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Sneaky Uses for Everyday Things (Volume 1) Paperback – September 2, 2003
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Do you know how to make something that can tell whether the $20 bill in your wallet is a fake? Or how to generate battery power with simple household items? Or how to create your own home security system? Science-savvy author Cy Tymony does. And now you can learn how to create these things and more than 40 other handy gadgets and gizmos in Sneaky Uses for Everyday Things. More than a simple do-it-yourself guide, this quirky collection is a valuable resource for transforming ordinary objects into the extraordinary. With over 80 solutions and bonus applications at your disposal, you will be ready for almost any situation. Included are survival, security, self-defense, and silly applications that are just plain fun. You'll be seen as a superhero as you amaze your friends by:
* Transforming a simple FM radio into a device that enables you to eavesdrop on tower-to-air conversations.
* Creating your own personalized electronic greeting cards.
* Making a compact fire extinguisher from items typically found in a kitchen pantry.
* Thwarting intruders with a single rubber band.
By using run-of-the-mill household items and the easy-to-follow instructions and diagrams within, you'll be able to complete most projects in just a few minutes. Whether you use Sneaky Uses for Everyday Things as a practical tool to build useful devices, a fun little fantasy escape, or as a trivia guide to impress friends and family, this book is sure to be a reference favorite for years to come.
- Print length176 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherAndrews McMeel Publishing
- Publication dateSeptember 2, 2003
- Dimensions4.9 x 0.5 x 7 inches
- ISBN-100740738593
- ISBN-13978-0740738593
Book recommendations, author interviews, editors' picks, and more. Read it now.
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About the Author
Online:
www.sneakyuses.com
Product details
- Publisher : Andrews McMeel Publishing (September 2, 2003)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 176 pages
- ISBN-10 : 0740738593
- ISBN-13 : 978-0740738593
- Item Weight : 8 ounces
- Dimensions : 4.9 x 0.5 x 7 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #418,575 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #89 in Scientific Experiments & Projects
- #552 in Crafts & Hobbies Reference
- #30,418 in Reference (Books)
- Customer Reviews:
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.
Don't miss the Free Projects, Updates, and Corrections at the Author's Websites:
http://www.sneakyuses.com
http://www.Sneakymath.com
Customer reviews
Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.
To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness.
Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonCustomers say
Customers find the book has interesting and creative science projects for kids and adults. They describe it as fun and entertaining, especially for pre-teens to early teens. Many customers consider it a great value for money. However, some readers feel the content is outdated and the illustrations are poor quality.
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Customers find the book offers interesting science projects for kids and adults. It provides creative uses for everyday items and is a simple way to do cool science activities.
"...This year it was "Sneaky Uses for Everyday Things". The students were thrilled...." Read more
"Grandson loved it! It's written for kids so I don't understand the disdain in some of the reviews...." Read more
"...; in this book, and the author calls out some interesting uses for every day items. There are some neat MacGyver tricks in the book...." Read more
"Good book. It shows you how to use everyday items to make things you wouldnt think about...." Read more
Customers enjoy the book. They find it fun and engaging for pre-teens to early teens. The book entertains them for several hours.
"Grandson loved it! It's written for kids so I don't understand the disdain in some of the reviews...." Read more
"...This book, however, is both fun and benign. And since I lived in the Caribbean it would have been twice the fun...." Read more
"...It entertain him for several hours. I would recommend buying this book for a teenagers or someone who likes to do experiments." Read more
"Fun and interesting book. Just be aware that there's not an abundance of content. What's there is great but it's a really short read." Read more
Customers appreciate the book's value for money. They say it has a great price and was priced higher on other sites.
"...Having said that, the price was right to have this for reference and for a few new ideas." Read more
"Bought this for my 14 year old engineer-son, and he loves it! Great price, wonderful condition, quick shipping. Thanks all!" Read more
"great price. This item was priced higher on other sites. My son loved this book." Read more
"Good values" Read more
Customers find the book's content outdated. They mention some neat ideas, but most of the included information is dated.
"...A couple projects are a bit dated like the video tape rewinder, but over all interesting read." Read more
"Way out of date, and most of the tricks are kind of sketchy and poorly designed anyway...." Read more
"Most of the included information is so dated that it is hard to find anything that is worth knowing in today's world...." Read more
"Not a bad book just not very modern more updated information in it" Read more
Customers dislike the book's design. They find the hand-drawn illustrations cheap and poorly designed. They also dislike the layout, which is more of a reader than a browser.
"...In addition, the illustrations are poorly done. It is improbable that I will purchase the other books in the series...." Read more
"...He did not like the layout of the book. It was much more of a reader than a browser. He had high hopes, but it didn't meet his expectation." Read more
"Way out of date, and most of the tricks are kind of sketchy and poorly designed anyway...." Read more
"no useful information ,lousy drawings ,no good" Read more
Top reviews from the United States
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- Reviewed in the United States on December 30, 2012
5.0 out of 5 stars Great book to interest children of all ages and genders in "information" reading.
I teach reading and math to special education students. Fostering an interest in reading books "for fun" is difficult enough for students who have developed an extreme aversion to reading in general, but capturing their interest in reading for information is a monumental undertaking. Every winter break I try to find a book they will read and reread. This year it was "Sneaky Uses for Everyday Things". The students were thrilled. They were observed reading it during lunch, recess and every spare minute! They came to me constantly during the day to show me a section. I highly recommend this book to students of all ages. I found it facinating and a wonderful resource for teaching hands-on science.
- Reviewed in the United States on October 22, 2016Grandson loved it! It's written for kids so I don't understand the disdain in some of the reviews. Yes, you can find a lot of this online but kids have so much "screen time" nowadays it's nice to see them following instructions written in a book!
- Reviewed in the United States on November 5, 2020I remember as a kid I loved putting things together. I was no inventor, but I wish I had found this book when I was a kid or a teen.
Back in the day you had to rely on digital versions of the Anarchist Cookbook. This book, however, is both fun and benign. And since I lived in the Caribbean it would have been twice the fun.
Now if I am board I will probably work on a few pet projects. Definitely a good book for the hobbyist or tinker.
- Reviewed in the United States on April 20, 2013There is some really cool "hacks" in this book, and the author calls out some interesting uses for every day items. There are some neat MacGyver tricks in the book.
My only complaint is that it seems like it should be longer. A few of the tips where the same tip done indifferent ways (which is fine), but at the end of the book I actually said, "that's it?". I was hoping for the MacGyver training manual, but it falls a bit short on that hope.
However, I am still glad I read it, and there is some great tips in the book. Some of the projects would be fun to do with kids if you wanted to get them into science.
- Reviewed in the United States on August 6, 2016Good book. It shows you how to use everyday items to make things you wouldnt think about. My kid ask me to purchase this book for him as a gift and I did. He seemed to really like it and he tried out some of the things in the book. It entertain him for several hours. I would recommend buying this book for a teenagers or someone who likes to do experiments.
- Reviewed in the United States on October 20, 2024This book would be useful if it were the 1980’s.
- Reviewed in the United States on June 9, 2005With maybe the exception of 5 year olds, this "book" is completely useless. I've had it for 20 minutes and its going in the garbage. Nothing inside this "book" isn't plain ol' common sense. Some of the highlights of this book are:
Using Ordinary Objects as Sneaky Weapons - You can throw coins at an assailant to "stun and throw him or her off balance." Yeah right, that'll work!
Sneaky Wire Sources Are Everywhere - Big surprise, you can use tin foil and speaker wire as spare wire.
Make a Portable Light - Tape a flashlight light bulb to a battery. Wow, that's amazing!
And the most amazing part of the "book":
Capture Break ins On Film - Great project if you don't mind having a large eye sore built next to your door, and the burglar is too dumb to take the disposable camera with him after his picture has been taken.
This is my first time writing a review for anything, but I felt I had for this "book" because its so ridiculous. Even the couple useful things like turning milk into plastic can be found on the web. Obviously the author made up most of this stuff off the top of his head, or found a couple useful things on the web and published it as a "book".
- Reviewed in the United States on December 26, 2015This not only has alternative uses for products, it also has a lot of craft and building projects. It's fantastic for anyone who loves to recycle, loves to build, loves pintrest for the projects listed there. . . It's absolutley wonderful! It was a Christmas gift for my step-father, and he was very excited by it, as was my mother who loved all the projects!
Top reviews from other countries
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Fabrizio CarnerReviewed in Italy on November 17, 2017
5.0 out of 5 stars MacGyver a scritto il suo libro!
Magari siete troppo giovani per conoscerlo. ma per la mia generazione era un Mito!
Con il suo coltello svizzero, riusciva a fare di tutto. da Disinnescare un Bomba Atomica e riparare il lavandino che perdeva.
Questo libricino e incredibilmente Utile e fornisce un Sacco di Idee davvero incredibili ma di una semplicità disarmante :D
Lo consiglio se volete "usare le mani in modo creativo" con quello che vi capita sottomano :D
Davvero Divertente!
- Amanda RoyReviewed in Canada on January 14, 2014
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Gift!
Bought this as a gift for my father. He is the type of person that just buys things when he wants/needs them and is extremely hard to shop for. He loved it! A fun read.
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wikeyReviewed in Germany on May 5, 2014
5.0 out of 5 stars Ein Buch für jeden Mcgyver fan!
Ein sehr Interressantes Buch!
Von Kunststoff aus Milch, bis hin zum Fernmelde-Alarm aus einem altem Walkie-Talkie diese Buchriehe kennt jeden Trick. Auch als Nachschlagewerk für Schriftsteller sehr zu empfehlen.
Ich wünsche allen zukünftigen Käufern viel Spass beim Nachbasteln.
- stuart mitchinsonReviewed in the United Kingdom on July 31, 2018
4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting read
It’s ok
- Martin J. ClemensReviewed in Canada on March 2, 2017
4.0 out of 5 stars Four Stars
A fun little book with lots of rudimentary reuse and repurposing projects. Bonus for the casein plastic recipe.