Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with macgyver

kind of like MacGyver, but not really

changeling — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 16:11:11 -0800

New-fangled uses for everyday items? I'm writing a novel with a female MacGyver type, but much less tech-oriented (I've seen the other posts). She has a knack for making everyday items unexpectedly useful. Not just paper clips and coffee filters, but also items you'd usually discard -- plastic soda rings, broken toys, empty film canisters, shards of... whatever, and so on. I'm looking for websites, books and examples from your own life that fit the bill. I already know about Lifehacker.

If it helps, pretend you're a hoarder. What's your excuse for keeping that wine glass stem, or picking up that busted baby stroller (or abandoned cane, or plastic shoebox lid) in the alley?

His name is MacGyver. He can fix anything.

dejah420 — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 11:09:43 -0800

Help me create a MacGyver.-theme silly present. In a conversation about old TV, my husband mentioned how much he had liked MacGyver.. As an xmas present, I got him the first season CDs, but I thought it would be really fun to wrap up a bunch of MacGyver.-y type things to go with it. For instance, I already have duct tape and paperclips.

But, I never watched the show, so I don't know if there are some particularly iconic things I should include.

Hope me, MacGyver. fans!

Need to become the ultimate MacGyver. Suggestions?

gb77 — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 08:39:29 -0800

Need to become the ultimate MacGyver. Suggestions? I'm an author working on a novel where the hero is incredibly resourceful. He can make a hang glider out of a paperclip and a matchbook; disarm an ICBM with dental floss -- not that absurd, of course, but you get my meaning.

He needs knowledge of electronics, mechanics, chemicals, physics -- all that stuff. I'm not looking to become an expert, per se, but to have access to enough knowledge and resources to make the character believable. To make what he does *plausible*.

I'm open to *all* suggestions: books, videos, short classes I might take, etc. Anything. Help me, Hive Mind!

Thanks in advance.

How to safely moderate my radiator that has no knobs?

ecks — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 16:43:23 -0800

How to safely moderate my radiator that has no knobs? My studio apartment's heat is controlled by the landlord, and is just too hot. the radiator does not have any knob or other way of controlling the temperature. the landlord is no help, so i am on my own. how would one safely moderate my radiator? initial thought: put a blanket over it. second thought: that might be a fire hazard. is it? are there better ways of doing this?

How Do We Know the Garage Door Isn't Opening?

advicepig — Wed, 05 Sep 2007 11:32:05 -0800

So our garage door opener was randomly opening and I think I've solved it, but the real question is, how do I test it without leaving ourselves open to the world? We have an older garage door opener that came with our house. While we were away for the long weekend, our neighbors noticed it went up by itself a few times. They helpfully closed it and shut off the power to the opener.

Now that I think I've fixed the short that made it open, how can we know that the door isn't randomly opening while we're away? Rube Goldberg and MacGyver answers are encouraged.

Creative Mixer Applications

exceptinsects — Thu, 18 Jan 2007 17:57:26 -0800

What is the neatest thing you do (or have done) with your KitchenAid mixer? I, because I have a very very nice boyfriend, am now the proud owner of a bright red Artisan Series KitchenAid stand mixer. Yes, I rule.

In order to fully take advantage of the awesomeness of this gift, I would like to know what your favorite uses are.

Recipes are good; MacGyver-like creative applications are even better! (Preferably those that leave the mixer still usable for food preparation.)

Time to come in from the cold?

mdonley — Fri, 07 Apr 2006 08:28:07 -0800

Surviving, perhaps thriving, without a refrigerator? I live in a large city in Indonesia. I've just moved into a new house without many developed-world appliances. I can't afford a fridge until the end of this month, maybe longer.

What can I make which/that:

a) contains ingredients which require positively no refrigeration or freezing prior to/during/after cooking/eating
b) is nutritious (lower salt/fat/sugar, higher protein, etc)
c) is made of things I can find here (think rice and chicken, not quinoa and hummus)
d) is more ant-proof than not (it's bug central out here!)
e) can be made as a one-serving thing

I have:

a) a two-burner LPG-fuelled gas cooker (like a camp stove, I guess)
b) an electric/toaster oven
c) some basic kitchen tools: pots, pans, a can opener, a colander, utensils, plates, and a big knife and cutting board

There are lots of snacky foods (toast, etc) I can whip up with all this, but nothing dinner-worthy after a long day of hailing minibuses and sweating constantly.

Dietary and shopping considerations:

a) UHT (er, comes-in-a-box) milk is available, but is expensive for the single-serving packs I'd be forced to use, as it's got to be refrigerated after it's open; ditto cheese, yogurt, and other dairy stuff.

b) Eggs would be fine unrefrigerated in a temperate climate for a week or two, but here, food starts to go bad really fast because of the heat and humidity, so if I use eggs, I worry that I've got to buy them on the way home from work and use them immediately, but I have no idea about this, really.

c) Pasta is available but relatively expensive and fresh tomatoes, which form the basis of my internal pasta-sauce monologue, are mostly imported and apparently not ripe yet anywhere I've looked.

d) Fruit and vegetables are cheap and plentiful - mangoes, avocados, oranges, carrots, garlic, mushrooms, onions, etc; potatoes, squash, lentils, and peas aren't really part of the picture as far as I've seen.

e) Indonesia's predominantly Muslim environment means pork and alcohol are rare in stores and expensive when you find them.

f) Baking is still untested in the toaster oven, but theoretically possible according to the instruction manual.

g) I have to boil water before using it or I could die, horribly, of dysentery, giardia, and the like.

h) If I had to rank my Indonesian language skills on a scale of 1 to 10, I'd give myself a 2.

i) Rice is everywhere but in a dizzying array of varieties and I really don't know where to start. No rice cooker.

j) No money for a barbecue.

While I'm open to eating out more often than I usually would (it's certainly cheap enough), cooking asserts this notion I have that my house is a home and a place I want to spend time.

If I were back in the States, I'd be cancelling my cable to pay for organic veggies and whole wheat flour. This is my first time living by myself and I want to make it fulfilling, comfortable, and fun, and maybe learn to cook better along the way. I know you won't let me down. Thanks for your help!