I am writing this quick post in response to the recent earthquakes and tsunamis that are affecting Japan. As soon as the news broke, and we began to hear of tsunami warning for our area, I immediately realized how under prepared I was for a natural disaster. The thing that dro ...more
So you've found yourself opting to be a vegetarian. The transition into a new way of eating and living is not always easy and as a result people often ditch their vegetarian goals and revert back to their previous eating habits. Here are some steps to ensure a successful trans ...more
We have no control on the weather yet it is a part of our lives which influence what we do, what we eat, what we wear and many times where we live. How did people predict the weather before there was the Internet, television, radio or the weatherperson with all of their gadget ...more
First off, don't be frustrated. YOU CAN DO IT! Contrary to the message in the image above, it's NOT over. It's just beginning. And when it comes to solving the New York Times crossword puzzle, the old cliche does apply: practice makes perfect. I've read quite a few books and ...more
Learn how to play "Year 3000" by Jonas Brothers, an acoustic guitar tutorial. Follow along with this demonstration, tabs and lyrics here: One day when I came home at lunchtime, I heard a funny noise. Went out to the back yard to find out if it was, One of those rowdy boys. St ...more
In this Home and Garden video tutorial you will learn how to manage garden insects and pests in an eco-friendly way. For plant lice or aphids, blast them with a strong blast of water. That will dislodge them and they won’t climb back. You can also put some soap water in a yell ...more
If you haven't had a pile of pipe and fittings to play with before, it's hard to see what is so cool about a plain, plastic pipe. All it does in the house is carry the poop away. Really, who cares? It's hard to even decide where to begin here. The first chance I personally ha ...more
Whether you have to move into your car or you want to, there are some bases you need to cover. This Howcast guide demonstrates how to live out of your car. This is also helpful for cross country trips. You Will Need * Pillows * Blankets or a sleeping bag * A cooler * A camp s ...more
THE ODYSSEY is an epic adventure, a world first, a race against time, an entire year of living dangerously. Scouse film maker Graham Hughes barking, madcap 12 month adventure!! 12 months, 90,000 kilometers, 200 sovereign states, 5 continents, 1 man and no flights! The Odyssey ...more
Chi gyo ichi nyo is a familiar expression in the dojo. The word chi means knowledge. Gyo means doing, or action. Ichi nyo means inseparable. Action and knowledge are one! Acting without adequate knowledge or understanding is a constant source of frustration and problems. In ou ...more
Privacy glass is pretty pricey, and if you're living in a rental, your landlord likely won't appreciate you painting glaze on the windows. So, if you're a privacy hound, here's a simple, cheap hack that will prevent peeping toms. All you need is a cotton sheet and some starch ...more
Ransack your kitchen and grab some dish soap, vegetable oil, honey, food coloring, rubbing alcohol, tall glass, water and a spoon. Why? Because you're going to create a visually stunning display of layered liquids. This illustrates the effects of different densities in liquids ...more
If you live somewhere where winter storms and blizzards are a threat, watch this video. It will give you several great tips for riding out a winter storm or blizzard safely inside your house. These include running water continuously so your pipes don't freeze and wearing layer ...more
Growing your hair out is generally low maintenance and requires nothing more than just living your life, but when your hair is thinning or growing slowly there are more steps you can take to stimulate those hair follicles for thicker growth. Watch this video to learn easy way ...more
There are many different ways to cook fry bread. This is how Kathryn Little learned how to do it from living on a Navajo reservation for 30 years. You will need flour, baking powder, salt, milk, water, and Crisco. Watch this video cooking tutorial and learn how to make tortill ...more
A short demonstration on how to build a compost powered hot shower. This is a part of the greater effort for permaculture in desert living.
Picture this ... a 200ft diving board with Preston Lacy standing on top. Looking into the water below.... looking quite shallow now. Preston leaps off, flying through the air, stretching out as he approaches the water.... BM. BELLY FLOP. as he emerges from the water he sports ...more
In this video, we learn how to make ginger cardamom chai tea. First, grab a sauce pan and add 1 cup of water and turn it on over medium heat. Next grate 1 tsp of ginger into the water. When the water is almost to a boil, add 1 cup of milk. Let this come to a boil, but keep sti ...more
When you surf in Southern California, there are several challenges. The water's never warm enough, the crowds are always dense, shark sightings abundant and of course, water quality is perpetually terrible. With 15 million people living 'up-river' from our waves, it's no wonde ...more
Designer Xavier Calluaud offers a simple solution for the urban dweller with a green thumb. The "urb garden" enables those living in small spaces (without a yard) to grow food at home, or more specifically, herbs. The best part? The eco-conscious system has an integrated worm ...more
W.H. Auden wrote, “Thousands have lived without love, not one without water.” Indeed, the average American home uses 140 to 170 gallons of water every day. Cut that in half with some water-saving tips. You Will Need: * A water-efficient toilet * A little food coloring * A lo ...more
Once you can stand up and barefoot water ski, learn some basic tricks to impress your friends and family. Learn how to do basic barefoot water skiing tricks in this water sports video tutorial. Take action: learn one foot barefoot water skiing, keep feet and arms bent, and beg ...more
If you're on a tight budget for food, whether you're in college, or someone just starting out living on their own, you're probably low on money and sick of ramen noodles. Don't get me wrong, ramen can be tasty and filling, and there is almost nothing cheaper. Sadly, people ar ...more
Welcome to Microwave Energy—the next part of my Making Electromagnetic Weapons series. For the Electromagnetic Pulse Generator, check out the last three articles (One, Two and Three). I'm sure almost all of you have used a microwave at some point in your lives. As a child, I ...more
Do you have a green thumb but an extremely limited living space? Try building your own DIY terrarium. All you need is a clear glass or plastic container, a few of your favorite plants, and some cheap gardening supplies to start your own self-contained, self-sustained miniature ...more
BioShock is one of the best games of all time. It combines FPS gameplay with RPG storytelling and supports multiple systems better than any other game, that much is for sure. And the setting of its amazing story is a place called Rapture, a high-tech libertarian colony at the ...more
Contrary to popular belief, eliminating household pests from your home can be accomplished without completely bombing your living space with a mess of toxic fumes. Whether you have annoying fruit flies in the kitchen, fleas on your beloved pet or silverfish lurking around your ...more
If you fancy yourself a nomad, check out Walking House, a mobile and modular dwelling system that is pneumatically powered, all-terrain ready. The vehicle-home crawls along at a snail's pace of 60 meters per hour, which equates to less than 1/2 a mile per hour. Akin in concept ...more
While I don't find Mattijs van Bergen and Anouk Vogel's "Living" dresses aesthetically earth shattering, I'm wowed by the concept. The fashion designer and landscape architect created a collection of dresses made from recycled inner tubes and flowers for a late summer exhibiti ...more
Fried tuna? Pasta shells? Count us in. Combining our favorite comfort foods (fried anything and delicious carbs), this pasta dish is wonderful for serving at your dinner table after everyone's had a long day and wants to relax with a delicious, warm meal. To learn how to make ...more
My prank will be on steve-o and chris pontius. This prank is also like the taxi prank because it is a reverse prank. Steve-o and chris will think that the prank is they will be pretending to get attacked by a man in a realistic gorilla suit, like the gorilla suit from an episo ...more
A group of New Zealand students have designed the ultimate green addition for eco-friendly living: a "clip-on" Plant Room. The Plant Room is a small cubic room that bolts to the exterior of a building, allowing extra space for the typical cramped city dweller. The space is in ...more
In this tutorial, we learn how to grow pineapple almost anywhere. First, buy a pineapple and cut the top off of it. Let the top of this dry out for around a week. Now, pull off all the dried up dead stuff from the bottom of the pineapple head. You will now need a large pot wit ...more
I've seen lots of cool case mods, but this FIFA 10 PC case mod with an integrated working BBQ grill pretty much blows all the others right out of the water. Via Bornrich, "Featuring Intel Core 2 Duo, motherboard socket 775, an ASUS ATI 4870 Grafkkarte with 1024MB RAM, a 4GB ...more
Sonoran Living and Lisa Kasanicky with Arizona Spa Girls demonstrate how to make a do-it-yourself pomegranate scrub spa treatment and foot soak. Aromatherapy helps to get you in the mood for the season. Pomegranate is the new cranberry. To make a body scrub, use jojoba oil, su ...more
This cookery video from Organic Living TV shows you how to prepare an authentic Indian vegan dahl dish. Soak the lentils for about 10-15 minutes and pour into a pan on stove as demonstrated. Add a bit of vegetable oil and turmeric and stir as shown and cover the pan with a lid ...more
**UPDATE: Toasty Kitten locates recipe! Via The Post Family, "'Art's Birthday' is an annual event first proposed in 1963 by French artist Robert Filliou. He suggested that 1,000,000 years ago, there was no art. But one day, on the 17th of January to be precise, Art was born. ...more
Sometimes only rich and creamy desserts will do. That’s when I pull out my pot and make a batch of comforting rice pudding. Watch this video cooking tutorial and learn how to make rice pudding. You will need 2 cups water 1 cup medium grain Cal Rose Rice, 1-1/2 to 2 cups plain ...more
In this article, I'll show you how you can make your very own bullet/shell bottle opener. All you need is a .50 caliber deactivated round and some workshop tools! Materials and Tools .50 caliber bullet/shell (look online, or you can get one here) Hacksaw (a saw intended to c ...more
Is your face shriveling up from the dry winter air? Do your hands feel all scaly and gross? Are the heels of your feet shedding skin flakes? If moving to Hawaii for the winter season is out of the question, you can relieve your dry winter skin with some quick and cheap DIY hom ...more
I've been hell-bent on complete self sufficiency for a long time now. There was a point where I was living in a self-sustaining community in the mountains in Colorado, and we had a very large greenhouse there. Dragging the hose around to water plants was a real pain, and that ...more
Beauty is a fine line between art and science for Pe Lang, a Swiss sculptor living and working in both Berlin and Zurich. The autodidact artist specializes in graceful, hand-built kinetic sculptures made of magnetic, electrical and mechanical devices, all of which are elegant ...more
Say hello to "Meet Eater," the world's most social garden. Seriously — say hello! Its life may depend on it: "Planted by University of Queensland student Bashkim Isai, Meet Eater is in the grounds of the State Library of Queensland in Brisbane — and it has quite the fan club. ...more
Every kid has had a lemonade stand. It's a child's first glimpse at responsibility and making a living, but the lemonade in this video isn't your typical lemonade stand variety. This is more like a slushy than a drink. This is a great summertime treat your guests will love, bu ...more
Watermelon is not only a refreshing treat but is full of nutrients and energy. Prepare for a summer you will never forget by starting a watermelon patch today. From seeding to watching your plants grow, this is a fun project for the whole family. If you love to bury your face ...more
It's easier than you'd think to prevent hemorrhoids. With a little exercise, attention to diet, and a change in habits, you can become hemorrhoid-free. WARNING: Consult your physician before you change your diet or begin an exercise plan. Step 1 Drink at least eight glasses ...more
Show your four-legged friend you care by cooking up some homemade treats. This video will show you how to make your own dog treats. You Will Need * 4 bacon slices * 2 lb whole wheat flour * 1/2 c cold water * 1 egg * 1/2 c milk * 1 tsp garlic powder * 1/4 c bacon fat * A fry ...more
If you’re still living in the Ice Age—that is, with a non-defrosting freezer—you’ll need these ancient skills. Learn how to defrost your freezer. You Will Need: * Cardboard boxes * Newspaper or cloths * A pan that will fit at the bottom of your freezer * A towel Step 1: Empt ...more
If your cray fish or crawfish has tiny tiny worms crawling over the shell, watch this how-to video to fix the problem. The worms are found in almost all Crawfish and harmless, however they're not always visible and f they get too numerous they can be cleaned off. Get a VERY so ...more
If you're anything like me, the heat of the summer can often be unbearable. Where I live, it often gets as high as 108 degrees Fahrenheit, so anything that cools off is a welcome and amazing thing. Mister fans are especially amazing for cooling off, but they are usually very b ...more
Many foods do not come in natural packaging that is as useful and versatile as its content. Eggs are an exception. So, the next time you buy a carton of eggs, be sure to hold onto the eggshells after you are finished cooking with them. In the kitchen, you can use eggshells to ...more
Where would you end up if you dug a tunnel in your backyard straight through the Earth? If you live in the United States, you'd probably think that you'd end up somewhere in China. But despite what the hypothetical China Syndrome may have you believe, China is not the other s ...more
Let's face it, the world we live in is far from the fairy-tale land we want it to be, where violence doesn't exist and weapons are not needed. Our foremost goal in life out there in the scary world is simply to survive. And if we need a few tools to accomplish this, we should ...more
Penny pincher? A true believer in "waste not want not"? Then listen up—here's a quick tip that will save you some spare change. Scenario 1: We're all guilty of negligently abandoning a freshly bought sponge in a pot full of dirty dishes and food-littered water. Let that bad b ...more
How far would you go to be resourceful? Early Britons used each others' skulls as drinking cups and bowls. Recently, researcher Silvia Bello found human skulls with the top cut off laying in Gough's Cave, England. Skillful cut marks make it look like fellow humans scraped off ...more
Inspired by Jules Verne sea demons, Bea Szenfeld's “Sur la Plage” collection includes 12 pieces handcrafted with cardboard. The idea of unconventional material constraints is a classic art school "test", as well as a typical (and somewhat tired) formula for competitive design ...more
When you live on an island, spending time on the beach beomes part of the fabric of life (otherwise why live on an island). Whidbey has so many beaches to explore. I've been here several years and barely scratched the surface. I guess once I discover places I really enjoy, I t ...more
Not being much of a video game buff, I haven't been in the loop when it comes to the enormously popular game Red Dead Redemption. Apparently the game is completely dominant in video game sales. Since it's May 18 release, over 5 million units have sold, making it the most popul ...more
ZERO WASTE. Yes, You read that right. This kitchen of the future aims to have zero waste. Ekokook the kitchen concept out of design company Faltazi gives us hope for a greener future. How is this possible you ask when in most homes 85 or 90 percent of a family's trash is gener ...more
It is important to know how to keep your cooking and baking ingredients fresh. Many have either an expiration date or a "use by" date on the containers which should be followed. Shortening can turn rancid if it is kept in a warm environment. To keep it from going bad it can ei ...more