Top 10 Things You Can Upgrade with a Little Electronics Hacking it is a skill to do a good solder joint, it comes with LOTS of practice. so most people who rarely do it will ever get good at it. Bingo. Of course, part of the issue is having a soldering iron at the right temp with a properly tinned tip. Newbies aren't using soldering stations but a cheap iron they got at rat shack (You have questions? We have deer-in-the-headlights... erm... answers!). I don't expect to ever master tricky stuff like smts or even multilayer pcbs so I'm not much better then a newbie, anyway - and I totally suck at sweating pipe joints. Ah, well... SMT is actually a bit better than through-hole once you get the hang of it.
flax & twine: DIY Photo Light Box - A Finish Fifty Project Did you ever wonder how people get those beautiful endless finishes in their photos? White and bright shots of their products? This is how (or, at least it is an inexpensive diy substitute). By taking photos inside a box that diffuses natural light from all sides, you can remove shadows and give a white, magazine-like finish to your photos. I first learned how to make a light box from Alessandra Cave, a beautiful photographer, from whom I took a great class at the Makerie, a lovely retreat in Boulder, CO. My old light box had died a slow death in Boulder and was not worth moving. The box is inexpensive to make. Have fun with this! DIY Photo Light Box Tutorial: Materials: Cardboard box Tissue paper Craft knife Packing tape White posterboard (should be at least 30% longer than the box length) Cut off the tops of the box. Cut out a rectangle 1″ shy of sides on three of the four sides of the box. Pop out the side Box should look like this after all three sides are cut. After:
BARRY EISLER: The Official Website Over the last decade, single-malt whiskey has grown markedly in popularity and price - an understandable trend, given its richness and complexity. Here is a quick primer on the subject, along with a recommendation of John Rain's Top Ten. First, some terminology: Whiskey (spelled whisky in the UK) is an alcoholic beverage derived from barley.Grain whiskey is made from unmalted barley.Malt whiskey is made from barley that is first malted - that is, sprouted and dried. To learn more, I recommend Michael Jackson's Complete Guide to Single Malt Scotch. And now, in no particular order, a highly subjective Top Ten. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. Go back to the COOL STUFF page.
3 Quick Tips for Linking to External Blog Posts | Gene Lempp ~ Writer photo by twilite_dreamz via Flickr (CC) Quick and clean today. (Hears Kristen Lamb whispering in my thoughts: “It writes the words or it gets the shoe,” *shudder – smile*). Note: I only use WordPress, results may vary with other platforms. Copy & Paste: After providing attribution, copy & paste the headline of the desired post, highlight it – click add link, copy and paste the post URL in the pop up box. Tip: Always add a period to the end of the post title before inserting the URL, even if the post ends with a question mark. Ethical sharing pays the highest dividends – play nice and others will often reciprocate the kindness. Writing Resources posts tomorrow morning if you’re interested in a full post example of the above – or just looking for the best of the blogsphere *smile* Peace. Like this: Like Loading... Gene Lempp is a writer blending elements of alternate history, the paranormal, fantasy, science fiction and horror for dark and delicious fun.
Are Winter Olympic Games Forcing 2014 Oscars Into March? Are the Oscars moving even later into March next year? All signs say ‘yes’ and the Academy would be wise to announce this sooner than later. Despite annual (and always wrong) media speculation (including a recent column in a well-known show biz trade) that the Academy Awards are planning to move a month earlier into January insiders have repeatedly told me the Academy’s Board has no taste for that, and as at least one former top officer in the organization told me over the weekend, contractually they can’t do it. Though they haven’t yet announced any dates for the next Oscar race, the schedule of the Winter Olympics being held in Sochi, Russia February 7 through the 23rd puts a big crimp in any plans to keep the Oscars even on in its current berth on the last Sunday of February where it would run smack into the Closing Night ceremonies. SAG jumped the gun on February 8 and quickly announced their show would be Saturday January 18, a week earlier than usual.
Oven Hot Dogs @ In the WabeIn the Wabe Maybe I shouldn’t admit this, but I love hot dogs. I mean, I really love hot dogs. I think that’s probably because of oven hot dogs. I know, they sound crazy. And you have to eat them with a fork and knife. Because this is a family recipe, I took step-by-step photos. Here’s what you need: hot dogs, hot dog buns, mayonnaise, mustard, sweet relish, chili, cheese, and diced onions. Cover the inside of the buns with mayonnaise. Add the hot dogs and squish them together in a baking dish. Add a bit of mustard if that’s your thing. Now add sweet relish! Top with chili! Top with grated cheddar. Dice your onions. Throw on the onions Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 350F for 45 minutes. And now you’re done! Oven Hot Dogs 8 hot dogs 8 hot dog buns 1 can of chili 1/2 an onion, diced cheddar cheese mayonnaise mustard sweet relishLine inside of hot dog buns with mayonnaise and sweet relish.
Spring Sandwich: Boiled Egg, Seared Asparagus & Pickled Onion Recipes from The Kitchn My favorite spring salad ingredients: a hearty helping of asparagus spears, hard boiled egg, red onion, good French mustard, olive oil, and fresh dill. Why had I never thought to put this classic combination in between a crusty bread? Lunchtime will never be the same. This sandwich celebrates asparagus as the main star. I've racked my brain for several days post-sandwich for some logical thread to explain why I'd never tucked the most delightful ingredients into a chewy, crusty baguette and I'm at a loss. Boiled Egg, Seared Asparagus & Pickled Onion Sandwiches Serves 2 1/2 a bunch of asparagus spears (about 15-20 spears) 2 small baguettes (or one large one and you'll have bread leftover) 2 eggs, hard boiled (I'll bet poached would be great too) 2 tablespoons olive oil 2 tablespoons diced raw onion 2 tablespoons French mustard 1/4 cup red wine vinegar lemon juice to taste fresh dill salt and pepper Hard boil the eggs and set aside. In a large skillet over high heat, add a little oil.
Chili and Fennel Egg Salad Sandwich The subtle flavor of fennel seeds combined with the heat of chili peppers gives a lot of life to this egg salad. I infused a spoonful of oil with the toasted seeds and peppers. This oil boosts the taste of the eggs and moistens them at the same time, so you won’t need to add mayo. Cook the eggs for eight minutes and the yolks will be nice and creamy. The bread I used is a seedy whole wheat sourdough that I made myself. Ingredients serves 2 • 4 eggs • 1 teaspoon fennel seeds • 1 chili pepper, finely chopped • 1 tablespoon grapeseed or olive oil • 1 tablespoon flat leaf parsley or chives, chopped • sea salt + ground black pepper • 4 slices quality bread Bring a pot of water to a boil. In a small skillet, dry-toast the fennel seeds on medium-high heat for a few minutes, shaking the pan. In a large bowl, roughly mash the hard-boiled eggs with a fork (not too much).
Tacos al Pastor A long while back, one of my favorite food bloggers mentioned that she was making Tacos al Pastor for dinner. Chili-marinated pork served with grilled pineapple. Pork. So my brain processed that information and came to the only logical conclusion: Must. The only experience I had with Tacos al Pastor left something – a lot – to be desired. These tacos are most definitely not salty or greasy. Juicy pork tacos with pineapple salsa. Ingredients 1 medium red onion, halved1 pineapple, peeled, cored, and cut into 1/2-inch-thick rounds1/2 cup fresh orange juice1/4 cup white vinegar1/4 cup chile powder3 garlic cloves2 tsp salt1 tsp dried Mexican oregano1 tsp ground cumin1 large chipotle chiles + 2 tsp adobo sauce (from canned chipotles)~3 lb boneless pork loin, cut into 1/2-inch slicesTortillas1 large handful fresh cilantro, chopped2 large jalapenos, chopped1 lime, juiced Instructions Coarsely chop 1 onion half. Notes Yields: 8 servings Adapted from Bon Appetit Estimated time: 1 hour
Learning How to Code Has Never Been Easier Programming isn’t just a niche specialization anymore, rather a necessity for tech-professionals regardless of the industry in which they work. Thankfully for them, it couldn’t be any easier.As such, there’s a big push lately to make coding literacy more widespread among the general populace. Even Mayor Bloomberg is getting in on the act, pledging to learn basic coding in 2012 as his New Year’s resolution. For those who want to learn to code, there are a number of online school coding programs that can guide them through the process. The main players are Codecademy, Team Tree House and Code Year, each with their own strengths, weaknesses and selling points—all who make it easy. Codecademy Probably the most popular website at the moment for those looking to learn coding is Codecademy, a platform that emphasizes doing while learning. Treehouse Though it doesn’t have the name recognition of Codecademy just yet, Team Tree House is nevertheless a powerful way to learn coding. Code Year
Not a Downer: Tool's Adam Jones Talks 'Opiate' Reissue, New Material | SPIN | Q & A "I grew up with double-gatefold vinyl, and I didn't use the cover for cleaning my pot," deadpans Tool guitarist Adam Jones — who incidentally doesn't smoke weed — about why album art still matters to him. "The visual element is something we're losing. I think our society is going into a forced minimalist period and people don't care." The more pressing subject, though, is the limited-edition, art-jacked 21st-anniversary reissue of Opiate, his band's swelling, heavy debut release. For an outfit that has gone to painstaking lengths to impress its fans with eye-popping visuals, including the lenticular jewel case for their 1996 album Ænima and stereoscopic goggles for 2006's 10,000 Days, the group's guitarist-art director isn't holding back this time. The reissue will feature new illustrations by Iron Man artist Adi Granov and innovative packaging designed by Mackie Osborne, Jones's friend (and the wife of Melvins frontman King Buzzo). This is the 21st anniversary edition of Opiate.