When it’s working correctly, technology smooths out the bumps and hiccups of everyday life. With suitable software and gadgets, you can streamline pretty much anything.
Are you hanging a picture? Taking a nap? Are you lost in the world’s most enormous carpark? There’s probably a hack for that.
We’ve rounded up our favorite tech hacks below in the interest of living hiccup-free. Some of these will change the absolute nature of your existence; others suggest you when to pee during movies. They’re all convenient.
Use the phone to hang pictures: Swinging another minimalist leaf print on the wall? Grab your iPhone and go to the ‘Measurement’ tool. Voila! Instant spirit level. Just suspend your phone on the edge of the frame (you might require some Blu Tack or a patient friend to keep it steady). Android phones have a comparable feature: you need to search “bubble level” in the Google app.
Go backward on a calculator: Imagine utilizing the calculator app (presumably to measure something important, like the number of pancakes between Earth & Neptune), and you make a mistake. So irritating. You have to beat the ‘AC’ button and begin all over again. Or at least, that’s what most people believe. If you’re on your iPhone, swipe left or right on your equation, and you’ll delete the last number you typed.
Pee correctly in movies: To be clear, you should pee in a bathroom – not in the film. Right, we’ve obtained that out of the way. RunPee is an app that estimates the optimum time to pee during a movie (presumably based on field development or the scarcity of high-speed pursuits or something). Just type in the name of your film, and RunPee will tell you when to go.
Play games when Wi-Fi crashes: When you’re browsing Google Chrome and the internet drops out; you’ll see the familiar T-Rex of Doom. You cannot do much about dodgy Wi-Fi, but pressing the spacebar shifts this screen into a hidden dinosaur game. When your connection arrives back, you can keep recreating over here.
Find Android phone: Lost your Android? There are a few items you can accomplish:
- Google holds an Android device manager that lets you pinpoint lost or stolen phones.
- Googling “find my phone” will also achieve the trick.
- You can hit Amazon Echo and state, “Alexa, trigger find my phone.”
Your phone will begin ringing (or vibrating) immediately. It’s presumably under the couch cushions.
Test batteries to notice if they work: Got some AA or AAA batteries booting around a table somewhere? There’s a fast way to inform if they’re charged. Hold each battery a few inches above the ground, and let go. Fully charged batteries shouldn’t bounce much; empty batteries will jump into the air.
Use Google to find the car: Did we park on C4 or B3? Was it yellow or purple? It doesn’t matter: Google Assistant can now see your vehicle. The only catch is you require to tell Google where you parked before steering off to do the shopping. Once you burn a hole in the credit card, say, “Hey, Google, where’s my car?” and Google Maps will pinpoint the exact spot.
Print black without black ink: Does the printer run out of black ink? Just set the font color to #010101, which is about 99% grey (or as close to black as your color ink cartridge can get). This hack probably won’t function for printing your 475-page thesis, but it should be capable of handling essential Word docs. Relying on your printer model, you may also require withdrawing the empty black cartridge.
Build a Wi-Fi code for guests: Use this hack, and you’ll never have to hand out your Wi-Fi password ever again. Instead, visit qifi.org and type in your network’s name and password. The app will yield a custom QR access code. You can either publish this out and attach it to the fridge or (if you’re feeling crafty) turn it into a cross-stitch. Not only are QR codes faster, but they’re also more secure. Now your friends can get online without comprehending your WIFI password.