Illustration: Gordon McAlpin

In Windows Vista or 7, click and hold the mouse button at the top of the window. (If you’ve got a bunch of tabs open in your browser, there’s space between the tabs and the minimize icon.) Got the mouse button held down? Good. Now shake the mouse back and forth.

The current window shrinks, and you can see all the windows behind it become minimized. This saves on system resources and visual clutter. You’re literally shaking the windows away. Plus, it’s a neat hidden feature!