(FORTUNE Magazine) – Leave a bottle of low-tech glue sitting on the shelf too long, and it starts to crack up like the bottom of a Death Valley lakebed. Loctite's high-tech House Works glue will probably outlive you: It won't ever dry out. You see, House Works isn't really glue until you zap it in your microwave for three or four minutes on the high setting. Jiggling the molecules raises the temperature inside the dispenser to about 400¡ F. The thermoplastic material within (which at room temperature resembles candle wax) then liquefies into a molten glue that bonds to virtually any surface. When the glue cools, the chemicals revert to the inert, solid state; the stuff will neither ooze nor dry out, until you next crank up the microwave. Now available in local hardware stores and national chains like Kmart, House Works runs about $3.75 for eight ounces.

- Wilton Woods