…or, looking for tips on stuff that are useful to have that most people don’t think about.
I carry around a few tampons, as a cis man.
Part of my “be prepared” strategy cause you never know what life throws at you.
On one hand, tampons are perfect kindling for starting a fire in an emergency - a wad of cotton in a water-proof hull.
But in reality, it was useful a few times already, to help a female friend out.
Or pull one apart to improvise ear plugs when a concert turns out to be way too loud.I’ve carried a couple of tampons and pads in my car for years, just because sometimes I can save the day for someone. I never thought about using them for earplugs though, that’s a good one.
Gas jet lighter. I do not smoke. But when people ask for a lighter and I pull my lighter out, they always ask “How come YOU have a lighter?” Funny every time.
Donegan OptiVisor Headband Magnifier - https://doneganoptical.com/product/optivisor/
with optiloupe - https://doneganoptical.com/product/optiloupe/
and Quasar LED lighting attachment. https://www.esslinger.com/led-visor-lighting-system-attachment-for-optivisor-headband-magnifier/
I originally got it when I was doing a bit of electronics work. But every couple of months there’ll be times when I really want a hands-free magnified view of something I’m working on, even if it’s just for a household chore. There are plenty of cheap knock-off out there, but I believe this is the original. I was at the Intrepid Museum in NYC and there was a photo of a NASA engineer wearing one of these.
Always keep your surveilance camera damaging laser on you at all times.
Be careful with that, just a jittery movement or a specular reflection and you may also damage someone’s retina with that.
Instance checks out
Is this a thing? I need
Yeah, lasers can damage ccd sensors. But IIRC you need like 5w or more to be effective.
Need to check amazon, my thinks
Fuck Amazon
Fair point. On the other hand, where else do I buy?
Thank you, I didnt see that. Appreciate it
Got tips for someone who just got a lot of flock in their neighborhood?
Don’t listen to AmidFear@fedia.io your privacy is being illegally invaded and your every move tracked. Sanwu Lasers dot net. Get a 3w one with the focusing lens at the least. But you’ll need safety goggles to operate a 3w focused beam and anything higher. DO NOT shine these where they could intercept with a person.
Would I be right in thinking that viewing the beam alone isn’t damaging, but looking at the lens is? Presumably then, unintended viewing could be limited if not eliminated by shining it through a tube?
No one should be viewing any of it without goggles. It will damage your vision after just a few seconds of indirect exposure, direct exposure (pointing it at your eyes) will blind you.
Glad to know I was quite wrong. Thank you for potentially saving my vision.
Not knowing much about lasers myself obviously, is a welding helmet be sufficient protection from indirect exposure?
Yes, with my 3w, I can use it periodically without goggles but I cannot look at the beam for more than a few seconds. A welding helmet will protect you completely. It does make it hard to use with precision at night tho.
Good to know, thank you.
Don’t commit vandalism on camera.
Golly gee, it’s like you guys think I’m going to be a public menace or something.
Yeah, don’t go vandalizing shit.
I would never! I’m simply asking how the woke antifa gays are doing it so I don’t accidentally order the exact thing they are.
You’ll shoot your eye out, kid.
I can’t be the first person to say this, but a poop-knife.
No i still don’t believe this is a real thing. I’ve personally never needed one and I’ve had some dire situations in the bathroom - all sorts of dire situation one can have in the bathroom.
You not needing one yourself doesn’t equal the average person’s experience. Probably less than 10% of Americans eat enough fiber daily.
It’s a real thing for some of us. Wish it wasn’t, but not all of us have it so easy.
Tbh it’s completely logical, it’s a good use of tool, but i think most people actually use the toilet brush to break it into seperate pieces, then wash the toilet brush after. Again, haven’t got into thst situation myself i just flush and flush and eventually it goes.
I just shit myself so the problem doesn’t apply
Am I the only one who didn’t think that story was very funny? Sure haha poop and all but it’s achieved legendary status that I don’t get.
I think the popularity wasn’t so much about the tool itself but about the original poster not realizing it was unusual. Like the cumbox.
I’ll probably regret asking this but… cumbox?
Yes. You will regret asking.
To put it simply, a redditor repeatedly jerked off into (IIRC) a shoebox for an extended period. The same box, no disposal or cleanup of any sort. He made a casual reference to this box and was surprised when others couldn’t relate. He posted pictures.
I never saw the pictures and I don’t intend to, so if you are interested to learn more, you’ll have to do your own searches.
I mean, if poop knives are as commom as everyone says, then of course it’s not funny! It’s totally mundane!
Fire extinguisher.
Get a small one and put it in your boot or the back of your ute (seppo: truck).
If you’re ever first to a car accident, or have one yourself, you’ll be very glad you have it.
Haven’t read the word seppo for a hot minute. Thanks stranger, made my day!
A handheld 2 way radio. The cell network is the first to go even before a disaster since the lines saturate with people calling out.
The longest ones also have (or at least had) a max of a few days of battery and many just 1-2 days. Found this out when Hurricane Ike rolled through Houston.
I happen to have a handheld maritime emergency radio around, mostly because I got my hands on it for free* a few years back. It could serve the same function, provided someone else is using the same frequencies. I live in a coastal environment, so there’s always someone around that are legally required to listen on Ch16.
*: I used to work with maritime electronics, and one day we had a recall order from one of our suppliers. Turned out one batch of this one particular handheld radio had a potential minor problem with the squelch, so they were no longer IMO approved for emergency use. We were to throw them away and a refund would be issued. I took one home and just paid for a battery and charger. It’s now sitting in my kitchen.
A handheld calculator and a slide rule. If the power goes out for a long time, I’ll still be doing math while the rest of you chumps will be using your fingers to count to 10.
Joke’s on you, I can get to 20 because I also use my toes!
Jokes on you, I can count to 21 all by myself. I still need to call my buddies for anything above that tho
Keep a solar power calculator in case of apocalypse.
No lie, my calculator is solar.
Nail clippers. Small but powerful penlights.
I have a dosimeter/geiger counter. So far, it’s only been a neat toy for about an hour. I hope it never is more than that.
I have a roll of dental floss in my hike bag. It’s small, super strong, and there’s one pile of it in a roll. Could be used for replacement shoelace, laundry line, tying wood together for a shelter, etc.
Stick a sewing needle in it. Find one that fits inside with the spool of floss. I’ve carried one in my bag for decades at this point.
highly recommend! i sew all my patches and pockets onto my outfits and shit with waxed dental floss. never had anything break ever even after years
examples: https://vanta.diy/
I like yr jurse, my friend.
I have no logical reason other than I like it but I have my keys on rings that are on a actual climbing grade carbiner and then on the keyring I have a thing from the internet that can sharpen knives and has a ferro tod and a whistle. then a can opener thats swag from some conference.
I keep a Windows 11 installer USB on my person almost at all times. I’ve had to perform an impromptu utilman.exe trick (consensually) multiple times. (Replacing the ease of access menu EXE with a command prompt somehow still allows you to get an administrator CMD window on the lock screen, even in 2026).
I have something similar but with a Ventoy USB with different Linux distros in case I need to do an emergency reinstall or need a live USB
I’ve done something similar in windows 10 when it decided to shit itself and lock me into safe mode. Interesting that it’s still a thing in windows 11. You can use Ventoy and keep a couple of Linux images too on that usb.
I keep a bowling ball in my car. It doesn’t make sense to have it at home.
LEGO brick separator.
