Zinc Air Batteries

You’ve likely heard of what some are heralding as the coming Hydrogen Economy, which some think may replace the fossil-fuel economy we have now. Problem is, hydrogen isn’t a fuel source, it has to be created by electricity. That makes it more akin to a storage medium than a source.

Apparently some are also looking forward to a Zinc Economy, using Zinc Air batteries. They apparently hold a great deal of power, but they need to be recharged in a central location. Just like with hydrogen, there are a number of companies announcing miraculous breakthroughs which they say will revolutionize everything, but I’m a little more skeptical. I’ll believe it when I see it.

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Mini Moleskines

I really like my Moleskine notebooks, but I sometimes find them too large to carry in my pocket all the time. Luckily, I stumbled across someone who decided to simply cut theirs in half. Looks like it worked pretty well too. Here are instructions on how to do it.

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TED Talk: Robert Full: How Engineers Learn from Evolution

How he and his fellow researchers are making robots that walk, climb, jump and run by copying animals in nature. His solutions are often elegant and simple, but not always intuitive.

The Rambling Lead-Up

I think everyone is pretty familiar with the Moleskine notebook at this point. These little notebooks are pretty high in quality, very portable, and extremely well designed. In particular, I’ve recently been turned onto their weekly planner, which I’ve switched to for keeping track of my tasks, appointments, and phone numbers. I made the move from a digital planner/organizer, and I couldn’t be happier - I can make drawings, jot things down more quickly, and usually find things faster than with a digital PDA.

If I need more space I just drop in an index card (I keep a few in the handy back pocket). The design also includes a separate removable phonebook which slides neatly into the back pocket. Lastly, it’s much more satisfying to cross an item off a list than to click a check box.

The total cost of ownership of an iPhone is somewhere in the range of $1000 a year if service contracts are included. My planner cost me $15, and I’d argue it does a better job at some of its core functions. That makes the iPhone over 66 times as expensive. I’m not going to claim that my little black book does even nearly as much, but it’s definitely more bang for the buck.

The Project

The Moleskine planner, like all Moleskines, uses a little ribbon-style bookmark which I use to keep track of the current date. That’s great, but I also want to often open up certain other pages quickly, like the conversion tables or the weekly schedule (which keeps track of recurring things like putting the garbage out).

I’ve seen people use tabs for this, but I was worried about them being damaged in my pocket. My alternate solution to this was to add on a couple of small coloured threads to the main bookmark. I should note that any more than two extra threads would probably make it a bit trickier to open, since fumbling to find the right thread isn’t super easy. Using one or two threads is easy and quick, which I’ll explain later.

The Instructions

You’ll need:

- A Sewing Needle

- 2 Colours of Thread

- Scissors

It’s really simple. You basically just need to attach the thread to the ribbon bookmark on the Moleskine, as close as possible to the book’s binding.

There might be a better way to do it, but I just did what I’d do if I were anchoring the thread to sew on a button. I put the thread through in one spot, then back through in another, looped it a few times and then tied it off with a few simple knots. That’s it.

Using It

The problem you’ll quickly notice is that both of the threads will often get entangled if your marked pages are close together. The threads are small enough that separating them is a bit of a pain, too. That’s ok though, there is a solution.

So long as there are only two threads, you can grab both threads at once to get to the page you want. You may need to do it in two motions - one to open the book, and then a pull in the opposite direction to get to your page. It wasn’t obvious to me at first, but after a few tries it worked extremely well, and is still much quicker than thumbing through the pages.

Satirical World War One Maps

A Flickr set of some fantastic maps produced during World War One, which attempt to depict the mentalities of the countries. The maps vary quite widely depending on which sides produced them.

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Baking Soda Can Improve Athlete Performance

Maybe this is a little follow-up to my baking-soda heavy green cleaning guide from last week. Apparently there is some evidence that eating baking soda before certain athletic events can help increase performance. Is there anything it can’t do?

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Shower Quick Shut-Off Valve

I recently installed a shut-off valve on my shower, which I figured cut down my water use in the shower by about a third. You can buy one at the hardware store for around $5. Here are some instructions on how to install your own.

In an effort to keep my home as free of harsh chemicals as possible, for the last year or so I’ve been making my own cleaning products. I’ve found them to be just as effective as commercial cleaners, but a whole lot cheaper. They’re also much healthier, and avoid releasing chemicals like Phosphates into the environment. Some of them are dead-easy, and some need a bit of work to make.

As I experienced success with certain cleaners, I’ve slowly branched out and added more to my repertoire. This is a round-up of my experiences, which have been almost universally positive.

Note: Everyone may not get the same results. Test on a small section first. Tweak recipes as necessary. These should be safe, but could damage some surfaces so be very careful.

Spray Cleaner

Ingredients:
- 1 PartWhite Vinegar
- 1 Part Water
- A Pinch of Dish Soap
- Lemon Juice (Optional)
- Essential Oils (Optional)

Cost: About 25 to 50 cents a bottle

Uses: Counters, Appliances, Outside of Toilet, Tabletops (be sure to test in a small area first), as daily shower spray.

This is probably the easiest one to make. The smell took a little getting used-to, but dissipates very quickly. It can also be nicely covered by a few drops of essential oils of your desired scent. Lemon juice works well too, and helps cut grease.

Pure white vinegar also does a great job cleaning toilets. Pour a cup or two into the water and let it sit for 15 to 20 minutes. Come back and stains will come right off.

Pure vinegar can also work as a glass cleaner, though doesn’t do quite as good a job as ammonia-based cleaners on heavy jobs.

Tub, Sink & Stove Cleaner

Ingredients:
- Baking Soda. That’s usually it.
- Table Salt, if needed.

Uses: Ceramics, Vinyl Floors, Stovetops, Fridges.

Cost: About $3-$4 for 2 KG of Baking Soda

This was a resounding success. Turns out that it does a pretty great job cleaning anything that needs a bit of scouring. I put mine into a jar and poked holes in the lid with a hammer and nail, so I can shake it onto cleaning surfaces. I then scrub with a damp cloth before wiping the Baking Soda away with a damp cloth.

This also did an absolutely fantastic job on our ceramic stovetop. We had tried several other cleaners, and found that this was better than some dedicated ceramic stovetop cleaners.

Drain Cleaner

Pour some Baking Soda down the drain, then pour in some vinegar. Wait a few minutes and then pour in boiling water.

Doesn’t unblock all drains, but can help some slower ones move a little faster.

Toothpaste (Experimental)

Ingredients:
- Baking Soda
- Table Salt
- Food-safe Vegetable Glycerine
- Peppermint Essential Oil

View the Full Recipe.

Cost: About $1 to $2 for 100ml

I was very skeptical of this one, but it worked-out better than I expected. I’m too chicken to use it exclusively, but I hedge my bets by using this one at night, and a more conventional toothpaste in the morning.

It’s really refreshing, and leaves my mouth feeling very clean.

I’m still putting this one in the “experimental” category. I am not a dentist, and so can’t guarantee 100% that this is safe long term. I do know that my mouth feels just as clean after brushing with this as it does with normal toothpaste.

I put mine in a reusable toothpaste bottle, though I assume this might be harder to find for some people. I suspect a chef’s style squeeze bottle would work well too.

This is a very simple project which should take 30-seconds to do. It’s a bookend wrapped in a book, making it look like the row of books is dangling perilously close to the edge of a shelf without falling over. Not as striking an illusion as the Invisible Book Shelf, but still neat. It’s also the easiest DIY project ever.

You’ll Need:

1. A hardcover book. Anything will do, though there is some minor taping or gluing, so don’t use a book you really care for.
2. A stiff L-shaped metal bookend. The shape is very important. There are a ton of metal T-shaped ones, but to make the illusion work you’ll need an L-Shape of relatively thick and heavy metal.
3. Some double-sided tape, sticky-tack, or glue dots.

Did I mention that this is the easiest craft project of all time? All you need to do is stick the bookend inside the book, inside the cover of the book that will be nearest to the outside edge of the shelf. Use some sticky-tack or double-sided tape to keep the book cover from flapping around. The rest of the books should keep the other pages in check. That’s it.

I considered some more complicated ways of using screws and glue to keep the bookend firmly together, but decided this was both simpler and kept the book mostly intact.

You should end-up with something like this:

Here’s a DIY project that’s pretty simple, cheap, and looks nice. It’s also a good use for old skis you might have lying around the basement or garage. If not, beautiful wooden skis like this are also easy to pick up for a couple of dollars from a flea-market or yard sale.

This is basically just putting up a shelf but using a ski instead of a piece of wood. For the full details on putting-up a shelf, here is a good tutorial.

You’ll need:

1. A pair of wooden cross-country skis.
2. A pair of shelf brackets, available at Ikea or virtually any hardware store.
3. Screws and drywall anchors to attach everything.

The Steps

1. Cut the skis, if necessary. My shelf had to fit into an alcove, and so I needed to cut off the backs of my skis. I also sanded the rough edge.

2. Mount your brackets on the wall, using drywall anchors if there are no studs where you want to mount the shelf. Use a level to make sure they’re mounted straight.

3. Drill the holes in the skis. I also did a poor-man’s countersink using a large drill-bit to make sure the screw-heads will be flush with the surface of the shelf.

4. Put it all together. Yep, there really isn’t too much to it.

As a final note, some skis are more curvy than others, which could be a problem. Some simple steel bookends can help ensure everything stays in place on the shelf.

For certain uses, you might also be able to use a single ski per shelf, though two probably works best.

Here’s another quick DIY Project. It’s extremely simple, and should be pretty fast once you get the hang of it. The step which might be most difficult is finding enough corks. Thankfully my local fine dining establishment was able to help me out in this regard - they gave me a grocery bag full. It’s a good idea to try and get corks that are as similar in size and shape as possible, or else the pot may end up being unstable, which could be dangerous.

To do this project you’ll need:

1. At least 12 corks, depending on the design.
2. A Meter or so of thin wire (I used non-braided wire left over from a garage-door opener installation, which I stripped so it was bare copper). Length depends on the design.
3. A Drill with a smallish drillbit (a drill press is best).

Instructions:

1. Drill Out the Corks - Holding each cork with a pair of pliers, drill out the centres with a smallish drillbit. It’s important to be as straight as possible here. It may take a few corks before you have the hang of it. Throw out any corks which aren’t reasonably straight. If the holes are too far off centre the things you put on the final product could be unstable.

It’s also important that the hole be a few times wider than the width of the wire, so multiple wires can be inserted.

2. Decide on a Design - Here are some design mockups I did of various patterns for inspiration:

3. Wire Everything Together - I laid my design on the table and wired the sections together one by one, using a single piece of wire for every 4-cork square or 3-cork triangle. At the corners I twisted the wire together and then stuffed the twisted part into the hole in the cork with a pair of small pliers, thus hiding it from view. That allowed me to have a pretty clean-looking final product.

Using this technique of going square-by square, I gradually built out my designs, connecting smaller shapes into larger designs. The pattern is really up to you, and could be expanded or reduced as needed.

With a tighter weave pattern, a lot more corks, a little ambition, and some tougher wire, this could even be made into something more substantial like a bath or welcome mat.

Here’s a little product I put together in a few minutes this morning. It’s a little pocket for the side of my bed to hold books and such . Had I any sewing skills at all, it would have probably taken all of 5 minutes, but my constant fumbling with a needle and thread made it take about 45 minutes. I hope you’ll do better.

Ok, here’s how:

1. Take a cloth grocery bag (you all have tons of these, right?). I used an old one that was ripped on one side and we we weren’t using anyways.

2. Cut horizontally across one side. Here’s a photo showing roughly where to cut. The bottom of the bag is going to form the pocket, so be sure to cut this at the depth you want the final pocket to be.

3. Stitch the edge of the bag as shown in the photo below, to help keep it in place and stop it from fraying. Ideally this edge should be on the inside of the finished pocket. I haven’t done any sewing since grade 7 home economics class, and my skills are pretty poor. A sewing machine would take care of this in about two seconds, and do a much better job.

4. Mount the pocket on the bed by placing the top portion of the bag underneath the mattress. I also folded the top half of the bag over to keep it out of the way. In my case the weight of the mattress is enough to keep a couple of books and my reading light in place and secure. My cat is here pictured taking interest in the project.

That’s it! It’s a very simple project that doesn’t take very long. It’s also a good use for older cloth bags which are ripped or at the end of their lives.