TIPS AND TRICKS

BARE NECESSITIES

FROM MAKER TO MAKER

Who doesn’t appreciate a really good tip now and then? Especially the kind, as one reader put it, “that changes your life.” Whether it’s as practical as using a cooler as a light tent, or something more creative like making breakfast with your espresso machine, we all rely on our friends and neighbors to tip us off to the new and the good. —Arwen O’Reilly

Eggs-presso

MAKE columnist Saul Griffith extols the virtues of his local café: “I was floored when I noticed them scramble their eggs with the milk steamer of their espresso machine. I tried it at home, and it worked perfectly — my world is changed.”

Let There Be Light Check out makezine.com/ go/cooler for the Strobist post about this no-fuss light “tent” that anyone can put their hands on. If you’ve got a cooler, then you have the perfect place to shoot seamless backgrounds to highlight your latest creation.

Rent Free(dom) Brady Forrest raves about rentometer.com: “This is the type of site that shows why map mashups are so popular; when the right data is displayed on a map, it just comes to life. Rentometer will let you know if you’re paying too much, too little, or just the right amount of rent for your unit type and area. Its incredibly clear and straightforward interface makes it a breeze to use.”

And introducing a new, regularly appearing visual how-to ...

Tricks of the Trade By Tim Lillis

Don’t ever lose a beer to gravity again!

Use this trick from the corner store guy to keep your 6-pack from poking through a plastic bag.

Firmly grip the 6-pack and squash a corner on the counter, floor, table, or other hard, flat surface.

Squash all 4 corners and place in bag.

Show up at the BBQ with your pride and all your beers intact!

Have a tip for MAKE readers? Send it to tips@makezine.com. Have a trick? Submit to tricks@makezine.com. Also be sure to check out TN T, our Tools-N-Tips newsletter, at makezine.com/tnt.

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