The Vegas Voice 9-20

Getting Into Jars &
Small Bottles
By: Heather Latimer / Heather’s Self-Help Tips
There’s nothing more exasperating than to
buy something you need and then, upon
returning home, finding you cannot open it. Several arthritis sufferers,
whose grip has weakened, have asked me what to do. Hence I’ve been
scouting around to find solutions.
Jars - Jam jars or others that are vacuum packed. Get ahold of a
sharp instrument, like a screwdriver and a hammer – and punch a
hole in the lid. It will immediately loosen and be easy to remove.
Tubes - Lotion stuck at the bottom of a tube and no longer comes
out when you squeeze. Some people cut the bottom off with scissors and
use the lotion from the open end. Others say their hands cannot control
the scissors enough to cut the tough material.
I experimented and eventually settled on old-fashioned wooden
clothes pegs – the ones with a slit in them (from Michaels). I slipped
one over the bottom of a tube, pushed it up and up and toothpaste
came out.
Nail Polish Bottles - Manicurist Tikki uses an old-fashioned metal
nut-cracker with two handles (from Etsy on the internet). She gives the
bottle-top a couple of twists and it comes off.
Ice Cubes - It’s especially infuriating during scorching temperatures
when cubes refuse to emerge from the automatic dispenser on the
refrigerator. Bob, a Sun City resident, told me “use your hairdryer, direct
it to where ice is stored. Cubes will soon tumble out and you’ll save
yourself a service call.”
Heather Latimer is a nationally recognized specialist in making
difficult subjects easy and author of 17 books. See amazon.com/
heather latimer/how to overcome.
A Little Parking Help
By: BJ Killeen / Down the Road
We’ve spent a lot of time talking about
autonomous and semi-autonomous cars lately.
Mostly because we’re getting to the point where
the technology has trickled down to affordable vehicles.
I test drove the new Hyundai Sonata midsize sedan, and realized
that for about $35,000, you can have a vehicle that will stay within the
lanes, keep its distance from the vehicle in front (including braking
and accelerating, depending on what the vehicle in front does, and
coming to a complete stop if necessary) at highway speeds, and even
park itself in some situations.
On the highway, the Sonata, with these Advanced Driver Assistance
Systems (ADAS) easily maintains a set cruise control speed. It also
follows the lane markings, and even takes curves easily - all the time
staying in the center of the lane.
You can take your hands off the wheel, but after a few minutes, a
reminder comes on to tell the driver to keep hands on the steering
wheel for safety. It’s both terrifying and impressive.
These systems however can vary between manufacturers. I also drove
a Mazda CX-30, and while it had the same Lane-Keeping System, it
didn’t recognize the lane markings as well as the Sonata did.
The Sonata’s newest technology is called SMART Park, where it can
drive itself into a parking space. Sounds great in theory, and it works
well, but the problem is the time it takes to accomplish the task.
I tried it in a parking lot, but realized I had to get out of the car in
the middle of the lane before operating the feature. It’s fun to watch the
car maneuver, but the driver still controls the vehicle via the remote
keyfob.
In the time it took to accomplish this, I could have parked the vehicle
in many other spots and been in the store. No question the technology
is impressive, but how many will actually use it?
Right now, it’s a novelty, but when we go fully autonomous with our
cars, it will be a welcome feature. We’re just not quite there yet.
38
August 2020
BJ Killeen has been an automotive journalist for over 30 years.
She welcomes all questions and inquiries, and can be reached at
bjkdtr@gmail.com