Things I've Found; Things I Think

Achieve the Vintage Look in Photoshop - wikiHow

2009-01-18T19:43:00.000-07:00

Achieve the Vintage Look in Photoshop - wikiHow

How to Achieve the Vintage Look in Photoshop

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

You don't have to be an expert in Photoshop to do something a little different with a picture. One way to set it apart is to give it a "vintage" look, as if the picture was taken decades ago, using the steps below. These instructions were written using Photoshop Extended CS3. This can also be a good way to spruce-up a low quality image.

Steps

Select your image. Try to find a standard-quality picture[1], that's not either very small or very big.
Open your image in Photoshop. If you have a problem with low picture quality, then consult the "Improving the Image Quality" section below to improve the quality before adding the vintage effect. If the picture is high quality, proceed to the next step.
Duplicate your image and again go to Blending Options. Choose Overlay or Soft Light, according to your preferences.If your image is a light one, it's better keep it in low opacity such as 40%.
Go to Layer>New AdjustmentLayer>Selective Color.
Input these numbers in the following order:
- Reds:+67, -48, -26, +31
- Cyans: +29
- Whites: 0, -45, +18, +8
- Neutrals: +59, -11, -27, +15
- Blacks: +51, +25, +23, -12
Make a new layer (Ctrl+shift+n).Go to Edit>Fill and fill it with #1200ff or any rich blue color.This will fill your whole image with this colour but don't panic.Your image is not gone!
Right click your new layer and select again Blending Options. Set it to "Exclusion" and Opacity at 20-25%.
Add another layer and fill it again in this color : 8581b6.Go to Blending Options and select Color Dodge and set the Opacity to 25-30%.

Improving the Image Quality

Duplicate your picture by Layer>Duplicate Layer.
Right click on the layer you have just created and select Blending Options.
Set it to screen and select low opacity. Then select Layer>Flatten Image.
Duplicate your picture (Ctrl+J), & go to Filter>Noise>Reduce Noise. Now the settings depend on your picture, so experiment to have the best results.
- Here are the settings which are used in the picture above:
  - Strength: 10
  - Preserve Details: 7%
  - Reduce Color Noise: 0%
  - Sharpen Details: 56%
Now that you've improved the skin detail, you might still have scan lines on the background & hair, so go to Filter>Blur>Surface Blur. Once again, these settings depend on your image so just experiment.
- These are some sample settings:
  - Radius: 2
  - Threshold: 8
  - The example picture after that change looks like this.
Pick up where you left off in the steps above.

Video

Tips

Experiment according to the picture you have in your computer. The adjustments above are samples, but they might not fit in each picture. So try testing different things to achieve the desired result.

Things You'll Need

Photoshop (the latest versions would work better)
Photo to be "aged"
Computer

Related wikiHows

Sources and Citations

Another sample of vintage effects

↑ http://shapeshed.com/journal/improving_image_quality_in_photoshop/

Article provided by wikiHow, a wiki how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Achieve the Vintage Look in Photoshop. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

How to Avoid Looking Like an American Tourist

2008-12-10T13:18:00.000-07:00

How to Avoid Looking Like an American Tourist

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

As an American traveling in a foreign country, the last thing you want to do is stand out like a sore thumb. Not only do you have a greater chance of getting sucked into tourist traps, but you're also a more obvious target for getting mugged or even kidnapped. So, are you aware of the things you do, say, and wear that make you look like the stereotypical tourist?

Steps

Clothing

Ditch the athletic shoes. White athletic shoes (otherwise referred to as tennis shoes, or sneakers) are stereotypically American. Any shoes that don't look like they were meant for exercise will suffice. If you do wear socks, make sure they're dark. Flip-flops are also very noticeable as American attire.
Buy accessories at local stores, especially ones that you see the locals wearing, like scarves. Sometimes not wearing something could signal that you are a tourist. For example, in some countries, hats or scarves are worn by the majority, or, in winter, most people might wear neck scarves. Also, head scarves in some religious establishments. It would be wise to research this in advance and be prepared to take something with you if you plan to visit religious places.
Avoid US brand name clothing with easily readable names (eg. Nike, Gap, Abercrombie, Patriotic, Texas A&M, etc.). In fact, don't wear any slogans (like "Virginia is for lovers") that will tie you to a specific place.
Dress a little nicer than usual. Casual dress (wearing sneakers, sweatshirts, t-shirts, jeans, or shorts (especially athletic shorts) instead of slacks or skirts with shirts or blouses) is not as common outside the US. Jeans are not universally accepted as appropriate in all social situations. Take some pairs of trousers or slacks in lieu of jeans. And don't wear shorts, especially if you are a woman. Look around and see whether people tuck their shirts in, or leave them hanging out--sometimes this differs for men and women in the same country.
Dress appropriately for the local weather. Shorts and a t-shirt in cool climates (or winter time) are a clear sign that you are not in touch with the local weather.
Camouflage. What colors do the locals wear? Mostly black and other neutral shades, like in London, or bright, bold colors like in the Caribbean? Wear colors that you see the locals wearing. Your hot pink sweater vest or bright blue collared shirt might be fashionable in Minneapolis, but it won't fly in Budapest.
Leave your baseball hats, backpack and water bottles at home

Food

Take whatever condiments they give you. Requesting typical US condiments (ketchup, salt, pepper, etc.) is a sure giveaway that you are an American tourist. Use the typical condiments in your host country, and if you don't like them or can't bear to eat without your American condiments, bring your own. Take small packets with you to use rather than insisting that the restaurant supply you with it.
Give up the ice. In many parts of the world, you will be served your drinks with little or no ice - much less than you're accustomed to in the US. Of course, if you want ice in your drink because that's how you prefer it and you're paying for it, you're perfectly entitled to ask for it...but the point of this article is to help you avoid being labeled as an American, and requesting ice is a definite giveaway.
Eat local food. Many American tourists visit US chain restaurants for every meal, afraid to dabble in the local cuisine, but becoming a regular at the local McDonald's and Pizza Hut will tip everyone off that you're an American really quickly.
Use local table manners. For example, in Europe, a fork and knife are used differently than in the US. In some Southeast Asian nations chopsticks might be more appropriate.
Order like a local. In some countries, for instance, a salad is the last item served, not the first. In others, people don't eat what we in the US think of as a "salad".
Don't request decaf unless you can see in the menu that it is offered.
Don't ask for a seat in the "non-smoking" section, unless you already know there is one.
Don't insist on drinking “Coke” with every meal.

Behavior

Keep the map out of sight. Pulling out and looking at your map in a public space is a no-no. Study it before you leave your hotel, and if you do need to consult your map, step into a store or any other less public place. Have the maps pre-folded so they may be easily accessed and read. Same goes for other items:
- If you must use a dictionary to translate a sign or menu, be discrete. For example, copy down the words of the sign and move aside to a less public place to work out the translation.
- Don't carry US newspapers, magazines or books in plain view.
Be quiet! Many Americans are recognized for being louder than is customary in other parts of the world. Large arm and hand movements and boisterous behavior should be avoided until you know how the locals act. Adults in many non-American cultures use lower voices in public places. Either way, you're always better off being a little more reserved and quiet, at least for starters, than blasting onto a foreign scene with your vitality and making the wrong impression.
Don't brag or be showy. When you pull things out of your bag in public to show your friends or family what you purchased, you might as well yell "I have money and I'm ready to spend it, unless you want to take it from me against my will!"
Avoid talking about the local people and culture. Something as seemingly harmless as "Oh, I just love the scarves here!" will mark you as a tourist. And don't assume people can't understand what you're saying, just because you said it in English. In many parts of the world, people are taught to speak English along with their native language.
Mind your personal space. Not every country is as "spacious" as the US (unless you're in New York City, where space is at a premium). When you're at a counter, for example, don't spread out your arms; when you're sitting down on the bus or train, don't stretch out your legs in a way that might get in someone's way.
Don't chew a lot of gum. It's just not very common outside of the US, and even within the US, it's a breach of etiquette under some circumstances.
Don't wear your camera around your neck. When traveling to a foreign country, you are bound to take pictures. However, having a camera strap and wearing it around your neck for easy access is a sure way to look like a tourist. If you can, keep it in a pocket or in a purse and pull it out when needed.
Try to speak the language. Okay, you're American and everybody knows your language, but why not try to make an effort to speak the local language? It's a sign of respect and appreciation of the local culture. Learn a few basic words like "Hello", "Please" and "Thank you". Nobody will mind if your accent is not perfect; the fact that you've been willing to speak their language, even when you could well have spoken yours, is a thing that many people appreciate in tourists.

Tips

These are only guidelines. You can do whatever you want as a tourist, but this article outlines some things you might want to avoid doing if fitting in and avoiding unwarranted attention is a concern.
In the UK, most men wear closely-fitted, dark clothing. If you are visiting during winter months, a snugly-fitted jacket will help you blend in with the local crowd.
Avoid baseball caps if possible.
If you are travelling alone, especially a woman, buy the local newspaper and keep it under your arm when walking, or open it if on a bus or train.
Always buy a pair of local shoes - especially what people wear for comfort.

Warnings

Don't wear a fanny pack. They make you a ridiculously easy target for pick-pocketers. A pick-pocketer could unzip the fanny pack and effortlessly take out the contents without you being aware.
If you look different (like if you have different color skin, or are more overweight or underweight than everyone else) people are going to think you're a tourist, or at least a foreigner, no matter what. But if you follow the steps above, hopefully they won't think you're a stereotypical American tourist, and they won't treat you as such.
If you are a woman, your best bet is to keep money, your id, your credit card, or anything of value you would need with you, in your bra. You may not feel someone pulling objects out of your pocket, but you will definitely know if they're inside your shirt!
Men should carry wallets in their front pockets which are more easily guarded.

Related wikiHows

Sources and Citations

http://studyabroad.tamu.edu/travel_avoid.asp - Research source.
http://traveltravelfargo.blogspot.com/2008/04/17-ways-to-avoid-looking-like-tourist.html - Research source.

Article provided by wikiHow, a wiki how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Avoid Looking Like an American Tourist. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

Make a Kusudama Flower - wikiHow

2008-11-07T20:11:00.000-07:00

Make a Kusudama Flower - wikiHow

How to Make a Kusudama Flower

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

A pretty kusudama flower can be made by folding five or six square pieces of paper. If you make twelve flowers, they can be assembled into a beautiful kusudama ball. Even if you use colorful sticky notes, the result is very impressive and can be used for decorative purposes or even worn as a temporary brooch.

Steps

Gather the supplies you need listed in the Things You'll Need section, located at the bottom of this article.
Take the paper square, and fold it in half the diagonal way. It should now look like a triangle.
Take the two 45 degree angle flaps, and fold them to the top point. You should now have a formed square.
Fold the flaps backwards, half way, so that the folded back edges line up with the edges of the square beneath.
Unfold as shown.
Open each flap and flatten it along the creases made in the previous steps. If you are confused, take a look at the image for further guidance.
Turn it over.
Fold one of the triangular flaps in, against itself.
Repeat with the other flap and turn over again.
There should be a crease going along the middle of each of the two flaps or triangles, fold along those creases.
Glue the top of the folded flaps, or where indicated by the image. Using a glue stick may be a good idea, since it dries so quickly, or you can use white liquid glue as shown here.
Take the folded flaps and bring them together, fastening them in place, it may slip off, so you could try lightly taping it together, or hold it in place.
Make five more of these.
Apply glue to the "center" of each piece. The "center" is where the folded edges meet (where they were glued together previously). Spread out the glue so that the centers of the pieces can stick together securely.
Wait for the glue to dry completely, otherwise, the petals will slip apart.
Repeat with all of the other petals. Glue everything together in a circular formation. Using paperclips to hold the petals together works well.
You are now finished.

Tips

Make sure your folds are sharp, precise, and crisp. It will give it a clean look.
Try adding more and more petals to make it look even fancier.
Make 12 of these and try making a traditional Kusudama sphere.
You may find that a glue stick dries more quickly.

Warnings

Sticky notes can be difficult to work with (because the folds will stick together).

Things You'll Need

6 pieces of square paper (for example, Sticky Notes)
Glue (white liquid or stick)

Related wikiHows

Sources and Citations

The Peace of Paper - Research source.

Article provided by wikiHow, a collaborative writing project to build the world's largest, highest quality how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Make a Kusudama Flower. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

PC World - Broadband Caps Coming to AT&T

2008-11-04T17:03:00.000-07:00

PC World - Broadband Caps Coming to AT&T: "Broadband Caps Coming to AT&T

JR Raphael, PC World

Nov 4, 2008 4:38 pm

The days of unlimited data transfers may be dwindling. AT&T is now testing the idea of a monthly data cap for its broadband Internet users, the company has confirmed, and could move toward a more widespread rollout in the future."

DSCN3830.jpg

2008-11-03T14:19:00.001-07:00

DSCN3830.jpg
Originally uploaded by jere7my

I love these. A lady painted these classic Greek scenes onto black Chuck Taylors.

Make Some Music!

2008-10-29T08:03:00.004-07:00

BSO.jpg (JPEG Image, 1000x457 pixels)

2008-10-27T09:07:00.000-07:00

BSO.jpg (JPEG Image, 1000x457 pixels)

We’ll Miss Them When They’re Gone: 7 Aging Hollywood Badasses

2008-10-15T14:51:00.001-07:00

This is a well-written and humorous article

Regarding Samuel Jackson:

While for many action heroes it’s all about the eyes and body language, for Sam Jackson it’s about the menace he exudes when he has unleashed the full force of his very vocal, operatic rage. Appearing stiff and out of place for most of the running time of the Star Wars prequels, the preeminent “badass mother fucker” is finally unleashed during his climactic lightsaber fight with Darth Sidious in Revenge of the Sith. After having his hand cut off by Anakin, he lets out a scream of pain and fury that for a split second gives you the idea he’s preparing to beat both Anakin and Sidious to death with his cauterized stump.

“Say ‘unlimited power’ again, mother fucker! Say that one more goddamn time!”

It would have been a far superior conclusion to the film, in my humble opinion.

and it gets funnier. Regarding Sean Connery:

Is he still badass? Like Eastwood, Connery is also pushing 80. And he is officially retired from acting. Nevertheless, he is absolutely, indisputably still a badass. If you don’t believe that, find him at a pub some day and say something like, “The Scottish National Party is full of Nancy boys who couldn’t govern their way out of a wet paper sack!” Be prepared, however, as from that point forward your wife and kids will be known as your widow and orphans.

Althouse: Palinsanity.

2008-10-03T14:29:00.000-07:00

Althouse: Palinsanity.: "Zaplito said...

Someone posted at the Atlanta Journal Constitution 'Vent' page:

'I am not concerned about Sarah Palin's being a heartbeat away when I consider that Nancy Pelosi is just two heartbeats.'

Indeed!"

Boil Green Peanuts - wikiHow

2008-09-22T07:25:00.000-07:00

Boil Green Peanuts - wikiHow

How to Boil Green Peanuts

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

Green (also called "raw") peanuts are ones that haven't fully matured yet; they've reached full size, but haven't dried out. Boiling green peanuts is a tradition in the rural southeastern US where peanuts are grown both in small gardens and large farms. They are also enjoyed in India, Nigeria, the Philippines, Indonesia, China, Australia, and Vietnam.[1] There are many variations, depending on the seasoning used, but the basic method is the same for all of them, and the process of boiling makes the peanuts healthier for you, since boiled peanuts have more polyphenol antioxidants than roasted ones.[2] Here are the steps for this fun project.

Steps

Select the right peanuts for boiling. Jumbo green peanuts are preferred by many, but most standard peanuts work well, so long as they are still green, or uncured (dry). Do not attempt this recipe with roasted peanuts, as they will not become soft, no matter how long you cook them. In the south, farmer's markets and roadside vendors sell green peanuts from early August through mid-October, but the earlier peanuts are usually better for boiling.
Wash and pick through your peanuts, removing loose soil and sprouts, stems, weeds, and leaves. You can place your peanuts in a large pot or bucket and use a sprayer on a garden hose to rinse your peanuts, and when the water floats the nuts, the loose debris will float to the top when the contents of the pot is agitated or stirred.
Set up a cooker if you are boiling a large amount at one time, or get a good heavy pot to place on the stove. In the photos, the peanuts are boiled outside, using a propane burner and a 20 quart (5 gallon) stainless steel stock pot.
Pour your peanuts into the pot, and add water. Most will float to the top, so the amount of water may have a deceptive appearance. Push the peanuts down with your (clean) hands, and you will be able to tell how much water is in the pot.
Add salt to taste. This can be tricky, but a rule of thumb is to add 1/2 cup salt for every ten pounds of green peanuts. For older, tougher peanuts, more salt may be needed so the nut will absorb enough salt to season your nuts. After extinguishing the flame the longer they set, the more salt will be absorbed.
Add other seasonings if you prefer. Here, sliced jalapeno peppers are added to give the finished peanuts a bit of heat. Garlic, either fresh or powder, liquid crab boil seasoning, chili powder, and other strong spices may be used as well.
Bring the contents to a boil. On the propane stove, you light the burner and turn the flame up high, on a cooktop, turn the burner to high until the water is rapidly boiling, then reduce the heat/flame so that it maintains a rolling boil without wasting excess heat.
Stir the peanuts about every 20-30 minutes, making sure the water has not boiled down. Covering the pot will reduce the amount of water evaporating from the pot, but will increase the risk of your pot boiling over while the peanuts cook.
After an hour or so, remove some of the peanuts with a slotted spoon and test (taste) them. Peanuts that have fully absorbed water will sink to the bottom of the pot. When they have become tender, and the nut falls from the shell when it is opened, the peanuts are done. Cooking may take as long as 2-10 hours, depending on the altitude.
Taste for saltiness. If you desire, before removing the nuts from the boiling water, additional salt can be added and the peanuts can continue to boil for another 30 minutes or so. Keep in mind that with the increased salinity of the water, and the additional boiling time, the already cooked peanuts can become too salty very quickly, so use caution at this stage.
Turn off the stove/burner when the peanuts are salty and tender enough to suit you. Drain away the excess water, being very careful not to scald or burn yourself while doing so, and place the boiled peanuts in a bowl to cool and enjoy, they are also great before being cooled.
Refrigerate or freeze leftover peanuts in zipper type freezer bags for later enjoyment. Remove frozen peanuts from the bag when you want to eat them, and warm them by heating for a minute in a microwave.

Tips

Use the greenest peanuts you can get, they will cook more quickly, and yield a more tender snack. Very green peanuts, known as pops, can be eaten whole (shell and all) if they are thoroughly cleaned before cooking, but avoid eating too many.
Invite friends, build a campfire, and break out a cooler full of ice cold beer to make your peanut boiling a true traditional event.
Green peanuts can be frozen for boiling in the cooler months if doing so outdoors in August is just too much for you, but the results will not be as good.
If you don't live in the area where green peanuts are easily found, you can order them online. They can be shipped fresh or frozen.[3]

Warnings

Boiling water can cause serious burns. Use caution, and if the peanuts are boiled outside, keep close watch over the process.
Many people are allergic to peanuts and peanut products, so be careful when eating them for the first time.

Things You'll Need

Stove or outdoor burner (in the past, campfires were used)
Large cast iron or stainless steel pot (lid preferred)
Green peanuts
Salt and additional seasonings
Slotted spoon, and possibly a colander to strain the finished peanuts

Related wikiHows

Sources and Citations

↑ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boiled_peanuts

↑ http://pubs.acs.org/cgi-bin/sample.cgi/jafcau/2007/55/i22/html/jf071877l.html

↑ http://greenpeanuts.net/

Article provided by wikiHow, a collaborative writing project to build the world's largest, highest quality how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Boil Green Peanuts. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

Take High Dynamic Range Photographs - wikiHow

2008-09-16T07:15:00.001-07:00

Take High Dynamic Range Photographs - wikiHow

How to Take High Dynamic Range Photographs

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

Have you ever seen those hyper-real and ultra-contrasty photos and wondered how they're done? A normal digital camera sensor cannot capture all the detail in a scene -- some parts will usually end up over-exposed (which will lose, for example, cloud detail), or some parts might be under-exposed -- i.e. it has a low dynamic range. However, by taking three different shots, merging them (into a high dynamic range image), then employing some digital trickery to reduce the dynamic range without noticeably losing detail (called tone mapping), you can bring out all the details in a scene. Here's how.

Steps

Taking Your Photographs

Choose your scene. HDR will often bring out the best in any scene, so this is up to you. If you're out of ideas, search Flickr to see what other people have done in HDR. Failing that, find a scene with plenty of cloud; HDR photos bring out a stunning amount of cloud detail.
Set up your camera. Put your camera on a tripod if you have one; find a solid surface to rest it on if you don't. If you have a remote release for your camera, all the better; you could also use a short self-timer if you don't. Whatever you use, it is very important that the camera does not move between shots. If your camera has automatic exposure bracketing, then use it (this is called AEB on the menus on Canon cameras). Setting AEB to -2/+2 EV is usually okay, but experiment to see what works best for you.
Take your photographs. If you have set up AEB on your camera, then just fire off three shots in a row. If you don't have AEB, then take a photo, adjust the shutter speed one or two stops faster (i.e. if you're at 1/250 sec, go to 1/500 or 1/1000 sec), take a photo, then adjust it one or two stops slower than your original shutter speed (i.e. if you were at 1/250 sec, then set it to 1/125 or 1/60 sec), and take another photo. You will now have three photographs: one overexposed, one underexposed, and one normal.
Go home, and copy your photographs to your computer. You will now create and tone-map an HDR image from the three photographs you just took.

Creating and Tone-Mapping an HDR Image

Download and install qtpfsgui. There are other programs for the purpose, but qtpfsgui is free, open source, and works on many platforms (Windows, Linux, and Mac OS X).
Run qtpfsgui and click "New Hdr". In the window that pops up, click "Load Images" and browse for the three photographs you just took. qtpfsgui should automatically determine the exposure value from the EXIF metadata in the image; if it cannot (for example, if there is no aperture set in the EXIF data, for those using old lenses with a DSLR via an adapter), you will have to set it yourself. Click "Next".
Ignore the next window that comes up. Just click through it by hitting "Next"; you probably won't want to bother with anything therein.
Ignore the window after that, too. Again, these parameters do have some effect, but the defaults are usually pretty sensible. Hit Finish. You now have a high dynamic range image, but not one that can be displayed in a low dynamic range format (like the universal JPEG format). This is where tone-mapping comes in: compressing the dynamic range of the image you have created so that a 24-bit format like JPEG can appear to have more dynamic range than it really does.
Tone-map the HDR image. Hit the "Tonemap the Hdr" button in the toolbar. A window will pop up with a slightly bewildering array of tone mapping algorithms and parameters. For the most part, the Mantiuk algorithm (which is the first one shown) does a very good job. But you may want to play with the others as well. Hit "Apply" to tone-map the image.
Start small. Experiment with algorithms and their parameters on a reduced-size version of your image (you can pick a smaller one from the dropdown box of different sizes near the top left). Tone-mapping is a very mathematically demanding operation; the Mantiuk algorithm can take many minutes to render a photo at full size on slower computers, but only a few seconds to process a 256x170 version of the same.
Save your image. Go to File -> Save as... Under "File name", be sure to give your file a jpg extension.
Optionally, post-process your image a little. You'll need Adobe Photoshop, or its free and open-source alternative GIMP, or photo editing software of your choice. Fix the colour/white balance (this should not be done with photos before creating your HDR image, as it can have weird effects). Applying subtle amounts of "Unsharp mask" can be a very good thing. You may also have weird ghosting artifacts that you will want to edit out.

Things You'll Need

A camera with either automatic exposure bracketing, manual exposure compensation, or manual shutter speed control. All digital SLRs worth their salt will have these features, and many point-and-shoot cameras will have the former feature, too. You don't even necessarily need a digital camera for this; as long as you're able to set the shutter speed manually, you can use a film camera.[1]
A tripod, if you have one, or a solid surface to rest on if you do not. A remote release is handy, too, if you're using very long exposures, but not essential.
qtpfsgui. There is other software that can do the same thing, but qtpfsgui is free, open source, and very effective.
Optionally, your favourite photo editing software; GIMP is free, though allegedly more difficult to use than most.

Sources and Citations

↑ See Flickr search results for "hdr film".

The qtpfsgui home page.

Article provided by wikiHow, a collaborative writing project to build the world's largest, highest quality how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Take High Dynamic Range Photographs. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

Centrfugal Force

2008-09-10T06:43:00.001-07:00

Surge

2008-09-03T22:44:00.003-07:00

Alas, the surge is over.
Gone are the days when the picture of the fat wonder woman graced the first page of Google Image Search.

Will I ever taste such glory again?

2008-08-27T11:52:00.000-07:00

French cookery scientist Hervé This says that the 10-minute boiled egg is the wrong way to go about cooking your eggs. Temperature and not time is the governing factor to gloriously boiled eggs.

Recall that when an egg cooks, its proteins first unwind and then link to form a rigidifying mesh. But not all its proteins solidify at the same temperature. Ovotransferrin, the first of the egg-white proteins to uncoil, begins to set at around 61 degrees Celsius, or 142°F. Ovalbumin, the most abundant egg-white protein, coagulates at 184°F. Yolk proteins generally fall in between, with most starting to solidify when they approach 158°F. Thus, cooking an egg at 158°F or so should achieve both a firmed-up yolk and still-tender whites, since at that low temperature only some of the egg-white proteins will have coagulated.

"Cooking eggs is really a question of temperature, not time," says This. To make the point, he switches on a small oven, sets the thermostat at 65°C, or 149°F, takes four eggs straight from the box, and unceremoniously places them inside. "I use an oven in the lab; it's easier. But if the oven in your kitchen is not accurate, cook eggs in plenty of water, using a good thermometer." About an hour later -- timing isn't critical, and the eggs can stay in the oven for hours or even overnight -- he retrieves the first egg and carefully shells it. "The 65-degree egg!" he announces. The egg is unlike any I've eaten. The white is as delicately set and smooth as custard, and the yolk is still orange and soft.

From biancolo)

Get Rid of Ants - wikiHow

2008-08-27T06:52:00.001-07:00

Get Rid of Ants - wikiHow

How to Get Rid of Ants

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

Few pests are harder to get rid of than ants once they've established themselves in your home. If you're tired of stumbling upon a swarm of ants on a regular basis, you'll need to make a concentrated effort to keep these uninvited guests away. This article will review every course of action available to you--why it works, whether it's safe around pets and kids, and how to do it properly.

Steps

Shut down the ant buffet. The reason ants are coming into your humble abode is because it's a free-for-all (or at least it was at some point in the past, and they're hoping it might be again). The cleaner you keep the house, the less they'll have to eat, and the more they'll look elsewhere for goodies.
- Wipe down all surfaces. Tables and counter tops should be regularly sprayed and cleaned with a mild bleach or vinegar solution. Sweep, mop and vacuum regularly.
- Put food in air-tight containers. This has the added bonus of keeping the food fresher.
- Keep the sink clean: no dirty dishes, no standing water for ants to drink, no food in the drain.
- Put pet food bowls in a slightly larger bowl and add some water to the larger bowl, creating a moat around the pet food that the ants can't cross (too bad you can't put one of those around your house!).
Squish the scouts. Colonies regularly send out lone ants to check for food sources. If you see an individual ant strolling across your coffee table, don't let it make it back to the nest alive. It'll tell the colony where you spilled the apple juice. If the scout made it back to the nest and brought back some friends, they'll be following a scent trail, single file. Unless you're ready to bait them as described below, kill them all. Quickly.
- Spray the trail with all purpose cleaner or a bleach and vinegar solution, then wipe it up with a wet paper towel. Only do this if you can get them all, however, because spraying like a mad man might encourage them to split up, go home, and establish new colonies.[1]
- For a less hands-on solution, vacuum them all up, then vacuum some talcum powder or diatomaceous earth to finish them off.
Barricade your home. Since ants are tiny, they can find thousands of tiny doorways into your residence. Some of them of are easy to identify; others will only be discovered when there's a parade of ants of marching through them.
- Seal windows, doors, and any cracks the ants crawl through with caulk. An additional benefit with this is better temperature control and lower energy bills. Plus, it's the least risky method when kids or pets are involved.
- Line suspected entryways with deterrent substances.
  - Diatomaceous earth is a fine powder that kills ants by pulling all the moisture from their bodies. Since it's so absorbent, however, it's only effective in dry environments.[2] You also don't want anyone in the house (pets included) sniffing it up.
  - Talc in various forms is presumed to deter ants, although the mechanism is poorly understood.[3] Tailor's chalk and baby powder usually contain talc and can be used to create a barrier for ants. Regardless of which form of talc you use, keep in mind that there are concerns about the potential carcinogenicity of talc,[4] although baby powder is used by many parents nonetheless.*Many sources recommend using normal chalk, but this is made of gypsum, not talc, and could be the result of confusion with "ant chalk" (an insecticide that looks just like normal chalk; outlawed in the US in the '90s, but still sold in Chinatowns illegally).*Some baby powder brands are made of corn starch and will not work effectively against ants. Check the ingredients.
  - Cornmeal can be used as a weapon against ants, and it's not poisonous to people or animals. Ants eat it and after consuming water, the cornmeal swells inside their digestive organs, causing them to die.[5]
  - You can also apply scents and substances that ants simply don't like for various reasons: vinegar, peppermint oil, cinnamon, black pepper, cayenne pepper, whole cloves, and bay leaves. Some of these might be harmful to pets and irritating to curious children.
Bring down the nest. If ants continue to raid your home, you're going to have to raid theirs--except that you're too big to get inside. If you're able to locate the nest, however, you can pour several gallons of boiling water into it and that'll be that. But if you don't know where they're coming from, your only alternative is to bait them.
- Pick your poison. Mixing boric acid powder or borax with sugar water is the most common bait (that is what a popular commercial ant poison, Terro, basically consists of). Boric acid affects ants both externally (when in powder form; similar to diatomaceous earth) and internally (when ingested).[6] The ants bring the poison (borax or boric acid) with them to the colony and spread it around. If you get the quantity and timing just right, you can wipe out a large colony, but it might take several weeks to a few months.[7] A bait that's too strong will kill the ants before they make it home, and a bait that's too weak will only weaken the colony temporarily, so here are some recipes that people have had success with:*1 cup water, 2 cups sugar, 2 tablespoons boric acid[8]*3 cups of water with 1 cup of sugar and 4 teaspoons of boric acid.[9]
- Remove any deterrents (from previous steps) and wait for the ants to show up. Don't lure new ants with the bait; you could attract new colonies.[10] Once there's a trail, place the bait next to it (not on it, or else you'll interrupt their march home).
- If you have pets and/or children around (see Warnings below) put the bait in a jam jar. Screw the lid tightly and seal with adhesive tape. Pierce two or three small holes in the lid, and smear the outside with a little bit of unpoisoned bait. If you're concerned about the jar getting knocked over and the poisoned bait spilling out, loosely pack the inside with cotton balls.[11]
- Just to cover all the bases, leave out some peanut butter bait as well (peanut butter mixed with borax or boric acid powder). Ants' cravings vary depending on the needs of the colony (sometimes they want sweets, sometimes they want something oily)[12] so providing both will increase the likelihood that they'll take the bait.
- Give them as much fresh bait as they'll take, replenishing it as needed, and let them bring it back to their nest (no squishing or killing!). Once they've had their fill, remove all bait; you don't want to attract a neighboring colony.

Video

A video explaining some of the more common solutions for ant eradication.

Tips

Ants love aphids and scale--particularly, the sweet, sugary substance they make. Treat outdoor plants for aphids and scale during the spring and summer months (when they are abundant) and ants will have less to hang around for.
If you see an ant that's a little larger than all the rest, it might be a queen produced by a large colony and looking to establish a new nest. Make sure it doesn't get a chance.[13] Queens are usually 2-3 times larger than workers, possess wings before mating, have very large abdomens.[14]

Warnings

Use gloves and a breathing mask if using any ant-deterring substances. At best, they're irritants; at worst, they're poisonous.
Contact with boric acid or borax can have negative effects:[15][16]
- inhalation can cause mild irritation; if this happens, let the person get fresh air
- does not irritate intact skin
- can be irritating to eyes; rinse and seek medical attention if symptoms persist for more than 30 minutes
- if more than a teaspoon is swallowed by an adult, drink two glasses of water and seek medical attention
Planting mint around your house and garden may deter ants, but they can be invasive, so speak to a knowledgeable garden centre before planting it directly in the ground.

Related wikiHows

Sources and Citations

↑ http://www.entomology.umn.edu/cues/em/Treatment.html

↑ http://www.ext.vt.edu/pubs/entomology/444-513/444-513.html

↑ http://www2b.abc.net.au/science/k2/stn/archives/archive86/newposts/1430/topic1430689.shtm

↑ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talc#Safety

↑ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cornmeal

↑ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boric_acid#Insecticidal

↑ http://www.entomology.umn.edu/cues/em/Treatment.html

↑ http://www.grinningplanet.com/2004/04-27/ant-control-ant-killer-article.htm

↑ http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/examiner/archive/1998/02/11/NEWS1019.dtl

↑ http://www.entomology.umn.edu/cues/em/Treatment.html

↑ http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2001/03/07/HO181614.DTL

↑ http://www.ext.vt.edu/pubs/entomology/444-513/444-513.html

↑ http://www.quamut.com/quamut/home_pest_control/page/how_to_control_ants.html

↑ http://www.extension.umn.edu/distribution/housingandclothing/M1166.html

↑ http://www.borax.com/pdfs/dist/MSDS_Borax_Decahydrate.pdf (PDF)

↑ http://www.incidetech.net/msdsboricacid.pdf (PDF)

Article provided by wikiHow, a collaborative writing project to build the world's largest, highest quality how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Get Rid of Ants. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

Separation of Sense and State: A Clarification for the People of the Church in Northern Colorado

2008-08-25T21:11:00.003-07:00

I am reprinting here a letter from the archbishop of Denver in response to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's incorrect public statements on abortion and when life begins:

To Catholics of the Archdiocese of Denver:

Catholic public leaders inconvenienced by the abortion debate tend to take a hard line in talking about the "separation of Church and state." But their idea of separation often seems to work one way.

In fact, some officials also seem comfortable in the role of theologian. And that warrants some interest,not as a "political" issue, but as a matter of accuracy and justice.

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi is a gifted public servant of strong convictions and many professional skills. Regrettably, knowledge of Catholic history and teaching does not seem to be one of them.

Interviewed on Meet the Press August 24, Speaker Pelosi was asked when human life begins. She said the following:

"I would say that as an ardent, practicing Catholic, this is an issue that I have studied for a long time.And what I know is over the centuries, the doctors of the church have not been able to make that definition . . . St. Augustine said at three months. We don't know. The point is, is that it shouldn't have an impact on the woman's right to choose."

Since Speaker Pelosi has, in her words, studied the issue "for a long time," she must know very well one of the premier works on the subject, Jesuit John Connery's Abortion: The Development of the Roman Catholic Perspective (Loyola, 1977). Here's how Connery concludes his study:

"The Christian tradition from the earliest days reveals a firm antiabortion attitude . . . The condemnation of abortion did not depend on and was not limited in any way by theories regarding the time of fetal animation. Even during the many centuries when Church penal and penitential practice was based on the theory of delayed animation, the condemnation of abortion was never affected by it.

"Whatever one would want to hold about the time of animation, or when the fetus became a human being in the strict sense of the term, abortion from the time of conception was considered wrong, and the time of animation was never looked on as a moral dividing line between permissible and impermissible abortion."

Or to put it in the blunter words of the great Lutheran pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer:

"Destruction of the embryo in the mother's womb is a violation of the right to live which God has bestowed on this nascent life. To raise the question whether we are here concerned already with a human being or not is merely to confuse the issue. The simple fact is that God certainly intended to create a human being and that this nascent human being has been deliberately deprived of his life. And that is nothing but murder."

Ardent, practicing Catholics will quickly learn from the historical record that from apostolic times, the Christian tradition overwhelmingly held that abortion was grievously evil. In the absence of modern medical knowledge, some of the Early Fathers held that abortion was homicide; others that it was tantamount to homicide; and various scholars theorized about when and how the unborn child might be animated or "ensouled."

But none diminished the unique evil of abortion as an attack on life itself, and the early Church closely associated abortion with infanticide. In short, from the beginning, the believing Christian community held that abortion was always, gravely wrong.

Of course, we now know with biological certainty exactly when human life begins. Thus, today's religious alibis for abortion and a so-called "right to choose" are nothing more than that - alibis that break radically with historic Christian and Catholic belief.

Abortion kills an unborn, developing human life. It is always gravely evil, and so are the evasions employed to justify it. Catholics who make excuses for it - whether they're famous or not - fool only themselves and abuse the fidelity of those Catholics who do sincerely seek to follow the Gospel and live their Catholic faith.

The duty of the Church and other religious communities is moral witness. The duty of the state and its officials is to serve the common good, which is always rooted in moral truth. A proper understanding of the "separation of Church and state" does not imply a separation of faith from political life. But of course, it's always important to know what our faith actually teaches.

Most Rev. Charles J. Chaput, O.F.M. Cap.
+Archbishop of Denver

James D. Conley
+Auxiliary Bishop of Denver

Wonder Woman!

2008-08-19T20:30:00.001-07:00

Christians Insulted

2008-08-19T19:53:00.002-07:00

This article is reprinted from Catholic Online. I chose to reprint it in its entirety because it is important, and the author asked his readers to do so.

Opinion: Barry Lynn/'Americans United' Insult Rick Warren and Christians

By Deacon Keith Fournier
8/19/2008
Catholic Online

Barry Lynn impugned Rev. Rick Warren, disparaged orthodox Christians of every confession,promoted an anti-faith agenda and misrepresented the Civil Forum at Saddleback Church.

CHESAPEAKE, Va. (Catholic Online) - I was driving down the road in Chesapeake, Virginia and decided to turn on National Public Radio for their spin on the news of the day.

While turning the dial (even the expression dates me in the digital age)I happened upon the “Diane Rehm Show” just in time to hear her guests opine on the now famous Saddleback Forum, where evangelical Protestant Pastor Rick Warren hosted both Senator Barack Obama and Senator John McCain for an historic event during the Presidential campaign of 2008.

The topic of the hour-long program was “Religion in the 2008 Presidential Campaign”. The guests were John Meacham, an editor of Newsweek and co-moderator of "On Faith”; John Green, senior fellow in religion and American politics, Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life and a director of the Ray C. Bliss Institute of Applied Politics at the University of Akron in Ohio; and, Reverend Barry Lynn, the Executive Director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State and the author of "Piety & Politics".

Rev. Barry Lynn is the self appointed watch dog who runs “Americans United for the Separation of Church and State”; a well funded 501 c3 exempt public policy and educational organization. I am well acquainted with Rev. Lynn.

For years, while I served as the first Executive Director of the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ), in the 1990’s, a public interest law firm committed to an authentic view of religious freedom, we crossed paths quite a few times. He still regularly debates my friend, the Chief Counsel for the ACLJ, and noted Supreme Court Advocate, Jay Sekulow.

I will admit something up front.

I believe that Barry Lynn’s interpretation of the Establishment Clause, Free Speech Clause and Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment to the United States Constitution is simply wrong. It is not faithful to history, it is not a proper reading of Constitutional law, it is not good for the public order and it does not promote or serve the common good.

This clause was never intended by the American founders to prevent religious groups from full participation in the public square not to censor out religious speech or the religious speaker from civic participation.

The “Establishment Clause” is better understood as an “anti-Establishment Clause” because it was intended to prevent the erection of a National Church. Of course, as a Catholic, I am quite sensitive to the fact that the early colonies were not, for the most part, very Catholic friendly. However, over time, that changed.

And, properly understood, the First Amendment to the United States Constitution has allowed for a robust diversity of religious expression (or non-expression) and the flourishing of a dynamic model of religious freedom in America. That is, when it is properly interpreted and applied.

Sadly, Rev. Lynn wants to erect a Wall far greater in scope than the metaphorical wall which has been used in Establishment clause jurisprudence to explain the American notion of separation. His notion of a wall would expunge religious expression from the public discourse and impede the freedom of the Church to speak to the great moral issues of the age.

That became quite obvious as he excoriated Rev. Rick Warren and the Saddleback Forum in his comments and responses on this radio show.

Please, do not misunderstand me. Barry Lynn is a rather likeable fellow in person. He is just plain wrong on the Constitution and he is, unfortunately, an anti-Christian bigot in Christian clothes. He has failed repeatedly in his efforts to frighten people into thinking that anyone who believes that religious practice and expression is a “good” which promotes the common good is, in reality, some kind of nut and a threat.

Fortunately he has also failed in his tiring efforts to persuade the public to accept his own apparent belief that orthodox Christians and other religious people can not really make good Americans.However, on this radio program he tried again. It reminded me of the old "No Name" party, the virulently anti-Catholic group which tried to disparage catholics in America for so many years.

In the early days of my own work as a Constitutional lawyer, my Catholicism was a problem for Rev. Barry Lynn. Because of me, and others like me, he was unable to convince folks that all Christian people with whom he disagreed over the Right to Life and a host of other issues were all “fundamentalists”. He wanted to denigrate us all by assigning us to what he hoped to argue was a small segment of Protestant Christianity, the "fundamentalists', who were a threat to the Republic.

So, Barry Lynn joined the ranks of those back then who came up with the phrase “religious right” and then slowly expanded its definition in order to use it as a verbal weapon against most orthodox Christians, be they Protestant, Evangelical, Orthodox or Catholic.

Well, as this radio program unfolded, it became clear that Barry Lynn is still singing the same old tired song.

He quickly fell into his habit of verbal abuse, calling Reverend Rick Warren, the Pastor of Saddleback Church who hosted the Forum, a member of the “Far Right”. He accused him of having only a veneer of concern for issues other than abortion.He consigned him to what Lynn considers the narrow “right wing” and he ridiculed him.

He actually dismissed the commendable concerns for the poor demonstrated by Rev. Warren and his congregation and his teaching on other issues such as environmental stewardship as some kind of subterfuge on his part. It was just plain awful!

As the questioning unfolded, Rev. Lynn continued to mock Rev. Warren rather than to actually discuss the issues which came up in the Forum. He referred with disdain to the Pastor’s best selling book, “Purpose Driven Life”, dismissing its phenomenal sales in a peevish way. He noted that he had written books and never sold that number.

Of course, the comment gave rise to the obvious. I found myself speaking in my car and saying "earth to Barry, maybe your books were not as helpful to people". In fact, they are filled, as is all his communication, with bigotry against classical, orthodox Christians.

He lumped Rev. Warren and those who attended the event at Saddleback Church among thos he has consigned to that favorite boogeyman class of his, the “religious right”. Again, it was interesting to see that never once in this interview did Barry Lynn deal with people like me, Catholic Christians who were delightfully surprised as the evening at the Saddleback forum unfolded.

Instead he issued his dire warnings, indicating that this helpful event was some kind of threat to America. The tenor of his responses to the host’s questions and his answers to call ins to the show were all aimed at perpetuating his favorite tactic of guilt by association.

Anyone who watched the event, attended it or spoke favorable of it were consigned to irrelevance as a part of the small minority of Evangelical Protestants he views as being “on the fringe”.

Diane Rehms’ repeated efforts to call these folks “Values Driven” voters did not resonate with Lynn. He took every opportunity to paint them instead as a threat to the American order. He disparaged both Presidential candidates for even participating in the Forum, attributing their participation an example of the danger of some kind of creeping “theocracy” in America.

I tried to call in to the show from my cell phone but was unable to get through. So, I did something I have never done before. Once I returned to my office I sent an E-Mail to the show which I now set forth for my readers:

“I am appalled that Barry Lynn is allowed to go unchallenged in his effort to dismiss the Saddleback Forum as promoting some kind of "theocracy" and playing to some fringe of "evangelical" Protestant voters.

"I am a Catholic Deacon, a constitutional lawyer and a trained theologian. I am whole life/pro-life (accepting the entire spectrum of life issues from the womb to the tomb) pro-poor, pro-peace, pro-marriage and family. I opposed the Iraq war. I have always opposed capital punishment.

"In opposing every induced abortion as the taking of innocent human life, I insist that Science has only confirmed what our conscience has already told us all along, these children are our neighbors and it is always wrong to kill your neighbor.

"These kinds of positions are not simply based on the teaching of my Church, though I do seek to inform my life by my Catholic faith. Rather, my pro-life position, respecting every lifefrom conception to natural death, my insistence on giving a love of preference for the poor, my opposition to misguided militarism is all based upon reason and the Natural law.

"I am neither "liberal" nor "conservative" in the common political parlance. I am offended by Barry Lynn trying to marginalize the role of Catholics, other Christians, and other people of faith and people of good will who are simply exercising their faithful citizenship.

"Barry Lynn kindles fear. He mocks those with whom he disagrees, a sign of his inability to truly debate the issues he has made a living off of re-presenting over all these years like a broken record. His latest effort on this program to compare orthodox Christians to militant Islamic extremists with his absurd innuendos of censorship and to charge them with such insane notions as wanting to destroy books is an example of his own bigotry and his desire to feed the misguided fears of others.”

Barry Lynn impugned Rev. Rick Warren, disparaged orthodox Christians, promoted an anti-faith agenda and misrepresented the Civil Forum at Saddleback Church.In this interview and in his responses to listeners, he also showed his errant misunderstanding of the meaning of the First Amendment to the United States Constitution's protection of the freedom of speech, the free exercise of religion, the freedom of assembly and the proper role for people of faith and religious institutions in the American experiment in ordered liberty.

- - -

Deacon Keith Fournier asks that you join with us and help in this vital mission by sending this article to your family, friends, and neighbors and adding our link (www.catholic.org) to your own website, blog or social network. Let us broadcast, we are PROUD TO BE CATHOLIC!

Optimus Maximus keyboard demo

2008-08-01T06:45:00.000-07:00

Optimus Maximus keyboard demo

You Think Its a Joke, But Its Not...

2008-06-17T11:03:00.001-07:00

Department Speedy Tandem | Bromakin Wheelchairs: "Speedy Tandem
A unique bicycle/wheelchair combination.
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Other items in our Leisure section include:"

Mitsubishi iMiEV | Hybrid Cars

2008-06-10T11:31:00.000-07:00

Mitsubishi iMiEV | Hybrid Cars

A Low Impact Woodland Home

2008-06-03T12:06:00.000-07:00

A Low Impact Woodland Home

Proppian Fairy Tale Generator v1.0

2008-06-03T10:26:00.000-07:00

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Neodymics Cyclemotor Electric Bike Conversion Kit

2008-06-01T20:13:00.000-07:00

Neodymics Cyclemotor Electric Bike Conversion Kit

Make Origami Paper Claws - wikiHow

2008-04-24T09:39:00.001-07:00

How to Make Origami Paper Claws

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

If your Halloween costume needs some claws or you're just feeling a little fierce, you can make paper claws that'll slip over each finger. They are sharp and pointy, though, so don't get carried away...They're just for show!

Steps

Place the paper on a flat surface.
Position the paper with the longest side running from the top to bottom.
Fold the top right corner in to the left side.
- The top of the sheet now shows a point, while the edge of the fold lines up with the left side of the paper.
Fold the pointed top down to the bottom left corner, keeping it aligned with the left side of the paper.
Fold the right hand side of the sheet so that the edge aligns with the slanted edge of the previous fold. It should look like a square.
Fold the square in half, along the two slanted edges, to make a triangular shape.
Position the paper with the right angle of the triangle pointing up, or away from you.
Identify the side that has two folded edges not the side with four individual edges.
Imagine a vertical line (up and down line) dividing the triangle in half, from the point to the base, right down the middle.
- You may want to draw this line in pencil the first couple of times. Use a T-square to make sure the line down the middle is at a right angle to the base of the triangle.
Fold the "two folded edges" side into this imaginary line, in other words fold it directly to the half-way line of the triangle.
- The fold's outer edge should be going straight down, perpendicular to the bottom and even extending below the bottom of your triangle.
Repeat the previous fold two more times, folding the same side over itself again.
- Be careful to line each fold with your imaginary pencil line.
- The claw shape will begin to show.
- Make sure you keep each fold very tight and at the same angle. If the folds start to slant upwards, instead of staying aligned, the claw won't be as good.
Hold the claw together by tucking the bottom flap into the end. Now you have a paper claw!
Open the smaller triangle in the middle of the folds, and stick your finger in there. >
Your finger should not go on the side where you tucked it in, or the other side, but in the middle.
It may be a tight fit at first, but if you work your finger it will fit.
The tighter the fit the more likely the claw will stay on your finger.

Repeat the above steps as many times as you want to create additional claws!

Tips

This is hard. Your claws will get better and better the more you make.
Practice on thin, cheap paper before using expensive materials.
Make your folds as exact as possible. Consider using a paper folder or a ruler. Sharp, exact folds are the key to success in almost any origami project.
You can change the color by using black paper or even painting. Construction paper is heavier and harder to work with but makes more durable claws and is available in a variety of colors.
Some people might have fingers that are too large or small. You can always use bigger or smaller paper, just make sure it has the same proportions.
Buy some black gloves in a thrift store, or look for old ones around the house, and cut off the ends from the fingers. Put your claws on over the gloves for an even cooler look.
Younger children may need help doing this.

Warnings

Don't go around clawing people. You could actually scratch them or damage their eyes.

Things You'll Need

An 8 1/2 x 11 sheet of paper, standard letter size in the United States.
A hard surface to fold on.
Optionally, a paper folder or ruler.
Optionally, a T-square.

Related wikiHows

Article provided by wikiHow, a collaborative writing project to build the world's largest, highest quality how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Make Origami Paper Claws. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

Green Web Hosting

2008-02-13T05:35:00.002-07:00

I just ran across this. I think its a great idea. I'd love to go solar, as you might tell from some of my past posts.

Tri-brid

2008-01-23T08:06:00.000-07:00

News from the world of hybrid car technology - a triple hybrid. This vehicle uses batteries, ultracapacitors, and a gasoline engine to achieve 150mpg. Its called the AFS Trinity, and you can see it here.

Gotta Love Google Earth Hacks

2008-01-18T10:52:00.000-07:00

I just got this from Google Earth Hacks. I love it.

"We're pleased to introduce our fifth Google Earth application -- YourMap. This script is a very simple way for people to add a Google Map to their own website.

http://www.gearthhacks.com/yourmap/

If you're an experienced user with Google Maps and Google Earth, then this script probably won't interest you. However, if you're wanting an easy way to put a Google Map on your own website, this tool is the answer.

Just fill out a simple form, and the code for the Map (along with a Google Earth KML) will be generated for you! Everything runs from our server, so it will work with virtually any web host that you choose to use."

View in Google Earth -- Download Google Earth

Powered by YourMap from Google Earth Hacks.

trioBike

2008-01-15T11:47:00.000-07:00

trioBike -- The worlds first carrierbike where the bike also can be used as a normal bike.

Awesome Story

2008-01-13T08:57:00.000-07:00

Check out The Breastplate of Righteousness at Bath Time Blog.

:: INTRODUCING KEYPORT ::

2007-12-07T12:22:00.000-07:00

:: INTRODUCING KEYPORT ::

Coolest Keys EVER

Some Cool Blogs I Found

2007-11-06T21:53:00.000-07:00

The Secret of an Anonymous Husband

The “Blog” of “Unnecessary” Quotation Marks

2007-10-29T11:54:00.001-07:00

The “Blog” of “Unnecessary” Quotation Marks: "The “Blog” of “Unnecessary” Quotation Marks misinterpreting bad punctuation since 2005"

The Green Guide - green living tips, product reviews, environmental health news, coupons

2007-10-29T11:54:00.000-07:00

The Green Guide - green living tips, product reviews, environmental health news, coupons: "The Green Guide "

Printer pollution

2007-08-07T07:46:00.000-07:00

Printer tests showed levels of ultra-fine particle pollution:

High-level emitters

HP Color LaserJet 4650dn

HP Color LaserJet 5550dtn

HP Color LaserJet 8550N

HP LaserJet 1320N

HP LaserJet 1320n

HP LaserJet 2420dn

*HP LaserJet 4200dtn

HP LaserJet 4250n (old cartridge)

HP LaserJet 4250n (new cartridge)

HP LaserJet 5(a) (further study needed)

*HP LaserJet 8000DN

HP LaserJet 8150N

Toshiba Studio 450

Mid-level emitters

HP LaserJet 1020

HP LaserJet 4200dtn

Low-level emitters

Canon IRC6800

HP LaserJet 5M

HP LaserJet 9000dn

Ricoh CL3000DN

Non-emitters

HP Color LaserJet 4550DN

HP Color LaserJet 8500DN

HP LaserJet 2200DN

HP LaserJet 2300dtn

HP LaserJet 4 plus

HP LaserJet 4000N

HP LaserJet 4000TN

HP LaserJet 4050N

HP LaserJet 4050TN

HP LaserJet 4si

HP LaserJet 5(b) (further study needed)

HP LaserJet 5000n

HP LaserJet 5100tn

HP LaserJet 5N

HP LaserJet 5si

HP LaserJet 5si/NX

HP LaserJet 8000DN

HP LaserJet 8150DN

Ricoh Aficio 2022

Ricoh Aficio 3045

Ricoh Aficio 3245C

Ricoh Aficio CC3000DN

Toshiba Studio 350

*possible high emitter

Source: International Laboratory for Air Quality and Health, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane

McSweeney's Internet Tendency

2007-06-06T14:45:00.000-07:00

Grey Water Harvesting

2007-06-05T09:25:00.000-07:00

The Dirty Water Underground - New York Times
May 31, 2007
OAKLAND, Calif.
Jamie Kripke for The New York Times

LAURA ALLEN’S modest gray house in the Oakland flatlands would give a building inspector nightmares. Jerry-built pipes protrude at odd angles from the back and sides of the nearly century-old house, running into a cascading series of bathtubs filled with gravel and cattails. White PVC pipe, buckets, milk crates and hoses are strewn about the lot. Inside, there is mysterious — and illegal — plumbing in every room.

For Sale: Condo With Chicken Coop

2007-06-05T08:21:00.000-07:00

RealEstateJournal | For Sale: Condo With Chicken Coop
By Sara Schaefer Munoz
From The Wall Street Journal Online

Forget the golf-course community or the manicured subdivision. A number of developers are now offering homes on working farms.

Catering to Americans' desire to live 'green,' developers around the country are creating communities on or adjoining farms, pitching views of sorghum fields, grazing livestock, and local -- very local -- food, such as eggs residents collect from the property's henhouse. The communities, however, aren't necessarily in the boondocks. Some are in suburbs or near cities."

GarageBand.com : Unpainted Souls

2007-05-21T14:46:00.000-07:00

GarageBand.com : Unpainted Souls

Volkswagen 1-Litre-Car

2007-05-21T09:52:00.000-07:00

CanadianDriver: Feature - VW 1-Litre-Car:
by Greg Wilson

The most economical car in the world

A few years ago, Volkswagen took on a task that many people thought was impossible: they decided to develop a fuel-efficient, road-going compact car that could achieve an average fuel consumption of just 3 litres per 100 km (94 mpg). Not only did Volkswagen achieve this milestone in 1999, but they had an even larger goal in mind: an ultra fuel-efficient car with a super stingy fuel consumption rating of just 1 litre per 100 kilometres (282 mpg)."

Environmental Protection Agency

2006-11-22T07:04:00.000-07:00

Environmental Protection Agency

DSIRE: DSIRE Home

2006-10-24T11:46:00.000-07:00

DSIRE: DSIRE Home

Blogthings - What Superhero Are You?

2006-10-18T13:31:00.000-07:00

You Are Superman

Faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive, and able to leap tall buildings in a single bound.
And pretty cute too. No wonder you're the most popular superhero ever!

What Superhero Are You?

2006-10-18T13:29:00.000-07:00

Your Sloth Quotient: 17%

You're certainly not lazy. If anything, you're super charged, hyper, and always going.
Slow down a little. You can enjoy a slow afternoon without becoming a total couch potato.

How Much Sloth Do You Have?

RedOrbit - Space, Science, Technology News & Information

2006-10-16T13:28:00.000-07:00

News & Information">

2006-10-11T10:03:00.000-07:00

Our Deepest Fear

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

– Marianne Williamson, A Return To Love: Reflections on the Principles of A Course in Miracles

Questions & Answers: Shufti

2006-10-11T08:37:00.000-07:00

Questions & Answers: Shufti

Buy wood furniture at realsimplefurniture.com

2006-10-06T09:04:00.000-07:00

Buy wood furniture at realsimplefurniture.com

USB-charged batteries

2006-09-25T09:27:00.000-07:00

AA Batteries - 2 cell pack - Use Cases - usbcell.com

Middle of the Road

2006-08-29T10:10:00.000-07:00

Your Political Profile:

Overall: 50% Conservative, 50% Liberal

Social Issues: 50% Conservative, 50% Liberal

Personal Responsibility: 75% Conservative, 25% Liberal

Fiscal Issues: 50% Conservative, 50% Liberal

Ethics: 25% Conservative, 75% Liberal

Defense and Crime: 50% Conservative, 50% Liberal

How Liberal Or Conservative Are You?

Wonder Woman.jpg (JPEG Image, 960x1280 pixels)

2006-08-02T13:56:00.001-07:00

Krunch

2006-06-12T10:07:00.000-07:00

Krunch

Simpsons film confirmed for 2007

2006-04-12T14:34:00.000-07:00

BBC NEWS | Entertainment

"Twentieth Century Fox has confirmed that popular animated TV series The Simpsons is to be made into a film."

Juneteenth - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

2006-04-03T11:54:00.002-07:00

Juneteenth - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: "Juneteenth, also known as Freedom Day or Emancipation Day, is an annual holiday, celebrated on June 19 in the United States, and commemorating the end of slavery. The holiday originated in Texas; for more than a century, this state was the primary home of Juneteenth celebrations. More recently, however, its observance has spread across the nation.

Though the Emancipation Proclamation had taken effect on January 1, 1863, it had little immediate effect on most slaves' day-to-day lives, particularly in Texas, which was almost entirely under Confederate control. Juneteenth commemorates June 19, 1865, the day Union General Gordon Granger and 2,000 federal troops arrived in Galveston, Texas to take possession of the state and enforce slaves' new freedoms. Standing at the heart of Galveston's business district, known as the Strand, Granger read the contents of 'General Order No. 3':

The people of Texas are informed that, in accordance with a proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free. This involves an absolute equality of personal rights and rights of property between former masters and slaves, and the connection heretofore existing between them becomes that between employer and hired labor. The freedmen are advised to remain quietly at their present homes and work for wages. They are informed that they will not be be supported in idleness either there or elsewhere.

That day has since become known as Juneteenth, a name derived from a portmanteau of the words June and nineteenth.

Former slaves in Galveston rejoiced in the streets with jubilant celebrations. Juneteenth celebrations began in Texas the following year.[7] Across many parts of Texas, freed people pooled their funds to purchase land specifically for their communities’ increasingly large Juneteenth gatherings — including Houston’s Emancipation Park, Mexia’s Booker T. Washington Park, and Emancipation Park in Austin.[7] Juneteenth celebrations include a wide range of festivities, such as parades, street fairs, cookouts, or park parties and include such things as music and dancing or even contests of physical strength and intellect. Baseball and other popular American games may also be played.

Juneteenth is traditionally celebrated with a large feast served as an all day meal in a park or outdoor space. The traditional dishes of Juneteenth are served pot luck and usually include portions of barbecue, cakes, fresh fruit and vegetables, and pies.

1865 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

2006-04-03T11:52:00.000-07:00

1865 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: "Badische Anilin- und Sodafabrik(BASF)"

Foot Care - Squeaky Clean Foot Recipes

2006-03-29T14:13:00.000-07:00

Foot Care - Squeaky Clean Foot Recipes
Things You'll Need:

paper towel(s)
lemon juice

Mix together (in a bowl) half water, half lemon juice. Then gently dip paper towel into the mixture and apply to feet. Softens, removes odors, and smoothes.

Storage: Most recipes require refrigeration since they don't contain preservatives. Shelf Life is approximately 1 week."

Soothing Foot Lotion Recipe

2006-03-29T14:10:00.000-07:00

Soothing Foot Lotion Recipe
By Pioneer Thinking

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon almond oil
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon wheat germ oil
12 drops eucalyptus essential/fragrance oil
Directions:

Combine ingredients in a dark colored bottle, shake extremely well. To use just rub into the feet and heels. Store in a cool dry place.

Storage: Most recipes require refrigeration since they don't contain preservatives. Shelf Life is approximately 1 week."

Laziest Prairie Dog Ever

2006-03-24T11:16:00.000-07:00

Vivavi Contemporary Sustainable Furniture & Design Services

2006-03-22T14:55:00.000-07:00

Check out Vivavi for furniture and products designed for sustainable life.

Share your secrets at POSTSECRET

2006-01-27T11:55:00.000-07:00

The New Anti-Immigration Feeling

2005-12-19T09:12:00.000-07:00

New restrictions forcing illegal Irish immigrants to leave US in droves - Yahoo! News: "They have put the word 'immigrant' beside the word 'terrorist' in order to get all these totalitarian laws passed in this country."

It looks like we face a new wave of anti-immigrant hatred and fear. First Hispanics, then Irish. Who's next?

Muslim Women Around the World

2005-12-12T11:14:00.000-07:00

This interesting site presents some interesting art by muslim women around the world. There is also a photo gallery of muslim women with captions. Many of the captions describe muslim women's attitudes towards the veil/burka.

What Monty Python Character Are You?

2005-12-09T15:00:00.000-07:00

What Monty Python Character are you?

Well, u-- um, can we come up and have a look?
Take this quiz!

Which Action Hero Would You Be?

2005-12-09T09:00:00.000-07:00

You scored as William Wallace. The great Scottish warrior William Wallace led his people against their English oppressors in a campaign that won independence for Scotland and immortalized him in the hearts of his countrymen. With his warrior's heart, tactician's mind, and poet's soul, Wallace was a brilliant leader. He just wanted to live a simple life on his farm, but he gave it up to help his country in its time of need.

William Wallace

79%

Maximus

75%

Batman, the Dark Knight

75%

James Bond, Agent 007

67%

Lara Croft

67%

Indiana Jones

58%

The Terminator

58%

Neo, the "One"

58%

Captain Jack Sparrow

54%

El Zorro

50%

The Amazing Spider-Man

42%

Which Action Hero Would You Be? v. 2.0
created with QuizFarm.com

Alas - I was hoping for Patton!

2005-12-07T16:02:00.000-07:00

George MacClellan
You scored 46 Wisdom, 77 Tactics, 50 Guts, and 38 Ruthlessness!

Like General McClellan, you're smart enough to know what tactical decisions to make. However, the problem with McClellan is that he could never sprout the balls to act on his information, and in the end, that's why Geoge McClellan is only a sidenote in the history books.

After graduating from West Point, he served with distinction in the Mexican War and later worked on various engineering projects, notably on the survey (1853-54) for a Northern Pacific RR route across the Cascade Range. Resigning from the army in 1857, he was a railroad official until the outbreak of the Civil War. In May, 1861, McClellan was made commander of the Dept. of the Ohio and a major general in the regular army. He cleared the western part of Virginia of Confederates (June-July, 1861) and consequently, after the Union defeat in the first battle of Bull Run, was given command of the troops in and around Washington. In November he became general in chief. The administration, reflecting public opinion, pressed for an early offensive, but McClellan insisted on adequate training and equipment for his army. In Mar., 1862, he was relieved of his supreme command, but he retained command of the Army of the Potomac, with which in Apr., 1862, he initiated the Peninsular campaign . The collapse of this campaign after the Seven Days battles was charged by many to his overcaution. In Aug., 1862, most of McClellan's troops were reassigned to the Army of Virginia under John Pope . After Pope's defeat at the second battle of Bull Run, McClellan again reorganized the Union forces, and in the Antietam campaign he checked Robert E. Lee's first invasion of the North. He was slow, however, to follow Lee across the Potomac and in Nov., 1862, was removed from his command.

My test tracked 4 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender:

You scored higher than 4% on Unorthodox
You scored higher than 71% on Tactics
You scored higher than 31% on Guts
You scored higher than 18% on Ruthlessness

Link: The Which Historic General Are You Test written by dasnyds on OkCupid Free Online Dating, home of the 32-Type Dating Test

Ubiquitous Porn: Alive on the Net

2005-12-06T09:15:00.000-07:00

Yahoo! News

"It's a warning label, not a platform! It's isolation. It's zoning. Would you allow locating adult bookstores next to churches? It seems that Concerned Women for America would demand doing so.

The idea behind .xxx is to put these porn folks into their own space where they can be somewhat controlled. The idea is not to make getting to porn easier. Getting to porn is easy enough now—even by accident. That's why the current structure is a threat to family values."

See-Thru Loo

2005-12-01T11:33:00.000-07:00

I don't know if this is real or photoshopped, but its cool, either way.

Bugatti Veyron

2005-11-30T21:16:00.000-07:00

Jeremy Clarkson - Times Online: "When you push a car past 180mph, the world starts to get awfully fizzy and a little bit frightening. When you go past 200mph it actually becomes blurred. Almost like you’re trapped in an early Queen pop video. At this sort of speed the tyres and the suspension are reacting to events that happened some time ago, and they have not finished reacting before they’re being asked to do something else. The result is a terrifying vibration that rattles your optical nerves, causing double vision. This is not good when you’re covering 300ft a second.

Happily, stopping distances become irrelevant because you won’t see the obstacle in the first place. By the time you know it was there, you’ll have gone through the windscreen, through the Pearly Gates and be half way across God’s breakfast table."

The State of Idaho passed a resolution commending Jared and Jerusha Hess for the production of their film Napoleon Dynamite.

2005-11-29T09:19:00.000-07:00

State of Idaho House Concurrent Resolutions No. 29

George W Bush

2005-11-28T15:50:00.000-07:00

George W Bush: "'I know the human being and the fish can coexist peacefully.'"

The Straight Dope: What is supposed to happen when you land on "Free Parking" in Monopoly?

2005-11-18T09:01:00.000-07:00

From The Straight Dope, here is "a list of what appears to be every Monopoly rule variation ever devised by the mind of man, ranging from the mundane to the criminally deranged. Herewith a sampling:

- If you land directly on Go, you collect $400 instead of the usual $200. There's also the "subway" variation--if you land directly on Go, on your next turn you can choose not to roll the dice and move instead directly to any other space on the board.

- If you go bankrupt, you can file for reorganization under Chapter 11, meaning you distribute all your cash on hand to your creditors but continue to play.

- Players can establish "investment funds" by paying any sum of money into the bank. Subsequently they draw 10 percent interest on their investments (plus $200) every time they pass Go.

- If you own all four railroads, you can build "stations" on them. (These stations look suspiciously like houses, thereby demonstrating the monotonous uniformity that is characteristic of modern architecture.) Rent progresses upward until you get to "Grand Central Station," the equivalent of a hotel, which permits you to extort $1700 from the unlucky sap who lands on it.

- For the ultimate in sybaritic living, we have the concept of "building beyond hotels": an Estate with Gardener's Cottage (a hotel plus a house), an Estate with Gardener's Cottage & Rolls Royce Garage (a hotel plus two houses), and a Palace (a hotel with three houses). These permit rents to be raised to truly astronomical levels--a Boardwalk palace will net its owner a whopping $7500, resulting in instant ruin for the lessee/victim.

- Then there's the WAHOO card, which you get one of every time you land on Free Parking. Among other things there is the Three Mile Island Contamination card, in which "the color group of properties of your choice is contaminated by leaked nuclear wastes and no owner of a property on that group can collect rent until they have twice passed Go and paid a $500 clean-up charge to the bank." Guaranteed to bring a touch of realistic contemporary angst to the game.

Finally, for those who are truly interested in making Monopoly a spiritually significant experience, hustling Straight Dope managing editor Pat C. suggests a splendid variation called Cosmonopoly. Here, instead of chasing after tawdry commodities like Baltic and St. Charles Place, we aspire to the Platonic virtues, Truth and Beauty. We replace Community Chest and Chance with Free Will and Predetermination, one of the cards from which may sternly admonish you to "GO DIRECTLY TO THE METAPHYSICAL VOID. Do not pass Being or Essence. Do not collect $200." To get out of the Metaphysical Void, you either have to grasp the meaning of the universe or roll doubles twice.

On the Catholic side of the board, instead of collecting all the properties in a color group, your aim is to acquire Wisdom, Understanding, Knowledge, Counsel, Piety, Fortitude, and Fear of the Lord. Playing pieces to select from include the Jean-Paul Sartre piece (comes with blank dice and it's up to you to to decide how far you want to go) and the Nostradamus piece (you just sit around and guess who's going to win). Entrepreneurs interested in making a killing on this outstanding concept may write care of this column for a complete prospectus.

--CECIL ADAMS"

New Skate Technology

2005-11-16T09:40:00.000-07:00

Freeline dual independent skates connected by the body of the rider.

Check out the videos of the skates in action. Impressive.

Internet2 - Home

2005-11-15T10:50:00.000-07:00

Internet 2

Maturity

2005-11-14T11:22:00.000-07:00

from Dear Abbey

This is maturity: To be able to stick with a job until it's finished; to do one's duty without being supervised; to be able to carry money without spending it; and to be able to bear an injustice without wanting to get even.

The Scandal of U.S.-Saudi Relations

2005-11-03T11:08:00.000-07:00

"by Daniel Pipes"

When it comes to the Saudi-American relationship, the White House should be called the "White Tent".
- Mohammed Al-Khilewi,
a Saudi diplomat who defected to the United States

Virtual Apple 2 - Online disk archive

2005-11-02T19:05:00.001-07:00

Virtual Apple 2 - Online disk archive

INCIDENT.NET | V 5.5 | 1994-2005

2005-11-02T19:05:00.000-07:00

INCIDENT.NET | V 5.5 | 1994-2005

Helvetica vs. Arial

2005-11-02T18:54:00.000-07:00

Helvetica vs. Arial

How to Cut Quill Pens from Feathers

2005-11-02T18:51:00.000-07:00

How to Cut Quill Pens from Feathers: "Cutting Quill Pens from Feathers"

Free Online Graph Paper / Grid Paper PDFs

2005-11-02T18:50:00.000-07:00

Free Online Graph Paper / Grid Paper PDFs

Protect the Little Critters

2005-11-02T15:39:00.000-07:00

Why you should proof-read:

OPPORTUNITY: Pima County, Arizona, seeks a PLANNER to join a seasoned interdepartmental team that reviews development projects and works with complex planning issues. The Planning Division of Pima County’s Development Services Department prepares smart growth policies and environmentally sensitive zoning ordinances, advise the Design Review Committee, and works collaboratively with other jurisdictions and county departments. Planner qualifications include analytical, problemsolving and timemanagement skills, written and verbal communication skills, and a demonstrated ability to work effectively with diverse interest groups.

WHY WORK FOR PIMA COUNTY: If you’re serious about working for an organization that promotes growth consistent with the protection of scenic deserts and mountains, where developers blow smoke but the environmentalists call the shots; then WAKE UP and discover Pima County, Arizona and the greater Tucson Metropolitan Area.

ENVIRONMENT: Pima County is the Southwest’s most progressive urban county with a population that recently topped 1,000,000 and covers 9,184 square miles. The county ranges in elevation from 1,200 feet to the 9,185-foot peak of Mount Lemmon. We specialize in clean air, snow capped mountains in the winter, mild summers, and lush desert landscapes where urban and rural land uses are synchronized with environmentally sensitive policies and development standards.

CONSERVATION AND PRESERVATION FOCUS: Our trail blazing policies and standards set the national standard for the protection and conservation of Sonoran desert habitat and the little critters that live here. We have hillside and native plant preservation ordinances, a conservation subdivision ordinance, a conservation land system and a Sonoran Desert Conservation Plan (SDCP) that was recently awarded a national Outstanding Planning Award for a Plan by the APA (American Planning Association). The SDCP protects the biodiversity of Pima county including a large number of threatened and endangered species, and conserves our cultural resources........and we need YOU to help us craft and implement our next batch of conservation and preservation ordinances, guidelines and implementation manuals.

SALARY levels are competitive and our benefits are the best in the west. For more information about an opportunity that won’t last, and for applications and the official announcement go to our Human Resources website: www.pima.gov/hr/index.html

Slight Chance Mountain Snow

2005-11-01T16:07:00.000-07:00

I'd say very slight.

2005-11-01T09:40:00.000-07:00

This is a photograph of a men's room at the 5-star Sofitel Hotel in Queenstown, New Zealand

The Best Bison Genes Are in Sullys Hill, North Dakota

2005-11-01T09:29:00.000-07:00

USFWS Reporters Tip Sheet

Is there such a thing as a “purebred” bison herd? Though that may be impossible to authenticate, preliminary analysis has found that the bison herd at Sullys Hill National Game Preserve in North Dakota may be closer to that pure standard than any other herd within the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Gothic Gardening Potpourri

2005-10-26T16:08:00.000-07:00

Natural Black Dye for Hair and Clothing
Herbal Black Hair Dye
Here are two recipes I found in World of Herbs, by Lesley Bremness, which are natural formulations for darkening hair. I haven't tried these, so I can't vouch for their effectiveness or safety. I also suspect that these would only be useful if your hair is fairly dark anyway....

Dark Hair Rinse
For a gentle dark hair rinse, use a strong decoction of:
sage leaves
sage with rosemary leaves
sage and dried raspberry leaves
To make a decoction, take one ounce of the herb (chopped) and boil with a pint of water. After being brought to a boil, simmer for thirty minutes--the liquid should be halved. If more than half is evaporated, add enough water so the volume is one-half pint. Cool and then strain. The decoction should be stored in the refrigerator and used within three days.

Black Hair Dye
With a mortar and pestle, crush a handful of green outer shells of unripe walnuts. Leaves can also be added. After crushing, place in a small bowl, add a pinch of salt, cover with water, and soak for three days. After soaking, add three cups of water, bring to a boil, and simmer for five hours. Make sure that all the liquid doesn't boil away--add more water if necessary. Strain the mixture, and if the liquid is more than one cup, reduce by boiling. Cool this to body temperature. Pour the liquid through clean hair, catching it in a bowl. Keep repeating the rinse until the color fades from the liquid. Wear gloves while doing this; it will stain your hands. Pat the hair dry with an old towel, or a dark one, since the dye will also stain the towel. The color from this walnut is cumulative, so the more the rinse is used, the darker the hair will get.
That's it--Good Luck! Let me know if you use these recipes and have success with them.

Natural Black Clothing Dye
This isn't intended as a complete How-To on herbal dyeing. If you are serious about learning to dye wool and cotton, I suggest you get a book; there are lots of them out there. One of them that I found particularly helpful was Nature's Colors: Dyes from Plants by Ida Grae. However, these recipes are intended to give you some idea of the possibilities out there for natural dyes. And, of course, there is always the Dye-It-Black- FAQ, which discusses commercially available dyes.

Note: Mordants "fix" the color on the fiber, making it permanent (hopefully!). It also often makes the color richer or lightens or darkens it. When trying to dye fibers black, iron is the most common mordant.

Black Walnut Dye:
This dye is appropriate for wool fibers. Nuts are collected while the hulls are still green, remove the hulls (pound them with a hammer against a flat stone) cover them with water, store them in a dark place until ready to use. T o prepare the dye, take 6 quarts of hulls and soak overnight, then boil for hours. Strain. Dye the wool with indigo first to get a dark blue (of course, dyeing with indigo is a lesson unto itself). Rinse the wool thoroughly, then put it into the walnut dy e bath. Add a handful of sumac berries and simmer for an hour, then leave in the dyebath overnight. If it's not dark enough, add some more walnut dye and a pinch of copperas (iron mordant or ferrous sulfate). Heat it to boiling and simmer until the color is right. Rinse thoroughly and dry in the shade.

Black Tea Dye:
Thea sinensis, can be used to dye almost any natural fiber, including wool, silk, cotton, jute, or linen. For three ounces of fiber, use 1 1/2 ounces of tea. Soak tea in boiling water for several hours, then cool and add th e fiber. Simmer for thirty minutes, stirring occasionally. Cool overnight in the dyebath. Add the tea mixture (not the fiber) to an iron pot the next day and add 2 cups of vinegar. Simmer for 1 hour, then cool and add the fiber. Make sure the water still covers the fiber. Simmer for thirty minutes again, stirring often. Cool overnight in the dyebath again, then rinse and dry in the shade. This color has good washfastness.

Logwood Dye:
Haematoxylon spp., found in Mexico and Honduras, is a cheap and effective black dye. It may still be being used commercially for dyeing silk and nylon. Use four ounces of logwood chips for ounces for 8 ounces of cotton. Cove r the chips with water and soak several hours. Stir in 1/4 ounce ferrous sulfate (dissolved in one cup hot water) and 1/2 ounce Cream of Tartar (also dissolved in one cup hot water). Add the cotton and slowly heat to 122 F (50 C) for fifteen minutes. Then take the cotton out, expose it to the air for a few minutes, rinse it, and dry in the shade.
There are lots of other recipes for natural black dyes, including yellow flag iris, pomegranates, alder, blackberry, bugleweed, sourwood, olives, and silk-tassel bush.

Black Dyes from Around the World
This is but a small sampling of the plants used in different countries for dyeing cloth black. All of the information was taken from Dye plants and Dyeing-A Handbook, by the Brooklyn Botanic Garden.

Japan:

Persimmon--(Diospyros kaki) with iron mordant to get bluish black.
Walnut--(Juglans sieboldiana) with lime mordant produces red-purple-black
Japanese Sumac--dried red leaves are chopped and boiled. Mordanted with iron, it produces gray black. Dyeing the cloth first with Dyer's Knotweed (Polygonum tinctorium- japanese indigo) will produce true black.
Azalea--(Rhododendron japonicum) leaves are collected in fall. Mordanted with iron, it produces gray-black.
Thailand:

Diospyros ehretioides--fruit (a persimmon relative)
Elipta alba--leaves
Harrisonia perforata--fruit
Piper methysticum--root (kava)
Terminalia bellerica--fruit (myrobalan)
Malaysia:

Sapium sebiferum--leaves (Chinese tallow-tree)
Psidium guajava--fruit and leaves (guava)
Greece:

Fraxinus excelsior produces an excellent blue-black, but is rare and only in the mountains, and is sometimes substituted with F. ornus, the flowering ash.
Yugoslavia:

Prunus domestica--bark (plum)
F.ornus, Alnus glutinosa--leaves and bark , with iron mordant (flowering ash and alder, respectively)
Scotland:

Meadowsweet roots-(Filipendula ulmaria) collect roots in July, wash and boil, strain. Boil wool in the dye until proper color.
Waterlily rhizomes-(Nympaea alba) clean roots, then pound until soft. Boil and strain. Put wool in and boil until dark brown, then add copperas and boil until black.
Dock roots-(Rumex crispus) wash roots, boil for 2 hours. Add chrome, boil wool for half an hour.
Oak-(Quercus robur) use bark and acorns
Iris-(Iris psuedacorus) rhizomes
Black Silk Reviver
We all know goths dress in the most sensuous of materials, including silk. So for all those black silk poet shirts, here's another quick recipe from World of Herbs by Leslie Bremness.

This is a natural rinse which will help keep black silk looking black. Boil ivy leaves, then mash until the water is dark. Strain the solution. Use this as a rinse for black silk items. (This is not a dye.)

And now that you have the black hair and black clothes, you need the pale skin.

Main Index | Theme Gardens | Potpourri | Gothic Plant Tales | Ye Olde Gothick Herball

Gothic Gardening is copyright (c) 1995-2001 by Alice Day (mAlice).
All Rights Reserved.
--unless otherwise attributed--

Crystal and Rock Polishing

2005-10-26T16:05:00.000-07:00

I don't remeber where I found this, nor who Uncle Ross is.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Uncle Ross Wenger, the fellow who helped raise my father became my adopted grandfather, was a big time rock hound, surveyor, and miner, but his favorite was crystals. Not only was he the one to get me into crystals, he used to take me into some of the most incredible caves in the world with walls just made of crystals. He used to earn a little extra money by slicing up and polishing some of his rock finds, particularly petrified wood. He shared some of his skills with me, but I never achieved his speed in quickly achieving the same results. For my own crystals, I pick them out liking the way they feel, so let them be. Once in a while I will inherit a poor crystal that has been abused by being banged around. I do sometimes shape these and polish other stones for myself and friends just because I like the look and feel also!

Anyway, the first thing you need to do make a commitment to spend the time and money to do the job right. First, do just like the jewelry stores and all but soak your stone in thin super glue if there are any visible breaks. Otherwise your abrasives will gather in the cracks and make for a not very attractive result. If there is a bad end or chipped off point, you should find someone with a diamond saw and have that part cut flat. It just takes far too long and is too expensive in terms of abrasives to try and sand big areas flat. Trying to grind away with the wrong tool will almost always break your piece. You just have to have the right tool! Next, you have to buy a succession of ever finer abrasives including the right polish to be able to finish with a highly polished surface.

The first abrasives are the ones used to shape the stone. If it is already shaped, then you can skip this step. To do the shaping my grandfather used a diamond saw and a diamond flat table. His were electric but you can do the same thing by hand. Way back then, diamond based tools were terribly expensive. Today you can go to Harbor Freight and buy a three piece diamond sharpening stone set (Fine, medium & coarse) for $3 this month on sale or about $12 normally. Although you could do the same thing with wet sandpaper glued to a very flat surface such as steel or glass, these diamond surfaces will do a much faster job. You also can buy a Dremel or similar 1/8" shaft rotary tool and pick up from that same catalog order firm a real nice set of diamond points (also about $12) known as burrs for making shapes, cutting in letters, etc. I found that these stones and burrs are also available from Post tool at nice discount prices. Regular retail prices can quickly push you over $100 for just the shaping stones, so take your time and do some shopping.

Once the shape is good and the major scratches worked out with the diamond tools your next move for polishing crystals is to use "sandpaper" glued to glass to take care of all the rest of the easily visible scratches. (For rounded stones you can just hold the paper or glue it to a sponge.) For crystals you need a perfectly flat surface if you do not want to mess up the sides, so a piece of 1/4" tempered glass that is about 14" square is ideal. I use a 3M Scotch photo mount adhesive (about $8 a can) to stick the special sandpaper to the glass as it works quickly and will not be bothered by the water you need to constantly use. Actually it is not called sandpaper, but instead known as wet-dry emery cloth that is a dark green or almost black. You can get the coarser grits at a hardware store but have to go to an auto finishing or supply store to get the finer grits. Your fine diamond stone should have been about 200 grit meaning two hundred diamond particles per linear inch. You need to move upward from there buying 400 grit, 800 grit and at least 1000 grit emery cloth. I actually go to some 1800 or 2000 grit as it makes the polishing go much faster. (Sometimes the auto people call this grade of emery cloth as that stuff used for color sanding which will let you invisibly repair chips on solid color paint). While at the auto paint store you also should get your professional grade polish used to put the final high gloss polish on the piece. I have had very good luck with Ditzler brand extra fine rubbing compound that is used to final polish new paint. Caution! The every day kind of polishes and rougher grit polishes are far too rough to do a good job!

Now to actually do it, start with practicing on other rocks before you tackle your good stones. Use plenty of water on both the hand stones and powered diamond burrs. Be careful mixing water and any electric power tool.. I use a long flexible shaft on my rotary tool to make sure there is no problem. The water is critical as it keeps things cool and takes away the buildup of debris so your stones and burrs keep cutting cleanly and quickly. Do your rough shaping with the most coarse stones then work your way to the most fine. Take out all the major imperfections and scratches before moving on to the emery cloth. For crystals I use the glass with plenty of water (I have a little squeeze plastic mustard bottle and work in a large pizza pan!) Start with a grit about twice as fine as your last diamond tool and then work until all the deeper scratches are gone. Shift to the next finer emery cloth.. (Cheat and glue one grade on each side of your piece of glass. I have two pieces of glass and use four weights of emery cloth and rarely have to change paper as they do not wear much at all) Continue shifting until you have finished with the finest paper. Then shift to using the polish on a soft cotton flannel rag or lamb's wool buffing pad. It takes me about 4-5 hours to polish up a three inch point, but the result can be stunning.

History Reveals Hurricane Threat to New York City

2005-10-19T10:34:00.000-07:00

History Forgotten

Last year, Florida took the brunt of nature's summer fury, when four hurricanes slammed into the state. While the four-part pummeling was unusual, Florida has been hit nearly twice as often as any other state as long as records have been kept.

Residents in Florida know what to do. You've seen the lines of traffic lumbering away from the coast hours and even days before a storm hits.

But what would happen if a major hurricane struck New York City?

2005-10-17T08:52:00.000-07:00

A little girl was talking to her teacher about whales. The teacher said it was physically impossible for a whale to swallow a human because even though it was a very large mammal its throat was very small. The little girl stated that Jonah was swallowed by a whale. Irritated, the teacher reiterated that a whale could not swallow a human; it was physically impossible. The little girl said, 'When I get to heaven I will ask Jonah'. The teacher asked, 'What if Jonah went to hell?' The little girl replied, 'Then you ask him'.

Why I Fired My Secretary

2005-10-10T13:26:00.000-07:00

Two weeks ago was my 35th birthday and I wasn't feeling too hot that morning anyway. I went to breakfast knowing my wife would be pleasant and say "Happy Birthday" and probably have a present for me. She didn't even say "Good Morning" let alone any "Happy Birthday." I thought, "Well, that's wives for you, the children will remember." The children came in to breakfast and didn't say a word. When I started to the office I was feeling pretty low and despondent.

As I walked into my office my secretary, Janet, said, "Good morning, boss. Happy Birthday."

And I felt a little better; someone had remembered. I worked until noon.

Then, Janet knocked on my door and said, "You know, it's such a beautiful day outside and it's your birthday, let's go to lunch, just you and me." I said, "By George, that's the greatest thing I've heard all day.

Let's go." We went to lunch. We didn't go where we normally go; we went out to the country to a little private place. We had two martinis and enjoyed lunch tremendously. On the way back to the office, she said, "You know, it's such a beautiful day. We don't need to go back to the office, do we?" I said, "No, I guess not." She said, "Let's go to my apartment."

After arriving at her apartment she said, "Boss, if you don't mind, I think I'll go change."

"Sure," I excitedly replied. She went into the bedroom and, in about six minutes, she came out carrying a big birthday cake, followed by my wife, children, and dozens of our friends, >all singing Happy Birthday.

And there I sat... on the couch... naked.

Carving Halloween pumpkins

2005-10-04T06:12:00.000-07:00

Try this site to see how your design will look on a pumpkin before you carve it!

The Straight Dope: Is it dangerous to jump start a dead battery? (Especially the way most guys do it?)

2005-09-30T08:36:00.000-07:00

The Straight Dope: Is it dangerous to jump start a dead battery? (Especially the way most guys do it?):
"Some nontrivial number of people gets injured by exploding car batteries each year. Doesn't that mean you should follow the seven pages of instructions in the manual despite what the boys think? For insight I called up the service manager for a car dealership. Did he know the correct procedures? He sure did. Did he and his crew follow them? They sure didn't. His main beef was that if you attached the last clamp to some remote point on the body of the dead car, you didn't deliver enough juice to crank the engine. My excuse for ignoring the procedure is similar: You often don't get a good connection due to crud on the terminals, so you have to jiggle the clamps, most of which are unavoidably on battery terminals, till you see sparks. Is this a dangerous, stupid, typically guylike thing to do? Yeah. But nine times out of ten we'll be able to start your car."

Sandcastle Physics Revealed

2005-09-29T09:29:00.000-07:00

For sandcastle builders, the best mix, it turns out, is one pail of water for every eight pails of sand.

What Should I Read Next?

2005-09-28T10:37:00.000-07:00

Enter a book you like and their database
of real readers' recommendations will suggest something.

Deep Entrenchment

2005-09-27T11:30:00.001-07:00

The Santa Cruz River, near Green Valley, Arizona.

No Fishing

2005-09-27T11:30:00.000-07:00

I find this sign hilarious, because as you can see in the next post (above) the Santa Cruz River is bone dry for most of the year.

Bikes At Work

2005-09-27T11:17:00.000-07:00

Check out www.bikesatwork.com

Bikes At Work Inc.
129 Washington Ave.
Ames, IA 50010
515/233-6120

2005-09-27T11:12:00.000-07:00

Move a refrigerator with a bike?!!

Dilbert

2005-09-27T11:08:00.000-07:00

Be Afraid Of The Future

2005-09-27T11:07:00.000-07:00

Doctor Fun

2005-09-27T11:01:00.000-07:00

The Web's First Comic