Tuesday 31 March 2015

Vicks VapoRub abuse

In case you're not into hardcore drugs, or quite as rock 'n' roll as myself, "Vicks VapoRub is an ointment which is used to relieve nasal catarrh (inflammation of mucous membranes in the nose and throat), congestion (a blocked nose), sore throat and coughs due to colds".

What I use it for is to alleviate all the twitching, itching and general sniffiness I suffer from due to being allergic to everything; we're talking about sensitivities on a scale that make Millhouse look Unbreakable. Sometimes snorting a dab of Vicks from a tissue isn't enough so I stuff the Vaseline-like gunk up my nose and squelch it together to make sure it coats the lining thoroughly. This numbs the spasming blighter and gives me some relief for a few hours.

You've not heard the weird bit yet, hold onto your hats! After a few hours up there, the substance's pungent anaesthetic properties begin to wane, the clean, fresh, aromatic vapour dissipates and is supplanted with an entirely different odour. The resemblance to stale, gym-sweaty socks is uncanny. If you actually bunged month-old tramp socks up your nostrils the smell wouldn't be any more intense.

I bet you're all nodding your heads in unison reading this now, on the bus, walking the streets, heads bowed, engrossed in your mobile phones, on your couches at home cradling a tablet. You all know what I'm talking about of course. This must be a daily occurrence the world over.

What I'm less certain about is the chemical process responsible for turning a glistening pine forest on a summer's day into an olfactory train wreck. Come on all you alchemists, this is a call to arms. What gives?

Friday 13 March 2015

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Bookmarklets work in Android too

As a follow-up to my previous post regarding snagging YouTube videos via an Android phone, I wanted to point out that you can simplify the process even further by taking advantage of KeepVid's bookmarklet. You'd be forgiven for thinking these aren't compatible with mobile device web browsers because they don't feature a traditional bookmarks bar to select from, but as it turns out, they are, providing you know how to launch them.

The trick is to add the javascript code above as a new bookmark, and 'click' it when viewing a YouTube video page to gain access to the source files. Once you have the page open in your browser, start typing into the address bar the name you've given the bookmarklet until the relevant entry is suggested. Poke the javascript link when it appears and you will be transported to the KeepVid web site where a download link in all its various formats will be presented for your selection.

If you name your bookmarklet something short and snappy like 'KV', you'll only have to type two letters each time to trigger the process. Offline YouTubin' can't possibly get any easier than this, can it?