Sharing WiFi

Sorry, Android only to produce the QR Code.  But Apple users can scan it too.

A quick way to share a WiFi network and its password is using a QR code like the one shown below. 

To display the QR code, navigate these steps:

1. Touch "Settings"

2. Touch "Network & internet"

3. Touch the network you want to share then touch "Share"

That network might be located in "Saved networks", if you not near to it.

Next week I'll cover how you scan it from Android and Apple smartphones.

https://www.makeuseof.com/tag/how-to-view-passwords-for-saved-wi-fi-networks-on-android

Libman Grill Brush

Thanks go to my stepson Pat for clueing me in on a better grill brush.  The Libman HighPower brush seen below is the best I've used and it will take care of these burger remnants in no time.  Once or twice a year, I'll use my pressure washer to give the grill plates a super-duper cleaning.  If I remember correctly, I found this at Walmart for about $8.

https://libman.com/products/brass-grill-brush

Caulking With Painters Tape

The caulking around the bathroom sink was getting dirty, and thanks to my brother-in-law Albert, I was able to make the new caulk straight and even.  The trick is to use painters tape to outline the area, apply the caulk and use a wet finger to smooth it out.  Wait for an hour let the caulk begin to harden, then remove the tape and make any final adjustments.  This is the first time in my life I've actually been proud of a caulking job that I did myself.

 

MapQuest RoutePlanner

I ran across MapQuest RoutePlanner, which will optimize a route containing up to 26 addresses. The data can be entered manually, pasted, or uploaded via an Excel or CSV file, to produce a list and a map.  On the list of addresses I tried as a test, it was not a surprise that the route was more or less a circle.  Later on, I was surprised, and should not have been, to find that the circular route was in the clockwise direction, favoring right-hand turns.  That just makes complete sense.

https://www.mapquest.com/routeplanner

Gnocchi Board

We picked up this handy gnocchi board at Dorothy Lane Market's cooking school and it's a serious upgrade from using the tines of a fork to shape the gnocchi.  While I can't say that I'm as proficient as Mamma Giuliana demonstrates in the YouTube video at the link below, give me a few more batches and I think I'll come close.  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=INXWmj8nxHo

One Less Needle

When I gave blood twenty years ago the worst part, by far, was having the tip of a finger stabbed by a needle.  They would take a few drops and drop them in a mysterious liquid which made sure my hemoglobin was high enough to allow me to give blood.  Roll time forward to 2020 and that finger stick was amazingly painless.  They still got their drops and I still got a bandaid, but it was a great improvement.  

All that has gone by the wayside this year with the introduction of the OrSense NBM200, the machine shown below.  You just put your finger in the ring‐shaped sensor probe and a minute later it displays its results.  All that's left is the sting of the vein-tapping needle, but who knows, maybe they'll find a way to eliminate that and make Dr. McCoy proud.

http://www.orsense.com/usa/product.php?ID=49

Garage Door Seal

I purchased a new garage door seal (that black strip at the bottom of the door below) months ago when I noticed how cracked and shabby the old one was, but waited until my brother-in-law visited before trying to install it, as it's really a two-person job, just like the YouTube video demonstrates.  Check the type in your garage door (they're not all the same) before buying and measuring the width you need will save money or worse, needing to buy another one.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=Cp4f5WvKlww

Snickerdoodles

We made Mrs. Fields packaged snickerdoodles for years, but when Meijer dropped them in favor of their (horrible) own brand, and since no one else around here carries them, I decided to make my own and found a promising soft-baked recipe.  This one really requires a heavy-duty standing mixer like our KitchenAid and even it struggled a little bit.  You take the dough, after some time in the fridge, and make dough balls (first picture below), and roll them in sugar and cinnamon.  Bake them for 10-11 minutes and transfer them to a wire rack (second picture) to cool.  Since warm cookies are always the best, zap them in the microwave for 15-20 seconds to reheat.

Historians say the name "snickerdoodle cookies" comes from the German term "Schnecke Knödel" which translates as "snail dumpling".  Can't say I get that one.

https://cafedelites.com/snickerdoodle-cookie-recipe

Ancient Outlet

My brother-in-law recently replaced the outdated outlet shown below with a GFCI, and it was a surprise when he lifted the cover, which I had never had a reason to do before, revealing a fuse, the old-fashioned circuit-breaker, which if it had ever tripped would have required a new fuse, versus just hitting the Reset button on a GFCI outlet.  The outlet powered the washing machine, one of many things in a house that require GFCI protection, basically anything within spray distance of water.

Magnetizer/Demagnetizer

When my brother-in-law showed me this cool tool, I had to have one.  It solves the problem of dropping screws as you're trying to get them started by magnetizing your screwdriver, which causes the metal screws to cling to its tip.  You just run your screwdriver in and out of the "MAGNETIZE" slot.  When you're done, you can use the "DEMAGNETIZE" slot to remove the attraction.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Husky-Precision-Magnetizer-and-Demagnetizer-3601H/302880580