There is an Oblique Strategies app that I had years ago if you don't want to spend lots of cash. I found that OS is more for musical inspiration, and while I understand those that say you should analogize, I've never found it really useful for my problem solving.

Seems odd that in a shop that otherwise seems well equipped—two full size woodworking benches, a high end (Powermatic) stationary disk/belt sander—he wouldn't have access to tools that would make this a lot faster (and probably safer). I'd have made the long cuts on a table saw using a rip fence and the short cuts on…

I was kind of shocked at how picky they were. I can understand not wanting to have to deal with disposal issues if people start bringing in tangled balls of romex, 3" square pieces of drywall, or old 2x4s with nails. But my local place won't take pavers that aren't palletized, less than full sheets of drywall, used…

While "sous vide" is translates to "under vacuum," the only time people seem to actually use "sous vide" is in reference to the technique of cooking things while they are under vacuum...

Better yet, position fan so it blows air out the bedroom door into the rest of your room, which will cause the replacement air to be pulled in from the open window, instead of having the replacement air being pulled in from your bedroom door, which may mean hot air from other parts of your house.

You can also semi seal, but then submerge under water, which forces air out of the bag. But: (i) I have a Minipack MVS20 chamber vacuum sealer, which renders that all superfluous, and (ii) I don't trust zip locks the way I trust a thermally sealed pouch when I cook things sous vide for an extended period. Besides,…

Pro-Fit is the only solution that provides me with drop in charging capability in an iPhone 5S mount. With one hand, I can slide my phone into the mount and it plugs into a lightning connector and starts charging. The mount is discreet and, with the dash mount that I bought (one that screws into the dash behind a…

Pro-Fit is the only solution that provides me with drop in charging capability in an iPhone 5S mount. With one…

Any air in the packaging will cause freezer burn, so the crumpled paper thing seems a little silly to me. I'd go with the what Breyer's ice cream used to do—put some cling film on the surface of what you are freezing before sealing it up.

The one thing I noticed when I hit their site up for pictures was that a lot of the auto-specific mounts today look like plastic and seem to clip over the AC vents, which I'm not wild about. The mount for my car, which I purchased a long time ago, is powder coated metal and is screwed to the dash. While that may…

The one thing I noticed when I hit their site up for pictures was that a lot of the auto-specific mounts today look…

I'm a fan of ProClip mounts. They sell them in two parts—the car-specific mount and a device specific cradle. These are the ones I use:

I'm a fan of ProClip mounts. They sell them in two parts—the car-specific mount and a device specific cradle. …

That looks... intense. Seems like it should be eaten with a brat.

I either need to eat less pickles or drink more cocktails, 'cos if I did this, my fridge would be overrun. On the other hand, has me thinking that the brine from pickled beets would make some interesting cocktails.

Hmm. I buy my ties to match my suit/shirt combinations. I probably wear a tie more than the average bear, but not so much that I differentiate "fun" ties for dates from "corporate" appropriate solids. I consider them pretty much all fungible. Frankly, the only occasions I wear a tie are when work demands (stodgy…

Seems like—aside from drinks spilling—every little bit of dust, pencil eraser debris, crumbs and whatnot are going to be funneled into that hole. And possibly the hole on top of the Mac Pro.

I'm concluding that the people that say they don't want kids unambiguously shouldn't have kids. For everyone's sake. And there's few of the people in favor of kids that probably shouldn't have them either. Just sayin'.

The idea that a security camera system from 2004 would use tapes in the camera, as opposed to a VCR, strikes me as odd. The idea that the cameras would still be in a storeroom after 10 years strikes me as odd. The idea that 18 of 45 parties would request to change tables strikes me as odd—that is 40%! The idea that…

Agreed. Read this yesterday and immediately thought "BS." I've never seen people—much less the percentages they talk about—behaving like that in restaurants. And I'm in one of the more self-absorbed, self-important major metros.

Oops. The GEICO goons have already paid me a visit.

Always wondered about this—in fact, wondered whether blowing vents on high might actually increase exposure risk. Frankly, it surprises me that no one has taken some petri dishes on a plane to figure this out. Aside from the fact that taking a petri dish through security might get you arrested by some neanderthal…

+1, married 8 years. I've dumped all responsibility for the financial stuff on my wife—she is much more organized than I, and has more time to deal with it. We tag up on a monthly basis and generally talk about longer term goals at least annually. I'll consult with her on big purchases I make, but have enough of a…