Rooting—just do it. It gives you and certain apps access to files and settings that you otherwise wouldn't be able to use. Wifi tethering, ad blocking, firewalling (droid wall—love it), file management/back-ups (Titanium Backup), memory management (AutoKiller Memory Optimizer and Autorun Manager—both by AndRS…

I and my highschool and college student kids have done well with HPs for our last few notebook purchases. Compared to the Dells (including a pricey, bleeding edge tablet) they had in highschool, the HPs have been much more economical, reliable/durable and (subjectively, I admit) more powerful for graphics. Not sure,…

I've found WOT to be full of spam and far from accurate in its "ratings" of websites. Until it has developed an effective system to prevent slander by spam, it is not just useless, but affirmatively harmful—indeed, sometimes slanderous. I think LH and responsible intertube users should stop touting and/or using WOT…

A small "splitter" that plugs directly into a three-prong socket is a good idea—I have one that provides three outlets (think I got it from Harbor Freight) and has a little night light built in. For basic personal electronics and chargers, it's safe and sufficient. Pro'ly best not for the microwave or powertools,…

I'd be very surprised if they didn't have lauan—might have to ask. That said, birch faced plywood is very nice and with the right prep can be stained to look like almost anything, from ebony to maple (though it proly won't have the beautiful grain/figuring of maple or walnut). In my experience, it comes in fairly…

Total agreement with Merricat and Marand—I wouldn't even do this to the books I pulled out of the Katrina flood water—and thems some funky books f'sure. Further, if you should be fool enough to do this, don't even think about carrying it with you on a flight. I know a guy who made a "case" for his portable music…

Gonna be some mad apk sharing going on the Droid/Milestone and tablet forums—way to shoot yerself in the foot Goog. If I want to get an app on my device and might even be willing to pay or donate for it, why should I be hobbled in that ability by someone else's pre-conceived notion of what I want/need/can handle? …

Shut up! No one else needs to know this! Caddy CTS-V for me! I'll convert to lpg or cng when gasoline hits $5 or so a gal.

Wonder if this'll get ported to more powerful android devices, like gtabs. I ask, of course, because I have one and want it to work with the chrome/springpad thingy mentioned earlier on LH. There are gtabs running linux, so it doesn't seem too far fetched to non-techy me.

Who will decide what is "eligible hardware"? I can guess—the same people who lock down hardware we've paid for and/or the folks who load phones with crap-ware and refuse to provide updates until they can figure a way to divert some income stream from it. I don't begrudge anyone a reasonable profit from investment,…

Like most of the other replies, I strongly recommend against MDF for anything weight bearing, void spanning, and/or that you are likely to come into contact with. It is a sheathing material that is supposed to have stuff under it and over it for structure and finish. A lauan plywood will be much more attractive,…

Yeah, bikes! The more the merrier and the more drivers will become attuned to our presence. I am the sad owner of some pretty gas guzzlin' vehicles (which have their place in my stable, so I'll have to deal with it), a CBR600f4i and an electric low speed vehicle (street legal golf cart) for close, grocery-getting…

I'd need some documentation for that one—it doesn't comport with my experience at all. True, there is still friction on the pully, but when the a/c compressor engages, I doubt anyone would agree that it is taking no power from the engine. How significant that power "hit" is—well I think newer a/c units are more…

Yes, it it's a fairly long light or other stop. While your car may appear to run at a slightly higher rpm, it is under no load (unless you're running the A/C, which is about a 5 HP load, I think). An auto-transmission is constantly searching back and forth from neutral to 1st while stopped, putting load on the…

This milk crate idea is sheer genius—can't believe I didn't think of it, given how many times I moved and how many milk crates came and went during my student years. No splinters, easily cleaned, light, modular, no embedded chemicals. +10 on this one, WetCoastLife and your friend!

Could stick with the meme and use surplus "chinese drywall" too.

...and his momma cried...

Pallets are routinely saturated with all manner of nasty pesticides, preservatives, and undisclosed chemicals. The quality of the wood is dubious. These warnings have been given repeatedly on this site and other diy sites. It's crazy that this kind of crap keeps coming up on LH, without at least the foregoing…

Consider a small mirror (like makeup or signaling mirror) in front of phone, angled out of the shot—that way you can see what your rear facing cam is shooting and carry on from there. Will be interesting to see what settings in terms of fps, resolution, compression, etc. are available. Saw a vidchat from Gannystan…

I've been dinkin' around with a Viewsonic Gtab (an Android touchscreen tablet) lately and discovered that some intrepid souls are putting ubuntu on it. Anyone have any thoughts or experience with this and particularly about touchscreen support?