Mayo Clinic – Dizziness

Dizziness – Symptoms and causes – Mayo Clinic

Overview

Dizziness is a term used to describe a range of sensations, such as feeling faint, woozy, weak or unsteady. Dizziness that creates the false sense that you or your surroundings are spinning or moving is called vertigo.

Dizziness is one of the more common reasons adults visit their doctors. Frequent dizzy spells or constant dizziness can significantly affect your life. But dizziness rarely signals a life-threatening condition.

Treatment of dizziness depends on the cause and your symptoms. It’s usually effective, but the problem may recur.

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Symptoms

People experiencing dizziness may describe it as any of a number of sensations, such as:

  • A false sense of motion or spinning (vertigo)
  • Lightheadedness or feeling faint
  • Unsteadiness or a loss of balance
  • A feeling of floating, wooziness or heavy-headedness

These feelings may be triggered or worsened by walking, standing up or moving your head. Your dizziness may be accompanied by nausea or be so sudden or severe that you need to sit or lie down. The episode may last seconds or days and may recur.

When to see a doctor

Generally, see your doctor if you experience any recurrent, sudden, severe, or prolonged and unexplained dizziness or vertigo.

Get emergency medical care if you experience new, severe dizziness or vertigo along with any of the following:

  • Sudden, severe headache
  • Chest pain
  • Difficulty breathing
  • Numbness or paralysis of arms or legs
  • Fainting
  • Double vision
  • Rapid or irregular heartbeat
  • Confusion or slurred speech
  • Stumbling or difficulty walking
  • Ongoing vomiting
  • Seizures
  • A sudden change in hearing
  • Facial numbness or weakness

Request an appointment

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Causes

Inner earInner ear and balanceEnlarge image

Dizziness has many possible causes, including inner ear disturbance, motion sickness and medication effects. Sometimes it’s caused by an underlying health condition, such as poor circulation, infection or injury.

The way dizziness makes you feel and your triggers provide clues for possible causes. How long the dizziness lasts and any other symptoms you have also help pinpoint the cause.

Inner ear problems that cause dizziness (vertigo)

Your sense of balance depends on the combined input from the various parts of your sensory system. These include your:

  • Eyes, which help you determine where your body is in space and how it’s moving
  • Sensory nerves, which send messages to your brain about body movements and positions
  • Inner ear, which houses sensors that help detect gravity and back-and-forth motion

Vertigo is the false sense that your surroundings are spinning or moving. With inner ear disorders, your brain receives signals from the inner ear that aren’t consistent with what your eyes and sensory nerves are receiving. Vertigo is what results as your brain works to sort out the confusion.

  • Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV). This condition causes an intense and brief but false sense that you’re spinning or moving. These episodes are triggered by a rapid change in head movement, such as when you turn over in bed, sit up or experience a blow to the head. BPPV is the most common cause of vertigo.
  • Infection. A viral infection of the vestibular nerve, called vestibular neuritis, can cause intense, constant vertigo. If you also have sudden hearing loss, you may have labyrinthitis.
  • Meniere’s disease. This disease involves the excessive buildup of fluid in your inner ear. It’s characterized by sudden episodes of vertigo lasting as long as several hours. You may also experience fluctuating hearing loss, ringing in the ear and the feeling of a plugged ear.
  • Migraine. People who experience migraines may have episodes of vertigo or other types of dizziness even when they’re not having a severe headache. Such vertigo episodes can last minutes to hours and may be associated with headache as well as light and noise sensitivity.

Circulation problems that cause dizziness

You may feel dizzy, faint or off balance if your heart isn’t pumping enough blood to your brain. Causes include:

  • Drop in blood pressure. A dramatic drop in your systolic blood pressure — the higher number in your blood pressure reading — may result in brief lightheadedness or a feeling of faintness. It can occur after sitting up or standing too quickly. This condition is also called orthostatic hypotension.
  • Poor blood circulation. Conditions such as cardiomyopathy, heart attack, heart arrhythmia and transient ischemic attack could cause dizziness. And a decrease in blood volume may cause inadequate blood flow to your brain or inner ear.

Other causes of dizziness

  • Neurological conditions. Some neurological disorders — such as Parkinson’s disease and multiple sclerosis — can lead to progressive loss of balance.
  • Medications. Dizziness can be a side effect of certain medications — such as anti-seizure drugs, antidepressants, sedatives and tranquilizers. In particular, blood pressure lowering medications may cause faintness if they lower your blood pressure too much.
  • Anxiety disorders. Certain anxiety disorders may cause lightheadedness or a woozy feeling often referred to as dizziness. These include panic attacks and a fear of leaving home or being in large, open spaces (agoraphobia).
  • Low iron levels (anemia). Other signs and symptoms that may occur along with dizziness if you have anemia include fatigue, weakness and pale skin.
  • Low blood sugar (hypoglycemia). This condition generally occurs in people with diabetes who use insulin. Dizziness (lightheadedness) may be accompanied by sweating and anxiety.
  • Carbon monoxide poisoning. Symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning are often described as “flu-like” and include headache, dizziness, weakness, upset stomach, vomiting, chest pain and confusion.
  • Overheating and dehydration. If you’re active in hot weather or if you don’t drink enough fluids, you may feel dizzy from overheating (hyperthermia) or from dehydration. This is especially true if you take certain heart medications.

Risk factors

Factors that may increase your risk of getting dizzy include:

  • Age. Older adults are more likely to have medical conditions that cause dizziness, especially a sense of imbalance. They’re also more likely to take medications that can cause dizziness.
  • A past episode of dizziness. If you’ve experienced dizziness before, you’re more likely to get dizzy in the future.

Complications

Dizziness can increase your risk of falling and injuring yourself. Experiencing dizziness while driving a car or operating heavy machinery can increase the likelihood of an accident. You may also experience long-term consequences if an existing health condition that may be causing your dizziness goes untreated.

By Mayo Clinic Staff

HP OfficeJet 86xx Printers – Paper Jam Error

HP OfficeJet 86xx Printers – Paper Jam Error | HP® Customer Support

NOTE: 

Paper jams can be real or false. The printer might report a paper jam even when there is no jammed paper. The following steps apply to both real and false paper jams.

Step 1: Turn the printer off, and then on again

Turning the printer off and then on resets the carriage.

  1. Press the Power button to turn off the printer. If the printer does not turn off, disconnect the power cord from the rear of the printer.
  2. Wait 60 seconds.
  3. Reconnect the power cord to the rear of the printer.
  4. Press the Power button to turn on the printer.NOTE: The printer might go through a warm-up period, which might last several minutes. Wait until the warm-up period completes before you continue.

Try to print. If the error persists, continue to the next step.

Step 2: Look for jammed paper

Paper jams can occur in multiple areas of the printer. If you cannot find the paper jam in one area, continue to the next area until you locate the jam.

   CAUTION: 

Trying to clear a paper jam from the front of the printer can damage the print mechanism. Gain access to and clear paper jams through the rear of the printer whenever possible.

Clear jammed paper from the rear of the printer

Clear jammed paper from Tray 1

Clear jammed paper from the Tray 2 area

Clear jammed paper from the automatic document feeder (ADF)

If you have checked and removed any jammed paper from each printer area and the error persists, continue to the next step.

Step 2: Make sure the carriage can move freely

Make sure the carriage moves freely across the width of the printer.

  1. Turn on the printer.
  2. With the printer turned on, disconnect the power cord from the rear of the printer, and then unplug the power cord from the power source or electrical outlet.   WARNING: To avoid the risk of electrical shock, you must unplug the power cord before moving the carriage by hand and resetting the paper feed mechanism.
  3. Disconnect the USB or Ethernet cable from the rear of the printer, if you have a cable connection to the printer.
  4. Place your fingers into the slot on the left side of the printer, and then pull to open the cartridge access door.
    1. Slot on the side of the printer
  5. Wait until the carriage is idle and silent before you continue.
  6. Use a flashlight to check for torn pieces of paper that might remain inside the printer. If any torn pieces of paper remain inside the printer, more jams might occur.Image: Paper jammed in carriage path
  7. Gently pull out any jammed or torn paper from inside the printer.
  8. Reach into the ink cartridge access area, and then manually move the carriage.
    • If the carriage is stuck on the right side of the printer, move the carriage to the left side of the printer.
    • If the carriage is stuck on the left side of the printer, move the carriage to the right side of the printer.
    • If the carriage is stuck in the middle of the printer, move the carriage to the right side of the printer.
  9. Remove any loose or torn pieces of paper.
  10. Make sure the carriage can move freely across the width of the printer by gently pushing the carriage to the left, and then to the right.
  11. Close the ink cartridge access door.Image: Close the cartridge access door
  12. Reconnect the power cord to the rear of the printer, and then turn on the printer.
  13. Reconnect the USB or Ethernet cable.

Try to print. If the error persists, continue to the next step.

Step 3: Clean the paper feed rollers

Dust, paper fiber, and other debris might accumulate on the paper feed rollers and cause paper jams and paper feed issues. Clean the rollers inside the printer, and then try to print again.

Clean the rollers from inside the cartridge access area

Clean the rollers inside the rear of the printer

Clean the rollers in the ADF

Clean the rollers in the duplexer

Step 4: Reset the printer

Sometimes a paper jam error persists even though there is no jammed paper (false paper jam). Reset the printer, which might clear a false paper jam error, and then try to print again.

  1. With the printer turned on, disconnect the power cord from the printer.
  2. Unplug the power cord from the power source.
  3. Wait 60 seconds.
  4. Reconnect the power cord to a wall outlet and to the printer.NOTE: HP recommends plugging the printer directly into a wall outlet.

Try to print. If the error persists, continue to the next step.

Step 5: Service the printer

Service or replace your HP product if the issue persists after completing all the preceding steps.

Go to Contact HP Customer Support to schedule a product repair or replacement. If you are in Asia Pacific, you will be directed to a local service center in your area.

To confirm your warranty status, go to HP Product Warranty Check. Repair fees might apply for out-of-warranty products.

JP Morgan acquires First Republic Bank

US central bank officials have also blamed changes made during the presidency of Donald Trump that have watered down the oversight of mid-sized banks such as SVB and First Republic.

JP Morgan is to acquire most of the failed California bank First Republic, in a takeover brokered by regulators as the US races to contain a series of banking failures that has echoes of the 2008 global financial crisis.

After weekend talks to prevent a further escalation of the US banking crisis, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) confirmed that First Republic had collapsed and would be taken over by JP Morgan. The regulator is providing $50bn (£39.9bn) of financing as part of the deal.

America’s largest bank will acquire “all of the deposits and substantially all of the assets” of First Republic, winning out over as many as five rivals reportedly in the running.

JP Morgan’s chief executive, Jamie Dimon, said: “Our government invited us and others to step up, and we did. This acquisition modestly benefits our company overall, it is accretive to shareholders, it helps further advance our wealth strategy, and it is complementary to our existing franchise.”

First Republic is the third US lender to collapse this year, after Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) and Signature Bank, a sequence that has prompted concerns about contagion last experienced in the 2008 global financial crisis.

Related video: First Republic Bank to Be Sold to JPMorgan (Bloomberg)

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Growing anxiety about the potential for the economic setbacks to spread, as customers pull deposits from any US lender perceived as weak, has forced the Federal Reserve to launch emergency measures to stabilise the markets.

A group of 11 Wall Street banks had pumped $30bn into First Republic last month in an attempt to avoid the third bank failure of 2023. However, shares in the San Francisco-based bank, which targeted high-net worth individuals, fell by more than 75% last week after it revealed customers had withdrawn $100bn of deposits in March.

JP Morgan will take on $173bn of loans, $30bn of securities and $92bn in deposits but not First Republic’s corporate debt or preferred stock. JP Morgan said it wold recognise a one-off $2.6bn gain and expected a $500m-a-year increase in net income, but added that it also put restructuring costs related to the acquisition at $2.6bn.

First Republic’s 84 branches will open as JP Morgan branches on Monday morning in the US.

The FDIC has agreed to share any losses on residential mortgages and commercial loans, as well as providing $50bn in financing.

After the previous two banking collapses, the Federal Reserve admitted in a report it had been slow to consider the strain on US banks from a steep rise in interest rates, which has lowered the value of banks’ financial assets even though it has increased their profitability.

The result was panic and a flight of funds away from smaller lenders and towards large financial institutions seen to be safe havens.

US central bank officials have also blamed changes made during the presidency of Donald Trump that have watered down the oversight of mid-sized banks such as SVB and First Republic.

Ear Wax Removal

Wush
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  • Safe & Effective Wax Removal: Wush Ear Cleaner Pro by Black Wolf is a safe, effective, and gentle way to clean your ears. Our pro version features a rubberized shell. This rechargeable, water-powered ear cleaner includes 1 ear irrigator, 1 water basin, 6 tips, and a USB charging cord.
  • The Power of Three: Find the perfect pressure for your needs with 3 pressure settings, from a gentle clean to wax removal. Our massaging triple jet stream helps gently loosen and prevent wax buildup.
  • Easy to Use and Store: Wush is water resistant and safe to use in the shower. Its flexible, compact nozzle connects to a soft irrigation tip that fits comfortably in your ear, and folds down for easy storage.
  • How to Use: Fill the basin with warm water, flip the nozzle, and spray! Make sure to use this rechargeable ear cleaner with warm water only, as room temperature and cold water can cause dizziness.
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WUSH is the NEW safe and effective way to remove earwax. With the press of a button, WUSH generates a massaging triple jet stream of water that gently removes wax build-up and flushes it away.

Features & Benefits

  • Safe & Effective Wax Removal: This rechargeable, water-powered ear cleaner includes 1 ear irrigator, 1 water basin, 6 tips, and a USB charging cord.
  • Doctor Recommended: WUSH safely and effectively rinses out wax with a gentle, massaging triple-spray of water unlike a cotton swab that pushes wax in potentially compacting it further.
  • The Power of Three: Wush features a massaging triple jet stream with 3 pressure settings, from a gentle clean to wax removal. 
  • Easy to Use and Store: Wush is water resistant and safe to use in the shower; its flexible, compact nozzle connects to a soft irrigation tip that fits comfortably in your ear!
  • How to Use: Fill the basin with warm water, flip the nozzle, and spray! ( Use warm water only, as room temperature and cold water can cause dizziness. )

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Camtasia: How to User a Template

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Learn how to use templates to create consistent looking videos for yourself or your teammates.

Camtasia 3D icon

In this tutorial:

Video Thumbnail
Video Thumbnail

2:12

1:49

Import a Template

  1. Select File > Manage Templates (Windows) or Camtasia 2022 > Manage Templates (Mac).
  2. The Template Manager opens. Select an option to import a template:
    • Click the Download More Templates button to download a template online from the TechSmith Assets for Camtasia website.
    • Click Plus sign to import template to import a template from your computer. Select a .camtemplate file and click Open.

The template is added to the Template Manager. The Template Manager lists all the templates currently available in Camtasia.

Note: To create a video template, see Build a Video Template to Share.

Create a Video Project from a Template

  1. Select File > New Project from Template and select a template from the list.
  2. The Template Manager opens. Select a template and click New from Template.
    Note: If the template was not previously added to the Template Manager, see Import a Template.
  3. The template opens as a new project. Select File > Save As to save the video project file (.tscproj for Windows or .cmproj for Mac).
  4. To switch out media or placeholders in a template, drag the new media from the Media or Library tab onto the original media or placeholder on the timeline. When a green outline appears around the media or placeholder, release your mouse button.
    green border around replacement media
  5. A menu appears with the replacement options. If the new media is a different duration than the media or placeholder, select one of the following options:
    • Ripple Replace: Shift all clips on the track to the right to insert space for the entire duration of the new media.
    • Replace with Clip Speed: Increase the playback speed of the new media to fit the duration of the placeholder.
    • Replace From End: Trim the new media to fit the duration of the placeholder. If the new media is longer, the beginning of the clip is trimmed to fit the duration.
    • Replace From Start: Trim the new media to fit the duration of the placeholder. If the new media is longer, the end of the clip is trimmed to fit the duration.
  6. To share the video, see Export and Share a Video.

Rename a Template

  1. Select File > Manage Templates (Windows) or Camtasia 2022 > Manage Templates (Mac).
  2. The Template Manager opens. Click to select a template.
  3. Click Template options icon and select Rename Template.
  4. Type the new template name and press Enter.

Delete a Template

  1. Select File > Manage Templates (Windows) or Camtasia 2022 > Manage Templates (Mac).
  2. The Template Manager opens. Click to select a template.
  3. Click Template options icon and select Delete Template.
  4. Click OK (Windows) or Yes (Mac) to confirm.

Camtasia Help

Camtasia Tutorials

Watch the Getting Started series, or take your Camtasia skills to the next level with advanced tutorials.

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Help Library

Learn how to use each of Camtasia’s features, and access helpful reference documentation.

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Contact Support

Submit a support ticket, and our friendly customer support staff will answer your specific questions.

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User Community

Connect with other Camtasia users! Share your questions, ideas, problems, solutions, and feedback.

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Real People’s Tips and Tricks for Handling Everyday Annoyances

Jonathan Dunlap | 3 months ago

This article was originally published on RealLifeDIY

Let’s face it: we could all be a little more effective in our everyday lives. We deal with many problems that could be solved with easy-to-do hacks, but some of them are so outside the box that we would’ve never thought of them on our own. But thankfully, there are creative people out there who did. So we assembled their best tips and tricks for dealing with common issues everywhere, from your home and wardrobe to your office and beyond.

Use Your Phone Camera to See Into Hard-To-Reach Places

This guy wowed us all when he came up with the brilliant idea of using the selfie camera on his phone as a periscope. He used it to check what was up with all his cables without having to go through the trouble of turning everything around or squatting into uncomfortable positions just to see them. This is definitely something we could all learn from and apply to our lives.

Use Your Phone Camera to See Into Hard-To-Reach Places

Reddit

This also applies to the back camera! You can definitely use your back camera to gain a visual on some hard-to-get-to locations, especially ones in tall places. Give it a shot!

Bobby Pins Will Solve Your Knot-Related Troubles

Most of us know what bobby pins are; they’re those hair clips that seem to only sell in 100-count packs and somehow end up all over your bathroom. But it turns out they’re good for more than hairstyling. The next time you find yourself struggling with a knot, fuming with rage, wondering why on Earth you can’t manage to get it untied, try fetching a bobby pin. That should do the trick.

Bobby Pins Will Solve Your Knot-Related Troubles

Reddit

This little life hack is definitely one of those tricks that will save you a lot of unwarranted stress and rage. There’s nothing more infuriating than not being able to do something very trivial.

Know What Tools Are in Each Drawer Without Ever Opening One

Instead of tirelessly and endlessly going through thousands of things in these drawers to find the specific tool he needed, this guy decided to glue a little sample of each tool at the front of each drawer. That way, he could easily tell where everything was without opening a single one. If you ask us, whoever had this brilliant idea experienced a serious stroke of genius.

Know What Tools Are in Each Drawer Without Ever Opening One

Reddit

If you’re anything like us, then you waste time scouring draws in search of something that probably isn’t even there in the first place. Thanks to this person, we’ll do that no more.6 Tips to Help Dogs and Cats Get AlongKeep Watching6 Fun Facts for National Puppy Day00:00/01:19

Keep Cables Organized for Eternity

Look at how organized those cables are! Wow. Don’t you wish your cables were this organized? There’s only one way to truly keep those cables in place: plastic zip ties! Okay, maybe it’s not the only way, but it is one of the cheapest, most cost-effective ways to do so. And when done correctly, it looks super neat. And the good news is that it’s pretty difficult to mess up this hack.

Keep Cables Organized for Eternity

Reddit

On a completely unrelated note, it seems as though the older we get, the more organized our cables should be. For some reason, it just bothers us more.

Put Stockings Over Drains to Stop Insects From Coming Out

If there’s one thing we hate in this world, it’s bugs invading our private space. Seriously, we need to reach some kind of agreement with the bug leadership so that they stay out of our territory. But, until that happens, you may want to stack up on stockings. Wrapping the bathroom drain with a stocking will help keep any curious bugs from going where they shouldn’t be.

Put Stockings Over Drains to Stop Insects From Coming Out

Imgur

If bugs ever crawl into your home through the drain, this trick should do it. Drains are an effective infiltration strategy bugs have at their disposal, and this stocking trick counters it.

A Quick Fix for That Professional LinkedIn Shot

If you’ve ever found yourself in dire need of a professional-looking photo, such as the ones people seem to be uploading to LinkedIn all of the time, then you might be familiar with how difficult it can be to pull off that formal look. You need the right clothes, the right haircut, and so on. Thankfully, this creative solution can make the clothes part easier to improvise. Just look at how well it worked for this guy!

A Quick Fix for That Professional LinkedIn Shot

Reddit

This hack will get you a “blazer” jacket at a moment’s notice. Just take a pair of black jeans, wrap them around your shoulders as in the picture, and there you have it.

Put That Wet Phone in Rice Immediately

The thing about modern phones is that they’re very sophisticated. Yet, with sophistication comes frailty, and boy, oh boy, are our modern phones both sophisticated and frail. Seriously, these things can go berserk if a tiny drop of water hits them in the wrong place. And that’s why we recommend having a container filled with rice stored and ready to go for any phone emergency, just like this grandma does.

Put That Wet Phone in Rice Immediately

Reddit

If your phone ever gets a little too wet for its own good, just stick it in a bowl of rice (or alternatively: salt). This little trick may just save your phone!

Take Advantage of the Rain

So we don’t know what kind of ancient hunter-gatherer spirit got into the bodies of the people who posted this, but they found a creative way to respect nature while using it to their advantage. They hooked up their gutter to the garden, creating an effective and eco-friendly watering system for their plants. The best thing is that it’s easily replicable. Anyone can do this; all it takes is a little bit of time and effort.

Take Advantage of the Rain

Imgur

Oh, and plants, a gutter, and a little rain. The system utilizes excess rainwater to water the plants, just the way nature intended. And we bet it cut down their water bills, too.

Make Sure Everyone Knows if the Coffee Is Fresh

If there’s one thing that every office has, it’s coffee politics. There are a lot of things to say and a lot of decisions to be made when it comes to the office’s coffee supply. That’s why we believe in coffee co-existence, and this person is a proponent of that too. Look at this; he devised a way to let his colleagues know the office brew’s freshness so that no one has to suffer through a single sip of old coffee.

Make Sure Everyone Knows if the Coffee Is Fresh

Reddit

And his methods are so simple, too; all he did was take two styrofoam cups of coffee and make a neat, adjustable freshness gauge with them. Now, if only it were automatic.

Turn Your Thumb Into a Ruler

Mark an inch on your finger. You’d be surprised just how useful this can be for certain tasks around the house. Sewing, for instance, is made that much easier. Measuring things (obviously) becomes a piece of cake when you have the actual measurements on your hand; there is no need to scramble around for a ruler. This is just one of those straightforward and practical life hacks that’ll actually help you out.

Turn Your Thumb Into a Ruler

Just be careful not to get the measurements wrong, or else you could be looking at a whole lot of trouble. It’s important to be as precise as possible when it comes to these things.

Save Your Shirts by Transforming Bleach Stains Into Artistic Designs

Anyone who’s ever had the displeasure of staining their shirts with bleach knows that there’s pretty much nothing that can be done about a bleach-stained shirt. That is until this man pioneered his way out of this well-known deadlock. Yeah, this guy came up with something ingenious – he used the bleach to his benefit. After his shirt got bleach stained, he used more bleach as paint and turned it into a neat design.

Save Your Shirts by Transforming Bleach Stains Into Artistic Designs

Reddit

This is exactly the way to make the most out of a bad situation; to make lemonade out of the lemons you were given. This life hack isn’t just about shirts; it’s about doing the best with what you’ve got.

Keep Your Dog’s Drinking Area Permanently Clean

Anybody who has had the displeasure of cleaning up day in and day out after their messy dog knows just how much of a pain it can be. It is not only tireless work but also a thankless job. One that you do and gain nothing from it. That’s why this person’s inventiveness is so welcome – he surrounded his dog’s water bowl with a small little garden. That’s plain genius!

Keep Your Dog's Drinking Area Permanently Clean

Reddit

The reasoning behind the whole thing is that the plants will suck up all the excess spilled water instead of having it just mess up the floor. This is something that should be normalized.

How to Cancel Any Service Without An Annoying Back-And-Forth

It’s an unfortunate fact of modern life that getting rid of a subscription or service of some sort is often much harder than signing up for it. You may find yourself bombarded on a day-to-day basis by a whole bunch of people with different titles and jobs, all trying to persuade you to rethink your unsubscribing. Sometimes, it can get really overwhelming when they just won’t let you be.

How to Cancel Any Service Without An Annoying Back-And-Forth

Reddit

That’s where this neat trick comes into play: next time you find yourself in a sticky situation such as this one, just tell them something so absurd and absolute that they have nothing to do but cancel your subscription. For this person, their go-to line is, “I am going to prison.” The customer service representatives quickly agree to cancel his subscriptions each time.

Add a Crane to Your Home’s Balcony

Anyone who lives in an apartment or a house with an entrance off of the ground, pay attention. If you have a balcony, you could be a lot lazier than you’ve been so far by getting things from the ground floor up to your place without carrying them up the stairs. Just attach a little hook to a bit of rope, and secure that to your roof. It’s easier than it looks and may save you a lot of effort.

Add a Crane to Your Home's Balcony

Imagine all the things you could get all the way into your apartment without busting a sweat. Doesn’t that sound tempting? If that doesn’t, you may just be untemptable.

Your Sweater’s Hood Was Actually Made to Hold Cute Puppies

Truth be told, that isn’t what hoods were made for. But it might be their destined second purpose, given just how perfectly puppies can fit inside them. That is, at least, when you wear them backward. You should give this little trick a go if you ever need to walk through a non-dog-friendly environment with a pup. Just wear your hoodie the wrong way around, put your little doggie inside the hood, and enjoy life.

Your Sweater's Hood Was Actually Made to Hold Cute Puppies

Reddit

Just look at the man in this photo. Doesn’t he look happy? Of course he’s happy; he’s ecstatic! He’s holding his adorable little dog in his own hoodie. What’s there to be sad about?

How to Connect Two Ziplock Bags to Make a Larger One

Ziplock bags are one of our favorite modern inventions. They are so practical and useful. But sometimes, you need a really big Ziplock bag, and you just don’t have one handy. Do not fear – someone came up with this genius solution. Take two Ziplock bags and turn just one of them inside out. Then, you can connect the two Ziplocka to each other, and, voila, you have a larger ziplock.

How to Connect Two Ziplock Bags to Make a Larger One

Reddit

Now, you can fit all sorts of gadgets inside these practical bags. For example, if you need to take your work-from-home day to the beach, now you know how to protect that keyboard.

Having Trouble Rolling Your Office Chair in a Carpeted Room?

This person had a fiery, almost unsatiable urge to move his chair around his desk but couldn’t because of the carpeted floors. “Get one of those plastic mats,” his friends said. But his taste in interior decor told him a plastic mat was a big no-no. So, he threw the standard go-to solution out the window and put a small piece of hardwood floor on top of his carpet instead.

Having Trouble Rolling Your Office Chair in a Carpeted Room?

Reddit

Now, he can roll from one side of his desk to another without a problem. And instead of having a random piece of plastic on his floor, he has an island of hardwood flooring.

Need a Tweezer but Don’t Have One Handy? This Coin Trick Will Do

Coins make excellent clamps! And if you’ve ever had the displeasure of getting a splinter jammed inside your skin, you know just how handy a pair of clamps or tweezers can be. Seriously, we have no idea how a micrometer of wood slightly jammed inside your skin can be so painful, but it is, and that’s just something we have to live with. Luckily, now we know this trick for those sticky moments.

Need a Tweezer but Don't Have One Handy? This Coin Trick Will Do

Reddit

Line up three coins on top of one another and slide only the top and bottom ones together. In a few seconds, you’ll have your very own DIY tweezers! This is useful for removing splinters or even annoying hair.

Get Rid of Birds by Putting Fake Fruits on Your Garden Crops

This woman’s friends and family laughed at her gardening hack. Until it started showing results, that is. She began painting rocks to look like strawberries because she learned that if you put them around berry plants and bushes before the fruit appears, the birds will peck the red rocks. Since these birds don’t like pecking super hard surfaces, the idea is they will eventually leave the fruit alone – including the real fruit once it starts to grow.

Get Rid of Birds by Putting Fake Fruits on Your Garden Crops

Imgur

“We had about eight crows day after day, out by my raspberry bushes, and after the rocks were placed around… no crows,” this brilliant garden-lover reported.

How Grandpa Gets Away With Reading Random Novels in Church

There’s a story behind this picture: the original poster had asked his grandfather why so many of his books were smothered in duct tape. To that, his grandpa replied that he taped the covers so that they looked like bibles. That way, he could read them during church. Now, that’s diabolical. And it’s also genius. We can only hope God forgives this man for outsmarting the church like this.

How Grandpa Gets Away With Reading Random Novels in Church

We wonder what kind of books he brought to the sermons. Were they raunchy? Were they just your regular-old books? Only the grandpa knows what went down in that church of his.

For When You Want Eyes in the Back of Your Head

If you’ve ever found yourself in dire need of a quick little check-up (say, for instance, you’re trying to make sure you don’t have any leftover food hanging around your face), then you may just enjoy this little trick right here. The original poster of this image obviously felt a bit crafty and decided to stick a spoon to his computer monitor, thereby turning his spoon into a fully-functioning mirror.

For When You Want Eyes in the Back of Your Head

Imgur

Now, this is definitely one of those tricks that you won’t be using every day, but there’s sure to be a time in which the whole spoon-mirror thing will help you out.

Give Your Ears a Rest While Still Wearing a Mask

One way to eliminate the discomfort of your face mask constantly sliding off or pulling off your ears is to fasten that mask onto a headband. How should one go about doing such a thing, you ask? Well, it’s all about buttons. Look at the person in the picture below and how they utilized buttons to hold their mask in place. Whether they realized it or not, they were onto something when they came up with this.

Give Your Ears a Rest While Still Wearing a Mask

Reddit

So if you find yourself having to wear masks often and dealing with them sliding off, just add some buttons to a headband, and it should fix the problem.

Help a Stranger Who Lost Their Keys

Ancient civilizations had a really good way of drawing attention to certain things – they marked them. They used whatever was at their disposal at a given moment to make something visually stand out. This can come in handy when trying to point out things in the real world. This person, for instance, had lost his car keys, only to find out that somebody had marked them out for him on the street.

Help a Stranger Who Lost Their Keys

Imgur

We do have to admit that this move is not only incredibly kind, but it’s also kind of ingenious. We’d probably never think to mark something out like this on the street.

No Leash, No Problem

You could use a leash. That’s the first method. The leash symbolizes the domination of man over his best friend, the total control and authority a person has over his furry pet. The second option is to use an open bag of chips; now, while the chips seem to be the more heterodox solution, it is, apparently, just as effective. It’s also a lot craftier and less authoritative.

No Leash, No Problem

Imgur

The dog, mesmerized by the prospect of tasting the salty goodness dangling before him, will follow the bag of chips wherever it goes. Now isn’t that a great way to control your pet?

The Ultimate Book Opener

This is one of those gadgets that anybody with just a tiny bit of woodworking skills can make. It’s also one of those things that those who do put in the time and effort to make it know that that was time and effort well spent. Anyone who’s into reading knows just how much of a pain having your book close on you all the time is. That’s why we need this gadget.

The Ultimate Book Opener

Reddit

The best thing about this neat contraption is, though, just how it takes the load off your fingers. No more straining your fingers, desperately trying to keep your book open.

A Clever Way to Get Around a Broken Touch Screen

If there’s one thing we all dread, one thing that haunts our waking lives, one nightmare just waiting to erupt into reality and turn our lives into an insufferable affair, it’s the scare of having our phone’s touch screen give out on us. Seriously, there’s nothing scarier. That is, at least, until you learn that you can plug in your Micro USB to a USB, plug that USB into a Bluetooth gadget, and then use a mouse to navigate your phone.

A Clever Way to Get Around a Broken Touch Screen

Imgur

The craziest thing about this is that it actually works. Now, with this trick in mind, you’ll be able to save any files that were to go missing and reply to messages as you save up for a replacement phone.

Turn Your Empty Pill Bottles Into Cute Spice Containers

So, you’re taking some sort of prescription pills. Cool! Now, what on Earth are you to do with all those neat little containers? Well, you could just throw them away like some unknowledgeable simpleton, or you could utilize them to the utmost by turning them into spice containers! Now, how’s that a good idea? Imagine these bad boys filled to the brim with paprika, cumin, curry, and whatnot.

Turn Your Empty Pill Bottles Into Cute Spice Containers

Reddit

Also, imagine just how surprised all your guests will be when you pull out a prescription container filled with cinnamon. Isn’t it worth it just to see the look on their faces?

Use the Backs of Frames as Stands for Your Technology

Yeah, remember all those photos you’ve taken over the years of your loved ones, of lovers past and friends dear to your heart? Of your family, years ago, so far back, it’s almost cathartic to look at those photos and see how much you’ve all grown. Well, throw them all away. Who needs them? Now that you’ve done that, you can use those photo holders as a computer stand!

Use the Backs of Frames as Stands for Your Technology

Reddit

We’re just joking; we recommend using a frame, not in use for this hack. Now, you have a way to keep your tablets or laptops at the perfect angle.

Make Sure Your Tiny Dog Can’t Escape Through the Fence

So the original poster of this picture seemed to have a bit of a dog problem. His small little dog was just too tiny. In fact, he was so tiny that he managed to squeeze through the holes in the fence surrounding the backyard, which could have spelled disaster for the poor guy. So what did the owners do? Well, they thickened him up a bit and turned him into a literal hot dog.

Make Sure Your Tiny Dog Can't Escape Through the Fence

Imgur

Not only did they just enhance their pet’s cuteness factor at least threefold, but they also managed to find a nice, practical solution to their problem. Good on them and their creative thinking.

The Best Way to Warn People There’s No Toilet Paper

This is definitely one way of showing people that there’s no toilet paper, thus successfully averting what could have been a disaster. Imagine some good samaritan had the ingenuity in him to help you out like this in your hour of need; imagine all the awkwardness that could have been avoided. If only everyone did this, we would be truly living in a better world. A kinder world.

The Best Way to Warn People There's No Toilet Paper

But, alas, not everyone will do this, and that’s just an unfortunate fact of life. It does make us appreciate the times when someone does go through the trouble of warning us like this.

Dog Cones Are so Out, Cowboy Hats Are so in

If there’s one unfortunate fact that every parent and dog owner alike knows, it’s that they have the responsibility ility of taking care of their pet or kid. This also means making sure he doesn’t scratch himself into oblivion. How does one go about making sure of that? Well, one could utilize a random cowboy hat and have his dog shish-kebab it like so. It’s a great solution, and it’s also cute as heck.

Dog Cones Are so Out, Cowboy Hats Are so in

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Just look at this adorable little creature; he looks so happy and healthy in his little cowboy hat. More people should dress their dogs up as cowboys. That much is certain.

Color-Code Your Earphones for Easier Use

If there’s one thing we know as modern people with modern sensibilities, it’s that symmetry is grossly overrated. Sometimes, a little bit of asymmetry may just save you a lot of hustle. Take these earphone caps, for example; if you switch one of your earphone caps with a spare cap that you saved from a different pair of earphones (for instance), you’ll be able to tell apart right from left, no problem.

Color-Code Your Earphones for Easier Use

Reddit

Also, saving your earphones is just generally a good idea. Earphones tend to shed their silicone caps for some reason, so you may just want to keep a few extra pairs around your house.

Wheelbarrows Can Be Great Outdoor Seating

You may have gone about your life believing that you did not need a wheelbarrow. “A wheelbarrow,” you would probably say, “Why on Earth would I ever need something like that? The very prospect of me needing a wheelbarrow is preposterous.” Well, prepare to eat your words because this guy just came up with a whole new use for the wheelbarrow – he turned it into the perfect camping chair.

Wheelbarrows Can Be Great Outdoor Seating

Imgur

Just look at how comfortable this guy seems chilling in his impeccably crafted chair. He looks at peace; he looks at one with the universe. This is something we need in our lives.

Wrenches Are Handy When Lifting Heavy Buckets

Not many know about the secret history of wrenches. Truly, the history of this repair tool has been a well-kept secret for many, many generations, but everything’s coming to light now. Okay, actually, there is no secret wrench history. We just made that up to make this lifehack seem a bit juicier. This hack, though, is actually real, and it may just help you out of a pinch one day.

Wrenches Are Handy When Lifting Heavy Buckets

Imgur

If you ever find yourself stuck struggling to carry a huge bucket filled with heavy things, you may just want to try sticking a wrench in between the arch of the bucket’s actual handle. That’ll definitely make things easier.

A Simple Bra Hack for the Horse Lovers

This just in: bras make for great DIY eye shields. Now, unless you own a horse, we’re not quite sure what kind of use you could possibly have for eye shields, but this little trick may just come in handy when you least expect it. Life, after all, is full of surprises, and some of them may just call upon you to break out your bra-eye-shield combo.

A Simple Bra Hack for the Horse Lovers

Reddit

This situation, for example, features a horse with an eye infection. His caretakers had nothing to wrap his eyes with but a bra, but that was good enough, and the horse got the treatment he needed!

29 Free Things to Do in Arizona

From art walks to major museums, these budget adventures will delight the whole family.

By Keridwen CorneliusPublished February 2, 2023

Cacti grow in the McDowell Mountains in Arizona.
Get outside and explore some of the best things the state has to offer.

Savvy travelers don’t have to pay to play in Arizona’s saguaro forests, sienna-hued mountains, and buzzing cityscapes. This guide will steer you to world-class museums, expert-led walks, and artsy adventures that don’t cost a dime.

Phoenix

Home to the country’s largest collection of urban protected areas, the Valley of the Sun stretches across mountainous desert parks like an enormous playground. Maricopa County Parks and Recreation offers a bounty of budget friendly, ranger-led outings. Prowl like a nocturnal animal on a night hike in White Tank Mountain Regional Park, keeping your eyes peeled for ringtails, owls, and scorpions that glow neon green in black light. Get answers to your burning questions about Sonoran Desert flora and fauna on a Desert 101 walk in Cave Creek Regional Park. Or boost biodiversity by helping uproot invasive species in Spur Cross Ranch Conservation Area.

A mural of two women in foliage on Roosevelt Row in downtown Phoenix.
Murals line Roosevelt Row in downtown Phoenix.

For a classic, cost-free Phoenix activity, soak up the carnivalesque atmosphere of First Fridays. Crowds stroll through downtown’s mural-decked Roosevelt Row, perusing paintings and sculptures in 70-plus art spaces. First Fridays also feature the auditory arts: Head to the Nash for free jazz, and follow the sounds of fiddles and pennywhistles to the Irish Cultural Center for rollicking traditional music. A calmer experience awaits at nearby FOUND:RE Phoenix Hotel, which offers free flow yoga every Sunday.

With some strategic planning, you can explore Phoenix’s top cultural attractions gratis. Get inspired by the Asian art and imaginative fashion exhibits at the Phoenix Art Museum. Admission is free from 3 p.m. to close every Wednesday and on First Fridays. Also on First Friday evenings, kiddos can get creative and literally climb the walls at no cost in the Children’s Museum of Phoenix. Contemplate American Indian art and cultural exhibits told from an Indigenous perspective at the Heard Museum. Entry is free on First Fridays (except in March) and on third Saturdays from June through August. Finally, bask in the beauty of blooming cactuses and bizarre arid plants at the Desert Botanical Garden, free on the second Tuesday of each month.READ MORE:Must-Visit Spots and Hidden Gems in Phoenix

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Scottsdale 

In the northeast corner of the Valley, the McDowell Sonoran Preserve undulates across 30,580 acres of saguaro-striped mountains. Skilled guides lead free beginner- and intermediate-friendly mountain biking clinics where you can amp up your confidence on gentle paths or twisty technical trails. Experts also lead hikes on topics such as Arizona history, medicinal plants, and nature as therapy. 

In town, the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art (SMOCA) offers complimentary entry to its thought-provoking exhibits on the second Saturday of each month and every Thursday. Pair a Thursday evening visit with ArtWalk, when culture lovers pop into galleries in the Scottsdale Arts District to chat with artists and listen to live music. On Sundays from April 30 to May 28, families picnic and dance to motown, disco, or R&B bands during McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park’s free concerts. READ MORE:What to Do and See in Scottsdale, Arizona

A woman takes a photo of El Mac Mural at Mesa Arts Center.
El Mac Mural at Mesa Arts Center.

Mesa

It seems like Mesa is always hosting a family friendly festival, and at many events, you can leave your wallet in your pocket. Every Saturday during Mesa Feastival, adults can jive to live music while the bambinos frolic in the splash pad and playground after noshing on grub from food trucks at Pioneer Park. At 2nd Friday Night Out, historic downtown Mesa’s galleries and shops stay open late, costumed kids play contests and games, and live music reverberates along Main Street. On Thursdays in spring and fall, Mesa Arts Center throws a free Out to Lunch concert series in the shade outside. While you’re there, step inside (admission is always complimentary) and delve into the upcoming exhibits on nature-themed woodcut prints, contemporary crafts, and more.

Tucson

In the Old Pueblo, you don’t have to spend a pretty penny to have experiences that make your spirit soar. At San Xavier del Bac Mission, marvel at statuary and frescoes so stunningly ornate the church is known as the Sistine Chapel of North America. Get a hawk’s-eye view of Tucson on Tumamoc Hill while learning about the landmark’s 2,500-year history from the free Tumamoc Tour app

At the always-gratis Center for Creative Photography this year, visitors can see Tucson’s barrios through the lens of Chicanx photographer Louis Carlos Bernal, plus photographic slices of Linda McCartney’s life with husband Paul. And on the first Thursday of each month, the Tucson Museum of Art opens its doors for free, adding entertainment and gallery activities to its Western and Colonial Latin American art.READ MORE:Tucson: The Southwest’s Best Affordable Escape

Chapel of the Holy Cross perched in the mountains in Sedona, Arizona.
Chapel of the Holy Cross in Sedona.

Sedona

According to local lore, this red rock Shangri-La is permeated with vortexes—energy hotspots where visitors can channel healing, inspiration, and insight. Hike and watch the sunset flame across the mountains at Airport Mesa vortex, and visit the Chapel of the Holy Cross, perched atop another vortex. Designed in 1932 by Marguerite Brunswig Staude, a disciple of Frank Lloyd Wright, the minimalist church’s sky-high windows overlook sensational views of vermilion mountains. Maintain your meditative mood at Amitabha Stupa and Peace Park, a spiritual destination for all faiths featuring Buddhist shrines and a Native American medicine wheel, backdropped by classic Sedona scenery.

On First Fridays, gallery-hop and indulge in free refreshments at some of Sedona’s 80-ish arts venues showcasing Western painters, photographers, glass-blowers, and more. Many First Friday receptions take place in Tlaquepaque, an alfresco Mexican-style arts and crafts center that frequently hosts free flamenco performances and nature education presentations.

Flagstaff

This alpine town is all about outdoor fun and budget-friendly community bonding. Every Saturday evening in summer, families gather in Heritage Square, tuck into sleeping bags and popcorn, and watch free, kid-approved movies. On Wednesday evenings in summer, local bands play free concerts in Peaks View County Park while families picnic, hula hoop, and get their faces painted.

Self-guided walking tours abound in Flag, which features a 56-mile Flagstaff Urban Trail System. Download a map and pound the pavement past historic buildings, meadowy riparian areas, and pine forests. In Flagstaff’s Southside Historic District, get your kicks by walking the original Route 66 alignment. Dial 928-218-2926 to hear the Walk This Talk audio tour and learn why highway officials abandoned the initial Mother Road track through town. You can also download a public art walking or biking tour map to discover more than 40 murals and installations.UP