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DIY Life

• Crochet a wedding cake

  Filed under: wedding, weekend projects, crafts, knitting and crochet

  Here at DIY Life, posts about weddings are always popular, but often, posts about knit and crochet patterns come in a close second.
  
  I thought it might be interesting to combine the two, by looking at a few free patterns for wedding cakes made from yarn. (Hey, they don't have to be frozen, and they never get stale!)
  
  
  • Crochet Today's Crochet Confection cake pattern (PDF download) is, at 4"x8", life-sized. It's an easy, single-tier cake that you can display on a stand over a form.
  • Berroco's Buttercream is also life-sized, but this one is a tiered cake with flowers; it can be used to store dishes. It's made in their Ultra Alpaca, but any other worsted-weight yarn should work just as well.
  • On the miniature side, there are the Norma Lynn Cake Sachets. Several of the designs here, like the Two-Tier Cake and...

  • Water-repellent preservative: make your own!

    Filed under: home decor, weekend projects, outdoor, painting

    
    
    There's a lot of wooden objects that you just don't want to bring back indoors: patio furniture, picnic tables, planters, etc. One thing they have in common is the ability to stand up to wind, heat, and rain. You don't have to buy the expensive stuff, just make your own!
    
    Water-repellent preservative recipe
    
    As with any other time you mix various potentially hazardous or flammable materials, take precautions and ventilate the area properly. Mix together:
    
    • 2 gal. Mineral spirits, Turpentine, or #1 or #2 fuel oil
    • 5/8 qts. Boiled Linseed Oil
    • 3/16 lb. Paraffin Wax
    • 1 qt. Penta concentrate 10:1
    • 1 to 3 fluid oz Color Pigment / gallon of the above mix
      
    The paraffin must be melted in a double boiler; if you try to use a regular pan, fire is a very real possibility (keep an extinguisher close.) Let...

  • Interview with Bug Labs

    Filed under: miscellaneous, geek it yourself, electronics

    We've reported on Bug Labs before. They make a sort of gadget LEGO system so you can easily build stuff like a GPS-enabled alarm clock. Not useful? Ask the guy who kept missing his train stop by falling asleep!
    
    I spoke to Bug Labs founder Peter Semmelhack about what the company is up to, and how the future of DIY is shaping up.
    

     

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  • Construction Chronicles: Trade your tile for beadboard, Part II

    Filed under: weekend projects, remodeling, Construction Chronicles

    

    This is the second part of my article on installing beadboard in a kitchen area, after the demolition of some '70's era wall tile. You may see the first part here. We now move on to the carpentry work itself, and I'll show you a couple other things I did in the ongoing process. Take quick look at the gallery to see where I'm going.

    %Gallery-28126%

    First off, safety: I was working with a jig saw, compound miter saw, hammers and nails. Especially when cutting small pieces of trim, pay attention to where your fingers are with relation to the saw blade. Remember, if it'll cut wood, it'll cut you. If you are working near known (or unknown, for that matter) electrical circuits, be certain you interrupt the circuit at the breaker box -- you really don't want to be surprised by a live 110 volt line; not that anything like that has ever happened to me.

    The materials:

    • Beadboard --...

    • Avant Yard: Crabgrass control

      Filed under: gardening and plants, landscaping, staying green, Avant Yard

      
      
      I am not a weed vigilante. I do not obsessively seek to control the weeds in my yard. "Live and let live" is usually my philosophy.
      
      Some weeds, however, are just begging for a fight. They spread everywhere and are super-tough to eradicate. Crabgrass (Digitaria spp.) has to be one of the top weeds on most gardeners' lists. It's pretty harmless-looking, pretty even. But it spreads relentlessly by seed, taking over patches of lawn and spreading into garden beds.
      
      Got a crabgrass problem? Check out the following tips and reign it in!
      1. Grow a healthy lawn. A thick, healthy lawn means that weeds -- not just crabgrass -- can't grab a hold. What? Lawn not thriving? Crabgrass can only spread where it can get a toe-hold. If your lawn is not thriving in a particular area and crabgrass (or other weeds) are starting to take over, consider planting something else in...

    • Invent your own sport and win big bucks

      Filed under: recreation, health and wellness

      
      
      DIY fans already know and love Instructables. But in the tradition of two-great-tastes-that-taste-great-together, the how-to site has paired up with active wear company Horny Toad in an invent a sport contest. Whether you're an inventor with a flair for athletics, or an athlete who loves to be creative, this contest is for you.
      
      Simply come up with the rules for your original sport, make a list of necessary equipment, and if you're really enthusiastic, make a video. Send the information about your invented activity to Horny Toad and they'll post it on their website. The winner will receive a $350 gift card to spend on Horny Toad active wear.
      
      If you need a little inspiration, or if you just want to try some of these newly invented sports yourself, check out some of the recent entries, including Crazy Croquet, WiFi Hunting, or this cool and inexpensive DIY skating or snowboarding sail. If you're the more visual type, check out their slide show of invented sports, some of which...

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

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    Gadgets

     

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    Engadget

    Engadget

    

    • ASUS summons Core i7 power in ROG CG6190 gaming desktop

      
      
      If you thought your ARES CG6155 was hot stuff during the sweltering summer, well, you were right. Sadly, your bragging days have come to an end, as a new era of cutting-edge buyers are fixing to one-up you with the purchase of ASUS' ROG CG6190. Timed to be released alongside Intel's potent Core i7 processor, this beast is built around the X58 chipset and includes an eye-catching chassis, 52% faster processing speed in 3D gaming applications (thanks, overclocked Core i7!), up to 12GB of DDR3 RAM and support for an NVIDIA triple-SLI GPU setup or an ATI CrossFireX rig. You'll also notice a biometric fingerprint scanner, a unique 2-kilowatt dual power system, customized liquid cooling modules and a SupremeFX X-Fi audio card. As ASUS loves to do, we're left in the dark on pricing, but we'd guess it'll launch somewhere between expensive and ludicrously pricey here soon.
      
      [Via ComputerMonger]

      Filed under: Desktops

      ASUS summons Core i7 power in ROG CG6190 gaming desktop originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 21 Nov 2008 00:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for...

    • Ask Engadget: Best DSLR for a committed amateur?

      With the holiday season fast approaching, there's nothing that warms the heart like giving a gift with no expectation of anything in return. It's with that spirit that we pass along Dylan's incredibly important question:
      
      "I've been nagging myself to get into digital photography and with Christmas coming soon I've decided to get a DSLR so I can dive in. I'm leaning heavily toward the Sony Alpha 350. I've always been a big Sony fan but I can back off of that if someone gives me good reason to try Nikon, Canon, etc. I would like to hang around the price range of the Alpha 350; ultimately, I'm looking for a good camera for a newcomer to the scene but I don't want to have to upgrade soon."
      
      We hear ya Dylan, and our dutiful readers do too. (Right? Right.) After giving this one a response, feel free to send in your own inquiry to ask at engadget dawt com.

      Filed under: Digital Cameras

      Ask Engadget: Best DSLR for a committed amateur? originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 20 Nov 2008...

    • Xbox 360's lack of Sony Pictures films streaming on Netflix "unrelated" to competition

      
      
      You probably recall that two days ago, when the new Xbox Experience launched, sadly, about 300 Sony Pictures films were unavailable for Netflix Watch Instantly on NXE, thus quashing your hopes of streaming The Karate Kid series. At the time, it seemed possible that missing titles were due to the fact that Xbox 360 manufacturer Microsoft and Sony are direct competitors. Well, according to a Sony spokesperson, the problem isn't specific to the Xbox, nor is their beef competition-related in any way. Sony also says it is in talks with the several "relevant parties" to work out these vague licensing issues, though there was no word on when the issue would be resolved. We really do hope it's soon because we're dying to see how everything turns out with the Cobra Kai.
      
      [Via Joystiq]

      Filed under: Gaming, HDTV, Home Entertainment

      Xbox 360's lack of Sony Pictures films streaming on Netflix "unrelated" to competition originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 20 Nov 2008 21:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

      Chrysler's Web Edition vehicle package: includes WiFi, iPod touch and a Dell Mini 9

      
      
      Chrysler has been toying with in-car connectivity for months now, so it's really no shock to see the next logical step being taken. At the San Francisco Auto Show this week, the automaker is set to showcase a "Web Edition" package, which would theoretically be available as a dealer-installed option for most Chrysler, Jeep, and Dodge vehicles. The bundle would include an Autonet Mobile router (branded as Uconnect Web), a Dell Mini 9, 8GB iPod touch, Sony PSP and an Eye-Fi WiFi SD card; couple that with one year of internet service and you've got everything that makes up the $1,999 asking price. Reportedly, a slimmed down option will go for $1,100 and only include the router, service and Mini 9, though there's no indication of when it'll be hitting new whips. Nor if Chrysler will survive long enough to tell us.

      Filed under: Transportation, Wireless

      Chrysler's Web Edition vehicle package: includes WiFi, iPod touch and a Dell Mini 9 originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 20 Nov 2008 20:52:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

      Nokia adds support for Lotus Notes in Symbian S60

      
      
      There's hardly anything more embarrassing that admitting that your company still uses Lotus Notes, but for the millions upon millions (140 million, in fact) of licensed users who'd love the opportunity to check in via their S60-based handset, this one's for you. Starting next month, Lotus Notes support will be granted for Symbian S60 3rd Edition, meaning that anyone with a fresh S60 device can soon tap into Lotus Notes Traveler and access real-time email, calendar, address book, journal and to-do list data. On second thought, maybe you shouldn't be so enthusiastic -- leaving work at work is a blessing too many take for granted.

      Filed under: Cellphones

      Nokia adds support for Lotus Notes in Symbian S60 originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 20 Nov 2008 19:38:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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    • Sony demos 19-inch FED display running Gran Turismo 5 at 240 fps

      
      

      FED (or Field Emission Display) hasn't quite caught on as quickly as some other display technologies, but Sony's still out there doing its best to move things forward, and it certainly looks to have turned more than a few heads with its latest demo. Apparently not content with simply showing off a new 19-inch display from its spin-off, Field Emission Technologies, Sony went so far as to demo it with a customized version of Gran Turismo 5 Prologue that's playable at 240 fps. To do that, Sony used four PS3s to increase the frame rate, something it had previously done to run the game at quadruple the resolution of 1080p on a Sony SXHD projector. While that setup is out of the reach of most folks, Field Emission Technologies says that FED displays are now finally heading to market, and that some high-end professional FED video monitors up to 32-inches in size will be available sometime next year.
      
      [Via OLED-Display.info]
      

      Filed under: Displays

      Sony demos 19-inch FED display running Gran Turismo 5 at 240 fps originally appeared on Engadget on...

     

     

     

     

     

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    Automotive

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    Autoblog

    Autoblog

    

    • LA 2008: Top 25 Desktop Wallpapers

      Filed under: LA Auto Show

      
      Click above for a super high-res gallery of the 2008 L.A. Auto Show

      When the press conferences have died down and most of the cars have made their debuts, we like to roam the halls of the convention center and simply enjoy the cars. This also gives us a chance to take photos of the cars away from the crowds of journalists, and we've put together the 25 best shots of the past few days in a super-high-res gallery meant specifically to adorn the background of your desktop. The photos are available at 1,920 pixels wide to accommodate even the largest of screens (they'll download at that size and can be viewed in the gallery at that size by clicking the "Hi-res" button). Enjoy!

      Gallery: LA 2008: Desktop Wallpaper

      
      
      Live photos copyright (C)2008 Drew Phillips / Weblogs, Inc.

      LA 2008: Top 25 Desktop Wallpapers originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 20...

    • LA 2008: Mazda takes top honors in Design Challenge

      Filed under: Concept Cars, LA Auto Show, Motorsports, Mazda

      
      
      Click above for more renderings of the Mazda KAAN concept
      
      
      It wasn't the number one pick of our readers (earning the silver medal in your voting), but Mazda managed to take the top honors at the LA Design Challenge with its KAAN concept. The design itself is a fanciful look into a future where all the roads in California are paved with... um, sub-level electro-conductive polymer (m'kay), which provides juice to the electronic tires that allow the KAAN to reach speeds of up to 250 mph. Up to 30 KAANs would travel together in formations that would cheat the wind, so MAZDA designed the vehicles so that they could fit tightly together in the peloton.
      
      The theme of the competition was to depict what motorsports would be like in 2025. Chuck Pelly, director of Design Los Angeles, said that the choice was made because Mazda's entry was "the most innovative and artistic design," and that the KAAN "ultimately brought unique styling back to motorsports." Unique? That seems...

    • VIDEO: Mercedes-Benz myCOMAND concept brings internet safely into cars

      Filed under: Tech, Videos, Mercedes-Benz

      
      Mercedes Benz myCOMAND interface
      
      German automakers have gotten plenty of flack for their less than intuitive Navigation/Infotainment systems, but Mercedes Benz is working hard to change that with its myCOMAND concept. The myCOMAND system uses high-speed wireless Internet with upload and download speeds of over 3MB to bring the connectivity of the web into any driver's hands. It's similar to interfaces from the competition in that it gives access to phone info, different types of digital media and the web. The difference comes from Mercedes' decision to go entirely Internet-based. Gone are hard drives, CD/DVD players and most computer hardware. Mercedes stuck with a thin-client and incredibly intuitive graphical user interface coupled with the ubiquitous Mercedes command controller to pull the strings.
      
      We got a chance to sit in a myCOMAND-equipped Mercedes at the LA Auto Show today and were up to speed within seconds. We were able to surf the net (Autoblog was one of the presets, nice), explore Google Maps, check the weather and look for the cheapest gas in the...

    • Lamborghini delivers final Reventon to British customer

      Filed under: Car Buying, Supercars, Lamborghini, UK, Special/Limited Editions

      
      Click above for high-res image gallery of the final Lamborghini Reventon

      Lamborghini has cultivated an image for fast and exclusive supercars, but the Reventon broke the mold. Although rumors at one point suggested that the exotic automaker would increase the production run, Lamborghini stuck to its guns by producing just 20 examples as originally promised, all of which were spoken for almost immediately after the announcement was made despite a whopping million-euro price tag. Now the last one has rumbled out the factory gates in Sant'Agata Bolognese into the hands of one elated new owner.

      Well, we'd be elated, but the car's owner was instead described as "understandably delighted". That's British understatement for you. The car was sold from a dealership in Birmingham, England, which had the honor of hocking the only Reventon to make it to the car-crazed UK. Fortunately for British supercars fans, the owner - whose identity was not disclosed and his face blurred out in the photo - pledges to drive the machine and will start by driving it across...

    • LA 2008: PWM offers adult Erector Set to build work benches

      Filed under: LA Auto Show, Etc.

      
      
      Click above for high-res image gallery of the American Modular Tooling by PWM
      
      
      While heading out to our first press conference of the morning here at the LA Auto Show, we spotted this... this... thing. It sort of looks like a car, but is actually an adult Erector Set of sorts. Paul W. Marino Gages (PWM) offers this line of customizable shop benches and tools known as American Modular Tooling. The pieces can be put together in virtually any configuration allowing workers to hold any part in just about any position. It's a pretty cool line and allows shops to build the bench they need for the job, then tear it down and build something different for the next one. It should also help businesses cut down on space and expenses by giving workers a sizable bag of building blocks to work from rather than requiring they buy a new bench or holder for each task. To show off their goods at this year's auto show, they did the natural thing and built what looked like a...

    • Japan's most stolen vehicle is... not what you think

      Filed under: Minivans/MPVs, Government/Legal, Toyota

      
      
      Drumroll please! The most stolen vehicle in Japan is... the Toyota Hiace van! Bet that wasn't your first guess. The lowly Hiace has been creeping up the charts since 2005 when it was barely in the top ten. A year later it was fifth with a bullet. Now it's number one and not looking back. Scofflaws' taste for this workman van seems insatiable, and thefts of SUVs and luxury cars have dropped as a result. That's probably more to do with the anti-theft devices on those vehicles, which may have caused theft rings to target vans such as the Hiace instead because they usually don't have immobilizers or the like. After thieving the vans, they generally chop them up and ship them to developing countries in Asia, the Middle East and Africa. That's where Hiaces often show up as taxis, buses, or utility vehicles. Hiace engines even show up in fishing boats from time-to-time. Thanks for the tip, catgirlshyla!
      
      [Source: Japan Probe]

      Japan's most stolen vehicle is... not what you think originally appeared on Autoblog...

     

     

     

     

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    Cool Stuff

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    Coolest Gadgets

    Playing with cool gadgets in the ongoing search for the Coolest Gadget

    

    • BlackBerry Storm now available on Verizon Wireless

      Since the iPhone was launched last year, all we’ve heard about was iPhone this and iPhone that. For a while, it seemed as though the whole world was caught up in iPhone fever, and it looked like the iPhone is going to be the de facto handset for everyone just like how the iPod is [...]

    • Kingston DataTraveler 150 arrives at 64GB milestone

      Kingston is well know for their range of memory products, and the DataTraveler line has been pretty popular all this while. This time round, they have just increased the maximum capacity in the Kingston DataTraveler 150 USB flash drive to touch the 64GB mark, making it a viable substitute for portable hard drives. According to [...]

    • Seagate FreeAgent Go portable hard drive gets colorful

      Seagate has a new idea (although this idea has been rehashed to the death by many other companies) to help you make a holiday season purchase easier - by introducing its award-winning FreeAgent Go portable hard drive in all the colors of the rainbow, where think pink, solar orange, spring green, forest green, sky blue [...]

    • Litter Box Odor Eliminator

      We all know how smelly things can get even with cat litter in the home, since cat poop has that strong, pungent smell which tends to overwhelm even air fresheners. Well, with the Litter Box Odor Eliminator, all your olfactory problems are now solved as it relies on electric power to keep things smelling nice [...]

    • Let’s sWAP a watch for a phone

      A watch phone is one piece of convergence consumer electronics that I don’t really agree with - it looks plain weird talking to your wrist (hence making a Bluetooth headset essential), and the screen is way to small to be of any productive use. Still, that hasn’t stopped people from coming out with a range [...]

    • Vertical Blinds use LEDs, solar power

      I used to have vertical blinds in my bedroom, but I found that they really killed all the light in the room, even during the daylight. It appears that designers Yoon-Hui Kim and Eun-Kyung Kim have designed a blind that actually gives light. These individual tiles have a grid of white LEDs inside [...]

     

     

     

     

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    PC

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    PC Magazine: New Product Reviews

    First looks at new products from PC Magazine: lab-based test, ratings, editor and user reviews.

    

    • HP Compaq Presario SR5510F

      Compaq's Presario SR5510F is an inexpensive, malleable PC that is as much of an appliance as your toaster oven.

      

      
      

    • Sony PlayStation 3 (Fall 2008)

      Stunning game play coupled with solid Blu-ray playback make the PlayStation 3 the best game console you can get.

      

      
      

    • Xbox 360 Arcade

      The $200 Xbox 360 Arcade packs the same punch as its big brothers, but to take full advantage of it you will need to buy a hard drive for the console.

      

      
      

    • Mountain Hardwear Sentinel Jr.

      The sturdy and stylish Mountain Hardwear Sentinel Jr. messenger bag sports a unique double-flap design for extra laptop protection.

      

      
      

    • Manhattan Portage Computer Messenger Bag

      The basic computer messenger bag from Manhattan Portage has a utilitarian design, but it doesn't need anything fancy—this bag is built to last.

      

      
      

    • Lenovo ThinkCentre A62

      The Lenovo's ThinkCentre A62, a quad-core business desktop, is one way to increase the productivity of workers whose PCs are just too darned slow.

      

      
      

     

     

     

     

     

     

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    Slashdot news for nerds

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    Slashdot

    News for nerds, stuff that matters

    

    • Massive Martian Glaciers Found

      Kozar_The_Malignant writes "Scientific American is reporting that 'data from the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter point to vast glaciers buried beneath thin layers of crustal debris.' Data from the surface-penetrating radar on MRO revealed that two well-known mid-latitude features are composed of solid water ice. One is about three times the size of the City of Los Angeles. This certainly makes the idea of establishing a station on Mars far more plausible."

      

      Read more of this story at Slashdot.

      

      

    • How To Find a Mobile Games Publisher?

      n01 writes "In the last few months of my spare time, I've been implementing an abstract strategy board game (that I invented) along with a decent AI. The game resembles TwixT in that it is also a connection game, and could be played without the need for a cellphone or computer. The implementation on the Java 2 Mobile Edition platform will soon be finished, with only some minor usability and sound issues to fix. While I enjoyed working on the game (actually more than on my day job as a programmer) I would still like to earn some money from selling the game, so I can work more on such projects in the future. What experiences have Slashdot readers had with selling their applications/games for mobile phones? With which publisher will I have the broadest audience and achieve the highest earnings? Would you try to publish the game both as a mobile game and a traditional board game?"

      

      Read more of this story at Slashdot.

      

      

    • Resurrecting the Mighty Mammoth, Cheaply

      somanyrobots writes with an interesting followup in the New York Times to the earlier-reported substantial reconstruction of the woolly mammoth genome: "Scientists are talking for the first time about the old idea of resurrecting extinct species as if this staple of science fiction is a realistic possibility, saying that a living mammoth could perhaps be regenerated for as little as $10 million. The same technology could be applied to any other extinct species from which one can obtain hair, horn, hooves, fur or feathers, and which went extinct within the last 60,000 years, the effective age limit for DNA." (The Washington Post article linked from the earlier post was much more skeptical, calling such an attempt "still firmly the domain of science fiction." The New York Times article, while describing the process in similar terms, also calls attention to recent advances in sequencing DNA, as well as recoding DNA for cloning.)

      

      Read more of this story at Slashdot.

      

      

    • Unix Dict/grep Solves Left-Side-of-Keyboard Puzzle

      destinyland writes "For decades, people have been asking this brain teaser: 'What's the longest word you can type with only the left-hand letters on a keyboard?' The answer is supposed to be 'stewardesses,' but grepping the standard dictionary that ships with Unix reveals a much better answer. There's nearly 2,000 shorter words that can typed with only the left hand — including one word that's even longer. (The article also quotes a failed novel attempt using nothing but words typed on the keyboard's left side.)"

      

      Read more of this story at Slashdot.

      

      

    • Kaminsky Bug Options Include "Do Nothing," Says IETF

      netbuzz writes "Meeting in Minneapolis this week, the Internet engineering community is debating whether to aggressively fashion and apply fixes for the so-called Kaminsky bug in the DNS discovered this summer, or to simply let its threat stand as motivation for all to move with greater speed toward DNSSEC, which is considered the best long-term security solution. Problem with the latter approach is that DNSSEC has been in the works for a decade already, no one is confident it will be universally embraced, and the Kaminsky flaw is causing real problems today.

      

      Read more of this story at Slashdot.

      

      

    • Search For the Tomb of Copernicus Reaches an End

      duh P3rf3ss3r writes "The Associated Press reports that after 200 years of speculation and investigation, the tomb of Nicolaus Copernicus has been found. Although the heliocentric concept had been suggested earlier, Copernicus is widely thought of as the father of the scientific theory of the heliocentric solar system. The positive identification was made by comparing the DNA from a skeleton's teeth with that from hairs in a book known to have belonged to Copernicus. A computer-generated facial reconstruction is said to also bear a resemblance to contemporary portraits of the scientist."

      

      Read more of this story at Slashdot.

      

      

     

     

     

     

     

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