| How to Use a Manual Typewriter Posted: 23 Mar 2019 01:00 AM PDT Manual typewriters have plenty of vintage charm, but there are practical reasons for using them, too. Typewriters can create neat type on oddly-shaped envelopes or papers, and they can be fun to tinker with. If you've never used a manual typewriter before, there are a few things you need to know before you can begin. EditSetting the Margins - Slide the margin set on the right-hand side of the typewriter. Before you start typing, you'll want to make sure that your margins are set correctly. The right-hand margin set is usually located next to the larger carriage release lever at the top right of the typewriter. The margin sets usually look like metal brackets at the very top of the typewriter. They may have a button you have to press before you can move them.[1]
- Move the margin set on the carriage until it is located at your desired right margin. Some typewriters have a ruler built in for measuring an exact margin. If yours doesn't, you may want to use a tape measure or a ruler to get accurate margins. Standard margins for a typewriter are all the way around the paper, although some people prefer on the sides.[2]
- Repeat the process for the left-hand side. Once you get your right margin, set the left-hand margins to match by sliding the left margin set along the carriage. The margins should remain set until the next time you press the margin-set levers.[3]
EditTyping on the Typewriter - Flip up the paper guide and place a piece of paper behind the cylinder. When you're ready to type, you'll need to put paper in your typewriter. You can use regular copy paper in your typewriter, although some writers prefer a heavier stock. Look for the paper lock (or paper guide), a bar located above the keyboard. Flip it up and slide your paper behind the roller, or cylinder.[4]
- Turn either cylinder knob until the paper comes up under the guide, then secure it. Once the paper appears, keep rolling until the carriage is located where you want to start typing. Remember that for most papers, your top margin should be . When the paper is where you want it to be, push the paper lock back into place.[5]
- Adjust the paper if necessary by pressing the paper release lever. If you need to make a small adjustment to the alignment of your paper, pull the paper lock forward again and press the paper release lever. Fix the paper, then push back the paper lock and the paper release lever.[6]
- Push the carriage to the right as far as it will go to begin typing. To start typing, use the carriage-return lever to push the carriage all the way to the right. When you have finished typing your first line, you should hear a bell.
- Return the carriage to its original position with the carriage-return lever. This will automatically drop you down to a new line. The line space lever is generally on the left side of the carriage.[7]
EditChanging the Ribbon - Change the ribbon when the type begins to fade. The ribbon is what transfers the ink to the paper when you strike a key. If you notice that your typing is starting to fade, it's probably time to change the ribbon.
- Press the shift-lock key and move the color control lever to the red dot. For most typewriters, engaging the shift-lock key, shifting the color control lever, then depressing 2 central keys at the same time will release the type bars and raise the ribbon carrier. If this doesn't work for yours, you may need to consult your user manual.[8]
- If your typewriter didn't come with a user manual, look online to see if you can find a copy. There are websites designed by typewriter enthusiasts containing manuals for almost every typewriter model that has been produced.
- Pay careful attention to how the ribbon is threaded through the carrier. Once your ribbon carrier is raised, look carefully to see how the ribbon is threaded so you'll be able to put it back in the same way. If you need to, draw a diagram to help you remember.[9]
- Lift the spools straight up or press the release lever for a cartridge. Most vintage typewriters use ribbon spools. If this is the case, you will lift the spools straight up to remove the old ribbon. Some later models, however, used cartridges. If this is the case, you should see a cartridge release lever. Press this, then remove the old cartridge and discard it.[10]
- Slide the new ribbon spools into place or snap in the new cartridge. Once you've discarded the old ribbon, carefully place the new ribbon in the ribbon carrier exactly how the old one sat. If you're using spools, the ribbon should wind from the back of the spools. A cartridge should easily snap into place.[11]
- Remove slack from the ribbon. Once your ribbon is correctly installed, you'll re-engage the type bars to hold it in place. Release the shift-lock key, then carefully turn either spool to take up any slack in the ribbon.[12]
EditMaintaining Your Typewriter - Clean the machine each time you use it. Use a small brush or a can of air duster to remove any dust and other debris that might build up on your typewriter. Dirt can get down into the type mechanisms, clogging them up and causing your keys to stick.[13]
- Cover your typewriter when it's not in use. Covering your typewriter will extend its life by protecting it from dust that's in the air. If you don't have a cover, try laying a pillowcase or a small blanket across your typewriter when you're not using it.[14]
- Oil your typewriter occasionally. You don't need to use much oil on your typewriter, but a little oil can help keep the parts functioning. How often you oil your typewriter depends on how often you use it — if you use it every day, oil it about once a week. Use the end of a pin or paper clip to apply a lightweight oil (such as gun oil) to the carriage rails.[15]
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| How to Help Someone with Anger Issues Posted: 22 Mar 2019 05:00 PM PDT Anger is a common emotion and can easily spiral into rage, so there's a chance you will someday encounter a friend, family member, or partner who has trouble controlling their anger. You can help them, first and foremost, by reeling in your own emotions, as becoming upset yourself will likely worsen the problem. After responding appropriately and de-escalating their anger, try motivating them to get help for their anger. Having a loved one with a fiery temper can be stressful, so be sure to look after yourself too. EditDefusing Tension in the Moment - Stay calm during tense situations. If your loved one gets angry, the only way you can effectively defuse the situation is by getting a hold on your own anger. Losing your own temper will only make matters worse. Breathe in and out deeply. Count silently to 100 or go splash water on your face to clear your head.[1]
- Speak in an even, moderate tone of voice. Lower your voice, so that it's just above a whisper. Doing this helps you maintain calm without shouting, but it also reinforces appropriate communication. Your loved one will likely follow suit and lower their voice, too.[2]
- Give your full attention when listening. Many angry people get that way because they feel no one is listening to them. Turn off your loved one's angry switch by giving them 100% of your attention. Turn to face them and hear them out without interrupting.[3]
- Being a good listener could help defuse the situation completely. Be sure to pay attention to the underlying issue.
- Show compassion towards the other person. Your loved one may act angry because they don't believe they are being heard or understood. Be sure to validate their experience and let them know that you are taking them seriously and respect their opinions.[4]
- Demonstrate your understanding by using reflection techniques. This might sound like, "I can see why you feel angry about the teller being rude to you," or "I think I understand the problem. You feel overlooked."
- Assert your boundaries. Insist that your angry loved one treat you with respect. In a calm and cool manner, say something like, "I will leave if you don't stop shouting," or "I won't continue this conversation if you engage in name-calling."[5]
- Once a boundary has been communicated, be firm and follow through if the person crosses the line.
- Use "I" statements to discuss the problem. You want to steer clear of criticism or blame, so interact using "I" statements that convey your needs without placing blame. These statements don't attack the other person, but they do let you communicate how you feel about the issue.[6]
- For example, instead of saying "You are always shouting at me!" say "I feel anxious when you shout. Can we try to use indoor voices?"
- Resist the urge to give advice. Angry people often view advice as criticism, so avoid trying to fix their problem. Just actively listen. If you want to try to work out whether your loved one merely wants to vent or needs a solution, ask them— after they've finished talking.[7]
- You might ask, "Do you want help with the problem or did you just want to get everything off your chest?" before you try to offer advice. Or, you could say, "I understand your anger. How can I help?"
- If your loved one tends to view you as critical, save your solutions for another time when they've cooled off.
- Take a break if you need one. If you feel under attack or overwhelmed during communication with an angry person, ask for a timeout. You might say, "I don't think we're going to reach an agreement if we're shouting at each other. Let's take 10, okay?" Go someplace where you feel safe and get your own emotions under control.[8]
- Listen to soft music, watch a silly YouTube video, or call someone who tends to calm you down.
EditInspiring Change - Focus on the issue, not the person. Have a talk letting your loved one know how their angry behavior affects you without making it seem like they're the problem. This increases the odds of them cooperating with you and shows that you are concerned.[9]
- Say, "I've noticed you're angry a lot lately. It prevents us from connecting like we used to. It'd make me feel better if you talked to someone about it."
- Take note of patterns regarding what angers the person to determine underlying issues. For instance, if they often get upset when people gossip about them, the underlying issue may be that they value privacy.
- Once you've determined the underlying issue, you can help the person develop strategies or create boundaries to deal with it. For example, if the person values privacy, you could caution them not to share personal information with their co-workers if it leads to office gossip.
- Become aware of the anger scale. Anger doesn't usually start out as anger. It may begin as annoyance, which increases to frustration, irritation, anger, and rage. Learn to identify signs of annoyance in your loved one so you can help de-escalate the situation before they become explosively angry.
- If your loved one seems to jump straight to anger or rage, skipping the earlier stages, it would be beneficial for them to receive professional help to identify their triggers and learn intervention strategies to diffuse their anger.
- Offer to accompany them when seeing a professional. Don't just tell your loved one they should get help without offering your support. Tell them that you are willing to help them find a therapist or an anger management class. Offer to drive them to sessions and sit in the waiting room if they'd like.[10]
- Pick your battles. You won't make any headway if you have a tendency to nag your loved one about their anger problem. Plus, not every single issue requires a disagreement. Try to be selective when addressing issues. Pick your battles based on whether you feel like your boundaries have been violated.[11]
- Also, choose your battles based on timing. Aim to talk through difficult issues when your loved one is calm, sober, and in a relatively positive mood.
- Encourage your loved one to decrease their stress levels. People who are stressed are more likely to get angry more quickly, as stress feeds anger. If your loved one has a lower stress baseline, it will take more time for them to reach the anger stage. This gives you more time to recognize the early signs of anger and take steps to calm them down.
- Your loved one could try meditation, yoga, exercising, breathing exercises, or other strategies to control their stress.
- Be patient. Working with a loved one who has anger issues is like the waltz: you will take nearly as many steps backward as you do forward. Strive for patience with the person as they come to acknowledge they have a problem with anger.
EditCaring for Yourself - Confide in a trusted friend. Offering your support to someone with anger issues can feel draining. Be sure to get support of your own by reaching out to close friends and family. Ask them to hear you out as you talk through problems or simply distract you when you don't want to discuss the issue.[12]
- Avoid gossiping about the angry person or rehashing their issues. Instead, focus on what you need to do to de-stress.
- Spend time with happy people. If everyone in your social circle is angry, you may become angry too. This is because people have a tendency to mimic the behavior of those around them. Make sure you have a well-rounded social circle that includes generally happy or optimistic people as well.
- Practice self-care. An angry environment can make you feel stressed out or anxious. Combat stress with regular self-care activities, like getting a massage, listening to soothing music, soaking in a warm bath, or doing relaxing yoga sequences.[13]
- It's fine to want to support your loved one, but try to carve out some "me time" a few days each week to do nourishing activities to fill yourself back up.
- Attend an anger management support group. Another way to get support is by seeking out others who understand what you are going through. Locate anger management support groups in your local area and consider attending a few meetings.[14]
- You might feel relieved to hear that others are having similar experiences. Plus, they may have useful advice to help you cope.
- Get help if anger turns violent. If your loved one becomes abusive, all bets are off. It is never okay to hurt someone else out of anger. At that point, you must direct your energy towards keeping yourself safe. Leave the environment if possible. Call a friend, family member, or speak to someone anonymously on a helpline.[15]
- If your spouse becomes violent, contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233.
- If you are a child and afraid of an adult with violent tendencies, contact the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child.
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| How to Kill Ants in Your House Posted: 22 Mar 2019 09:00 AM PDT Common house ants, which are less than long, are primarily a nuisance that you can squash or spray to kill. However, to get rid of the entire colony, use poisoned bait stations and let the worker ants destroy their own nest. If you have carpenter ants in your home—which are long and nest in damp or rotted wood—it's important that you eliminate the colony right away. Dig into the damaged area, eradicate the nest with insecticide, and make repairs, or hire a pro to do the job. EditKilling Individual Ants - Smash individual ants with your shoe or a paper towel. This is the most low-tech solution, but it will definitely kill an ant! However, even if you only see a single ant, you should always assume that there are many more in your home.[1]
- Scout ants leave scent trails for other ants to follow, so even squashing every ant you see won't stop an infestation. To do that, you need to either track down the nest and eradicate it with insecticide, or place poison bait stations in your home so the scout ants carry the poison back to their nest.
- Spray ants with soapy water if you'd prefer not to squash them. Add a single squirt of liquid dish soap to a spray bottle of tap water, then shake up the mixture before using it. When you spray an ant with the mixture, the soapy water interferes with the ant's respiratory system and suffocates it, usually within a minute or so.[2]
- Keep the spray bottle handy, since you'll almost certainly see more ants until you eradicate the nest. Shake up the bottle each time before using it.
- Use a bug killer marketed for ants if you don't mind using chemicals. Bug sprays that kill on contact typically interfere with an ant's respiratory system, meaning they kill in much the same way as soapy water. They'll probably kill even more quickly, but they also contain chemicals that you may be wary of spraying in your home.[3]
- Especially if you have pets or kids at home, or if the ants are in your kitchen, you may want to use soapy water or your shoe to kill individual ants.
- Sprinkle diatomaceous earth to kill ants in high-traffic areas. If you notice several ants moving along a baseboard or near a crack, sprinkle some food-grade diatomaceous earth (DE) in that area. DE may kill any ant that walks over it, and will almost certainly kill any ant that eats it.[4]
- DE is made up of the crushed, fossilized exoskeletons of tiny aquatic organisms. Its jagged texture can cause fatal injuries to ants that walk over it, and will essentially tear apart the insides of an ant that eats it.
- DE is considered safe for use around humans and pets. However, don't inhale the fine granules, as they can cause irritation to your breathing passages.[5]
EditEliminating a House Ant Colony - Lay out an "ant buffet" to see which bait food the ants prefer. Many types of ants, including common house ants, prefer different types of foods at different times. To determine the preference of the colony that's invading your house, add a squeeze of honey, a dollop of peanut butter, and 1-2 potato chips to a piece of cardboard. Place the cardboard in an area where you've noticed ant traffic, and wait 1-2 days to see which food the ants are eating.[6]
- If the ants prefer the honey, for example, then you know they are currently interested in sweet foods. Use this knowledge when you shop for ant bait stations.
- Buy ant bait stations that match up with the ants' current food preference. Some ant bait stations use a generic bait that will probably work for you, but others list specific baits, such as "for sweet-eating ants" or "for grease-eating ants." If you can find these specific baits at your local hardware store, buy the type that corresponds to the results of your "ant buffet" test.[7]
- Designs vary by brand, but each individual bait station often looks like a tiny plastic igloo with 4 openings, stuck on top of a roughly square of plastic or cardboard.
- Alternatively, you can make your own bait stations by mixing up a paste from of water, 0.5 c (120 g) of sugar, and 2 tbsp (30 g) of Borax, then spreading it on small pieces of cardboard. Borax is toxic if ingested, however, so this isn't safe if you have pets or kids.[8]
- Set out the bait stations in areas where you see ant activity. Scout ants lay a scent trail for their companions to follow, so ants tend to use the same pathways over and over again. Identify several areas with high ant traffic and place the bait stations there. The ants will take over the job from there![9]
- Worker ants will collect the solid, liquid, or gelatinous poison inside the bait stations—which they think is tasty food—and bring it back to their nest to share. From there, the poison will quickly spread through and decimate the colony.
- Bait stations are generally safe to use around kids and pets, so long as they don't break into the "igloo." Follow the instructions on the package if a child or pet ingests any of the poison, or contact a poison control center or emergency services.
- Keep the bait stations in place until all ant activity has ceased. Leave the bait stations out until you haven't noticed any ant activity for 2-3 days. Depending on the type of bait station, you may be advised to replace it after a set period of time, such as 1 or 2 weeks. If so, keep putting out new bait stations until you don't see any more ants.[10]
- Err on the side of leaving the bait stations out longer than necessary. You want to make sure that every single ant in the colony has consumed and been killed by the poison. If only some of the ants have been killed, the colony may rebound.
- Take simple measures to prevent future ant invasions of your home. If you keep your house clean, put food away, and block easy access points, you can go a long way toward eliminating ant infestations. Try the following:
- Sweep up crumbs and clear away food scraps after every meal.
- Take out the trash daily, and don't leave dirty dishes in the sink overnight.
- Seal food containers tightly.
- Seal any gaps or cracks in walls, window trim, door jambs, etc. with caulk.
- Sprinkle coffee grounds, cinnamon, or chili powder at potential ant entry points.
EditFinding and Killing a Carpenter Ant Colony - Check for wet or rotted wood near where you see ant activity. Carpenter ants prefer to build nests in wood that is softened by moisture and rotting. Look around areas near where you've spotted the ants and check for a dripping pipe, a broken seal around a window, or other areas where the wooden structure of your home is getting wet.[11]
- Focus your search around windows, doors, and water pipes, as these can create the damp wood that carpenter ants love.
- Carpenter ants usually nest outdoors in areas like wood piles, damp logs, and wooden deck posts. But if they are in your house, take immediate action before they cause significant damage.
- Open up the area where you suspect a nest location. If you see carpenter ants entering and exiting the wall at a rotted section of baseboard, for instance, pull away that section of baseboard. Then, if necessary, remove some of the plaster or drywall in that area to investigate deeper into the wall. If you see a huge mass of ants in an area of heavily-damaged wood, you'll know you've found the nest.[12]
- You're going to need to repair this area after destroying the nest anyway, so don't be shy about digging in to find the nest. Alternatively, hire a pest control professional at this point to do the job for you.
- Spray the nest with a carpenter ant insecticide until it's saturated. Choose an insecticide spray that's marketed for carpenter ants and contains bifenthrin, permethrin, or deltamethrin. Don't be shy when spraying it on the nest--douse it until it's saturated with insecticide. If you follow the application instructions on the package, the insecticide should make short work of the colony.[13]
- Keep kids and pets out of the area while you work, and take any other safety measures described on the package.
- While laying out poison bait traps will kill off a carpenter ant nest over time, you'll still need to address the rotten, damaged wood in your home anyway. So it's best to attack the nest directly when dealing with carpenter ants.
- Repair the area after the colony is confirmed dead to prevent a repeat problem. Reapply the spray if needed (and as per the product instructions) until you don't see any more ant activity at the nest for 2-3 days. Then, fix any leaky pipes, seal up any gaps letting water in, replace any rotted wood, and close the area back up. Hire a home repair pro if you cannot do the repairs yourself.[14]
- If you don't fix the damage now, it may get worse over time and cause even greater problems. It may also draw in another carpenter ant colony.
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