Sneakiest Uses for Everyday Things

September 1, 2003
Offering readers a chance to become real-life MacGyvers, Tymony (Computer Gamer's Survival Guide) shares a mixed bag of useful and useless tricks. The book, which may remind 007s-in-training of The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook, offers sections on gimmicks, gadgets and survival techniques (the last section is by far the most valuable). Tymony's tips for fashioning gel packs for swollen muscles (out of water, rubbing alcohol and a plastic bag) and for making a fire extinguisher out of kitchen supplies (with baking soda and vinegar) are undoubtedly functional. But other suggestions, such as placing bubble wrap underneath a doormat to alert you when someone's standing on the other side of your door, or making a videotape rewinder out of a paper clip and a hanger, are somewhat farfetched. Still, adventurous, inquisitive teens may delight in a book that shows them how to"use ordinary objects as sneaky weapons."