The Hal App Provides Ideas that…Stick(🥢)
The great thing about the Hal app is that ideas that are time tested by others get circulated to people who have specific questions and never knew these ideas existed!
They consist of hacks, shortcuts, and little bits of genius that may have not made it to the ears (or the iPhone screens) of many customers that Hal serves — which is why the ideas are so welcomed. Here’s one of the most well received series of ideas for using chopsticks that customers RAVED about once they learned about these little magic pieces of wood and how they can be repurposed.
The Issue: “Hey Hal! My kids love Cheetos but they are messy as hell. How can I get my kids to eat Cheetos in a way that doesn’t create such a mess and leave their fingers full of “Cheetos dust” that ends up on my furniture or their expensive phones/gadgets/computers?”
Hal’s Answer: Based on the title of this article, you may have already put it together: teach them to use chopsticks to eat Cheetos! Not only is it fun to teach them how, but there are even shortcuts to make the learning easier on their smaller hands. More importantly, once they try it, it not only completely solves the issue of the dreaded “Cheetos dust” on fingers, furniture and fun gadgets (and this goes for you adults who love Cheetos, BTW!), it also teaches them a cool way to eat foods of ALL kinds…but most especially the more messy ones…with a cleaner twist.
The Issue: “Hal, how can I clean my PS4/Nintendo/Switch or the ports on my smartphone more easily? Everything I read says do NOT use compressed air because it can damage internal parts inside my devices, but there’s gotta be a better solution.”
Hal’s Answer: Once again, chopsticks to the rescue! The smaller ends of those disposable chopsticks easily get into small spaces and with a little bit of craft, can clean those tough to reach spots. Wrap a bit of paper towel around the end and you can use it to clean between your keyboard keys, the analog stick of a game controller, and other small dust-gathering gadget areas.
The Issue: “Hal, since we’re all home a whole lot more, the microwave is getting a LOT more use than usual. Since we’re big tea drinkers, we tend to go straight to the microwave to boil the water, but I’ve heard that doing that in a microwave can result in ‘exploding water’ in some cases. Is that a myth? If not, what can I do to keep me & my family safe from scalding hot water exploding on us?”
Hal’s Answer: First and foremost, it’s not a myth! The process, known as “super heating”, can occur when boiling water in a microwave, especially since it heats unevenly in that device. When heating water in the microwave, the molecules are heated within their center under a film that forms at the top of the water. When they aggregate and then get exposed to the air upon opening the microwave — BOOM! Although it can be argued that the odds of this occurring aren’t huge each time you boil water in the “micro”, there’s no need to leave it to chance. The solution is simple: stick a chopstick into the water while microwaving. This will prevent the molecular possibility of “exploding water syndrome” and keep the water off of you when you open that microwave door each time. Of course, if you are more of a tea purist, there’s also a compelling reason not to use the microwave in order to make the very best tea.
The Issue: “Hal, since we don’t like to make frequent trips to the store, we tend to buy in bulk, which includes the larger jugs of stuff like orange juice, milk and fruit juices. Of course, this also has a downside: opening the big jug and pouring it out, especially when it is first opened and full, can quickly end in a spill! I don’t see much point in pouring those jugs into something smaller EVERY TIME to remedy this issue. Is there any kind of hack I can use to prevent this?”
Hal’s Answer: We definitely all are prone to make mess from time to time when pouring things out of big containers. Once again, the solution is a simple chopstick (or any rod-like object). By holding the chopstick across the spout of the container, it helps prevent the mess by making the liquid roll down the chopstick and straight into your desired vessel! A liquid’s polarity causes it to “stick” to the side of the jug. By adding the chopstick, it makes the liquid to stick to that instead. It just rolls down it and pours off the tip of the chopstick.
