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Common Sense Speed Math: Long-hand Subtraction
So you want to get faster at long-hand math. There may be several reasons for this. You may be an elementary school student (or the parent of one), or perhaps you are an adult who has found a new need for basic math (sans calculator). If you need to take a test like the SATs,…
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Un-Bowl Your Betta for Less than $60!
So maybe you got snookered by a Walmart employee. Or you saw a vase with a plant and a betta in it at the craft store and were thrilled that you could get a fish that only needed as much care as a plant. But that was then. Now, somebody took you aside and quietly…
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72 Hour Kit: Food (With Calorie Count)
72 hour kits need food in them, but if you blindly follow instructions circulating on the web, you may end up very hungry indeed. Here’s my 72 hour food kit with full calorie count.
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Basic Wavelength and Frequency in Ham Radio
I’ve recently started studying Ham Radio, and I found it hard to visualize wavelength. Since I had to puzzle out how to visualize wavelength, I thought I would post my own guide with pictures.
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Off the Wall Food Storage Rotation (For the Rest of Us)
I don’t know about you, but “eat what you store and store what you eat” sounds kind of… well, impractical. Here’s the problem: there are always thing I will prefer to eat fresh if I have the choice. Like milk, for instance. No way am I going to switch to dried milk in the interests…
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Drop Dead Easy Sight Reading (Especially for Piano)
I played piano for endless years as a child (or so it seemed). I actually got fairly decent: played some Beethoven, gave a few recitals — the usual. However, I had a secret flaw. An awful flaw, even a fatal flaw.
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DIY Etched Glass: Snowflake Candle Holder
I’ve been experimenting lately with glass etching: I’m using Armour Etch brand cream, and for the most part it does a pretty good job. It’s a fairly subtle effect, but can be really striking. Some caveats for those thinking about tackling a project like this: Read More…
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Very Small Aquarium Challenges: Lighting and Plants
There are several considerations for lighting a 3-5 gallon aquarium. (If you don’t have live plants, though, you can ignore this section and do whatever you like.) I run my tank light plugged into a digital timer. For the sake of my plants, it’s on from 9 in the morning to 10 at night, since…
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Classic Peanut Style
Sometimes, you just have to bake cookies. I don’t know why the urge came over me, but tonight I got out the butter, sugar, flour, and baked peanut butter cookies, straight from the red-checkered Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook to you. Well, to me, actually. It seems as if lately, aside from pie crusts, I’ve…
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New Year’s Resolutions: 2009
Yes, it’s that time again. I know it’s cliche, but if I don’t make grand plans now, when will I? I want 2009 to be my year. All of us our year, really. My life is in a time of transition, and I am busy sorting out my map, compass, and hiking boots. (Still working on…