In this week's MacGyver Challenge, we asked you to hack something cool with rubber bands. We received some great entries, but the winning hack shows us a simple but effective way to find a transit card (or any type of card, really) in a hurry.
Check out the description of the winning entry below and read about some of our other favorite entries.
Winner: Instantly Find Anything in Your Pocket
Reader Matt found that getting to his transit card was a hassle?especially when he was in a hurry. He had to get his wallet out of his pocket and look through it to find the right card. He wanted to be able to find his card by touch with one hand (see lead image). To fix the problem, he wrapped a small rubber band made from a bicycle inner tube around the card. It works as both a tactile identifier and a grip. Now, he can quickly find the right card when he only has one free hand.
Honorable Mentions
We got a lot of great entries and we'd be remiss if we didn't share some of our favorites. Here are some of the entries that really impressed us.
Create One of Several Smartphone Car Mounts
Three readers sent in ideas for smartphone car mounts using rubber bands. We liked them so much, we decided to feature them all. The first (pictured above) is from reader Grayskull. Sick of having to change car mounts when he changed phones, he decided on a simpler way. He took two large rubber bands and knotted them in the middle. He then slipped the top loops around his rear view mirror, leaving the bottom loops for holding the phone. No, you can't grab the phone and use it as a phone while driving, but you really should be using a hands-free solution anyway.
James Northrup had a similar solution for hanging his smartphone on the handle on the back of a bus seat, though you could use his solution to hang a phone pretty much anywhere. The difference here is that James didn't tie off the rubber band, but looped it through itself instead since the handle didn't have free ends over which to slip the loops.
And finally, Justin gives us another option for mounting a smartphone in your car?this time using the sun visor. The beauty of this solution is that you can flip up the visor to hide the phone. We imagine you'd have to be a little more creative in running a charging cable if you try this idea, though.
Connect VGA Cables Without Using Those Annoying Screws
Reader drbakker often needs to connect his MacBook to a projector using a VGA connector. Tired of having to deal with those annoying screws that hold the jack in, he turned to the noble rubber band for help. A quick twist and hook later and he has a fast solution for keeping the connection tight and releasing it in an instant.
Make Your Nail Clippers Easier to Grip
Christopher had trouble managing his fingernail clippers with his big hands. Not only were they prone to slipping from his grip, it was also hard to put enough pressure on them to make them cut properly. His solution? He wrapped a rubber band around the end of the clipping lever, making the clippers much easier to handle.
Save Yourself From a Sweaty Watch Band
Minh did not enjoy having a sweaty watch against his wrist while working out. His solution was to use a rubber band to create a spacer between his watch and wrist. Obviously, you'll need a fairly rigid watch with places to catch the rubber band for this to work.
Hang Cables With Ease
Reader idjosh wanted a quick, easy way to mount cables without having to buy something extra. So, he reached for his trusty bag of rubber bands. Using a couple of rubber bands wrapped around the heads of pushpins, he is able to secure cables to wall or ceiling. To remove a cable, all he has to do is pop off the rubber band and since they are mounted with pushpins, repositioning his cable run is a breeze.
A big thanks to everyone who took the time to send us entries! Be sure to check back every week for a new challenge.
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