Old School: Wisdom From Grandma & Grandpa

Common sense, hard-won lessons and the way our grandparents did it, from the people who lived it. Still works.

The BRO Code. What to do, what not to do, and a few laughs on the way.

Nobody has improved on the combination square

A steel rule, a sliding head and a locking nut. It's been doing the same jobs for over a century, and the fancy replacements keep losing to it.

GuidePreparednessWes DunbarOct 11, 20265 min

A Five-Gallon Bucket Is Your Bathroom Plan B

When the taps go dry, the toilet is the first thing that fails. Set up the bucket, the hand-washing station, and the trash plan before you need them.

Ask BRO

Build me a revision plan that I will actually stick to

Ask it

GuideSurvival & Self-DefenseWes DunbarOct 10, 20265 min

Fall through the ice and the first minute is the dangerous one

Cold water kills in stages, and each stage has a counter. Learn the order before the ice teaches it to you the hard way.

GermProof.com — An invisible germ barrier on your skin for hours

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Tools & Organizing6 min read

The tape measure has earned its spot on the wall

The hook on the end is loose on purpose, the blade is curved for a reason, and nobody has beaten the design in about a century and a half.

Poll

Where does your phone charge overnight?

GuidePreparednessWes DunbarOct 11, 20265 min

Bleach can make water safe. The label decides if it will.

Eight drops per gallon is the number to know, but most failures happen before the first drop. Here's what the EPA says and where people go wrong.

GuideSurvival & Self-DefenseWes DunbarOct 10, 20265 min

Read the sky before the storm reads you

Storms announce themselves hours ahead. Learn the order the clouds arrive in, what the wind is doing, and when to turn around.

Dude.com — 16 AI advisers who listen, talk and are here with you

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StoryCarsDean ShawOct 10, 20266 min

The tire gauge nobody has managed to improve on

A small metal tube with a needle has outlasted every gadget built to replace it. Here's why it earned a spot in the Hall, and how to buy one that stays accurate.

Quiz

Does your wardrobe actually fit you?

Five questions, honestly answered, and a plan for the next two weeks.

GuidePreparednessWes DunbarOct 11, 20265 min

Down for wind, up for gas: how to shelter in place

Shelter in place means different rooms for different dangers. Here's the order of moves, the room to pick, and what to keep in it before you need it.

GuideSurvival & Self-DefenseCal BrennanOct 10, 20265 min

Panic isn't what gets people killed. The next bad move is.

Fear is normal and you can't switch it off. What you can do is slow your next decision down, and that's a skill you can practice before you need it.

Ask BRO

What should I wear to this?

Ask it

StoryGarden & YardWes DunbarOct 10, 20265 min

The square shovel and the hoe have nothing left to fix

Two flat blades on two long sticks do most of the work in any yard. Here's why nobody has beaten them, and how to buy ones your kids will inherit.

Names.com — The name is the first thing you sell

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GuidePreparednessSam OrtizOct 11, 20266 min

Two ways out of every room, and a drill the kids will ask for

A fire escape plan takes one evening to build and ten minutes twice a year to practice. Turn it into a race and your kids will want to run it.

Poll

How often do you see your closest friends?

GuideSurvival & Self-DefenseWes DunbarOct 10, 20265 min

Search and rescue starts looking at your kitchen table

The search for a missing hiker begins with a piece of paper, a phone call and a time. Here's how teams find people, and what you can do before you leave.