How to Do Donuts, Google Smarter, Speed-Read

Do Donuts

Want to whirl around in tight circles like Michelle Kwan pulling a triple axel? Tanner Foust, last year's Formula Drift series champion and stunt driver in films like The Bourne Ultimatum and The Dukes of Hazzard, tells us the best technique for spinning like a pro. Try it after you drop off the kids at school. — Brook Wilkinson

1 // Get the right ride.
For best results you need a rear-wheel drive with manual transmission, a few hundred horses under the hood, cheap tires, and a limited slip differential (which allows the wheels to spin at different speeds). You could practice with a rental — not that we'd ever condone such behavior. Ever.

2 // Position your tires.
While stopped, turn the steering wheel until it's almost fully locked.

3 // Rev the engine.
In first gear with the clutch in, hit the gas until you get up to about 3,500 rpm.

4 // Dump the clutch.
Simultaneously remove your left foot from the clutch and jam your right one onto the accelerator until you're just below the redline. This part is the hardest on your car. If you don't do it quickly enough, you can burn out the clutch.

5 // Ease off.
Before you're too dizzy, gradually lower your left foot onto the brake — with your right foot still on the gas — and you'll slow down the car enough to begin steering. (If you have a front-wheel drive, follow the same steps but drive backward.)

Illustration: Jason Lee

Speed-Read

The ability to digest 1,200 words per minute is like a nerdy superpower. (Average mortals max out at 300.) We tapped Michael Tipper, speed-reading coach to the likes of Shell and IBM, for tips. On your marks, get set ... read! — Emily Saso

Track. Whether you realize it or not, your eyes are darting all over the page. Lead with your index finger.

Sprint. Most of us spend a quarter second on every word, but the brain can recognize letters in as little as 1/500 of a second.

Quiet! You're probably saying each of these words in your head — creating major drag. The trick is to consume words in batches.

Practice. The app Spreed:News spits out articles two to four words at a time, at a rate you choose — from 300 to 1,200 wpm. Don't worry if smoke comes out of your ears. It's normal.

Illustration: Jason Lee

Google Smarter

It's only a matter of time before you can upload the entire Internet to your brain. Until that glorious day, these tricks will save you some keystrokes. — Damon Tabor

Get good sources. Add "site:edu" or "site:gov" to limit your search to school or government domains. To target specific sites, type, say, "neutrino site:Harvard.edu."

Convert currency and units. Easy: "12 parsecs in light years," for example.

Check your stocks. Take a deep breath, then enter a ticker symbol to see a real-time quote.

Narrow by file type. To find PowerPoints, Excel spreadsheets, or books scanned into PDFs, add "filetype:ppt" (or any other extension) to your query.

Search ranges. Use two periods between two numbers, like "Wii $200..$300."

Expect flight delays. Type in the airline, then your flight number.

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Learn how to do more at Wired's How-To Wiki.