List of sites which have lists

Since I am a list maniac I decided that my blog should have a list of websites that have lists.

1. Mental_Floss

 Let me tell you that I absolutely adore Mental floss.  They have been around for a very long time now. I don't subcribe to the magazine which started in 2001, but I am a regular at the site. Apart from lists like 11 dog breeds that no longer exist and 30 thing sturning 30 this year, they have a lot of fun articles, facts and trivia. And they research on and answer user questions. Anyone can submit a question to them! So over all it's a pretty good to place to get new trivia without feeling like you're being lectured.

2. Buzzfeed

I stalk their facebook page for new stuff. I literally go through  their whole feed and almost always end of reading most of their articles. All articles are in list format, and each point is accompanied with a pic of a GIF or a video.  Now, buzzfeed does not have original content. They collect viral content from stumbleupon, youtube, reddit and other places and compile them and then they post it. All their posts or feeds are collected from all over the web. The BuzzFeed homepage consists of a time-sequential list of posts from users and staff members.They encourage community posts and you can vote for your favourites . I have discovered so many recipes, projects, people and interesting information through buzzfeed that now I can't imagine not using it.

Check their    15 absurd fashion predictions and 27 things every parent does and you too will be clicking on all their posts like I do.

3.  List25

I came across this site by accident. I was going through some videos on youtube and found a video by them. I am so glad I did.  The site basically compile lesser-known intriguing information on a variety of subjects. They have incredible lists like 25 bizzare lawsuits you won't believe are real and 25 gift ideas for cat lovers. I could spend hours of my free time there. The design and interface is clean and it's very easy to navigate.

4.  Book Riot

This one has a niche audience. They are all about book reviews, writing and book related articles, and ofcourse book-related lists. It's a little difficult to find their lists but since I am a fan I look for them anyway. They have this feature calledcritical linking, which is their daily round up of bookish lists. Once you scroll down their feed, it's easy to spot. They do have other lists, here and there and you will eventually find them if you stick around. I would recommend it to all book lovers AND aspiring writers. 

 And Now  the mother of all list websites!

5.  Listverse

 

List maniacs will go crazy on this site! They have all kinds of lists, categories for lists and it's almost endless. Like mental_floss it's a site for trivia and facts on all topics. The lists you will find here are more diverse. You can spend hours and hours exploring all the lists they have. It is after all the original top 10 list place and has been featured on BBC Radio, Radio Scotland, Alabama Radio, BBC Television World News International, PBS, and in the New York Times. Very swag.

While writing this post I discovered a site for bucket lists; where you can track your bucket lists and connect with like minded people. I registered instantly, though have not started using it. 

P. S: ohyemzee so many lists!

How to not panic when you lose your data on your device

So last week I lost a lot of data on my pendrive which I use as a back up. My first reaction was to panic. 

Wouldn't anyone ?!

After 10 minutes of whining and trying to pull my hair off I googled my problems and came up with a few solutions.

Recovery software

One common thing that every article online suggested is using Recovery software and believe me you're spoiled for choice. Some of them will only let you view the data unless you buy it but many like Recuva and zar are pretty good free software. I tried quite a few but these worked. Recuva recovered files and images I had deleted way back in 2010-11. Unfortunately for me, the files I wanted could not be viewed even after recovery

Overwritten files will not be valid after recovery

That's what the saddest part was. While recovery softwares do work, all files may not be recovered. It's 50-50 chance. I didn't get back the files I desperatley wanted. Apparently, they had been over-written. 

Back up, back up and more back up

I for one thing beleive that we rely on technology too much and forget that they're machines and anything can go wrong! I used only my pendrive as back up. It wasn't even secure! Ideally I should have had more back up. So you should have 2-3 back up options for your important files. And that's where comes cloud storage

Cloud networks

Cloud computing is not a new concept but cloud storage is. These days cloud networks like dropbox and google drive are available and one can easily back up files. It's as easy as registering and you have unlimited space. Well, dropbox initially gives you limited space and you have to
 upgrade/recommend to get more space which is annoying. Google drive gives you loads of space and if you have a google account (which they make sure we invariably do!) you can just log in from your account and access your drive.  It's a relatively new feature but I wish I had done it when I came to know about it. 

Emails

If you feel that storing all your files on a cloud network is too invasive (which I feel it is, even though it's very convenient.) you can email your docs and pics to yourself. It is ofcourse more time consuming than just dropping all your files on a drive but is a little more private than the clouds. Plus an extra back up option. After the catastrophe I feel one can't have enough back up!. 

One more thing I learned while trying to find out why my files got deleted was- Free anti virus does not give you full protection!

Believe it or not, you do need more protection.  Even safe sites can bring viruses. So invest some money and pay for an anti-virus! I had always downloaded anti virus after my authentic paid for one ended. Which apparently was a big big mistake. So now I actually bought anti virus. I am not taking any chances! (Yes, I am pretty paranoid. )

 So  what would you have done if you lost your data? And what back up options do you use? 

How to do jugaad: Ways you can save money everyday

It's Monday and it's time for another How to post. I was wondering what to give my gyan without being to preachy. I was like jugaad karna padega. And so this week I am giving a step by step guide on How to do jugaad in your everyday life. 

First thing I did was google the word jugaad. And I was very surprised to find a wiki page about it. For me jugaad is about saving money instead of spending it on what I feel are over expensive items. ( I am very miserly) So here's my list  of jugaadu hacks for everyday life. 

The kitchen: Baking,  cooking and other kitchen related jugaad

Smoking vegetables: You don't need expensive equipment to smoke those capsicums. You just need a pair of wooden skewers, some coal and an earthern pot. Read my post on How to smoke vegetables here! It's pretty simple. Soon you will want to smoke everything. (Ok, maybe not your house!)

Using foil instead of expensive silicon mats to make nougat and other sugar candies: If you love working with sugar and want to experiment you don't need expensive silicon mats. You can easily make nougat and other sugar candies with foil. 

Use ziplock pouches and parchment paper as instant piping bags: I do this all the time. Though I also use proper piping bags for frosting with nozzles, when I am out of piping bags I just use washed ziplock pouches for piping. It's very easy, just fill the pouches and cut of one end like you would cut a piping back. You can wash and re-use the bags when you're done. Another alternative is washed milk packets. 

You can also use parchment paper to make instant cones for chocolate and sugar frostings. 

When short of 1 egg while baking : Don't panic if you've started baking and realise that you're short of an egg.