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Get flash to fully experience Pearltrees
For about $5, Erik Anderson (of design firm Gerardot and Co.) figured out how to turn his used wine bottles into outdoor torches that would successfully—and stylishly—ward off mosquitos. Here's what you'll need to push this together: An empty glass wine bottle with a neck 1" in diameter 1/2" wide teflon tape A copper top plate connected that's threaded for a 3/8"-16 thread rod A 1" split ring hanger that's threaded for a 3/8"-16 thread rod 1/2" x 3/8" copper coupling A 1/2" copper cap 2 hex nuts threaded for a 3/8"-16 thread rod 2 # 10 1" zinc-plated wooden screws (if you're mounting it to wood) A 3/8"-16 thread rod (I bet you knew this was coming) A tiki replacement wick Torch fuel that's specifically made for outdoor torches
Turn a Used Wine Bottle into a Stylish, Mosquito-Repelling Torch
At its most basic, Network attached storage, or NAS, is a great way to share files on your local network. But it's also a perfect solution for backing up your computers, streaming media across your home network, or even torrenting files to a central server. If you have an aging computer lying around, you can turn it into a NAS for for free with the open-source FreeNAS operating system.
Turn an Old Computer into a Networked Backup, Streaming, or Torrenting Machine with FreeNAS
Top10 - Gadgets for your bag
We share a lot of cool gadgets around here, but there are a few tech essentials we think should be in every geek's laptop bag. Here are the 10 coolest (and most useful) gadgets you should always have with you. Photo remixed from an original by Kagaya .
Top 10 DIY Miracles You Can Accomplish with a $1 Binder Clip
When it comes to DIY projects and MacGyver tricks, the binder clip is one of the most versatile things around. Here are our top 10 favorite hacks you can pull off with the $1 office supply.Top 10 - USB Drive Tricks
What can you do with a few gigabytes and a USB port? Quite a lot, with the right software. Learn how to encrypt your work, run whole systems, rescue Windows, and customize your thumb drive with these USB-geared tricks. Photo by Debs (ò‿ó)♪ . Note: Gina previously rounded up 10 thumb drive tricks in April 2007, and we've borrowed a few of those ideas here.
HowTo - Back-Up Your Computer
You never think losing your files will happen to you until it actually does, and you're caught without a backup. Backups are extremely easy to keep, so there's no reason not to have one. Here's how to set one up. Whether you accidentally delete a file or lose a bunch of your data to a hard drive crash, regularly backing up your machine is always a good idea. Both Windows and Mac OS X have great built-in backup utilities, so it only takes a few steps to get started. Here's what you need to do.
If you have two or more computers at one desk, you don't want two or more sets of keyboards and mice cluttering up your workspace, too. You can buy a hardware gadget that lets you share a single keyboard and mouse with several computers (which involves a mess of tangled wires), or you could use a free software solution called Synergy. The Synergy application runs on all the computers you're using—the one that has the keyboard and mouse connected and the one(s) that do not—and lets you control all of them from that keyboard and mouse. That means you can move your mouse off one computer's screen and it will appear on the other, where you can type and work as well. Synergy also lets you share Clipboard contents between computers. If you copy information to the Clipboard on one computer and move your mouse to the other, you can paste it there, even though they're two different systems.
HowTo - Control Multiple Computers
Whether you're looking to relive the past or experience the origin of gaming you missed in your youth, your Windows, Mac, or Linux PC can take you back to Mario's salad days, the birth of the Final Fantasy series, and much more. Here's how to get started with retro game emulation and turn your computer into the ultimate retro arcade in just a few minutes. While contemporary video games have come close to cinematic masterpieces, there's often nothing better than the fun and simplicity of retro classics.
How to Turn Your Computer into a Retro Game Arcade
How to Get Motivated: A Guide for Defeating Procrastination
Followup to: How to Generally Reduce Procrastination and How to Stop Procrastinating Right Now
Earlier this week we asked you to share the free apps you're most thankful for , and you came through with thousands of votes for apps covering the desktop, mobile phone, and devices in between. With a little spreadsheet magic and a few choices of our own, we bring you the top 50 free apps we're all most thankful for. Whether you're celebrating the holiday or not, it's a great list of free software that ought to make for some gluttonous downloading. The popular apps are some of the more obvious, however, so be sure to look further down the list for new free software you may not yet know about.
Downloads - 50 Best Apps
If you want an uncluttered desktop—but at-hand USB ports—embed a USB port right into your desk for at-your-fingertips access without the clutter of cables or a box sitting on your desktop. Make magazine shares a tutorial for embedding a USB hub into your desk surface. They rely heavily on the Dremel Multi-Max oscillating tool—predominately because of Dremel's sponsorship of the project but also because it's a really handy all-in-one tool for the job—you could easily swap out other tools you have on hand (like a drill and jigsaw in place of the oscillating flush-cut wood blade). You're essentially cutting a hole the size of the USB hub's face, epoxying brackets onto the side of the hub, and screwing the brackets into the bottom of the desk so that the hub sits flush with the table surface. If you've got a company-owned desk and cutting a big rectangle out of it seems like something HR would frown on, check out this flush-mount USB hub that fits in a standard size cable run hole .
DIY - Desk USB ports
Another seed starting method that can compliment or be used in place of the Ghetto Greenhouse is the "Baggie Method" if you don't have the space or desire to make seed starters out of plastic soda bottles. This method also saves you money because you don't need soil right away to start and when time comes to transplant your seedlings you can put them in an appropriate size pot.
Seed Starting with the "Baggie Method."
Chocolatey Brings Lightning Quick, Linux-Style Package Management to Windows
Windows: If there's one thing I miss about Linux, it's being able to install any program in seconds with a quick command.You want to grab roughly 50 cards at a time - if you go high like up to 100 it gets flimsy, and if you go less like around 25 it's not as impressive.
Tear-em-off Business Cards
Building a hackintosh—that is, installing Mac OS X on non-Apple hardware—used to require extremely restricted hardware choices and quite a bit of know-how. Now your options are vast and the installation process is fairly simple. With that in mind, here is our always up-to-date guide to building a hackintosh that will walk you through purchasing compatible parts, building your machine, and installing OS X all on your own.