Have you ever been curious about the prescribed etiquette for meeting and communicating with members of the British Royal Family? The British Monarchy’s website will advise you how.

File this one away for future reference, here is how to ship a tiger to Canada. Seriously? That’s for you to decide

Here is a simple and clever how to that I found on Instructables - how to make your own shoulder strap for a tripod.

Here is a simple thing that you can do to reduce paper usage in your everyday: reduce the frequency of receiving your bank statements by paper or simply stop them all together and go electronic.

Quick, say something nice (the website) is a handy resource if you are drawing a blank and don’t have anything to say to your Sweet Baboo on Valentine’s Day or any other day that you need to say something nice to someone.

Via Pop Candy

Even though Adobe has recently released a security patch for Reader and its Acrobat products, PDF files are still susceptible to some nasty trojan horse virusing (I know that ‘virusing’ is not a proper word).

In this case, hackers use malicious banner ads as a host for an infected PDF. The PDF then installs the Zonebac Trojan, which sets to work deactivating antivirus products, modifying search results, and changing banner ads.

Adobe’s 8.12 update supposedly plugs the loopholes that the Zonebac delivery system exploited, but the company has declined to give any information on what, exactly, the update changed. The lack of information is disappointing (though not surprising), but Adobe’s failure to address the issue in a timely manner raises questions about the firm’s commitment to security. An 18-day gap between the appearance of a verified exploit and the release of a patch isn’t exactly impressive, and this particular issue had been on Adobe’s radar for months. iDefense Labs first reported the existence of this particular buffer overflow vulnerability in early October 2007.

The attack has raised some questions regarding the security of the PDF standard

via arstechnica

What a clever idea - use an old walkman to camouflage and protect your ipod.

Found this on Curbly, a list of alternative uses for plastic container lids. While some do not seem so practical (not sure I get the garbage bag one), the list does have some uses. Chief among them the non-stick pan scrapers.

Read on to see 6 more.

Funky DIY tip over on Curbly. Follow these instructions to transform a cereal box into a snazzy gift box.

Have an urge to hide? Follow this link to peruse a list of top hiding places.

The Guardian has a free mp3 download of Bruce Springsteen and the E-Street Band’s new single ‘Radio Nowhere’. You can see the blurb about the free download here, or just download it here (use the old right-click save target/save-as). Evidently this is a limited time offer that is good for one week starting yesterday (the 28th). You can also get the song for free this week from itunes.

If you do download the song, give it a listen and let me know what you think. For me the song is good, but not great, especially as a lead off single for an album. It has a classic Springsteen and E-Street Band sound, but does not hit me like a rockin’ track. To me, it’s more of an album track. Although, Clarence Clemons sax playing while brief is delicious.

‘Radio Nowhere’ is the first single from the upcoming album ‘Magic’, which is to be released on October 15.

‘Magic’ Song Titles:
1. Radio Nowhere
2. You’ll Be Comin’ Down
3. Livin’ in the Future
4. Your Own Worst Enemy
5. Gypsy Biker
6. Girls in Their Summer Clothes
7. I’ll Work for Your Love
8. Magic
9. Last to Die
10. Long Walk Home
11. Devil’s Arcade

‘Magic’ is the first new studio album by Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band since 2002’s GRAMMY Award-winning, multi-platinum, number one album ‘The Rising’ (Columbia Records), which was also produced by O’Brien.

Bruce Springsteen’s longtime manager Jon Landau said, “‘Magic’ is a high energy rock CD. It’s light on its feet, incredibly well played by Bruce and the members of the E Street Band, and, as always, has plenty to say. It’s also immensely entertaining. ‘Magic’ is the third collaboration between Bruce and Brendan O’Brien and is a culmination of their very productive creative relationship.”

• -The first season of the NBC TV show Friday Night Lights is out on DVD. The notable point is that it comes with a money-back guarantee (via pop candy).

  -There has been a lot of talk about the rise of China as an economic beast (maybe, maybe too much talk). The American has an article that takes us back to when the US was in fear of Japan and its economic power (via arts & letters daily).

  -Looks like I missed this one - Sustainablebusiness published (a month ago) its top 20 sustainable businesses list, comprised of the top 20 publicly traded companies that make this world a better place.

  -Here is how to carve a life-sized skeleton pumpkin.

  -Aston Martin has something special coming in early 2008 - the DBS. You might remember it from Casino Royale.

DYI Life (which is a handy site by the way) has some handy advice for a former cop on how to respectfully talk you way out of a ticket. Pop over here for the skinny.

Need to know when the season (or possibly series) finale of your favourite show will hit the airwaves? Check out this handy guide.

via Pop Candy

How garlic can help get rid of a bad odour, as posted on Curbly by infekta:

One day a specific area in my apartment smelled like a dead mouse….My mother suddenly recalled something my grandmother once said: “peel the shell from the garlic and cut it in to little pieces and put it where you think the smell is coming from”.

Said and done, and within a few hours the odour was gone. Thank goodness, I couldn’t stand the smell… This has happened twice now and each time at different locations. It’s really weird.

Has anyone of you experienced something like this?

Ps. If it still smells when the garlic has dried (it will sooner or later) all you have to do is to cut off the dry parts and you can use them again…

Here are some different ways to go about carmelizing onions.

1. A whole bunch of ideas from the readers of Chow.com

2. A very detailed step-by-step method at Allrecipes.com

1. From About.com

Here’s How:

1. Slice onions into 1/4-inch wide rings.
2. Heat butter or combination of butter and oil in heavy skillet.
3. Add onions and a small amount of sugar (optional) and slowly cook over medium heat.
4. Cook until onions are caramel colored, stirring often, 30 to 40 minutes.
5. For more flavor, add a touch of vinegar at the end of cooking, stirring to deglaze the pan.

Tips:

1. Large, mild-flavored onions work best.
2. Carmelized onions can be frozen in an airtight container up to three months.
3. To remove onion smell from hands, wash with soap and then rub hands against a chrome faucet.

Check out this tip on how to make your own coasters out of records. As cool as this looks, I have to wonder whether destroying a great LP is really a wise thing to do to have a nice coaster. The only alternative would be to take a crap record and tear that up, but then your coaster features a crap record. Seems like a catch-22 to me.

Chow.com has this creative and very useful piece on how to go about eating those messy and hard to handle foods like lobster, Peking duck, and peas.

Got water or other liquids on your tie? The best, and I mean best, way to deal with it is to dab and then rub the spot with the same material as the tie. So, if it is on the front - wide - part of the tie, take the thin end and use that. It works for me, it will work for you.

Men’s Health Magazine has asked a few gourmet chefs to weigh in on their ideas of food substitutions when certain key ingredients are not available.

Ingredient Swaps

Produce Possible substitute(s)
Potatoes/carrots Parsnips
Spinach Chard/Kale
Zucchini Yellow or summer squash
Plums Peaches, nectarines or pluots
Butternut squash Sweet potatoes; yams; pumpkin; kabocha or acorn squash
Broccoli Cauliflower
Mango Papaya, pineapple
Onions Leeks; green onions (scallions); shallots
Arugula Watercress; dandelion greens