Episode: 4604
Title: Quick Tips for January 20 26
Source: https://hub.hackerpublicradio.org/ccdn.php?filename=/eps/hpr4604/hpr4604.mp3
Transcribed: 2026-07-31 16:14:58 (official HPR transcript)

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This is Hacker Public Radio Episode 4604, for 2026-03-26
Today's show is entitled, "Quick Tips for January 20 26"
The host is operat0r and the duration is 00:14:05
The flag is Clean, and the license is CC-BY-SA
The summary is "Quick Tips for January 20 26"
Hello everyone and welcome to the episode of HackerBook Radio with your host, Operator.
It's going to be pretty short, I'm going to go through my quick tips.
Looks like I've got enough to kind of do a little short episode for you guys.
Quick tips are basically just, you know, kind of things that I think about,
that add value, kind of like those stupid viral videos on social media where they show,
like how to make a pancake with a square, like it, you know.
So, um, so these are, um, for me, uh, one of the first ones I've got here is Macha, the sugar blend.
So when I make my Macha, it's a kind of powdery green tea.
It's almost like I make up at this point.
Um, it's extremely messy.
So to kind of prevent some of that messiness and ease, what I do is I blend it up.
I'm sure the Macha people would just die roll over and there, whatever.
Um, but, uh, I take the Macha and I mix it with sugar and I put it in like one of those coffee grinds.
So that way, um, I just put the puts it put it in there and I'll have to worry about adding sugar or too much sugar and not enough sugar.
Um, but yeah, that's kind of how I've been doing it.
Um, then we've got super glue.
So you've probably seen online, so super glue making sort of a combination.
It does work.
I've used it to fix like two or three things now.
You have to kind of let it sit overnight and harden.
It almost makes, like, a lot of things.
Um, you have to kind of let it sit overnight and harden.
It almost makes, like, a very strong epoxy type of seal almost.
So you get this very strong seal with the, with the, the baking soda and glue mix.
Uh, you want to have enough baking soda to soak it.
But not too much that it's like a goo, uh, when it kind of dries.
So you want it soaked, but you don't want it like too much glue.
Um, likewise, you don't want too much, uh, baking soda.
So I had, I didn't have the baking soda all wet, essentially.
Um, you could, yeah, I even used the gel for it for that.
So, you know, that's, your mouth may vary, but, uh, just, you know, that actually does work.
If you haven't seen it before, um, tile batter pad on top left speaker in middle.
I have no idea what this is about, um, on top speaker in middle.
Let me give it to me a second.
Yeah, I thought about it for a while of no idea.
It says tile batter pad on top of speaker in middle.
I don't know.
Anyways, moving on, uh, blowing out a candle.
If you've ever blown out a candle and it explodes in the face, you simply just put your hands in front of it.
Or maybe a couple fingers and then you blow around, uh, through your hand.
And it will kind of diffuse that and wrap around.
So it won't make a big mess.
Um, that's, that's kind of a fun one.
See, if you are transferring, transferring large data sets by Harry Lary.
Um, yeah, so when I do large data sets,
Julie's speaking, I use our sink with VARC.
You know, there's been a ton of, at least one or two episodes about our sink.
But, um, yeah, I'd be interested to know the story around our sink and how it's.
What it has to do with the HPR and maybe the people around it.
Um, because I use it for a lot of stuff.
I'll use it for my backups after having failed backup.
Cloud providers and all that mess multiple times.
So, um, yeah, transferring large data sets I use our sink.
And then they have like a desk scene.
We'll still do like a CRC check.
What you have to do on large files, the like images.
Uh, encrypted images that do whatever.
So that's, uh, kind of that one.
Let's see, uh, phone machine.
Yeah, so you can look at this online.
There's really only a couple posts online about how this works.
Only because it's probably pretty straightforward.
So I have a giant backpack lower.
You can do this with any size lower really.
You take that blower and either make a funnel or, uh,
some kind of larger apparatus to wrap a wet.
A wet towel on around.
And then you either have a liquid filled with bubbles or have the bubble liquid.
I have a backpack lower of the takes of water for like,
spraying for bugs or whatever pesticides.
And I mixed this solution in there after like, you know,
trying to clean thoroughly cleaning it out at the best I can.
Um, but the idea there is you just take the blower,
aim it inside of a big trash can.
And then put a towel or something that's porous.
But we'll let stuff through and make these little foam bubbles.
And then you aim it upside down inside the inside of the trash can.
And then you kind of seal it all.
And you turn on a blower and it makes like a big foam.
An instant foam party thing.
So that's kind of cool.
I'll probably just do not the backpack.
Blower because that there's not enough water in the backpack.
And also nobody wants to put like, you know,
something that's had bug residue in it for bugs tray.
Um, through it's to their eyes or something like that.
So anyway, you can use a kitchen poo to do it.
It actually doesn't work quite as well as like,
the blue stuff like a dawn or whatever.
Uh, but, um, yeah, that's kind of interesting.
It's interesting a little set of to do for like kids for days and stuff.
So I'll probably take the blower and just do the blower trash can method.
And uh, get like a big towel or, uh,
think it's a blanket or something like that.
Let's see, final straps.
Or I do with vinyl straps.
Yeah.
So I just had to look this one up.
Vinyl straps.
Yeah.
You don't really see these anymore.
They're more still in commercial.
A lot of them are just doing the messes right now because it's kind of harder to replace the message.
And they're mess meshes.
And everybody throws everything.
So I'm talking about these lounge chairs.
And if you're, oh, like me,
all the lounge chairs had nylon or vinyl straps.
And those vinyl straps, you, uh, to fix them, you would have a big giant strap of a roll of vinyl.
And then you would poke a hole in it and then, you know, either use a screw or whatever.
But the key is, if it's hot outside, you can just do this with heat and just stretch it out naturally.
But if it's cold, you're going to have to like submerge it in some kind of liquid to stretch it.
And there's like a calculator's out there or whatever.
The problem is we have a set of four that are relatively old.
They're starting to sort of kind of rust.
And then you had to ask yourself, okay, if I spend $99 to fix these chairs,
are they going to outlast any of the other crappy by today?
And the answer is probably yes.
So when, if and when we're ready, we're going to strip the chair chairs,
uh, repaint them with some kind of rust only and think.
And then I will buy, I will spend $100 and I will repair these vinyl chairs.
Because they will last longer than any of these other, you know, nylon strappy,
mixed strap, crap pieces that crap you buy today.
Um, so you do have to be weary about the cost effectiveness of it.
Right.
Um, and get an idea, you know, this is kind of this sling fabric they say.
Um, I had a neighbor already through and give away one of those that because it was broken.
So, um, we have a lounge chair in our backyard that's like kind of rigged up.
But you can buy a kit that comes with a little, the little, the little, the little screws,
or the little one way pins.
They're kind of like the things that you're in your car,
that when you get a car and you take a part that whatever the falls out.
So little vinyl screw pins, holding pins, whatever.
Um, it's quite a mess and it's kind of an art form,
but uh, definitely do it if you got some furniture that's going to stay together
because you do not want to buy any new stuff because it's all garbage.
Let's see, fabric belt foot trick.
Um, so yeah.
Um, so if you, I have a bunch of these, I don't know what they were popular before,
but I have these fabric based belt straps.
And they're like for shorts or pants or whatever I bought.
And I've got like three or four of them.
Um, and the problem is, is they, they, um, they tend to loosen up on me.
And they also kind of are just kind of flappy.
So that, you know, you'll have this long flaps sticking out.
And you're going to see could cut it and then re sew it
back together to have an normal size belt,
but they're usually oversized over length to too long.
Uh, what you can do is you basically put the belt on like you normally would
and then you flip it inside out, right?
And then you do the shenanigans to get the, it's like a two loops
and you put the fabric kind of through the loops
and then you tighten it.
And then once you've since you've flipped it, you can flip it back
and it will kind of be inside out.
So we'll hide that flap.
And it will also kind of keep it more secure from like coming disconnected.
So, uh, that's kind of what I do with when I do where the, the fabric things.
Cause it's, it's better comfortable with wise if I'm going to be going
around the house or if I'm going to be working a lot.
I actually like the fabric belts because they give away a lot more than like a
traditional leather belt.
So if I'm hunched over and I'm trying to keep my pants from falling down,
I'm hunched over for a long time.
I don't want this thick.
And this is like three inch belt to inch belt.
Something crazy like that.
Um, yeah, this is like a two inch belt.
Um, I don't want to be leaning over.
Um, my fat gut.
Uh, trying to deal with that.
I don't want to just, uh, you two,
deal in I.S.
Um, I won't put the shenanigans in for any of this stuff.
It's kind of self-expand forward.
YouTube downloader is YouTube.
YouTube downloader is legacy thing.
Microsoft got rid of the repo.
And then it just spun back up as YouTube.
Um, so it's Y T D L.
And then YouTube D L I N S.
One word is Y T D L I N S.
Y T D L I N S correct as for Android.
And the cool thing about that one is not only is it a downloader.
It also supports, um, sponsor block.
So when you download the video,
it's at those sponsor.
So the ads are moved from that video.
So that's cool.
I've been using that to download different things.
Or tutorials or whatnot.
I'll see.
What?
What?
Web paper towel over.
Microwave feed.
So microwave dry stuff out.
It's the refrigerator that that's cycle of their refrigerator.
Dry stuff out.
And so what I've been doing to kind of keep the paper towel from flying off.
And then your soup explodes.
Because you got mashed potatoes in there.
Or got forbidden.
Like, uh, what's a clam chowder.
We'll explode like big time.
And, and it, you know, the, the, the wind, the blowing from the microwave.
We'll blow off here.
Whatever.
And then whatever in microwave explodes.
And you have, you know, a towel.
A paper towel is like having an off the microwave.
And explosions obviously.
You wet it.
And that kind of does two things.
It keeps the thing from sliding off.
And it also provides a little bit of moisture to your food while you're, uh,
heating it up and stuff.
So good, good, good times.
Um, see, we've got a couple more more.
Um, use blender clips instead of chip clips.
So, um, we have the big bigger binder clips.
Um, a lot of chip clips are just awful.
Uh, we have a bunch still because of the chip.
Uh, so we have a bunch of chip clips.
Um, but they kind of just dry rot overtime or low crack or something like that.
They're, they're pretty bad.
But you use big binder clips.
And you'll never have to buy any more chip clips again.
Um, so that's kind of weird.
If you're asking for chip clips for Christmas or something,
don't, don't do that.
Just ask for big binder clips.
And use those for your chips or whatever.
This small ones are great for like if you have stuff in the microwave.
And you want to, you know, like microwave vegetables.
And you want to seal them back up.
But you don't want them to have the chip clips or too big.
It's kind of put in our tiny microwave or the tiny, uh, freezer.
Sorry.
And so, you know, there's limited room in the freezer.
And you can't have the giant chip clip in the freezer.
And it's cold off or plastic.
And that's going to help the dry rot.
So if you use the binder clips, um, smaller binder clips like medium size,
that will work with like vegetables.
With like vegetables or vegetables, just like that.
So anyways, we're kind of 12 minutes or so.
So this last one is basically when Amazon got rid of the things to get me.
Or I'm sorry, when Amazon got rid of their arbitrary ad arbitrary item to wish list,
uh, you could actually do it back hack it with using some special code.
Um, there were plugins with Chrome.
There were like you add arbitrary stuff titles, pictures, and links to your Amazon.
They since flocked to that down. Also.
I have been busy.
Uh, when my wife uses is things to get me.
Now, things to get me does have a, uh, Chrome extension.
The thing about it is you have to configure it.
And you have to allow it to kind of run on every webpage.
So, um, it's kind of like, a little thing yet to make sure you do.
And then it'll pull what the plugin will do for you is it will pull the images from the website that you're on.
Um, so if you say at this page, sometimes that doesn't work.
What usually you like to do is be on the page and add it from URL.
So you get like a cookie and a session token and everything to actually pull it down.
Um, so that kind of seems to help.
But in general, I use, um, things to get me.
And I use the plugin to manage.
To manage the, uh,
Dating of new items and stuff like that makes a lot lot easier.
Anyways, that's pretty much it for the quick tickets.
Take it easy.
Happy new year.
Yeah, happy new year.
It's already second.
So whatever.
Happy holidays and take it easy.
Thank you.
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