Web site lets you in on 'boring' movie parts

Editor's note: This will be the final weekly installment of Tim Thompson's Tips, Tools and Tricks column. After five years of providing helpful hints and lots of ways to use duct tape, he is retiring his tip hat, reserving it for occasional special guest columns.

February 06, 2010 | Tim Thompson | Columnists

Thompson: Funky earbuds blink along with the music

Gainesville has a lot of walkers and joggers. If you go out and exercise at night, you should always wear reflective gear. I'd also like to recommend that you use the iBlink earbuds. These cool earbuds, which work with most MP3 players, actually have LED lights built into them. The lights actually blink with the rhythm of the music. The iBlink comes with white, blue or pink lights and can be found at most online retailers like Amazon for $30.

January 30, 2010 | Tim Thompson | Columnists

Use an e-book to catch up on reading while you exercise

For Christmas my wife bought me a Kindle. If you're not familiar with this cool gadget, it's basically a lightweight, electronic reading device. It can download books and even magazines and newspapers. The reason I'm sharing this is because of one of the really neat things you can do with it - exercise! Just set the font to the largest size and use it on either a stationary bike or treadmill. The one-touch page turning ...

January 22, 2010 | Tim Thompson | Columnists

Thompson: Athletic shirt great for sleeping, too

If you're not familiar with the Tech Tee T-shirt, you should be. (These T-shirts also go by the name "Dry Fit"). Instead of cotton, they're made with a polyester blend. The beauty of these shirts is that they have the ability to wick away sweat from your body to the outside of the shirt where it will evaporate. Athletes like them because they'll keep you warm and dry in the winter and cool and dry ...

January 17, 2010 | Tim Thompson | Columnists

Thompson: Test your knowledge of last year’s tips

I want to start off by thanking all of you who gave me tips in 2009. Without your help, this column would not be possible. Trust me, after doing this column for five years, it's hard to come up with new tips.

January 10, 2010 | Tim Thompson | Columnists

Thompson: Kitchen utensil combines jobs

If you've been reading my column for any length of time, you know that I like gadgets. I especially like kitchen gadgets. One of the neatest ones that I've seen in a while is the Spachello by Swissmar. The Spachello is basically a spatula and cutting knife combined into one tool. It is the ultimate sandwich making device. You can use the serrated knife to cut meats, breads and cheeses and then use the spatula ...

January 03, 2010 | Tim Thompson | Columnists

Thompson: Use your dishwasher to clean more than dishes

A dishwasher is really a handy tool. In fact, if you only use your dishwasher on dishes, you're missing out. Consider using it to clean your children's toys, garden tools and even shop tools. Important: Don't use your dish washer to clean anything crystal or thermos mugs. The heat can break the crystal and will break the airtight seal on the mugs.

December 27, 2009 | Tim Thompson | Columnists

Thompson: Celebrate the season with specialty butter

The Kellers Co. has been making butter products for more than 100 years. Each December they come out with their famous "Christmas Tree Butter Sculpture." It looks good and tastes good. You can find them at most Publix grocery stores.

December 20, 2009 | Tim Thompson | Columnists

Thompson: Cut through brownie goo with plastic knife

I need to start out by apologizing to Deanna Campbell. She's a faithful reader who gave me a tip some weeks ago on a better way to cut brownies. She said a simple plastic knife will do a better job than any regular knife, and she keeps a plastic knife in one of her kitchen drawers for just this purpose. Well, I didn't believe her. I thought that there was no way that a plastic ...

December 13, 2009 | Tim Thompson | Columnists

Thompson: Send Christmas cards that help charities, too

If you want an easy, painless way to give to charities, you need to check out CardsThatGive.org. It's a nonprofit Web site that lists greeting cards you can buy from more than 100 different charities. The proceeds from the cards help fund a lot of worthy causes. Do it. You'll feel better about yourself.

December 06, 2009 | Tim Thompson | Columnists

Thompson: Include a plunger in your party planning

The holiday season is upon us and I know that a lot of you will be hosting parties. Here is a tip that you're not likely to find in any of the women's magazines: Make sure that have a toilet plunger in every bathroom. I'm serious about this. Toilets always seem to know when you're throwing a party and that's when they decide to back up. By having plungers in each bathroom, you can avoid ...

November 28, 2009 | Tim Thompson | Columnists

Tim: You can thank me later for these

Thanksgiving is this week and I hope you're ready for it. Here are some miscellaneous Thanksgiving tips that I hope will make your holiday better.

November 22, 2009 | Tim Thompson | Columnists

Thompson: Tune in to a better night’s sleep

Like a lot of people, I just sleep better with some white noise in the background. My wife actually uses our noisy air cleaner for that purpose. Here's a great tip if you're traveling and don't want to carry a bulky white noise machine with you - use the radio in your hotel room. Just turn the radio to a frequency between channels to get your white noise.

November 15, 2009 | Tim Thompson | Life

Thompson: Show your house, not your valuables

There has been a rash of robberies recently of people who are trying to sell their homes. The scam goes like this: Two separate people show up at the same time at an open house. One of the two will keep the owner, or agent, busy while the other person steals jewelry or financial information. If you're trying to sell your home, make sure that all of your valuables are locked up and out of sight.

November 08, 2009 | Tim Thompson | Columnists

Thompson: One more use for candy corn

I hope everybody had a great Halloween. OK, here's one more Halloween tip. (I can't help myself). If you have any candy corn left over, use it in place of chocolate chips when making cookies. It tastes good and keeps the memory of Halloween alive. (By the way, send me an e-mail and let me know if last week's tips were helpful or not).

November 01, 2009 | Tim Thompson | Columnists

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