Tuesday, June 03, 2008

A Low Impact Woodland Home

Proppian Fairy Tale Generator v1.0

Sunday, June 01, 2008

Neodymics Cyclemotor Electric Bike Conversion Kit

Thursday, April 24, 2008

Make Origami Paper Claws - wikiHow

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.

Wednesday, February 13, 2008

Green Web Hosting

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.

Wednesday, January 23, 2008

Tri-brid

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.

Friday, January 18, 2008

Gotta Love Google Earth Hacks

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.

Tuesday, January 15, 2008

trioBike

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

Sunday, January 13, 2008

Awesome Story

Check out The Breastplate of Righteousness at Bath Time Blog.

Friday, December 07, 2007

:: INTRODUCING KEYPORT ::

:: INTRODUCING KEYPORT ::

Coolest Keys EVER

Tuesday, November 06, 2007

Some Cool Blogs I Found

The Secret of an Anonymous Husband

Monday, October 29, 2007

The “Blog” of “Unnecessary” Quotation Marks

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

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

Tuesday, August 07, 2007

Printer pollution

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

Wednesday, June 06, 2007

McSweeney's Internet Tendency

Tuesday, June 05, 2007

Grey Water Harvesting

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

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."

Monday, May 21, 2007

GarageBand.com : Unpainted Souls

Volkswagen 1-Litre-Car

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)."