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Pogue's Basics: Life: Essential Tips and Shortcuts (That No One Bothers to Tell You) for Simplifying Your Day Kindle Edition

by David Pogue (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 359 ratings
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New York Times Bestseller

Do you know the pinhole-finger trick for seeing without glasses?
Did you realize that booking a hotel room with your phone is cheaper than doing it on your PC?
Do you know how to get the last dregs of ketchup out of the bottle—in one second?

In David Pogue's New York Times bestselling book Pogue's Basics: Tech, the author shared his essential tips and tricks for making all your gadgets seem easier, faster, and less of a hassle to use. In this new book, he widens his focus—to life itself. In these pages, you'll find more than 150 tricks, shortcuts, and cheats for everyday life: house and home, cars, clothing, travel, food, health, and more. This timeless reference book will shed light on priceless bits of advice and life hacks that already exist in the world around you—you just never knew!

Tips include: Insider cheats for cheap air fare, how to read signs in other languages, the three-cent trick for staying awake behind the wheel, how to know which side of the highway your exit will be on, how to quench a spicy mouth on fire, and much much more!

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  1. Print length
    244 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publisher
    Flatiron Books
  5. Publication date
    November 24, 2015
  6. File size
    16698 KB
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Pogue's Basics: Life is a master class in the quotidian arts.... What Pogue offers are keyboard shortcuts for the interface of life." ―The New York Times

“This book by David Pogue is so useful… I love this book. I’ve implemented more stuff from this book than probably any other book I’ve ever read… More than any other book I’ve ever written, too.” ―Guy Kawasaki

“This is a great book…. [It’s] the “Missing Manual” for life.” ―Leo Laporte, This Week in Tech

About the Author

DAVID POGUE has 1.5 million followers on Twitter and recently launched a consumer-tech site for Yahoo. Previously he was the tech columnist at The New York Times for thirteen years where he wrote weekly columns that constantly ended up on the Top Ten List of most e-mailed articles of the paper. Additionally Pogue writes a monthly column for Scientific American, is the creator of the Missing Manual computer-book series, and hosts science shows on PBS's NOVA. He has been a correspondent for CBS Sunday Morning since 2002, for which he has won two Emmys, as well as two Webbys, and a Loeb award for journalism.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00Y7XJRMS
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Flatiron Books (November 24, 2015)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ November 24, 2015
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 16698 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 244 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 359 ratings

About the author

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David Pogue

David Pogue

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David Pogue was the New York Times weekly tech columnist from 2000 to 2013. He’s a five-time Emmy winner for his stories on "CBS News Sunday Morning," a New York Times bestselling author, a five-time TED speaker, and host of 20 NOVA science specials on PBS.

He’s written or cowritten more than 120 books, including dozens in the "Missing Manual" tech series, which he created in 1999; six books in the "For Dummies" line (including Macs, Magic, Opera, and Classical Music); two novels (one for middle-schoolers); his three bestselling "Pogue’s Basics" books of tips and shortcuts (on Tech, Money, and Life); his new how-to guides, "iPhone Unlocked" and "Mac Unlocked"; and his 2021 magnum opus, "How to Prepare for Climate Change."

After graduating summa cum laude from Yale in 1985 with distinction in music, Pogue spent ten years conducting and arranging Broadway musicals in New York. He has won a Loeb Award for journalism, two Webby awards, and an honorary doctorate in music. He lives with his wife Nicki and their blended brood of five spectacular children in Connecticut and San Francisco.

For a complete list of Pogue’s columns and videos, and to sign up to get them by email, visit https://authory.com/DavidPogue. On Twitter, he’s @pogue; on the web, he’s at www.davidpogue.com. He welcomes civil email exchanges at david@pogueman.com.

Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars
4.2 out of 5
359 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

A. Silverstone
5.0 out of 5 stars Fortunately, Pogue's dry humor can liven up the driest ...
Reviewed in the United States on May 25, 2016
Verified Purchase
As with any book of tips, David Pogue has something for everyone, but not everything for anyone. Fortunately, Pogue's dry humor can liven up the driest parts. The book is divided into the important parts of life: The Car, Travel, Food, Clothes, Out and About, House and Home, Animals, How to Clean Everything, Electronics, Your Body, Social Hacks, and Life Hack Lies. The last a myth bustingly entertaining chapter, shattering such illusions as bouncing batteries does not predict their charge and freezing candles does not extend their burn time.

Pogue covers a wide range of topics from the pedestrian to the clever, but he is never pedantic. We learn that there is a better way to tie our shoes. Some of this secret knowledge is for young graduates others useful to the world weary of us.

He says that book will contain "Common knowledge that is not as common as you think. "Alas, some tips are blindingly common. like: wash white and light colored clothes separately from dark. Fortunately, these are in the minority. Most tips are tremendously clever. For example, stretching cloth or mesh across a vacuum to find contact lens, jewelry or other small lost object. Or the secret indicator in a car's dash which shows which side the gas tank is on.

Pogue's tips will help make life a little easier.
6 people found this helpful
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Judith
4.0 out of 5 stars Fun tips
Reviewed in the United States on March 13, 2018
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This compilations of tips is organized into chapters. They are 1. The car, 2. Travel (mostly tips for flying), 3. Food, 4. Clothes, 5. Out and About, 6. House and Home, 7. Animals, 8. How to Clean Everything, 9. Electronics, 10. Your body, 11. Social, and 12. Life Hack Lies. That last one is fun; it's tips that are passed around that don't work. For instance, tapping on a soda can before you open it does not keep it from spraying all over you. My favorite hacks were using a wooden spoon across the top of a pot to keep it from boiling over, and turning your iPad sideways if your polarized sunglasses are blocking you from viewing the contents of the screen. This book did not have as many tips that were useful to me as his other books of hacks, but it was fun to read--even the chapters that didn't apply to me, like the chapters on pets and air travel. I will definitely buy any future hack books he adds to this series.
2 people found this helpful
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Antigone
5.0 out of 5 stars Funny, fun and useful
Reviewed in the United States on January 25, 2016
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I like Life Hacks.... If you don't, don't buy this book. But if you do, and you want to get reliable ones, you can't go wrong with anything from David Pogue (who is a great, no nonsense, accessible and funny writer). The value here isn't in the hacks so much as the reliability of the author. Oh he might not get it right EVERY time (though I haven't yet seen evidence of him ever being wrong). But he is genuinely trustworthy and humble so I am pretty confident in his willingness to mea culpa if he ever makes a mistake. And really, that gets him a red carpet into my circle of trust.
4 people found this helpful
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Shop Gal
5.0 out of 5 stars Tips and Tricks You Wish You Knew When You Were Younger
Reviewed in the United States on December 19, 2016
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David Pogue has the best reference books. I know, who reads or owns books any more but his books are keepers. They are rich with information about everyday things we miss. It's a tips and tricks book that I wish I had when I was younger. This edition has different tidbits that halfway through the book, you think someone missed telling you.
My favorite is the gas gauge arrow indicating which side the gas cap is on. It has helped when I've had a rental and didn't know which side and when I got a new car.
There are many tips and tricks that you'll use everyday. It's the missing manual for life essentials. It's one of my favorite books and one that I remember what's in it.
9 people found this helpful
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Charles Locher
3.0 out of 5 stars Pretty good. Way wrong on 100% peanut butter
Reviewed in the United States on December 27, 2015
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Pretty good. Way wrong on 100% peanut butter, turning jar upside down does not diffuse the oil into the peanut butter. For easy spreading peanut butter - use one beater of kitchen mixer while holding jar tight. Quickly becomes easy to spread, to maintain this consistency, refrigerate (which he doesn't mention)
2 people found this helpful
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Gregg Higham
5.0 out of 5 stars David Pogue is great to read.
Reviewed in the United States on October 21, 2023
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It was a useful read. Witty as always and good information. I already knew some and I learned more. Fast read.
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Kat Reynolds
4.0 out of 5 stars Needs updating, but super gift!!!
Reviewed in the United States on November 9, 2019
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What new college graduate wooden appreciate some of these life tricks? This is fun and easy to read, but would need a couple of updates for websites that are now shut down.
One person found this helpful
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hopewell guy
5.0 out of 5 stars Great source of "anything" information.
Reviewed in the United States on January 22, 2016
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I bought this and POUGE'S BASICS: TECH at the same time. Both are packed full of useful tips and information on everyday questions and problems. I knew some of the stuff, but many items answer questions that may have frustrated you in the past.
Some of the stuff is so simple when you see it that you wonder why you didn't already know that.
This is not the kind of book that you can sit down and read cover to cover - when you are puzzled about something, go to the index at the back of the book and you may see your question listed. Otherwise, pick up the book when you have a few free minutes and browse - you'll be amazed at what you learn.
4 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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Agnès B.
2.0 out of 5 stars Très déçue
Reviewed in France on May 28, 2021
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J’aime beaucoup David Pogue dont les conseils en termes d’applis sont très pertinents.
En revanche, je suis très déçue par son livre, qui est très creux : je n’ai vraiment pas appris grand chose qui puisse m’être utile
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$Ortea
4.0 out of 5 stars the tips are pretty interesting (no doubt ull find them all on google
Reviewed in India on January 14, 2017
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one of the must have books for ALL! the tips are pretty interesting (no doubt ull find them all on google!) - but hey the topics are very interesting!
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jmarr@thegrid.net
5.0 out of 5 stars Well worth the time!
Reviewed in Canada on April 19, 2016
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Should be required reading for all adults! Great information about practical shortcuts to make life much easier in many ways. Also interesting and entertaining. A great gift for all seasons.
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Joseph F Havrilla
4.0 out of 5 stars Four Stars
Reviewed in Canada on February 4, 2016
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Good information
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Sherril
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in Canada on January 16, 2016
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Just to get the ketchup out of the bottle and the paint drip trick,it was worth it
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