* Illustration: Mark Allen Miller * ...Throw a football
The key: Don't flail. The power should come from your legs and core, not your arm. We know, we know, easier said than done. But with these basic steps and a few humiliating days of practice, no one will believe you were the perennial last pick in PE.
— Paul Boutin
1 Hold the pigskin with your fingertips on the threads. (If your hand doesn't fit comfortably in the middle of the ball, slide your grip forward.)
2 Cock the ball to your ear. Turn your body perpendicular to the receiver, but keep your front foot pointed at him.
3 Step forward with the lead foot and — using the momentum of your body as it uncoils toward the target — start your launch. (If the receiver is running, remember to aim where he is going rather than at him.)
4 As you release, snap your wrist so the ball spins in a spiral.
5 Follow through so your throwing hand ends up at your opposite hip, thumb pointing toward your body.
Illustration: Jason Lee...Bluff a Music Geek
Ever been smacked down by a friend with an encyclopedic knowledge of music? You can fight back without really having a clue. — David Thorpe
Adopt obscure tastes. So obscure they're nonexistent. Tell your friend you're a big fan of the Egyptologists or some other made-up group. (What's he gonna say — "I've heard of every band, and that's not one of them"?) If he can't get a handle on your palate, your opinions are unimpeachable.
Answer questions with questions. "I think I've heard of Flop. Who was their manager?" Checkmate. It's surely not your fault this so-called fan can't provide enough background info to help you pluck Flop from your mental jukebox.
Use the magic words. To paint bands you know nothing about with broad, meaningless strokes, you need only two adjectives: overrated and underrated. With careful use, you can position yourself as a sophisticated critic of criticism, a qualified judge of not just music but the canon itself. Leg-sweep your foes with baffling pronouncements. The Beatles? Underrated.
Illustration: Jason Lee...Swap SIM Cards in GSM Phones
The smarmy kid at the AT&T store will make this out to be a Herculean task. It's not. For many phones, all you need is a business card. 1 // Copy all the contacts from your phone's memory to the SIM card. This can usually be done via the contacts (or phone book) menu. Better yet, back up everything to your computer first. 2 // Open the phone's back cover and remove the battery. The SIM should be sitting in a plastic tray held in place by one or more thin metal strips. Slide a corner of your business card under the SIM and push down gently on the SIM with your index finger. Pull out both the card and the SIM. 3 // Pop the SIM into your new (unlocked) phone, trash the business card, and start yakking. — Daniel Dumas
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