Sneakier Uses for Everyday Things: How to Turn a Calculator into a Metal Detector, Carry a Survival Kit in a Shoestring, Make a Gas Mask with a ... a James Bond Spy Jacket with Everyday Thing [Paperback]

Cy Tymony (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2005

How to Turn a Calculator into a Metal Detector, Carry a Survival Kit in a Shoestring, Make a Gas Mask with a Balloon, Turn Dishwashng Liquid into a Copy Machine, Convert a Styrofoam Cup into a Speaker, and Make a James Bond Spy Jacket with Everyday Things

Did you know that your standard issue of Sports Illustrated magazine can be turned into over 20 useful gadgets? In author Cy Tymony's Sneakier Uses for Everyday Things, you'll learn how an average magazine can become many extraordinary gadgets such as a compass, hearing aid, magnifier, peashooter, and bottle opener.

Sneakier Uses for Everyday Things covers 40 educational and unique projects that anybody can successfully complete with simple household items. The book includes a list of necessary materials, detailed sketches, and step-by-step instructions for each gadget and gizmo. Among the sneaky schemes are:

* Creating a electroscope out of a glass jar

* Turning a drinking cup into a speaker

* Using an AM radio as a metal detector

* Making a spy gadget jacket with over 20 individual sneaky uses ranging from a siren and whistle to a walkie-talkie and voice recorder

These days, "be prepared" applies to more than just the Boy Scouts. Sneakier Uses for Everyday Things provides loads of practical ideas, science projects, and captivating solutions for dealing with life's unexpected challenges. Great fun for the curious, inventive, and creative of all ages.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

In grade school, Cy Tymony defended himself from bullies with the help of a spring-loaded shocker hidden up his sleeve. Since then, he's authored six books and more than a dozen articles. Cy is a technical writer and computer network specialist in Los Angeles, CA

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing (October 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0740754963
• ISBN-13: 978-0740754968
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 5.1 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #149,554 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #60 in Books > Science & Math > Experiments, Instruments & Measurement > Experiments & Projects

More About the Author

Cy Tymony has created his homemade inventions since he was a kid. His imagination and innovative way at looking at the world continues today as a technical writer and computer network specialist in the Los Angeles area. He has appeared on CNN and NPR, and has been featured in the Los Angeles Times and U.S. News & World Report.

Visit the Author's Website:
http://www.sneakyuses.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

34 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Silly Rabbit! This book is ALSO for kids!, September 25, 2008

By 

Alyssa A. Lappen (Earth) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Sneakier Uses for Everyday Things: How to Turn a Calculator into a Metal Detector, Carry a Survival Kit in a Shoestring, Make a Gas Mask with a ... a James Bond Spy Jacket with Everyday Thing (Paperback)

I'm not sure why some readers don't seem to understand that Cy Tymony obviously wrote this book series for kids. Boys, most likely, under the age of 10 or 11.

An audience of that age will find this book quite interesting, like its prequel. I'll repeat, if you've got a Ph.D. in physics, don't buy it. And if you considered the idea, do tell us, how'd you get that Ph.D., again?

The point of this book is to set kids along a discovery path---to find capabilities in everyday objects they might not otherwise have recognized, to think outside the box.

And while not all the suggestions here provide the least bit of interest to an adult, I don't get why anyone would have bought this book expecting to reap a science degree from it. For Pete's sake! This title, like that of Tymony's first book, is also a dead giveaway.

If this book were published by Brown Paper School, like The Book of Think: Or, How to Solve a Problem Twice Your Size, it would also have five stars from all customer reviewers. All right, so Tymony should have labeled the book "for kids" for the dim witted among us. But otherwise, it too deserves 5 stars.

Kids get a big kick out of making something from nothing. Once upon a time, a child could be happy with an old Quaker Oats box as a drum.

In this age when most electronic gadgets hail from China, it's nice to find an author suggesting constructive toys for curious kids.

It teaches them how to look at and listen to the world around them, even if the stuff they make from this book is otherwise "useless."

14 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Better for kiddie-types, January 5, 2007

By 

Eddie Van Halen "L-Train" (Pasadena, CA, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sneakier Uses for Everyday Things: How to Turn a Calculator into a Metal Detector, Carry a Survival Kit in a Shoestring, Make a Gas Mask with a ... a James Bond Spy Jacket with Everyday Thing (Paperback)

This is a good bathroom book, but a little too cheesy for adult readers, but there are some neat activities.

27 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Don't waste your money on this book, November 10, 2006

By 

Robert A. Bell "Mr. Wizard" (San Diego) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sneakier Uses for Everyday Things: How to Turn a Calculator into a Metal Detector, Carry a Survival Kit in a Shoestring, Make a Gas Mask with a ... a James Bond Spy Jacket with Everyday Thing (Paperback)

I bought this along with the author's first "sneaky" book (I'd give the first one two stars) and now wish I had saved my money. Cheesy is the best description I can give. The sneaky uses are completely obvious and, in many cases, too flimsy to survive construction. The author apparently is fascinated with safety pins, magnets, etc. but who needs a book to explain how to make a wire out of a paperclip? Also, the art is as amateurish as the ideas. Not exactly rocket science.