I think we all agree: 3M's Command hooks are awesome. You can stick them anywhere and easily remove them without damaging the wall or having to break out the drill. But they can do a lot more than hang your coats and keys—here are 15 ingenious ways to use them.
    
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Great discussions are par for the course here on Lifehacker. Each day, we highlight a discussion that is particularly helpful or insightful, along with other great discussions and reader questions you may have missed. Check out these discussions and add your own thoughts to make them even more wonderful!
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Incomes vary—but so do spending habits. Even if you earn a huge salary now or in the future, if you don’t learn how to budget your paycheck responsibly, you may never achieve financial freedom. But let’s face it: Budgeting isn’t easy. Juggling your needs (home costs, transportation, groceries) with your wants (entertainment, vacations, eating out) is a constant challenge.
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We talk a lot about both privacy and security here at Lifehacker, and while it's relatively easy to be more secure than you are right now, it often feels like it'll take a lot of work. So, we decided to run through a few of the most popular security and privacy measures, from chat encryption to secure backups, and find the easiest ways to make your online life secure without causing too much inconvenience.
Contrary to popular opinion, your health insurance provider has a vested interest in you staying healthy. Naturally, many companies offer discounts or even full reimbursements for gym memberships.
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"How much will that cost?" It’s a question we aren’t used to asking in the healthcare marketplace. Many of us grew up with the $10 co-pay, but that’s rapidly becoming a thing of the past. With rising deductibles, more out-of-network providers, more uninsured people, and more out-of-pocket spending, it’s increasingly a question we need to ask—and before the medical procedure, not after, when the “gotcha” bill upsets us.
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When a sale item you're looking for at a store is out of stock, you have two options: you can either walk away empty-handed, or you can ask the store to match the sale price on a comparable product. In many cases, they will, even if the other product is of equal or greater value than the one on sale.
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If you drive, there's probably little you hate more than getting your car repaired. It's usually an expensive, time-consuming hassle no one looks forward to. Even so, it doesn't have to be so bad. Here are some solid ways to save as much money as possible on your car repairs, and hopefully make the whole process a little easier, too.
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It seems natural that when you exercise, you're going to get more hungry and eat more to fuel yourself. However, as The New York Times points out, that's not always the case.
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If you've heard the hype around 3D printing, you may think that we're in for a new boom in high-tech manufacturing, or that Star Trek-style replicators are on their way to becoming real any day now. Well, a lot of that is true, but what exactly is 3D printing, and how can you—without a million dollars—use it right now? Here's what you need to know.
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Beds are a problem for the nomad: too big to move and too expensive to leave behind. By default, many of us end up with a box spring on the floor, down in the dust bunnies and lost crumbs. Putting the mattress on the ground also eats up a lot of square footage in a cramped apartment, taking away an opportunity for storage underneath.
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Being a parent is kind of scary. Having kids that are out on their own or, worse yet, driving is even scarier. Part of you wants to let them have their privacy and part of you wants to know everywhere they go. So how about you?
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Want deeper sleep and more restful naps? A new study suggests a simple trick to coax your brain to better sleep: Think of restful language.
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Yes, people really still do cam out to get their hands on the latest iPhone. The campers outside of an AT&T store in Houston took a calculated risk by waiting there instead of the more popular waiting spot at the Apple Store. The risk didn’t pay off: armed robbers came by in the wee hours of the morning.
Most of the faithful camp outside of stores in order to be the first to get their paws on the phones, but about ten people set themselves up outside of an AT&T store, figuring that with a smaller crowd, they would get their hands on the phones even faster. Instead, they were targets for armed robbery.
Police and victims say that the suspects took wallets and, predictably, iPhones and iPads from the campers. The credit cards were used at a gas station in a nearby town only a few minutes after the robbery. Security camera video from the mall where the AT&T store is located may have captured the robbers’ images, and police are checking into that.
There’s safety in numbers, but even more safety in being in a well-lit, highly-trafficked location that has posted security guards overnight. Of course, that advice didn’t help the customers waiting outside of the AT&T store: they were at a busy intersection, and there was even a police officer parked outside of a gas station across the street.
Better yet, get a more comfortable night’s sleep and have your shiny new phone shipped to you.
Robbers hold iPhone campers at gunpoint outside southwest Houston store [KHOU]
(Thanks, Rachael!)
Every Halloween, we’re at the forefront of showing you who the Costume Industry Gods have decided needs to be “sexy” this year. Little girls as sexy pirate wenches? Dogs as sexy Catholic schoolgirls? This year, Walmart helps you to start your toddler daughter off early with the “Naughty Leopard” costume.
One of my esteemed colleagues pointed out that the biggest problem with this product isn’t that it’s all that bad: there’s not much all that sexy about it, and it’s quite adorable. The problem is that it looks nothing whatsoever like a leopard. Is this really what we want to teach our children?
Thanks to Rachael for finding this costume at Walmart.
A study from the Women’s Philanthropy Institute at the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy shows that parents who talk to their kids about giving increase the chance that those kids will give to charity.
“This research provides a clear, effective path for parents who want to encourage their children to be generous and caring,” said Debra J. Mesch, Ph.D., director of the Institute. “The way parents teach their children about giving matters. Talking to children about charity is effective across all types of U.S. households, pointing the way to raising future philanthropists.”
The study also found that 9 out of 10 kids are philanthropic, and that girls and boys are equally like to give money to charitable causes. Girls tend to volunteer their time more often than boys, and that keeps going even as they grow older.
So it seems the future is bright when kids hear the message at home first. Do you talk to your kids about helping others? Do you make charitable giving a part of your family?
FOOTED PAJAMAS About 38,000 pairs of children’s one-piece footed pajamas sold
exclusively at The
Children’s Place stores nationwide and online at www.childrensplace.com from
January 2012 through May 2013 for about $15. The footed pajamas fail to meet
the federal flammability standard for children’s sleepwear, posing a burn hazard
to children. The garments are being recalled because they do not meet the
tight-fitting sizing requirements.
IF YOU OWN A PAIR
Return them to any The Children’s Place store for a full refund. Call
877-752-2387 or click here www.childrensplace.com for more
information.
LIGHT FIXTURES About 8,000 Dolan Design ceiling-mounted light
fixtures sold at Builders Lighting, Globe Lighting, Seattle Lighting and other
lighting showrooms nationwide, and online at destinationlighting.com between September
2008 and October 2009 for about $47. The fixture's socket wire insulation can
degrade and lead to charged wires becoming exposed, causing electricity to pass
to the metal canopy of the fixture. This poses a fire and electric shock hazard
to consumers. The firm has received two reports of defective fixtures. No
injuries have been reported to the firm.
IF YOU OWN ONE Return it to the place of purchase
to obtain a free replacement fixture, or contact Dolan Designs to schedule a
free in-home repair. Call 855-553-6526 or send an e-mail to
flushmountrecall@dolandesigns.com.
For the latest information on all recalls, go to Recalls.gov. There you'll find recalls from the Consumer Product Safety Commission, the Food and Drug Administration, and The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, among others.
PotomacLocal.com |
Pate Selected to Lead Manassas Government, Hails from North Carolina PotomacLocal.com City of Manassas Mayor Harry J. Parrish II and the Manassas City Council announce the appointment of William Patrick Pate of High Point, N.C. as the new city manager of the City of Manassas. Pate was selected from a pool of highly qualified applicants ... |
A tractor trailer struck a parked, unattended vehicle on the shoulder of the Inner Loop at exit 25 in the local lanes
A man lauded by supporters of marijuana legalization for going door-to-door this summer on behalf of a ballot question to legalize pot in a Michigan town faces felony charges of selling the drug.
A baby was on an outside luggage belt at Alicante airport in Spain when accident happened.
The first phase of Metro's $2.8 billion extension in Virginia is now expected to be completed in November to open in early 2014. 
