Leaving your expensive stereo system on display when you park is about as bright as mounting a bumper sticker that reads, “I put money in my car. Please steal it.” Protect your investment with this clever suggestion from an eBay member:

“A buddy of mine did this, and it really looked cool. Never sport your stereo where you may end up leaving your car parked for a while (movie theater, grocery store, etc) as it advertises that you have money invested into a stereo system, and makes for a PRIME target. You can get a factory stereo that will fit your car at a junk yard really cheap. Take the plastic face and knobs off of it CAREFULLY, and glue the knobs to the face. Create some kind of a mounting plate that will be removeable (sic) so you can use your real stereo, and use this Factory Looking Face to make it look as if your stereo is still factory. Most people who steal stereos do not want a $35 or so factory stereo.”

Photo CC 2.0, candidlee

If you’re not impressed by your car audio quality, consider this tip from the Car Hi-Fi Ring:

“When was the last time you went to a concert and faced backwards? Why should you have to in your car? Think about where the majority of the music in your car comes from. Does come from the front or the rear? Chances are, it's the rear! Why? It's pretty simple. You have a lot more room in the back of your car, than you do in the front. So the factory engineers put honkin' 6x9's in the rear, and puny little 4"s in the front…Give this a shot as a temporary fix until you can replace your speakers. Go to a reputable car audio shop in your area…and ask them make you a low pass crossover for your rear speakers at about 2000 Hz (or 2 kHz). With a couple of capacitors and inductors, you will move the sound of your music up front, while you still get bass from the back!  If that doesn't do it, put some good high quality speakers up front, and disconnect your rears (or cross them over at about 500 Hz) and see how much better it sounds to you. It's amazing that something this small can do so much for your system, but it works.”

Photo CC 2.0,

If you’re stuck in rush-hour traffic or trapped with your mother-in-law on a road trip, poor broadcast quality could cause cardiac arrest. Avoid silence-induced-defibrillation with this tip from CNET:

 “One of the easiest ways to improve the broadcast quality of in-car FM transmitters for MP3 players is to retract or unscrew your car's exterior radio antenna. With fewer radio stations competing against your personal transmitter, you'll encounter less static interference and better broadcast quality.”

Photo CC 2.0, mstephens7

You probably shouldn't unlock your vehicle from too far away for safety reasons, but if you want to extend your alarm remote range, this is the way to go!

According to PC Magazine, most UK residents have about £375 of unwanted but usable gadgets lying around their homes. Hopefully you don’t just toss them when you’re done with them since e-waste is a major source of toxins and carcinogens—and as guardian.co.uk points out, much of the e-waste from Western Europe and the US ends up in the ports of West Africa.

How can you be sure your old electronics aren’t causing any harm? It’s simple—sell them to someone else.

UK residents:

Loot.com and Gumtree.com both offer a forum to buy and sell used items.

BuyMyTronics.com buys new, used, and broken electronics from any location in the world. Payment is sent through PayPal within 48 hours of receipt.

US residents:

VenJuvo.com helps you calculate your item’s worth and then buys it from you with two payment options: PayPal or check.

Second Rotation.com purchases mobile phones, gaming consoles, MP3 players, and other gadgets to resell them. You could earn over $150 for one item.