during Food Transfer

• Many food-spill events occur at the interface between 2 objects while transferring food from one to the other. Simply forming a bridge between the handle of a serving casserole bowl and the handle of a receiving container in alignment makes it less likely that such spills would contaminate cooktop or countertop surface which is more complicated to clean than washing the handles.

  

Self-Attaching Sign Post Urine Guard with Binder Clips

• The Sign Post Urine Guard from Neighbourhood Dogs has been successful in preventing neighbourhood dogs from peeing on my territory. However, the urine guard was vandalised, no doubt by one or more of the neighbourhood dogs. So, a couple of 30-year old binder clips are used to attach 2 ends of the looped plastic garden fence.

  

Diagonal Ice Sunken in a Drinking Glass

• Solid dihydrogen monoxide (H2O) with the density of 0.92 g/ml is less dense than liquid dihydrogen monoxide (H2O) with the density of 1.00 g/ml because the orientation of hydrogen bonds causes molecules to push farther apart, which lowers the density. A drinking glass with liquid water was tilted in a freezer to form diagonal solid ice, which stays at the bottom of the drinking glass when red wine is poured into the drinking glass.

  

Upward Water Spray by a Balloon for Washing/Rinsing

• In rare occasions of having to wash/rinse oversized items (e.g., a tank for wine-making) in a kitchen sink without a functional spray & hose assembly, a balloon can be attached to the nozzle of a faucet to direct the water flow upwards for thorough heavy-duty washing. The flow rate of water can be varied depending on the size of a hole at the balloon's tip.

  

Glow-in-the-Dark Banknotes

• Unlike colourful CAD bills, USD bills (Federal Reserve Notes, United States banknotes) are monotonous and dull. Glow-in-the-Dark phosphorescent paint was sprayed on a $10-USD bill in order to sex up its looks in the dark at night. Phosphorescence is photoluminescence as a result of triplet-singlet electronic relaxation by absorption of photons (typical lifetime: milliseconds to hours).

  

Magnetic Attachment of a Button to a T-Shirt

• I have not been vaccinated yet since I am taking part in a clinical research study of a made-in-Canada vaccine to prevent or lessen the effect of novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19). To wear bilingual button "I am not Vaccinated yet! Je suis pas Vacciné encore!" on a nice T-shirt that I would not like to punch through, a ring-shaped rare-earth magnet is attached to the button which magnetically attaches to a disc-shaped rare-earth magnet in the pocket of the T-shirt.

  

Magnetic Stabilisation of the Bed Theatre's H2O Tank

• The Lampshade Stabilisation by an H2O Tank with Elastic Band Attachment to the Stand has been very successful in providing stability to the Bed Theatre with Uni-Directional Acoustic Dome on a Lampshade. However, elastic bands break down over time due to ultraviolet (UV) light in the electromagnetic radiation. So, the elastic bands were replaced by several rare-earth magnets submerged in dihydrogen monoxide (H2O) for magnetically attaching the H2O Tank made of plastic to the lampshade base made of steel.

  

Sign Post Urine Guard from Neighbourhood Dogs

• Ever since the city installed a sign post bearing "JEU LIBRE" in front of my house last year, neighbourhood dogs have peed at the pole's bottom. There are many signs on the market with "NO DOG PEEING", but dogs cannot read such writings. So, plastic garden fence, colour matched to the tapestry lawn, is cut, looped and placed around the pole's bottom in order to prevent the neighbourhood dogs from peeing on my territory.

  

Cross-Handle Bag Carrying on a Bicycle

• Sometimes, cargo is too big for the Car Back Seat Storage Bag Organizer for a Quetzal Bike. If the cargo is carried in a bag and the bag has a handle, then the bag's handle can be inserted into the bicycle's handle, just in front of the bicycle's head tube and behind the Bike Holder For Mobile Phones in cross-handle fashion. The configuration provides much higher security than holding the bag with a hand while riding a bicycle.

  

iPhone Viewing in a Bathroom by Stacked-Up Tissue Paper Boxes

• In some bathrooms, iPhone viewing is not comfortable but spare tissue paper boxes are available (e.g., Airbnb, a guest house, etc.). No-touch hygienic iPhone viewing during nature's call pee/poop business is facilitated by stacking up a plurality of tissue paper boxes on top of the plastic cover of a trash can. Such optimisation of posture minimises stress to the neck for anybody who spends so much time sitting on a toilet seat.

  

Hanging Masks by a Magnetic Golf-Ball Hook

• The Golf-Ball Attachment to Magnetically-Detachable iPhone Stand for Portrait/Landscape Orientation with Continuously-Variable Viewing Angle has been very successful. A thick steel bolt is screwed into a golf ball, and a disc-shaped rare-earth magnet is gooped to the head of the steel bolt to provide magnetic attachment to a steel drywall corner bead. When the golf is not serving as an iPhone stand, it can hang VéroMask (a high-quality fabric mask produced by my professional artist daughter Véronique), for exposed storage.

  

iPhone Landing Platform on a Curved Lampshade Surface

• The iPhone Stabilisation on a Curved Lampshade Surface has been updated to add a landing platform for iPhone 12 with MagSafe. A disc-shaped rare-earth magnet is gooped to a steel lid (of a matcha container), then a ring-shaped rare-earth magnet is stacked up in order to accommodate the curved lampshade surface. 3 smaller disc-shaped rare-earth magnets are added to reinforce magnetic attraction force.

  

Tissue Paper Box Attachment to a Bedside Furniture by Nano Magic Tape

• The Tissue Paper Box Attachment to a Bedside Furniture by Overhang Gaffer's Tape functioned quite well, but the adhesive in Gaffer's tape softens at room temperature above 298 K. So, Gaffer's tape has been substituted by Nano Magic Tape Traceless Washable Double Sided Adhesive Tape at the back of the tissue paper box. The Nano Magic Tape is indefinitely reusable. A plastic cap below the tissue paper box provides supplementary support for tissue paper box's weight.

  

iPhone USB Cable Tie with Steel Core Pre-Tied for Travelling

• The USB and Earphone Cable Breakage Preventive Measure by Ballpoint Pen Springs has successfully prevented breakage. Instead of throwing away a cable tie with steel core that comes with iPhone accessories, it is wound and permanently fixed to the spring of the USB cable so that the tie would not be lost but can neatly tie the cable for travelling.

  

iPhone MagSafe Charger Base by Loudspeaker Grille

• The MagSafe Charger is wonderful, but it lacks a stable base. Meanwhile, the iPhone Magnetic Attachment to a Steel Loudspeaker Grille has been very successful. The cap of a food container (of minced garlic, salsa, etc.) has a steel core and a plastic ring around. The steel core of the cap is magnetically attached to the loudspeaker grille of Apple Design Powered Speaker, and the plastic ring of the cap is gooped to the MagSafe Charger. The configuration enables single-hand operation to attach/detach the iPhone which can be rotated for portrait/landscape orientation.

  

Stopping Invasion of Ants by Plugging Bathroom Sink's Overflow Hole

• Careful non-scientific observation has finally established that ants are invading the master bathroom on the second floor of my house via bathroom sink's overflow hole. A piece of colour-coordinated electrical tape was cut to round the sharp corners so that the overflow hole is semi-permanently plugged shut. Such overflow holes are used extremely rarely anyway.

  

Bubble Envelope for Transportation of a Laptop Computer

• I used to put a heavy Laptop Sleeve Protective Case Cover Carrying Bag inside a heavy-duty laptop backpack until my ex-spouse Michèle gave me a used padded envelope for package delivery. The protective bubble mailer is much lighter, and serves the purpose of safe transportation of my MacBook Air computer inside the laptop backpack.

  

Flower-Pot Pedestals by Grape-Juice Containers

• My ex-spouse Michèle took a plurality of empty plastic containers (of grape juice concentrate) from me, spray-painted them, filled with dihydrogen monoxide (H2O), then stacked them up in order to form 2 flower-pot pedestals at the main entrance of the house. She added RED ribbon for decoration.

  

iPhone Hybrid Charger-Stand with a Golf Ball for Portrait/Landscape Orientation with Continuously-Variable Viewing Angle

• I bought a Powerful Magnetic Wireless Charger With Holder (Amazing Quality) which comprises a detachable steel plate that can be inserted into a slot to function as iPhone's stand. However, the viewing angle cannot be changed, and changing the orientation requires rotating the charger itself. So, I gooped the steel plate to the charger to make it permanently undetachable, and magnetically attached a golf ball instead, for portrait/landscape orientation with continuously-variable viewing angle. Hybridisation has achieved the best of both worlds.

  

Oxygen Barrier by Floating Porous Plastic Sheet for Keeping Wine Fresh

• In order to prevent oxidation of wine stored inside a water dispenser, a piece of porous plastic sheet from packaging material is cut to the dimension of water dispenser's horizontal cross section. The porous plastic sheet floats on the top surface of wine because its specific gravity is much lower than that of wine, so it functions as effective oxygen barrier.

  

Body-Top Stuffed Animal for iPhone Viewing on Bed

• Comfortably watching a movie on bed where the iPhone Holder with a Hula Hoop or the Magnetised iPhone Attached to a Lampshade is not available is a challenge. A Magnetically-Detachable iPhone Stand with Golf-Ball Attachment can be mounted on a stuffed animal with ideal stiffness, providing hands-free body-top iPhone-viewing experience. It is recommended to position at the middle of a queen-size or king-size bed just in case the iPhone falls off from the stuffed animal when you fall asleep.

  

Backpack Support by Quetzal Bike's Backrest

• Carrying super-heavy objects (e.g., wine containers, etc.) in a backpack while cycling is quite tiring. It was suddenly realised that the backrest of Quetzal Bike's bicycle seat can provide an adequate platform to support the weight of the backpack. Now, recreational cycling is truly recreational.

  

Granular Stress Balloon with Hydrogel Balls

• Ordinary stress balls become boring due to their smoothness. In order to provide much more exciting experience, "Crystal Ball" hydrogel balls were put into a balloon, and dihydrogen monoxide (H2O) were added in order to hydrate the hydrogel balls in situ. Pressing the resulting stress balloon causes non-smooth granular sensation.

  

Reusable Beverage Cover with a Drinking Straw

• The local library allows food and drink to be consumed inside the building: "Consommez vos collations et vos boissons discrètement". However, a drink container must be covered. So, a hole was drilled into the drink container's cover for a drinking straw to be inserted. The hole is offset for minimising spill. The assembly can be cleaned in the library's washroom so that it can be reused indefinitely.

  

Sewing Microfibre Cloth for Efficient Wipe-Cleaning of Touchscreens

• The Touchscreen Cleaning by Surfactant in a Detergent-Soaked Cloth has been successful, but it was awkward to hold the microfibre cloth to clean iPhone/iPad/iPod touchscreens. So, the microfibre cloth was manually sewed by hand to form a pocket for 2 or 3 fingers so that frequent wipe-cleaning can become a joy instead of a chore.

  

Outdoor Light Sensor Countdown Timer for Indoors

• I used to hook up a desk lamp to an electromechanical timer when I was absent from home for a few days. However, changing the ON/OFF times depending on season was too much for my laziness. So, I installed an Outdoor Light Sensor Countdown Timer with Lighting Program inside the house, and connected it to a low-wattage holiday-light decoration which is kept throughout the entire year for preventing bird crashes. The light sensor turns the lights ON at dusk with random flash/fade, and OFF at dawn automatically. Since "dusk" and "dawn" depends on indoor light levels, there are energy savings.

  

Non-Slip Fog-Free Sunglasses on Double Surgical Masks

• The Fog-Free Sunglasses by Overlapping Sunglasses on a Mask has been successful. However, I lost VéroMask (a high-quality fabric mask produced by my professional artist daughter Véronique). So, I must use double surgical masks, but double elastic cords of the double surgical masks were making sunglasses's arms slip from the ears. So, the double elastic cords are tied with a polyester cord to loop around the head while bypassing the ears.

  

Batteryless Self-Electric Shock by a Butane Torch Lighter's Piezoelectric Transducer

• A piezoelectric element was extracted when a butane torch lighter broke. Pushing the lighter's button generates high-voltage electricity which can be felt on the skin of a finger or a palm. The configuration provides electric shock without any battery or grid power whatsoever. Such an electric shock is useful to wake up especially after a meal with alcoholic beverage.

  

Gravity-Assisted Lawn-Chair Stabilisation by a Suspended Brick

• A plastic lawn chair is prone to being blown by the wind during a storm. My ex-spouse Michèle passed surplus electrical wire through holes on a brick in order to suspended the brick. The weight of the brick is enough to gravitationally stabilise the lawn chair against strong winds.

  

Golf-Ball Attachment to Magnetically-Detachable iPhone Stand for Portrait/Landscape Orientation with Continuously-Variable Viewing Angle

• A golf ball is attached to the Magnetically-Detachable iPhone Stand for Portrait/Landscape Orientation with Continuously-Variable Viewing Angle. 3 extra rare-earth magnets are added for strengthening magnetic attachment. The golf ball was originally conceived to provide protection against abrasive damage to the surface of a table. However, it was realised that the golf ball can also function as a handle to comfortably hold the iPhone. The golf ball can stay inside the circular lower portion of airplane's tray table.

  

Magnetically-Detachable iPhone Stand for Portrait/Landscape Orientation with Continuously-Variable Viewing Angle

• The Steel-Bolt iPhone Stand for Portrait/Landscape Orientation was successful, but it had to be redesigned for iPhone 12. First, a disc-shaped steel plate was extracted from the cap of a food container (of minced garlic, salsa, etc.), and its rim was flattened by a hammer. Then, the head of a thick steel bolt is sandwiched between a ring-shaped rare-earth magnet and a disc-shaped rare-earth magnet. The detachable magnetic iPhone stand provides both portrait and landscape orientations with continuously-variable viewing angle.

  

Overnight iPhone Charging by an Overhead MagSafe Charger inside a Uni-Directional Acoustic Dome

• The Bed Theatre with Uni-Directional Acoustic Dome on a Lampshade has been very successful for comfortably watching Star Trek on the iPhone in bed, but having to connect the iPhone to the USB cable every night was inconvenient. Now that the iPhone 12 can be magnetically attached to the MagSafe Charger, the Bed Theatre was re-designed to permanently attach the MagSafe Charger to the Acoustic Dome by gooping to plastic caps in-between. Since attachment of the Acoustic Dome to the Lampshade is magnetic, it is rotatable to provide either portrait or landscape orientation. Gaffer's Tape is used to fix the cable to the mixing bowl.

  

iPhone Sliding Stoppers on Loudspeaker Grille by Rare-Earth Magnet Piles

• The iPhone Magnetic Attachment to a Steel Loudspeaker Grille has been very successful. Although a ring-shaped magnet is built into the iPhone 12, magnetic attraction force is not quite strong enough to support its own weight on the loudspeaker grille of Apple Design Powered Speaker whose grille is convex. So, 1 ring-shaped rare-earth magnet and 2 disc-shaped rare-earth magnets were stacked sideways to form each support pile. The configuration accommodates both portrait and landscape orientations in optimal viewing angles.

  

Magnetically Suspending a Self-Sealing Sauce Dispenser from Refrigerator's Steel Ceiling

• The Magic Spicer™ (A Self-Sealing Auto-Aligning Magnetically-Hanging Spice Dispenser with a Continuously-Variable Hole-Size Selector) was designed for spices and herbs. However, my ex-spouse Michèle has pointed out that the spice dispenser can function as a sauce dispenser without modification if sauce's viscosity is low enough, i.e., vinaigrette is OK but not mayonnaise or ketchup. The dispenser can be suspended from refrigerator's steel ceiling thanks to a disc-shaped rare-earth magnet.

  

Hidden-Wire Tensegrity Table with Magnetic Attraction Force and Transparent Through-Hole Fish Line

• Tensegrity (tensional integrity or floating compression) is a structural principle based on a system of isolated components under compression inside a network of continuous tension. This original tensegrity table is made of plastic covers of food containers cut to form 2 frames, fish line and 2 rare-earth magnets gooped to the chained frames, producing an illusion that the upper frame is floating in air thanks to the transparent fish line through the holes of the ring-shaped rare-earth magnets. Tensegrity is achieved thanks to magnetic attraction force between the 2 rare-earth magnets.

  

Carving Styrofoam Sculpture by Resistance Wire

• Styrofoam used in protective packaging may not be environmentally friendly, but it is great for sculpture carving in craft application. Resistance wire with high electrical resistivity, such as nichrome (an alloy of nickel (Ni) and chromium (Cr)) or steel (an alloy of iron (Fe) and carbon (C)) but not copper (Cu) or aluminum (Al), is attached to a 9-V alkaline battery by a piece of electrical tape to generate enough heat to melt closed-cell expanded polystyrene (EPS) foam.

  

Experimental Comparison between Duck/Duct Tape and Gaffer's Tape

• Here is an experimental setup for comparison between Duck/Duct tape and Gaffer's tape. Pieces of tape are adhered to a plastic cover made of polyethylene terephthalate (PET), etc. The tape's ends are folded in order to facilitate simultaneous removal from the middle. Gaffer's tape is extremely flexible, non-reflective (low-gloss), and has clean removal adhesive (no-residue).

  

Bedtime iPhone Viewing by Double-Sided Tape on a Chair's Backrest

• In order to facilitate bedtime viewing of educational YouTube videos, a piece of double-sided Nano Magic Tape is adhered to the back of a chair's backrest in order to temporarily attach an iPhone for providing comfortable viewing angle while the viewer is lying on a bed beside the chair.

  

Powder Filling by an Ad Hoc Paper Funnel

• I carry monosodium glutamate (MSG) powder in a Portable MSG Dispenser in a Waist Pack. The dispenser must be refilled from time to time, but the task of filling any kind of powder poses a challenge due to the dispenser's small opening. So, a note pad (free giftware with shameless promotion) is rolled to form inverse cone shape in order to serve as a funnel in ad hoc fashion.

  

Uni-Directional Acoustic Dome for a Swingable Magnetically-Supported Bent Steel Bar

• The Swingable Magnetically-Supported Bent Steel Bar on a Lamp-Stand for Straight iPhone Viewing on a Sofa with a Golf Ball at the End has been quite successful, but the sound was not so great. So, a mini mixing bowl is magnetically mounted to the Rotatable iPhone Attachment to a Swingable Magnetically-Supported Bent Steel Bar.

  

Croquet Set by Left-Over Construction Materials

• My ex-spouse Michèle took several pieces of left-over construction materials such as lumber and baseboards, attached them together, and painted them BLACK to form mallets for the game of croquet. Skewers made of steel were painted BLACK and bent to form hoops for stress balls in different colours to pass through.

  

Building a Privacy Wall with Stacked-Up Plastic Containers

• My ex-spouse Michèle took a plurality of empty plastic containers (of grape juice concentrate) from me, spray-painted them, filled with dihydrogen monoxide (H2O), then stacked them up in staggered fashion in order to form a privacy wall under the car shelter behind the driveway. Wind passes through the gaps, so the wall's structural integrity is maintained. In winter, however, H2O inside the plastic containers froze and the bottom became convex enough for the wall to self-destruct.

  

Practising Morse Code by Beverage Can's Tab

• The International Maritime Organization officially phased out Morse code for ships in peril, replacing it with the satellite-based Global Maritime Distress and Safety System. However, knowing SOS Morse code distress signal could turn out to be a life-saver, as seen even in Star Trek. It so happens that aluminum beverage can's tab is ideal to practice SOS in dots and dashes (... --- ...).

  

Toy Objects Inflated with Dihydrogen Monoxide

• Balloons and gloves made from diverse materials such as latex, nitrile and vinyl are inflated with dihydrogen monoxide (H2O) in the bathroom. These elastic and flexible objects make great toys to play during a bath especially for small kids in the bathtub so that the parents can have peace of mind rather than dealing with crybabies.

  

Anti-Collision Window Decal Adhesion by Electrostatic Force

• While working in a home office over the years, several birds crashed into the window making loud banging noise. One bird was found dead below one of the windows. In order to prevent such a tragedy, Publi-Sac made from Low-density polyethylene (LDPE) was cut according to line drawing of a bird to form anti-collision window decals. No glue or tape is required as the decals adhere to the window glass by electrostatic force by rubbing them on human hair. In addition, holiday decoration is kept throughout the entire year.

  

Sealing a Non-Reclosable Poly Bag by Electrical Tape

• Some poly bags for packaging made from polyethylene or polypropylene are reclosable by a zipper, while others are non-reclosable. A portion of such a non-reclosable bag is carefully cut by a knife to form a slit. After use, a piece of electrical tape is applied to the slit for sealing the bag. One end of the electrical tape is folded in order to facilitate subsequent reopening.

  

Night Lamp with a Fluorescent Cover on a Desk Lamp

• A plastic cover was sprayed with Glow-in-the-Dark phosphorescent paint, and placed on top of an inverted desk lamp with a compact fluorescent lamp (CFL). The phosphorescent-painted cover serves as a night lamp when the CFL is turned off. The lampshade is securely attached to a uni-directional acoustic dome. Phosphorescence is photoluminescence as a result of triplet-singlet electronic relaxation by absorption of photons (typical lifetime: milliseconds to hours).

  

Nutritious Fondue with Vegetable Juice

• According to a book entitled "Mad about fondue", there are cheese fondue, egg fondue, milk fondue, bouillon fondue, beer fondue, etc. However, vegetable juice provides most nutritious ingredients for a human body. So, V8 juice or Oasis juice is heated up in a fondue pot. After finishing dippers and dunkables (bread, meat, fish, vegetables, etc.), remaining liquid can be consumed immediately afterwards or refrigerated until the following day.

  

Hermetically-Sealed Package by Heat-Sealing a Drinking Straw for Powder Transportation

• It is desirable to have secure means to transport powder. One end of a drinking straw is heat-sealed by a bag sealer or an iron or a cooktop. Then, powder such as sodium chloride (NaCl), monosodium chloride (MSG), pepper, talcum, etc. is poured into an open end of the drinking straw. Finally, the open end of the drinking straw is heat-sealed in order to form a hermetically-sealed package.

  

Permanent Umbrella-to-Cover Connection with a Fish Line

• The extremely compact and lightweight Amvel PENTAGON umbrella is truly remarkable. However, since its cover is separate from the umbrella itself, the cover is prone to get lost. So, a transparent fish line is wound and securely attached to the umbrella to connect with the separate cover permanently so that the cover would not be lost.

  

Power Cable through Round Extension Table's Gap

• An extension cord with iPhone/iPad's power adapter cable is passed through the gap of a round extension table. Then, the assembly is covered by an inverted bowl with a flat bottom which is now a flat top to accommodate stuff that is usually placed on the tabletop so that no real estate is lost. The bowl does not necessarily have to be transparent.

  

iPad Protection by Polyethylene Plastic Wrap

• An iPad is wrapped around by a sheet of polyethylene plastic wrap in order to protect its touchscreen during cooking for searching recipes, checking messages, controlling music, etc. The polyethylene plastic wrap does not impede or negatively affect the functions of iPad's touchscreen at all.

  

Extraction of Steel Threads from Trash Bag Ties

• The Drinking Straw for Keeping a Mask's Side Edges Wrinkle-Free has been successful, but the sewed thread was coming off. A package of some trash bag products contains ties. The core of each tie is made of steel, so it makes an ideal material for attaching the drinking straw to the mask in more secure fasion than polyester or cotton thread provides.

  

Car Back Seat Storage Bag Organizer for a Quetzal Bike

• Since I abandoned a private car a few years ago to lead hyper-ecological lifestyle with public transit and occasional use of Communauto's hybrid car, the old car's back seat storage bag organizer was re-purposed to serve as a front bag for my Quetzal Bike whose bicycle suspension fork is long enough to accommodate such a tall bag.

  

Tissue Paper Box Attachment to a Bedside Furniture by Overhang Gaffer's Tape

• A tissue paper box placed on bedside furniture (a bedside cabinet, a bedside table, etc.) tends to get displaced or even fall from the bedside furniture whenever a sheet of tissue paper is pulled out from the tissue paper box. Looped Duck/Duct tape turned out to be not strong enough. So, Gaffer's tape is used to overhang the tissue paper box.

  

Adieu to a Physical Wallet

• Although I have led cashless lifestyle since 1994, the number of plastic cards to carry has increased. When I go out, I always carry my waist pack, so there is no point in carrying such plastic cards in a physical wallet. The plastic cards are now put into a couple of transparent name tag holders in order to reduce volume and weight, which would eventually become zero (0) with Apple Pay and Wallet app (iOS) on the iPhone.

  

Dispensing Plastic Bags by a Tissue Paper Box

• Flyers are delivered in a recycled plastic bag which can be further reused for other purposes. In order to keep the plastic bags in neat fashion, each plastic bag is folded longitudinally 2 times so that a hole near the top portion is exposed. Then, the first plastic bag's bottom portion is inserted into a hole near the second plastic bag's top portion and folded as a hook. The sequence is repeated to form a string of plastic bags, then rolled up and put into an empty cardboard tissue paper box for dispensing.

  

Meshed Funnel for Filtering Out Oak Chips in Wine-Making Process

• For making red wine, oak chips are added to diluted grape juice concentrate together with yeast. To finish off the transfer of fermented grape juice from a plastic fermenting pail to a carboy, a funnel is used. However, some of the oak chips were slipping into the carboy. In order to prevent such undesirable outcome, a piece of metallic mesh from a faucet nozzle filter was fit inside the funnel's outlet as a filter.

  

Oxygen Barrier for a Ground Coffee Container

• Once ground coffee beans touch air which contains about 20 % dioxygen (O2), coffee flavour and smell start to degrade. So, a plastic cover from the previous container was cut to fit the internal diameter of the container. A hole was drilled at the centre of the plastic cover for a thick steel bolt to be inserted, and a ring-shaped rare-earth magnet is fit on the other side to form a handle of the oxygen barrier.

  

Container-Table/Desk Stabilisation by Gravity

• Empty plastic containers (of grape juice concentrate) are stacked up with Goop or packing tape and assemble together sideways to build different kinds of table/desk/chair/bench. In order to provide stability by gravity, 2 peanut-butter jars are filled with dihydrogen monoxide (H2O) or sand, and placed inside the bottom container.

  

Applying Pressure to Earphones by Super-Sized Elastic Band

• Somehow, my over-sized head does not accommodate wired or wireless earphones very well. A gap develops quickly, and the earphones become loose when I am moving. Wearing the 180s Ear Warmer that my professional artist daughter Véronique game me helps in winter but not in other seasons. As a last resort, I put a super-sized elastic band around my head to pressure the earphones to my ears.

  

Enveloping a Vacuum Cleaner Handle by Gaffer's tape

• The 33-year old central vacuum cleaner's handle was making noise because cracks developed even though it was previously reinforced by electrical tape. Instead of having the entire vacuum hose replaced, the handle was enveloped by Gaffer's tape (not Duck/Duct tape) which is a heavy cotton cloth pressure-sensitive tape with strong adhesive and tensile properties.

  

Pulsating Dihydrogen Monoxide Flow from a Water Spray Gun for Entertainment

• A Gardena Adjustable Water Spray Gun has a trigger on the handle to turn on/off the flow of dihydrogen monoxide (H2O) from the nozzle. Spraying pulsating H2O onto the window excites small kids in a room inside the house by the sound and image of H2O hitting the window. The setup is guaranteed to provide them with great entertainment.

  

Portable iPhone Stand with a Tripod

• An old tripod was found in the basement. It had been unused for several years since photo-/video-taking is all done by the iPhone. It turns out that a tripod makes a great iPhone stand. The central hole of the disc-shaped rare-earth magnet at the magnetised iPhone's back fits the camera screw at the centre of the tripod's plate. Unlike other floor-standing iPhone stands, the Tripod iPhone Stand provides great portability.

  

Floating Trash Can between Twin Bedside Tables

• Twin bedside tables were constructed by stacking 2 plastic containers (of grape juice concentrate). Peanut-butter jars are filled with dihydrogen monoxide (H2O) or sand, and placed inside the bottom container for stability. Between the 2 bedside tables, another plastic container is suspended by passing electrical wire through handle holes and twisting, followed by applying Goop.

  

Reinforcing Foam Pipe Insulation around Ski Poles by Gaffer's tape

• The Ski Pole Handle with Polyethylene Foam Pipe Insulation has been extremely successful, to say the least, for cross-country skiing in cold weather. However, the surface of polyethylene foam pipe insulation was beginning to show sign of wear. Gaffer's tape (not Duck/Duct tape) to the rescue for reinforcing the surface of foam pipe insulation.

  

Coloured-Top Drums for Practice

• A kid may be not colour-blind but tone-challenged. For properly selecting which drum to strike, differently-coloured covers of plastic containers (of grape juice concentrate) distinguish each drum for practice. The drum's tone can be varied by putting different volumes of dihydrogen monoxide (H2O) into the plastic containers.

  

Drinking Straw for Keeping a Mask's Side Edges Wrinkle-Free

• Over time, even VéroMask (a high-quality fabric mask produced by my professional artist daughter Véronique) wrinkles at side edges. In order to keep it wrinkle-free, a plastic drinking straw (from McDonald's) was cut at proper length, and stitched to the mask's side edges. An elastic cord was passed through the straws which remain rigid enough for a long time.

  

Ultra-Short Strap with a Buckle for Multi-Purpose Attachment

• Sometimes, there is a need to tie 2 items together, e.g., "Contour-Carrying Crescent Moon Snowshoes with a Strap". In such cases, a very short strap with a buckle would serve as a multi-purpose tie, convenient for semi-permanently attaching 2 ends of an object for transportation, for temporarily suspending an object for an experiment, etc.

  

Ultra-Thick Ultra-Heavy FREE Postage-Paid Postcard

• Canada Post wrote: "Please use this free postage-paid postcard to reach out to a friend or family member, whether they're in town or anywhere in Canada, courtesy of Canada Post." So, I attached staples and Ginkgo biloba seeds by packing tape for my geological engineer/exploration geologist daughter Évelyne who lives in a different province. The fat postcard is 10 mm thick and weighs 60 g. Canada Post should be thanking me for stress-testing the limits of sorting machines at Canada Post Mail Processing Plant. Évelyne received the postcard OK, intact.

  

Levelling Batter by Dropping a Silicone Muffin/Cupcake Pan

• The viscous batter of Quinolent GREEN becomes convex-shaped after pouring it into a silicone muffin/cupcake pan. I was laboriously levelling each cup portion with a spoon. Since silicone is rather soft, I realised that I can just drop the muffin/cupcake pan onto the flat surface of an electric range several times until the top surface of the batter becomes flat with repeated G-force Impact.

  

Sponge-Side Up for Efficiently Drying a Scrub Sponge

• Kitchen sponges are harbours of bacteria, mold and yeast, providing a damp oasis for these microbes. 3M Scrubbing Sponge combines a scouring pad and an absorbent sponge. A quick experiment proved that 3M Scotch-Brite Scrub Dots Sponge dries faster when it is placed porous sponge side up, as my ex-spouse Michèle had pointed out.

  

TeaVegeVin: Hyper-Anti-Oxidant Cocktail Mix of Green Tea and Vegetable Juice and Red Wine

• This drink is a hybrid of matcha green tea (thé vert) and vegetable juice (jus de légumes) and vin rouge (red wine), packed with anti-oxidative effect of caffeine + catechins + epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) + lycopene + resveratrol + polyphenols + flavonoids. The mix gives the ethanol content of about 6 %.
  • 300 g | V8 juice (340 ml/can) OR Oasis juice (300 ml/can)
  • 300 g | red wine
  • 1 g | matcha green tea
  • mix ingredients

  

VegeVin: Super-Anti-Oxidant Cocktail Mix of 1:1 Vegetable Juice and Red Wine

• This drink is a hybrid of vegetable juice (jus de légumes) and vin rouge (red wine), packed with anti-oxidative effect of lycopene + resveratrol + polyphenols + flavonoids. The mix of 1:1 ratio gives the ethanol content of about 6 %. It is inspired by my ex-spouse Michèle who mixes vegetable juice and beer.

  

High-Speed Folding of Toilet Paper by Rotation

• For folding toilet paper before each use, rotating the toilet paper using 2 index fingers about 100 mm apart, followed by cutting at a pre-cut/pre-punched/pre-slotted dotted cutting line provide efficiently high-speed hygienic butt-wiping method at a public or private toilet when the On-Demand Real-Time Tissue Wetting for Hygienic Butt-Wiping is not possible.

  

Making a Porous Candle by Dehydrating Hydrogel Balls

• In the Candle with Encapsulated Dihydrogen Monoxide in Hydrogel, dihydrogen monoxide (H2O) was contained in rehydrating "Crystal Ball" dried hydrogel balls. When the hydrogel balls dehydrated and shrank by the evaporation of H2O, the paraffin wax candle became porous with a plurality of empty holes. This porosity-producing technique may have other applications.

  

Double Sternum Straps by Quick-Release Buckles

• A backpack with a sternum strap provides extra support for the rest of a backpacker's body by easing the pressure on the backpacker's shoulders. However, my backpack was missing this useful feature. So, a buckle was attached to the loose ends of the backpack strap to make a functional sternum strap. My ex-spouse Michèle sew a quick-release buckle on a strap to form double sternum straps.

  

Contour-Carrying Crescent Moon Snowshoes with a Strap

• Each of the Crescent Moon snowshoes is indeed shaped like a crescent moon, so the 2 pieces fit the contour of a human body. A strap is passed through holes at Crescent Moon's top portion for tight fit so that the Crescent Moon snowshoes can be carried at the waist in hands-free fashion, while also wearing a backpack as well.

  

Sleigh Snow Shovel to Lift Up and Kick Away Snow by a Knee

• In areas where accumulation of snow is great, a 2-step process of lifting up a pile of snow and kicking it away is quite effective. A high-capacity sleigh snow shovel is supported by a knee and snow can be raised to as much as 1.5 m from the ground level by human kick action in order to build a snowbank, snow path, snow maze, igloo, etc. Wearing a pair of snow pants is essential.

  

iPhone's Magnetic Attachment to IKEA Folding Chair's Steel Frame

• While taking a break from working at the workstation by sitting on a nearby sofa, the steel frame of an IKEA folding chair turned out to make an ideal stand for the magnetised iPhone. The configuration provides an optimal viewing angle for catching up with Star Trek episodes during the break.

  

Kitchen Faucet Gash Filling by MONO ultra Latex Caulk

• The 33-year old kitchen faucet developed a gash at the base. Instead of having the entire faucet replaced, MONO ultra Latex Caulk was applied to seal the gash even though the product is not meant for such a purpose. The colour-unmatched appearance of the result may not be aesthetically pleasing, but the caulking does its job OK.

  

Upside-Down Spray Dispenser for Lower Targets

• It is difficult to reach lower targets with cleaning agent like Windex (NH3), sodium hypochlorite (NaClO), hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), isopropyl alcohol ((CH3)2CHOH), etc. in a spray dispenser. So, the spray dispenser's dip tube was cut off at the top so that it functions when it is placed upside down. However, it is irreversibly uni-directional, i.e., the spray no longer functions without being upside-down.

  

Playing with Fire on S.O.S Soap Pad in a Kitchen Sink

• "S.O.S" in S.O.S steel-wool pads stands for "Save Our Saucepans". The fine cross-section of steel wool makes it combustible in air with oxygen to form iron oxide. Such an experiment in a kitchen sink makes kids realise that playing with fire leads to discoveries in science (chemistry) and engineering (structure).
  • 4 Fe (s) + 3 O2 (g) -> 2 Fe2O3 (s)

  

Fluorescent Light Deflector by a Folded Poster

• The GE Bright Stik Fluorescent Fixture and Bulb provides ideal reading environment for a person sitting on a sofa. For a lazy person who lie down on the sofa, however, bright light strikes his/her eyes to cause great discomfort. So, a poster of appropriate size was folded in 1/2 and 1/2 again, then attached to the fluorescent lamp backside out by Gaffer's tape (not Duck/Duct tape) to form a light deflector.

  

Downward iPhone Screen for Viewing from Below

• The Multi-Screen Workstation with a Plane/Convex Mirror has been successful while sitting on a chair to work at a desk/table. When lying down on a bed/sofa which is lower than a desk/table, the upward direction of magnetised iPhone's screen is not useful. So, the plastic bar from a clothes hanger behind 2 ultra-wide elastic bands is relocated so that the magnetised iPhone screen directs downwards for the viewer's eyes below.

  

Aluminum Foil Insulation on Seldom-Used Bathroom Window

• Since I am the only occupant of the house, the kids's bathroom is only seldom used by occasional visitors who would use it mostly in the evening when it is dark anyway. So, aluminum foil is placed in front of the window glass and secured by adhesive tape in order to minimise radiant heat loss by thermal radiation in the infrared region of electromagnetic spectrum.

  

iPhone Shortcut to Prevent Expiration of TextNow Service

• In order to make free outgoing telephone calls, I use the TextNow app (iOS) which offers Free Phone Number for Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) and for Short Message Service (SMS). However, if that number is not used to call or text often, then it will expire. In order to prevent such expiration, a Shortcut is programmed on the iPhone to send an SMS text message to the TextNow number at every midnight (00:00) in the background without human intervention.

  

Protection of the Clear-Ice Mushroom by an Igloo Shelter

• The Clear-Ice Mushroom was exposed to elements of nature, i.e., snow, ice, rain and freezing rain. In order to protect the fabulous creation from such attack, an igloo was built around it as a shelter. Igloos are designed with a catenary arch cross-section which offers an optimal balance between height and diameter. As a consequence, the structure has become a sacred shrine to worship the God of mushroom!

  

Safety Sungoggles for Outdoor Experiments

• Safety glasses/goggles are essential for scientific experiments. For outdoor experiments, orphaned glasses from a broken pair of Eagle Eyes sunglasses are fit into the regular-sized clear safety goggles instead of buying a separate pair of smoked safety goggles with UV filter or a pair of over-sized clear safety goggles that accommodate sunglasses inside. Thanks are due to professional architect Kevin for inspiration.

  

Fog-Free Sunglasses by Overlapping Sunglasses on a Mask

• VéroMask (a high-quality fabric mask produced by my professional artist daughter Véronique) has a contour to match the nose line. Simply placing the bottom edge of a pair of sunglasses firmly over the top edge of the mask minimises condensation of dihydrogen monoxide (H2O) molecules from the breath to the inner surface of the sunglasses. Thanks are due to professional architect Kevin for inspiration.

  

Sexa-Video Dual-Audio Workstation for Home Office to Beat NASA

• The Tandem Multi-Tasking Workstation for Home Office has 2 screens, and the Multi-Screen Workstation with a Plane/Convex Mirror has 5 screens. Here is yet another contraption to match and even beat NASA's Space Mission Control Centre in which some workstations have as many as 6 screens per operator, but does not have 2 laptop stands or 2 loud speakers or a plane/convex mirror per workstation.

  

Magnetically-Detachable 3-Dimensional Medal Made of Closed-Cell Polyurethane Foam Rubber

• The genuine Nobel Prize medal is flat and made of 18 carat recycled gold. In contrast, here is an elastically-deformable axially-rotatable magnetically-detachable 3-dimensional medal made of closed-cell polyurethane foam rubber with an embedded ferromagnetic round-head square-drive wood screw which attaches to a vertically-oriented ring-shaped rare-earth magnet on a stretchable polyester-fabric lanyard.

  

Sanitary Napkin as a Substrate for Seed Germination

• A disposable sanitary napkin makes a solid substrate for seed germination. Both chia seeds and quinoa seeds were sprinkled onto the top surface of the sanitary napkin, then dihydrogen monoxide (H2O) was added. The sanitary napkin contains polyacrylate super-absorbent gels which sucks up the liquid quickly and holds it in suspension, just like a diaper. After 2 weeks, chia (Salvia hispanica) is thriving while quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa) is all dead, as shown in the time-lapse video.

  

Clip-Brace on a Toilet Tank Flush Lever Handle

• The plastic handle of a toilet tank flush lever suddenly broke at the middle. Rather than purchasing a replacement handle, a piece of steel from a name tag holder's clip was cut and trimmed to form a rectangle-shaped brace in order to cover the broken handle and reinforce the lever mechanism. The contraption even makes a fashion statement.

  

Twinning Public Transit Cards for Twin Cities

• A trip originating from one side of the river must use an STO MULTI card, while a return trip originating from the other side of the river must use an OC Transpo PRESTO card. Since the RFID reader on a bus/train can focus on one card, the 2 transit cards are semi-permanently attached by adhesive tape in side-by-side configuration and placed inside a transparent name tag holder. Hopefully, an integrated NFC from iPhone's Wallet app or a biometric system will be implemented soon.

  

Forming a Clear-Ice Mushroom by a Mixing Bowl and PET Containers

• Tap water was boiled to remove some dissolved dioxygen (O2) gas in dihydrogen monoxide (H2O). The degassed H2O was mixed with green food colouring, and poured into a mixing bowl made of stainless steel for freezing outside at 258 K. A clear disposable cup made of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) was placed at the centre for forming a cavity. The stem was formed by pouring H2O into a decapitated plastic container (of mayonnaise) made of PET. The mushroom was assembled, and a candle made of paraffin wax was placed inside the cavity for illumination. The original idea comes from my ex-spouse Michèle.

  

Satellite Dish for Shattering a Wine Glass at Resonant Frequency

• As MythBusters proved, a soprano singer can produce sustained notes at volumes above 100 dB at resonant frequency to shatter a wine glass without amplification. In order to facilitate shattering, an abandoned satellite dish found in neighbourhood trash is placed on a desk. A bath towel is folded several times to form a soft platform for the wine glass at the focal point of the paraboloid at off-axis offset angle of about pi/6 radian (30 degrees). I have not succeeded yet.

  

Tandem Multi-Tasking Workstation for Home Office

• Here is a home office setup which provides ultimate multi-tasking environment. A new MacBook Air computer is used for real work, while an old MacBook Pro computer is mounted on a laptop stand for watching Star Trek with a pair of loudspeakers on its sides for amplified sound. The work-life balance in this environment is 100-100 in the Most Efficiently Balanced Workstation Environment (MEBWE).

  

Menstrual Hygiene Product as Men's Urine Absorber

• A menstrual hygiene product (i.e., pantyliner) can be stuck inside of men's underwear by built-in adhesive tape to absorb urine. Together with On-Demand Real-Time Tissue Wetting for Hygienic Butt-Wiping, the arrangement makes it possible to keep the underwear in pristine condition for several days in order to reduce the use of washing and drying machines by the Most Efficiently Hygienic Underwear Arrangement (MEHUA).

  

Liquid Bottle Leak Proofing by a Nitrile Finger

• Pharmaceutical liquid (e.g., New Skin, etc.) in a bottle tends to leak out during a travel due to vibration, etc. A finger of a medical nitrile exam glove to the rescue. The nitrile finger is chopped off and put around the bottle to tightly seal the bottle in order to provide temporary leak-proof protection. Careful removal of the nitrile finger makes it possible to reuse it. For a larger bottle, a condom could be used.

  

Pepper-Only Chili Oil with High Scoville Heat Units

• Here is a recipe for very simple chili oil which has Scoville heat units of about 30K-50K on the Scoville scale.
  • 55/100 | olive oil (extra virgin)
  • 15/100 | red pepper (crushed)
  • 15/100 | black pepper (ground)
  • 15/100 | cayenne pepper (ground)
  • combine ingredients together and heat it up in a microwave oven to infuse the oil with peppers

  

Snowflake Decoration by a Plastic Veggie & Dip Serving Tray

• A Plastic Veggie & Dip Serving Tray is divided into 6 compartments. Therefore, it is ideal to emulate the hexagonal crystalline structure of dihydrogen monoxide (H2O). Thus, the empty plastic tray is hung on the lock of the window to serve as winter snowflake decoration.

  

Doubling up Mittens over Mittens

• Mittens are warmer than gloves made of the same material because fingers maintain their warmth better when they are in contact with each other, i.e., reduced surface area reduces heat loss. If one pair of mittens are still not warm enough, then doubling up the layers would make it easier to withstand cross-country skiing at ambient temperature of 253 K.

  

Zig-Zag Snow-Maze Pathway to Discourage Unsolicited Salespeople

• In order to send a strong message that door-to-door salespeople (Weedman Lawn Care, home renovation, real estate agents, telecommunication service providers, etc.) are really unwanted, accumulated snow on the 2-car driveway is shovelled in zig-zag fashion to form a convoluted maze-shaped pathway with sharp turns. Placing a trash can or a recycling bin along the way further deters such salespeople.

  

Edible Hand with Solid Red Wine (Agar-O)

• Every new visitor to my house is treated with the Solid Red Wine (Agar-O). Now, he/she can eat a hand! A medical nitrile exam glove is self-attached to the opening of a plastic container (of mayonnaise) to form a mould. A mixture of red wine and agar powder is heated in a microwave oven, then poured into the mould. The mixture is cooled down in the refrigerator to solidify the liquid.

  

Natural Humidifier with a Towel in a Baking Dish

• In winter, relative humidity inside the house decreases to as low as 30 %. A platform (a bagel slicer) is placed in a rectangular glass baking dish as a reservoir. The platform is covered by a towel, then the baking dish is filled with dihydrogen monoxide (H2O) which spreads through the towel by capillary action. The towel's surface area is large enough to provide for rapid evaporation. Capillary action is the ability of a liquid to flow in narrow spaces without the assistance of external forces like gravity.

  

Extra O-Ring for Extra Saving of Dihydrogen Monoxide Consumption

• My kitchen faucet nozzle is already equipped with a Swivel Water Saver Faucet adapter to aerate the flow of dihydrogen monoxide (H2O). I happen to find a Gardena Hose Fittings Spare O-ring with the right size, so I inserted it into the adapter to reduce the flow of H2O even more by partially covering the plurality of holes in order to achieve extra saving.

  

Fluorescence versus Phosphorescence

• Fluorescence is photoluminescence as a result of singlet-singlet electronic relaxation by absorption of photons (typical lifetime: nanoseconds). Phosphorescence is photoluminescence as a result of triplet-singlet electronic relaxation by absorption of photons (typical lifetime: milliseconds to hours). Plastic covers were spray-painted for demonstration. A practical application of such photoluminescence is a front license plate, if permitted.

  

Slotted Dust Cover for Chili Oil

• Chili oil is a condiment made from vegetable oil that has been infused with chili peppers. Since I use chili oil all the time, I keep it on the table. For easy access, a metallic lid was replaced by an over-sized plastic lid to function as an easy-to-open/close dust cover, and a slot is made by drilling a plurality of holes and connecting them for an extra-long plastic spoon which is permanently placed in a glass container of chili oil. No need to wash the spoon after every use.

  

Ad Hoc Drilling Platform with Metallic and Cardboard Boxes

• Since I do not have a workshop with machining equipment, finding a good platform for drilling is a challenge. A hole was made in an empty can (of cookies) made of steel to function as a permanent drilling platform, especially for Koreless Frozen Pizza. An empty cardboard box (of almond milk) turned out to form a good temporary drilling platform, to be thrown into a recycling bin after use.

  

Hands-Free Carrying of Everything by a Sternum Strap

• A backpack with a sternum strap provides extra support for the rest of a backpacker's body by easing the pressure on the backpacker's shoulders. Extending the sternum strap around the backpacker's body makes it possible to hook other bags so that truly hands-free carrying of everything is achieved.

  

iPhone Shortcut to Display a Library Barcode

• The public library uses Code 39 (Alpha39, Code 3 of 9, Code 3/9, Type 39, USS Code 39, USD-3). Since it is an optical barcode instead of near-field communication (NFC), it can be shown on the iPhone to be read by an optical scanner instead of having to take out the plastic library card from a physical wallet. Such a barcode is generated by any on-line barcode generator website, then stored on iCloud for mobile access. A shortcut is programmed to display the barcode.

  

Human Wash Showerhead Optimisation with Vertical Jet Spray

• After more than 3 years of using the award-winning Human Wash: Showerhead with an Integrated Liquid Detergent Dispenser, I suddenly realized that Venturi effect works at a non-horizontal angle as well. So, the Human Wash was re-designed to direct the showerhead's nozzle to spray jet of dihydrogen monoxide (H2O) with surfactant in vertical direction to align with the vertical shape of a human body while taking a shower, thus providing the Most Efficiently Cleaning a Human Body (MECHB). Thanks to surface tension, surfactant does not leak out of the plastic container. A torn looped resistance band is used to support the weight of the surfactant.

  

Prevention of Faecal Matter Sticking to a Toilet Bowl by Floating 1-Ply Tissue Paper

• Depending on the tenacity of faecal matter, it sticks to the surface of a toilet bowl, causing some embarrassingly disgusting situations especially when visiting another home. Flushing the toilet again would increase the host's consumption of dihydrogen monoxide (H2O). So, a sheet of 1-ply tissue paper is put into the toilet bowl to float before defecation so that faecal matter would not stick to the toilet bowl.

  

Water Spray Gun's Spring Replacement from a Clothes Hanger

• The 30-year old Gardena Adjustable Water Spray Gun's spring broke off. So, a metallic torsion spring from a clothes hanger was gooped inside the trigger mechanism of the water spray gun. The cracked bottom was gooped and covered by a piece of electrical tape, and extra enforcement was provided by an ultra-wide elastic band.

  

Crumpled Junk-Mail Flyer for Foot Protection

• Wearing new shoes or boots is exciting, but they tend to cause damage to human feet because the new shoes/boots are stiff. So, a sheet of paper from junk-mail flyer is crumpled and placed around the vulnerable area of the human foot. The crumpled sheet of paper makes a plurality of point contacts with human skin instead of a broad contact which may damage the human skin due to abrasive friction.

  

iPhone-Enhanced Holiday Decoration by Laser Light Figure with a Vibrator

• The heavier the top portion of the iron cord holder is, the greater the amplitude of the vibration becomes. So, a battery holder is adhesively attached to the top portion of the iron cord holder to make chaotic contacts with the laser portion. Furthermore, a heavy iPhone Plus is magnetically attached to the iron cord holder, and a Shortcut is programmed in order to provide stochastic vibration for the laser light show.

  

Holiday Decoration by Laser Light Figure with a Vibrator

• A Focusable 200-250mW 650nm Laser Module Red Dot Laser Generator Diode is attached to a vibrator, and the assembly is mounted on the iron cord holder of an ironing board. Vibration from the vibrator causes movement of the high-power laser dot, resulting in a closed figure which is ideal for illuminating an exterior wall, snow on the driveway, etc. as holiday decoration.

  

A Mini-Bowl Acoustic Dome for an iPhone in a Bathroom

• In a bathroom, an iPhone is placed in a glass mini bowl which is placed on top of the plastic cover of a trash can. Acoustic effect is enhanced thanks to the hard glass of the mini bowl on the soft plastic cover of the trash can. The arrangement gives an ideal environment for listening to the newspaper while doing nature's call pee/poop business.

  

Ad Hoc Laptop Stand with Quantized Angle Control by Paperback Books

• At a place where a Laptop Stand is not available, I found that my MacBook Air computer's hinge between the keyboard portion and the display portion happens to align with a desktop bookshelf for providing stable support. The angle of the keyboard can be adjusted by changing the number of paperback books to lift up the proximate end of MacBook Air computer's keyboard portion.

  

Ventilation Outlet Clearance by a Singing Rod Suspended by a Fish Line

• Where there is not enough space for using a plastic container to push the curtain for clearing the ventilation outlet, an aluminum "Singing Rod" turned out to be effective in separating 2 panels of the curtain when the top of the curtain is closed. The aluminum "Singing Rod" is suspended by a fish line from high above for the Synergetic High-Pitch Acoustic Resonance by Fish-Line Hanging of a Heavy Bolt and a Singing Rod.

  

Room Temperature Optimisation by Clearing Ventilation Outlet

• After 30+ years of living in the house, I suddenly realised that heavy thermal curtain was blocking the ventilation outlet and directing hot/cold air from the central heat pump system towards the bay window area. So, a plastic container (of grape juice concentrate) is strategically placed in order to push the curtain away so that the ventilation outlet is cleared to direct hot/cold air in winter/summer towards the middle of the room.

  

Multi-Screen Workstation with a Plane/Convex Mirror

• The quest for ultimate home office has led to the Most Efficiently Productive Workstation Environment (MEPWE) in which 2 non-functional Apple Design Powered Speakers are placed sideways around a MacBook Air computer. A plane/convex mirror is adhesively attached to the top of one of the loudspeakers. Multiple iPhones are magnetically attached to the steel grille of the other loudspeaker which is stabilised by 2 ultra-wide elastic bands with a plastic bar from a clothes hanger for optimal viewing angle to provide ultimate multi-tasking environment. At full capacity, the MEPWE has more computing devices than a typical workstation at NASA's Space Mission Control Centre does.

  

2-Steep Up-Down Temperature Control with Thermal Inertia

• I signed up for Hydro-Québec's dynamic rate offerings that lower electricity pricing during peak demand events. Daily peaks occur on weekdays: in the mornings from 06:00 to 09:00, and in the evenings from 16:00 to 20:00. Rather than simply lowering temperature at daily peaks, I set the thermostat of my central heat pump system to provide up-down-up-down, taking advantage of thermal inertia (the degree of slowness with which the temperature of a body approaches that of its surroundings).

  

Providing Even Support by a Super-Wide Elastic Band

• A stretch band for physiotherapy exercise split in half. The thin super-wide elastic band turned out to be ideal for keeping construction pieces attached together by producing uniform pressure in order to provide extra stability. The iPhone Holder with a Hula Hoop is a prominent example.

  

Application of Isopropyl Alcohol by a Plastic Medical Syringe

• Isopropyl alcohol ((CH3)2CHOH) has been found to be quite effective in combating infestation of fruit flies. However, it was difficult to pour isopropyl alcohol from its container's large opening to a small hole on the pot cover to reach the potting soil. A plastic medical syringe to the rescue.

  

Automobile Engine-Oil Funnel for Wine Transfer

• To transfer fermented grape juice from a plastic fermenting pail to a carboy, a polyvinyl tubing is used. To finish off the transfer, it is more efficient to use a funnel. So, a 30-year old plastic funnel for automobile engine oil was thoroughly cleaned up to be re-purposed for this function.

  

Extension of a Gift Bag's Handle by Elastic Bands

• Too many gifts in a too small bag made the gift bag explode. A bunch of elastic bands to the rescue. The bundled elastic bands form an extension of the bag's handle for transportation. After reaching the destination, the elastic bands are dismantled and put into a compost bin.

  

Method of Making Refrigerator-Dried Cheese Jerky on a Microwave Oven Grille

• The Method of Making Refrigerator-Dried Smoked Salmon Jerky on a Microwave Oven Grille with a Removable Oil-Catching Tray has been very successful in producing delicacy. My professional artist daughter was about to throw away cheese that had dried out in her refrigerator. Since it tasted good when I ate it, I decided to embrace the mummified cheese as delicacy.

  

Hyper-Nutritious Falafel Pucks

• Falafel mix powder just needs dihydrogen monoxide (H2O). To make it more nutritious, however, H2O is substituted by vegetable juice. Moreover, olive oil and eggs are added to the preparation. Here is the recipe for 4 servings.
  • 396 g | falafel mix (powder)
  • 300 g | V8 juice (340 ml/can) OR Oasis juice (300 ml/can)
  • 75 g | olive oil (extra virgin)
  • 3 | whole eggs AND eggshells (ground in a blender for 3 m)
  • mix in a blender at max power for 3 m, pour the mixture into (a) silicone muffin/cupcake pan(s) with an ice cream scoop, cook in a microwave oven: P-6 for 12 m + P-0 (Timer) for 6 m + flip dry for 6 m

  

Fatal Attraction of Flies by Tissue Paper

• While experiencing serious infestation of fruit flies around an indoor avocado tree, I left tissue paper on the floor to catch them. Quite unexpectedly, I noticed that fruit flies are attracted to the tissue paper. It is known that flies are attracted to ultraviolet (UV) light in the electromagnetic radiation, so they are probably attracted to tissue paper because white paper incorporates fluorescent whitening agents (FWA).

  

Providing Air Gap between Rare-Earth Magnets

• The magnetic attraction force of dipole magnets follows inverse-cube law (1 / (r ^ 3)). If 2 rare-earth magnets were directly attached together, then it would be very difficult to detach them due to strong magnetic attraction force. Alternatively, if there were air gap between 2 rare-earth magnets, then detachment would be much easier. A cap of a salsa container is made of circular planar steel with a plastic ring around, making it ideal to provide such air gap on an acoustic dome.

  

Bed Theatre with Uni-Directional Acoustic Dome on a Lampshade

• The magnetised iPhone attached to a lampshade has been very successful for comfortably watching Star Trek on the iPhone in bed. However, the sound from the iPhone was directed sideways. So, a piece of double-sided Nano Magic Tape is used to attach a mixing bowl to the convex lampshade, sandwiched by ring-shaped rare-earth magnets. The iPhone is magnetically attached with air gap to the lampshade which functions as an acoustic dome. The lamp appropriately illuminates the ceiling.

  

Crumpled Paper Ball-Pit Play Facility

• IKEA's Magical Forest of Småland is a children's play area with a ball-pit, perfect for jumping and bouncing. To emulate the Småland play experience, numerous sheets of newspaper and junk-mail flyer are crumpled and put on the floor so that kids can jump into the paper ball-pit from a sofa above.

  

Balloon-Encased Gift

• The lip of an ordinary balloon can expand greatly to swallow surprisingly large objects, e.g., toys like a ceramic figurine and a teddy bear, foods like a granola bar, coins and bills, etc. It makes novel gift wrapping in which a recipient can pop the balloon to expose and access the object. Balloons are made of natural latex which is biodegradable and environmentally safe.

  

Double-Decker Microwave Cooking with Oscillating Turntable

• The Single-Decker Microwave Cooking with Periodic Shifting of Side-by-Side Silicone Muffin/Cupcake Pans worked fine, but it was necessary to shift the pans laterally every 3 minutes or so during cooking because the turntable had to be OFF. Although it is not documented in the Over The Range microwave Oven's Owner's Manual, I found that the turntable automatically reverses the direction of rotation when the motor encounters resistance of torque. So, 2 silicone muffin/cupcake pans are stacked in tandem fashion, and the turntable oscillates whenever the double-decker pans hit the wall. No more manual intervention.

  

Stress Ball Disappearance Magic Trick

• Elastic stress relievers are made of closed-cell polyurethane foam rubber (PFR). Disposable drink cups are made of expanded (not extruded) polystyrene foam (EPS). Manually deforming a drinking cup whose inner diameter is similar to the outer diameter of a spherical stress ball makes it possible to hold or release the stress ball by hand, allowing a magician to trick the audience as to where the stress ball is.

  

Diagonal Drying of a Plastic Container and its Cover

• After washing and rinsing a plastic container (of grape juice concentrate), if it is dried with its opening straight down, then evaporated dihydrogen monoxide (H2O) is trapped inside. If the plastic container is dried with its opening straight up, then some H2O stays liquid at the bottom. So, diagonal drying of the plastic container is ideal. The situation applies to a bowl, a cup, a dish, a glass, a jar, etc.

  

Mustard-Matcha (M & M) Tea Drink: Shaken, not Stirred

• Mustard seeds are good sources of trace minerals selenium (Se) and magnesium (Mg) which have health benefits of preventing cancer and managing hypertension, migraines, etc. When a jar of Dijon mustard was finished but residual paste on the glass wall remained due to its high viscosity, matcha powder (anti-oxidant) was added and high-temperature dihydrogen monoxide (H2O) was poured into the jar to make tea drink. Finally, the jar was covered and shaken, not stirred.

  

Reinforcement of iPhone Holder with a Hula Hoop

• When the successful iPhone Holder with a Hula Hoop developed loose connection, a ring-shaped rare-earth Magnet was added to substitute a nut. However, its connection also became loose due to the cracked tube. So, the plastic tube was tightened by copper wire, and a near-matching plastic drywall anchor for a wood screw was added for reinforcement.

  

Horizontal Hook for Quetzal Bike Storage

• There are a couple of fancy Bike-Up Bicycle Parking Systems on one wall in my garage, but it does not accommodate an over-sized Quetzal Bike. So, a hook on another wall in the garage was changed from vertical orientation to horizontal orientation in order to store the Quetzal Bike during off-season.

  

Tree-Penetration Thermal Curtain Open/Close by Rare-Earth Magnets

• My indoor avocado plant has outgrown the bay-window area. Thanks to the Plant-Growth Direction Shifting from Vertical to Horizontal, tree's branches are bending towards the centre of the room instead of punching through the ceiling. A pair of disc-shaped rare-earth magnets are attached to each side of the Thermal Window Curtains in order block radiant heat loss near the desk so that I get enough visible light without feeling too cold while working. Opening the curtains automatically detaches the rare-earth magnets.

  

Transforming a Shopping Bag into an Ad Hoc Backpack

• While cycling to a grocery store, I found 30 eggs in a carton on sale. Unfortunately, my mini-backpack was too small to carry the egg carton. Carrying the shopping bag on bicycle's handle would be not only awkward but also dangerous. So, the shopping bag was worn as a backpack in ad hoc fashion.

  

Oxygen-Permeable Fly-Blocking Tissue Paper on a Houseplant Pot

• The Keeping Houseplants Alive by a Plastic Cover as Vapour Barrier has been successful in keeping dihydrogen monoxide (H2O)'s evaporation rate low. Although the cover also suppresses the infestation of fruit flies, there are still some fruit flies coming out of the gap every day. So, paper towel, which is permeable to dioxygen (O2) gas, is used to fill the gap. Soaking the paper towel with sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl) was not effective but isopropyl alcohol ((CH3)2CHOH) was effective.

  

Lampshade Decoration on a Plastic Platform

• A lampshade used to be a burning hell with the heat from an incandescent lamp at 60 W. Now, a Compact Fluorescent Lamp (CFL) at 15 W or a Light-Emitting Diode (LED) at 12 W does not generate so much heat. So, a plastic platform is placed on top of a lampshade, and some objects are placed on the platform for decoration.

  

Stop-Drinking Sign on a Wine Container's Sealed Nozzle

• I experienced hangover with severe nausea on the day after cycling for 42 km round trip and drinking about 400 ml of red wine. In order to prevent ethanol (C2H5OH) poisoning, the nozzle of a red wine container is covered by low-density polyethylene (LDPE) plastic wrap, and a STOP sign was affixed as a reminder. God knows how long it will last...

  

Leak Stop by Encapsulating Dihydrogen Monoxide in Hydrogel

• The Variably-Adjustable iPhone Stand by a Broken Halogen Desk Lamp has been successful, but the counterweight mayonnaise container filled with dihydrogen monoxide (H2O) developed micro-leak. So, "Crystal Ball" hydrogel balls were added in order to absorb H2O, and to minimise evaporation loss.

  

Ring-Shaped Rare-Earth Magnet to Substitute a Nut

• The iPhone Holder with a Hula Hoop has been very successful as it is used every day. However, the flat-head bolt has become loose. Since there is no nut for this type of flat-head bolt, a ring-shaped rare-earth magnet is put in place as a substitute.

  

Optical Image Tracing for Signature Forging

• Many dinosaur government agencies still do not take any electronic signature, so I had to forge a signature of my engineer daughter who is studying out-of-province. A translucent plastic board is placed in front of a light source. An existing signature from a different form is placed on the plastic board, followed by a piece of paper for practice.

  

Tissue Paper Splitting from n-Ply to 1-Ply

• It is easy to forget that 2-ply or 3-ply tissue paper actually has 2 or 3 sheets of tissue paper stuck together in layers. For light-duty tasks like capturing fruit fries, 1-ply tissue is enough. Using 1-ply tissue paper results in 1/2 the cost of 2-ply tissue paper or 1/3 the cost of 3-ply tissue paper, of course.

  

Showerhead Nozzle Direction of Human Wash

• The award-winning Human Wash: Showerhead with an Integrated Liquid Detergent Dispenser has been very successful, to say the least. Further improvement by changing a shower caddy from an old rigid plastic model to a modern Umbra Flex Shower Caddy with flexible silicone band makes it possible to direct the showerhead nozzle downwards to provide the Most Efficiently Optimal Shower Experience (MEOSE).

  

Medicine Cabinet Organisation with Double-Sided Adhesive Tape

• Medicine cabinets can easily become overcrowded. Nano Magic Tape Traceless Washable Double Sided Adhesive Tape is adhered on the back side of the medicine cabinet door for storing glooming tools (safety scissors, nail clippers, tweezers, ear pick, etc.) to hung so that medicine cabinet's shelf can accommodate more pill bottles.

  

Ring-Shaped Rare-Earth Magnet Stitch-Gooped to an iPhone

• The Silicone-Tape-Covered Penetrating Magnet through an iPhone Case has been very successful. However, my geological engineer/exploration geologist daughter Évelyne did not want to punch a hole through her iPhone case. So, she sewed stitches and gooped a ring-shaped rare-earth magnet to the iPhone case instead. The configuration has been battle-tested.

  

Candle with Encapsulated Dihydrogen Monoxide in Hydrogel

• An emergency candle had melted due to heat inside a car's trunk. The candle's wick was recovered, and the candle's wax was melted for rejuvenation. Meanwhile, dihydrogen monoxide (H2O) was captured by rehydrating "Crystal Ball" dried hydrogel balls. The wax was poured on the hydrogel balls in layer-by-layer fashion inside a plastic bottle (of vegetable juice).

  

Doubling Up Resealable Bags for an Extra-Long Item

• Sometimes, there is a need to store an extra-long item in a plastic bag for storage. 2 resealable plastic bags can be joined together to serve the function if one of them is flipped inside out. The male zipper of the first bag engages not with the female zipper of the first bag but with the female zipper of the second bag. The female zipper of the first bag engages not with the male zipper of the first bag but with the male zipper of the second bag.

  

Keeping Houseplants Alive by a Plastic Cover as Vapour Barrier

• The Keeping Houseplants Alive by a Plastic Sheet as Vapour Barrier worked very well for keeping my 2 houseplants (avocado, bamboo) survive during 2 weeks of absence. So, the temporary experiment with a plastic bag is converted to a permanent solution by cutting a plastic cover of a container (of grape juice concentrate). The cover also suppresses the infestation of fruit flies due to the addition of spent ground coffee beans to the soil.

  

Wetting T-Shirt Neck for Evaporative Cooling

• Coming back from a morning walk, my body was sweating, but it was too early for a shower because of the fireworks at night. As dihydrogen monoxide (H2O) molecules evaporate, the surface from which they evaporate gets cooler in a process called evaporative cooling. So, simply wetting the neck portion of a T-shirt provides the Most Efficiently Cooling a Neck by Evaporation (MECNE).

  

Hydrophobic Wax Coating of All-Season Shoes

• The All-Season Shoes by Water-Repellent Spray has been successful, but it lost effectiveness after constant wearing of the shoes. Instead of buying expensive 3M Scotchgard Protector spray, inexpensive paraffin wax with melting point of 333 K was applied to the surface of the shoes, followed by heating the shoes under the sunlight or in an oven or by a hair dryer.

  

Upright Screwdriver Organiser by Holes on a Plastic Cover

• The tool room on the basement was messy with screwdrivers all over the place. So, a plurality of evenly-spaced holes are drilled into the cover of a plastic container (of grape juice concentrate) so that screwdrivers (Robertson, Phillips, Hex, Slot, Allen, etc.) can be inserted into the holes. The handle of the plastic container makes it easy to carry.

  

Paint Brush Extension for Painting Narrow-Gap Space

• After 32 years of service, I had my Coleman THE central heat pump system replaced by a Daikin system whose outside unit was placed very close to the windows. When it was time to re-paint window panes, my professional artist daughter Véronique attached a paint brush to one end of a rusted-out pole of a sweeper by elastic bands in order to paint narrow-gap space high above.

  

Leak-Absorption by Reinforcement of an Old Towel

• My 32-year old General Electric heavy-duty cloth washer has developed leakage of dihydrogen monoxide (H2O) at the bottom. my geological engineer/exploration geologist daughter Évelyne wrapped a clothes hanger with an old towel, then attached the towel with diaper pins as a temporary stop-gap measure to absorb H2O on the cushion floor until a suitable replacement of heavy-duty washer/dryer combination is found.

  

Protecting Stairs by Old Rugs, Doormats, Carpets, etc.

• The stairs from the garage into the house were re-painted after 5 years of wear and tear. In order to protect the surface of the newly-painted stairs, old entryway rugs, doormats, carpets and floor mats from scrapped cars are placed on the steps of the stairs à la Frankenstein's monster. The staircase is surrounded by a recycling bin a garbage bin. A compost bin is unused because my daily Green-Magenta-Orange (GMO) Meals do not use anything compostable as the Most Efficiently Prepared Nutritious Meals (MEPNM).

  

Permanently-Open Upside-Down Sauce Dispenser

• The ingenious upside-down sauce dispenser keeps the sauce near its nozzle by gravity. However, having to open and close its plastic cap is a tedious chore for a lazy person. So, a hole is drilled at the middle of the plastic cap, then the open/close mechanism of the plastic cap is permanently disabled by electrical tape. There is no leakage inside a refrigerator and on a dining table thanks to the self-sealing valve and high viscosity of the sauce.

  

Clicking Sounds from a Drink Bottle

• The tethered plastic cap of a drink bottle has gear teeth on its external surface. The ring portion of the plastic cap is permanently attached to the neck of the drink bottle. Extra-looping the tether portion of the plastic cap causes friction with the gear teeth and generates pleasant clicking sounds when the plastic cap is rotated for its removal.

  

Shortcuts: "Dummy Call" and "Bicycle Bell"

• The "Dummy Call" shortcut programmed on the iPhone (iOS) generates 5 vibrations as a dummy call in order to escape from a socially awkward situation.

• The "Bicycle Bell" shortcut programmed on the iPhone (iOS) generates 5 bell sounds (file "Glass.aiff") in order to warn a pedestrian when riding a bicycle or to warn a cyclist when walking on a shared path.

  

Grass Ball from a Lawn Mower

• After my geological engineer/exploration geologist daughter Évelyne passed a lawn mower on the front yard of the house, the internal surface of the lawn mower was covered with accumulated cut grass. She collected the cut grass, and created a grass ball which has little utility other than for decoration or for throwing at somebody.

  

Plastic Wrap Vizor as an Onion/Oil Shield

• As my geological engineer/exploration geologist daughter Évelyne sliced onions, she was suffering from tear response. Since she had a LASIK operation a few years back, her eyes were not protected from eyeglasses or contact lenses. So, low-density polyethylene (LDPE) plastic wrap with a pair of hair pins is used as a visor to shield her eyes from onion's propyl sulfoxide. Such a vizor is effective to evade splashing oil from a pan during shallow-frying.

  

Lifeline Rope Secured by a Window Crank

• For painting the outside of windows on the upper floor, a lifeline rope is a necessity for safety of the painter. The lifeline rope is passed through the gap of a crank window, then the crank window is closed and locked. The portion of the lifeline rope inside the house is wounded to the window crank for secure attachment.

  

Double-Action Rope and Paint Drip Catcher

• Slits are made on 2 sides of a used plastic container (of yogurt), and a rope is passed through the 2 slots. The container is filled with paint, and the rope is hung from a ladder or from a human wrist. The other end of the rope on the loop across the top of the container is used as a drip catcher to remove any excess paint from a paint brush.

  

Over-Sized Ice Cube by Double-Freezing

• After ice cubes are formed by freezing dihydrogen monoxide (H2O), they are put back into the tray in a different orientation, i.e., rotated by pi/2 radian (90 degrees), and more H2O is added to form over-sized ice cubes. Over-sized ice cubes last longer in beverage because the total surface area of one large ice cube is less than that of a plurality of small ice cubes having identical mass.

  

Combustion-less Electric Cheese Fondue in a Deep Fryer

• A typical fondue set comprises a cast-iron pot which is heated by fuel. Combustion of fuel generates carbon dioxide (CO2). For green electric solution, a deep fryer is re-purposed as a combustion-less fondue pot. The electric pot with its dial provides finer temperature control than the cast-iron pot with combustion does.

  

Even Distribution of Shower Curtain Hooks

• The Partially-Open Shower to Counter the Shower-Curtain Effect has been successful, but the shower curtain's hooks were all over the place. In order to evenly distribute the gaps between the shower curtain's hooks, a bar of polyethylene foam pipe insulation was cut into small pieces. Then, each piece was put between each gap.

  

3-Dimensional Drum Toy by Inverted Cardboard/Steel Containers

• A plurality of containers (of matcha) are inverted first, then assembled together on a table to form a drum set for kids. Since the container's side wall is made of cardboard and the container's bottom plate is made of steel, the drum set generates purer percussion sound than that of all-steel construction does. Disposable plastic spoons are not disposed but re-purposed as drum sticks. A kid may grow up to be a world-class steelpan player.

  

Local Magnification of iPhone Display by a Lenticular Lens

• In certain apps on the iPhone (e.g., YouTube, FibeTV, etc.), it is possible to watch a movie while reading its detailed description below. However, the video image of the movie, even on a Pro-size iPhone, is very small. A lenticular lens is mounted on cardboard, and the assembly is attached to the iPhone by adhesive tape so that only the video image gets magnified.

  

Ergonomic Foot Rest Cushion Under a Kneeling Chair

• The kneeling chair is indispensable for keeping the back upright by the forward-tilting seat pan while working. However, the suspended feet may not feel so comfortable. An armrest of an old sofa is placed on the floor behind the shin support of the kneeling chair in order to provide more comfortable working environment.

  

Folding a Cushion for Ergonomic Neck Support

• Using a regular convex throw pillow for the head while lying down on a sofa and reading or watching a movie on the iPhone may cause neckache due to poor posture. A back pillow of an old sofa is folded in half and placed on the sofa. Even though it is colour-mismatched, the configuration provides sold neck support on the sofa.

  

Tandem Comprehensive Indoor Weather Station

• Sensi thermostat shows indoor relative humidity on its display panel and on the Sensi app, but it does not generate any alerts. The free Smart Water Leak and Freeze Detector that I got from my insurance company's Alert programme does not measure indoor relative humidity, but the detector sounds an alarm as well as sends an alert to a mobile app on the iPhone via Wi-Fi. Combining the best of both worlds thanks to Nano Magic Tape Traceless Washable Double Sided Adhesive Tape results in a tandem comprehensive indoor weather station.

  

Bedroom Astronomy to Observe Comet NEOWISE

• Comet Hale-Bopp (1997) was an unusually bright comet that flew by Earth in April. It was visible to naked eye, but Comet NEOWISE (2020) is too faint to be observed by naked eye in a city due to light pollution and hazy atmosphere in July. So, the tripod of a cheap telescope for kids is mounted on an ironing board for comfortable comet viewing from an air-conditioned bedroom.

  

Horizontal-Half Freezing of Dihydrogen Monoxide in a Drink Bottle

• It is customary to put ice cubes into a drink bottle on a hot day, but it is a tedious chore for a lazy person. Since the density of dihydrogen monoxide (H2O) is lower in solid phase than in liquid phase, solid ice floats in liquid water. A drink bottle 1/2 filled with water can be placed in a freezer in upright position, but the resulting ice blocks the flow of water when drinking liquid. So, a 1/2 filled drink bottle is horizontally placed in a freezer so that the resulting elongated ice would not block the flow of water when drinking liquid. Rotating 2 or 3 drink bottles would be ideal.

  

Integrated Assembly of Wine-Making Tube, Cane and Tip

• In wine-making process, an anti-sediment siphon-saver racking tip is pressure-inserted into an end of an acrylic racking cane. Since the parts are prone to detachment especially after many years of use, Goop is applied to the connection point in order to permanently attach them. The acrylic racking cane is also permanently attached to the polyvinyl racking tube by the elasticity of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) alone. So, the 3 components are never detached, saving the hassle of attaching, detaching and washing them individually after every use.

  

Rotatable Uni-Directional Acoustic Dome on a Lazy Susan

• The Uni-Directional Acoustic Dome on a Magnetic Tabletop iPhone Tower has been very successful in directing louder sound to a listener at a table. A turntable was recuperated from the old microwave oven (Panasonic NN-S255W), and turntable's glass tray and roller ring were re-purposed to function as a Lazy Susan to direct the acoustic dome to any angular position on a table.

  

Goop as Leak Shield of a Spill-Proof Drinking Bottle

• The Spill-Proof Drinking Bottle causes no spill from the drinking straw, but the gap between the plastic container body and the plastic lid causes leakage because the plastic container is designed for peanut butter with high viscosity. So, re-purposing the peanut-butter jar to serve low-viscosity liquid (e.g., TeaVin, etc.) causes leakage. Goop to the rescue, applied to the right-angle circumferential inner corner of the lid at pi/2 radian (90 degrees), closing the gap with its elasticity.

  

Detachable Condensation Tray Magnetically Attached to a Spill-Proof Drinking Bottle

• Unlike the aluminum drink bottle with a flat bottom, a Spill-Proof Drinking Bottle has a concave bottom to which a ring-shaped rare-earth magnet is gooped. A steel lid (of a matcha container) is magnetically attached to the ring-shaped rare-earth magnet. A circle-cut piece of paper towel is sandwiched between the ring-shaped rare-earth magnet and the steel lid in order to absorb condensation of dihydrogen monoxide (H2O) dripping from above on hot humid days. The steel lid is detachable for washing, and the circle-cut piece of paper towel is replaceable.

  

Beverage Coaster Permanently Adhered to a BPA-Free Drink Bottle

• My bisphenol A (BPA)-free drink bottle is made of aluminum (Al) which has high thermal conductivity. As a result, ice-cold TeaVin with ice cubes inside the drink bottle causes condensation of dihydrogen monoxide (H2O) on the surface, dripping to the desktop/tabletop and making mess on hot humid days. Instead of providing a plurality of beverage coasters throughout the house, a beverage coaster with high absorbency is permanently adhered to the drink bottle by Nano Magic Tape Traceless Washable Double Sided Adhesive Tape.

  

Single-Decker Microwave Cooking with Periodic Shifting of Side-by-Side Silicone Muffin/Cupcake Pans

• Microwave oven's turntable cannot rotate over-sized silicone muffin/cupcake pans placed side by side. The old microwave oven (Panasonic NN-S255W) had a steel rack for double-decker cooking, so I was periodically swapping 2 pans between the lower deck and the upper deck. The new microwave oven (Panasonic NN-ST27HW) lacks a steel rack. The cavity magnetron in a microwave oven emits microwave radiation at the frequency of 2.45 GHz (wavelength of 122 mm), so hot spots show up every 30 mm. Near-even cooking is achieved by periodically shifting the pans laterally during cooking.

  

Deleting a Plastic Mounting Piece in a Curtain Rail

• I noticed that my 30-year old curtain was sagging. It turned out that a plastic mounting piece had become brittle and disintegrated. When I removed the plastic mounting piece, I found that an existing steel pin alone can bear the weight of the curtain while the curtain moves along the curtain rail, without any plastic mounting piece. This is an example of over-engineering to add extra unnecessary part which becomes the weakest link over time.

  

One of Master Bathroom's Twin Sinks as an iPhone Resonator

• The master bathroom of my master bedroom has twin sinks, one of which is unused, off-limits to dihydrogen monoxide (H2O). Although the bathroom itself is a good resonator of sound, the bowl-shaped sink functions as an even better acoustic resonator. The audio output from iPhone's Music app is loud and clear while using the other sink for washing hands, brushing teeth, etc.

  

Bathtub Level Alert by a Water Leak and Freeze Detector

• My insurance company offers a prevention programme for home insurance policyholders. The Alert programme is free and includes 1 free Smart Water Leak and Freeze Detector for each insured location. I realised that the detector can be used by a parent who gives bath to his/her child(ren). The detector is either magnetically attached to a steel bathtub or hung from above while the bathtub is being filled. When dihydrogen monoxide (H2O) reaches a threshold level, the detector sounds an alarm as well as sends an alert to a mobile app on the parent's iPhone via Wi-Fi. The setup is ideal for busy parents who can also save consumption of heated H2O and electrical power.

  

Combining Related Manuals by Paperclips

• User manuals of household appliances still come on physical paper instead of an ePub or a PDF file. For example, an over-the-range microwave oven (Panasonic NN-ST27HW) comes with an "Owner's Manual" and an "INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS". These 2 documents are combined by 2 paperclips, one at the top and another at the bottom, in order to minimise organisational chaos of manuals on the bookshelf so that it can be found later as needed.

  

Channelling iPhone Sound to Mini Stereo System via Bluetooth FM Transmitter

• Since Communauto's hybrid car has built-in Bluetooth access, the Bluetooth FM Transmitter which plugs into car's 12-V DC power outlet has become redundant. So, it is now powered by Adjustable Digital DC Switching Power Supply at 12 V. Previously, wired connection had to be made from iPhone's 3.5-mm headphone jack to an old analogue Mini Stereo System for audio. Now, Mini Stereo System's FM radio can tune to Bluetooth FM transmitter's frequency of 100.0 MHz in order to listen to sound from nearby iPhone showing Star Trek. No need for expensive smart speakers (e.g., Amazon Echo, Google Home, etc.).

  

Magnetic Attachment of an iPhone to a Microwave Oven

• My 13-year old over-the-range microwave oven (Panasonic NN-S255W) finally broke, so it was replaced by a new one (Panasonic NN-ST27HW). The new model has a decorative steel plate above the door to which a magnetised iPhone can be attached. Hence, it has become easier to set a timer, check recipe, and watch news and movies on the iPhone while cooking.

  

Magnetic Braking by an InstaThaw Defrosting Tray

• As roller coaster ride comes to an end, magnets on the train induce eddy currents in the braking fins, giving rise to braking force. The InstaThaw Defrosting Tray is not made of ferromagnetic material like steel, but it conducts electricity. So, a sliding rare-earth magnet is slowed down on a steep slope. The simple setup makes a good demonstration for practical applications.

  

Vertically Balancing Coins with a Rare-Earth Magnet

• Several coins can be vertically stacked up by carefully balancing magnetic attraction force from a disc-shaped rare-earth magnet above. Russian coins of 10 kopeks (0.1 RUB) are ideal because of their relatively large thickness. The coins are made of brass-plated steel which is ferromagnetic. The configuration has potential pedagogical value for physics and maths.

  

iPhone Shortcut: Tap to Contact Me!

• I received a suggestion that "Dream-Inspired Photo Identification" should have a way for the finder to contact me in case my items are lost and found by somebody else. For the portfolio case, QR Code and text of e-mail address and/or phone number can be printed out below the photo. For the iPhone, swiping right over the Lock screen reveals Shortcut widget "Tap to Contact Me!" In RED for the finder to execute. On iPhone's "Settings" > "Health", you can set "Medical ID" > "Emergency Contacts". Then, tapping "Emergency" on the Enter Passcode screen shows an emergency contact phone number. However, no alternative e-mail address can be shown.

• The simple Tap to Contact Me! Shortcuts programme has a "Text" component to which text to display is entered, followed by "Show Alert" component for showing an alternative e-mail address and a phone number. >

  

Dream-Inspired Photo Identification

• PBS NOVA's "What Are Dreams?" says "Dreams have been responsible for two Nobel prizes, the invention of a couple of major drugs, other scientific discoveries, several important political events, and innumerable novels, films and works of visual art, so they've been very important in our society." In one dream, I was a university student who lost an iPhone and a portfolio case. I was asking people around to no avail. So, I thought of affixing an identifying photo just in case such a situation arises in real life.

  

Self-Supported Laptop Laidback Adjustable Stand by Armchair's Gap

• In my quest for most comfortable workstation at a home office, I realised that the venerable Laptop Laidback Adjustable Stand can be self-supported by inserting its 2 legs into the gap between the armrest and the bottom cushion of an armchair. Also, a vertically-placed pillow provides continuous back support.

  

Prying Open a Vacuum-Sealed Pouch

• I was painfully cutting a vacuum-sealed pouch of smoked salmon with a pair of scissors to extract slices of individually packaged salmon. Then, my professional artist daughter Véronique or my geological engineer/exploration geologist daughter Évelyne pointed out to me that the plastic pouch can be pried open by separating the 2 plastic sheets by hand from one of the corners in mess-free fashion. The same technique can be used to open vacuum-sealed pouch of plant-based meats, etc.

  

Under-the-Desk Feet Warmer Bowl

• Even if the room temperature is in the comfortable range, human feet may feel uncomfortably cold depending on the atmospheric pressure and/or humidity in the house. In such a situation at a home office, a bowl filled with hot dihydrogen monoxide (H2O) with high specific heat capacity can function as a feet warmer under the desk, ahead of the kneeling chair.

  

Ice Pack Hanging from a Neck by Looped Resistance Band

• To soothe chronic shoulder/back pain from excessive cross-country skiing, the protruding cap portion of an ice pack is attached to a looped resistance band, which in turn is suspended from the neck. A shirt functions as a buffer layer to protect the skin.

  

In-Situ Cleanup of a Blender with Surfactant

• The user guide of a blender advises to fill it with water and switch on for easy-cleaning the assembled jug. However, this method is not quite effective after mixing high-viscosity sticky ingredients like peanut butter. So, a drop of surfactant (dishwashing liquid detergent) is added to dihydrogen monoxide (H2O) before switching on the blender for more effective cleaning.

  

Operating a Solder Gun on a Plastic Cutting Board

• A solder gun operates at high temperature, but if a plastic cutting board (made of polypropylene, polyethylene, polyacrylic, polystyrene, etc.) is thick enough, then it can be used as a base plate for soldering work. The thermoplastic cutting board would certainly melt, but it would not easily catch fire due to the high specific heat capacity of massive plastic material.

  

Copper Wire for Supporting a Ventilation Duct Door

• While installing a bird nest barrier at the ventilation duct opening, protruding portions of the duct door fell off after 30 years of service. So, a copper wire was cut and gooped to a plastic door of the ventilation duct opening to reform the door assembly. The copper wire was inserted into the left and right holes on the duct frame.

  

Bird Nest Barrier with a Plastic Mesh Bag

• A duct opening on a house's brick wall for a kitchen ventilation system is a super-comfortable spot for birds to build their nest thanks to the warm temperature in spring. A bird defeated the previous measure for Preventing a Bird Nest inside a Ventilation Duct Opening, and built a nest in which 3 eggs hatched. Now, an assembly of a plastic mesh bag (of Mini Babybel cheese) together with a copper wire ring is gooped to the ventilation duct opening in order to repel the birds.

  

Toilet Tank Flapper Reinforcement with an Elastic Band

• A rubber flapper inside the toilet tank has become loose after 30 years of service. As a result, it was frequently getting stuck and causing significant leakage. So, an elastic band is put through 2 holes of the flapper behind the overflow tube in order to augment elasticity.

  

Diagonally Balancing an Aluminum Beverage Can

• An aluminum beverage can with fluid capacity of 340 ml weighs about 15 g. When the aluminum beverage can is completely full with dihydrogen monoxide (H2O), it weighs about 370 g. If the weight of H2O is between 30 g and 190 g, then the aluminum beverage can can be diagonally balanced with sufficient stability. The configuration has potential pedagogical value for physics and maths.

  

Tissue Paper Box Magnetically Attached to a Steel Filing Cabinet

• A physical filing cabinet is rarely used, but since it is made of steel, a box of tissue paper box can be magnetically attached to the filing cabinet which is within reachable distance from a workstation. A disc-shaped rare-earth magnet is first attached to a washer for concentrating magnetic field. Since I am right-handed, the tissue paper box is attached to the left-hand side of the handle of the filing cabinet.

  

Cascading Clothes Hangers with Beverage Can's Pull Tabs

• A plastic hanger's hook part is inserted into one hole of the pull tab of an aluminum beverage can (of V8 juice). Then, another plastic hanger's hook part is inserted into the other hole of the pull tab of the aluminum beverage can. The configuration can be repeated to form a cascading clothes hanger to hang a plurality of clothes in order to counter the shortage of space in a closet.

  

Stand-By Shoe Cover at the Entrance for Laced Shoes

• My house has a strict no-shoe policy. When my shoelace-loving kids forget to take something after tying shoelaces, they ask me to pick it up from the no-shoe zone. So, disposable shoe covers are standing by, magnetically suspended from a steel drywall corner bead by a ring-shaped rare-earth magnet at the entrance.
  • Please remove your shoes or boots, and wash your hands.
  • Prière d'enlever vos chaussures ou bottes, et de se laver les mains.

  

Nano Magic Tape Brush Hanging from a Bathroom Mirror

• The Nano Magic Tape Traceless Washable Double Sided Adhesive Tape is indeed washable, so it can be used in messy environment like the bathroom. Pieces of the Nano Magic Tape are adhered at predetermined locations on the bathroom mirror for hanging a hairbrush, a toothbrush, etc.

  

In-Shell Egg Homogenisation by a Coffee Grinder

• An egg in its shell can be homogenised in situ by high-speed rotation. A plastic cap of detergent is gooped to the rotary blade of a coffee grinder, and a plastic cap of juice is gooped inside the plastic cap of detergent. The egg is wrapped in aluminum foil to fill the air gap. When the homogenised egg is boiled, there is no distinction between egg yolk and egg white, i.e., a "golden egg".

  

Hydrogel Hydroponics in a Spheroidal Vase

• It seems that Aloe vera can be hydroponically grown. "Crystal Ball" dried hydrogel balls were rehydrated in a neckless prolate (elongated) spheroidal vase with a narrow opening at the top to minimise the evaporation of dihydrogen monoxide (H2O). The hydrogel balls supports the weight of Aloe vera all right. The size of the hydrogel balls can be control by varying the concentration of all-purpose fertiliser (20-20-20) in H2O, i.e., the higher the concentration is, the smaller the balls are. Crashed vitamin pill was added for nutrition.

  

Normally-Closed Chopsticks by a Torsion Spring

• A metallic torsion spring was extracted from a chip clip (free giftware with shameless promotion). Securly attaching each chopstick to each arm of the torsion spring by Goop and rope makes the tapered ends of the chopsticks normally closed. Pushing the untapered ends of the chopsticks together opens the chopsticks to release a piece of food.

  

Iron Filing Collection by a Magnetic Syringe

• A plastic syringe can be used to collect iron filing. A stack of disc-shaped rare-earth magnets are gooped to the piston of the plastic syringe. A Russian 5 ruble coin is gooped to the cylinder of the syringe. The coin is ferromagnetic, so the magnetic field is concentrated when the piston approaches the cylinder when the iron filing is collected, and the iron filing is released when the piston withdraws from the cylinder.

  

Porousification of Soap by Microwave Radiation

• Heating a bar of soap in a microwave oven for about 3 minutes greatly increases its volume by porousification. The solubility of soap seems to be somewhat enhanced, while the effectiveness of soap's surfactants (free fatty acid salts) does not seem to be affected.

  

USB and Earphone Cable Breakage Preventive Measure by Ballpoint Pen Springs

• Both the USB Cable Breakage Preventive Measure by Looping and the Earphone Cable Breakage Preventive Measure by Goop have worked quite well, but helical coil springs from ballpoint pens (free giftware with shameless promotion) can be wrapped around the cable in order to reduce bending stress at the critical joint. Goop can reinforce the attachment of the spring to the cable.

  

Magnetic Suspension of an Umbrella from an S-Shaped Steel Hook

• When there is no chance of rain in the weather forecast, the Amvel PENTAGON umbrella does not have to be carried in a waist pack. The umbrella's bag has a tab for hanging, but it is awfully awkward to open the loop. So, a ring-shaped rare-earth magnet is permanently tied to the loop for magnetic suspension from an S-shaped steel hook of a steel shelf. The "72 g umbrella" is now a "74 g umbrella".

  

Hands-Free iPhone Movie Watching on a Bus

• A Greyhound bus's seat is equipped with a 110-V AC power outlet. I had downloaded some movies to watch onboard, but holding an iPhone by hand for 2 hours would be torturous. Luckily, the bus was not crowded due to the global pandemic of novel coronavirus. So, the seat belt of the empty seat ahead of mine was flipped to strap the back of the seat, and the magnetised iPhone is magnetically attached to the steel part of the buckle for comfortable movie watching.

  

Strapping Loose Bags with a Seat Belt on a Bus

• Travelling long distance on an intercity Greyhound bus with a plurality of loose open-top bags is insecure. Fortunately, the bus was sparsely populated thanks to the global pandemic of novel coronavirus. The bus's seat belt to the rescue.

  

Coffee Making by a Metallic Fine Mesh Strainer with Paper Towel

• In a situation where neither electric nor manual coffee maker is available, ground coffee beans is wrapped in a sheet of paper towel, then the wrapped coffee is placed in a metallic fine mesh strainer on a drinking cup. Hot dihydrogen monoxide (H2O) is poured onto the wrapped coffee in an extraction process of dissolving soluble flavours from ground coffee beans.

  

All-Season Shoes by Water-Repellent Spray

• My pair of shoes ($19.97 CAD at Walmart) with MEMORY FOAM (ULTRA PLUSH COMFORT) are used year-round as all-season outdoor shoes. They have little problem coping with snow and ice, but liquid dihydrogen monoxide (H2O) penetrates through the side of the shoes. So, 3M Scotchgard Protector was sprayed in order to make the shoes water-repellent.

  

Pseudo-Official Seal by Mini Babybel's Wax

• A university graduate school to which my geological engineer/exploration geologist daughter Évelyne is applying for a master's programme is demanding "documents in seal envelopes" in archaic non-digital fashion. So, I softened wax from Mini Babybel cheese by hot tap water, and used my engineering seal to emulate an official seal. Mini Babybel® says: "The wax we use to coat our products is made of a blend of paraffin and microcrystalline waxes and colouring."

  

Iron Filing Collection Toy

• Collecting iron filing at a sandbox in a park provides valuable educational experience, but detaching the iron filing from a magnet is a pain which may piss off kids. A polyester cord is passed through the centre of a stack of ring-shaped rare-earth magnets, and its end is heat-melted by flame from a butane torch lighter to form a blob. The magnets with the cord are placed inside a marker pen. When the cord is pulled, iron filing is released at a stopper (an elastic band).

  

3-Way Rotating Seesaw Toy by a Convex Cosmetic Cap

• The plastic cap of some kind of cosmetic product's container has a convex top and a flat surface on the other side. When the plastic cap is flipped, the cap can be rotated. Moreover, the flat surface provides an ideal platform for placing LEGO figurines, for example. Since the assembly is self-balancing like a roly-poly doll, it is suitable for young children to create a 3-way rotating seesaw balancing game.

  

Sound Toy by Twinned Metal Bottle Caps

• The metal cap of a glass jar makes loud click sound when the convex bump at the middle is pushed by a finger. Putting 2 metal caps together with or without electrical tape in bottom-to-bottom configuration forms a rudimentary musical instrument suitable for young children. Either single sound or double sound is produced depending on which side(s) is pushed. Filling the cavity with helium (He) gas could produce higher-pitch sound, while sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) gas could produce lower-pitch sound. Cats appreciate clicking sounds.

  

Air Cushion Toy by a Balloon on a CD-ROM/DVD

• A plastic dispenser cap of dish detergent dispenser is gooped to the centre opening of a CD-ROM or a DVD in concentric fashion. A balloon is elastically attached to the top of the dispenser cap to channel air to the gap between the flat bottom of the CD-ROM and the flat desktop for providing hovering action. Balloon's airflow can be stopped by pushing the dispenser cap. This hovercraft configuration is reverse of air hockey.

  

Hairbrush Cleaning with a Comb

• A cushion boar-bristle hairbrush is used to detangle hair, but it is prone to accumulate and keep the hair and dust. A comb is very effective in removing such dirt. The disposable comb was a free gift from an airline company during a long-distance flight 20 years ago.

  

Steel Ground Coffee Container for Paraffin Wax Coating

• The small pan that I was using for coating Quinolent GREEN pucks with paraffin wax was destroyed by the Toothbrush Meltdown incident. A search for its replacement led to a steel container of ground coffee beans from which the polymer-coated label was removed. The container's steel bottom makes direct contact with the small stove top for high enough heat transfer by thermal conductivity.

  

Compactly Carrying iPhone's USB Cable, USB Power Adapter and a Bolt Stand

• iPhone's USB cable is wound and put through a keychain hook for compact carrying. A ring-shaped rare-earth magnet is inserted into the Steel-Bolt Stand for a magnetised iPhone. The steel bolt is then magnetically attached to 2 steel power pins of the USB power adapter at the gap. These assemblies can be carried neatly in a waist pack.

  

Controlling an iPhone by an Aluminum-Foil-Wrapped Glove

• Here is another way to control an iPhone while wearing a glove. An index finger is wrapped by a piece of aluminum foil which is then secured by an elastic band. This brute-force makeshift version is less precise than that of a conductive elastomer tip, but functions OK in an emergency situation.

  

Self-Serve Collection Box with a Payment Slot

• When an item is sold on Kijiji, the buyer would visit to pick up the item and pay the seller. When the seller must be absent, however, the item is placed at the front entrance of the house along with a self-serve collection box with a payment slot. A dollar sign ($) is written on the cover of a plastic container (of grape juice concentrate).

  

Ginkgo biloba Seed Storage in a Freezer

• My Ginkgo biloba tree yielded about 12 000 seeds in 2018-2019 and about 6 000 seeds in 2019-2020. Since my seed consumption level is not so high, the excess seeds are sold on eBay.com. Until the seeds are consumed or sold, they are put into plastic containers (of grape juice concentrate), and stored in a freezer.

  

Velcro Sticky Back Fasteners for Laptop Laidback Adjustable Stand

• In order to accommodate both centre placement and offset placement on the Laptop Laidback Adjustable Stand, circular loop pieces of Velcro Sticky Back Fasteners are adhered to the back of the MacBook Air computer in 2 rows for each position for a total of 4 rows to align with linear hook pieces of Velcro Sticky Back Fasteners on the Laptop Laidback Adjustable Stand.

  

Laptop Laidback Adjustable Stand for a Kneeling Chair

• Being lazy, I realised that keeping a laptop computer semi-permanently Velcro-attached to the Laptop Laidback Adjustable Stand makes it possible to carry the MacBook Air everywhere in the house with its handle to the desktop with a kneeling chair, to the stand-up desk with an ironing board, and to bed. 2 cushions from an old sofa were placed to form an armrest.

  

Creating Office Artworks from Scrap

• In order to mentally escape from monotony at the office, several scrap items (from a coffee machine, paper rolls, etc.) were put together to form some creative art objects. These particular sculptures were inspired by the thoughts of shooting nasty colleagues.

  

Magnetically Mounted Disc-Shaped Light Diffuser

• This is a conceptual non-functional prototype (mockup) of a light diffuser. A light diffuser is detachably mounted on a flashlight by a plurality of rare-earth magnets. The back side of the diffuser comprises vacuum-deposited aluminum. It was meant to serve in a region where steady electrical power is not available but photovoltaic solar cells can charge the battery of the flashlight during the day.

  

Dual Acoustic Resonators for Television Loudspeakers

• An early-model flat TV set with an LCD screen produced very low-quality sound directed towards the back. So, a pair of plastic containers (of ice cream) were attached to the speakers to direct the sound towards the front instead of towards the back.

  

Using Children's Hockey Sticks as Ski Poles

• A friend of my daughter's borrowed my ski poles for cross-country skiing, so I had to improvise. I found 2 children's hockey sticks which served well enough as emergency replacement. The length of the hockey sticks was ideal for my height.

  

Cloth Mask Fixation by an Elastic Band

• my professional artist daughter Véronique sent me VéroMask, a handmade cloth mask for protection from the novel coronavirus in droplets and microdroplets (aerosols). In order to minimise loose gaps on the sides of the mask, an elastic band is permanently attached to the ear loops. Also, the mask was falling down, so the jaw area was tightened by a safety pin.

  

Cloth Mask Reinforcement by a Turtleneck

• my professional artist daughter Véronique sent me VéroMask, a handmade cloth mask for protection from the novel coronavirus in droplets and microdroplets (aerosols). In order to seal loose gaps on the bottom side, the neck of a turtleneck T-shirt is extended all the way up to overlap the cloth mask.

  

Overcoming Consecotaleophobia by a Shrink-Wrapped Straw

• Here is another attempt to overcome my consecotaleophobia (irrational fear of chopsticks). The proximate ends of a pair of chopsticks are inserted into a single use disposable plastic drinking straw (from McDonald's) bent in half (1/2). The straw was then shrink-wrapped. Dipping the assembly into dihydrogen monoxide (H2O) mixed with sodium chloride (NaCl) to raise the boiling point was not effective, so it was heated by flame from a butane torch lighter.

  

Splash-Free Liquid Pouring Method

• Pouring liquid (e.g., almond milk, etc.) from a Tetra Pak Aseptic container to a cereal bowl below is frustrating due to the oscillation of the liquid flow, resulting in repeated splash of the liquid. Reversing the orientation of the Tetra Pak Aseptic container to put the spout at a higher position causes the air pocket inside the container to make fluid communication to the outside, minimising the oscillation and causing much less splash.

  

Squat Position Emulator with a Foot Rest

• Academic paper "Comparison of straining during defecation in three positions: results and implications for human health" states that "sensation of satisfactory bowel emptying in sitting defecation posture necessitates excessive expulsive effort compared to the squatting posture". So, a piece of polyethylene foam pipe insulation is attached to one side of the Quantised-Height Washroom Shelf with Dual Multi-Stacked Grape Juice Containers in order to form a foot rest for quasi-squat position while still sitting. Combining with the Vibrator for Inducing/Accelerating Defecation, the setup provides the Most Efficiently Robust Defecation Experience (MERDE).

  

Rotationally Staggered Handles for a Casserole Bowl

• Cooking or heating up soup in a microwave oven tends to cause leakage of dihydrogen monoxide (H2O) which condenses around the handle area. Instead of overlapping the handle of the cover and the handle of the bowl in alignment, the handles are rotationally staggered in order to minimised such leakage due to localised condensation.

  

Laptop Stand Slot Decoration of Laser-Cut Plywood Boards

• my professional artist daughter Véronique found on the Internet a design of a laptop stand for my MacBook Air. She laser-cut plywood boards based on a pattern, and the laptop stand provides an optimal keyboard angle. However, the slots turned out to be too narrow for the plywood boards's thickness. So, Weldbond Universal Adhesive was applied to permanently glue the plywood boards together. Hence, the slots have become intriguing decoration. The Laser-Cut Plywood iPhone Stand is housed inside the frame.

  

Side-by-Side Computing Devices on a Laptop Laidback Adjustable Stand

• The Laptop Laidback Adjustable Stand was designed in an era when laptop computers were fairly large, so there is ample real estate on the platform to put an iPhone on its side. Built-in Velcro strips attach the MacBook Air, while a ring-shaped rare-earth magnet secured at the back of the Laptop Laidback Adjustable Stand magnetically attaches the iPhone with a matching magnet. The configuration can accommodate the iPhone in either portrait or landscape orientation.

  

Angled Stand-Up Desk with a Laptop Laidback Adjustable Stand on a Platform

• The Ironing Board Transformation into a Stand-Up Desk has been used only occasionally due to discomfort in typing on a horizontal keyboard. my professional artist daughter Véronique is preparing a laser-cut laptop stand with optimal angle, which suits the desktop. Bulky books ("CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics", "The Reader's Digest Great Encyclopedic Dictionary") form a platform for the Laptop Laidback Adjustable Stand on an ironing board. A detergent-soaked cloth for touchscreen cleaning is placed on an iron cord holder. Soon, each in-house workstation and my bed will provide comfortable typing while I suffer from severe shoulder pain due to excessive cross-country skiing.

  

Window Envelope Address Printing with Fold-Line Alignment Offset

• Sadly, the world is still not completely paperless yet. Printing an offset fold line in addition to FROM and TO addresses on a sheet of paper makes it possible to exactly align the addresses to the window envelope. Also, a regular inkjet printer is heavy-duty enough to directly print addresses on a folded letter-sized envelope, to be unfolded after printing.

  

Magnifying iPhone's Screen Image by a Concave Mirror

• A cheap cosmetic concave mirror can magnify the screen image of an iPhone mounted on an aluminum business card holder. The configuration inverts the image, but it is not a problem, except for closed caption (CC), for watching Star Trek on the side while doing mundane work on the MacBook computer at the centre of a desk.

  

Variably-Adjustable iPhone Stand by a Broken Halogen Desk Lamp

• An old desk lamp's halogen incandescent light bulb burned out. The broken desk lamp turned out to provide an ideal height with adjustable orientation (portrait, landscape) and viewing angle on the magnetised iPhone while sitting on a sofa. A ring-shaped rare-earth magnet is gooped to the back of the protective shield, and a mayonnaise container filled with dihydrogen monoxide (H2O) is attached to the desk-lamp stand by elastic bands to stabilise the assembly. A piece of Teflon tape is used to seal the container in order to prevent the leakage of H2O.

  

Wearing a Surgical Face Mask during Cross-Country Skiing

• Wearing a surgical face mask during cross-country skiing provides some protection not only from pathogens like novel coronavirus by occasional encounters with human beings on the golf course but also from the extreme cold without wearing a bulky scarf when the ambient temperature drops to 243 K. Before the global pandemic of novel coronavirus, I had appropriated some surgical face masks from a local hospital when I went there for a blood test.

  

Vertically Carrying an Ultralight Umbrella in a Waist Pack

• Carrying an umbrella is cumbersome and messy, to say the least. Since my new umbrella is Amvel PENTAGON which claims that "72 g umbrella is the lightest in the world", I can put it into one corner of the waist pack vertically on the day when it is needed.

  

On-Demand Real-Time Tissue Wetting for Hygienic Butt-Wiping

• First, a piece of 2-ply tissue paper is folded 3 times for dry wiping. Then, a resulting piece of 12-ply tissue paper is placed under dripping dihydrogen monoxide (H2O) from a bathroom faucet to prepare wet tissue paper for effective wiping. The used tissue paper is truly flushable, unlike non-flushable "flushable" wipes. The method provides the Most Efficiently Hygienic Wiping Effort (MEHWE).

  

Complete Portion Control of Lunch and Supper

• Both my daily breakfast lunch (Quinolent GREEN) and my daily supper (Quinolent ORANGE) are prepared with the precision of ±1 g in weight for all ingredients every 8 days. Each prepared portion is stored in a Glass Casserole Dish With Lid in a refrigerator. The content in a casserole is heated in a microwave oven and is also served in the same container to achieve complete portion control, while minimising dishwashing requirements. Consumption of green tea (anti-oxidant) with dihydrogen monoxide (H2O) is unlimited. No more questions like "What's for dinner?"

  

Magnetic Spring Clip as an iPhone Stand

• A 30-year old Magnetic Spring Clip made of steel turned out to become a stand for a centrally-magnetised iPhone. The Spring Clip can be used simply as is to provide ideal viewing angle, unlike the 5-Minute Crafts version in which 2 Binder Clips are intertwined together, making the structure less stable.

  

Simplifying Snow Removal by Switching from 2-Car Driveway to 0-Car Path

• Now that I have abandoned a private car to lead hyper-ecological lifestyle with public transit and occasional use of Communauto's hybrid car, my snow shovelling job has been greatly simplified from a 2-car driveway of double-garage width to a 0-car single path of 1 metre in width.

  

Melting a DVD to Create an iPhone Stand

• A useless DVD was melted by a butane torch lighter at strategic locations. First, a linear bend was made, then 2 circular spots were pushed by the tip of the butane torch lighter itself. The resulting single-piece iPhone stand is crude with no adjustment capability, but functions OK for showing Star Trek at a dining table. What you can make with fire this way is up to your imagination.

  

Broken Sock for Thermal Protection while Controlling an iPhone

• The magnetised iPhone attached to a lampshade has been very successful for using the iPhone in bed. I was wearing a fingerless glove, but exposed fingers still felt cold out of a blanket when the bedroom temperature is low at night. Also, tightness of the glove's open ends restricts blood circulation. So, a hole was made in a broken sock to expose only the index finger's tip to control and type on the iPhone. The hack works very well except for the 3-finger gesture to Undo.

  

Forksticks by Combining 2 Forks with an Elastic Band

• I hate chopsticks because they are difficult to hold and go all over the place when not in use. Introducing Forksticks, inspired by the 5-Minute Crafts. 2 forks are attached together by an ultra-wide elastic band. Unlike the spoon version in the video, the fork version can carry 2 extra food items in reservoir at the 2 fork ends (e.g., a piece of salami and a piece of cheese, etc.) while eating vegetables at the stick end.

  

Open/Close Adjustable Neck Portion of a Turtleneck

• This is an evolution of the Turtleneck Sweat Buster Moisture Chimney. First, a silicon steel strap turned out to be impractical for washing. A plastic handle (of a grape juice container) is embedded in the neck portion. When the body heat accumulates and sweating starts during cross-country skiing, the neck portion can be opened. The conceptual prototype uses safety pins, but a better open/close mechanism such as a fastener snap should be developed. Also, another plastic strip for the body portion would be added for higher heat removal efficiency.

  

Determining Mouthwash Preference of Ants

• Ants have invaded my house even in mid-winter. These insects are attracted by mouthwash liquid in the bathrooms. Here is an experimental setup to determine which brand of mouthwash liquid attracts ants by providing a small sample of each mouthwash liquid in a plastic cap of a juice container.

  

Daily Pill Dispensing by Non-Remembering Discipline

• I would rather use my brain for more productive purpose than remembering if I had taken daily pills (blood pressure, cholesterol, vitamin, etc.) or not. So, I exercise discipline of organisation by placing a tray of pills on top of a Transparent-Dome Platform by an Inverted Glass Bowl. When I take the pills next day before breakfast, I remove the tray of pills from the transparent dome. I put the tray back on the transparent dome immediately after breakfast. Since the dome is not in front of me for supper, there will be no confusion.

  

Alignment Marker on a Flipped-Cover Quasi-Pressure Cooker

• The Quasi-Pressure Cooker for a Microwave Oven has been quite successful, but it was found that excessive manufacturing tolerance of a casserole cooking pot creates a gap at the cover in certain orientations. So, an alignment arrows were drawn with a magic marker to indicate the optimal orientation of the cover. Also, the cover is flipped in order to achieve higher internal pressure by smaller volume.

  

Laser-Cut Plywood iPhone Stand with Offset Boards

• my professional artist daughter Véronique's Laser-Cut Plywood iPhone Stand can accommodate either portrait or landscape orientation with special attachment boards. Since I mostly use landscape orientation with the sound reflector, the extra boards are offset in order to provide stability by aligning the gap with the non-centred ring-shaped rare-earth magnet.

  

Broken Sock as a Hand-Protecting Cleaning Cloth

• A broken or obsolete sock can be re-purposed as a cleaning cloth. Although it is not as fancy as a shiny microfibre cloth, the re-purposed sock provides all-around protection of your precious hand from sharp edges, harsh chemicals, etc.

  

Neck-to-Pocket Transformation of a Turtleneck T-Shirt

• my geological engineer/exploration geologist daughter Évelyne gave me a turtleneck T-shirt. As usual, the neck portion was too long, and there was no pocket. my professional artist daughter Véronique was able to skillfully transform it to a mock turtleneck T-shirt. She crafted a pocket using the cut-off neck portion.

  

Transformation of an Ellipsoidal Boiled Egg into a Cubic Egg

• This is not exactly my original hack but made by a kitchen gadget called Egg Cuber (square egg maker) that I bought in the early 1980's and re-discovered recently. The Egg Cuber transforms an ellipsoidal hard boiled egg into a cubic egg by applying pressure in a piston mechanism with a screw cap.

  

iPhone Magnetic Attachment to a Towel/Cloth Hanger

• The Towel/Cloth Hangers on Coffee SpaceMaker Frame has been quite successful, but it did not provide entertainment. So, a disc-shaped rare-earth magnet is inserted into one of the plastic tubes at the front. Now, a magnetised iPhone can attach to the towel/cloth hanger so that I can watch Star Trek while washing dishes in the kitchen at the same time.

  

Insertion of a Conductive Elastomer Tip Stylus into a Mitten to Control the iPhone

• One of the mittens hand-made by my daughter has developed a crack. A free promotional ballpoint pen/stylus with a conductive elastomer tip is inserted into the opening. Now, the iPhone can be controlled without removing the mitten while cross-country skiing at the ambient temperature of 243 K.

  

Sound Reflector for a Laser-Cut Plywood iPhone Stand

• my professional artist daughter Véronique has built an iPhone stand out of laser-cut plywood board. Unlike a business-card holder, the plywood iPhone stand provides a perfect viewing angle. In order to prevent the sound from escaping in a wrong direction, a decal was gooped to one side of the plywood iPhone stand where the prepaid fare card provides a pre-determined gap distance. Now, Star Trek watching experience is much more comfortable.

  

Axially Symmetrical Placement of Dispenser Pumps

• A Toothpaste Dispenser Pump for brushing teeth and a Detergent Dispenser Pump for washing hands are placed on left-hand and right-hand sides of a bathroom faucet in axially-symmetrical fashion. Identical dispensers may be confusing to visitors at first, but the arrangement is very efficient once you get used to it.

  

Inner-Glove and Outer-Mitten Combination

• The mittens hand-made by my daughter were not quite warm enough for cross-country skiing at the ambient temperature of 243 K. So, a garden glove was placed inside each mitten to form a double-layer combination with an inner glove and an outer mitten.

  

Express Drying of Clothes by Crossed Hangers

• There was an urgent need to dry a delicate sweater which does not go into an electric clothes dryer. On a clothes hanger, the drying efficiency is very low if the front of the sweater is touching the back of the sweater. So, another clothes hanger is hung inside the main clothes hanger in crossed configuration in order to accelerate drying by separating the front from the back.

  

Polyester String Supplement for an Ear Warmer

• The 180s Ear Warmer that my professional artist daughter Véronique game me is quite stylish. However, no matter how I adjust the length or flip the direction, it does not fit my over-sized head. As a last resort, I attached a polyester string to prevent it from gradually falling down while cross-country skiing.

  

Choice of Magnetically Attachable/Detachable Necklaces Suspended from Ceiling

• A ring-shaped rare-earth magnet is attached to each end of a necklace to make it magnetically attachable/detachable. A plurality of such necklaces are magnetically suspended from a steel drywall corner bead in a kitchen ceiling so that a wearer can make a choice over breakfast of his/her necklace for the day.

  

Carrying a Case of Beverage Cans by a Punch-Through Shoulder Strap

• Carrying home a super-heavy case of 28 beverage cans (of V8 juice) from Costco is nearly impossible. So, 2 sets of slits were made to the cardboard base of the case by a box cutter utility knife. Then a shoulder strap made of nylon belt is inserted into the slits to pass through the cardboard base, and is tied together at the back. Now, the bus trip home is possible.

  

Easy-to-Peel Hard-Boiled Eggs by Pre-Cracking the Eggshell

• Removing the shell membrane stuck to the surface of egg white after hard-boiling an egg is pain in the ass, to say the least. My mother showed me that cracking the broad end of an eggshell before soaking the egg into hot water makes it easy to separate the membrane from the eggshell. I used the convex part of a spoon to make a small crack.

  

Transformation of Disposable Aviation Headset into Earplugs

• The super-low-quality disposable aviation headset can be transformed into a pair of earplugs by cord-cutting to provide some shield from annoying city street noise and loud commercial messages. The re-purposed hearing protectors are not quite the level of AirPods-quality with noise-cancelling feature, but they are much better than nothing.

  

iPhone's LED Flashlight as a Nightlight for Houseguests

• The washroom whose location is familiar to you is not so familiar to your houseguests, especially in the dark. An unused magnetised iPhone is plugged into a 110-V AC power outlet, and is magnetically attached to a steel drywall corner bead. iPhone's LED flashlight is switched on during the night in order to facilitate the use of the washroom. I have not found a way to make it motion-detectable, though.

  

Wearing Mixed-Colour Slippers for Efficiency

• In a household or in a medical clinic using multiple pairs of slippers with identical style but with different colours, efficiency would be increased if each visiting guest became colour-blind and wore either colour-matched slippers or colour-mismatched slippers, regardless.

  

Straw-Focused Vacuum Cleaning of a Laptop Computer's I/O Ports

• The I/O ports of the MacBook Pro computer of My engineer/mathematician/computer scientist son François had accumulated some contaminants. A plastic drinking straw (from McDonald's) was inserted into the nozzle of a plastic dispenser (of mustard) after the cap portion was removed. The assembly snuggly fits the vacuum cleaner's handle for serious cleaning action by focused suction power.

  

Glass Marble Balls as Astronomical Objects in a Gravity Well

• Colourful glass marble balls are thrown into a large cooking bowl to rotate around the centre as astronomical objects in a gravity well. The objects represent either planets around a star or satellites around a planet in elliptical orbits. Such a pedagogical fun experiment could inspire some schoolkids to pursue Modified Newtonian Dynamics (MOND) for the so-called "Dark Matter" instead of hypothetical particles called axions, weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs), gravitationally-interacting massive particles (GIMPs), etc.

  

Street Number Illumination in a Dot-Matrix Pattern

• Finding a street address in the dark is excruciatingly painful. Here is an attempt to illuminate a street number at night by backlighting in a dot-matrix pattern. A plurality of holes are drilled into the cover of a plastic container (of grape juice concentrate) to represent a street number (e.g., "65", etc.). Instead of backlighting by a compact fluorescent lamp (CFL), individual dots can be generated by separate LED lamps as well.

  

Laptop Computer Keyboard Protection by Polyethylene Plastic Wrap

• When a laptop computer must be operated with messy fingers while cooking in a kitchen, for example, the keyboard can be protected by wrapping it with a sheet of polyethylene plastic wrap. Typing with the keys is not impaired, and the capacitive multi-touch trackpad functions with no problems. The configuration is analogous to the protection by a condom, i.e., quite natural.

  

Microfibre Cloth Wrap-Around Screen Cleaner Spray Container

• Screen cleaner spray is always used in conjunction with a microfibre cloth to clean a computer's display screen. To simplify the operation, a container of screen cleaner spray is wrapped by a sheet of microfibre cloth. Since the display screen is planar, a linear contact surface of the cylindrical microfibre cloth can clean the display screen effectively by friction-rubbing.

  

Stabilisation of Ginkgo biloba Seeds in an Envelope by Packing Tape

• After a successful sale of Ginkgo biloba seeds on eBay.com, Ginkgo biloba seeds are shipped in a double window envelope world-wide. The address of the sender and that of the receiver are printed out on a sheet of paper. Stabilisation of Ginkgo biloba seeds is achieved by placing the seeds on the paper, followed by adhering them by a piece of packing tape. The Ginkgo biloba seeds in the envelope are protected by their hard shell. No complaints have been received so far.

  

Spill Prevention by Negative Pressure in Fluid Containers

• Thermal expansion by rising temperature increases internal pressure inside a container (plastic, metal, etc.) with any fluid (liquid, gas, etc.), causing a spill. When the container is placed sideways, a loose cap may cause a spill. So, after filling up the container, squeezing the container just before closing the cap evacuates air and also creates negative pressure inside the container so that surrounding air would get into the container to prevent such spills.

  

Diagonal Placement of an Adjustable Tension Rod for a Room-Dividing Curtain

• An adjustable tension rod for a curtain to make it function as a room divider to provide privacy for guests turned out to be too long for the cased opening between 2 rooms. So, the tension rod is placed diagonally between a steel drywall corner bead and a permanently-installed heavy-duty curtain track. An iPhone was magnetically attached to the corner bead while setting it up.

  

Keeping Houseplants Alive by a Plastic Sheet as Vapour Barrier

• In order to keep houseplants alive during a 2-week absence is a challenge. An incision is made to a polyethylene plastic bag (free from Costco) to accommodate the plant's stem. Then, the top surface of a houseplant is covered by the plastic sheet which would keep potting soil moist by suppressing the evaporation of dihydrogen monoxide (H2O), yet passing dioxygen (O2) through narrow gaps.

  

Carrying Cross-Country Skis and Poles with a Backpack

• It was realised that once the skis and ski poles are attached together according to the Cross-Country Ski Carrier with Heavy-Duty Silicone Wristbands, the entire assembly can be inserted through the shoulder straps of a backpack for even easier carrying. In order to maintain balance, the centre of gravity of the assembly must be between the 2 shoulder straps.

  

Synergetic Operation of a Cord Lock and a Keychain Ring

• The Plastic Cord Lock End Fastener Toggle Spring Stopper turned out to be incredibly useful, but post-tied dangling portion tends to be too long. Looping both ends of the cord through the cord lock's double holes before tying to each other halves the length of the dangling portion, but it became difficult to grab the portion to pull out. So, a keychain ring is attached to facilitate the operation. As a bonus, the keychain ring keeps the cord assembly down by gravity.

  

Adjustable Nylon Belt to Tie Reusable Bags to a Bus Seat

• It is a challenge to bring back super-heavy bulk items purchased from Costco by bus. A nylon belt with a quick release holds a plurality of reusable grocery bags on a bus seat. The length of the nylon belt can be adjusted in continuously-variable fashion in order to securely tighten the belt. Now, centrifugal force due to acceleration and deceleration of the bus does not affect the grocery bags, so I can peacefully take a power nap during the bus ride.

  

Suspending Spice Jars from Refrigerator's Steel Ceiling by Disc-Shaped Rare-Earth Magnets

• It is suggested that red-coloured spices (including red pepper, paprika and chilli powder) should always be stored in the refrigerator, especially in hot and humid climates. So, a disc-shaped rare-earth magnet was magnetically attached to the centre portion comprising steel of each extra spice jar of the Magic Spicer™ (A Self-Sealing Auto-Aligning Magnetically-Hanging Spice Dispenser with a Continuously-Variable Hole-Size Selector) in order to suspend it from refrigerator's painted steel ceiling.

  

Suspending Food Items from Refrigerator's Steel Ceiling by Magnetic Clips

• Magnetic clips (free giftware with shameless promotion) turned out to function well in a refrigerator with a painted steel ceiling to suspend food items that do not go into a plastic container. Slippage is prevented if the clips are suspended from the horizontal ceiling instead of from the vertical wall.

  

Hanging an Umbrella on an Emergency Exit Handle of a Bus

• I got lucky to sit on a seat on the bus next to an Emergency Exit on a rainy day. The RED handle of the Emergency Exit turned out to be an ideal spot for hanging a wet umbrella, which got dried during the bus trip without disturbing other passengers on the bus.

  

Silicone Wristbands for Improved Sealing of Gloves/Mittens

• There is a Velcro thingy on the gloves for tightening the seal. However, Velcro attachment lacks elasticity, so sealing is uneven due to non-uniform compression force. Wearing heavy-duty silicone wristbands over the gloves/mittens provides even sealing due to uniform compression force.

  

Cross-Country Ski Carrier with Heavy-Duty Silicone Wristbands

• The Cross-Country Ski Carrier with a Shoulder Strap (with elastic bands) was successful, but sadly the carrier was misplaced somewhere and got lost. Then, I realised that 2 heavy-duty silicone wristbands (free giftware with shameless promotion) alone can bind both skis and ski poles together. In this configuration, the ski poles function as a handle to carry the entire assembly with ease if holding takes place at the centre of gravity. Later, wristbands were skipped as ski pole straps alone can tie the skis.

  

Double Gloves for Outdoor Activities at Low Temperature

• When the ambient temperature is 243 K, human hands feel pain even with heavy-duty winter gloves. To mitigate the pain, I wear a pair of medical nitrile exam gloves first before wearing the heavy-duty winter gloves. This makes some difference, but it is still desirable to find an even better solution such as thermal mittens with mylar lining for insulation used in EVA gloves by NASA.

  

Tidying up a Cord-Locked Shoelace with Ring-Shaped Rare-Earth Magnets

• Sadly, no cross-country boots without shoelaces were found. So, a ring-shaped rare-earth magnet was passed through a shoelace, then a Plastic Cord Lock End Fastener Toggle Spring Stopper, followed by another ring-shaped rare-earth magnet. Finally the 2 ends of the shoelace were permanently tied together, literally forming a closed-loop system. This way, the excess shoelace is not left dangling to touch the ground but attached to each other by magnetic attraction force. If the shoelace is too long, then it can loop around each boot.

  

Conductive Elastomer Tip Mounted on a Glove to Control the iPhone

• The Thumb Tack to Control the iPhone through a Glove/Mitten appeared to be very promising, but the thumb tack fell off and got lost during snow shovelling. I happened to have a free promotional ballpoint pen/stylus with a conductive elastomer tip. The pen's cap is separated from the pen's body, and is attached to the glove by an elastic band. This attachment method works fine for a glove, but stitching will be required for a mitten.

  

Portable MSG Dispenser in a Waist Pack

• The "Chinese Restaurant Syndrome" is an urban myth. Glutamic acid is found naturally in tomatoes, grapes, cheese, mushrooms and other foods. U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) considers the addition of monosodium glutamate (MSG) to foods to be "generally recognised as safe" (GRAS). I converted a plastic container (of food colouring) to an MSG dispenser, and carry it everywhere to use it instead of sodium chloride (NaCl) at a McDo on McGoal™ FREE medium fries, at a blood donor clinic on unsalted nuts, etc. The plastic container is twinned by electrical tape with another one for storing pills.

  

Encasing Plants and Animals in Talc-Doped Epoxy Resin

• Colourful dried flowers were encased in transparent epoxy resin. An unknown species of lizard with reptile scales was duly euthanised by asphyxiation and cleaned up. Talcum powder is added to epoxy resin to form an opaque white bed for the lizard, which is then covered by a layer of transparent epoxy resin for clear display. Talc is a clay mineral composed of hydrated magnesium silicate with chemical formula Mg3Si4O10(OH)2. Talc in powdered form is widely used as baby powder.

  

Curtain Tying Mechanism with a Cord Lock and Rare-Earth Magnets

• A cord lock with a metal spring inside was recuperated from an old winter jacket. One end of a rope is statically attached to a curtain sandwiched between 2 ring-shaped rare-earth magnets, while the other end of the rope is dynamically attached to a cord lock. Pushing the button of the cord lock quickly releases the rope from the cord lock barrel so that the opening of the curtain can be adjusted in continuously-variable fashion. Releasing the button of the cord lock quickly tightens the rope to easily fix the curtain in place.

  

Hydrogel Balls on Flower Pot Soil Surface

• Various efforts to use hydrogel for dirt-free hydroponics to grow plants have not been quite successful. Here is an alternative configuration in which rehydrated "Crystal Ball" dried hydrogel balls are placed on top the existing soil of a flower pot (of avocado trees) in order to suppress the evaporation of dihydrogen monoxide (H2O) from the soil surface.

  

Manually Laser Engraving a Ginkgo biloba Leaf

• Using a 1000mW Bluish Violet Laser Head Parts 405nm For Engraver DIY Engraving Machine connected to a 110V/220V 30V 10A Adjustable Digital DC Power Supply Switching Power Supply, I drew some simple figures on a dried Ginkgo biloba leaf by manually manipulating the laser head by hand. My eyes were protected by 360nm-1064nm Laser Protection Goggles Glasses For Laser. I got to appreciate the smell of burning leaves. My attempt to engrave an eggshell has not been successful.

  

Aluminum Containers for Individual Serving of Wine

• Glass containers are heavy, requiring more energy during transportation than aluminum cans do, and there is also a safety issue due to breakage. Plastic containers are not 100 % recyclable as they can only be down-cycled to lower-grade plastic. Aluminum containers, on the contrary, are light-weight with no safety issues, and can be completely recycled without degradation. There are beer cans for individual serving, but there are no wine cans in sight. So, 340 ml of red wine is poured into a can of vegetable juice (V8) as an experiment to assess the feasibility of aluminum wine cans. The amount is just about the volume that I consume every day, and no adverse effect has been experienced. The method provides effective portion control.

  

Olive Oily Vegetable Soup

• The main type of fat found in all kinds of olive oil is monounsaturated fatty acids which are considered a healthy dietary fat. MSG (monosodium glutamate) is a sodium salt of glutamic acid which is one of the most abundant naturally occurring non-essential amino acids. Here is the recipe of vegetable soup in which the only liquid component is olive oil.
  • 120 g | mixed vegetables (frozen)
  • 75 g | extra virgin olive oil
  • 12 g | Ginkgo biloba seeds (~10)
  • 1 g | monosodium glutamate (MSG)
  • 1 g | black pepper (ground)
  • combine ingredients together and heat it up in a microwave oven: P-6 for 3 m

  

Polyethylene Plastic Wrap for Sanitary Poop Sampling

• The Floating Disposable Container for Sanitary Poop Sampling works fine, but here is an alternative method to take a poop sample. A piece of plastic wrap is shaped to form a concave shape. It spans the toilet bowl half way to prevent urine contamination. The plastic wrap is made of polyethylene, and it attaches to the ceramic toilet bowl with enough clinging force to support the weight of your poop. The plastic wrap is not to be flushed after use, of course.

  

Obituary Publishing in QR Code HyperLink

• In order to pay proper respect to a deceased person, a QR Code of the Obituary on the deceased person's Home Page could be published instead of having to type the deceased's name for searching or to type the Uniform Resource Locator (URL) on a bit-mapped image of the digital newspaper, if any. My inquiry to REMEMBERING.ca was conveniently ignored possibly because the reduced size of the obituary means less revenue for them.

  

Rotatable iPhone Attachment to a Swingable Magnetically-Supported Bent Steel Bar

• The Swingable Magnetically-Supported Bent Steel Bar on a Lamp-Stand for Straight iPhone Viewing on a Sofa had evolved to the iPhone Elastic-Band Suspension from a Swingable Magnetically-Supported Bent Steel Bar, but it was still awkward to use. A steel lid (of a matcha container) with a supplementary disc-shaped rare-earth magnet at the back to the rescue. The platform can accept an iPhone magnetised either at 1 central point or at 4 distributed points, rotatably switchable between portrait and landscape orientations. The setup provides the Most Efficiently Comfortable Viewing Environment (MECVE).

  

Disabling a Desk Lamp Switch by a Balloon Cap

• A desk lamp's ON/OFF is controlled by the AUTO setting of a 30-year old low-tech electromechanical timer switch which is plugged into an electrical outlet. In order to prevent accidental activation or deactivation by human error, a colourful (i.e., colour-unmatched) balloon is elastically wrapped around the rotary switch of the desk lamp in order to semi-permanently disable its function.

  

Mounting iPhone's Grocery List on a Shopping Cart

• The 30-year old Post-It Note Grocery List on a Shopping Cart is no more, modernised by the Reminders app on a magnetised iPhone. Previous attempts to attach the magnetised iPhone to a regular shopping cart had all failed because of a thin steel frame. A heavy-duty shopping cart (at Costco) has a thick steel frame which provides magnetic attraction force strong enough to support the weight of the magnetised iPhone.

  

Gooping LEGO Pieces for Non-Linear Construction

• LEGO pieces are made of ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene) plastic. At LEGOLANDs, pieces are permanently glued together with ABS cement for super-solid construction. Using a minute amount of Goop makes the attachment of LEGO pieces semi-permanent as Goop can be completely removed without any trace. This technique is ideal for non-linear construction in science fair projects and prototype construction applications in which solid-enough structural integrity with subsequent detachability is desirable.

  

Magneto-Electrical Auto-Switch Mechanism

• The 3-Dimensional Holy Ghost Angel Resurrection Miracle Chamber uses a Magneto-Electrical Auto-Switch Mechanism. A conductive Ni-plated rod-shaped rare-earth magnet is placed inside a cylindrical plastic container (found at a medical clinic). 2 electrical wires are placed apart in parallel at the bottom of the plastic container. When an object with an embedded rare-earth magnet is placed on the base plate which may be inclined between 0 and about pi/4 radian (45 degrees), the rare-earth magnet in the plastic container moves up, electrically disconnecting the 2 wires (OFF). When the object is removed from the base plate, the rare-earth magnet in the plastic container falls down by gravity, electrically connecting the 2 wires (ON) to activate an audio-visual effect.

  

3-Dimensional Holy Ghost Angel Resurrection Miracle Chamber

• A lonely angel figurine is sitting in a dark chamber. When you physically lift it up with your hand, a magnetic switch is automatically activated, and an LED lamp lights up to show a 3-dimensional image of the angel's ghost surrounded by fellow ghosts, while a sound chip generates an appropriate sound. Placing the figurine back in the miracle chamber deactivates the action. The optical effect shows that a real angel has transformed into a virtual angel in resurrection. The 3-dimensional image is full-colour with both horizontal and vertical parallaxes, yet requires no glasses, no goggles, no headset. The optical illusion is based on Pepper's ghost used in the theatre, amusement parks, museums, television, and concerts.

  

ShamWow for Absorbing H2O from a Permeable Shower Curtain

• My 20-year old shower curtain has become H2O-permeable, and started to create mini-flood on the bathroom floor. ShamWow to the rescue. ShamWow is made of rayon, holds 10x its weight in liquid, stays soft when it dries, and is machine washable and bleachable. The super-absorbent sheet of ShamWow is folded and placed along the bottom edge of the bathtub.

  

Diagonal Drying of a Washable Permanent Furnace Air Filter

• Using a permanent furnace air filter provides significant cost-saving over time as well as ecological friendliness compared to a series of disposable furnace air filters. After washing it with H2O and surfactant (dishwashing liquid detergent), an electric fan diagonally directs air flow for drying towards the permanent furnace air filter which is diagonally-placed over a bathtub.

  

Homopolar Motors on a 3-Dimensional Chess Style Platform

• The successful High-Efficiency Self-Regulating Asymmetrical Homopolar Motor and Ultra-High-Efficiency Self-Regulating Symmetrical Homopolar Motor with a Circular Rotor are combined together on a 3-Dimensional Chess style platform inspired by Star Trek. The 2 designs have been submitted to the Guinness World Record as "The Simplest Homopolar Motor".

  

Neck Pain Relief by Replacing a Pillow with a Folded Bath Towel

• When I had neck pain, my professional artist daughter Véronique suggested that I replace a pillow with a folded bath towel which is low in height. This low-tech cheapest solution is just as effective, if not more so, than super-expensive products such as the Polysleep Pillow, Contoured Orthopedic Slow Rebound Memory Foam Pillow, etc. Hence, I have decided to keep this solution permanent, forever.

  

Nano Magic Tape iPhone Attachment to a Steering Wheel Hub

• In order to temporarily mount an iPhone on Communauto's hybrid car, a piece of Nano Magic Tape Traceless Washable Double Sided Adhesive Tape is adhered to the centre portion of the steering wheel hub. Driving directions on iPhone's Apple Maps app is viewed directly straight ahead by the driver for minimum distraction. This configuration works best in a vehicle with a fixed-hub steering wheel.

  

PROPERTY OF Asset Tag with a QR Code of E-mail Address

• I grabbed a free giftware asset tag from a booth of the EPTECH trade show. The "PROPERTY OF" field of the asset tag was modernised to include a QR Code of my e-mail address so that airline authorities can send me an e-mail message in case the checked baggage goes missing.

• Here is the step-by-step instruction for creating a "QR Code for E-mail Address".
  1. launch app "Shortcuts" in iOS/iPadOS
  2. tap "+" -> "+ Add Action"
  3. search for "ur" -> tap "URL"
  4. enter: mailto:[your E-mail Address] -> tap "+"
  5. search for "qr" -> tap "Generate QR code" -> tap "+"
  6. search for "qu" -> tap "Quick Look" -> tap "Next"
  7. enter: QR Code for E-mail Address -> tap "Done"
  8. tap "QR Code for E-mail Address"
  9. tap the Share icon -> tap "AirDrop" to print the "Image.png" file

  

Stable Poppy Fixing by a Lapel Pin Preventing Needle-Stick Injury

• From the last Friday in October to Remembrance Day (November 11), millions of Canadians wear a Poppy as a visual pledge to never forget those who sacrificed for our freedom. My best friend John showed me a trick to fix a poppy by a lapel pin, making it stable and also preventing needle-stick injury. The needle of the lapel pin goes through the poppy flower, then to the shirt, finally to the butterfly clutch.

  

Apple Pay Emulation by a Prepaid Fare Card inside an iPhone's Gap

• The transit systems in Canada's Capital Region do not take Apple Pay's Near-Field Communication (NFC) from an iPhone. So, a prepaid fare card with an embedded RFID chip is inserted into the gap between the iPhone and the iPhone case whose elasticity securely holds the prepaid fare card in place. Unlike the real Apple Pay, the prepaid fare card attached to the iPhone functions even if the iPhone is dead. While not on-board a bus or a train, the prepaid fare card functions as a Retractable iPhone Sound Reflector.

  

Desktop HeNe Gas Laser

• Prior to the invention of cheap diode lasers, HeNe lasers were widely used in barcode scanners at supermarket checkout counters. Now, they are available at on-line surplus stores. An Adjustable Digital DC Switching Power Supply is set to 14 V, connected to a HeNe power supply (Siemens LGN-7465) which provides an output of 1.7 kV for high-voltage electrical discharge passed through the gas between electrodes (anode and cathode) within the tube (Uniphase) at a wavelength of 632.8 nm in the red part of the visible electromagnetic spectrum.

  

Reverse-Wearing Indisposable Medical Nitrile Exam Gloves

• Repeatedly wearing disposable Purple Nitrile Exam Gloves many times over and over again and again gave me shocking realization that the gloves can be worn inside out or outside in. Unlike medical examination where sterility is paramount, no toxic substance is involved in keeping my hands warm. Also, the gloves are cleaned whenever I wash my hands. So, the gloves are now left reversed after each use for easy re-wearing. This way, the interior of the gloves dries quickly, too.

  

Putting Desiccant inside the Tip of Footwear

• Typical desiccant is silica gel, activated charcoal, calcium chloride (CaCl2), calcium oxide (CaO), calcium sulphate (CaSO4), etc. A bag of desiccant from a food item or a pharmacy pill container is permanently placed inside footwear (e.g., a pair of slippers, etc.) in order to control moisture and odour. The desiccant is especially effective at the tip of footwear where sweat production is the greatest.

  

Floating Decoration by Fish-Line Hanging from a Spiral Compact Fluorescent Lamp

• 2 souvenir objects made of plastic halves were split open and a transparent fish line was inserted for hanging. The middle of the fish line is hooked to a spiral compact fluorescent lamp of a kitchen ceiling. The configuration provides an illusion of spheres magically floating in air. 2-body quasi-elastic collision generates pleasant sound at the table, leading to spiritual peace of mind. A decorative broken iPhone is shown magnetically attached to a steel corner bead hidden inside the drywall structure.

  

Conductive Elastomer on a Thumb Tack to Control the iPhone through a Glove/Mitten

• To improve the responsiveness of the Thumb Tack to Control the iPhone through a Glove/Mitten, a piece of conductive elastomer was recuperated from a free promotional ballpoint pen/stylus. The thumb tack is wrapped by the piece of conductive elastomer. A single thumb tack cannot perform sophisticated 3-finger gestures, but ordinary tasks like entering a passcode, launching an app and selecting a song can be done without removing the glove/mitten.

  

Thumb Tack to Control the iPhone through a Glove/Mitten

• Removing a glove/mitten at ambient temperature of 243 K to control the iPhone causes extreme pain, to say the least. The tip of a steel thumb tack's pin is cut, and the pinhead is inserted into the glove/mitten, and is held by a small ring-shaped rare-earth magnet inside the glove/mitten. This creates a conductive path for electric charges from a human finger to the capacitive touchscreen through the skin of the index-finger of the glove/mitten.

  

Bikecam to Take Photos by an iPhone Mounted on a Bicycle

• The Bike Holder For Mobile Phones is great for checking the Biking Map in the Google Maps app and also for taking notes in the Notes app. Moreover, the rear-facing camera of an iPhone which is mounted on the Bike Holder For Mobile Phones functions as a Bikecam (cf. Dashcam for an automobile) by fine-tuning the angle to optimise the shots while cycling without stopping or dangerously taking out the iPhone from the Bike Holder For Mobile Phones.

  

Localised Draft Prevention by a Bath Towel as Thermal Shield

• Sleeping in a room at relatively low room temperature < 291 K could be uncomfortable. Raising the temperature of the room increases utility cost as well as carbon footprint. Instead, air gap around the neck area of a human body is filled with a folded bath towel, as such a seal prevents localised draft and thus serves as an effective thermal shield against heat loss.

  

All-Season Shoes Leakage Preventive Measure by PVC Tape

• My pair of shoes ($19.97 CAD at Walmart) with MEMORY FOAM (ULTRA PLUSH COMFORT) are used year-round as all-season outdoor shoes. In order to reinforce the predictable breaking points in the Stress-Strain Curve near the top of the shoes where bending occurs, colour-matched Super Strong Adhesive PVC Waterproof Stop Leaks Seal Repair Tape was applied before the first use as a pre-emptive strike. Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) is chemically resistant to acids, salts, bases, fats, and alcohols.

  

Cold-Buster Medical Nitrile Exam Gloves with a Touch ID Hole

• I keep the room temperature at 291 K for optimal functioning of my brain. The hands at the extremities of the body feel rather cold, so I wear medical nitrile exam gloves inside the house. The use of keyboard and trackpad on the MacBook Air and the use of touchscreen on the iPhone are not impeded by the gloves. A hole of about 5 mm in diameter was found to be enough to make the Touch ID functional. The Purple Nitrile Exam Gloves are supposed to be disposable, but I use them many times over and over again and again.

  

Heavy-Duty Food-Item Carrier by a Dual-Compartment Cardboard Box with Elastic Bands

• Now that I have car-less hyper-ecological lifestyle, bringing back bulk food items from a Costco warehouse via public transit is a challenge. A sturdy cardboard box (of plastic Ketchup bottles) was found to be already pre-twinned to form 2 compartments. A hole was cut through the dividing portion to form a handle, and 2 pairs of slits were cut for elastic bands as slip-guards. The heavy-duty carrier is ready for repeated re-use after re-use.

  

Aluminum-Foil Metallic Thermal Socks

• So-called Thermal Socks may be effective for heat loss due to conduction and convection, but they are not effective to block heat loss due to infrared (IR) radiation from human body. So, a human foot is wrapped by a sheet of aluminum foil in this conceptual prototype to see how effective Aluminum Fibre Socks would be for extremity protection. Aluminum is not considered to be harmful to human metabolism.

  

Aluminum-Foil Hat Lining for Sound Reflection

• The Acoustic Dome with an inverted mixing bowl is successful at the table, but it is obviously impractical for wearing. Since fabric of a hat absorbs sound, aluminum foil is attached to the lining of the hat with adhesive tape in order to channel sound into the wearer's ears by reflection. Now, high-frequency sounds in the audio spectrum from a MacBook Air leads not only to more natural music but also to more accurate speech recognition by a human being.

  

Ultra-High-Efficiency Self-Regulating Symmetrical Homopolar Motor with a Circular Rotor

• The High-Efficiency Self-Regulating Asymmetrical Homopolar Motor has been further improved to achieve ultimate simplicity with a copper wire bent at only 1 location, yet maintaining careful balance. The rotor is now symmetrical, carrying current from the top of the battery to the bottom of the battery in 2 branches in a loop, doubling the force perpendicular both to the magnetic field and to the direction of the current flow according to Fleming's left-hand rule for motors. As the motor rotates, the copper wire's loop touches only one side of the disc-shaped rare-earth magnet intermittently, forming self-regulating pulse current to cause the rotor to reach steady-state terminal angular velocity instead of uncontrolled acceleration to make the rotor fly away as seen in many YouTube videos. Since the current flow in the circuit is not continuous, power consumption is low enough to keep the rotation going and going and going like the Energizer Bunny.

  

High-Efficiency Self-Regulating Asymmetrical Homopolar Motor

• A homopolar motor comprises an AA battery, a disc-shaped rare-earth magnet and a copper wire. Googling "homopolar motor" reveals numerous creations, some sophisticated and artistic like a heart-shaped rotor. Here is what I claim to be absolutely the simplest design with a copper wire bent at only 2 locations to achieve careful balance. The rotor is asymmetrical with a horizontal straight line which maximises the force perpendicular both to the magnetic field and to the direction of the current flow according to Fleming's left-hand rule for motors. As the motor rotates, the copper wire's horizontal straight line touches only one side of the disc-shaped rare-earth magnet intermittently, forming self-regulating pulse current to cause the rotor to reach steady-state terminal angular velocity instead of uncontrolled acceleration to make the rotor fly away as seen in many YouTube videos.

  

Viewing/Listening Angle Optimisation of a Uni-Directional Acoustic Dome by an Aluminum Lampshade

• The Uni-Directional Acoustic Domes on a Magnetic Tabletop iPhone Tower has been successful, but the most natural posture for viewing a display screen while eating food at the table is not straight ahead but slightly downwards. So, an old aluminum lampshade is placed on the table, then is sandwiched by disc-shaped rare-earth magnets on the inside and on the outside at an angle of pi/3 radian (60 degrees) to hold an iPhone in place.

  

Lapel Pin to Prevent a Waist Pack Strap from Slip-Sliding Away

• The strap of my waist pack was always slip-sliding away from its buckle. So, a lapel pin is re-purposed to fix the belt semi-permanently, until I gain or lose weight enough to change the body's circumference. The free giftware from Gatineau Police was useless waste of taxpayers's money since wearing it could amount to illegally impersonating the police.

  

Turtleneck Sweat Buster Moisture Chimney by a Silicon Steel Strap

• Turtleneck T-shirts are so effective that there is no need to wear a scarf while cross-country skiing in winter. Conventional T-shirts with a zipper can be opened vertically, but moisture does not escape properly without air gap between a human body and a T-shirt. So, a T-shirt was cut horizontally below the neck, 2 holes were drilled into a Cycling Warning Reflective Safety Band Pant Band Leg Strap Belt Silicon Steel on each side, and the strap belt was stitched to the T-shirt. The conceptual prototype with a one-touch chimney opening feature is crude, but I can feel warm moisture rising upwards and escaping from the opening as intended. Based on the experiment, a preformed tube attached to a T-shirt all around a human body for creating a zipper-openable "surround air gap" would be ideal.

  

Angled Tray to Catch Dripping Wine from a Water Pump

• Home-made wine containing resveratrol is stored in a water tank. The spout of the manual water pump often leaks, so the base of an orphaned butter tray is re-purposed to function as a drip tray. The base is placed beneath the water tank to be held by gravity at an angle of about pi/4 radian (45 degrees) from the horizontal in order to effectively catch dripping wine drops.

  

Tying Curtain with a Safety Reflective Ankle Strap

• Very quickly tying a curtain in a selective way, i.e., one curtain open and the other curtain closed, is achieved by re-purposing a Safety Reflective Ankle Strap. The method is also capable of adjusting bias horizontally or vertically so that the curtain can show non-symmetrical configuration for visible-light intake in continuously-variable fashion.

  

Partial Guidelines for Cutting Paraffin Wax Splash Guard

• The Annular Junk-Mail Flyer as a Paraffin Wax Splash Guard works very well, but making a circular hole through a junk-mail flyer poses a challenge. So, 2 partial guidelines were drawn on the cover of a cooking pot with a magic marker at pi radian (180 degrees) apart. The marked cover functions as an alignment template for drawing a semi-circle on the junk-mail flyer folded in half, to be cut off by a pair of scissors to form a circular hole. It is then placed around the heating element of a cooktop.

  

Extracting USB Cable Tie's Steel Core for Stopping a Zipper Slider

• The zipper teeth of my 25-year old pants wore out near the bottom stopper, so the zipper slider was derailing. The zipper pin at the bottom stop of my 45-year old sportswear was lost. The previous fixes to stop the zipper slider by stitched thread had disintegrated. It so happens that a plastic-coated USB cable tie has a steel core, which turned out to make effective means to stop the zipper slider before it reaches the bottom stopper, much more durable than thread. The sportswear is now worn like a t-shirt, no problem.

  

Flip-Cover Casserole Bowl for Double-Decker Microwave Cooking

• A covered casserole bowl turned out to be too tall for double-decker cooking in a microwave oven. So, the cover of the casserole bowl on the lower deck is flipped for low-profile cooking, while the upper deck on the steel rack is occupied by other food items for simultaneous cooking. The cooking time in parallel becomes long, but is nevertheless shorter than the total length of cooking time in series.

  

Biodegradable Paper Towel Cover for Microwave Cooking

• A piece of paper towel makes an effective cover with steam escape. Since paper towel does not cling-wrap to itself, reusable elastic band is used to prevent the paper towel from slipping down or flying away on the spinning turntable. Since the wavelength of the oven's microwave radiation is about 120 mm for the frequency of 2.450 GHz, the elastic band is too thin to be heated up. Unlike plastic wrap, paper towel is porous and biodegradable by composting.

  

Nano Magic Tape iPhone Attachment to a Uni-Directional Acoustic Dome

• It has been suggested that non-magnetised phones should benefit from the successful Multiple Uni-Directional Acoustic Domes on a Magnetic Tabletop iPhone Tower. A mixing bowl is attached to the Tabletop iPhone Tower at 2 vertical spots by sandwiched disc-shaped rare-earth magnets. A piece of Nano Magic Tape Traceless Washable Double Sided Adhesive Tape is adhered to the centre portion of the mixing bowl for mounting any phone with a smooth flat backside. The phone is easily removable, and the tape will not damage any surfaces.

  

Multiple Uni-Directional Acoustic Domes on a Magnetic Tabletop iPhone Tower with Air Gap

• Here is an ultimate instrument for Star Trek binge watching where immersion, indulgence and escapism meet. A mixing bowl is attached to the Tabletop iPhone Tower (a re-purposed old desk lamp) at the centre by sandwiched disc-shaped rare-earth magnets with air gap to the iPhone. The multiple domes provide personalised viewing experience at a kitchen table with uni-directional sound from the individual magnetised iPhone focused towards each listener.

  

Orientation-Differentiated Placement of RFID Chip Cards in a Waist Pack for Public Transportation

• The interprovincial interface between QC and ON in public transportation is confusing as the user needs an OC Transpo PRESTO card and an STO MULTI card, with a further complication because PRESTO has "STO" in its name. In order to keep track of which prepaid card to tap on the RFID reader on a train or a bus and to prevent an embarrassing double-payment situation in idiot-proof fashion, the card to use is placed inside a waist pack in portrait orientation to stick out for intuitive indication, while the other card is placed in landscape orientation to keep a low profile.

  

Crystal Glass Candle Holder as an Ornamental Light Bulb Socket

• A light bulb-shaped stress ball marked "Science and Engineering Week/Semaine des sciences et de la technologie" is transformed into an ornamental sculpture. A bright YELLOW light bulb is inserted into a crystal glass candle holder on top of a bright ORANGE hockey puck.

  

iPhone Stand by a Spherical Rare-Earth Magnet on a Steel Washer

• my professional artist daughter Véronique came up with placing a steel washer on top of the ring-shaped rare-earth magnet of a magnetised iPhone, then magnetically attaching a spherical rare-earth magnet to form a secure iPhone stand. The sandwich configuration with a sound reflector out is stable for providing an optimal viewing angle to watch Star Trek in landscape orientation on a desk or a table, and is also stable for typing in portrait orientation.

  

QR Codes of Wi-Fi Access and Presentation Viewgraphs on PAGE 1

• Just about every presentation (webinar/webcast or in-person seminar) receives a question asking "Will the viewgraph be made available?" or audience taking photos of the viewgraphs with the Camera app. To counter such unproductive waste of human talent, a QR Code for Wi-Fi access and a QR Code for the URL of a Keynote/PowerPoint presentation in PDF format are made by the Shortcuts app (iOS/iPadOS). It is then prominently placed on PAGE 1 of the viewgraph so that people on-line or at the back of an auditorium can scan the QR Code with the Camera app on the iPhone/iPad, for example, to view the slides on-line during and/or after the presentation on their own mobile devices at their own pace.

• Here is the step-by-step instruction for creating a "QR Code for Wi-Fi Access".
  1. launch app "Shortcuts" in iOS/iPadOS
  2. tap "(+)" -> tap "(...)"
  3. Shortcut Name: QR Code for Wi-Fi Access -> tap "Done"
  4. tap "(+)"
  5. search for "te" -> tap "Text"
  6. enter: WIFI:S:[your Wi-Fi network];T:WPA;P:[your Wi-Fi password];; -> tap "(+)"
  7. search for "qr" -> tap "Generate QR code" -> tap "(+)"
  8. search for "qu" -> tap "Quick Look" -> tap "Done"
  9. tap "QR Code for Wi-Fi Access"
  10. tap the Share icon -> tap "AirDrop" to put the "Image.png" file into your document

• Here is the step-by-step instruction for creating a "QR Code for Viewgraphs".
  1. launch app "Shortcuts" in iOS/iPadOS
  2. tap "(+)" -> tap "(...)"
  3. Shortcut Name: QR Code for Viewgraphs
  4. switch: Show in Widget: Off, Show in Share Sheet: On -> tap "Done"
  5. tap "(+)"
  6. search for "we" -> tap "Get Details of Safari Webpage"
  7. tap "Detail" and select "Page URL" -> tap "(+)"
  8. tap "Safari webpage" and select "Select Magic Variable" -> tap "Shortcut Input" -> tap "(+)"
  9. search for "qr" -> tap "Generate QR code" -> tap "(+)"
  10. search for "qu" -> tap "Quick Look" -> tap "Done"
  1. launch app "Safari" in iOS/iPadOS -> visit your viewgraph webpage
  2. tap the Share icon -> tap "QR Code for Viewgraphs"
  3. tap the Share icon -> tap "AirDrop" to put the PNG Image into your document

  

Touchscreen Cleaning by Surfactant in a Detergent-Soaked Cloth

• There are numerous kinds of fancy microfibre cloths for cleaning iPhone/iPad/iPod touchscreens. These microfibre cloths are optimised to remove microscopic dirt and dust, but not oil from a human finger. Therefore, the result is less than spectacular, to say the least. So, a piece of cloth is soaked in dihydrogen monoxide (H2O) in which dishwashing detergent containing surfactant (surface-active agent to reduce surface tension) is dissolved. The addition of surfactant makes a night-and-day difference.

  

High-Density Polyethylene Produce Bag Fortification by Multiple Twist-Folding

• High-density polyethylene (HDPE) produce bags are very fragile, to say the least. Here is a technique to fortify the produce bag by multiple repetition of twisting shut, followed by inverting inside out. The fortified produce bag with a few pucks of Quinolent GREEN inside is strong enough to withstand stochastic vibration during a 21-km bicycle ride to the Champlain Lookout of the Gatineau Park for a pucknic. The triangle-folding technique has been passed down from my mother to my daughters, then up to me.

  

Providing Friction to iPhone's Bicycle Mount by Electrical Tape

• The Bike Holder For Mobile Phones is advertised to be "Anti-skid and Anti-shock". However, the Quetzal Bike handle's painted steel surface turned out to be too slippery for a heavy iPhone Plus with a cover and a rare-earth magnet. There are many different kinds of friction tape on the market, but colour-unmatched electrical tape provides sufficient friction. No solution has been found for frequent appearance of dialogue "Undo Typing" because the iPhone interprets vibration as shaking.

  

Permanent Setting of Home Appliance's Control Functions by Electrical Tape

• Some functions of home appliances may be permanently set ON or OFF for certain users. Leaving the buttons available causes confusion and accidental activation or deactivation, so they are covered by colour-matched electrical tape in order to inconspicuously disable or enable the function buttons permanently.

  

Floating Cereal Bowl on a Transparent-Dome Platform by an Inverted Glass Bowl

• The Inverted Double-Decker Platform for Eating Cereals with Milk was very successful, but the platform by an identical ceramic casserole dish was not quite high enough. So, it was replaced by a large transparent glass bowl, inverted to create an illusion of a floating bowl of cereals while providing a clean eating environment at the table. To accommodate unstable users, Sticky Pad is placed on the glass bowl's top surface. The inverted bowl is large enough to function as a dust cover for some food on the table.

  

No-Knot Calendar Hanging by Ring-Disc Combination of Rare-Earth Magnets

• An artistic calendar came with a very nice ribbon, but it turned out to be too short for looping around the super-thick steel frame of a wall unit for hanging. So, the ribbon was carefully passed through the central hole of a ring-shaped rare-earth magnet, then sandwiched by a disc-shaped rare-earth magnet without any glue or knots.

  

Triple-Layer Sandwich for iPhone's Optimal Magnetic Attachment

• Quest for the most stable method of an iPhone's magnetic attachment has led to a 3-layer sandwich structure of the bottom layer of steel washer gooped to iPhone's backside in order to raise the magnetic flux density for stronger magnetic attachment force, the middle layer of a ring-shaped rare-earth magnet, and the top layer of Sticky Pad securely adhered to the rare-earth magnet for non-slip operation.

  

Locking a Bike Holder For Mobile Phones by a Supercycle Basic Combo Bike Lock

• The Bike Holder For Mobile Phones is extremely practical, obliviating the super-dangerous manoeuvre of using the pinkie to reach delete/return keys on the other side of an iPhone while cycling. However, mounting and unmounting it at every stop is a pain in the ass, so the Supercycle Basic Combo Bike Lock is passed through the rubber ring. It can easily be cut by any pair of scissors, but doing so would make the device useless. Professional thieves would cut the lock with a bolt cutter to steal the entire bicycle anyway.

  

Posture-Perfect Movie Viewing on a Switch-Stopped iPhone

• In order to prevent painful back pain which is caused by bad postural alignment, the switch knob of a bedroom lamp functions as an eye-level stop to put the iPhone at a pre-determined position in order to provide an optimal viewing angle for watching Star Trek on a sofa. The Magnetised iPhone is equipped with a Transparent Sound Reflector, a Looped USB Cable, and an Elastic Band through a Ring-Shaped Magnet. The lampshade points upwards to illuminate the ceiling for diffused ambient light.

  

Bending the Suction Tube of a Spray Bottle by Boiling Dihydrogen Monoxide

• The Organic Fertiliser Spray for Hydrogel Hydroponics Plants works fine when the re-purposed household cleaning spray is pointing straight. However, the main target of the spray is at plant roots, so the spray has to be leaning forward, leading to premature evacuation of all-purpose fertiliser (20-20-20) when the liquid level becomes low. So, the suction tube of the spray bottle was permanently bent under boiling dihydrogen monoxide (H2O) at 373 K. If the suction tube were flexible, then a ball weight could be added in order to spray in any orientation by gravity.

  

Electrical-Tape Blocking of a Wall Switch

• Sometimes, there is a need to keep a wall switch ON all the time. For example, a light bulb with a built-in infrared (IR) motion sensor. In order to prevent an innocent visitor from accidentally turning off the switch which cuts off the supply of electrical power to the light bulb, a piece of electrical tape is used to block the switch position from being changed.

  

Plant-Growth Direction Shifting from Vertical to Horizontal

• The indoor avocado tree has outgrown to reach the ceiling. In order to shift the direction of its growth from vertical to horizontal, a polyester cord is looped and hung from the stem top. A plurality of rare-earth magnets are stacked and hung from the polyester cord. The number of rare-earth magnets is adjustable to incrementally apply gravitational force over time for the transition depending on the plant's feedback reaction. A battery can be magnetically attached to the rare-earth magnets as extra weight.

  

iOS Shortcuts for Transmitting URL via either AirDrop or QR Code

• Taking the concept of the popular Conference Badge with QR Code of E-mail Address one step further, here is a non-verbal, non-written, non-printed, environmentally-friendly, all-electronic method of communication with another human being. The iOS Shortcut can transmit not only the Uniform Resource Locator (URL) of any website but also an E-mail address, a Wi-Fi password, a vCard, a link to PayPal.Me to accept payment, etc. For an iOS user, the Shortcut can use either AirDrop for direct transmission or a QR Code which can be read with the Camera app. For an Android user, the Shortcut displays a QR Code.

• The simple AirDrop/QR Code Shortcuts programme has a "Choose from Menu" component from which "URL" to choose, followed by another "Choose from Menu" component for choosing between "AirDrop" and "Generate QR Code", followed by "Quick Look" and "Play Sound" components.

  

Steel Washers Strengthening iPhone Magnetic Attachment

• Steel washers are gooped to the backside of an iPhone so that the ferromagnetic material raises the magnetic flux density for stronger magnetic attachment force. This quad-magnet configuration also makes the disc-shaped rare-earth magnet detachable in preparation for newer iPhones with wireless Qi-standard induction charging if ever such a need arises.

  

High-Pitch Friction Noise Replacing a Bicycle Bell

• The Quetzal Bike's bell broke, but it is left in place for bylaw-compliance reasons, i.e., fooling the police. This bicycle's crankarm touches the chain guard, making intermittent high-pitch friction noise while pedalling. Instead of fixing the noise as a problem, I realised that it can be or has been used as an automatic early-warning signal to the pedestrians around. So, no expenses.

  

Lifting a Toilet-Seat Lid with a Suction Cup Gadget

• It is strongly advised to close the toilet seat lid before flushing the toilet in order to prevent a phenomenon known as a "toilet plume" from shooting aerosolised faecal particles containing microbes into the air, often contaminating toothbrushes in the bathroom. A gadget of unknown origin with a suction cup has found a very practical use as a toilet-seat lid lifter. Although the use of dihydrogen monoxide is not metered where I live, I adopted my kids's practice of not flushing the toilet at every urination but keeping it for several times in order to reduce H2O consumption and noise during the night.

  

Hiding a Pocket Knife inside a Metallic Compact Mirror Case

• A knife with a blade shorter than 60 mm is permitted in the carry-on when flying within Canada or to an international (non-U.S.) destination. However, knives of any type or length are not permitted in the carry-on on flights to the U.S., so a pocket knife is placed hidden inside a metallic compact mirror case in order to evade detection by overzealous airport security staff with X-ray scanners.

  

Colouring Alignment Lines on a Bicycle Combination Lock

• The Supercycle Basic Combo Bike Lock is convenient and useful. However, just where one must align the combination of 4 digits is not very clear. The 2 lines to indicate where to align in the same metallic shine as the background is washed out under bright sunlight. So, a magic marker is used to colour the alignment lines crystal clearly.

  

Inverted Double-Decker Platform for Eating Cereals with Milk

• There exist feeder platforms for domestic pets (e.g., Elevated Dog & Cat Bowls, etc.), but there seems to be no such product for humans. Since cereal with milk is prone to splashing due to its fluidity, placing a bowl on a raised platform by any means (e.g., identical ceramic casserole dishes in inverted double-decker configuration, etc.) helps create a clean eating environment at the table. The configuration can be used for eating soup.

  

iPhone Stand with a Safety Reflective Ankle Strap

• A Safety Reflective Ankle Strap for cycling with long pants is re-purposed to function as an iPhone stand. The steel core of the ankle strap attaches to the large ring-shaped rare-earth magnet at the centre of iPhone's backside. The top view of the assembly resembles an infinity symbol, signifying its infinite potential. While not in use, the ankle strap serves as a unisex wristband.

  

Suspending Magnetised Sunglass Case on an S-Shaped Hook

• The Keychain and S-Shaped Hook Attachment by Rare-Earth Magnets to a Steel Shelf has been so successful that its use has expanded to include Eagle Eyes sunglasses in its case. A small disc-shaped rare-earth magnet is inserted between the aluminum case and the lining that protects the sunglasses in order to magnetically suspend the combined mass.

  

In-Car Dual-Screen Display

• An iPhone is magnetically attached to a steel plate on the steering column, and a GPS navigator is attached to the windshield with a suction cup. Both screens are viewed directly straight ahead by the driver. This way, there is no need for a head-up display (HUD) with an elaborate projection mechanism.

  

iPhone Mount on a Steering Column with Sticky-Pad Attachment

• An iPhone is temporarily mounted on Communauto's hybrid car's dashboard in front of the driver's seat for an optimal viewing angle. To do so, a steel plate is cut from the bottom of a circular cardboard container (of matcha). The steel plate is bent and folded in half to form a stand for the iPhone, then a Sticky Pad is securely adhered for non-slip operation.

  

Securing an Elastic Band with 2 Ring-Shaped Rare-Earth Magnets

• In order to mount an iPhone to Communauto's hybrid car only during the reserved time slot, 2 holes are drilled into a steel plate which is cut from the bottom of a circular cardboard container (of matcha). An elastic band is passed through the holes, with each end of the elastic band tied to a ring-shaped rare-earth magnet.

  

Pre-Counted Bus Fare in a Plastic Bag

• I have led essentially cashless lifestyle since 1994, but interprovincial trip between Gatineau, QC, and Ottawa, ON, necessitated a hopefully-temporary situation of having to use cash for a bus ride as STO MULTI card says: "E-wallet is not accepted for starting a trip on the OC Transpo system (bus and train)." So, a transparent plastic bag of wine-making Stabiliser & Clarifier is re-used to individually store a pre-portioned amount of cash for a bus fare.

  

Knapsack as a Frontpack

• The synonym of knapsack is backpack. However, my geological engineer/exploration geologist daughter Évelyne reversed the configuration, and started a trend to wear a knapsack on the front side of the body. So, the knapsack has become a frontpack. It may not be stylish, but it is practical for easy access to the contents.

  

Uniform PET Containers for General Food Storage

• Keeping a plurality of transparent plastic containers of peanut butter of the same No-Name brand for many years has paid off. U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) states that polyethylene terephthalate (PET) may be safely used as intended for use in contact with food. So, it should be OK to store any kind of food inside.

  

Shower Caddy's Suction Cup on a Gooped Steel Plate

• The shower caddy has been indispensable. However, its suction-cup attachment was unstable because the surface of the tiled wall is uneven. After more than 20 years, the problem is finally solved by gooping a steel plate which is cut from the bottom of a cardboard container (of matcha) to the tiled wall. The suction cups are now very stable, but the oxidation rate of the steel plate will be monitored over time.

  

Peripheral Opening of Paperclip-Fastened Curtains

• The Erect Lock Window Curtain Holding Scheme has been quite successful, but intense daytime sunlight onto the workstation area was too hard on light-sensitive eyes in summer. So, the curtain's configuration was reversed so that intense daytime sunlight in the central region is blocked, while the peripheral region is open. The reversed curtain even has some artistic style.

  

Acoustic Dome on a Kitchen Ceiling Crosspoint

• A large mixing bowl is inverted and magnetically attached to the crosspoint of a suspended ceiling in the kitchen by sandwiched disc-shaped rare-earth magnets. When noisy actions are taking place in the kitchen, the acoustic dome provides an environment where one can hear news and music from an iPhone below as the sound is focused towards the listener.

  

Preventing a Bird Nest inside a Ventilation Duct Opening

• A duct opening on a house's brick wall for a kitchen ventilation system is a super-comfortable spot for birds to build their nest thanks to the warm temperature in spring. A grid was built out of a piece of plastic garden fence, and was installed inside the duct opening. The passive structure has been effective for more than 20 years.

  

Twist-Attaching an Over-Sized Trash Bag to a Kitchen Waste Bin

• An over-sized trash bag is convenient to consolidate other trash from elsewhere in the house on the garbage collection day. In order to fit the over-sized trash bag tightly to a kitchen waste bin, 2 of the 4 Quick-Tie flaps are twisted around a finger, and then tied to each other to form a knot so that the over-sized trash bag securely attaches to the kitchen waste bin.

  

Zero-Maintenance All-Natural Tapestry Lawn

• Extending the logic of Natural Composting of Ginkgo biloba Leaves, here is my zero-maintenance all-natural "tapestry lawn" where nature is taking its course. Many different plant species are free to form colonies and to bear flowers in different colours (white, yellow, violet, etc.), although they are nothing but so-called "weeds". Grown without intervention, plant seeds appear and spread naturally for the next season. If diversity of people is good, then diversity of so many plants species should be as good, too. Wild animals that have visited the tapestry lawn include cats, chipmunks, geese, mice, raccoons, skunks, squirrels, even humans. :-)

  

Nuts/Seeds Collection by Vacuum Suction with a Mesh Filter

• Instead of throwing away spilt nuts/seeds into the trash, a sock or a stocking is inserted into the nozzle of a vacuum cleaner to function as a mesh filter, and an elastic band is used to hold it in place. The configuration works well, from large nuts like peanuts down to small seeds like chia seeds. The collected nuts/seeds can be washed, cooked and eaten so that valuable food is not wasted.

  

Steel Plate Landing Site for the iPhone Holder with a Hula Hoop

• The iPhone Holder with a Hula Hoop has been very successful, but the 1:1 configuration of a bolt head with a single large ring-shaped rare-earth magnet will not be compatible with iPhone's Qi wireless charging system. So, a disc-shaped steel plate is magnetically attached to the steel bolt head to form a landing area for a future quad-magnet configuration. A piece of non-slip silicone tape is sandwiched among the magnet, the bolt head and the steel plate to provide friction.

  

Organic Fertiliser Spray for Hydrogel Hydroponics Plants

• A household cleaning spray is re-purposed to function as a spray for hydrogel hydroponics. The spray's nozzle has 3 positions: OFF, SPRAY and STREAM. All-purpose fertiliser (20-20-20) and agar (gelatinous powder derived from marine red algae) are dissolved into dihydrogen monoxide (H2O) for application to the plant roots through the holes on the cover. It is essential to shake before using.

  

Covered Compartmentalised Hydrogel Hydroponics for Minimising Evaporation of Dihydrogen Monoxide

• In order to minimise the loss of dihydrogen monoxide (H2O) by evaporation, a cover is placed on a plastic deli/vegetable tray for hydrogel hydroponics. A hole is made for each compartmentalised chamber at pre-determined locations, with a central hole for irrigation. Greenhouse effect due to trapped H2O gas raises the temperature of the environment, stimulating plant growth by increasing the rate of biochemical reactions. Non-seed plants such as garlic and parsley are being grown.

  

Align-Only No-Fold Laundry Scheme

• my geological engineer/exploration geologist daughter Évelyne questioned why we had to fold clothes after washing and drying. Since I had no logical answer, no more folding! I adopted a laundry scheme in which underwear and socks are simply aligned when they are placed in chest drawers, saving time and nerve.

  

Frequency Shifting of a Bluetooth FM Transmitter for Avoiding Interference with a GPS Navigator

• When I plugged a Bluetooth FM transmitter into the car's 110-V AC power outlet, the GPS navigator lost satellite reception due to electromagnetic interference. So, either the Bluetooth FM transmitter or the GPS navigator could be used, but not both! After I shifted the Bluetooth FM transmitter's frequency from 87.5 MHz or 99.9 MHz to the maximum value of 107.9 MHz, the electromagnetic interference magically disappeared.

  

Conference Badge with QR Code of E-mail Address

• Conference attendees are still networking with other attendees by manually exchanging contact information, i.e., typing business card data into a mobile device or writing it down on a piece of paper! So, I stuck the QR Code of my e-mail address to the inside surface of a badge holder with adhesive tape for demonstration. Conference organisers could add such QR Code to the badge from the attendee's pre-registration data so that contact information can be captured via iPhone's Camera app, for example.

  

Waist Pack Belt as an Integrated Single Belt

• Instead of wearing a pants belt and a waist pack belt, the waist pack belt can be the only belt by attaching it to the pants's belt loop with a keychain on a retractable wire. The attachment can be semi-permanent until the next laundry wash cycle.

  

Synergetic High-Pitch Acoustic Resonance by Fish-Line Hanging of a Heavy Bolt and a Singing Rod

• The acoustic characteristics of the popular High-Pitch Acoustic Resonance by Fish-Line Hanging of a Heavy Bolt has been significantly improved by also suspending the aluminum "Singing Rod" at the endpoints with another fish line from high above, forming a cross. Hitting the bolt by the rod produces stochastically-synergetic interaction of high-pitch sounds at resonant frequencies. The ear-piercing doubly-resonant sound is good for a daily ritual of waking up the brain.

  

Annular Junk-Mail Flyer as a Paraffin Wax Splash Guard

• Dealing with spilt paraffin wax is very messy as it solidifies on the unheated surface of any cooktop. So, a junk-mail flyer was folded in half and a semi-circular portion was cut off by a pair of scissors to form a circular hole, to be placed around the heating element of a cooktop. A Quinolent GREEN puck is first immersed in a melted paraffin wax for a few seconds, then it is plunged into a bath of iced dihydrogen monoxide (H2O).

  

Functional QR-Code ID Tattoo with Citizenship Logo for Body Identification

• Here is a functional QR-Code ID tattoo, hyperlinking to my home-page URL. In case I become unconscious or die, the first responders can identify the body and medical record since I do not always carry a wallet when I go cycling or cross-country skiing. While applying the tattoo, I discovered that even slight warping of the QR Code messes up the scanner (iPhone's Camera app). So, the location had to change from upper arm (convex) to belly's navel region or leg's calf (relatively flat). The QR-Code ID tattoo replaces MedicAlert ID.

  

Hydroponics with Multi-Layer Hydrogel Balls and Tissue Paper Sandwich Membrane

• Dirt-Free Hydroponics with Hydrogel Balls was reconfigured to add a piece of 2-ply tissue paper as H2O-permeable membrane, sandwiching a mixture of seeds (chia seeds, quinoa seeds, flax seeds), all-purpose fertiliser (20-20-20) and an organic starter powder (agar, Ginkgo biloba leaves, mocha). Shoots that are strong enough to penetrate through the tissue come out, while the others die out to become fertiliser to the surviving plants, i.e., "Survival of the Fit Enough". The version with flax seeds and agar was found to grow best, confirming claim: "agar is made from natural seaweed material which is known to contain a lot of nutrients."

  

High-Pitch Acoustic Resonance by Fish-Line Hanging of a Heavy Bolt

• A heavy bolt (about 18 mm in diameter, 140 mm in length) is suspended at the bolt head with a fish line from high above. Hitting the bolt by an aluminum "Singing Rod" produces high-pitch sound at a resonant frequency. The ear-piercing resonant sound emulates the acoustic resonance of a prayer bell.

  

Dirt-Free Hydroponics with Single-Layer Hydrogel Balls

• Dirt-Free Hydroponics with Hydrogel Balls in a Cup is promising, but not all the seeds stay on the hydrogel balls. Instead, some of them fall through the cracks, suffocate and die due to dioxygen (O2) deprivation. The single-layer configuration prevents the seeds from sinking into the bath of dihydrogen monoxide (H2O). The pan (of take-out food) is growing 1/3 chia seeds, 1/3 quinoa seeds and 1/3 flax seeds.

  

Dirt-Free Hydroponics with Hydrogel Balls in a Cup

• Hydrogel "Crystal Balls" are soaked into dihydrogen monoxide (H2O), and all-purpose fertiliser (20-20-20) is dissolved into the mixture in order to form a substrate for indoor hydroponics as an effective alternative to bug-infested potting soil. One cup is growing chia seeds, another cup is growing quinoa seeds, and yet another cup is growing 1/2 chia seeds and 1/2 quinoa seeds.

  

Freezing Ginkgo biloba Seeds in a Freezer

• Pre-cooked Ginkgo biloba seeds are put into a plastic container and frozen in a freezer after removing the shells. For long-term storage, dried but uncooked Ginkgo biloba seeds with shells intact are put into a plastic container (of grape juice concentrate) and stored in the freezer.

  

Storing Ginkgo biloba Seeds in a Plastic Mesh Bag

• Storing Ginkgo biloba seeds in an air-tight plastic container (of guacamole) resulted in the growth of disgusting GREEN mold at the seeds's surface. A plastic mesh bag (of Mini Babybel cheese) to the rescue. So, 100 Ginkgo biloba seeds for sale are now stored safely in a well-aerated mold-free environment.

  

Ending the Battle over Toilet Seat Up or Down

• If every human being urinates sitting down, then there will be no more silly battle of the sexes over whether the toilet seat should be up or down in the bathroom. So, the toilet seat is permanently shut by Duck/Duct tape, and the frequency of clean-up is minimised by eliminating splashes. There is even academic research which found that sitting down to pee helped men suffering from Lower Urinary Tract disease symptoms to pee with greater force by creating "a more favourable urodynamic profile".

  

Preventing Contamination behind a Food Container Cover

• Human beings seem to have natural tendency of flipping the cover of a container when it is opened, i.e., putting the cover on the table upside down. However, this practice makes the back of the cover capture airborne microbes/microorganisms which subsequently enter the container. Breaking this paradigm and adopting a non-flipping policy prevent such contamination.

  

UPC Spoofing with On-Line Barcode Generator

• Québec has a deposit on aluminum, glass and plastic soft drink and beer cans. Although Campbell Soup's V8 is in an aluminum can which says "REFUND WHERE APPLICABLE", the deposit return machine rejects the can. So, I printed out and affixed a UPC (Universal Product Code) from Diet Pepsi and Diet Coke, both of which were accepted. I also found that Pepsi uses UPC-A (12 digits), while Coke uses UPC-E (8 digits). Such a profitable scheme could be illegal and also contaminates the recycling process, but it was an interesting engineering exercise to expose a loophole.

  

Quinolent GREEN Washable (Encased in Paraffin Wax)

• The dream of no-mess washable food is one stop closer to reality. Dipping Quinolent GREEN in a bath of food-grade paraffin wax at a temperature above its melting point of 333 K gives a protective coating. The nutritious hockey-puck-shaped food provides portion control for effective diet. Paraffin wax is found in Health Canada's Lists of Permitted Food Additives with Other Generally Accepted Uses. U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) states that petroleum wax may be safely used in or on food. Food-grade paraffin wax is considered edible as it is added to chocolate to give it a glossy finish, helps the chocolate remain solid at room temperature, and passes through the body undigested and contains no nutritional value. Extra paraffin wax from Mini Babybel cheese is added instead of throwing it away.

  

Concave-Convex Image Transformation by a Mylar Seal

• A plastic container (of Pesto) has a mylar seal. my professional artist daughter Véronique noticed that the shape of the mylar can be changed from concave to convex by pushing the container to raise the internal pressure. So, the images can be zoomed in with concave, zoomed out with convex.

  

Hydrogel Shrinkage by Osmosis with Sodium Chloride in Dihydrogen Monoxide

• "Crystal Ball" is a dried hydrogel, less than 2 mm in diameter. When the balls are soaked in dihydrogen monoxide (H2O), they swell enormously in size to greater than 18 mm in diameter. Adding salt (NaCl) makes them shrink in size to about 6 mm in diameter. Soaking the balls in wine (12 % C2H5OH) makes them even smaller to about 4 mm in diameter. The phenomenon makes a good demonstration of osmosis, which is the passive movement of water through a semipermeable membrane from a compartment of relatively low osmotic pressure to a compartment of relatively high osmotic pressure, towards equilibrium.

  

Horizontalisation of iPhone-Viewing Lamp Stand by a Rag

• The carpet in the bedroom has been unequally wearing out over the years, especially around pieces of furniture. As a result, the lamp stand with a steel lampshade to magnetically hold the iPhone was leaning. So, a rag is placed underneath the base of the lamp stand to horizontalise the structure.

  

iPhone Elastic-Band Suspension from a Swingable Magnetically-Supported Bent Steel Bar

• The Swingable Magnetically-Supported Bent Steel Bar on a Lamp-Stand for Straight iPhone Viewing on a Sofa was not quite successful for an iPhone Plus because of its heavy weight. So, 2 ultra-wide elastic bands now suspend the iPhone Plus from a magnetically-supported bent steel bar on a lamp-stand. Together with Retractable iPhone Sound Reflector, watching Star Trek on the sofa is comfortable once again.

  

Snow Shovel Handle Replacement for Back-Pain Prevention

• Generally, large show shovels come with a long handle, while small show shovels come with a short handle. Because of the need to lean at a steep angle, a short handle causes great stress on the body while shovelling snow from the ground level, leading to a back pain. When an old large shovel broke, the long handle was recovered and transplanted into a small shovel.

  

Keychain on a Retractable Wire Semi-Permanently Attached to a Winter Jacket

• A retractable badge reel from a trade show was not trashed after the event but was reconfigured to attach to a winter jacket to hold a keychain by removing the plastic badge holder. This version stretches and retracts more than the coiled-wire version. It also survived a ski-fall accident. The tethered keychain can still be put into a pocket. The iPhone stays with a coiled USB cable for the charging function.

  

Quinolent GREEN Drying on a Cutting Board

• After the Quinolent GREEN mixture is cooked in a microwave oven, a cutting board is placed on top of the silicone muffin/cupcake pan. Then, the combined assembly is flipped so that the cooked pucks drop from the non-stick silicone muffin/cupcake pan to the cutting board. The reversal exposes the wet bottom portion of the pucks for effective drying.

  

Quinolent GREEN Measuring by an Ice-Cream Scoop and Shaping by a Plastic Cup

• The mixture of Quinolent GREEN ingredients is measured by an ice-cream scoop with a rough surface when it is poured into a silicone muffin/cupcake pan. Then, the mixture is pressure-shaped by rotating a plastic cup with a wet bottom. Since the bottom of the plastic cup is slightly concave, the pucks become slightly convex.

  

In-Situ Casseroles Cooking of Pre-Weighed Quinolent GREEN and Quinolent ORANGE

• In this cooking method of Quinolent GREEN and Quinolent ORANGE, the ingredients are mixed, then the mixture is weighed while it is being put into the individual casseroles for bulk-cooking in a microwave oven. So, each meal is pre-weighed for providing effective portion-controlled diet.

  

Open-Air Uncovered Blending of High-Viscosity Ingredients

• Some of the ingredients of Quinolent GREEN are mixed in a blender, i.e., olive oil, peanut butter, matcha powder, MSG, black pepper, whole eggs AND eggshells. Since these ingredients have high viscosity, the mixture stays inside the blender in an open-air configuration without causing any splash during blending. So, there is no need to wash the cover.

  

Clean Cheese Dispensing by Multiply-Folded Plastic Wrap

• To supplement McGoal™ FREE medium fries at 3 McDonald's restaurants, 3 pieces of cheese are cascade-wrapped in low-density polyethylene (LDPE) plastic wrap so that one piece of cheese is dispensed at each McDonald's restaurant without having to touch the other pieces, preventing any undesirable contamination.

  

Hyper-Thick Toilet Tissue for Dry and Wet Butt-Wiping

• One piece of 2-ply tissue paper from a tissue paper box is folded 3 times to transform a pile of thin sheets into 1 thick square 12-ply sheet, enough for both dry-mode and wet-mode wiping operations in the bathroom. Using crumpled dry tissue followed by wet tissue with dihydrogen monoxide (H2O) from a nearby sink yields the best results. I am longing for a day when such pre-cut hyper-thick tissue paper is sold in stores so that I can skip the tedious folding actions.

  

Drying Ginkgo biloba Seeds in a Laundry Net Mesh Bag

• The harvest season of Ginkgo biloba seeds is late autumn, so processing and drying the seeds happen when the central heat pump system is turned on. A laundry net mesh bag was found to be ideal for holding hundreds of Ginkgo biloba seeds for drying at the ventilation outlet.

  

Gooping a Steel Plate to a Refrigerator Ceiling

• The ceiling of most modern refrigerators is plastic, unlike my 30-year old refrigerator with a steel frame. So, a steel lid (of a matcha container) is gooped to the refrigerator's ceiling in order to enable the successful Ring-Disc Combination for Magnetic Suspension of Containers. The Goop comes off completely with a plastic knife, causing no damage to the plastic surface.

  

Strategic Placement of a Recycling Bin to Keep a Snowplow Away

• In order to keep the dreadful snowbank piling by a snowplow as low as possible, a recycling bin is semi-permanently placed at the curb in front of the driveway, slightly sticking out into the road. The presence of the recycling bin makes the snowplow's operator to pass slightly away from my driveway because he/she does not want to hit the recycling bin. The strategy worked fine on a recycling day, but on other days an overly helpful neighbour with village mentality retrieves the bin for me without my asking. If only artificial intelligence (AI) detected the approaching snowplow and self-propelled the bin...

  

Winter Jacket Hood Adjustment by Safety Pins

• The hood of a winter jacket was drooping annoyingly enough to touch the eyes and to narrow the field of view, so an adjustment was made by folding it outwards and fixing it with a few safety pins.

  

Keychain on a Coiled Wire Semi-Permanently Attached to a Winter Jacket

• Considering that there is no chance of going outside in Canadian winter without a winter jacket, a coiled wire (non-USB) with an ignition key is semi-permanently attached to the winter jacket. The coiled wire (non-USB) extends long enough to reach the car's ignition switch. So, there is no chance of the keys getting lost, or the driver getting locked out.

  

iPhone Tethered to a Coiled USB Cable for Loss Prevention

• My engineer/mathematician/computer scientist son François's friend Ilknur lost her iPhone in Toronto, ON. It was eventually recovered at the Eaton Centre's Lost and Found, but the incident gave me an idea to prevent such a stressful loss in the first place. A hook attached to an extendably coiled USB cable is semi-permanently hooked to the pants's belt loop so that the tethered iPhone can be pulled from the user's pocket for use, then put back into the packet. The USB cable is now looped in order to prevent breakage.

  

Electrical Tape Cable Consolidation at the Gap of an Extendable Table

• A messy cable situation is brought under control by consolidating the cables at the gap of an extendable table in the extended position with electrical tape. A small piece of electrical tape at the middle of the electrical tape makes the centre portion non-adhesive so that the gap can allow the cables to move up and down in a one-dimensional movement.

  

Serving Quinolent GREEN Puck Soup on a Microwave-Oven Turntable

• In a casserole, Quinolent GREEN pucks are immersed in vegetable soup (V8 juice or Oasisjuice), and the mixture is heated in a microwave oven. The microwave-oven turntable with the casserole on top is transferred directly to the table for easy serving. Monopolizing the microwave-oven turntable poses no problem in a household of a single lonely person.

  

USB Cable Breakage Preventive Measure by Self-Looping

• Earphone Cable Breakage Preventive Measure by Goop does not work well for a thicker USB cable from a dollar store. Also, frequent change of orientation between landscape and portrait makes the internal conductors vulnerable for breakage. So, the iPhone end of the USB cable is looped and secured by a piece of electrical tape in order to reduce bending stress.

  

Upside-Down Fondue Base for a Tabletop Fireplace

• A fondue base is turned upside down in order to provide a platform for a romantic tabletop fireplace, replacing a soot-producing candle fire. Either isopropyl alcohol ((CH3)2CHOH) which is sold as rubbing alcohol, or olive oil can be used as fuel, with tissue paper or paper towel as a wick. Different chemical elements can be added to the fuel in order to produce various colours.

  

Gooping Washers to a Wine Filter Housing

• It was tedious to insert a washer through each bolt to secure the 2 halves of wine filter housing every time it is used. So, the washers are permanently secured by gooping them to the filter housing. Later, wine filtration was skipped so that more anti-oxidant resveratrol remains in the red wine.

  

Using Paper Towel as Coffee Filter

• It is not necessary to buy over-priced coffee filters. Coffee can be filtered by an octagonally-folded sheet of paper towel. The resulting coffee can be indistinguishable from the coffee filtered by an expensive coffee filter.

  

Freezing Dihydrogen Monoxide in a Balloon

• A balloon is filled with hydrogen monoxide (H2O) and is placed in a freezer. Once frozen, the balloon is wrapped in a towel in order to provide cheap but effective pain relief for headache, for inflammation, etc.

  

Sanitary Opening and Closing of a Toilet Seat

• A plastic fork is attached to the bottom surface of a toilet seat by Duck/Duct tape to function as a lever so that a user can open and close the toilet seat without touching the toilet seat itself, i.e., germ-free lifting up and down operation in sanitary condition.

  

Reducing Banging Noise of a Toilet Seat

• Several silicone rubber pads self-adhesive bumper stop damper cushion are attached to the bottom surface of a toilet seat in order to reduce banging noise when the toilet seat is lowered. Unlike felt pads, silicone rubber pads do not absorb body fluids of any kind.

  

Providing Parents in the Master Bedroom with Privacy

• A thick elastic band with high elasticity is used to attach the 2 door knobs of the master bedroom in order to provide parents with privacy from small kids who could be curious when they wake up at night.

  

Insulating Tubing of a Hot-Water Tank

• Tubing of a hot-water tank in the basement is made of copper (Cu) which has high thermal conductivity. So, it is advantageous to use self-adhering polyethylene foam pipe insulation to preserve heat for energy efficiency.

  

Stopping Movement of Over-the-Door Hook Hanger by Silicone Rubber Pads

• An over-the-door hook hanger is very useful, but the gap causes it to move, causing noise and damage to the door. To stop the movement, silicone rubber pads self-adhesive bumper stop damper cushion are attached to the over-the-door hook hanger to close the gap.

  

Glove Attachment to a Winter Jacket's Snap Fastener

• A pair of gloves have hooks to connect to each other. What to do now? The pocket of a jacket has a snap fastener, so the gloves can be attached there at the connection point when they are not in use.

  

Finding a Stud with Rare-Earth Magnets

• Steel nails secure drywall to studs, but they are invisible, hidden behind paint or wallpaper. Since rare-earth magnets are strong enough to magnetically attach to such steel nails through the paint or wallpaper, they can be used to find the studs.

  

Looped Masking/Packing Tape for Removing Hair

• A piece of masking tape or packing tape is cut and is self-adhered to itself to form a loop. A couple of user's fingers are inserted into the loop so that it can be effectively used to remove hair from a bed, from a sofa, from a counter, from a floor, etc.

  

Knapsack Zipper Stopper Technique

• A cheap knapsack is useful, but it opens too wide. So, a user who is too lazy to close it completely every time was losing objects. A stitch was threaded by a needle at the zipper to limit the opening of the knapsack. A plastic-coated steel tie (of a USB cable) turned out to be more robust.

  

Trimming Tall Plastic Glasses for Kids

• Cheap colourful plastic glasses are ideal for kids, but these plastic glasses are usually too tall with high centre of gravity, causing messy situations with spills, leading to stress for the parents. So, they were trimmed down by an electric drill with a circular diamond grinding disc.

  

Leaving Metallic Utensil inside a Microwave Oven while Cooking

• Every user guide of a microwave oven instructs users: "Do not use aluminum foil or any metal containers, metal utensils, metal objects, or objects with metal or foil trim in the oven." Although microwave radiation induces eddy current which heats up the utensils, it is quite OK to leave a metallic utensil inside the microwave oven while cooking as long as it never touches or comes very close to the walls or to the door of the microwave oven.

  

Tissue Paper Box Attachment by Looped Single-Sided Packing Tape

• Rear-seat passengers are served well by the On-Ceiling Tissue Paper Box Suspender in a Car by a Cut Hula Hoop, but the front-seat occupants had difficulty reaching it. So, a piece of packing tape is self-adhered to form a loop, then is used to attach the tissue paper box to the car's dash in front of the front passenger seat.

  

Flip-and-Throw Pre-Tied Garbage Bag

• The Hidden Trash Can inside a Car's Console has been successful. It was realised, however, that by pre-tying the plastic bag's handles before installing it into the console makes it possible to simply flip it and throw the full bag into the trash, especially when you are in a hurry.

  

Food-Access Facilitation by Inverting a Round Casserole Dish

• Some food on the table could be served closer to the mouth for easy access. For example, Quinolent GREEN pucks are stored in the refrigerator in a round casserole dish. So, simply inverting the dish to form a raised platform provides easier eating experience. Since no extra dish is required, washing becomes simpler, too.

  

Costco Membership (Credit) Card in a Name Tag Holder

• I have become sick and tired of having to take out and show my Costco membership card multiple times whenever I visit Costco. So, I put the Costco membership card, which is also a credit card, into a name tag holder with a lanyard from a conference. It will be in use until Costco comes to their senses and takes Apple Pay both for admission and for payment.

  

Breakfast Portion Control as Most Effective Diet

• In order to help control the temptation to eat more and more, strict discipline of Portion control is exercised by measuring the weight of every component of breakfast down to the precision of ±1 g.

  

Scarethief Padlock on a Fence Gate

• The sequence numbers of a combination padlock were forgotten. Instead of throwing it away, the padlock now serves as a decorative scarethief on a fence gate in order to scare away burglars.

  

Up-Down Arrangement of Utensils on a Magic Plate

• The Magnetic Hanging of Utensils on a Magic Plate has been successful, but the in-line placement of utensils made them prone to retain dihydrogen monoxide (H2O) molecules. So, the arrangement was modified to be a staggered up-down configuration in order to prevent moisture from being trapped.

  

iPhone Plus USB Cable through a Hula Hoop with a Magnetically-Reinforced Bolt

• The iPhone Holder with a Hula Hoop has been successful, but charging the iPhone was cumbersome. So, the USB cable is routed through the hula hoop. Also, switching from the iPhone to a heavier iPhone Plus made the magnetic attraction force between the magnetised iPhone and the bolt weak, so a ring-shaped rare-earth magnet is added through which the bolt is inserted.

  

Horizontal Placement of Carry-In Condiment Kit in a Knapsack

• The Carry-In Condiment Kit for McDonald's FREE Medium Fries has been successful, but it was always falling inside a knapsack due to the law of physics. So, the flip-cover container (of melatonin pills) was replaced by a plastic container, and more paper napkins were inserted for better cushion. The transparent plastic container (of mayonnaise) fits inside the unused butter compartment of the refrigerator while the kit is not in use.

  

Pen Insertion into a Dashboard Air Vent Grille

• The ink of a ballpoint pen tends to solidify in a low-temperature environment like the interior of a car. So, the pen is inserted into a dashboard air vent grille of the car for heat. Unexpectedly, the inserted pen conveniently serves as an anchor pivot point of the USB cable from the iPhone stacked up on top of a GPS navigator to the USB port.

  

Ring-Disc Combination for Magnetic Suspension of Containers

• The Magnetic Suspension of Containers and Canned Foods from a Refrigerator Ceiling has been very successful, but the combination of a ring-shaped rare-earth magnet on the top surface of the container's cover and a disc-shaped rare-earth magnet on the bottom surface of the container's cover makes it possible to suspend almost any containers such as peanut butter.

  

Magnetic Confinement of a Steel Bolt inside a Waist Pack

• Although the Steel-Bolt iPhone Stand for Portrait/Landscape Orientation has been successful, the thick steel bolt tends to get lost inside a crowded waist pack. So, a ring-shaped rare-earth magnet is securely attached to the end of a hook with a tie in order to confine the thick steel bolt in place.

  

Steel-Bolt iPhone Stand for Portrait/Landscape Orientation

• A thick steel bolt is detachably attached to the centrally-magnetised iPhone to form a stable stand in both portrait and landscape orientations, and provides 2 stable angular positions for each orientation. The configuration is especially useful for viewing Star Trek shows on a McGoal™ day at a McDonald's restaurant while eating FREE medium fries.

  

Upper Limit on Over-the-Range Inverter Microwave Oven's Power Setting

• The over-the-range inverter microwave oven keeps tripping the circuit breaker. The manufacturer's FAQ page explains the well-known design bug: "An inverter microwave oven does not provide a constant input current like conventional microwave ovens." So, my solution is to self-impose an upper limit of P-6 for the power setting, which has made the microwave oven last more than 10 years so far. Cooking time is longer to compensate for the lower power.

  

In-Car Magnetic Attachment of Miscellaneous Items

• A couple of rod-shaped rare-earth magnet are magnetically attached to a couple of steel bolt heads in the car's centre console which is permanently open as a trash bin. The magnets can hold miscellaneous items that tend to fall onto the floor, e.g., an extra keychain, a USB-to-Lightning cable, etc.

  

Dihydrogen Monoxide Bottle with Magic Marker Volume Indicators

• Preparing TeaVin (Super-Anti-Oxidant Cocktail Mix of 1:1 Green Tea and Red Wine) in situ requires an indicator inside a dihydrogen monoxide (H2O) bottle, so a magic marker was used to mark 300 g and 600 g points on the inner surface of the bottle.

  

Dihydrogen Monoxide Bottle Hanging on a Crank Knob

• The crank of a casement window in a bathroom was found to be ideal to hang the handle of a dihydrogen monoxide (H2O) bottle while taking a shower or doing nature's call pee/poop business on the toilet. The knob of the crank must be orienting upwards.

  

Carry-In Condiment Kit for McDonald's FREE Medium Fries

• McGoal™! Every time the Montréal Canadiens score the first goal of the game, McDonald's Canada offers FREE medium fries if My McD's app with Mobile Order is used. At the restaurant, however, no fork is available, and the only condiment is sweet ketchup. A carry-in kit of a transparent plastic container (of peanut butter) to the rescue. A plastic disposable fork is now a permanently-reusable fork, and a flip-cover container (of melatonin pills) holds a condiment of basil pesto with no added sugar (0 g).

  

Washable Weapon of Bug Destruction

• The LED Mosquito Killer Electric Fly Pest Zapper UV Light Insect Controller becomes contaminated with dead bugs over time. Plugging the zapper into an electrical outlet upside down makes it possible for the product to be washed by dihydrogen monoxide without damaging the electronic components inside the lower portion of the zapper.

  

Magnetised iPhone Stacking up on top of a GPS Navigator

• It was accidentally discovered that there is enough ferromagnetic contents in the body of a GPS navigator to attach a magnetised iPhone via magnetic attraction force. So, the 2 devices are stacked up in 2 layers, with iPhone's USB-to-Lightning cable anchored on a steel bolt, which is wrapped in an elastic band for friction and is inserted into the dashboard air vent grille of the car.

  

iPhone Plus Elastic-Band Attachment on a Sun Visor

• iPhone Elastic-Band Attachment on a Sun Visor has been successful, but iPhone Plus enables it to be placed in the landscape orientation. The Home button can be tapped through an elastic band, and a USB-to-Lightning cable can be routed without obscuring the driver's vision. It creates an ideal environment for activities like listening to Text-to-Speech (TTS) of a daily newspaper.

  

Earphone Cable Breakage Preventive Measure by Goop

• Electrical tape had been used to provide preventive measure against breakage of the earphone cable's weak points. However, the adhesive of the electrical tape was melting at high ambient temperature in a hot summer season. So, the electrical tape was replaced by goop, which is rated to withstand the temperature range between 233 K and 339 K.

  

Revitalisation of a Life-Size Doll by a Neck Tube and Electrical Tape

• A life-size doll is suffering from wear and tear, just like human being's ailments. Electrical tape was used to repair the tear of her hand and also to reinforce the connection of her neck, which is then covered by a neck tube.

  

Stabilisation of a Waist Pack behind a Bicycle Seat by Beverage Cans

• An old waist pack was made to hang on to the rear reflector, but it was rather unstable. So, 2 beverage cans (of V8 juice) were put inside the waist pack at the opposite ends to provide balance for stability. Also, an uncomfortable gap of the Quetzal Bike seat was filled with a rolled-up towel.

  

Precious Item Hiding inside a Pill Container

• While working outside, small precious items such as a diamond ring can be put into a pill container. The pill container can now be safely hidden inside a dryer duct, for example.

  

Friction-Assisted Diagonal Erection of iPhone for Sound Reflection

• iPhone's case has a non-slip surface, so the iPhone can stand diagonally by leaning on any vertical object. The sound from the speaker is reflected on a desk or a table towards the listener. Now, iPhone sounds much better, especially high-frequency sounds in the audio spectrum.

  

Retractable iPhone Sound Reflector into its Case

• Now that the iPhone has a case, a piece of transparent cap of the package of stacked potato chips is inserted between the iPhone and the case to function as a sound reflector. When the sound reflector is not in use, it can be pushed into the narrow gap between the iPhone and the case. Now, iPhone sounds much better, especially high-frequency sounds in the audio spectrum.

  

Silicone-Tape-Covered Penetrating Magnet through an iPhone Case

• The quest for an ultimate magnetised iPhone has led to a configuration in which a piece of self-fusing silicone tape is placed on the surface of a gooped ring-shaped rare-earth magnet on the iPhone. A hole was cut through an iPhone case to expose the rare-earth magnet covered by the non-slip tape. It was found that doubling up the silicone tape extends its durability. Silicone tape quickly gather surface-borne dust particles, so electrical tape provides better non-slippery effect.

  

Broken Rare-Earth Magnet for Attaching a Bicycle Lock

• The Quetzal Bike has a steel frame with different diameters from my previous bicycle. So, polyethylene foam pipe insulation was used to compensate for the difference and to tighten the connection with a bicycle lock mounting piece. Then, 2 pieces of a ring-shaped rare-earth magnet broken in half secure the bicycle lock in place.

  

Magnetic Suspension of a Licked Utensil above a Container

• It was realised that the rare-earth magnet of the successful Magnetic Suspension of Containers and Canned Foods from a Refrigerator Ceiling can suspend a licked spoon of peanut butter, for example. The spoon stays until the next licking without soiling the table.

  

Guideline for the Magnetic Tabletop iPhone Tower

• In order to accurately place the successful Magnetic Tabletop iPhone Tower with a Golf Ball on Top at the centre of a table, a magic marker was used to draw a permanent circle.

  

Routing an Extension Cord with a USB Charger in a Washroom

• An extension cord is routed behind a toilet bowl via a window crank. A permanently plugged-in USB charger together with a USB adapter is ready to serve the need for an always power-hungry iPhone while I multi-task watching Star Trek and doing toilet business simultaneously.

  

A Pill Holder out of a Computer-Screen Wiper

• A computer-screen wiper's brushes were removed so that the flat empty body can hold pills (antacid, ibuprofen, melatonin, vitamin, etc.) for travelling in a waist pack.

  

Object Insertion into the Gap of an Appliance's Label

• A thin display object can be inserted into the narrow gap between the surface of a refrigerator and the appliance's label which is not completely glued.

  

iPhone Holder with a Hula Hoop

• To achieve ultimate iPhone experience, an old hula hoop was cut in half. One end of the hula hoop was securely attached to the Magnetic Remote-Control Consolidating Tower with a string, a few elastic bands and electrical tape. A hole was drilled into the other end, and a non-stainless-steel steel bolt was screwed in to form a landing spot for a magnetised iPhone. The configuration is ideal for watching Star Trek in bed.

  

Laptop Laidback Wrist Saver

• Laptop Laidback Adjustable Stand is great as a lazy person's workstation in bed, but the protruding front ledge stoppers cause discomfort on the wrists. So, a broken plastic coat hanger was cut to form a straight bar, which was gooped to the bottom portion of the Laptop Laidback to eliminate the protrusions.

  

Chinese Water Torture Prevention Scheme

• The 30-year old water faucet of the kitchen sink has developed slight leakage. Periodic dripping sound disrupts sleep at night like Chinese Water Torture. Since I cannot afford to have the water faucet replaced, my geological engineer/exploration geologist daughter Évelyne came up with a brilliant scheme to direct the H2O drops to the vertical portion of the dividing wall of the kitchen sink in order to mute the sound.

  

Car-Key Leg-Touching Avoidance Technique

• When the car's ignition key is in place, the other keys from the keychain may touch the driver's naked leg. The driving experience becomes very irritating and uncomfortable, to say the least. Simply inserting the other keys into the keychain solves the whole problem.

  

Diagonally-Aligned Horizontal Window Blinds

• It is terribly difficult to lift up/down horizontal window blinds for exactly horizontal alignment. Misalignment led to diagonal blinds, which turned out to be OK for effectively blocking sunlight throughout the day because of shading due to tree locations, etc. As a bonus, this arrangement produces an artistic wave pattern.

  

Sweeper Refill on a Non-Swiffer Mop Head

• An old mop with a sponge head designed for wet cleaning with a squeezing feature can be fitted with a generic version of Swiffer dry pad refill for electrostatic dry floor sweeping.

  

Vacuum Packaging Clothes in a Plastic Bag Sealed by an Elastic Band

• Packing clothes for an upcoming trip, 3 shirts, 3 shorts, 3 underwear and 3 socks are put into a plastic bag. The air is sucked out by a vacuum cleaner, and the opening of the plastic bag is sealed by an elastic band. There is no need to buy overpriced Space Saver Bags.

  

iPhone Sound Reflector with a Transparent Piece of Plastic

• iPhone's sound is omni-directionally emitted from the speaker at the bottom, causing a great amount of loss before reaching the listener's ears. So, a piece of transparent cap of the package of stacked potato chips was cut and gooped to the bottom of the iPhone to reflect the sound. Now, iPhone sounds much better, especially high-frequency sounds in the audio spectrum.

  

Mouthwash-Soaked Sponge for Slow-Release Nocturnal Cavity Prevention

• A dishwashing sponge pad is surgically cut by a pair of scissors to fit the mouth interior. The sponge pad is soaked with mouthwash liquid nightly to function as a depository so that the mouthwash liquid is slowly released during sleep for preventing tooth decay by killing bacteria in the mouth.

  

Makeshift Spoon for Sampling Soups

• A sign at a local Whole Foods Market says "SAMPLE SOME FOODS, ON US!", so my daughter Évelyne and I ate 6 different soups for lunch. Some soups have large chunks of meat and of vegetables, but the store does not provide a spoon. So, a plastic lid of some other disposable container was folded to function as a makeshift spoon.

  

Transformation of Kid's Scooter into Adult's Scooter by Duck/Duct Tape

• Here is a method to transform a scooter for kids into a scooter for adults by securely attaching a long stick with handle from a broken snow shovel by venerable Duck/Duct tape.

  

De-Brining Green Olives with Dihydrogen Monoxide and Re-Using Brine

• I love Olea europaea, but Green Olives Stuffed with Garlic have too sour taste because they are soaked in a preservative liquid mixture of salt (NaCl), ethanoic acid (CH3COOH) and lactic acid (CH3CH(OH)COOH). Thoroughly rinsing them with dihydrogen monoxide (H2O) for a while reduces the sour taste so that genuine taste of Olea europaea and Allium sativum in combination can be enjoyed. The drained brine is saved and used for cooking later elsewhere.

  

Laundry Detergent Measuring Cup for Mouthwash

• The original white plastic cups for a cup holder which is securely attached to a washroom wall have disintegrated over the years. The translucent measuring cup that comes with a tank of liquid laundry detergent has a diameter-reducing shape which makes perfect match for the O-shaped hole in the horizontal shelf portion of the cup holder. The cups are used for mouthwash liquid.

  

Life-Size Welcoming Beacon Balloon Pole from Junk

• my geological engineer/exploration geologist daughter Évelyne strung caps from mouthwash bottles together to form a tower, with a rock inside the lowest cap at the bottom for stability. I attached a balloon for decoration, but needed to enforce the attachment with colour-matched tape. I also placed it on top of an ice cream container to form a life-size welcoming beacon balloon pole at the entrance. It is a collaborative art from junk.

  

Open-Door Refrigerator as a Dehumidifier

• It is a very bad practice to leave the refrigerator's door open, but accidents sometimes happen, giving rise to an idea to use it as a dehumidifier in an emergency situation to lower extremely high indoor humidity since the cooling mechanism is identical. When the refrigerator door is left ajar, all the windows must be closed, and the refrigerator must contain no food/drink that would be spoiled at room temperature.

  

Cheese Package Self-Wrap Re-Sealing for Storage

• The plastic package of a cheese block is sealed tight. Very carefully detaching the sealed lines of the plastic film by force without ripping them apart allows folding the plastic film back into the gap in order to re-seal the package. It is now ready for storage in the refrigerator, without requiring additional polyethylene food wrap.

  

Killing Fruit Flies with Dihydrogen-Monoxide Spray

• I used to use glass cleaner with ammonia (NH3) content for killing fruit flies by spraying on the soil of household plants, but the liquid ran out. So, I simply re-filled the container with pure dihydrogen monoxide (H2O), and discovered that it is very effective for killing fruit flies by drowning them in flood while they are resting, walking or flying.

  

iPhone Elastic-Band Attachment on a Sun Visor

• Reclining a driver's seat and attaching an iPhone on a sun visor with 2 elastic bands at a certain angle beside a garage-door opener create an ideal environment for activities like listening to Text-to-Speech (TTS) of a daily newspaper, not while driving but waiting for a passenger to finish some bureaucratic business elsewhere.

  

Vibrator for Inducing Defecation

• Any electronic device that makes strong-enough vibratory motion can be used to induce bowel movement (BM), prolonging the initial flow of faecal matter to exit. The vibrator is placed in the hip area in order to accelerate defecation especially before going cycling/jogging/running or doing sport, as well as dealing with constipation. Sneezing and blowing nose while on the toilet seat helps defecation, too.

  

Head-Mounted iPhone Supported by a Primopuel Doll's Upright Hairstyle

• Watching CBC News on YouTube with Playback speed (1.5x) on a flat sofa-bed is facilitated by a Primopuel Toy whose head turned out to be ideal for balanced mounting of an iPhone because of its upright hairstyle.

  

Genuine Garage Sale with Name Your Own Price (NYOP)

• my geological engineer/exploration geologist daughter Évelyne set up a real garage sale, taking place not on the driveway but inside the garage itself! The semi-permanent garage sale takes place continuously without specific dates, as it features Name Your Own Price (NYOP) scheme and a self-serve collection box with a payment slot. A makeshift table was built with a particle board and legs made of a bunch of plastic containers (of grape juice concentrate) joined by taping bottom-to-bottom.

  

Dormitory-Bed Expansion by Stolen Chairs

• While visiting my daughter Évelyne's university residence with a single bed, I was sleeping in a sleeping bag on the floor, which was uncomfortable, to say the least. Since most students were leaving near the end of the semester with few students studying anyway, I temporarily stole a couple of chairs from a common study room in order to transform the single bed into a double bed.

  

Leak-Free Magnetic Suspension of a Dishwand by Direction Reversal

• The successful Magnetic Suspension of a Dishwand above a Kitchen Sink faithfully serves its purpose every day, but detergent leak through a porous sponge has become significant as the sponge ages. So, the ring-shaped rare-earth magnet is relocated in order to reverse the hanging direction. Now, there is no more leakage of detergent from the sponge while the Dishwand is hung over the kitchen sink.

  

GPS Navigator Viewing Angle Adjustment with an Elastic Band-Wrapped Plastic Container of a Liquid Sample

• The successful In-Dash GPS Navigator Attachment Scheme was orienting the screen too upwards, so a plastic container of a liquid sample was placed underneath the GPS navigator's holding arm. However, the plastic container was slipping all the time, so 3 ultra-wide elastic bands are now wrapping around the plastic container in order to provide enough friction to stabilise the structure.

  

Shower Caddy Stabilisation Scheme with a Cut Plastic Tube

• A shower caddy has become loose as a couple of suction cups for securing to wall tiles lost strength over the years. Electrical tape was wound around the shower outlet for friction, and plastic tube with the same diameter as that of the shower outlet was cut and inserted between the shower caddy's collar and the shower outlet by pressure. Hence, no gluing is necessary.

  

WELCOME/GOOD-BYE Entrance Double-Sided Notice Magnetically Attached on Drywall Surface

• A couple of small disc-shaped rare-earth magnets attach a double-sided paper notice onto the surface of a drywall. The magnets stick to a steel corner bead hidden inside the drywall structure. Unlike adhesive tape, the contraption will not leave glue residue after removing it. Here are what the 2 sides say in RED and BLUE, respectively.
  • WELCOME! For your protection, wash your hands.
    BIENVENUE! Pour votre protection, lavez vos mains.

  • GOOD-BYE! For our protection, wash your hands.
    AU REVOIR! Pour notre protection, lavez vos mains.

  

Windshield Sun-Visor Gap Filler by a Junk-Mail Flyer

• A car's sun visors cover the left-hand side and the right-hand side of the windshield all right, but not the middle part. A piece of junk-mail folded in 3 and permanently taped to the interior side of the windshield turned out to have a perfect size to fill the gap between the 2 sun visors, compared to mediocre shading built into the windshield which cannot fight the intense sunlight at all.

  

Compartmentalised Envelope as a Coin Carrier by Folding and Stapling

• Living in a world of cashless society, I have not carried coins for 20+ years, but there is a sudden need to pay in cash for out-of-town public transportation. So, a junk-mail envelope was folded and stapled to create 4 compartments for 4 bus trips to the airport.

  

Variable Ski-Pole Grip Position Adjustment Technique

• The ski pole handle with polyethylene foam pipe insulation turned out to be a great success, but the belt was somewhat loose. Here is a technique to simply twist once, twice or more times to variably adjust the grip position in order to accommodate either a small hand or a large hand.

  

Snow Pants Waist Belt Twist-Tightening Technique

• A pair of snow pants came with a waist belt which is supposed to be tightened by making a knot every time they are worn. Making a large permanent knot at the end of the waist belt, plus quickly twisting the waist belt each time the pants are worn can save time while holding the snow pants secure enough as long as the belt is folded back inside.

  

Self-Standing Magnetised iPhone with Gooped Magnets, Non-Slip Goop Surfaces, Gooped External Battery

• In order to make the iPhone self-standing, ring-shaped rare-earth magnets on the gooped external battery were carefully re-positioned to achieve balance with gravitational force. Now, the ultimate iPhone has quadruple features, i.e., self-standing, magnetic attachment to any ferromagnetic material, non-slip Goop surfaces on the magnets, and a securely gooped external battery.

  

Duct Tape-Goop Combination for Leak Sealing Ski Boots

• A pair of cross-country ski boots developed cracks and holes after many years of use. Versatile Duck/Duct tape was used to fix it up, but the adhesive force was too weak to keep it in place. Goop to the rescue. The surface of the ski boots must be dry before applying Goop between the Duck/Duct tape and the ski boots, and Goop must settle before the boots are used for skiing. Instead of Duck/Duct tape, Gaffer's tape can be used as well, along with elastic bands.

  

Leak-Catch Plastic Tray under the Kitchen Sink

• Various corrosive chemical products in bottles, cans, sprays, etc. make permanent mark on the floor surface under the kitchen sink, especially stain from rusting steel cans of WD-40. So, a plastic tray is placed under such products for effective protection.

  

Stacked Double-Decker iPhones for Simultaneous Watching and Listening

• During the Olympic Games, stacked double-decker iPhone configuration shows a live Olympic event on one magnetised iPhone and a live news broadcast on another magnetised iPhone, while working on the MacBook Pro laptop computer in parallel, as multi-tasking extreme. Human being's ability for selective auditory attention can handle simultaneous listening to both programmes at the same time at equal volume level.

  

Wrapping Paper Towel around a Microfibre Cloth for Wiping

• By wrapping a piece of paper towel around a microfibre cloth, significant amounts of tap water, time and efforts to wash the cloth after wiping off disgusting matters is avoided since the paper towel is disposable. Dihydrogen monoxide (H2O) pre-absorbed inside the cloth keeps the paper towel sufficiently moist. The paper towel is also biodegradable.

  

Cross-Country Ski Carrier with a Shoulder Strap

• A seat belt with a buckle from an old baby chair is re-purposed to function as a cross-country ski carrier. The cross-country skis are attached together by 2 heavy-duty elastic bands, and then inserted into the loop of the belt at the ski binders for tight fitting. The length of the belt is perfect as a shoulder strap.

  

Liquid Absorber for an Electric Toothbrush Induction Base Plate

• The induction base plate of an electric toothbrush tends to collect liquid dripping down from above. It is mostly dihydrogen monoxide (H2O), but contains some disgusting substances. A piece of paper towel is folded several times, and a slit is cut by a pair of scissors in order to form a disposable absorber. The one-time effort saves the trouble of frequently cleaning up the induction base plate.

  

Non-Flying iPhone in the Car by a Rolled-Up Mini-Towel

• An iPhone is connected to the car's 12-V DC power via a USB-to-Lightning cable which plugs into a cigarette lighter socket USB port. The movement of the iPhone in the cigarette cavity is limited by the elasticity of a rolled-up mini-towel and by the shortness of the USB-to-Lightning cable (200 mm). This way, the iPhone does not fly around due to the car's sudden acceleration or deceleration.

  

Transferring Latex Paint from a Steel Can to a Plastic Container

• Most latex paint comes in a steel can, whose elementary iron (Fe) rusts into red iron oxide (Fe2O3) in a few months. When it happens, the latex pain is ruined. Transferring the latex paint into a plastic container (of grape juice concentrate) prevents such oxidation, so the same latex paint can be used many years later.

  

Ski Pole Handle with Polyethylene Foam Pipe Insulation

• Cross-country skiing at an outdoor temperature of 250 K causes extreme pain at extremities like hands and feet. The handle of a ski pole is made of high-density plastic which has high thermal conductivity to suck heat out of the user's hand even through winter gloves/mittens. The self-adhering polyethylene foam pipe insulation is enforced by electrical tape to provide a comfortable grip. However, the pipe turned out to slip down, so it was gooped to the pole.

  

Upside-Down Casserole Bowl for Serving Quinolent GREEN

• my geological engineer/exploration geologist daughter Évelyne had a bright idea of flipping a casserole bowl upside-down so that it can store Quinolent GREEN in the refrigerator, then be brought straight to the table for serving on its cover as a dish.

  

High-Density Polyethylene Produce Bag Folding Technique

• High-density polyethylene (HDPE) produce bags are still free at any supermarket. The bag is repeatedly folded in the form of isosceles right triangle for convenient storage in a kitchen drawer. The clever triangle-folding technique has been passed down for generations from my mother to my daughter skipping me, then up to me.

  

Natural Composting of Ginkgo biloba Leaves

• my geological engineer/exploration geologist daughter Évelyne questioned why we have to rake leaves every autumn. Since leaves are biodegradable, I decided to leave dead leaves to compost naturally on the ground under the snow to form natural fertiliser for the next generation of leaves and fruits. Horticultural experts warned brown spots on the lawn, but it never happened. The scheme's only problem is ignorant/intolerant neighbours who bullied me. The measure resulted in quantum jump in harvest from 2 722 seeds/season to 12 004 seeds/season.

  

Magnetic Attachment of a Seat Belt Buckle Stopper

• A buckle stopper of a car's seat belt broke at the weakest link through between the 2 plastic cups. A ring-shaped rare-earth magnet was gooped at each cup so that the original cups attach together by magnetic attraction force through the belt, and the buckle stopper is back in business.

  

Ski Storage with a Polypropylene Rope on Ceiling Hooks

• Unused skis are suspended by a polypropylene rope from ceiling hooks overhead in a garage. A couple of ropes are strategically wound to form a relatively stable platform for the storage of skis and poles until the next season.

  

Ski Binding Detachment Preventive Measure by Gooping

• A cross-country ski binding is typically attached to the ski with 3 or 4 metallic screws. However, the screws tend to get loose after a while, and sometimes the binding detaches from the ski. A catastrophic failure is prevented by simply gooping the binding to the ski. No maintenance is required for years and years of use.

  

Stitched Neck of a Turtleneck T-Shirt

• Wearing a turtleneck T-shirt eliminates the need to wear a scarf outdoors in winter, even when the ambient temperature is 243 K. However, folding the long neck in front of a mirror every time a turtleneck T-shirt is worn is too much of a trouble for a lazy person. So, the long neck was folded and stitched to be permanently shut.

  

Simultaneous Washing of a Detergent Measuring Cup with Clothes

• Washing a detergent measuring cup after every use at a washroom sink is too much of a trouble for a lazy person. The plastic cup is simply put into the washing machine along with dirty clothes in situ, and it survives the ordeal and comes out very clean without any damage. You only need to use 1/2 to even 1/3 of the manufacturer's recommended amount of laundry detergent to get the same results when doing your laundry.

  

Paperclip Fastening of Curtains Converted from Vertical Blinds

• The vertical blinds were converted to a pair of curtains using curtain hooks (from IKEA), but it left a gap which caused heat loss via thermal radiation. A paperclip to the rescue. Since the curtains are opened by lifting them up without using the blind open/close mechanism, the paperclip is left there permanently.

  

Drink Bottle Carrying in a Lab Coat Pocket

• Carrying a drink bottle to free up the use of hands is quite possible without buying a new product called "BevBuckle" which my geological engineer/exploration geologist daughter Évelyne found. The Spill-Proof Drinking Bottle fits perfectly in a pocket of a lab coat.

  

iPhone Optimal Viewing Angle from a Lamp-Stand by a Rod-Shaped Magnet

• The viewing angle for watching Star Trek series on Netflix or educational YouTube videos on the iPhone in bed can be optimised by adding a rod-shaped rare-earth magnet between the lampshade and the magnetised iPhone.

  

USB Cable Breakage Preventive Measure by Electrical Tape

• Once again, a USB-to-Lightning cable's connector was destroyed by repeated bending only after 2 months of use. As a pre-emptive strike, colour-matched electrical tape is wound around several times at both ends of the flexible cable before it breaks. The same technique can be used for a MacBook's MagSafe Power Adapter, etc.

  

Space-Time Staggering of Muffin/Cupcake Pan for Quinolent GREEN

• Although my over-the-range microwave oven is equipped with a rotating reflector, it is not perfect as a microwave stirrer. Moreover, the muffin/cupcake pans are too large for the turntable to function properly. In order to prevent uneven cooking of Quinolent GREEN, the cooking timer is programmed to P-6 for 6 m + 6 m + 6 m + P-0 (Timer) for 6 m, so that the positions of muffin/cupcake pans can be changed from left to middle to right in random orientation every 6 minutes.

  

MAGLITE Lantern Stand for Igloo Camping

• Camping in a snow igloo need a light source when it is dark at night. A MAGLITE torch light has the light output. An empty roll of packing tape is closed by gooping 2 plastic caps from plastic containers. A hole is drilled into one of the plastic caps to receive the MAGLITE torch light to serve as a lantern.

  

Permanently-Open Waist Pack Pocket for Shoe Horn Storage

• One of the pockets of a waist pack is partially left open permanently so that a shoe horn can be inserted and stored. A single-hand operation is enough to take out the shoe horn, to use the shoe horn, then to put it back into the waist pack pocket.

  

Polyethylene Foam Pipe Insulation around a Sleigh Snow Shovel Handle

• The steel handle of a sleigh snow shovel feels extremely cold due to high thermal conductivity, penetrating through winter gloves/mittens. 2 polyethylene foam pipe insulation tubes for plumbing to the rescue. The U-shaped self-adhering foam tubes are enforced by electrical tape and electrical wire at the corners. Greatly reduced heat loss from top to bottom turns excruciatingly painful snow shovelling into joyous experience.

  

Quasi-Pressure Cooker for a Microwave Oven

• Water-retardant silicone tape is adhered to the edge of the cover of a casserole cooking pot to function as a gasket. After filling the pot with food ingredients, the casserole is covered and 6 glass prep bowls in the style of Matryoshka Nesting Dolls are flip-placed on top of the cover as a weight à la Matryoshka Nesting Dolls. The high pressure inside the casserole raises the boiling point of dihydrogen monoxide (H2O), so quinoa's cooking time is reduced from 21 minutes to 18 minutes. No need for an Instant Pot!

  

iPhone Sticky-Pad Attachment to Glass

• My daughter Véronique found a new product called "Zero-Gravity Phone Case" which claims to adhere to glass or lacquered surface. Instead of buying this case, free giftware "Sticky Pad" was cut to permanently fit on the back of an iPhone. Testing shows good initial adherence to the surface of a mirror or that of a window glass, but other surfaces have high drop rate over time, especially when there is dust. It is hopeless on a kitchen cupboard, which is better served by "iPhone Magnetic Attachment to a Disc-Shaped Steel Plate".

  

Triple-Position In-Line Cascading Workstation

• First, an adjustable-height Lap-top Platform is constructed by stacking several plastic containers (of grape juice concentrate), and is placed between a Stand-Up Desk with an Ironing Board and a rocking chair. All together, this home-office arrangement provides 3 workstation positions in close proximity: stand-up mode, sit-down with leg-down mode, and sit-down with leg-up mode.

  

Spill-Proof Drinking Bottle with Electrical Tape Volume Indicators

• In order to comply with a doctor's order to limit the daily consumption of ethanol (C2H5OH), electrical tape is stuck to the translucent peanut-butter jar to permanently mark 150 g, 300 g and 600 g points for preparing in situ and for dispensing via a straw 1.2 kg of green tea + 600 g of TeaVin (Super-Anti-Oxidant Cocktail Mix of 1:1 Green Tea and Red Wine) at room temperature per day. No need for a kettle or a teapot any more. The quasi-airtight container prevents oxidation of TeaVin inside.

  

Partially-Open Shower to Counter the Shower-Curtain Effect

• The shower-curtain effect is a phenomenon in which a shower curtain gets blown inward with a running shower. Instead of buying a shower curtain with adhesive suction cups or magnets on the bottom edges, the shower curtain can simply be left partially open on the shower-head side while taking a shower. A bath towel can be hung at the gap without getting soaked wet.

  

Tidy iPhone Cable Arrangement by a Ring-Shaped Magnet with a Steel Tie

• The retractable USB-to-Lightning cable to the magnetised iPhone attached to a lampshade has a cable retractor which drops by gravity. In order to put the cable close to the lamppost, a plastic-covered steel tie, instead of an elastic band, is passed through a ring-shaped rare-earth magnet for sliding attachment to provide optimal tension.

  

Furnace Filter Life Extension

• Typical pleated furnace filters are advertised with "Lasts up to three months". Scrubbing the furnace filter to remove dust and lint by a used toothbrush or by a kitchen sponge after 3 months of use can extend the expensive disposable filter's life significantly.

  

Tire Rotation Indicator Iconographic Labels

• In order to indicate which tires go where next time one switches from a set of all-season tires to a set of snow tires or vice versa, a sheet of iconographic labels was developed to be printed, cut, then taped onto vehicle tires. Ideally, the labels could be made into adhesive decals.

  

Mesh Mouse Barrier to the Car's Air Filter Compartment

• A mouse was building a warm comfortable nest in a car's air filter compartment, brining in a lot of sunflower seeds which were kept in the garage to feed birds by a HyperFeeder. So, a mesh is secured by a copper electrical wire to the air duct into the air filter compartment as a mouse barrier.

  

Semi-Permanent In-Situ Storage of Silicone Muffin/Cupcake Pans on a Microwave-Oven Rack

• The microwave oven is used only for re-heating and for 2 recipes (Quinolent GREEN, Quinolent ORANGE), one of which uses 2 silicone muffin/cupcake pans on a steel rack. In the spirit of ultimate laziness, the 2 silicone muffin/cupcake pans are semi-permanently stored on the steel rack in the microwave oven. Re-heating is not affected because silicone does not absorb microwave energy.

  

Overboiling Ginkgo biloba Seeds for Easy Extraction

• It was discovered that overboiling Ginkgo biloba seeds in dihydrogen monoxide (H2O) with sodium chloride (NaCl) at high temperature for a long time until the liquid is almost gone makes shells crack so that subsequent opening of the shells to extract seeds becomes significantly easier as the skin is also detached. The method really helps when there are more than 2 000 seeds to prepare for each year's harvested crop, to be included in Quinolent ORANGE.

  

Universal Liquids for all Washing and all Lubrication

• All soaps and detergents are surfactant (anionic, cationic, non-ionic, amphoteric, zwitterionic) anyway. So, why not use one kind for all purposes? A dishwashing liquid was chosen not only for dish-washing and hand-washing but also for hair-washing and body-washing in the shower. An anti-frizz serum (cyclopentasiloxane + argan oil) was chosen as a universal lubricant for hair and for body parts to reduce friction (i.e., coitus, masturbation). Both have been used for years without any problems at all.

  

Floating Disposable Container for Sanitary Poop Sampling

• A medical clinic ordered a poop sample to investigate the cause of hypertension. To cope with the unpleasant task, the H2O valve to the tank was shut off first, and the toilet was flushed to lower the H2O level. Then, a disposable plastic container (of margarine) was placed on H2O, deep enough to keep floating despite the weight of the poop. This way, urine contamination is avoided and toilet/tissue paper could be thrown into the toilet bowl but outside the plastic container.

  

Semi-Permanent Placement of a Spill-Proof Drinking Bottle in front of a Computer

• A Spill-Proof Drinking Bottle is semi-permanently placed in front of a computer to serve tea/TeaVin to a perpetually-thirsty ultimately-lazy knowledge worker without lifting it up or having to reach a cup/glass and return it, thus avoiding the risk of spill altogether. The Spill-Proof Drinking Bottle is strategically positioned not to visually obstruct the display or physically obstruct the keyboard or the hand/finger movement for the Keyboard/TrackPad.

  

Magnetic Hanging of Utensils on a Magic Plate

• It was realised that the rare-earth magnets in the Magic Spicer™ (A Self-Sealing Auto-Aligning Magnetically-Hanging Spice Dispenser with a Continuously-Variable Hole-Size Selector)'s Magic Plate can also hang knives, forks and spoons, along with containers of monosodium glutamate (MSG), sodium chloride (NaCl), and pepper.

  

Laptop Computer Platform with Quad+Fine-Tuned Stacked Containers in the Bathroom

• Quest for better working experience while doing nature's call pee/poop business in the bathroom has led to gooping together 4 plastic containers (of grape juice concentrate) in order to form a platform with an optimal height for the MacBook Pro laptop computer. Fine-tuning height adjustment is possible by stacking downwards or upwards. 2 peanut-butter jars are filled with dihydrogen monoxide (H2O) or sand, and placed inside the bottom container for stability.

  

Paperclip Magnetic Stabilisation of the On-Ceiling Tissue Paper Box Suspender in a Car by a Cut Hula Hoop

• The on-ceiling tissue paper box in a car is very successful, but it has become loose with repeated use. A paperclip is inserted in the car's ceiling fabric, while a ring-shaped rare-earth magnet is gooped to the hula hoop. The magnet goes through the cardboard of the tissue paper box and attaches to the paperclip in order to reduce the movement of the tissue paper box.

  

Cascading Gravity-Assisted Dish Drying Scheme on a Flipped Bowl

• Here is a dish-drying method by forming a cascade of dishes at an angle for most effective drying with a semi-permanently-placed flipped bowl (dry inside) as a starting point. Gravity and air circulation assist drying in a shortest time without buying a space-occupying dish rack. The water-absorbing non-woven microfibre cleaning cloth (i.e., ShamWow) is semi-permanently placed on the kitchen counter.

  

Dual Volume Markers on the Internal Surface of an Opaque Pitcher

• A glass carafe that I was preparing TeaVin (Super-Anti-Oxidant Cocktail Mix of 1:1 Green Tea and Red Wine) broke by accident. Instead of buying a replacement carafe, 2 permanent marks are added to an old opaque pitcher at 2 volume points for daily consumption (750 g of green tea + 1.5 kg of TeaVin).

  

Lampshade Stabilisation by an H2O Tank with Elastic Band Attachment to the Stand

• The magnetised iPhone attached to a lampshade is very successful for comfortably watching Star Trek series on Netflix or educational YouTube videos on the iPhone in bed, but there have been too many tip-over accidents because of the high centre of gravity of the assembly. So, a mayonnaise container filled with dihydrogen monoxide (H2O) is attached to the lampshade stand by elastic bands to stabilise the assembly.

  

Formation of Non-Slip Surface of iPhone Magnets by Goop Application

• It was found that simple application of Goop creates a non-slip surface on rare-earth magnets attached to an iPhone assembly, stable enough to support the combined weight of an iPhone and a gooped flat external battery. The same gooping technique is used for making remote controls non-slippery as well when they are attached to the Remote-Control Consolidating Tower.

  

Permanent Goop Attachment of iPhone to an External Battery

• A portable external battery pack is permanently attached to an iPhone with goop. A retractable USB-to-Lightning cable runs from the attached battery pack to the iPhone. 4 rare-earth magnets are also gooped to the battery pack now, instead of to the iPhone itself directly.

  

iPhone Non-Slip Surface by Electrical Tape and Doubly-Stacked Disc-Shaped/Ring-Shaped Magnet Scheme

• A larger and heavier iPhone Plus in an integrated battery case needs double stacking of a disc-shaped magnet on top of a ring-shaped magnet to support its weight on a curved surface like a lampshade. Also, electrical tape is placed on top of the disc-shaped magnet in order to prevent slippage. A Slim Silicone Rubber Holder Hands-free Stand is also attached to the back of the iPhone.

  

Stable Non-Reflective iPhone Attachment to a Car's Dashboard

• For driving safety, iOS's Maps app on the iPhone should be viewed straight ahead in the dashboard in order to maintain visual orientation. A gooped flat external battery at the back of an iPhone stably supports the bottom portion of the iPhone, while the top portion of the iPhone is conveniently angled by a reset button of a trip odometer in order to minimise reflection. No glue or magnets or suction cups are necessary. On a rented Honda CR-V, there was no GPS navigator or Apple CarPlay, so I had to hack it.

  

Permanently-Open Cardboard Box by Inwardly Folding the Top

• It is painful for a lazy person to open and close a food item. The hack of inwardly folding the top of a cardboard box allows easy access to the item, saving 10 seconds every morning by avoiding unnecessary open-close cycles. Tea bags are individually wrapped anyway, and the cereal box is stored in a dust-free refrigerator in which the dry environment helps keep the cereal crispy.

  

Human Wash Showerhead Discharge Direction Adjustment Scheme

• The extremely useful hack of human-wash showerhead turned out to be directing dihydrogen monoxide (H2O) to somewhat undesirable direction. To adjust the discharge direction of water spray, a damage-free hanging hook was placed on the bathroom tile to support a doubly-joined elastic band. The supplied double-sided tape was not strong enough, so it was replaced by goop.

  

AvocaChide: Super-Synergetic Hybrid of Avocado and Peanut Butter

• This snack is a hybrid of avocado (avocat) and beurre d'arachide (peanut butter), packed with vitamins + protein + magnesium (Mg) and no salt added + no sugar added.

  

Consolidated Bundle of Multiple USB Wires with an Elastic Band through a Ring-Shaped Magnet

• Various types of USB cables were going everywhere, so this is an attempt to consolidate 3 of them into a bundle with an elastic band which goes through the centre of a ring-shaped rare-earth magnet, without buying a product like "mobu". The magnet attaches to any steel material such as loudspeaker grille in this example.

  

Magnetic Suspension of a Dishwand above a Kitchen Sink

• The Dishwand is an ingenious product, but it requires a fair amount of space for storage. So, hanging it just above the kitchen sink is an ideal solution. One rare-earth magnet is hidden inside the Coffee SpaceMaker frame, while another rare-earth magnet is gooped and covered by electrical tape on the handle of the Dishwand.

  

3-in-1 Integrated Coffee Table/Trash Can/Tissue Paper Box Holder with a Microwave-Oven Turntable

• This contraption is made of gooping together 2 plastic containers (of grape juice concentrate), gooping a glass turntable (from a disposed microwave oven) at the top, cutting 3 openings (one for trash, one for inserting a tissue paper box, another at the top for stability of the glass turntable), enforced by a string of elastic bands. It is very functional, but could be painted for aesthetics.

  

Accelerometer-Shock Absorber with Diagonally-Slotted Cotton Pads in a Cardboard Box between Car Seats

• A free mobile telematics insurance program app on the iPhone for usage-based insurance (UBI) monitors driving smoothness among other factors. The more you avoid fast acceleration, hard braking and hard cornering, the higher your score. The iPhone is inserted into slotted cotton pads in a cardboard box to function as a shock absorber cradle for iPhone's accelerometer in order to lower auto insurance premium at renewal. The 3-dimensional diagonal angle is pi/4 radian (45 degrees) from the horizontal axis and pi/4 radian (45 degrees) from the vertical axis.

  

iPhone Stand by Magnetisation of a Business Card Holder

• An aluminum business card holder is re-purposed as an iPhone holder in the washroom. The angle was too steep, so the magnetised iPhone is held with a rare earth magnet which is hidden in the tube-shaped portion of the aluminum business card holder.

  

Microwave Oven Door Mechanism Reinforcement Scheme with a Plastic Tube and Goop

• The door mechanism of a 10-year old microwave oven broke, and pushing the button stopped opening the door. Access to the interior of the control panel revealed that a plastic piece to support the pushing action was cracked, so a piece of plastic tubing was gooped in situ to reinforce the mechanism. This hack saved hundreds of dollars to replace the over-the-range microwave oven.

  

Duvet Cover Corner Fixation with 4 Binder Clips

• It is very frustrating when the corners of a duvet come loose from the duvet cover. A set of binder clips to the rescue, securely attaching the 4 corners (left on the photo). The binder clips are inside the duvet cover, so they are invisible from the outside once the duvet cover is flipped and closed (right on the photo).

  

iPhone Wristband for Carrying at Low Outdoor Temperatures

• Low temperature is enemy number 1 of iPhone's battery. Skin contact of iPhone's display screen to the arm keeps the temperature of iPhone's battery high enough to prevent a power shutdown the iPhone during cross-country skiing on the golf course. An elastic band is used for tight attachment.

  

Flipped Desk Lamp for Room Illumination and iPhone Stand above a Laptop Computer

• A flipped desk lamp is quite good for illuminating a room without turning on other lights. The stand is conveniently angled to hold the magnetised iPhone so that it can be placed just above the MacBook Pro laptop computer for multi-tasking workÐlife balance.

  

Swingable Magnetically-Supported Bent Steel Bar on a Lamp-Stand for Straight iPhone Viewing on a Sofa with a Golf Ball at the End

• The magnetised iPhone is attached to a steel bar which is bent 90 degrees to fit the lamp stand by several disc-shaped rare-earth magnets. The iPhone can swing because the steel bar is not glued. The iPhone can be attached either in portrait orientation to read ePaper or in landscape orientation to watch YouTube videos while lying down on a sofa. The golf ball is for safety and for decoration.

  

TeaVin: Super-Anti-Oxidant Cocktail Mix of 1:1 Green Tea and Red Wine

• This drink is a hybrid of green tea (thé vert) and vin rouge (red wine), packed with anti-oxidative effect of caffeine + catechins + epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) + resveratrol + polyphenols + flavonoids. The mix of 1:1 ratio gives the alcohol content of about 6 %.

  

Magnetic Suspension of Containers and Canned Foods from a Refrigerator Ceiling

• A couple of stacked disc-shaped rare-earth magnets are hung from the ceiling of the compartment to suspend containers, canned foods and other objects in the refrigerator in this hack. The arrangement reduces wasted space in the refrigerator.

  

Magnetic Attachment of an iPhone to a Hand-Crank Emergency Cell Phone Charger/Battery via a Steel Plate

• A steel plate is gooped and taped to a hand-crank emergency cell phone charger/battery. The magnetised iPhone can now be magnetically attached to the charger/battery semi-permanently without causing a mess.

  

Perpendicular Bamboo-Tree Support with a Horizontal Bar on Stairs and Elastic Bands

• A cheap tiny bamboo tree from Walmart created a baby which has grown like crazy. So, the pot was placed beside a staircase under a skylight. Since the tall bamboo tree cannot not support its own weight, it is attached to a horizontal bar with an elastic band to one of the columns of the staircase.

  

Method of Making Refrigerator-Dried Smoked Salmon Jerky on a Microwave Oven Grille with a Removable Oil-Catching Tray

• Some people like smoked salmon as is, while others prefer salmon jerky which is expensive. This hack combines a grille from a microwave oven and a cake tray which happens to have 2 holes for secure attachment to the grille. There is a tray below the grille in order to catch dripping oil from smoked salmon. The tray is removable to be used as a serving plate. The apparatus transforms smoked salmon into salmon jerky in a couple of days in the refrigerator.

  

Holy Ghost Jesus Resurrection Miracle Chamber: Auto ON/OFF Full-Colour 3-Dimensional Repositionable Statue Projection System

• This is a prototype of a projection system in which an image of a figurine shows up when a physical figurine is removed, creating an illusion of a resurrection miracle.

  

iPhone Magnetic Attachment to a Steel Loudspeaker Grille with Long and Short Rod-Shaped Magnets for Inclination

• The magnetised iPhone is magnetically attached to the steel grille of a loudspeaker. There are 2 rod-shaped rare-earth magnets of different length (short at the top, long at the bottom) behind the iPhone for optimising the viewing angle.

  

iPhone Magnetic Attachment to a Desk Lamp with a USB Cable Fix by a Ring-Shaped Magnet

• The magnetised iPhone is magnetically attached to the steel arm of a desk lamp. In order to prevent the USB-to-Lightning cable from falling to the floor by gravity when it is not connected to the iPhone, a small ring-shaped rare-earth magnet is attached to the USB-to-Lightning cable with an elastic band.

  

Drop-Leaf Table with Elastic Rubber O-Rings for Leaf Stabilisation

• After more than 10 years of constant MacBook Pro laptop computer use on a drop-leaf table, the 2 foldable side portions were sagging. So, elastic rubber O-rings (from a garden hose, brown in colour) are inserted in the extension mechanism in order to stabilise the foldable side portions of the drop-leaf table.

  

Erect Lock Window Curtain Holding Scheme

• Looking out the window while working at the stand-up desk requires the curtains to be open. Instead of purchasing anything to keep the curtain open, the curtain is simply lifted up half-way and held in place by hooking it to the lock of the window. The lock is still securely locked for security, of course.

  

Ironing Board Transformation into a Stand-Up Desk with a Drink Tray

• This is a cheap way to create a healthy work environment at home. A translucent plastic moving box on top of an iron board transforms it into a stand-up desk for a MacBook computer. The magnetised iPhone attaches to the iron cord holder. A tray beside the plastic moving box holds a drinking cup or a mug.

  

Magnetically Suspended Blinking LED Colour Holiday Lights

• A cute blinking LED lamp which emits colourful light for holiday seasons is attached to a rope with a combination of disc-shaped and ring-shaped rare-earth magnets by pressure so that it can detachably attach to a curtain rail.

  

Staggered Pie Pan Placement Optimised for Fluid-Thermodynamics on 2 Top Oven Racks

• Convection dictates that hot air rises and cold air falls. In order to make the air flow as smooth as possible, 2 pie pans are placed staggered rather than straight top-down or side-by-side in an oven so that baking efficiency can be optimised by fluid-thermodynamics.

  

Slidable Single-/Double-Pillow Switching Arrangement for a Laptop Holding Position

• Switching between a single pillow for sleeping on the bed and a double pillow for operating the MacBook Pro laptop computer on the bed is best achieved by stacking 2 pillows for easy sliding access.

  

Quantised-Height Washroom Shelf with Dual Multi-Stacked Grape Juice Containers

• The shelf has a good size, but is too short in the washroom for placing a MacBook computer. So, several plastic containers (of grape juice concentrate) were stacked up in order to raise the shelf. The height of the shelf can be variably adjusted by changing the number of plastic containers stacked.

  

Hanging Peanut-Butter Mouse Trap with Gap-Aligned Opening at a Sliding Pocket Door

• Mice love peanut butter. A transparent plastic container with peanut butter inside is attached to the doorframe of a sliding door by aluminum wire and electrical tape to trap mice without needlessly killing them. A small circular hole was drilled through the cover of the plastic container so that the trapped mice can enter but cannot escape. No luck in catching them yet...

  

False-Floor Reinforcement of a Garbage Bin Floor

• The floor of a garbage bin in a kitchen cabinet split in half. Instead of purchasing a new garbage bin, a lid of a plastic container (of grape juice concentrate) is re-purposed as a false floor to effectively prevent any leaks.

  

iPhone Stabilisation on a Curved Lampshade Surface with Triple Ring-Shaped Magnets

• The magnetised iPhone can attach to a lampshade in a bedroom, but it is not stable due to the curvature. 3 ring-shaped rare-earth magnets are placed behind iPhone's 3 rare-earth magnets to give stability while comfortably watching Star Trek series on Netflix or educational YouTube videos on the iPhone in bed.

  

iPhone Magnetic Attachment to a Plastic Refrigerator Front Door

• A magnetised iPhone can attach to a plastic surface of refrigerator's front door because there is a steel sheet underneath the plastic sheet.

  

iPhone Magnetic Attachment to a Disc-Shaped Steel Plate

• A disc-shaped steel plate (from a can of chicken) is provided as a landing spot of the magnetised iPhone for watching CBC News while washing dishes or doing laundry. Strong double-sided adhesive tape is used in order to securely attach the steel plate to the surface of a cupboard. The steel plate has later been upgraded to a steel lid (of a matcha container), which is compatible with MagSafe.

  

iPhone Double-Orientation Portrait/Landscape Attachment by Quadruple Disc-Shaped/Ring-Shaped Magnets

• The iPhone is magnetised by gooping 4 disc-shaped or ring-shaped rare-earth magnets for vertical or horizontal attachment. The magnets are placed so that the iPhone can be attached in either portrait or landscape orientation to the surface of any steel object. The use of ring-shaped magnets increases adhesion of Goop compared to disc-shaped magnets. A Slim Silicone Rubber Holder Hands-free Stand is also attached to the back of the iPhone.

  

Magnetic Tabletop iPhone Tower with a Golf Ball on Top

• An old desk lamp was transformed into a tabletop tower to keep the magnetised iPhone either in portrait orientation to read ePaper or in landscape orientation to watch YouTube videos while eating at the table. The golf ball is for safety and for decoration. The Tabletop iPhone Tower also accommodates a magnetised ballpoint pen.

  

Magnetic Remote-Control Consolidating Tower with a Golf Ball on Top

• An old floor lamp was transformed into a convenient tower to keep several remote control devices, each of which has a rare-earth magnet attached at the back or on the side. The golf ball is for safety and for decoration.

  

Permanently-Positioned Pre-Elevated Tank for Syphon Wine Preparation Scheme

• Wine-making can be dangerous and/or tough on the back if the heavy tank of liquid has to be lifted up for syphoning. Pre-elevating the liquid container onto the platform gooped on a chair before filling it up with grape juice concentrate plus dihydrogen monoxide (H2O) straight from the tap eliminates the need to lift up the heavy tank (~20 l ~= 20 kg) for syphoning. Also, prepared wine is stored in a water tank with a pump.

  

Colour-Matched Duck/Duct Tape for Car Body Repair

• My 12-year old car had cracks and dents and scratches, so I was using Duck/Duct tape to hide the rusting body. my professional artist daughter Véronique came up with a brilliant idea to use colour-matched Duck/Duct tape for aesthetics.

  

Multi-Angle iPhone Stand with an Angle-Cut Plastic Lid

• A ring-shaped plastic lid of a container (of chilli sauce) has a perfect size to be able to serve as an iPhone stand if 2 identical notches are cut at a suitable angle.

  

GPS Navigator Security Cover with a Sock

• An old worn-out sock with a hole is re-purposed to serve as a security cover to hide the GPS navigator in the car from prying eyes of a thief. The sock was cut, sewed to an elastic band, and then attached to the GPS navigator support mount with the elastic band.

  

Straight-View In-Dash GPS Navigator Attachment Scheme with Elastic Bands

• The most natural position to view the GPS navigator in the car is, surprise, straight ahead so that the driver does not have to move his/her head sideways to gather information. The GPS navigator is attached to the dashboard directly behind the steering wheel with a few elastic bands. Even though the GPS navigator hides the car's speedometer, the speed is shown on the GPS navigator anyway.

  

Tissue Paper Dispenser on a Toilet Paper Holder with Crossed Elastic Bands and a Spare on Top

• This hack provides the use of tissue paper instead of toilet paper at the toilet. This way, wiping is more comfortable with optional wetting without dissolving the paper. Tissue paper does not clog sewer pipes and pumps, unlike flushable wet wipes. Besides, there is no need to buy 2 different kinds of disposable paper. An elastic band on 2 non-destructive adhesive hooks holds the tissue paper box in use, and a spare tissue paper box is placed on top.

  

Tissue Paper Dispenser beside/above a Garbage Bin with Elastic Bands

• A tissue paper almost always gets trashed into a garbage bin, so why not put them together side-by-side? A tissue paper box is fixed to a garbage bin with several elastic bands tied together, on top or on the side.

  

Disposable Razor Blade Lifetime Extension by Removing Hair Debris with a Brush

• The most significant factor of ineffective shaving by a multi-blade razor is not a dull blade but accumulation of hair debris between the blades. Hence, the lifetime of a razor is dramatically increased by removing such hair debris from the gap of the blades by a brush. One disposable razor lasted more than 1 year with this hack.

  

Open ASA/Melatonin/Vitamin Pill Dispensing with a Plastic Spoon

• Putting these pills in a small bowl and using a spoon to pick up the pills avoid opening and closing many bottles of pills many times every day, saving time for other useful activities.

  

Hidden Coin Storage under the False Floor of a Car's Cup Holder

• In order to prevent precious coins for parking, vacuuming and tire inflation from getting stolen, a plastic lid of a snack chips container is installed as a false floor at the cavity of the car's cup folder to hide the coins in the car.

  

Hidden Trash Can inside a Car's Console

• Placing a plastic bag inside the console allows the space to be used as a trash can. It can be either exposed open for convenience or hidden closed for aesthetics. The handle of the plastic bag is tied together at the bottom for tight fitting.

  

Circular Duct-Tape Patch on a Bicycle Saddle

• Duck/Duct tape was used to patch a tear of a bicycle saddle, but its corners were peeling off and sticking to the pants/shorts all the time. Simply making the Duck/Duct tape piece round prevents such a problem.

  

Asymptotically Stable Self-Balancing Drinking Glass with Damping Effect

• A roly-poly doll with a heavy bottom was transformed into a self-balancing drinking glass for vodka, wine, etc. The liquid has a damping effect which makes the drinking glass come back straight faster than the roly poly doll does when it is tipped. Tungsten (W) with density of 19 600 kg/m^3 would make an ideal weight.

  

False-Floor Adaptation of a Garbage Bin to a Compost Bin

• A compost bag turned out to be too short for a garbage bin at a kitchen cabinet door, so a couple of plastic containers (of cottage cheese and of sour cream) are installed at the bottom of the garbage bin as a false floor to raise the compost bag.

  

Adaptation of Blind Rail to Curtain Hanging

• The rail in front of the window was originally used for a vertical blind. A change of direction to switch to a curtain can be accommodated by using alligator grips, without changing the rail at all.

  

Taped RFID Credit Card on a Non-Smart Cell Phone as NFC Emulation

• Attaching a credit card having a Radio-frequency identification (RFID) chip inside to the back of a non-smart cell phone with double-sided tape allows a user to experience the joy of tapping on a credit card terminal like Apple Pay's Near-Field Communication (NFC).

  

Towel/Cloth Hangers on Coffee SpaceMaker Frame

• The old Coffee SpaceMaker broke, but its frame was kept and transformed into a towel/cloth hanger. The hack involves cutting plastic tubes and taping 2 of them together, then inserting them into the slots of the skeleton. The towel/cloth hanger is directly above the kitchen sink for convenience.

  

Sleigh Attachment Scheme for Cross-Country Skiing

• A buckled belt worn over a winter jacket can be attached to a polypropylene rope in order to effectively pull a sleigh with (a) kid(s) inside while cross-country skiing in a hands-free fashion.

  

Keychain and S-Shaped Hook Attachment by Rare-Earth Magnets to a Steel Shelf

• A ring-shaped rare-earth magnet is attached to a steel shelf in the mud room so that a keychain can be magnetically attached to the steel shelf for very easy access. Also hooked to the steel shelf is an S-shaped hook (from IKEA) made of steel.

  

Ventilation Inlet Duct Shutter with Magnetically-Attached Aluminum Foil

• In winter, the basement is rarely used. For thermal efficiency, it is better to circulate warm air from the central heat pump system only on the first and second floors because the air in the basement is cold. So, the ventilation inlet on the basement is closed off with a sheet of aluminum foil which is attached by 4 small rare-earth magnets. In summer, the ventilation inlet on the second floor is closed off instead.

  

Ventilation Outlet Duct Shutter with Inserted Aluminum Foil

• The central heat pump system provides hot air in winter and cold air in summer. To save energy, it should not be circulating air in the rooms that are unused. Also, a motion detector for a washroom light gets inadvertently activated. A sheet of aluminum foil is inserted below the vent of the ventilation outlet duct so that the air circulation can be blocked in the unused rooms. The door to such unused rooms should also be closed.

  

Linear Digital Versatile Disc Decoration behind Car Windshield

• This is a decoration on the windshield by useless CD-ROMs and DVDs. The discs do not block the driver's view, but make it easy for the driver to locate his/her vehicle on a street or in a parking lot.

  

Toothbrush Soaking in Flavoured C2H5OH

• The purpose of mouthwash is to kill bacteria in the mouth. Toothbrush after use, even after washing well, is a breeding ground for such bacteria. So, why not keeping the toothbrush in a bath of flavoured mouthwash liquid which may contain ethanol (C2H5OH)?

  

Triply-Connected Coffee Table with Optional Tissue Paper Box Attachment

• 2 plastic containers (of grape juice concentrate) are gooped together to form a table. 3 of these tables are attached together by elastic bands. A tissue paper box can also be attached by additional elastic bands if so desired.

  

Magnetically-Suspended Headset Support with a Helical Telephone Cord

• The headset can take up desk space when it is not used. An old helical telephone cord is magnetically attached to a ceiling or to a curtain rail so that the headset can be suspended in the air when it is not used.

  

Zipper-Handle Replacement with a Keychain Ring or a Paperclip

• When the zipper handle of a jacket or a coat breaks, it is not the time to throw away the entire jacket or the entire coat. A keychain ring is inserted into the hole of the zipper where the original handle used to be attached.

  

Stacked Car Floor Mat with the Bottom One Flipped for Rubber-Side Up

• Floor mats from an old car were kept. They are flipped upside down to expose the rubber side up underneath the new floor mats so that excessive dihydrogen monoxide from the rain would not oxidise and rust the steel frame of the car.

  

Replenishable Sticky-Pad Grocery List on a Wall

• An entire stack of sticky-pad can be attached to a wall with a double-sided tape in order to function as a replenishable grocery list or as a cooking instruction in situ.

  

Plastic-Bag Liner for the Central Vacuum Cleaner

• The central vacuum cleaner is advertised as "bagless". However, emptying the collected dust is a messy affair, to say the least. Although it is not intended, lining the tank with a plastic garbage bag makes it much easier.

  

Pre-Loading Stabiliser & Clarifier into a Wine Carboy and using its Plastic Bag as a Dust Cover

• Instead of sealing a wine-making carboy with a plastic wrap and an elastic band, it makes more ecological sense to just flip the empty polyethylene bag of Stabiliser & Clarifier to seal the carboy while it is not in use.

  

Dual Socks for a U-Shaped Toilet Seat Cover

• A cold U-shaped toilet seat is made comfortable by inserting a pair of socks. The socks are washable for sanitation.

  

Stable Cone-Shaped Coffee Table with a Microwave-Oven Turntable

• A flipped large plastic container (of grape juice concentrate) and a turntable from a microwave oven on top attached by double-sided adhesive tape make an ideal coffee table that is stable. It could be painted for aesthetics.

  

On-Ceiling Tissue Paper Box Suspender in a Car by a Cut Hula Hoop

• A loose tissue paper box in a car flies around because of acceleration, deceleration and turning of the car. So, it is better to fix it somewhere, but where? The ceiling is most accessible by all occupants in the car. An old Hula Hoop is cut and inserted into a tissue paper box, then fixed to the 2 coat hooks (left and right) simply by pressure.

  

Stick-On Mirror for In-Shower Shaving

• A mirror (from a car) is attached to the ceramic wall of the bathroom by strong double-sided adhesive tape in order to facilitate shaving while taking a shower at the same time. Surfactant (detergent) is applied on the mirror's surface to prevent fogging.

  

Cardboard Suspended Ceiling Tile Replacement

• A suspended ceiling tile in the basement was damaged by a minor flood on the floor above. So, a cardboard sheet was cut to the identical size in order to replace the damaged ceiling tile.

  

Chute-Door Shelf with a Landry-Basket Lid

• To counter the lack of shelf space in the mud room, the door of a laundry chute is put to a permanently-open state by a salvaged cover from a broken laundry basket made of plastic.

  

Narrow-Slit Hanging Scheme of a Waist Pack on a Hook

• A narrow slot at one of the plastic buckle pieces of a waist pack belt turned out to make a perfect fit to hang it on a hook that is gooped to the wall in the laundry room.

  

Through-Floor Ethernet and Cable TV Wiring via Basement Ceiling

• A hole on the floor was originally drilled in order to pass a pair of speaker cables between an amplifier and 2 loudspeakers in another room. The hole was re-purposed for an Ethernet (twisted pair cable) and for a Cat6 co-axial cable of cable TV, both from the basement.

  

Post-Blood Donation Puncture Pressuriser Band with Dual Pop-Bottle Caps

• After each blood donation, a nurse's instruction is to tightly put pressure at the puncture spot for 5 minutes with the other fingers. 2 caps of soda pop were gooped together in order to put pressure on the puncture spot with a bandage so that I can check the iPhone on the other hand.

  

Secure Bicycle Bag Attachment Scheme by a Hooked Elastic Rope

• A bicycle bag that attaches to the carrier rack became loose, posing a security risk as it sometimes fell off by vibration. So, an elastic rope that was found on the ground somewhere serves to securely tie the bag to the rack.

  

Elastic-Band Receipt Holder for a Note Pad

• Receipts can be inserted into a note pad, but it may fall off by gravity. An elastic band to the rescue. In addition to be able to hold receipts, it can also function as a bookmark for the note pad.

  

Kneeling Chair Protection by a Pillowcase and Insulation by a Towel

• A supposedly comfortable kneeling chair feels very cold in winter because one's feet touch 2 heat-sucking steel pipes connecting 2 parts of the chair. A large bath towel is made to wrap around these steel pipes, and covered with an old bed sheet in order to keep one's feet warm. The parts that worn out due to the leg's friction are patched.

  

Power-Cord Winding around a Vacuum Cleaner Tube with an Elastic Band

• A power head of the central vacuum cleaner broke. Since an unpowered head serves the purpose, the unused power cord is made to wind around the tube. The plug end is then fixed with an elastic band to the tube.

  

Power-Bar Vertical Attachment to a Table Leg with Elastic Bands

• Instead of leaving the messy power bar on the floor, it is vertically attach to a leg of a table in order to save space and keep sanity. A couple of ultra-wide elastic bands are enough to tightly keep the power bar in place.

  

Stick-On Plane Mirror for Kitchen Cabinet

• Dishwashing in the kitchen somehow causes one to want/need to check his/her face, especially the eye area. So, a plane mirror from a cosmetic product is salvaged and attached to a kitchen cabinet with a double-sided adhesive tape.

  

Kitchen Ceiling Whistle String with a Rare-Earth Magnet

• A whistle to announce to the kids when a meal is ready is attached to a retractable badge reel which is then tied to a ring-shaped rare-earth magnet so that it can be magnetically attached to the suspended ceiling.

  

Kitchen Ceiling Utensil Suspenders by Rare-Earth Magnets

• Rare-earth magnets are placed at regular intervals on the suspended ceiling in order to hang knives and utensils as well as other objects like scissors, a grater, a can opener, etc. An S-shaped hook made of steel is attached to the rare-earth magnet to hang a non-metallic object such as a plastic knife/fork/spoon through whose handle a hole was drilled.

  

Outdoor Street Number Lampshade Sticker

• Finding a street address in the dark is excruciatingly painful. Bending and sticking electrical tape to the lampshade to form a street number solve the problem by illuminating portions around the street number at night.

  

Ring-Shaped Magnetic Curtain Attachment Scheme

• The 2 steel curtain hooks at the ends of the curtain are conveniently inserted into 2 ring-shaped rare-earth magnets so that the curtain can be firmly closed by magnetically attaching to each other.

  

Polyethylene Sticky-Guard for a Duck/Duct Tape Roll Sides

• The sides of a Duck/Duct tape are uncomfortably sticky and attract dust as well. Simply sticking a very thin polyethylene film from a grocery store prevents such mess.

  

Flame-Fusion Technique for a Polypropylene Rope

• The polypropylene rope is very strong and useful, but the knot becomes loose very easily. Instead of a knot, the ends are fused together by a flame from butane torch lighter.

  

Non-Destructive Golf-Ball Vehicle Stop Indicator with Magnetic Detachment

• Stopping a vehicle in the garage at the right spot is very difficult for some people, to say the least. A string holding a golf ball is magnetically suspended from the exterior body of a garage-door opener which is directly above the golf ball. Just in case an excited kid pulls the string, it simply detaches rather than breaking the string.

  

Slinky Light-Shade Attachment Scheme with Twisted Solder

• As my ex-spouse Michèle showed me, a slinky can used as a light-shade around a compact fluorescent lamp (CFL) light bulb. Unmelted solder wire is used to attach the slinky to a standard light fixture on the ceiling via 2 holes.

  

Secure Electrical Power Block-Outlet Connection Scheme

• An electrical power block of a halogen desk lamp is so heavy that sometimes it falls off from an electrical outlet. So, a flat ribbon tape is inserted into the electrical outlet in order to tie the cord for security.

  

Rare-Earth Ring-Shaped Magnet for Twin Car-Home Keychain Attachment

• The very useful twin car-home keychain became loose and often detaching because the embedded magnet was not strong enough. Luckily, a ring-shaped rare-earth magnet was found to have a perfect size to fit the gap between the 2 twin keychains for much stronger attachment.

  

Feather-Tipped Magnetically Attached Wearable Pen

• A feather is inserted into the top end of a ballpoint pen, forming a quill. The bottom end of the ballpoint pen is made of steel, so it attaches to a rare-earth magnet of a lanyard worn around the user's neck.

  

Cardboard Shipping Tube Sealed with Sour-Cream Container Lids

• A large-diameter cardboard tube was cut and 2 plastic lids from sour cream containers happen to have a perfect size to snuggly fit in order to form a shipping package of fragile items.

  

Transformation of a Children's Play Structure into a Fence Crossing

• The kids outgrew the children's outdoor play structure made with steel. So, it was transformed into a ladder to cross the fence to go cross-country skiing in the forest of a golf course behind the back yard.

  

Balancing Figurine with a Steel Handle Counterweight

• A long and curved steel bar from the handle of a plastic container (of grape juice concentrate) is inserted into a figurine's rear end in order to function as a counterweight so that the figurine is balanced to appear to be jumping in the air.

  

Magnetic Blind Suspension Scheme

• A bamboo roll-up blind (from IKEA) is suspended from a steel rail of a suspended ceiling via a combination of a ring-shaped rare-earth magnet and a disc-shaped rare-earth magnet.

  

Magnetic Lantern Hanging Scheme

• Since the top piece of a cute lantern is made of steel, a rare-earth magnet can be used to hang it from any spot of the metallic grid of the suspended ceiling without damaging anything.

  

Magnetically Attached Ballpoint Pen Demonstration Scheme

• A rather long and sturdy steel bar is hung from a suspended ceiling to form a platform to hang a number of prototype ballpoint pens, each with a lanyard. Some of the pens are magnetic, so the attachment/detachment action can be tested in situ.

  

Single-Piece Birdseeds Dispenser from a Container Template

• To put birdseeds into the container of a HyperFeeder: Squirrel-Proof Bird Feeder with Concentric Perching Rings, a shampoo bottle was cut at strategic locations in order to form a single-piece dispenser with a built-in handle.

  

Ice-Storm/Freezing Rain Busting Plastic Sheet over Windshield

• A single plastic sheet provides a way to avoid a lengthy de-icing session after an ice storm hits as the freezing rain sticks to the plastic sheet instead of to the windshield. The 2 ends of the plastic sheet are simply secured by the car's doors, but rare-earth magnets can be used for reinforcements.

  

Repurposing a Mouthwash Pump as a Universal Dish/Body Detergent Dispenser for Kitchen/Bathroom

• A mouthwash container with an occasionally-included hand pump is re-purposed as a dispenser of universal dish/body detergent (surfactant). They are both hyper-convenient in the kitchen and in the bathroom.

  

Toilet Tank Float Arm Crack Repair Scheme with Triple Square Nuts and Goop

• A plastic mount of a toilet tank float arm cracked, so it was repaired by gooping 3 square nuts around the crack (top and 2 sides). The hole on each nut strengthens the adhesion, enough to keep the float arm together for more than 20 years. A crack in a float itself was repaired by gooping pieces of plastic. The CRANE ANTI-SIPHON was eventually replaced by Korky QuietFILL® Toilet Fill Valve.

  

Magnetically Erected Wind-Effect Display Device

• A magnetically erected wind-effect display device comprises a rotor assembly having a central axis of rotation, and a stator assembly. The rotor assembly comprises a vertical shaft, a wind-effect element, and a rotor magnet. The stator assembly comprises a base, a mount, and a stator magnet. The vertical shaft of the rotor assembly is passively erected by a magnetic attraction force between the rotor magnet and the stator magnet. The wind-effect element of the rotor assembly is capable of rotating around the central axis of rotation by an external force exerted by wind pressure.

  

Magnetically Suspended Flywheel System

• An upward magnetic repulsion force between the inverse heart-shaped magnetic flux lines of the ring-shaped stator magnet and the heart-shaped magnetic flux lines of the cone-shaped rotor magnet equals a downward gravitational force by the rotor assembly in order to passively suspend the rotor assembly so that the rotor assembly is capable of rotating around the central axis of rotation. If a stable levitation had been achieved to defy Earnshaw's Theorem, then a ceremonial trip to Stockholm, Sweden, could have won.

  

In-Trunk Paper Towel Hanger for a Car

• An electrical wire is passed through a paper towel roll, and is then attached to the holes in the interior of the trunk of a car in order to hang a paper towel roll.

  

Recycling Bin Wall-Hooking Scheme

• A plastic recycling bin is stably suspended in the air by hooking its overhung edge to 2 pan-head screws on the wall of a garage so that other items can be placed on a shelf below the plastic recycling bin.

  

Uphill Skis

• A hole was drilled through each cross-country ski to attach a ballpoint pen mechanism in order to extend or retract a stick for facilitating climbing hills while cross-country skiing. The device is a work in progress as the ballpoint pen mechanism has not been found yet.

  

Ginkgo biloba Powder Spice and Tea

• Ginkgo biloba is generally accepted as a remedy for minor deficits in brain function, such as those that occur with advancing age. It is used to improve concentration and to combat short-term memory loss due to clogged arteries in the brain, and to treat dizziness, ringing in the ears, headache, and emotional hypersensitivity accompanied by anxiety.

  

Red Wine Residue Paste

• Filtering is skipped in the wine-making process in order to draw maximum health benefits from the residue. Red wine sediment consists of Tartrates, and from red wine's Phenolic polymers (resveratrol) as well as any insoluble material added to assist clarification.