INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Do the people in your life bring out the best in you, or are you a sponge for their negativity? Are there people who just make you feel bad, or that make you feel great when you leave? It's hard to put friendship aside. But don't let the worst people in your life pose as your best friends. Toxic personalities are only toxic if they affect you negatively. You can be friends with angry people. You can be friends with negative people. Accept people for who they are and what they are like, and don't let them affect you.  Not everyone is going to be friends! It's just the way of the world. Some people just aren't fun. Negative emotions have a time limit. But if someone is holding on to anger and negativity, just throw out the clock and move on. Ask yourself if there is a reason someone is such a bummer. Are they going through something? Do they have a tough job or home life?  Remember that you can't change another person, only yourself, so don't bog yourself down with excuses. Just try and get where they are coming from -- it'll make dealing with their crap a lot easier down the road. If you don't like what someone is saying, stop paying attention to it. Tune into the positive and constructive parts of the conversation, and start daydreaming when this person goes into negative territory. Imagine them in your underwear. Imagine yourself as a knight and them a dragon. Whatever you do, don't engage with them.  Battle away negativity with positivity -- they won't know what hit them. When they say, "school sucks and this place is terrible," remind them "at least there is lunch and recess!" They'll move on to someone more on their toxic level. Change the topic of conversation. Every time the person tries to steer the conversation negative, pull something else out to talk about. If your buddy wants to say "Work sucks and my boss is a jerk," then change it up. Say, "Yeah. At least football is good. What games did you watch on Sunday?"  Stick to the facts with hot-tempered types. Point out what needs to be done to fix a problem. Avoid talking about opinions or guesses and they'll have nothing to try and shove back down your throat. If you're struggling to deal with the negativity that people bring into your life, it may be time to start limiting those interactions. You can't change the way that people behave, but you can remove yourself from the equation.  If you regularly initiate your interactions with this person, stop. If this person stops getting in touch, you're in luck! If someone asks you if something is wrong, be honest. "I have trouble dealing with your negativity. You bring down my mood when you __________. I like you, but I think we need to see less of each other." . If someone is really affecting your mental health and well-being with their negativity, end the relationship. It will hurt a bit -- no doubt about it -- but it will hurt a lot less than a lifetime with a person who makes you feel terrible. Telling someone, "We can hang out, but only if you're not negative" would be like telling them you could only hang out if they were a different person. If it's not possible, come to terms with it. Cut them loose.

SUMMARY: Ask yourself, honestly, if any of your friends are toxic. Don't try to control or clean up the toxic mess -- you'll just get dirty. Empathize, but don't try to change people. Tune the haters out. Avoid toxic people like, well, toxic sludge. End toxic relationships completely


INPUT ARTICLE: Article: You will need an old webcam, an electronics tool kit, a hot glue gun, and some type of inconspicuous housing. The housing should be something that you can safely take apart and won't look out of place with a wire attached to it. Some possibilities include a power supply, a coffee maker, or an old alarm clock.  You will be hooking this up to a computer, so a private desktop or laptop is also necessary. You can even use a tablet if you have one that is compatible with USB. With cheap nanny cams regularly available, making your own hidden camera is not the most practical method. However, if you happen to have these materials on hand, it has the advantage of being free. Very carefully, use your electronics tool kit to remove your webcam's original housing. Remove all components besides the camera's lens, the circuit board, and its USB cable. Be very careful not to disconnect the lens or the USB cable from the circuit board. Keep all of these components attached. Unless you're using an object that is already hollow, you will need to make room for your camera to fit inside. Take the housing apart using any necessary tools and remove some or all of what's inside. If you're using something like an electric pencil sharpener, objects like this already have two perfect apertures built in. If not, your best option is likely to drill the holes yourself using an appropriate cutting bit. Make sure that the hole for the cable is at a seam where the housing opens. When drilling a new hole, you need to consider a spot where the camera will look inconspicuous. Pick a part of your object that is relatively dark so that the lens will better blend in. Using your hot glue gun, attach your camera and circuit board to the inside of the housing. Glue the circuit board to the bottom or side of the housing, placing the glue between it and the circuit board's solder side. Mount the camera so that the lens is up against one hole. Be very careful not to get any glue on the camera lens. Place the USB cable on its opening before closing the housing back up. Use more hot glue if you need to. Be very careful to make the item look exactly as it did before and obscure any signs that it has been tampered with. Consider covering the cable with a well-positioned book or piece of paper. Connect your new hidden camera to a computer using its USB cable and the computer's USB port. If the cable is too short, attach it to a USB extender. Install the webcam spy software of your choice and check to see if your camera is working. Test your camera by waving your hand in front of it. Can you see your hand on the computer screen? Did the software record that action? If so, try leaving the room for a while and then coming back in. Did your camera record your entrance? If so, then you have successfully made your own hidden camera.

SUMMARY:
Gather your materials. Take apart the webcam. Hollow out your housing. Make sure the housing has a hole for both the lens and the USB cable. Attach your webcam to the inside of its housing. Put the housing back together. Connect your camera to your computer.