Uses for Common Household Objects

[clarencebunsen]

Offbeat Uses for Common Household Objects

During the World War I era, we ran a series of monthly contests asking readers to submit ideas for alleviating everyday inconveniences, such as the problem of staying warm, cooling off, and recycling an old automobile tire. When we asked readers to contribute ideas for using extra hairpins, they suggested everything from converting them to test-tube holders, to using them as makeshift corkscrews. Our first prize winner even told us how to turn a wire hairpin into a working resistance unit. Our second prizewinner, whose idea are illustrated on the far left, said that hairpins can be used to repair a broken automobile fan belt.

www.popsci.com/node/56973/?cmpid=enews092211

[Deleted]

They also are great for diggin wax and dirt out of your ears.

[Clipper]

Yikes! Hairpin to clean your ears? I suppose they are quite efficient, but then again a paring knife would work too, but I wouldn't stick one in my ear, lol.

[Deleted]

lol. I was just thinking how much money I save on using Baking Soda on my rugs rather than buying a vacuum cleaner. I was pricing them at Wallmart, expensive. They need to reduce those priced on black friday's.

I don't own a paring knife. No need for one.

[Clipper]

I suppose the paring knife would be overkill unless the wax in one's ears is really compacted and dry, LOL.

[Deleted]

I was reading that if you cut up an onion and place it by your bed at night it will help clear congestion in the nose and clear up a cough all from a cold while sleeping. This was prescribed many years ago as a remedy for not being able to sleep do to night time cough.

I also remember a remedy using a piece of black licorice and placing it somewhere against you body. Couldn't figure where to put it so I put it in my underwear. You get this funny feeling all day long down there. Little embarasing if it falls out of your pant leg on the floor.

[dgriffin]

And then, of course, you wouldn't want to eat it.

[dgriffin]

Salad fork as a back scratcher. Or wherever.

[Deleted]

Dec 15, 2011 9:48:41 GMT -5 @alanquigly said:

They also are great for diggin wax and dirt out of your ears.

Wow. What do you shave with? A chainsaw?

[JGRobinson]

The Only advanced diploma I ever garnered was a Rube Goldberg honorarium. My work in the electro mechanical world requires some pretty creative non standard solutions. CNY is not a hotspot for easy access high tech gizmo's yet Im challenged daily to make it happen for Scientists, Artists and Upper Administrators every day.

One of my duties is unofficial Gallery Curator for Multi-Media Artists and they create stuff out of coat-hangers and clock motors that makes my head hurt! Stuff gets shipped in from all over the world and I have to figure out how to install it and make it all work without offending the artists vision (usually about 2 hours before its to be viewed)! I am working with Ann Hamilton, a famous artist Ive never met for a show that will open Feb 2 in 2 of our galleries. The show is yet to be named, were still trying to figure out what and where she wants to display pieces Ive never seen and some she hasn't even built yet. Her art is wild and involves rotating projectors, inset monitors and other display and sound devices showing images of mostly Human body parts in motion (Eyes, ears, arms legs and other things). Its going to be an awesome show but Im a bit nervous right now (not unusual), the show will open on time and as hoped!

Another is our Natural Sciences Division Technician. They bring me broken things Ive never seen, heard of and I repair them! My first question is often, "What is it supposed to do that is doesn't do" and "do you have a Service Manual on this thing"? The first time I worked on a Geological XRAY was a little scary, I had been fixing TVS, VCRs and Camcorders only a month before that, I found some bad connections and fixed the damn thing, that was a relief!

Another challenge is inventing things for them based on a user spec that is never given, plans that never are drawn, a few hand waves in the air and a budget code! I have invented Rodent Wheel Rotation Monitors, Frog Nerve Stimulator interfaces and recently designed and constructed a 6 room Psyc lab complete with multiple cams , microphones and I/O's feeding Terabyte DVR's from a control room. The purpose is for interviewing and observational documentation. Its the first of its kind in an Undergrad Psyc program in the USA. I have never even thought of doing this before I was asked 5 months ago. The trial use of the lab was completed 2 weeks ago and it worked perfectly, Whew!!!

One of my next projects is a field deploy-able worm monitor and extraction system (High voltage probes at certain frequencies).

I love my job!

[clarencebunsen]

About 100 hears ago I was a manufacturing engineer for a company called Nortronics in Minnesota. The chairman of our company (an excellent engineer & heavily involved in R&D) worked closely with a machine shop called Nedmac on many projects. He & the boss man from Nedmac would sit in our cafeteria and design the latest tool/fixture/machine needed now to get the next prototype out on schedule.

Later, it would be the job of the manufacturing engineering department to get everything in order for production. Someone from Nedmac would bring over a stack of napkins with sketches on them (they literally had files of napkins by project) and we would have to translate them into actual drawings with dimensions and tolerances and then to steel.

JGR, it sounds like you would have fit nicely into that group.

[dgriffin]

JG, here's a taste of being with Ann.

stephenvincent.net/blog/?p=544


And Here's Ann's website, which you've probably seen.

www.annhamiltonstudio.com/


For the rest of us who didn't know her, Wiki says:

"Ann Hamilton (born June 22, 1956, Lima, Ohio) is a contemporary American artist best known for her installations, textile art, and sculptures, but is also active in the fields of photography, printmaking, video, and video installation.

She trained in textile design at the University of Kansas and later received an MFA from Yale University in sculpture. She taught at the University of California at Santa Barbara from 1985 to 1991 and won the MacArthur Fellowship in 1993."


Sounds like you're about to have an enviable experience! Pretty neat working with someone with her creativity.




Ann in front of her creation of 18,000 indigo pants and work shirts.

It just occurred to me that this post is right on topic! So-called "found art" often consists of common items found around the household.

[chris]

They also are great for diggin wax and dirt out of your ears.

Alan didn't anyone ever tell you never to stick anything in your ear smaller than your elbow? ;D One of these days we'll be hearing you scream cause you punctured your ear drum.

[JGRobinson]

Ive worked with allot of the biggies in the Hip artist scene in the last 10 years. Because Im relatively nouveau in the Vid Art world, I dont know of most of these folks before Im told I will be installing their work. The first thing I do is scramble onto the internet and see what Im in for. The Show called broadcast www.pickerartgallery.org/exhibitions/2009/broadcast.html had 13 different artists counting a couple of our PHD's, a few already deceased like Nam June Paik, but most were very alive and involved in the shows installation, they are really something to work with, the prep alone took me 3 months, below is the press release.

blogs.colgate.edu/2010/03/broadcasting-new-perspectives.html

Most use equipment thats been pounded on and is in poor shape when we receive it, first I have to fix it, then I always send it back out in better shape than I get it!

I really love doing the Art and Sciences work, its different. Me and my guys built and installed 4 standard smart classrooms today. Thats Caveman work for us but its our bread and butter, it pays the bills but its not much fun or challenging.

Ive chatted and brainstormed a couple times with Ann so far and lots of emails back and forth. Shes the consummate artist, always on the move, ADHD, Eclectic and mildly eccentric, it's going to be an interesting show. Shes working on revision 3 this weekend, we blew right through 1 and 2 in a wink! I asked to have final markups by the 20th for build but Im sure we wont have them till after new years. Ive got a few Electricians, Carpenters and Painters eagerly waiting for my Floor Plans and Elevations, they are gonna have to wait a just a little longer!

[dgriffin]

Great! Sounds like a lot of fun!