Facebook Video Tip of the Day

Wish Facebook Video had a little bit of code where you could easily embed the clip on another site? Well for some reason they don't want to be cool like YouTube. But be frustrated no longer. If you have Firefox you can install an addon that will give you the handy embed code.



You can get the addon from userscripts.org. Then just scroll down to "Firefox Addon" (since only web geeks use Greasemonkey, you can skip all that stuff)

American Idol Tip of the Day

For those who dont know the show is rigged. The producers only let you see what they want you to see. Auditioners have the wear the same clothes for days to make it look like they're only there for a day. There are judges who have to put you through before you even get a chance to see Randy, Paula, and Simon. They put bad people through just so Simon gets a chance to zing them and it seems like the producers only advance people with interesting backstories time and time again.

But the flip side of this is its voting time and we are the producers now so to speak. Thats why I encourage you to Vote for the Worst. Making Idol a joke by having bad people make it through when they're not supposed to and watching the producers cringe makes for good TV. For more info go to http://www.votefortheworst.com We put Sanjaya through week after week and this year we're going to make sure Danny Noriega gets the special treatment.

Blu-Ray Tip of the Day

Well it's official. Now that Wal-Mart & Warner Brothers have both agreed to exclusively support Blu-Ray, there is no longer a big question mark as to what will be the disc type for watching High Definition movies at home. The other competitor was "HD DVD", not to be confused with regular "DVD" that we know and love. This whole deal was just what would be the new standard for HD movies. Regular old DVD will still be with us for many years to come for sure, but if you want to watch the latest movies on your big widescreen TV, then you might want to consider Blu-Ray as it will take advantage of every last pixel.

Fish Tip of the Day

I think if I had fish, the bathroom would be an interesting place to keep them. A lot of people have fish or ducks or other oceany things decorating their bathroom anyway. They would give you something to watch during those down times when you're not Swiffering. Plus, when they die, you don't have to go very far to "bury" them.

Lame Tips of the Day

So "The Nest", a magazine given to people who registered for TheKnot.com while they were planning their wedding, looks interesting on the cover, but always proves to be less then so once you really read the articles. For example, they have an article about how to "fake a fabulous party". Take a gander at these lame "tips" and our commentary:

• "Buy French fries from your favorite take-out place just before the party" - Yum, everyone likes cold limp French fries. Serious, the slow eaters of the world know that they should eat their fries before their burger aka. while they are still good.
• "Buy freshly made cookies from a bakery…and, yes, say you baked them yourself" - All your fiends love a little dishonesty for dessert. Want to make them really excited about cookie, rip open a bag of Oreos, and have plenty of milk on hand!
• "Use store-bought Caesar salad dressing instead of making it yourself" - That's not a tip, that's what 99% of party planners do anyway. The real tip: put it in a gravy boat so it actually looks like you are pretending to make your own. Then tell all your friends what you did, it will make for a great laugh.
• "Use 20 onces of forzen winter squash in lieu of fresh squash" - Now that is a tip! I didn't even know you could buy frozen squash, but I guess it makes sense, you can buy frozen anything.

How about this idea? Have a party where your friends will feel welcome and can be themselves and not have to put up a front to try to impress everyone else there. A time where friends can be friends, where you can laugh and chat and remember what a blessing you are all to each other. Now that is a fabulous party!

Repeat Tip of the Day

There are a couple tips that are so good, that they almost appeared twice in the nearly 3 year history of Tip O Da Day. Three of such are

• Apple to Apples Tip of the Day
• Coinstar Tip of the Day
• Cookie Tip of the Day

Thanks Andy, Amanda and Pete

American Idol Tip of the Day

Ok we all know some of it was a publicity stunt but if you're auditioning for American Idol make sure Simon doesnt get bored with you or you may get to meet Mike.

Chocolate Bunny Tip of the Day

Just in case the need ever arises, here are three ways to kill a chocolate bunny.

Simon Sez Tip of the Day

Much like I do dog tricks. Simon Sez Santa, lets you order around a lazy mall Santa Claus. This year's enhancements include multi-language support (including Pig Latin), a kid-friendly version and a hint generator. There are some limitations though, he can't even touch his toes. Have fun, and remember wasting time is a holiday tradition!

-wally

Playhouse Tip of the Day

This is first episode of Pee-Wee's Playhouse courtesy of YouTube.



You have now learned the following.

- Foil can be used as a form of currency
- The P is only silent in Pterri not Pee-Wee
- If there's too much chocolate add more ice cream (wonder if "would you like some more fries with your ketchup" ripped off of this.)
- When driving out of your house always use a helmet

Also of notice you can get all the episodes of Pee-wee's Playhouse here for two easy payments of $17.99.

Music Tip of the Day

I thought for sure we had already published a tip about this, but it turns out I was wrong.

There are tons of internet radio services that clam to be able to serve you songs that you'll like. Pandora is the only one that actually lives up to the promise. You type in a band that you like and Pandora plans a song of theirs. Then it plays a song by a similar artist. This keeps going, as you listen you can give songs a thumbs up or thumbs down. Where most other services fail, is that they just examine the genre of the song you are listening too, Pandora has musicians who examine the "DNA" of every track. For example the song I'm listening to right now Pandora chose because "it features electric rock instrumentation, punk influences, a subtle use of vocal harmony, mild rhythmic syncopation and a vocal-centric aesthetic." It is so refreshing to like every sing song I hear. My iTunes can't even do that. As JCo says "Pandora is like a pile of presents and you must listen to one to get to the next".

Save the World Tip of the Day

Solving world hunger is one thing to strive for, but enhancing America's vocabulary is another! A website, FreeRice.com is singlehandedly attempting to change the world! On the site, you''ll be asked vocabulary questions, and for each correct answer, they'll donate 10 grains of rice to a developing country! The result? Full bellies and full minds. It's pretty addictive, and you'll learn some great new words like "patois" and "hawser." It also keeps track of your vocab level. Mine's 37--I don't know if that's good or bad!

Country Question of the Day

We strive to be helpful here at Tip O Da Day. So we are thinking, what have we done for the aspiring country song writer lately? The truth is not much…until today! So to offer some inspiration we invite our readers to suggest possible country music song titles. Use the comments and enjoy!

American Gladiator Tip of the Day

Friends, today is your lucky day, because NBC is bringing back American Gladiators, and they want you to try out!

The only requirements are:
- Must be a "warrior type," i.e. no Canadians
- Must be "BIG" (I hope they don't bring spandex back)
- Must be "bad," ex-cons feel free to apply
- Must be "athletic," so lay off the biscuits & gravy
- Must have "heart," sorry Tin-man
- Must have "skills," presumably with a bowstaff
- Must have "a desire to COMPETE," i.e. would you kill a man for a Klondike bar?

You will be tested in areas such as strength, speed, balance and agility. Also, you have to bring a non-returnable photo of yourself. (Ugly people need not apply!)

Go get 'em, tiger!

London Tip of the Day Part 7

Want to find platform 9 3/4? Look no further than King's Cross train station in London, just like it says in the book. Yes, you can literally follow the signs for platforms 9-11, and right there between platforms 9 and 10, you'll find platform 9 3/4. Because everyone wants to go to the platform and get to Hogwarts (I wish it actually took you there), they don't even look at you funny when you ask where it is!

London Tip of the Day Part 5

Still trying to save money on the big trip to London, but you really want to see some shows. They do have half price and discount ticket sales here. The only thing with these is that you should have looked up the prices on-line to see what you're willing to pay, and you'll need to ask them where the seats are. Seat pricing is odd here...you even pay more for certain seats in the movies! You in fact pay more to sit in the balcony at the movies! There is one theater here, I believe called the National Theater, where you pay 10 pounds and they have multiple stages with multiple productions going on. So with one price, you have a selection of plays from which to choose. So, if you're in town and want to see a play just to say you saw a play in London...there is one way to go! But if there is something specific, try the discount ticket places, you may just find a good deal.

London Tip of the Day Part 2

We all know that London is super expensive. The US dollar will only buy us half a pound. And, you see prices over here like 10 pounds for a hamburger at a restaurant after tips and such...just like in the states where it's $10, but here, that makes that hamburger $20! It's outrageous! So, we have to find ways to cut the cost a bit. One way to do that is to purchase the "London Pass" and include travel on it. The London Pass gets you %15 off certain restaurants and stores. It gets you entry into things that normally charge admission such as the Tower of London, Shakespeare's Globe Theater, the London Aquarium and such things. I'd recommend getting a 3-day pass so you can really make some good use of it! I've been told that one day just doesn't do the city justice. And the travel pass gets you on every subway and DLR (district line rail) to get you everywhere in London and its suburbs.

Simpson's Tip 'O Da Day

Ever wonder what you would look like through the eyes of the Simpson's creator? Wonder no more...check out www.simpsonizeme.com and see what you would look like if you showed up as a celeberty guest on the show.

German Living Tip of the Day Part 3

If you're ever in Germany, living or visiting, and you LOVE 80's music, well, you can simply turn on your radio. You're bound to find some. However, I've discovered an even cooler way to enjoy that retro rock. Look for a banner with the current dates outside any town. That's the indication that a giant "block party" for lack of a better term is going on close by. The Kuzel festival took place June 8-10. They had three different cover bands all playing music from or around the 80's. Folks, I've now seen it all...Germans head banging to a cover band version of Johny Cash's "Ring of Fire"! It's definitely German culture at its, uh, best? No really, it's fantastic. Baumholder is scheduled to hold theirs at the end of June. I hope it's a similar experience...Cinnimon roasted nuts, slushies, cotton candy, bratwurst, some Italian foods, those crazy cover bands, and of course, the beer flows like water well into the wee hours of the morning. Oh, and remember, in Europe, when they mark the date, 8.06.2007 actually means June 8, not August 6.

Summer Tip of the Day

If you are a teacher/student and choose not to work in the summer, here are some productive things you can do to occupy your time:

• Clean the Microwave
• Scrape paint off the front door
• Exercise
• Knit a dish rag
• Paint your bathroom

And here are some fun things you can do:

• Meet friends for lunch
• Read a book
  
• Shopping
• Watch a movie
• Take a trip
  

Driving in Germany Tip of the Day Part 2

Be extra cautious when spending New Years in Germany. The parties are bigger, and the beers are bigger. Not only are the beers about 60% larger than they are in the states, but they also contain 5% alcohol rather than the US standard of 3.5%. Yes, getting a beer at a bar is cheaper than buying a carbonated beverage, but if you're driving, that one beer thing might not be low enough. The legal limit for driving under the influence in Germany (DUI), is .05, unlike in the states where it is .08. Now, they do grade the punishment based on how over the limit you are, but all punishments come with at least a night in the slammer waiting for your buddies to bail you out. Or, the higher ranking officer if you're in the military. Or, the principal if you are a teacher. I've been told, however, that for the German New Year's celebration, the fireworks start at 11 and go well past 2 am with the whole town firing them off so you can see them at all 360 degrees!
To review, bigger parties, bigger beer, more alcohol per amount, and lower legal limit.

Ultimate Tip of the Day

If you like frisbee and/or hanging out with people, then come play Ultimate Frisbee on Wednesdays at Shillito Park at 6:30pm.

[Ed note: Also a reminder, that today is Cow Appreciation Day]
Update: Actually, it's JULY 13th. Our bad.

Swingin' on Main Tip of the Day

If you live in the Lexington area, you should check out Swingin' on Main on Saturday, June 9 from 7-11. It's FREE! There's a dance lesson from 7-8. It's located on Main Street right by Triangle Park. Also, grab a water bottle so you don't get dehydrated.

Free ROOT BEER FLOAT Tip of the Day

Editors' note: We wanted to get this tip up early so you can take advantage of this great tip!

Summertime is the perfect time to play Pinky and the Fonz.

Grab your baby, load your Ipod with 50's tunes, and head on over to Sonic for a cheap date at the drive-in.

Thursday, June 7 Sonic is giving away free root beer floats from 8pm-midnight.

Just be careful about making out in your car, it is a family-oriented restaurant!
Perhaps you should head out to Lookout-Point, or behind the Cunningham's house.

For more details and restaurant locations check out their site.

Friday Tip of the Day

Just because it's Friday, watch some reruns of "Full House" to remember those good old TGIF Friday nights!

Game Tip of the Day

The highly addictive game Wingnuts is now free for Mac users. They came out with a sequel, so they're giving away the old one now. Just go to Wingnuts 2 homepage and look in the right hand column for "Download WingNuts1 for FREE!"

Bee Tip of the Day

To quote Thor out of context, in reference to the term "Bladder Buster," , this tip "kinda makes me feel funny." Here is a tip about a few ways to learn from the mistakes of others in the art of bee keeping, and bee extermination. I think in a situation like this, it's best to call a professional!

You'll enjoy reading about this great tale of a couple guys getting a little too creative with bee-busting. (caution: language. caution: funniness.)

Derby Tip of the Weekend

We've developed a great strategy for betting at the races that guarantees you not swindling too much money, and benefiting those you care about. Oh, and not giving "the house" one penny. It's simple. You and your group of friends each decide to throw a set amount of money in a pot, and the person whose horse finishes closest to the top wins the pot. That way no one gambles away their life savings, and even if you lose, you know a good friend got your cash, and not Biggs Casino. And, you can probably con the day's "big winner" into buying everyone dinner or drinks afterward. :-)

Oompa Loompa Tip of the Day

There was some strong reaction to our troll tip of the day, that appeared well over a year ago. We need to follow up on some of the mythological humanoid beings that we left out.

Leprechauns are like elves in many ways yet are a distinct, if not as populous, species. Their wardrobe is very monochromatic, but unlike most celebrities aren't judged harshly by the public on their outfits. And they are celebrities, there is very little that will get children more excited in a grocery store than the sight of Lucky in the cereal aisle. Leprechauns are known for protecting things, and they me be a useful deterrent for Robert Goulet. Mr Goulet, has received significant training from Gnomes. They both like to mess with stuff just for the fun of it. Moving on to Tree Sprites, very little is known about them. The Keebler elves were not able to be reached for this story, it is thought that they have insider information on their fellow tree dwelling beings. When asking Tip O Da Day's Keiser about Tree Sprites, he kept changing the subject. Based on several behavioral qualities, tt is the suspicion of this reporter that Keiser was raised by Tree Sprites, but presently this claim is unsubstantiated. More is known about Oompa Loompa's thanks to their predominate role in the wildly popular Charlie and the Chocolate Factory books and movies. They are extremely moral and musical creatures. They despise the vices of human children and can compose songs on the fly about those vices.

RSS Followup of the Weekend

A few months ago we gave you an overview of RSS Feeds and how to use them. The problem is that you may not want to leave yet another program open and running all the time, it's just one more thing to check. How about email? Everyone who is even remotely interested in RSS Feeds already uses email. Check out RssFwd a little free service that will email you the contents of an RSS Feed every time it is updated! Just head to the site and type in our address: http://tips.petervcook.com and then it will ask for your email address.

Another little self promotional update. Amanda's Quotebook has been completely reprogrammed and it now 200% cooler than before. You can sort by quoter, the archive is all pretty and we've added an RSS Feed. So pair that with the above tip, and you could have an email delivered every time someone posts a new quote.

Jen Garner Tip of the Day

Or, better known as: "Things 'Garnered' From Watching Alias." If one of your missions sends you to an adult theater in Zurich (and let me stand on my soap box for one second...WHY has the word "adult" become associated with all that is evil, vile and foul?) and you happen to find a human head in a box under a seat, you might want to let a manager know. I mean, they should seriously fire their janitorial staff. To "overlook" a human head in a box is pretty much grounds for instant dismissal. Plus, who would WANT to be a janitor at an adult film theater? I'm sure a human head is only one of many disturbing things that could be found.

VCR Tip of the Day

Never use your VCR again!

TV stations has finally found a good way to embrace the internet. Most every major network lets you watch full episodes of their most popular shows online. Missed 24 or Prison Break, watch it at Fox's MySpace page. Want to watch Heros, check out NBC Rewind. A CSI or Survivor addict? CBS calls theirs Innertube. And we can't over look the original ABC who started doing this last year. They have Lost, Grey's Anatomy and six others. Count them all together and there are 39 shows with full episodes available free online!

You will be subject to at least some commercials. But the other night I watched 24, and only saw 1 minute of commercials total, sure beats the 20 minutes you usually get in an hour of TV programing.

Commercial Tip of the Day

Missed the game yesterday? Well catch the important parts. CBS has all the commercials posted on their website. Warning, their not that funny. Bet let us know in the comments which ones you like the best and hate the most.

Superbowl Tip of the Weekend

Superbowl Sunday is the one time of the year where you'll find non-sports-entusiasts like me and Teresa halfway kinda watching the tube. This is a tip for those of you, who like us, would rather do ANYTHING than spend 4 hours of your life watching football, but find it necessary to at least feign interest because of the social gathering. In fact, at the end of this tip, you'll look like a TRUE, DIE-HARD fan who spends every Sunday and Monday watching football. Here are a few things you should know:

• Don't refer to the game as a "match" by saying "who's winning the match?" or "that's quite a match we've got going on here." Call it a "game" or a "bout." :-)


• "Strikes" don't apply in football; only baseball, bowling and the California legal system. Similarly, things like "foul balls," "batters," "dugouts," and "pucks" aren't really often used in this sport.


• Don't act too excited about watching Prince during the halftime show. That's just weird.


• Don't act too excited about watching ANYTHING during the halftime show--people will be on to you that you don't like sports.


• When people score in football, sometimes known as a "touchdown," for whatever reason, they get either 6 or 7 points. No one really knows why, but it's just the way it works. So don't be alarmed when the opposing team scores and suddenly the score goes up by a gazillion points. You'll really embarrass yourself if you say, "They gave them 6 points!"


• While most people take bathroom breaks during commercials, you can take yours during the "match" itself. This will guarantee a freed-up bathroom (so take your time) and also means you get to miss some of the boredom.


• Volunteer to help cook the burgers, brats or nachos. This will make you appear selfless, and also require you to watch less of the big game.


• Contrary to popular belief, you can, and should, flush the toilet during halftime. The water companies can handle it.


• Just because the timer only has 15 minutes left on it does NOT mean you're only 15 minutes away from the end of the game. In fact, it probably means you're about 3 hours away from the end of the game (if you're lucky.) In football, we've found they like to stop and start all the time. Again, no one knows why. So don't plan on "being outta there" in 15 minutes. Plan for the rest of your life.


• Find out who's playing before-hand, so you don't make stupid remarks like, "what does CHI, or IND mean?"


• There's a superimposed line on the field. That's done in TV magic, not in real life. So don't ask how that moves. And that technology has now been in place for about 18 years. So if you act like it's the coolest thing ever, people will know you've not watched football in 18 years.


• When in doubt, cheer with the people you're with, and keep quiet if you're confused. Or, go to the bathroom. Again.

Purchasing Tip of the Day

Wew, it's Friday again…finally. The weekend is ahead and there are things to do. Maybe you want to go out to eat this weekend, do some home improvement or sign up for phone service. But where should you go, who should you choose? That is the hard part, and that is the newest area Tip O Da Day wants to be helpful. Today we are super proud to introduce the second new spin off site just this week. Pete & Jay proudly present:

Tip O Da Day Recommends…

It's a place where the Tip O Da Day staff reviews and imparts their findings using our patent pending "Recommended" or "Decommended" scale. This makes it easy to spot which businesses and products worthy of your business and which are worthy of collecting dust.

(Ok, so its a shameless plug disguised as a tip, we know, and we're find with that. How else are we going to announce it?)

Tractor Tip of the Day

When driving a tractor, it's generally customary to first understand exactly how the tractor works prior to hopping on it. For instance, be sure your tractor is in 4-low instead of 4-high, or else you might just end up tearing through a field and start freaking out because you can't remember what you're supposed to do to stop it. If you feel that you've finally mastered the art of tractordom, bring an iPod shuffle along and begin jamming to tunes. Because the tractor is noisy, you can likely sing as loud as can be without fear of others hearing you. Although, if they do hear you, they may in fact think that you are screaming like a school girl because the tractor has run you over. So, make the "rock and roll" fist symbol as seen in the illustration above to indicate that you are not screaming because you've been run over by a tractor, rather, you are merely enjoying your tunes. Should you need to scream like a school girl because you've been run over, be sure your iPod shuffle is NOT visible, and that you are NOT making the "rock and roll" fist symbol. Otherwise, the person who may come to your rescue will be heartily confused.

Spying Tip of the Day

Thanks to our friends Sydney and Jack Bristow from Alias for this tip. If you ever decide to extract someone who poses a TREMENDOUS threat to national security for WHATEVER purpose, don't under any circumstance handcuff him or her to a nearby railing while you go kill people. Chances are, he'll figure a way out and you shouldn't assume he'll be right where you left him. Just a thought. It may end up being something you regret for a long while. So, good luck with that. Come to think of it, don't extract someone like this ANYWAY!