Having a Plan B is a darn good idea in many areas of life. Here are ten things you should have a backup for. Computer Backups Alright, let’s get this one out of the way. Setting up a set-and-forget backup system isso easyand inexpensive, there’s no reason not to. Usethe 3-2-1 ruleto thoroughly protect your important data (like irreplaceable photos and videos). Either way, a second card could serve as a backup to your primary one....

Baking recipes typically require eggs. If eggs aren’t an option, you don’t need to try new recipes. Depending on the dish, you may only need a few simple modifications. Binding: Eggs hold ingredients together and give food texture. Leavening Eggs give lift to baked goods, which makes for a lighter texture. Moisture When there are few or no other wet ingredients, eggs increase a recipe’s water content....

you could avoid them if the airlines makes changes to their flight plans. If the airline changes your flight plans you’ve got the option to ask for a full refund. Sometimes weather or other events disrupt flight schedules in advance, and airlines issue change fee waivers as well. If you need the refund right away, this tip won’t work. With heavy cancellation fees though, airlines won’t give you much money back....

Waking up with a crick in your neck is one of the worst ways to start your day. Turing your head hurts anywhere you look and the worst is that you have no idea why. Here’s what causes it and what you could do to help yourself avoid it in the future. To look into the science behind the ol' pain in the neck, Kevin Loria atBusiness Insiderspoke withDr. Charles Kim, a musculoskeletal expert and assistant professor at the NYU School of Medicine....

The quote above from programmer Jeffrey Ventrella is a reminder that slow and steady wins the race. Basically, a good deal of scaffolding. A picture begins to take shape. Later on, I come back and dot my i’s and cross my t’s. The end of each arc is something like implementation-ready code. (“Cleaning my studio” is a necessary part of finishing the cycle). Sometimes I’m wrong. Sometimes I’m right. There is no way to really know until the organism is fully formed and staring me in the face....

It’s a great talk that covers both the usefulness of these tools and some of the best brands. Cool Tools with Kevin Kelly - Still Untitled: The Adam Savage Project| YouTube

It doesn’t even need a connection to the internet. The developers plan to add more in the future, including graphing, calculus, equation systems and more. AutoMath has one big downside: it currently can’t scan handwritten questionsonly typed ones. Still, for a free app, it’s pretty amazing. AutoMath| Google Play Store viaTalk Android

We were fans of theoriginal Boombecause it did a great job of boosting the volume on crappy MacBook speakers. Like the previous version of Boom, Boom 2 boosts your volume system-wide. Boom 2($14.99)

There are so many great apps out there that it’s tough to not use them all. They’re all great, but consolidating that information into one place can help avoid information overload. Simple Productivity Blogargues that having too much information isn’t always the core cause of information overload. Information In Too Many Places? Simplify!| Simple Productivity Blog Photo byButch Lebo.

This Old House suggests grabbing a branch and gently pulling towards yourself. The fewer needles that come off in your hand, the fresher your tree is. For a second test, crush the needles between your fingers and smell them. If you could’t smell that signature Christmas tree scent, move on to another tree. For more tips on how to pick a great tree, check out the full post linked below....

Saving money can be hard for some people. The earlier you start saving, the better, but it’s never too late to start. Most of the time, this will be 1% of your pay or something tiny like that. To put that in perspective, let’s say that your take-home pay is $500 a week. you might’t even stop at Starbucks for that little. Probably not a whole lot, right? Now increase the amount you put away every paycheck by a little more....

Everyone hasa few skills they want to learn, andteaching yourself is easy. you might make it even easier by bundling related skills together. If you learn to play an instrument, it becomes much easier to learn a second instrument. The same goes for learning a new language. This is because learning touch typing requires a rhythm and hand-and-eye motor skills. Typing and piano both require hand practice (the overlapping skill)...

Wrapping paper can be pretty (if I’m not doing the wrapping), but it’s wasteful. It’s often expensive and takes time to do properly. Instead, make the wrapping part of your gift. It saves time, energy, and adds something special to your present. Photographer Kim Lucian writes at Apartment Therapy: Wrap kitchen goodies or treats in a cute patterned dishtowel. Mason jars also make for great reusable containers. Furoshiki shares some useful techniques on how towrap things in towels....