How to Spot Valuable Paintings

Art collecting is an expensive hobby, but some eagle-eyed aficionados can score valuable masterpieces at bargain bin prices. Whether you’re hunting for deals at a thrift shop or evaluating a piece at an art show, knowing how to determine a painting’s authenticity and worth will help you spot great deals in a sea of knock-offs and reprints.

EditSteps

EditSearching for High-Value Pieces

1. Seek out paintings created by renowned artists. For many people, the goal of art hunting is to find a lost masterpiece from a beloved artist. Though you most likely won’t find anything by Monet or Vermeer, you may come across a hidden gem made by a lesser-known or regionally popular painter.^[1]
   
   • Some artists whose work ended up at thrift stores include Ben Nicholson, Ilya Bolotowsky, Giovanni Battista Torriglia, Alexander Calder, and even Pablo Picasso.
   • So you’ll know what paintings to keep an eye out for, learn about different artists through local galleries, art museums, and online databases like the Web Gallery of Art.
2. Search for paintings on your phone to see if anything comes up. If you stumble upon a piece you think may be valuable, try searching for it on Google or a similar search engine. If the painting shows up in your search results, you may have found a valuable item.^[2]
   
   • If you don’t know the name of a painting, search for it using descriptors. For example, you can find Thomas Gainsborough’s The Blue Boy with the terms “painting,” “kid,” and “blue.”
   • If you can take a high-quality photo of the piece, try running it through Google’s Reverse Image Search at https://reverse.photos. This will make the searching process far easier.
3. Purchase limited edition and signed prints. Though most art prints have little to no financial value, there are a couple notable exceptions. Look out for prints that were part of a limited edition run, meaning the artist only produced a few copies, and prints with a handwritten signature from the artist on the front or back.^[3]
   
   • Most limited edition prints have numbers on them indicating which copy you have and how many copies exist.
4. Avoid buying small and subtle paintings if you plan on selling them. Unless you stumble upon an original piece by a popular artist, stay away from paintings that are extremely small in size or subtle to the point of being abstract. Though these paintings may be excellent, they don’t have the same mass appeal that a large, traditional painting does, making them harder to sell.
   
   • This is especially important if you plan to sell your paintings online, since small and abstract art is hard to convey over digitized photographs.
5. Pick up paintings with high-quality frames. Even if you decide that a painting is not valuable, make sure to examine the frame before moving on. Picture frames are works of art in their own right, so a vintage or well-crafted frame may be worth a lot regardless of the painting inside. Look for frames with:^[4]
   
   • Hand-carved designs
   • Intricate or unique patterns
   • Gilded molding
   • Slight wear and similar signs of age

EditDetermining a Painting’s Authenticity

1. Look for the artist’s original signature. Often, the easiest way to tell if a painting is authentic or not is to look for the artist’s signature on the front or back side. In particular, look for a signature that was hand-written or added to the piece using paint. If a painting doesn’t have a signature, or if the signature seems flat and artificial, there’s a good chance the piece is a reproduction print or fake.^[5]
   
   • If you know the artist’s name, look them up online and see if their signature matches the version on the painting.
   • Signatures are easy to fake, so don’t use this as your only proof of authenticity.
2. Use a magnifying glass to check for printer dots. Before purchasing a painting, hold a magnifying glass up to it and look for small, perfectly-round dots arranged in a grid. If you see any, the piece is a reproduction print created using a laser printer.^[6]
   
   • Though this method will help you identify common prints, be aware that it may not work for higher-quality giclee reproductions.
   • Unlike laser prints, paintings made using a pointillist technique will have dots of varying size and shape.
3. Inspect oil paintings to see if they have textured surfaces. When determining the authenticity of an oil painting, check to see if the surface has bumps or paint waves on it. If your piece has a significant amount of texture, there’s a good chance it is authentic. If the surface is completely flat, you’re looking at a reproduction.^[7]
   
   • If a painting only has 1 or 2 spots of texture, it may be a forgery disguising itself as the real deal.
4. Examine watercolor art pieces to see if they have rough surfaces. To determine whether or not a watercolor painting is authentic, hold the piece at an angle and look at the paint strokes closely. If the paper appears rough around major strokes, you may have an original work of art. If the paper is uniformly smooth, it’s most likely a reproduction.^[8]
   
5. Look to see if canvas paintings have rough edges. A lot of the time, artists who work on canvas will make jagged or uneven brush strokes along the edges of their paintings. However, they often don’t bother retouching these spots since viewers rarely look at them. As such, if a canvas painting has perfectly even edges, there’s a good chance it’s a factory reproduction.^[9]
   
6. Check the back of the frame for signs of age. Often, the back of a frame will tell you more about a painting than the artwork itself. Look for frames that are dark in color and have clear signs of age such as peeling lacquer and patches of worn out wood. The older a frame is, the more likely the piece inside is authentic.^[10]
   
   • If the back of a frame is mostly dark but has a few bright streaks in it, there’s a good chance the painting is authentic but had to be relined at some point.
   • Many old frames have a X or H shape in the back, something far less common in contemporary frames.
7. Look at the artwork’s mounting method to see how old it is. If nails hold the painting in place, or if you see empty nail holes around the frame, there’s a good chance the artwork is an original piece from before the 1940s. If staples hold the painting in place, there’s a greater chance it is a reproduction, especially if it is an old piece and has no signs of a prior mounting method.
   

EditSources and Citations

EditQuick Summary

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source How to of the Day https://ift.tt/2KgrIUe

How to Keep Bugs Away from a Porch Light

Nobody likes opening their front door at night and immediately being swarmed by bugs, but the warm glow of the porch light seems to be a magnet for them. What’s a homeowner to do? Fortunately, there are several steps you can take to help reduce the number of unwanted insects around your entranceway. One of the simplest solutions is to switch to LED or yellow “bug” bulbs in your lighting fixtures. You can also try making the area less critter-friendly by setting out aromatic candles or spices, hanging an electric bug zapper or bird house nearby, or installing a dense screen for total protection. And, if all else fails, there’s always your trusty fly swatter!

EditSteps

EditUsing Alternative Lighting Options

1. Turn off any lights you’re not using. The heat and light given off by porch lights are like a homing beacon for bugs, which means the simplest way to thin their ranks is to leave them in the dark. Hold off on flipping the switch until there’s not enough light outside to see by. ^[1]
   
   • This may not always be the most practical answer, as many homeowners prefer to leave their porch lights on overnight for safety reasons.
   • Try rigging your porch lights to a timer or light sensor so that they’ll activate at dusk and shut themselves off automatically when the sun begins to rise.
2. Try out yellow bulbs. Look for specially tinted “bug” bulbs designed to repel insects. The color yellow has one of the highest wavelengths on the visible spectrum—this makes it very hard for bugs to see. Most of them will fly right by without even noticing.^[2]
   
   • If you don’t want to go to the trouble of replacing all of your porch lights, you can also try lining the fixtures themselves with yellow cellophane to produce the same effect.^[3]
   • One downside of yellow bulbs is that they cast your whole house in a yellow hue. This may not be ideal if you have your sights set on winning your neighborhood’s “most beautiful home” award.
3. Switch to LED lights. LED bulbs emit far less heat than ordinary incandescent bulbs, and their light isn’t as attractive to insects. Most of them also put off a clean, white shine, so you won’t have to see your home awash with the sickly color generated by yellow bulbs. You’ll be able to find LED bulbs in an array of convenient sizes to suit your unique lighting needs at most hardware and home improvement stores.^[4]
   
   • LED bulbs tend to cost a little more than standard light bulbs. For this reason, it may be more economical to reserve them for fixtures nearest the main entrances and exits.
4. Keep a few candles lit. Aromatic candles are particularly effective for warding off winged intruders. They also serve as an elegant secondary light source, making them a win-win. For best results, arrange your candles on a table or railing directly below the problematic porch light.^[5]
   
   • Look for candles containing pungent oils and additives like lemongrass, eucalyptus, peppermint, rosemary, and lavender.^[6]
   • Citronella candles are among the most commonly used and effective bug-repellent lighting solutions. They can be found in most places where home and garden supplies are sold.^[7]
   • A sea of twinkling candles may be nice to look at, but don’t forget that they can also present a fire hazard. Make sure the candles you put out are in jars or holders, and keep them a safe distance away from curtains, upholstery, plants, and anything else that’s flammable.
5. Invest in a bug zapper. Although there’s nothing pretty about what they do, there’s a reason these devices are a time-honored method of combating flying pests. Their mystifying blue glow lures insects in, and their electrified core finishes the job once they get close. All you have to do is hang your bug zapper up a few feet away from your porch light and let it do its thing.^[8]
   
   • Because of the constant buzz of electricity and stench of burnt insects, bug zappers may not be the go-to solution for people who use their porch as a place of peaceful refuge.
   • If you don’t like the idea of killing bugs en masse, you might be better off exploring a more humane solution.

EditEmploying Other Deterrents

1. Install an outdoor ceiling fan. If your home has a wrap-around style porch with an overhang, one or more fans might be just what you need. Not only will they help reduce the number of airborne critters by literally blowing them away, they’ll also keep your surroundings cooler and more hospitable during the sultry summer months.^[9]
   
   • Keeping the air outside moving is also useful for dispersing carbon dioxide, food particles, and other human odors in the environment that brings bugs in for a closer look.
2. Place pungent spices around the porch. Fill a few coffee filters or pieces of cheesecloth with pungent herbs and spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, bay leaf, or citrus zest and tie them off into bundles. Hang the bundles around your light fixtures, or somewhere less conspicuous, like under the eaves of the roof or behind a potted plant. Any insects in the vicinity will catch a whiff and think twice about coming any closer.^[10]
   
   • Replace the spice pouches every few days once they begin to lose their potency.
3. Spray the area with an herbal infusion. Spices aren't the only natural turn-off for bugs. You may get equally effective results by combining essential oils like rosemary, mint, thyme, lavender, or clove oil with a small amount of soapy water and spritzing the solution in out-of-the-way spots. Just be sure to keep the liquid away from exposed wiring and other electric lighting components.^[11]
   
   • It may be necessary to spray your herbal solution once or twice a day during the muggy summer season when insects are out in full force.
   • You can also mix essential oils with a mild carrier oil like olive or coconut oil and apply them to your skin to serve as a wearable repellent.^[12]
4. Put in a screen. Tightly-woven mesh screens can provide a full-time barrier against bugs for larger porches and other outdoor sitting areas. When outfitting your porch, be sure to choose a type of screening that’s small enough to prevent gnats and other tiny nuisances from slipping through the cracks. An experienced contractor can screen-in an exposed porch in a single afternoon for as little as a couple hundred dollars.^[13]
   
   • If you’re handy with a toolbelt, you might also opt to install a screen yourself using a simple DIY system like Screen Tight.^[14]
   • The occasional fly or moth may still get in while the door is open, so it’s a good idea to use your screened-in porch in conjunction with a yellow light, bug zapper, or scented candle.
5. Hang a bird or bat house nearby. Mount the house to an outlying tree, fence, or in-ground post and stick a small handful of fruit or seeds inside to entice visitors. Insects are the natural prey of most large winged creatures. By inviting them into the area, all you’re essentially doing is letting nature take its course.^[15]
   
   • Premade bat and bird houses are often available at home improvement centers and garden supply stores.
   • Situate the structure far enough away from your porch to keep the occupants from congregating around your home. They’ll come out to hunt on their own when they get hungry.^[16]
6. Do away with standing water. It’s not uncommon to find insects swarming around places where water has collected. Drain small ponds, gulches, and low spots in your lawn using a surface pump, or have channels cut into the ground to promote proper runoff. Chances are, you’ll notice a big difference right away.^[17]
   
   • If you live in an area that receives a lot of regular precipitation, consider filling in problem areas with sand, gravel, or a mixture of both. Rainwater will filter down between the sediment rather than pooling on the surface.
   • Stagnant water is a favorite habitat of insects like mosquitoes that carry diseases.^[18]

EditTips

• There’s no reason to make it your mission to eliminate every last insect around your home. Bugs may be irritating, but they’re a necessary part of the ecosystem.
• Combine as many defense as necessary to improve the situation. For instance, you might start turning your porch lights on later, burning Citronella candles in the evening, and using a bug zapper to catch any pests that manage to sneak by.
• An overwhelming number of bugs may be a sign of an infestation. If the problem doesn’t get any better, have an exterminator examine your home for places where insects may be nesting or finding their way in.

EditWarnings

• Avoid using bug sprays, pesticides, or other poisonous chemicals so close to your home. These can be unsafe to, especially if you have small children or pets.
• Yellow lights aren’t guaranteed to be 100% effective. A small amount of light may remain visible to bugs with keen senses.

EditThings You'll Need

• Yellow light bulbs
• LED lights
• Bug zapper
• Aromatic candles
• Ceiling fan
• Mesh screening
• Bird or bat house
• Pungent herbs and spices
• Fly swatter

EditSources and Citations

Cite error: <ref> tags exist, but no <references/> tag was found

source How to of the Day https://ift.tt/2vf6v7O

How to Freeze Brussels Sprouts

If you recently harvested brussels sprouts from your garden or got a lot of them on sale at the grocery store, you may be wondering how you’re going to eat them all before they go bad. Luckily, you can store your brussels sprouts in the freezer for up to a year so you have plenty of time to enjoy them. If you want your brussels sprouts to keep their flavor and nutritional value for longer, blanch them before stashing them in the freezer.

EditSteps

EditFreezing without Blanching

1. Take the brussels sprouts off the stalk. If they're already off of the stalk, you can skip this step. Otherwise, grab the individual sprouts and pull them away from the stalk until they snap off. Once all the sprouts are off, dispose of the stalk.^[1]
   
   
2. Soak the brussels sprouts in warm water for 10 minutes. Soaking the brussels sprouts in warm water is an easy way to clean them before storing them in the freezer. The water will wash out any dirt or particles underneath the leaves on the sprouts.^[2]
   
   
3. Rinse the brussels sprouts with fresh water and then pat them dry. Use a dishcloth to carefully dry each of the sprouts. It's important that they're completely dry before you store them in the freezer or ice crystals could form on them.^[3]
   
   
4. Place the brussels sprouts in sealable plastic freezer bags. Depending on how many brussels sprouts you have, you may need to use several bags. Once the bags are full, press out any excess air with your hands and seal the bags.^[4]
   
   
   • You can also make it so each freezer bag has 1 serving of brussels sprouts in it. Then, when you're ready to cook, you can grab a bag and not have to worry about doing any measuring.
5. Write the date on each bag with permanent marker. Writing the date on the bags will save you the trouble of having to remember how long the brussels sprouts have been in the freezer. You can also write the future expiration date on the bag so you don't have to count out the months every time you want some brussels sprouts.^[5]
   
   
6. Store the bags of brussels sprouts in the freezer for up to 12 months. After 12 months, the brussels sprouts may start to lose their flavor and texture. If the brussels sprouts are dry or discolored when you take them out of the freezer, it could be a sign that they’ve developed freezer burn. They’re still safe to eat, but they may not taste as good.^[6]
   
   • If you want the brussels sprouts to maintain their color, flavor, and nutritional value for longer in the freezer, it’s a good idea to blanch them before you freeze them.

EditBlanching and Freezing

1. Boil a pot of water and separate the brussels sprouts by size. Divide your brussels sprouts into 3 piles: a small brussels sprouts pile, a medium pile, and a large pile. Each pile needs to be blanched for a different amount of time.^[7]
   
   
   • If all your brussels sprouts are the same size, you can just make one big pile.
2. Prepare a large bowl of ice water. You’ll transfer the brussels sprouts to the ice water right after you boil them to complete the blanching process. Fill the bowl three-quarters of the way full and put in about 1 ice cube tray of ice.^[8]
   
   
3. Boil your small brussels sprouts for 3 minutes. Once the pot of water you put on the stovetop is boiling, carefully drop the pile of small brussels sprouts into it. Leave the pot uncovered and set a timer for 3 minutes.^[9]
   
   
4. Transfer the small brussels sprouts from the boiling water to the bowl of ice. Use a ladle to carefully scoop the brussels sprouts out of the boiling water. Immediately dunk them in the bowl of ice water and leave them in there to chill for 3 minutes.^[10]
   
   
5. Take the brussels sprouts out of the ice water and pat them dry with a dishcloth. You want the brussels sprouts to be completely dry before you freeze them. Once the brussels sprouts are dry, they’re blanched and ready to be frozen.^[11]
   
   
6. Repeat with the other brussels sprouts, but use longer boiling times. Boil the medium brussels sprouts for 4 minutes, and the large brussels sprouts for 5 minutes. Immediately submerge them in ice water when they’re done boiling, and let them chill for the same amount of time they boiled for. Remove them from the ice water and pat them dry with a dishcloth.^[12]
   
   
7. Place the blanched brussels sprouts in sealable plastic freezer bags. No need to keep them separated by size anymore. Once they’re in the bags, press out the excess air with your hands and seal the bags shut.^[13]
   
   
8. Write the date on the bags in permanent marker. That way you'll know how long the brussels sprouts have been in the freezer for. You can also write the expiration date for the brussels sprouts on the bags so it's easier to tell if they're still fresh.^[14]
   
   
9. Keep the brussels sprouts in the freezer for up to 12 months. The brussels sprouts should hold their flavor and texture for 12 months in the freezer. After that, they may develop freezer burn and no longer taste good. If you notice that the brussels sprouts are dry or discolored when you take them out of the freezer, it could be a sign that they’re freezer burnt.
   

EditThings You’ll Need

EditFreezing without Blanching

• Bowl
• Plastic freezer bags.
• Dishcloth
• Permanent marker

EditBlanching and Freezing

• Pot
• Bowl
• Ice
• Dishcloth
• Plastic freezer bags
• Permanent marker

EditSources and Citations

EditQuick Summary

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source How to of the Day https://ift.tt/2LSERrL

How to Avoid Puffy Eyes in the Morning

Looking in the mirror in the morning to discover you have puffy, swollen eyes is a drag. Puffy eyes can be caused by fluid pooling in the sensitive skin under the eyes, or as the result of eye irritation. If puffy morning eyes have got you down, don’t worry! There are some things you can do to prevent them from happening.

EditSteps

EditChanging Your Sleep Habits

1. Get 7-9 hours of sleep every night. Not getting enough sleep can make your eyes puffy and swollen when you wake up in the morning. Try to get in the habit of going to sleep and waking up at the at the same times every day so you know you’re getting a full 7-9 hours.^[1]
   
2. Avoid eating food or looking at a screen right before bed. Eating and screen-watching can impact the quality of sleep you get at night. If you're not getting a good night's sleep, your eyes are more likely to be puffy in the morning. Make it a habit to stop eating and looking at screens an hour before you go to sleep.^[2]
   
3. Sleep on your back at night. When you sleep on your stomach or sides, gravity works against you by pulling fluids down into the sensitive skin around your eyes. When that happens, your eyes are more likely to look puffy and swollen in the morning. Sleep on your back so fluids are being pulled away from your under-eye area throughout the night.^[3]
   
   • Sleeping on your back may take some getting used to. Make an effort to fall asleep on your back every night. If you wake up and you’re on your side or stomach, make yourself turn over onto your back. Eventually, your body will get used to sleeping that way.
4. Use an extra pillow to elevate your head while you sleep. Just like sleeping on your back, elevating your head while you sleep can help prevent fluids from pooling in the thin skin around your eyes. Instead of sleeping with 1 pillow at night, sleep with 2 so your head is slightly raised.^[4]
   
   • If sleeping with 2 pillows gives you a sore neck, try sleeping with 1 pillow folded in half so it's thicker, or use pillows that aren’t as stiff.
5. Wash your face with warm water and a gentle cleanser every night. Not only is washing your face every night good for your skin, it also helps clear away any gunk and debris from your eyes that could irritate them while you sleep. When your eyes are irritated, they tend to get puffy and swollen. Keeping the skin around your eyes clean will reduce the chance that you’ll wake up with puffy, irritated eyes in the morning.^[5]
   
   • You can also wash your eyes in the morning by splashing your face with cold water. The cold water will clear out your eyes and help reduce any puffiness.

EditMaking Lifestyle Changes

1. Eat less than 2,300 mg (0.16 tbsp) of sodium per day. A high-sodium diet can lead to things like increased blood pressure, heart disease, and stroke, and it can also make your eyes puffier.^[6] Sodium makes the body retain more fluid, and since fluid around the eyes is what makes them look puffy and swollen, you want to avoid eating too much of it.^[7]
   
   • An easy way to cut down on the sodium you eat is to limit how much processed foods and restaurant meals you're eating.
2. Avoid sugar and artificial sweeteners. Both sugar and artificial sweeteners cause inflammation, which can lead to under-eye puffiness. When baking or sweetening your coffee or tea, try using healthier alternatives to sugar and artificial sweeteners, like honey and stevia. When you’re buying packaged foods, read the ingredients list and look for things that are low in sugar and artificial sweeteners.^[8]
   
3. Drink less alcohol. Drinking excessive alcohol causes bloating and dehydration, which can make your eyes look puffier. It also impacts the quality of sleep you get, making the problem even worse. Try not to drink more than 1-2 drinks a day. If you do drink more, remember to drink water too so you stay hydrated.^[9]
   
4. Quit smoking. Smoking damages and weakens the already-sensitive skin under your eyes, which makes your eyes more prone to being puffy in the morning. If you smoke, try to quit so you have a better chance of waking up with eyes that aren't puffy. If you're having trouble giving up smoking completely, cut back and see if that helps.^[10]
   

EditAddressing Underlying Causes

1. Use over-the-counter eye drops if allergies are making your eyes puffy. Swollen, puffy eyes in the morning can be a sign that your allergies are acting up. If your eyes are also watering and itching, try over-the-counter allergy eye drops to soothe your eyes so they’re less puffy and irritated. You can also try a saline eye rinse to clear out your eyes.^[11]
   
2. Be diligent about taking your contacts out if you wear them. If you’re getting a good night’s sleep and leading a healthy lifestyle but your eyes are still puffy in the morning, it could be a sign that you’re leaving your contacts in for too long. Sleeping with your contact lenses on or wearing them for long periods of time can cause your eyes to swell up. ^[12]
   
   • Get in the habit of taking your contacts out in the evening so you don’t accidentally fall asleep wearing them.
3. Use eye creams and sunblock to combat aging around your eyes. As people age, the skin around their eyes gets weaker and more prone to swelling. If you notice your eyes are becoming puffier in the mornings as you age, start applying an anti-aging under-eye cream to the skin under your eyes every night. Also, gently apply sunscreen to the skin around your eyes whenever you’re going to be outside to protect them from the sun.^[13]
   

EditWarnings

• If your puffy eyes persist and you’re experiencing pain or discomfort, visit your doctor. There could be a more serious underlying cause.

EditSources and Citations

EditQuick Summary

Cite error: <ref> tags exist, but no <references/> tag was found

source How to of the Day https://ift.tt/2mQWeuz

How to Use Alexa

This wikiHow teaches you some of the most useful Alexa abilities and the voice commands you need to use them. Once you have set up a new Echo you might not know where to begin. Since there are so many different abilities it can be hard to know where to start, so this will help you get to know some Alexa abilities you will want to start using on a day-to-day basis. You may also want to give Alexa's wikiHow skill a shot.

EditSteps

EditAsking General Questions

1. Ask for the time. Get the current time or the time in different cities around the world. You can also ask about when different days are.
   
   • "Alexa, what time is it in London?"
   • "Alexa, when is Easter?"
2. Ask about the weather. Ask about local weather, the weather in a particular city or a weather forecast for either.
   
   • "Alexa, what will the weather be like on Tuesday in Chicago?"
   • "Alexa, is it going to rain?"
3. Get current traffic info. To enter in your home and work address in the Alexa app, tap ☰, then Settings and tap Traffic. You can also ask about traffic to a certain location.
   
   • Say "Alexa, check traffic," to get the travel time to the work location you set.
   • "Alexa, how long will it take to get to 45th Street?"
   • "Alexa, what's the traffic like to Home Depot?"
4. Get a flight status.
   
   • "Alexa, what's the status of American Airlines flight 4444?"
5. Check stock prices. Say the name or spell the symbol of any stock on the New York Stock Exchange or NASDAQ.
   
   • "Alexa, check Amazon stock."
   • Alexa, stock price for A-M-Z-N."
6. Get a definition, use the thesaurus or get the spelling of a word. If you're reading or writing something, you don't even need to look away from the page, just ask:
   
   • "Alexa, what does 'flocculant' mean?"
   • "Alexa, what's another word for 'big'?"
   • "Alexa, how do you spell 'maintenance'?"
7. Do mathematical calculations. Ask Alexa to add, subtract, multiply, divide, get the square or cube root, power or factorial. You can only use one operation at a time though.
   
   • "Alexa, what's 92 divided by 14?"
   • "Alexa, what's the square root of 5?"
   • "Alexa, what's 100 factorial?" (Hint: It's a really big number.)
   • Alexa may know other math questions as well, so give it a try if you're not sure. For instance, she can answer some questions about prime factors, give you the value of 'pi' or 'e' and calculate sine, cosine or tangent.
8. Get measurement conversions. Convert to or from any imperial or metric units of volume, weight, distance or temperature or get conversions to and from different currencies. This can be especially helpful when you are cooking.
   
   • "Alexa, how many milliliters in 2 and a half cups?"
   • "Alexa, 10 kilometers is how many miles?"
   • "Alexa, how much is 100 dollars in Australian dollars?"
9. Ask general knowledge questions. Try asking about things like facts about geography, general info on celebrities or historical figures, about movies or TV shows, nutrition facts on food, and various other facts and figures. You can also ask Alexa to search Wikipedia and she will read several lines from the article.
   
   • "Alexa, what's the population of Chicago?"
   • "Alexa, where was Abraham Lincoln born?"
   • "Alexa, what year was '12 Angry Men' released?"
   • "Alexa, when does 'Game of Thrones' air?"
   • "Alexa, how much saturated fat is in a steak?"
   • "Alexa, how far away is the moon?"
   • "Alexa, how tall is a giraffe?"
   • "Alexa, Wikipedia 'fractals.'"

EditEntertainment

1. Listen to music. Listen to Spotify, Pandora, Amazon Prime Music, iHeartRadio or SiriusXM. You can also
   
   • "Alexa, play dance music on Pandora."
   • "Alexa, play Post Malone."
   • "Alexa, play Maggot Brain by Funkadelic on Spotify"
   • You can now play music over multiple devices if you have more than one Echo.
2. Listen to Podcasts. Alexa will play the latest episode of the podcast you request. While you can play/pause, fast forward or rewind, if you ask Alexa something else while listening, you will lose your place in the podcast.
   
   • "Alexa, play Radiolab."
3. Play Audible audiobooks. As long as you are logged in to your account, your playback position should be synced between the Echo and any other devices you listen on.
   
   • "Alexa, play Ready Player One."
   • "Alexa, resume my book." (Plays the audiobook you last listened to.)
   • "Alexa, go back/forward" (Goes back or forward 30 seconds.)
4. Play most Kindle Books. Using text-to-speech Alexa can read many Kindle books from where you last left off and keep your place. ^[1]
   
   • "Alexa, play the Kindle book, Astrophysics for People in a Hurry."
   • "Alexa, pause/resume."
   • "Alexa, set a sleep timer for 15 minutes."
5. Play music over Bluetooth. Just pair any Bluetooth-enabled device, like your phone, to play anything on Alexa.
   
   • After the device has been paired initially just say, "Alexa, enable Bluetooth." or "Alexa, connect." to pair that device again.
   • This is often a better option for playing podcasts than Alexa's native ability since you have more control over playback and won't lose your place.
6. Play a game. There are many game skills available for Alexa in the skill store. Popular ones include:
   
   • Jeopardy! There are also Sports and Teen versions of the game. Remember to answer in the form of a question! "Alexa, play Jeopardy!"
   • Song Quiz. This popular game will match you against an opponent and ask you to identify clips of music. "Alexa, start Song Quiz."
   • Twenty Questions. Play this classic game and try to stump Alexa. "Alexa, play Twenty Questions."
   • The Magic Door. This is basically a choose-your-own-adventure novel being read out loud to you. "Alexa, open The Magic Door."
   • Go to the skill store to browse through many other games skills.

EditPractical Features

1. Use Timers. You can manage and pause timers from the Alexa app.
   
   • "Alexa, set a timer for 12 minutes and 30 seconds."
   • "Alexa, set an 'chicken' timer for 15 minutes."
   • "Alexa, check timers."
2. Set alarms. You can even set an alarm to wake you up with a particular artist, song or genre of music. Manage alarms from the Alexa app.
   
   • "Alexa, set an alarm for 4 pm."
   • "Alexa, set an alarm for 7 am to the Beatles on Pandora."
   • "Alexa, set a repeating alarm for 8 am every weekday to 80s music on Spotify."
3. Set reminders. Alexa can remind you to do something at a specific time or after a certain amount of time has passed.
   
   • Reminders will also go off on your phone through the Alexa app, so you will be sure to be reminded even if you aren't nearby your Echo.
   • "Alexa, remind me to take out the trash in 1 hour."
   • "Alexa, remind me to go to the bank at 4:30 pm."
4. Connect your calendar. Go to the Alexa app and tap ☰, Settings and Calendar. Follow the steps to link your account. Currently, Google, Microsoft (Outlook, Office 365 or Exchange) and Apple accounts are supported. Now you can ask Alexa about events on your calendar or add an event to your calendar.
   
   • "Alexa, add an event to my calendar." (Alexa will then prompt you for the day, time and name of the event.)
   • "Alexa, what's next on my calendar?"
   • "Alexa, what's on my calendar for Thursday?"
5. Get shipping updates on Amazon orders. Alexa will also give you a notification when a package has been delivered or will be delivered that day.
   
   • "Alexa, check my packages."
6. Make phone calls or call through the Alexa app. Alexa can make outgoing calls simply by asking her to dial any U.S., Mexican or Canadian number. If you have contacts added on the Alexa app you can also make a voice call, send text messages (over the Alexa app), or use the drop in feature if you have set it up.
   
   • "Alexa, dial 555-555-5555."
   • "Alexa, send a message to Susan." (Alexa will then prompt you for the text message you want to send)
   • "Alexa, call Susan."
   • You can also send and receive voice calls and Alexa messages from the Alexa app. Tap on the speech bubble icon at the bottom of the screen. If you haven't yet set up messaging yet, it will walk you through the set up.
7. Listen to your flash briefing. Set up what news services you want to get in your flash briefing by going into the Alexa app and tapping ☰, Settings and then Flash Briefing. Alexa will now read breaking stories from these services whenever you ask her to.
   
   • "Alexa, read my flash briefing."

EditTips

• Get used to saying commands without stopping what you are doing or looking at the Echo. This isn't necessary and it will help you fit Alexa's abilities into your life more seamlessly. Ask about the weather or traffic while you are tying your shoes, play some music while you are in the middle of cleaning dishes, or set an alarm from your bed.
• If you are a Prime subscriber, you may not know that this includes access to millions of songs through Prime Music, whose library you can search and access by simply asking Alexa to play any artist, song or genre of music. "Alexa, play rap music."
• Play the current free Audible audiobook by saying, "Alexa, what's free on Audible?"

EditSources and Citations

EditQuick Summary

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source How to of the Day https://ift.tt/2LRpJLe