I actually tried the freezer as a hard drive reviver once, but it turned out the bang it on the desk method was what got it working again long enough to get all my data off.
@LankHairdoo So, my hard drive was dropped (while spinning (connected to a laptop...)) - any recommendations? It worked for 30 minutes or so after, but now doesn't show up when I plug it in (although it's still spinning).
@luvche21 I'm sure you will get more ideas if you Google hard drive recovery but these are the things I tried:
1) Swap the drive to a different enclosure if you have one. 2) Put the hard drive in the freezer for a couple hours and then try again immediately after taking it out while it is still cold. 3) Give the hard drive a sharp rap on the desk on the side (the narrow edge not the large flat side.)
Good Luck! I probably don't have to mention if you get it working, immediately copy everything you can to another drive -- it probably won't last long.
@LankHairdoo Thanks - it recently happened, so I haven't looked into it much. I'm scared of hitting it... I'll use that as a last resort (after I've done more research of course). Thanks!
I use my rice cooker to cook potatoes for Mashed Potatoes, but It's not really a Rice Cooker, It's a Multi cooker (Shrug What ever, it makes great rice)
Not finding a video, linkable or otherwise, but Alton Brown's charcoal grill "afterburner". Basically a bellows constructed from a hairdryer, a piece of exhaust pipe, attached to the vent holes on the bottom of his Webber kettle.
@snapster I was gonna say this; I used my charcoal starter to melt some aluminum, but I have a nice little crucible now and just need the furnace part. Hair-dryer for the win!
@rockblossom If it was a Hobart-made (USA) one, then it might have involved a neck-tie and 'accidental inadvertent' colocation and interoperation of the mixer's beater and said tie. The later ones with chinese gearboxes would just strip out.
@duodec I much prefer an electric pasta maker. Those things can just grab a tie and keep on rolling. Of course, it helps that American men prefer neckwear of very strong silk, and obligingly tie them with slip knots.
@rockblossom My parents always wondered why I hated neckties so much (still do, stupid affectation and all)... it was my imagination. All the things that could go wrong because you were wearing a necktie.
@rockblossom After using the bowl as a cudgel, I gently whipped her brains to stiff peaks and made it into a souffle. Ironic really, as she always called them "soofles."
But I can report the product suffered no damage at all and I can highly recommend KA stand mixers as useful for more than just mixing dough!
@dashcloud My boss at a former job had me look at his dual-core Pentium laptop (being the techy nerd type I was); it would boot up and just drop out; I had to throttle it in BIOS because it was overheating just booting. I bet it would wail if you sunk its lower half in liquid nitrogen.
Cuisinart hand (wand) blender as wine aerator. Can't find the YT link, but it works great! 15 seconds. Regular blender also works but I haven't tried that.
I used our iron to seal mylar bags with foodstuffs in them; worked better than the purpose built heat sealer I had borrowed from a friend.
I also used a Shark steam cleaner (a portable device with a hose, not a floor-type) as a dent raiser in various wood furniture pieces and wood trim. It worked well (better than the above iron and a wet towel did).
Microwave as thumb drive destroyer/eraser.
@panafonics Not tried it for them, but that works great for CDs.
@darkzrobe Like with CDs, it's best to use a microwave that will no longer be used to heat food.
@panafonics I have a great old beast that makes arcing sounds... come to think of it, that might make it a fire hazard. :-\
@PocketBrain to be clear, you're talking about an old microwave and not a significant other, right?
@elimanningface ¯_(ツ)_/¯
I like making soups and risottos out of my rice maker. And my microwave assists in making lava lamps.
@darkzrobe I am impressed, making lava lamps. I want to buy one for my son.
@Mellaine Make one with your son, its super fun and it will work better than the store bought ones.
http://oozinggoo.ning.com/page/goo-kits
Wine cooler as a humidor
I actually tried the freezer as a hard drive reviver once, but it turned out the bang it on the desk method was what got it working again long enough to get all my data off.
@LankHairdoo So, my hard drive was dropped (while spinning (connected to a laptop...)) - any recommendations? It worked for 30 minutes or so after, but now doesn't show up when I plug it in (although it's still spinning).
@luvche21 I'm sure you will get more ideas if you Google hard drive recovery but these are the things I tried:
1) Swap the drive to a different enclosure if you have one.
2) Put the hard drive in the freezer for a couple hours and then try again immediately after taking it out while it is still cold.
3) Give the hard drive a sharp rap on the desk on the side (the narrow edge not the large flat side.)
Good Luck! I probably don't have to mention if you get it working, immediately copy everything you can to another drive -- it probably won't last long.
@LankHairdoo Thanks - it recently happened, so I haven't looked into it much.
I'm scared of hitting it... I'll use that as a last resort (after I've done more research of course). Thanks!
Hair dryer as car dealership decal remover.
I use my rice cooker to cook potatoes for Mashed Potatoes, but It's not really a Rice Cooker, It's a Multi cooker (Shrug What ever, it makes great rice)
Hairdryer as an emergency book rescue device in case of spill. Or as a sticker removal device.
Microwave as Peeps mutator
@Thumperchick Add toothpicks for a Peeps swordfight arena!
Freezer as martini staging area
@AnnaB aw yiss!
Hairdryer as a pipe deicer.
It's an appliance with many uses.
@shawn there seems to be a graphical issue on the home page when the referrer's name is too long.. see attached.
@kadagan Damn, beat me to it. But yeah I don't think Meh accounted for the long (probably cdns) urls.
After those nights when the car is covered with inches of light, powdery snow, a leaf blower works great to clean off the car.
@Fiasco Dad's done the whole driveway like that when we get powdery snow.
Not finding a video, linkable or otherwise, but Alton Brown's charcoal grill "afterburner". Basically a bellows constructed from a hairdryer, a piece of exhaust pipe, attached to the vent holes on the bottom of his Webber kettle.
Gets more heat, faster, from less charcoal.
@earlyre His backyard inventions were so fun.
@earlyre I'm no Alton Brown but my boys and I did a mini-foundry project with charcoal and a hair dryer bellows that shows this capability off well.
@snapster You win the cool dad award.
@snapster I was gonna say this; I used my charcoal starter to melt some aluminum, but I have a nice little crucible now and just need the furnace part. Hair-dryer for the win!
A Kitchen-Aid 600 watt Stand Mixer as a murder weapon.
@droopus Details! We need details!
@rockblossom If it was a Hobart-made (USA) one, then it might have involved a neck-tie and 'accidental inadvertent' colocation and interoperation of the mixer's beater and said tie. The later ones with chinese gearboxes would just strip out.
@duodec I much prefer an electric pasta maker. Those things can just grab a tie and keep on rolling. Of course, it helps that American men prefer neckwear of very strong silk, and obligingly tie them with slip knots.
@rockblossom My parents always wondered why I hated neckties so much (still do, stupid affectation and all)... it was my imagination. All the things that could go wrong because you were wearing a necktie.
@rockblossom After using the bowl as a cudgel, I gently whipped her brains to stiff peaks and made it into a souffle. Ironic really, as she always called them "soofles."
But I can report the product suffered no damage at all and I can highly recommend KA stand mixers as useful for more than just mixing dough!
@droopus ... in the conservatory?
@PocketBrain You hacked my cameras. My name is Inigo Montoya. Prepare to die. (Where's that damn mixer....?)
Cpu as a breakfast griddle. All ya gotta do is remove the heat sync... Usually only works one time however....
@sohmageek With the way some CPUs throttle... You might be able to get more than one use.
to all:. I don't recommend this. At all. It kills your PC. But if breakfast is that dire....
@sohmageek Pentium 4 or Pentium 4 Extreme Edition CPUs work best for this.
Anything later has too much energy conserving & thermal management stuff.
@dashcloud My boss at a former job had me look at his dual-core Pentium laptop (being the techy nerd type I was); it would boot up and just drop out; I had to throttle it in BIOS because it was overheating just booting. I bet it would wail if you sunk its lower half in liquid nitrogen.
waffle iron as literally everything
Cuisinart hand (wand) blender as wine aerator. Can't find the YT link, but it works great! 15 seconds. Regular blender also works but I haven't tried that.
@gregormehndel this is where I saw it:
@djslack Yes! How could I forget it was Tim Ferriss?!
When I have a lot of potatoes to clean, I use the dishwasher with no soap on a quick rinse cycle.
@drpikes sounds like a recipe for suds in your spuds. AMIRGHT?!
Toaster oven for reflow soldering PCBs.
I turned a 7 cu. ft. chest freezer into a kegerator. Three taps, holds three 5-gallon Corny kegs or one quarter or half barrel keg.
I use my computer as a space heater in the winter.
I used our iron to seal mylar bags with foodstuffs in them; worked better than the purpose built heat sealer I had borrowed from a friend.
I also used a Shark steam cleaner (a portable device with a hose, not a floor-type) as a dent raiser in various wood furniture pieces and wood trim. It worked well (better than the above iron and a wet towel did).
Electric toothbrush as a bedroom toy.
@pavonine Now that's some good clean fun!
Dishwasher as bowling ball cleaner
Sledgehammer as screwdriver.
Dry iron (steam iron without water) to re-seal an ID card. Also to seal a tear in a plastic bag.
I use my prius to crack black walnuts.