The geek guide to life was a book that I came across at the library and the cover attracted me because not only did it have a few 'how-tos' that grabbed my interest, there were tetris blocks on it which made me think that it was gaming related. While the cover and many of the art inside is 8-bit themed, the content is certainly quite relevant to some of the things that I have encountered in my life.
The book covers a number of interesting areas - health and body, work and career, love and relationships, at home, money, technology, leisure and sport and travel. Here are some of the geeky things that I didn't know before that I thought were fascinating:
Eating less by imaging eating more
If you imagined that you ate more than you did, you'll feel less hungry and you will eat less. For example, if you are dying for those dried or frozen peas (YES I KNOW WHO YOU ARE), you can imagine eating the peas and the thinking is that repeated exposure to something will reduce your desire for it.
What do you do if you have a cold or a fever
Eat plenty of food. Drink lots of water. Rest. Eat soup. Drink hot liquids.
Tips for better sleep
Stick to a sleep schedule, even on the weekends. Have a bed time ritual. Exercise daily. Avoid alcohol and caffeine. Turn off electronics before bed. Prioritize sleep. Sleep on a comfortable mattress and pillows, in a dark or pitch black room, preferably a little bit colder than room temperature.
How to be a better public speaker
This is weird but studies show that having penetrative sex makes you a better speaker (what a weird tip). Other ways to improve your public speaking: use your hands and smile lots!
How to be more persuasive
Give someone a reason to do something and they are more likely to do it. I remember a study where people would get onto full trains or buses and ask strangers whether they could give up the chair. Not only did the study show that a lot of people do get up to give you their chair just by asking them, but the study also showed that if you give a reason, any random reason, people were more willing to give up their chair to you. Other ways of being more persuasive: ask - don't order, get them nodding along with you, tell them the minimum they have to do to start.
Tips for a successful marriage
Have similar spending or saving tendencies - finances are important! Say thank you and be grateful to your partner.
Tips for making the perfect cup of tea
Use loose-leaf tea. Preheat a ceramic teapot in the microwave. Put chilled milk into the teacup ahead of the tea (to prevent the proteins in the milk from clumping together and helping cool the tea faster). If you are using a tea bag, don't put the milk in beforehand as it will lower the temperature of the water and the tea won't brew properly.
How to arrange the food in your fridge
Hot air rises because cold air is heavier and sinks to the bottom. That means that you want to put cooked meat / leftovers near the top. Milk, yogurt, cheese and butter near the middle. Finally raw meat, eggs and fish in the bottom. Since you are opening up your fridge doors a lot, you'll want to put things like condiment or juice in there. The fridge drawers at the bottom are for fruit, vegetables and salads. Thank me later for having more unspoiled food.
Making food taste better
Use round, white plates. Listen to music while you eat (but not Justin Bieber). Use heavier cutlery. Delay by taking photos (and not letting your spouse eat).
Be better at darts
Rather than aiming for the 20 (unless you are super accurate), you should be trying to aim for the 16 / 7 / 19 squares because on average, if you are not as accurate as you think you are, you're going to get a few more points aiming for those squares than for the 20 square.
Save money at the supermarkets
Bring headphones - music has a way of making you stay in the supermarket and buy more things. Shop online. Don't use big trolleys - take smaller ones so that you buy less stuff. Make a shopping list. Finally, the supermarkets know that most people are lazy and will naturally look first at things that are at eye level - make sure you look in the top and bottom shelves because that's where some cheaper items may be. Also, people tend to think that red stickers mean lower prices but that's not necessarily true so watch out for red price tags.
How to haggle better
Be specific about the price. If a car is $1000, haggle a specific price such as $851 - it looks like you've done your research and people are more willing to go down in price as opposed to haggling to $800.