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Dan’s Biz Bookshelf: Pogue’s Basics

Pogue’s Basics: Essential Tips and Shortcuts (That No One Bothers to Tell You) for Simplifying Your Day

David Pogue is one of my favorite reporters on CBS Sunday Morning, which is one of my favorite programs. He is also the technology reporter for the New York Times. He is the opposite of what you’d expect for a tech reporter for the “Old Gray Lady.” His Techno Santa features every December are not to be missed.

By the way, he will be the keynote speaker at IPC APEX EXPO 2022, which should be a lot of fun.

Speaking of fun, that’s what this book is all about. It’s filled to overflowing with relevant (and sometimes irrelevant) tips on how to do things, how to perform some of the “basics of life.” Here’s some examples:

• When the ketchup is stuck in the bottle, you can get it flowing by holding it (making sure the cap is on tight) and swinging your arm in a circle.
• When you don’t have your reading glasses, if you peek through a small hole you make with your fingers, you’ll actually be able to read small type.
• When you’re on the highway and see a sign indicating your exit in half a mile. The placement of the small sign with the exit number on top of the sign indicates if the exit is on the left or the right.
• Using a hairdryer on your “empty” ink cartridge to get more ink out it, down to the last drop.
• How to sharpen your scissors by using cutting sandpaper with them.
• Using baby oil to polish stainless steel.
• How to tell if your USB connector is upside down. The side that has a groove in the connector is always the bottom of that connector.
• Self-proofreading your own writing by changing the font which will make it look like someone else’s and allow you to objectively see the errors more easily. (I should try that one)
• A listing and explanation of most of the online scams from the Nigerian prince who wants to give you millions of dollars, to the pre-approved credit card scam, and others.

And many more from how to find the cheapest flights using your phone, to the three-cent trick to stay awake behind the wheel, and how to revive stale bread and wilted greens.

As you probably gathered by now, this book is fun with a bit of tongue-in-cheek humor added in as well. It’s a fun read and a true harbinger of what we can expect from Pogue’s keynote in San Diego.

Dan Beaulieu is president of D.B. Management Group.

Pogue’s Basics: Essential Tips and Shortcuts (That No One Bothers to Tell You) for Simplifying Your Day

Author: David Pogue

Publisher: Copyright 2015 by Flatiron Books

Price: $19.95

Pages: 228