The Loose End on Your Tape Measure Isn’t Broken — Here’s What It’s Actually For

Whether you’re a seasoned handyman or a DIY beginner, odds are you’ve noticed the hook at the end of your tape measure isn’t firmly attached. You might assume it’s because of a factory defect or that it has been worn down over time, but there’s actually a fascinating reason why most tape measures have a loose hook at the end.

Manufacturers build them this way because it’s one of the most important parts of a tape measure’s design. Learn how it improves accuracy and signs that there actually might be something wrong with your tape measure.

Why Tape Measures Have a Loose Hook

The metal hook at the end of a tape measure is loose to account for its own thickness. It’s designed to slide a small distance to allow for accurate measurements, whether the hook catches the edge of an object, like a sheet of plywood, or when pressed firmly against a surface, like an inside measurement.

The hook is pulled outward when it’s on the outside edge. That compensation accounts for the thickness so the measurement starts at the correct point. The hook only moves slightly and excessive shifting could result in an inaccurate measurement.

Small rivets, which are small metal fasteners that attach the hook to the tape blade, are intentionally left slightly loose to allow the hook to move a controlled distance while staying securely attached.

When a Loose Hook Actually Is a Problem

Your tape measure’s hook should shift slightly. However, that doesn’t mean there isn’t something wrong with it. Several warning signs should make it obvious.

Excessive movement of the tape measure hook is not normal. This can be caused by several issues. Over time, rivets, which are small metal fasteners that attach the hook to the end of the tape blade, wear down, and the hook can bend or be knocked out of alignment from drops, impacts against hard surfaces, or heavy use.

To test your tape measure’s accuracy, try hooking the tape and pressing it against the same object to check if the measurements match. If you’re noticing inaccuracies, or if the tape measure is visibly damaged, it’s time to buy a replacement. Even small discrepancies can have a ripple effect with errors in a project.

Attempting to tighten the hook might work, but it could also further damage the tape measure and continue to lead to inaccurate measurements.

Other Useful Tape Measure Functions

Tape measures are fascinating tools designed with many cool built-in features most people overlook, or don’t use nearly enough.

One design that has probably gone unnoticed are small diamonds found every 19.2 inches. They’re called truss marks and are used by builders to space floor trusses across a standard eight-foot span.

Some tape measures also have black and red numbers, stud-spacing markings at 16-inch intervals, measurements printed on both sides of the blade for easier reading, and a serrated hook edge to scratch a mark into wood or drywall.

While seemingly minor designs, they can be quite beneficial if you can learn what these interesting tape measure uses are for. And remember them.

Sources

• Stanley Tools Support, “Why does the hook on the end of the Stanley tape rule move?“
• REEKON Tools Support, “Why the Hook Moves Back and Forth“
• Pro Tool Reviews, “Why Does a Tape Measure Hook Move?“

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The Simple Trick That’ll Keep Spam Callers Away From Your Real Phone Number

If you’ve heard or felt a notification buzz on your phone, only to look and see an annoying incoming spam call or sketchy text message, just know you’re not alone. An increase in these bothersome and potentially dangerous calls has led many people to ignore requests from unfamiliar numbers.

However, there are ways to combat these spam attacks without changing your primary phone number, disrupting your daily communications, sacrificing your privacy, or missing important calls. Learn about why a virtual phone number might be a good option for you, how they reduce spam calls and texts, and how to get one.

What Is a Virtual Phone Number?

A virtual phone number works through an app or other online service to create a secondary phone number not associated with a traditional cell line. Depending on which provider you use, a virtual phone number can allow users to make calls, text, receive verification codes, receive voicemails, and more.

They can be used for many purposes, but some of the most popular reasons to get a virtual phone number include:

• Business
• Online marketplaces
• Travel
• Secondary line to share instead of a primary number

Popular virtual phone number providers include Google Voice, Burner, Hushed, TextNow, and Sideline. Unlike a traditional mobile phone number, a virtual phone number isn’t tied to a physical SIM card or dedicated phone line.

How to Use a Virtual Phone Number

After creating an account and purchasing a virtual phone number through a credible provider, you can start enjoying the benefit of additional digital security. And while a virtual phone number can reduce spam, it works best as part of a complete digital security strategy.

Instead of providing your personal number for signups, purchases, or inquiries, give a virtual number to retailers, loyalty programs, contests, online marketplaces, and other nonessential services as an extra layer of digital protection. This protects your primary number for marketing or nefarious purposes.

However, any phone number, including a virtual one, can end up on marketing lists if it’s shared widely enough. Telemarketers, robo callers, marketers, and scammers won’t distinguish between virtual and traditional numbers. Also, the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) notes that scammers often use spoofed numbers to reach consumers.

If a virtual number starts getting bombarded with spam, it’s easier to mute, filter, block, or even replace than a primary phone number that close contacts or businesses use regularly.

Additional Ways to Protect Yourself From Spam Calls and Texts

A virtual phone number works best alongside a primary phone number, not as a replacement. Banks, healthcare providers, schools, government agencies, insurance companies, employers or employees, close family members, and anyone likely to need immediate contact, should have access to your main number.

Virtual phone numbers, especially during urgent situations, are not as reliable as an immediate source of contact as your primary phone number. That’s even more true if you plan on changing your virtual phone number regularly if it becomes inundated with spam.

Some virtual phone services also allow users to create multiple numbers on the same account, which can be used for different types of uses like shopping, memberships, travel, or something else. Keeping those activities separate can make it easier to identify where unwanted calls and texts are originating, and can make it easier to fix the issue.

The Federal Trade Commission and Federal Communications Commission also recommend blocking suspicious callers and reporting spam texts or scam attempts instead of responding to them.

Many virtual number providers include built-in tools such as call screening, spam filters, voicemail controls, and caller blocking. You can also find similar protection features already on your mobile devices, too.

Sources

• Federal Trade Commission: Phone Scams
• Federal Communications Commission: Stop Unwanted Robocalls and Texts
• Federal Trade Commission: How to Stop Unwanted Calls

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Shop Amazon Without the ‘Knockoffs’ Thanks to New Browser Extension

As any savvy shopper knows, online marketplaces can be rife with knockoff products. If you don’t pay close attention to the listing you may end up paying for a less trustworthy version of the item you wanted. Sure, you can return it for a refund, but wouldn’t it be better if there were an easy way to avoid the knockoffs to begin with?

Enter Josh Pigford (@Shpigford on X, formerly known as Twitter). In a recent post, Pigford shared his new creation: Knockoff, a browser extension that pushes back against the slew of knockoff brands on Amazon and makes your online shopping experience run significantly smoother.

What Is Knockoff?

Put simply, Knockoff is a browser extension for Google Chrome that lets you filter out knockoff brands. When it’s enabled, you’ll have the option to remove all of those mysterious, all-caps brands from your search results. Based on the Chrome store description, “Knockoff detects those listings and hides, dims, or labels them, right in the search results,” depending on the filter settings. As of now, the extension “works on amazon.com, amazon.ca, amazon.co.uk, and amazon.com.au. English marketplaces only for now.”

How Can I Use This?

Pigford designed this extension to be a breathe of fresh air for online shoppers. Once you’ve installed it in Chrome, you can take a look at the different filter levels: Relaxed, Standard, and Strict. Per the web store, relaxed will hide “known pseudo-brands and your blocklist.” Standard, which is the default, goes a step further and also hides “suspect-looking names and unbranded listings.” And if you want to be incredible, well, strict, the Strict option is “allowlist-only; anything not a known brand gets filtered.”

You’re also able to decide how you want the extension to tag knockoff brands. You can opt for the filtered items to be “hidden (with a floating pill showing the count and a one-click reveal), dimmed (restore on hover), or just labeled.” So pick whatever makes the most sense for you visually; you’re not locked into just one setting.

Are There Privacy Concerns?

Pigford also has a section allaying privacy concerns. According to the store listing, “everything runs locally. No accounts, no tracking, no analytics. The only network traffic is a daily brand-list download and optional one-click misclassification reports (brand name, verdict, ASIN, marketplace; nothing about you).” So if data tracking is a concern for you, you can rest easy knowing that this extension isn’t harvesting sensitive information from you.

RELATED:

• See a Green Dot on Your Android Phone? Here’s What It Means
• If You Get a USPS Scam Text, You Need To Do This Immediately
• This Is How Often You Should Restart Your Phone

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Batman’s Real-Life Mansion Is for Sale — and Yes, It’s as Expensive as You’d Expect

Any time a storied Hollywood estate goes up for sale, movie fans pay attention. Even if the price tag is way out of any normal budget, ‘window shopping’ for a home you’ve seen in one of your favorite films is a fun fantasy world to live in for a while.

And if you’re a Batman fan, one of the more recent Los Angeles-area listings will certainly capture your interest. That’s because the property in question is 380 S San Rafael Ave, an estate that served as the filming site for exterior shots of Wayne Manor in the iconic “Batman” television series from the 1960s.

That’s right… the house that served as home base for the original on-screen Batman is up for sale. The cost of purchasing the former estate of Adam West’s Bruce Wayne is staggering— you’d have to scrape together $32,000,000 just to be in the running. If only you could just do it like Bruce and simply inherit the property after a theater-based family tragedy…

If you’re not a fan of comics, don’t worry. Batman isn’t the only famous figure that filmed on this property. 380 S San Rafael Ave also served as the site of the infamous bridal-shower meltdown in the 2011 comedy Bridesmaids. The estate was also a filming location for various other film and television productions, ranging from Rush Hour to Murder, She Wrote.

And if you’re not a movie fan, well… the more you learn about this house, the more you’ll understand its price tag. This is a house that’s been ludicrously expensive ever since it was built.

“Apparently, in 1928 the home was built for $140,000 at a time when the average home in America cost $4,000,” listing agent Peter Owens told Mansion Global.

Despite its historic appeal, 380 S San Rafael Ave still boasts amenities including a theater, a pickleball court and a natural pool. Interior systems like the plumbing and HVAC have also been updated by the previous owner, meaning anyone who buys this estate can expect a modern, luxury home with a past firmly rooted in film history.

Just be careful if you find any secret passageways.

Related

• Taylor Swift’s Former Cape Cod Mansion Is for Sale — Wait Until You See the Price Tag
• Billy Joel’s Long Island Mansion Is For Sale. Wait Until You See the Property Taxes
• Sean Connery’s Lavish Villa Is Up for Sale, But the Price Will Leave You Shaken AND Stirred

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How I Made These Designer-Worthy Coat Hooks on a Lathe

Mark the axis points

Starting with a 1-1/2-in. x 1-1/2-in. x 4-in. wood blank, find the center on each end with a center finder and create a divot in the center point with a nail set. The more accurate the location of the center point, the less vibration you will have when you start up the lathe to get the blank balanced.

On the end that will be mounted toward the headstock side of the lathe, mark a second axis point — 1/2-in. from center. The second axis will be used to offset the blank and create the hook end.

Drill mounting holes

At the end of the blank with just the single center mark, drill a 5/16-in. hole at this mark 1-1/2-in. deep. Drill these at the drill press to make sure the hole stays as plumb on the blank as possible.

Balance the blank

Mount the wood blank onto the lathe between centers. Place the drilled hole in the tail drive end and the other in the spur drive attached to the headstock. Be sure to seat the spur well.

Start the lathe at a lower speed to ensure everything is tightly secured and that the lathe doesn’t bounce excessively with an unbalanced wood blank. Slowly bring the lathe speed up to speed (1200-1300 rpms). Check and adjust tailstock pressure as needed to keep the blank secure without excessive force. The most important part of safe woodturning is to ensure your wood blank is always tightly secured, well-balanced and centered.

Use a roughing gouge to work from one end of the blank to the other, slowly removing the corners of the blank until there are no longer any flat surfaces and the wood blank has been shaped into a round cylinder. The wood blank will run smoothly once it is balanced.

Turn a cylinder

Set an outside caliper to 1-1/2-in. and turn the entire cylinder to this thickness using a spindle gouge. Once you have the desired thickness of your cylinder, start sanding it with 150-grit sandpaper. Work through grits until you reach 400-grit. Sand the whole piece to remove any tool marks. Never skip a grit.

Once the piece has been turned and sanded well, mark three lines with a pencil, 1/2-in. apart, measured from the headstock side of the blank:

• The first line (3-1/2-in. from the tail drive end) and the remaining half inch of the 4-in. blank is to be left untouched because of the spurs and center point of the spur drive that are embedded in this part of the blank.
• The second line (3-in. from the tail drive) is where you will part off the piece when done.
• The third line (2-1/2-in. from the tail drive) will define the width of the “hook” at the end. The goal is to maintain the cylinder’s diameter at this portion of the hook (between the second and third line) and never reshape or change the dimension within this 1/2-in. section.

Change axis’s and keep turning

Change the axis of the mounted piece on the headstock to the second axis point marked 1/2-in. from center in step one.

With the blank set and secured into the second axis, use a spindle gouge to shape the end of the cylindrical piece to create a hook to the desired profile up to the third line. Use an outside caliper set to one inch and turn the neck of the hook to this thickness. The layout of these measurements is important, so all your hooks look the same. Dedicating one caliper to each measurement will make this process easy to repeat and ensure all measurements remain the same through all your hooks.

Sand the newly turned body of the hook while it is off-center in the second axis point to the same 400-grit as the rest. Always sand from the underside of the workpiece. That way, your arm isn’t hanging out over the top of the lathe as it spins. Keep your fingers out of the way so the hook shape cannot catch them. Never wrap the sandpaper around your fingers. You want to be able to quickly release the sandpaper if it gets hung up on your piece.

Part the hook off

Once the hook has been sanded, use the spindle gouge to remove material between the first and second lines. Use a parting tool to cut off the last 1/4-in. on the second line, leaving a flat end.

Clean up the parting nub

After parting off the hook, you will find a small nub where you have separated the hook from the rest of the blank. This area will need to be sanded and oiled to blend in with the rest of the hook. Take your time, run through all the grits with sandpaper and apply a coat of a wipe-on finish. Allow the finish to fully cure before handling or hanging the hook.

Hanging the hooks

Screw a 1/4-in. threaded insert into the hole you drilled in step two. Then hang the hooks in your desired location. If there is a wall stud at this location, use a 1/4-in. hanger bolt screwed directly into the stud. If no stud is present at your location, use a 1/4-in. snap toggle drywall anchor with some short lengths of threaded rod to screw the hook into place.

FAQ

How high off the ground should a lathe be?

When standing next to the lathe, the centers of the tail and head drives should align with the height of the woodturner’s elbow. This will make reaching easier and allow for better tool control.

Does a lathe need to be level?

A lathe should be solidly level to the ground it stands on. If one leg or side of the lathe is off-kilter to the other, the lathe can rock violently with the off-center of a piece of wood. This is critical for safe and efficient turning.

How much weight can these coat hooks support when installed?

If installed in drywall using a snap-toggle style drywall anchor, the hook’s three-inch length acts as a lever arm. This puts more stress on the anchor than a flush-mounted item would. We recommend keeping loads under 20 lbs per hook in this case. If screwed directly into a wall stud, the hook can typically support more — up to about 25–30 lbs — but actual capacity depends on factors like embedment depth and stud condition.

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New Car Payments Just Hit a Record High of $777 a Month — Here’s Why

It’s no secret that everything is getting more and more expensive. Americans now have over $1.6 trillion — yes, trillion, with a T — in car debt. Pricier cars mean larger down payments, larger loans, and larger monthly payments. According to Edmunds, for the third quarter in a row, the average new vehicle monthly payment just hit a new high of $777. Additionally, more and more buyers are opting for longer loan repayment plans. Nearly a quarter of new vehicle buyers are on an 84-month or longer repayment plan.

Why Is the Average New Vehicle Monthly Payment So Expensive?

Edmunds found several factors are contributing to high monthly payments. First, while the prices for new vehicles continue to rise, “the average down payment on a new-vehicle purchase continues to sink.” The average amount financed for a new-vehicle purchase has reached $44,156 (a new all-time high), while the average down payment dropped to $5,815.

This mismatch in down payment versus amount financed plays a large role in the rise in average payments, but interest rates have an effect as well. Edmunds found only “1.2% of new-vehicle buyers secured a 0% APR loan in Q2, down from 2.6% in Q1.” To give that number additional context, “the share [of buyers who secured a 0% APR loan] peaked at 24.2% in Q2 2020 amid pandemic-era incentives and has not reached 4% share since Q4 2021.” Overall, the average interest buyers pay over the life of the loan “climbed to a record $9,811,” while APRs “ticked back up to 7.0% in Q2.”

Why Are Buyers Opting for Longer Loans?

With those numbers for context, the trend of longer loans starts to make sense. Sure, higher APRs mean a more expensive loan if you pay it off in 84 months instead of 60, but when there’s an average difference of nearly $40,000 between the down payment and the size of the loan, many buyers seem to be willing to make the trade to lower their monthly payments wherever possible.

Edmunds found that “36.5% of all financed new-vehicle purchasers in Q2 took on a loan of 73 months or longer…[and] 23.9% of Q2 financers signed on for loans of 84 months or longer.” Both of these numbers represent new records.

What Does This Mean for Me?

If you’re in the market, you might want to consider a used vehicle. Edmunds found that they’re also more expensive that in previous years, but they may still be cheaper than a new one. If you are committed to a new vehicle; take extra time to run the numbers. A longer loan isn’t the end of the world, but it is more expensive in the long run so before you sign up for that make sure it makes sense for your budget.

Source

Nearly 1 in 4 New-Vehicle Buyers in Q2 Stretched Loans to 84 Months or Longer, a Record According to Edmunds, Edmunds, 2026.

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How I Created a Cleaner Gaming Setup by Hiding Lights in Plain Sight

Install a lighting strip on the TV

Installing a lighting strip on your TV is a must to achieve that game room feel you’re looking for. This brings out the game’s action when you sync it to the game’s audio or set the perfect ambient color scheme. We’ll be taking the TV off the wall or mount to install the strip. The light strip we’re using is meant to fit a range of TV sizes (55- to 65-inch) and is split into short and long LED sections, with a cable connecting them. This keeps the lights flat on the back and close together, without causing the strip to raise up and bunch in the corners.

• Disconnect the power from the TV and carefully take it off the mount. Set it down on a soft surface with the screen flat — use a blanket or towel to protect it from damage.
• A controller block is attached to the strip near the power supply plug, with a connection cable running to the first LED section. The sections alternate short, long, short, long around the TV. The short sections run the vertical left and right sides, and the long sections run the top and bottom. Only one short section has the plug that connects to the controller, so that short section is always your starting point. From the back, stick the controller block in whichever bottom corner is closest to your wall outlet, using the double-sided tape attached to it. Set it about four inches in from the side and bottom so the block doesn’t overhang the edge of the TV. Either bottom corner works; it just sets your direction of travel — start in the bottom left, and you’ll work clockwise, start in the bottom right, and you’ll work counterclockwise.
• Plug the strip into the controller and start with that first short section, running it right along the outer back edge up the vertical side of the TV. Use a couple of the included white adhesive clips to hold it in place. Keeping the strip close to the edge is what lets the light spill out and glow onto the wall behind.
• Working around the perimeter, attach the next long section along the top edge, then the next short section down the far vertical side, and the final long section across the bottom — short, long, short, long, hugging the outer edge the whole way.
• For the small section of plain black cable between the LED strips at the corners, tape it to the back to hide it and keep it from popping out the side of the TV. Each section is connected with a short four- to six-inch plain black cable. On smaller TVs in the kit’s range, like my 55-in., that cable will bunch up at the corners, so tape it down using adhesive mounts and zip ties to keep it from poking out. On a 65-in., it won’t bunch.
• Mount the TV back on the wall and connect all cables — TV, HDMI, optical, and light strip power supply.
• Do a test by going into the app, connecting to the light, and turning it on and off. For the controller, manually press the on/off button to confirm it works.

Lighting the floating shelf

Lighting your entertainment center or floating shelf is the perfect pairing to your TV lighting. Unlike the fitted strip we used on the TV, this one is a single continuous run of cuttable LED lights, so you can trim it to fit your shelf exactly without measuring out the run ahead of time. I also pulled the shelf a bit off the wall, using a few spacers, so the strip wouldn’t get smushed against the wall when I reinstalled it. Depending on your shelf and the amount of clearance your strip needs, you may or may not need to do this.

• Clear everything off the shelf — cables, components, and any decorative pieces.
• Unscrew the shelf from the wall and lay it on the floor, back facing up.
• Place the controller block inside the floating shelf, stuck to the top of the inside wall behind the door. This keeps it within reach for manual access but hidden from view when the door’s closed.
• Just like the TV, peel and attach the strip starting from the left side, then work your way around the edges of the shelf. I ran both the TV and shelf lights on the left to keep everything uniform. You can mirror it to the right if that suits your layout better.
• At the corners, use the included black clips to hold the strip in place. Because this is a continuous strip, it wants to rise up and won’t lie as flat around corners. Setting a clip a few inches out from each corner pulls it down flatter and keeps it from peeling.
• When you reach the end of your run (when the strip comes back around to where you started), find the scissor line on the strip closest to where you want it to stop. Cut on that line, then peel and press the final length into place, securing the last corner with a clip. Cutting anywhere other than a marked scissor line risks blacking out that whole nearest section, so stick to the line. Discard the leftover strip.
• Reinstall the shelf on the wall and reconnect the light strip to its power supply. To test, open your app, connect to the strip, and turn it on and off. Then push the on/off button on the controller to confirm manual control works too.

Install smart LED bulbs (optional)

This optional step lets you bring your floor lamps or other light sources into the setup to round out the gaming atmosphere. These bulbs work best as a steady ambient light while your TV and shelf strips do the active, synced lighting. You can sync the bulbs to the same system, but running everything in motion at once tends to look busy — keeping the lamps on a calm, fixed color is what makes the whole setup feel intentional rather than chaotic.

• Screw a smart bulb into your floor lamp or chosen fixture in place of the standard bulb.
• Open the bulb’s app, connect to the bulb, and set it to a steady ambient color that complements your TV and shelf lighting

Cable management

Cable management keeps everything organized and looking clean. It’s the difference between a polished setup and an obvious tangle of wires. The simplest fix is a set of stick-on cord covers, which are easy to install and hide your cords against the wall.

• Sort your cables into sections — TV cables as one group, shelf cables as another. Don’t overload a single cord cover; too many cables and it’ll bulge and won’t close properly.
• Place one cord cover centered on the wall between the TV and the floating shelf. Peel the backing and stick it to the wall, tucking the top behind the TV and the bottom behind the shelf so both ends disappear.
• Open the cover, lay your TV cables inside, and close it. Repeat with a second cover for the floating shelf cables.

Syncing

Now the fun begins. Sync the TV and floating shelf lights to your gaming audio or a color scheme. If you installed smart bulbs, set them up as ambient lighting that complements the rest.

• For the TV, open your app and connect to the TV light strip. This brings you to the control window for that light.
• From here, you can build your own color scheme, pick a preset, or sync the lights to your TV audio. Choose to sync it to TV audio.
• Exit and repeat for the floating shelf strip, but rather than syncing this one to audio, set it to a steady complementary color. We found the audio sync didn’t look great with older games that don’t drive the lights well, and a static shelf color keeps the whole wall from getting too busy.
• For the smart bulb, open its app and select the bulb. As with the strips, you can choose a preset, enter a custom color, or sync it to your entertainment system.
• Set the bulb to a color of your choice and leave it as steady ambient lighting alongside the TV and shelf.

FAQ

What’s a good LED color for gaming?

Honestly, any color you like works. This is your game room, so if you find a shade that fits your space and your gaming vibe, go with it. If you want a classic look, the retro gaming colors are hard to beat: neon blue, purple, pink, and green.

Do LED lights get hot enough to start a fire?

LEDs do give off some heat, but far less than traditional incandescent light bulbs. As long as you’re using a quality product and you’re not covering or enclosing the power supply, they’re very low-risk. As with any electronics, avoid damaged strips and don’t overload outlets.

Can you put LED lights back together after you cut them?

That depends on the type of cuttable strip you bought. Many strips can be rejoined using solderless connectors — small clips that clamp the cut ends back together to extend or reconnect the run. Some budget strips, though, are designed for a single cut and aren’t made to be reconnected — you can attempt it, but it may not hold. Check your strip’s packaging to see which type you have before you cut.

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