HACK LIFE’S EVERYDAY PROBLEMS Make your day easier, more efficient, and more fun in an inspired or ingenious manner. We would like to say thank you for a great year by sharing our favourite life hacks with you.
CHRISTMAS HACKS
RE-GIFTING FOR CHARITY Christmas is a time for giving, but we don’t have to limit ourselves to those directly around us. I like to teach my children to be charitable during the festive season and help people in need. Together, we go through their toys and put them in two piles; need and don’t need. From here, we wrap the unwanted presents from last year and drop them off at the local Red Cross. This teaches them that giving gifts can be just as nice as receiving them. Jenni Kelakios, Studio Manager
TURN UP THE MUSIC I think that every occasion is made better when you have the perfect music to accompany it, and often you just have to hope that your phone is up to the task. I just keep an old toilet paper roll and cut an opening in the side to sit my iPhone in. Prop it up on a few toothpick legs and voila, a cheap and easily portable amplifier! Jonathan Wood, Web Developer
FRUITY ICE DELIGHTS One of my favourite ways to cool down on hot summer nights is to liven up my drinks with refreshing fruity ice cubes. Floating slices of lemon, mint or strawberries frozen in a muffin tray makes larger ice cubes that keep things cool longer and add extra flavour to drinks. Karen Wille, General Manager
How about some Sangria? The easiest way to make sangria is to put equal amounts of red table wine and Italian soda water into a jug with your fancy ice-cubes and some frozen fruit. Delicious, bubbly and refreshing. Welcome to summer!
SPAGHETTI LIGHTER I think that candles are one of the best things about Christmas. They light up the room with a friendly glow and are a great decoration for the Christmas dinner table. I use them so much that the wick is hard to reach and I end up with burnt fingers trying to get it lit. What I do now is light a stick of spaghetti and get those well-loved candles burning easily. The added length also saves me going through a whole pack of matches every time we have birthday cake. Brigitte Savage, Administration Assistant
FISH FOOD When I was in Thailand, fish were always cooked in banana leaves to keep them from crumbling apart. Bringing the technique home, I’ve learnt to put slices of lemon on to my grill first and rest the fish on that. Not only does the fish come off the grill perfectly cooked and without sticking, but it also has a tasty lemon tang. Someone call Masterchef. David Vickers, Network Administrator
FESTIVE PANCAKES I love a bit of deliciousness Christmas morning, but I’m usually too lazy to do anything difficult. Pancakes are easy to make but there’s something extra special about shaping them into a Christmas Tree or Star. Edible decorations are the best decorations. Sharon Mok, Web Developer •
Fill a small container with oil and dip a Christmassy cookie cutter.
•
Place cookie cutter on a preheated oven tray over a low flame and pour in the pancake batter.
•
Once it’s firm, remove the cookie cutter with pliers. Flip as normal.
•
Drench in maple syrup (or any topping you like) and enjoy your Christmas breakfast treat!
Double the Life Hack: Cook up some crispy bacon, place a cookie cutter around each piece, and pour your batter on top. Yum. Just avoid the bathroom scales for a few days afterwards.
CRAFTY WRAPPING PAPER Christmas school holidays mean that it’s time to find activities that are going to keep the little ones occupied. Get crafty and into the Christmas spirit with homemade wrapping paper. All the family members are sure to love it! Gabriella Adiyody, Digital Account Manager •
Cut dishwashing sponge into desired shapes. Stars or Christmas Trees are perfect.
•
Squeeze some paint on to plastic plates.
•
Dip the sponge in the paint and then apply onto recycled paper and let it dry completely. Hint: Before it dries, add some glitter for a little sparkle!
•
Wrap presents up in your personalised wrapping paper!
TREAT SANTA TO A MERRIER CHRISTMAS Like most children, mine love treating Santa to milk and cookies on Christmas Eve, but I’m not as happy about having to finish the treat myself. I simply explain to my children that Santa much prefers a nice cold beer and salty chips. Andrew Roberts, Network Administrator
Are your kids asking questions? •
Santa gets hot in Australia and would like to cool down with a frosty beer.
•
Santa gets milk from everyone else; he’ll definitely remember the thoughtful kids who give him something different.
•
Santa is lactose intolerant.
REUSABLE BALLOONS Lots of parties mean lots of balloons. I used to have to pop them until I discovered a way to tie them that can be easily undone for reuse! After you blow up the balloon, stretch out the neck until it’s tight and then twist it as far as it goes. It curls in on itself and the friction helps it stay together. When it’s time to let it down, you just pull the neck to release it. You can use the balloon again and as an added bonus, no popping! Ollie Boermans, Web Developer
LIGHT UP THE PARTY Whether it’s just a gathering of friends or camping with family, finding my beer in the esky can be hard in the dark. To throw some light on the situation, I drop two or three glow sticks into the ice. Not only am I able to grab my beer quickly without getting frostbite but it also makes the esky look more interesting. Toma Lulgjuraj, User Experience Designer
A CRACKER OF AN IDEA The traditional items like crackers that you buy to help celebrate your special Christmas meal can really add up in price, especially if you buy them before Christmas. I buy my crackers when they go on sale after Christmas as they are hugely reduced. They don’t take up very much room and are boxed for easy storage. You can impress your family and friends with your posh crackers next Christmas, and no one needs to know that they were 50% off. Just don’t forget which clever hiding place you put them! Tessa Chaplin, Payroll/Accounts
HOME HACKS
GET UP AND GO Who wants to get up early in the morning, pull on gym clothes and go for a run? Not me. As soon as I even think about swapping my PJs for running shorts, I hit snooze and roll over. To beat my doona, I wear all my gym clothes to bed. There’s no excuse not to start the day with a good run when all I need to do is throw back the covers and get going. Emma Hayter, Workflow Manager
MAPPING MY ENTERTAINMENT If you’re like me, you have a huge entertainment centre in your house, with a TV, gaming console, computer, amplifier, speakers, and countless other things all attached in a delicate electronic ecosystem. So like me, you don’t look forward to rearranging that ecosystem. For my last move, as I took my system apart I labelled each of the cables with tape, and drew a diagram of where they all needed to go. It made putting it all together at the end a breeze and the sweet relaxation we deserve after a move that much closer. Rhys Lloyd, Technical Lead
GAMES ON A PLANE My phone runs out of battery when I’m playing games as though it’s a race, but seems to take forever to charge up again. My favourite way to fix this problem is to switch it to Airplane Mode. I can play games for longer, and when the battery dies, it charges up again in a fraction of the time. Keeping it on Airplane Mode also saves me from distractions like texts or phone calls from loved ones, leaving me to game in peace. Ben Newsome, Web Developer
SPECIALTY ORDERING Clay Christensen from Harvard Business School reckons people ‘hire’ products to help them get a job done. Like a fork to eat pasta with, or a cab to get to the airport. Understanding why we hire things helps us to make better products, or market them in the right way to the right people. All through this book we’re hiring unexpected products to get jobs done. When I’m in research mode and need a snack to accompany me, I’ve found an unnamed fast food franchise makes milkshakes that are perfect for that job. If traditional flavours are too boring, ask for half chocolate and half vanilla. Your milkshake will taste just like white chocolate, a far superior flavour! Check out the surprising thing Clay discovered about hiring a milkshake at fusion.com.au/milkshake Mark Cox, Digital Strategist
INSTANT CAKE When you want to add extra luxury to your day, what better way than a piece of cake? A whole one takes ages to cook and you can’t eat it all yourself. How about microwaving a one-person cake? Whisk 1/4 cup flour, 3 tbsp. sugar, 2 tbsp. cocoa powder, 1/4 tbsp. of baking powder, 1 egg, 4 tbsp. milk, 2 tbsp. vegetable oil and a dash of vanilla extract and salt in a large mug until smooth. Microwave for about 2 minutes or until puffed up. For a bit of extra goodness, add a teaspoon of hazelnut chocolate spread or peanut butter to the middle of the batter before microwaving. Perfect to impress loved ones or as a fancy dessert-for-one! Ben Wilkinson, Web Developer
YESTERDAY’S PIZZA GOOD AS NEW There’s nothing better then reheating last night’s pizza in the microwave for lunch, but I hate when the base gets soggy. Placing paper towels under the pizza and putting a glass of water with it keeps it from losing its shape. Now I can enjoy my pizza as if it just came out of the box (well, almost). Brendan Shanahan, Digital Analyst
PREVENT PHONE CAVITIES How good do you feel with a shiny, new iPhone? The moment you notice the first scratch on the screen is devastating. I like my phone to look like it’s brand new right up until I upgrade. If any scratches show up, gently rub toothpaste (not gel-based) over it with a soft cloth. Wipe your screen with a dampened cloth to remove any excess. It can get watches, sunglasses or even diving masks to come up a treat. All those little careless scratches are no more. Damien Mair, Director
COMFORTABLE CONS I live in my Cons. They’re comfortable and they go with everything. What I don’t like is when the tongue slides down the side getting squashed into my foot. Cutting a hole in the tongue of the shoe and feeding the laces through keeps it in place. You can wear your Cons all day without having to constantly fish the tongue out. Nick McCauley, Digital Strategist
LOST PHONE FOUND Do you find that as phones get bigger and handbags don’t, the likelihood of your phone slipping out and getting lost is higher? I do. To keep me from worrying about losing my diary, address book, atlas and camera in one go, I take a photo of my contact details and save it as my phone’s lock screen. That way, if someone finds the lost phone, the first thing they’ll see when they turn it on is me asking for it back. Melanie Merlino, Client Leader
READY - TO - GO ICED WATER When summer hits, I find nothing more refreshing than a bottle of cold water. Unfortunately, leaving a bottle in the freezer just results in undrinkable ice. I fill a quarter of the bottle and freeze it on the side, so that the ice is just below the neck of the bottle. When I need a cool and portable drink, I fill the rest of the bottle with water. It’s the perfect ratio of ice to water for instant refreshment. Antonio Lagana, Mobile Developer
TRIANGULATING THE FUEL CAP For the many years I having been driving, one of life’s little frustrations has been getting out of the car at the servo, only to find I have parked the car on the wrong side of the pump. Not any more, my dear friends. I recently discovered that most modern cars have a small triangle on the fuel gauge directing you to the side of the petrol cap. To think all this information is provided by a 3-sided polygon. John Chaplin, Director
WORK HACKS
LITTLE MEN, BIG JOBS Keeping track of the many cords on my desk was a real pain until I realised that I had little guys standing around doing absolutely no work all day. Put Lego men to work holding your cables until you need them. They aren’t always the strongest of characters, so you may need to ground them with a little bit of Blu-Tac. Tim Downing, Digital Designer
Note: Try mixing it up a little by using Lego characters that have interesting facial expressions. You’ll soon find that an angry faced Lego man summons more strength to hold the cables… or at least it looks that way.
SCOOTING SAVES TIME There are only so many minutes in a day and I try to make the most of them all. Unfortunately, I walk in to work and find that it takes at least 30 minutes. To reduce this, I borrow my little brother’s scooter, halving my travel time. Do I look cool? No. Do I sometimes hit cracks in the footpath and fall off the scooter? Yes. But I get those precious 15 minutes back to do other necessary tasks like play FIFA on the Playstation, so it’s all worth it in the end. Paul Murray, Client Leader
NEAT AND TIDY IN 30 SECONDS OR LESS Having two little girls to look after means that mornings can be rushed, and I don’t have precious minutes to spend ironing my shirt. This trick helps you look neat and ready for work in a fraction of the time. Andrew Mazzarolo, Client Leader
•
Find the nearest hair straightener (I secretly borrow one from my girls)
•
Carefully run the arms over the collar and cuffs of your shirt
•
Hide the unironed creases with a jumper
•
Head to work looking dapper with time to spare.
Note: Remember that you need to commit to wearing your jumper all day. If you get too warm and take it off, the game’s up.
STEALTHY SNACKING Having a biscuit jar in the office is a blessing and a curse. To hide my regular visits, I’ve started tucking my biscuits behind my coffee mug. Just hold the mug with your thumb and index finger and sneak the treats into your bottom three fingers. No one will know that the reason the jar is always empty is you. Amy Sincock, Digital Copywriter
MUSICALLY MOTIVATED Sometimes I find it hard to concentrate at work, especially when 90’s pop is the genre of choice on the office radio. The songs in my favourite video games are designed to be mentally stimulating without being intrusive, so I’ve put them into a playlist of my own. Now I can put my headphones on and work in peace, with music specifically constructed to keep me motivated. It’s certainly better than Backstreet Boys for the 100th time. Brendan Dennis, Mobile Developer Give these tracks a go: • • •
Aquatic Ambiance – David Wise – Donkey Kong Country Cave – Ensemble Studios – Age Of Empires Clark – C418 - Minecraft
ELEVATED LAPTOP I spent ages going through reviews of laptop stands, trying to find one that was easily adjustable. It’s best to have your computer screen in a position that keeps your neck straight. Just before buying one, I had a flash of realisation. Stacking up books for my laptop to rest on is just as easy to adjust and doubles as a storage solution. Juan Vaamonde, User Experience Designer
Wishing everyone a happy Christmas and New Year
fusion.com.au