Avoid everyday problems and modern mini-calamities by arming yourself with the right know-how before you head out into the world. Locking yourself out of your apartment, losing your car in the Gargantu-Mart lot, standing lost on a city street corner—you can overcome almost any day-to-day disaster with some clever thinking and a bit of knowledge. We've compiled some of our favorite tricks that can make any Average Joe/Jane feel like a regular commando at work, at home, or on the go. Hit the link for a list of our top 10 non-computer modern life survival skills. Photo by *clarity*.
10. De-fuzz your sweater or coat at the last minute.
Cat hair and couch lint—it all gets stuck to you, and it can all make you look a lot less presentable, especially when you've got that big presentation to the Higher Ups in 10 minutes. If you're at the office, head to the supply closet to grab an extra FedEx airbill pouch and turn it inside out to create an instant, sticky, de-linting glove. At home, de-pill your sweater or coat with an old disposable razor. Photo by Walraven. 9. Get into and out of tricky conversations.
Cocktail parties, family gatherings, and supermarket lines—they're all full of conversations you have to escape from, or pretend you're interested in. Make the pretending less painful by exiting gracefully, forcing yourself to absorb information, and avoid being a bore yourself. You'll have to practice a bit before putting these techniques to use, but that's what pets and roommates are for. 8. Tell time without a watch.
Deny it all you want, but there will be moments in life when neither a watch nor a cell phone, nor even a bank with a big digital street clock, will be handy, and you'll want a rough estimate of what time it is. To prepare for such rustic (or post-apocalyptic) moments, check out wikiHow's guide to telling time without a clock. The two main methods involve dividing the sky into fractions or using your fist size to measure the horizon, and, like using the sun as a compass, both require thinking a bit about Daylight Saving Time and your general location in the world. And both give you a pretty great feeling of independence when you pull them off. Photo by rileyroxx. 7. Recover from a late night.
One too many pints, or spending the wee hours on the net or other obsessions, and the whole world will know your pain the next day. Unless, that is, you fight back against your body's delayed punishment. Clear up puffy, dark under-eyes with fridge-cooled spoons, and get back your focus and drive with some pre- and post-drink hangover remedies—namely a ginseng regimen, a carb-and-vitamin schedule, and the advice of our tavern-savvy readers. Temporary cures, for sure, but they're pretty essential when needed. 6. Boost your night vision.
Finding one's way through the dark has been a true survival skill for ninjas, stealthy travelers, soldiers, and many other adventurers. Even if you only need to find your way to the fridge at 2AM, you can put their time-tested advice to work using blogger Sam Noyoun's tips for improving natural night vision. Any or all of them—getting down low to better scope an object, covering one eye to retain light sensitivity, using your cell phone's camera instead of your eyes—will help you navigate a dark path or find your cell phone. To, uh, call command ops and relay target positioning, of course.
5. Read body language to tell if someone's lying.
The best liars can beat even the most sophisticated detection gear, but your average "My aunt in Wyoming died" teller gives off more than one telltale sign. Learn to listen for pitch, speed, eye contact frequency, verbal tics and other signs with tips from Monster.com's Marty Nemko and eHow. If you're a corporate denizen, this is one skill you really can't live without. Photo by celesteh. 4. Predict the weather (without a forecast).
The "official" forecasts and weather reports you can get on your phone or laptop aren't always perfect, and you don't need a meteorology degree to beat them. Take a look at the clouds, while also keeping your nose open for telltale smells. You can also watch animal behavior and follow other signs to get that ultra-cool old-man-with-a-trick-knee mystique going. 3. Know your direction without a compass.
When navigating unfamiliar territory, directions like "Head South on Franklin Street" aren't terribly helpful. Using a non-digital wristwatch, or just a mental image of one, you can find your way with Wired's hour hand/sun position method. For more rural direction-finding without a watch, try wikiHow's methods for finding true North. Either way, you're never really lost when you've got your wits. 2. Use your head to amplify your car alarm remote's signal.
Ever notice how putting your hand on your clock radio tends to clarify and boost the signal? You can use that same body-as-extended-antenna trick to locate your car in a stuffed parking lot. Hold your remote opening fob against your skull, hit the alarm (or beep-beep locking button), and you'll locate your vehicle from farther away.
1. Pick a lock.
Lock picking is one of those rare skills that give you serious cool cred and come in really, really useful at the right moments. With a little study, you can grab a piece of that respect and come to the rescue of friends, neighbors, and your own forgetful self. Here's a guide to the basics, and a guide to making your own vibrating pick to ease the learning curve. Forgotten the combination to your locker? Here's how to crack the Master Lock code. If you're feeling a serious secret agent kick (and it's a pretty sad lock you're facing), you can always open a door with a credit card.
What ninja-like skills impress your friends whenever you get to break them out? What clever tricks are you waiting to pass on to your kids (or apprentice)? We want to hear about them, so drop a line in the comments.
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