David Pogue is the Rosetta Stone of the 21st Century.
He takes complicated, novel-sized instructions for technology — everything from DVRs to cell phones to software programs — and makes them understandable to a person who just happens to not have a degree in information technology.
He shares his knowledge through his columns on Yahoo! Tech (after 13 years as a New York Times columnist) and writes an amazingly prolific number of books. He also gives TED talks about how to make the tech in your life work for you instead of the other way around.
One talk garnered nearly 4.2 million views. He decided he should write a book on the topic and expand it from his six-minute speech.
That book, “Pogue’s Basics for Life,” will come out in several months. He hates calling the advice he gives life hacks, but in today’s Facebook-crazed world, we’re calling it as we see it. He wanted to weed out the ones that don’t work (like putting your car key’s wireless clicker to your chin to make it broadcast farther) and share ones that do. Here are three he shared during his recent visit to the University of Utah:
1) Every wonder what side of the rental car your gas tank is on? Look at your gas gauge in any car, and you’ll see a picture of a gas pump with an arrow next to it. If the arrow is on the left, so is your gas tank, and vice versa.
2) When you see a large, green exit sign on the highway, have you noticed the small number attached to the top? If it’s on the right, so is your exit, and vice versa.
3) Book hotel rooms on your phone to save money. Hotels are trying to capture last-minute customers, and even when you’re booking well in advance, you can save money by accessing your hotel’s site from your phone instead of a laptop or desktop.
In addition to sharing some life hacks, Pogue also discussed privacy in the world of big data. Check out what he had to say in the video below.
Do you have any life hacks that have worked for you?