Persistence Unlimited » DIY

Wherever I Go Sawdust Follows…

Brad Isaac — Sun, 28 Dec 2008 00:40:23 +0000

In my post make a pile of chips I talked about Abraham Maslow’s wife and her mentor’s advice to make a pile of chips. The moral of the story is even though you may not know what you are doing, start something. By making a pile of chips, you allow underdeveloped ideas to take shape.

This year has been my best for woodcarving. Starting with a few blocks of basswood, saws and some new professional carving tools from my family, I set out to make some Christmas elf ornaments I found in a magazine.

I quickly learned I had underestimated the skill level required for these ornaments. Two weeks had passed and you couldn’t even tell what the first ornament was supposed to be!

I wanted to to give up and simply carve some beginner Santas. In fact I bought a book Carving Santas from Around the World. But I decided to stick with it a bit longer. After all, carving is fun, even if I am only making a pile of chips.

The challenge

My greatest mistake was not predicting how darn difficult the eyes would be. My first elf’s eyes may appear quite sunken due to me carving, re-carving and carving again. But finally, with the aid of an eye carving model and practice stick, I think I got the hang of it.

When it was finally time to part with the ornaments, I didn’t want to. My piles of chips had taken on personalities of their own. First came the elf I named Knibblesby, whom I gave to my sister.

During the carving of this whimsical elf, my kids and I would make up stories about his adventures sneaking into parties just so he could nibble appetizers.

The second elf I named Beardsly for obvious reasons.

He wasn’t as fun for the kids for he had an old stoic demeanor and quickly became known around the house as a grumbler about a great many things. But I love him and I’m quite happy with the end result:

Epilogue

Woodcarving really drives home the point “it’s the journey, not the destination.” The reason is since I’ve finished the ornaments, there is a void. Yes, I feel a little let down that I don’t have a project in progress.

Sure, I can start another one, but which one? heh…maybe I’ll start a gargoyle for my next journey. What do you think?

The Ultimate iPod Touch 2G Dock: How to Make

Brad Isaac — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 22:43:52 +0000

This is one of those Saturday afternoon projects that turned out much better than even I imagined.

I was needing a docking cradle for my iPod touch, but two things bothered me about buying one. First, I didn’t want to spend the money. But I also didn’t want to bring another piece of plastic gadgetry into the house if I could avoid it.

It occurred to me my iPod touch 2G came in an attractive jewel case. Perhaps there’d be some way to convert it into a docking cradle. Sure enough, there was a way and the results were jaw dropping!

Supplies needed

Here’s what you need:

Leatherman
Dremel with cutting blade
Sharpie
Jewel case used in packing your iPod 2G
Plastic docking adapter that came with iPod 2G
Sync cable

Step 1. Outline the cut pattern on top of jewel case

Center the dock adapter under the TOP of the jewel case. Then outline the INSIDE curves of the adapter. Don’t worry if it’s not perfect, the top of the dock adapter will cover mistakes.

Step 2: Carefully cut out a square with Dremel cutting blade

Take your dremel and cut a square in the plastic. This makes the rest of the cutting easier. Take your time and make this as accurate as possible. One false move and you’ll put an ugly scratch in your case.

Step 3: Carefully SCORE the rest of pattern with Dremel

With the Dremel blade, simply follow your sharpie pattern. I was able to cut some of the plastic away. But I simply scored the rounded sides so I could finish with my Leatherman. Also notice, I did NOT cut out space for the dock adapter tabs. Later, you’ll be able to hook those in place.

Step 4: File the clear plastic until the dock adapter fits perfectly

This might take some time. Simply file around the edges with your Leatherman until the dock adapter fits.

Step 5: File a v-notch into both side of Sync cable

Your sync cable will eventually snap into the dock adapter. In order to do this, you need to cut and file a v-notch into each side of the top attachment near the top. (Double click the pictures to see).

Step 6: File down “hooks” if your cable has them

Older ipod sync cables had hooks in them to keep your iPod attached. If yours is one of these, you’ll need to file down the hooks. Simply hold your Leatherman / file on a table and scrape the top sides of the sync components until the hooks are gone.

Step 7: File hole in dock adapter so it can fit top of sync cable (keep it snug)

Out of the box, the hole in the dock adapter is not large enough to fit the top of your sync cable. So get to filing. You will need to file all edges of the hole to make it wider and longer. Tip: Frequently insert the sync cable to make sure you aren’t making the hole too big. You want it to just barely fit so it can support the weight of your iPod. Eventually, it will snap into place.

Step 8: Snap top of sync cable into dock adapter

After carefully filing, you see the top of your sync adapter barely fits into the hole. Keep pressure on it until it snaps into place.

Step 9: File notch into bottom of jewel case for sync cable to go to computer

Almost done. File a notch approximately 1/2 inch long one one of the long edges of the bottom of the case. You will probably want it centered but you can go an inch to the left or right if you prefer.

Step 10: Finally, put it all together

Insert the dock adapter into the top of the case by hooking the tabs under the clear plastic and pressing it down flush with the top of the case.
Place the cable over the hole you filed in the bottom of the case
Close the top of case to the bottom.
Youre done!

Step 11: Enjoy your new dock! P.S. It doubles as a storage case

Again, this dock looks far better in person than in the pictures. It works great too.

Remember, you can always pack up your earphones, cable, polishing cloth and other small accessories into this dock. You might even choose to put the iPod in it too. But you have to take it apart more.

For more fun projects like this, be sure to subscribe to my RSS feed or my 100% spam free newsletter.

If you like this iPod docking cradle, please share this post with others by submitting it to Digg or StumbleUpon. Thanks!

Two Principles of Vision Correction without Lasik

Brad Isaac — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 04:19:37 +0000

In this post you will discover the ‘mental’ side of improving your vision. If you read no other posts in this series, make sure this is the one.

This is the second post In the series how to correct your eyesight without LASIK. But if you haven’t read the first part, please go back and read it before continuing:

Vision Correction Without Lasik: Exercise Your Eyes

After reading my background, I am sure you can relate to many of my experiences as a nearsighted person. You may have felt odd about having to wear glasses as a kid or felt pain of getting pollen under a contact lens. For these reasons repairing our vision is not only desirable, it can relieve pain. Plus better vision has the potential to open new opportunities.

Like any good runner would stretch before a 5k, you too need a warm up. Before we get into the specific exercises we need to cover some background principles you must understand before you get into vision training.

Principle #1: Relax and See

The most important of these principles is relax and be easy. We think of the word exercise and we think strain. We think lifting or running until we are breathless. But with eye exercises you must never push of strain.

Principle #2: Vision (bad or good) is not a constant

Your eyesight changes constantly. Chart it out if you don’t believe me.

Get up early and you might see 10% better than after a big afternoon meal. An afternoon at the pool and you might see 15% better than you do that evening at 8 PM.

Why does our eyesight change so much?

I think when you use something as much as we use our eyes, wear and tear is a normal outcome. Eyes are amazing organs and they are always on. What other sensory organs get as much non-stop use as your eyes? Wait, don’t answer that.

Simply knowing our eyes perform at varying levels of efficiency can help sustain you through the challenges of this program.

And like muscles, your eyes need rest and recovery.

Dr. Bates argued most myopia was caused by patient anxiety and their resulting physical reaction. To simplify, he postulated that when we are upset or apprehensive we will resist seeing and will compensate by squinting, opening our eyes wider, and straining in order to see.

Unfortunately, these reactions do not make sight better, they make it worse.

Eye anatomy is beyond the scope of this post. However, suffice to say the cornea of the human eye is flexible. Put pressure on the cornea and the curvature increases – thus causing nearsightedness. Allow the eye muscles to relax and operate naturally and the cornea will ‘flatten’ and myopia will decrease.

Obviously, to see clearly, we want our eye muscles to work with us and not against us.

So, as you progress through the lessons, make sure to take it easy and stay relaxed. If you feel yourself stressing or feeling negative, then stop. Take a break and try again later.

I like to repeat a mantra as I do my exercises. I repeat “relax and see, relax and see” as I go through my routine.

Your first exercise

For our first exercise, I want you to get in touch with what is going on with you emotionally with regards to your eyesight.

Warning. Do not shrug off this exercise. It may seem lame to you analytical thinkers. But I strongly encourage you to stick with me. This is the cornerstone of the rest of the series and I think your results will not be as strong if you don’t do it.

With that said, grab a pen and sheet of paper and take off your glasses…

I’d like you to look at an object across the room or in the distance. Stare at it for 5 minutes. Notice the edges of the object. Notice the center. Notice the colors. Notice the blurrinesa.

During these 5 minutes, blink naturally and don’t squint or bulge your eyes. Just look.

While looking, simply notice some of the feelings you experience as you look at the blurry object.

What are some of the feelings that creep into your awareness? List them now.

Do any memories creep into your head? Note them too.

I don’t want to blow the surprise, but I will say when I first did this exercise I was amazed with what I found.

So give this a try and write down your results.

If you feel like sharing your revelations I’d love to hear about them in the comments.

There is plenty more info on vision correction coming don’t miss the next post. Subscribe to my RSS feed to get the next update.

Aerogarden Salad Greens Kit is a Mess

Brad Isaac — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 19:13:51 +0000

I hate to say it, but for all of it’s wonderful attributes, the Aerogarden has one seed kit I don’t like. The flaw I speak of is their salad greens kit.

In the beginning, it wasn’t too bad. The seeds sprouted into small lettuce plants in only 2-3 days. I was harvesting a leaf or two of delicious lettuce a day within the first 2 weeks. But then about 4 weeks in, we had an over-abundance of lettuce.

Now I like lettuce as much as the next guy, but let’s face it. It’s not the most exciting food in the world. But having more of it than we’d eat is ok, because the kids have pet turtles who love a leaf or two every couple of days.

What bothered me the most, though is the mess.

Click for a larger image

The lettuce plants began winding their way around the base of the Aerogarden. They combated for space with the hidden plants underneath, dying off, wilting, rotting, or otherwise dying. When a big lettuce leaf falls off where you can’t see it, it dries out. Then it breaks apart into little crumbs (and in my case) falls onto the desk or the floor underneath the desk.

It was getting everywhere. I felt like I was cleaning up lettuce niblets all the time. The herb kit wasn’t anywhere near this messy.

So, I think for me, the lettuce kit is out unless I combine it with something else. I could always throw one or two plants in with herbs or something. But the lettuce tends to get so big, it will choke off smaller plants.

This time, I’ve modded some strawberry plants and have the Aerogarden growing strawberry plants. If it works as well as it seems to be so far, I’ll post a DIY on how to do strawberries in your Aerogarden.

Technorati Tags: aerogarden, salad, health, food

Save Lots-O-Money At The Pump

Brad Isaac — Tue, 27 May 2008 17:19:34 +0000

We all can use some help saving some bucks at the pump.

The site Drive Smarter Challenge lets you enter your make and model of car and then kicks back a roadmap of strategies you can use to cut your gas bill.

I popped in my 2004 Toyota Solara and got back 6 strategies estimated to save me $430 a year. Most of the tips were basic stuff like filling up your tires and clearing heavy junk (i.e. golf clubs) out of the trunk. But it would be cool if some other people got some specific tips like “Install a sneezledoodle in your carburetor and save $1500 a year.”

via Curbly

Technorati Tags: money, gas, savings, tips

12 Hacks for Becoming a D.I.Y. Master – Amaze Your Friends & Baffle Your Enemies!

Brad Isaac — Thu, 01 May 2008 20:54:43 +0000

An article in Wired indicates hacking or DIYing might be good for American Innovation. We aren't talking about illegal hacking, but hacking in terms of modifying personal gadgets and other possessions so they work better.

Clive Thompson says that where companies are persuading consumers to buy, use and throw away, the legions of DIYers out there aren't buying into it. In fact, they are using, reusing, rebuilding and modifying devices so they work more efficiently, have better features and last longer.

As an example, he points to people hacking their hybrid cars to get up to 100 Miles per gallon. He questions why Detroit hasn't been able to do this and says "One reason might be that the engineers there spend all their time tinkering with CAD software,"

I've posted some of my own DIYs, here and on other sites so I certainly believe that hacking is good for you. But I didn't do it for the higher good of improving American Innovation. I do it to save money and to improve my experience with my various gadgets. If I can hack my Pocket PC so it will connect through a Bluetooth tethered cell phone connection so I can check e-mail while riding down the highway at 65 Miles per hour, then I've both improved my experience AND saved money on cables and added service charges.

So if we agree that DIYing is a good idea, how do we get started? It's simple. Continue reading 12 ways to become a master DIYer:

1. Don't fear trying something new - When you are new to modding, you might be afraid to use a soldering iron, you might be unsure of where to start at first. That's ok, start with general areas instead. What interests you most? Do you like electronics, computers, woodworking or knitting? (yes there are mods for woodworking and knitting.) But start in your preferred general area and get to reading.

Start with Google and search for "yourinterest hacks". You'll be surprised at what you find and how motivated you'll be to get started right away.

2. Start with something small - Rome wasn't hacked in a day. So if you are just starting out don't start with a build your own personal helicopter project. Start with something manageable like one of the many LED projects you can find at Instructables or Make.

Then as you learn, try more challenging projects.

2. Find the area you love - Some people like LEDs, others like robots, I'm a connection guy myself. I like connecting different gadgets and making them work together. As you begin your quest as a master modder, then you'll start to discover what focus you like best. Stick with that area so you can increase your odds of inventing something new.

As a master DIYer, you'll increase your odds of inventing the next big thing.

3. Build before you buy - Isn't it sad the day you pick up your iPod or remote control and suddenly it isn't working? Not necessarily if you are a DIYer. Broken stuff presents a great opportunity to get under the hood and see if you can fix it.

Once my son's iPod wouldn't start. I tried charging it, soft and hard resetting it. Still, all I saw was the sad mac face. :(

So I did some surfing and found a trick that just might work. I pulled out my Leatherman, opened up the iPod and placed a business card folded up underneath the hard drive. Low and behold, once I put it back together, the iPod booted and played music! In fact, I tried it again just this morning and it works fine.

4. Conserve your cash - I think most passionate DIYers don't like buying new stuff if there is a chance they can fix or make better what they already have. If you can just go out and buy a new Tivo any time you want it, there's no real benefit to building your own PVR.

The master at DIY knows electronics and gadgets decrease in value faster than a new car in a blasting zone. So if we can save money by repairing what's broken, we have more money to spend on new gadgets and hacks.

5. Teach as you go - One of the best ways to embed knowledge in your brain is to teach others. This enhances your creativity and once you've got others who know what you know, then there is great problem solving power in bouncing ideas off of each other.

6. Write procedures - Unlike an elephant, humans can forget. You might remember a time when a great family recipe was lost because your aunt passed away or developed Alzheimer's . I know there are countless great recipes lost forever due to the lack of a written recipe. My Grandmother's gooseberry pie? Lost for eternity. My grandfather's fried chicken? Nevermore...

How better would it have been if they handed down written recipes. I could have archived it in a family recipe booklet for this and future generations.

When you create a new hack, be sure to write up procedures. Procedures let you go back in case you forget a resistor, measurement or solder joint. Plus, procedures are an easy way for you to teach others. You can even post your procedures to your blog to teach thousands of people your hack.

7. Take photos - Photos of the steps in your procedures are perhaps the most powerful descriptors. You save time, by not having to write every last nuance of detail. Also, pictures cross all language barriers. You don't have to know French to understand the Eiffel tower. The picture says it all. Photos will allow you to also communicate your craft effectively with people from different countries and backgrounds. Additionally, there are a few of us who can't read our own handwriting, a picture can rescue that DIY from being lost forever.

8. Study the Art of DIYing - When you've found the area of hacking you love, study it. Collect books, articles and You Tubes of projects that interest you. You never know when you might have a rainy day and a box of LEDs just begging to be put together into a new Infrared headset.

9. Collect Parts - Let's face it, gadgets break. They age, and they become outdated. That doesn't mean you have to throw it all away. An old (out of warranty) MP3 player is a good excuse to do some hacking. Take it apart and collect some of the more valuable parts inside. LEDs can be reused. USB ports can be reused. Some memory cards are good too. But don't go too crazy with saving every last part and broken gadget. A desk drawer full of spare parts is good - a shoe box full of parts is better. A garage cluttered with parts is a sign you don't know how to separate the wheat from the chaff, so you are collecting everything. If that's the case, it's time to go back to studying.

Professionally, I've cleaned up server rooms where the admin(s) saved every last piece of broken equipment. Stuff piled 5 foot high where you couldn't even walk. This is a sign that they don't understand the equipment, what's valuable and what's not. When I get done, all that's left is a filing cabinet of hot spare storage, Software licensing and a drawer full of emergency parts and cables. If an entire network DIY setup can consume just 1 filing cabinet, your home parts should fit into a desk drawer.

Note: Use caution when taking apart something that plugs into a wall - especially monitors. I don't recommend taking apart old tube monitors because the tubes carry a charge and you can electrocute yourself. Just use common sense and read up before delving into an area you aren't experienced.

11. Finish your projects - Don't be like the guy who has a car up on blocks in his front yard for 2 years. Finish your project or throw it out. Master DIYers always complete their experiments - even if they fail. If you fail, no biggie, throw it out and start something new. But what's important is finishing. You can't reach anuber -level of hacking expertise if you don't finish your projects - plus, having a bunch of half finished projects lying around is an eyesore.

12. Have fun - Most of all, this should be a fun adventure. It's exciting to create something new and make it work. Once you learn a new mod, you've got a newMcGiver- like skill you can whip out in a moments notice to fix a gadget, hack a buggy program so it works or create something you can sell at a profit. DIYing presents endless opportunities for fun and entertainment on those rainy days when you're bored with nothing better to do.

Make Your Own Sinus Clearing Spray Like “Sinus Buster”

Brad Isaac — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 16:00:44 +0000

A year or so ago I read about Sinus Buster allergy and headache relief. It’s a nasal spray made with hot peppers. I’ve never tried it, but the idea was interesting. I like growing hot peppers and have a few spice jars full of Cayenne in the kitchen.

Allergies were getting the best of me recently, so I thought about ordering some. I get impatient waiting on deliveries, so I started experimenting with creating my own recipe so you don’t have to go through the agony yourselves.

I am happy to report, I think I’ve stumbled on just the right mix that gives the benefit of the hot pepper without blasting my “dang fool head off.”

Disclaimer: Although my research shows no ill effects from using this method, if you try it, do so at your own risk. I think it’s about as dangerous as eating hot salsa and getting some up your nose. But still, since I’m not a doctor, if you use or misuse this and wind up losing an arm or something, don’t call me – I am not recommending you do this. I’ve heard of asthmatics having attacks or dying from being sprayed with pepper spray – this purportedly could be homemade pepper spray if you add too much pepper.

First, those of you who have read my article about nuking your sinuses with a neti pot, I am using the exact same method but with a twist of cayenne.

I first started experimenting with mixing ground red pepper into the water. I heard about others trying this. But I didn’t have a measurement. I ended up trying 1/4 a teaspoon and it was way too much. Don’t do this. It burned alot and I was coughing and sniffling through most of the morning. I think it didn’t work because the little pepper bits were stuck in my nose. ouch!

But once I got the right recipe, I found it to be the opposite of agony. It was actually quite soothing. I’d describe the feeling as a hot-pad applied directly to my headache as well as the swelling in my eyes. It felt as though the heat attacked the pain at the source.

There was not nearly the amount of drainage and sniffling as occurred with the ground pepper. In 15 or 20 minutes, my headache was gone and I did not feel the pressure behind my eyes.

Added benefit – Surprisingly, the day after this good pepper experience, my breathing was perfectly clear!

But what I found works much better is to make a pepper tea with some handy household items. I swiped my wife’s tea infuser and got to work.

What you need:

Tea infuser
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper (cayenne)
normal neti mix (2 cups water, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon salt)

Take your 1/2 teaspoon of crushed red pepper and put it in the dry tea infuser. Then shake the infuser over a sink or garbage can. You want to get any flakes that might go through the infuser to go out into the sink, not into your sinus mix.

Then, prepare your neti mix as normal. I microwave 2 cups of water in a Pyrex container for 1 minute to get it warm (not hot). Then I add 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda and 1 teaspoon of salt. After that, I cover the container and shake vigorously.

To add some cayenne to the mix, just take the tea infuser and dip it into the neti mix for 15 seconds. Note: I have a high pain threshold so you might want to start with 5 seconds or 10 if you want to work up.

Then I shake the container vigorously again. I know it’s right when the water has a slight pink tint to it.

Once you’ve got your mix, just neti as normal. I found there wasn’t much sting to it as compared to getting too much salt. Instead it was that “hot-pad” feeling. And overall, compared to my headache, very welcome relief.

I’d say this isn’t for every day use, but instead to use now and again for bad allergy flare ups.

For more at home health remedies that work, subscribe to my RSS feed.

Technorati Tags: allergy cures,headache cures,neti pot,sinuses

Productivity Nerds with Weapons: Ricky Spears Challenges Me To a Blowtorch Showdown…

Brad Isaac — Mon, 31 Dec 2007 01:39:13 +0000

You might want to make sure you are sitting down before you read this…

I am deeply saddened to report Ricky Spears, fellow North Carolinian and co-Lexington Barbeque fan has challenged me to a dual. Yes, I was reading his blog late one night and admiring his homemade whiteboard when the curiosity got the best of me. I asked a simple question about how he made his whiteboard when I was blind-sided.

His response was so fast and harsh, you’d think I had called him a Yankee!

I had only asked if he had used a blowtorch to melt the plastic in order to create the whiteboard on his desk.

It was at this moment he posted a blog DARE to me! Read for yourself, there’s no other way for me to take it except as a challenge to a productivity-hack showdown. The gloves really came off when he dared me to post pictures of my homemade notebook cooler in order to prove I made one.

So here it is. It’s the whiteboards vs. the notebook coolers in this most unique, no-holds-barred productivity hack showdown.

His weapon: Cat-like astuteness for turning everyday objects into money saving miracles. The things he does with chewing gum, dental floss and $1 Wal-Mart picture frames would strike fear into any productivity dualist (me included). I thought long and hard about accepting his challenge.

My weapons: A blowtorch, 1 piece of Plexiglas and an old computer case fan. Although inexpensive, my hacks rely on persistence and tools. I usually make many mistakes and have to rebuild. But I know to beat Ricky, I will have to wear him out with sheer determination.

Who will win? (Personally, I’ve got my money on the guy with the blowtorch.)

But you, dear reader, can decide who is the last geek standing.

Read on to see the pictures!

This is a picture of the notebook cooler with the USB powered fan (notice the duct tape – I had to cut off the screws to prevent them from digging in and scratching my laptop.

Here is my laptop sitting on the cooler. You can see that the plexiglass cut underneath is not straight. That is because I used the blowtorch and a heat blade to cut it. I didn’t have a straight edge and had to eyeball it. Also, I’ve got the USB fan plugged into the side of the laptop.

Here is a side view of the setup showing the angle. The space underneath lets the fan circulate the air outward and away from the notebook.

Pros and cons to making your own notebook cooler…

Pros:

With other notebook coolers starting at $30 and providing low cooling, you can make your own with spare parts and an $8 piece of Plexiglas.
You can add more fans if you need them
USB fan doesn’t require additional batteries or power source – look Ma no batteries!
Keeps your laptop noticeably cooler and protects the surface underneath from getting hot too! No more hot pants for you!
Fun project

Cons:

Took me several times to learn how to melt the angles into plexiglass – No joke, I even melted a mini torch in the process.
potentially dangerous – compressed flammable gas (wear eye protection)
Using a blowtorch in the heat of summer is miserable
Melting Plexiglas smells horrible (wear a mask)
Plexiglas is too flimsy for some laptops. I’ve got a multimedia laptop that has some width and weight to it. As such, the cooler bows and buckles at times.

Overall, it was fun and I learned a few things. But I did it in the heat of the summer and the torch’s heat made the job excruciating during the long plexi-bends. But it really works!

Warning: Please don’t take my rivalry with Ricky Spears seriously. He’s a good friend and great idea man. I recommend you stop by and subscribe to his blog for his unique productivity tips like his $1 Wal-Mart whiteboard project.

How To Hack Vista So Service Pack 1 Beta Installs Automatically…

Brad Isaac — Sun, 21 Oct 2007 19:12:42 +0000

The biggest OS launch in Microsoft’s history is Vista. But with Vista, comes a number of headaches.

Many people complain that it’s slow, incompatible with devices and hardware and a multitude of different problems. To address these issues, Microsoft has decided to launch a service pack 1 sometime in December or January. But if you want a sneak peek on what the service pack will contain and how work on your system, here is a hack that will help you get it today.

Before you load Service Pack 1 beta on your machine, be sure to back up everything on your hard drive that you want to keep. I haven’t heard of anyone hosing a hard drive using this method. But I don’t want to be held responsible if anything happens to you. I do not know if there is some sort of legal ramifications for installing it. So just use your best judgment. So back up and used the your own risk.

I adapted Nero’s Club’s method of Dowloading Vista SP1 Beta Through Windows Update for these procedures.

The first step is to create a text document on your desktop and paste the following into it:

@echo off
reg add HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\WindowsUpdate\VistaSp1 /v Beta1 /t REG_SZ /d a2c3c14a-9586-4d37-9aaa-79fbd64069d2 /f
reg add HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\WindowsUpdate\VistaSP1 /v Beta1 /t REG_SZ /d a2c3c14a-9586-4d37-9aaa-79fbd64069d2 /f echo Vista SP1 registry key has been set. Please check for updates in Windows Update.

Once you’ve pasted in this snippet, save your document and then rename it as: SP1BetaRK_ext.cmd

Once that is complete you can go ahead and double-click the file. It is a batch file that will add some entries into the registry.

Run Windows Update

Once the registry entry is complete, go to your start menu and run Windows update. On the Windows update screen you will see a check for updates item to the upper left. Click that and refresh the number of updates you need.

Install the pre-update items

I found that I had to update three times before the service pack 1 Beta option became available. This took a couple of reboots but I would say all in all about 20 minutes worth of installing.

Finally, the service pack one Beta option did appear.

What is interesting is to service pack one weighs in at 50 MB to download, but I found applying the service pack must have required much more memory. So simply click install and then be prepared to wait. I found that I had to go back a couple times and click the check for updates link after rebooting each time.

Eventually however, this service pack 1 option did show up.

After downloading the service pack, there was a long wait while it installed. For me I would estimate it took about an hour to install if not more. Even though the install said it was only 50 MB, I have read it the actual service pack is over 1 GB in size. So after you start applying it, I believe in the background it downloads and installs the rest of that 1 GB package. So be prepared to wait.

On first reboot, you will probably notice a little text in the lower right hand corner of your screen:

To get rid of that, do the following:

http://dailyapps.net/wp-content/uploads/2007/10/remove-watermark.zip

* Download this Zip file (RemoveWatermark.zip). Extract it in any convenient location.
* Install watermark_fix.reg file
* Take ownership of user32.dll.mui file in C:\Windows\System32\en-US\
* Rename file to user32.dll.mui.bak
* copy downloaded user32.dll.mui to folder
* Reboot

After installing, a few tests revealed the following:

My program seemed to run zippier.
I found that my experience rating went from 3.0 down to 2.4 (darn!) I believe that is due to be graphics driver. It was not originally detected.
On my dual core, it seems as though the processor usage has decreased on both cores. That is good news because normally I see it leveling around 80 to 90% while doing things like browsing in Firefox, or using speech to text or simply blogging.

Give Feedback

There is also a new desktop icon you can click to submit feedback to Microsoft. If you are having problems, click the link and submit.

As of this writing, I have only had it installed for about 15 to 20 minutes, so there is still a lot more to explore and see.

I am sure there are some brave souls out there who want to load it, so if you do, be sure and post your results here!

The Health-Nut’s Guide To Churning Guilt-Free Butter

Brad Isaac — Sun, 21 Oct 2007 13:32:51 +0000

I admit, eating a lot of butter is not good for anyone. Moderation is key.

From my studies, I’ve found that real butter (in small portions) may be more healthy than margarine. And there might be some good health benefits to eating it. Personally, I eat a small amount on toast a couple times per week and last checkup, my doctor said my cholesterol and health were in good shape.

But if you are one of the people who prefer home churned natural butter and don’t want to pay the high store price for the real thing, here’s a way you can churn “guilt-free butter”.

What is guilt free butter?

What I consider guilt free butter is the type where you offset your butter eating by doing something healthy as you churn it. …Not perfectly guilt free, but not as bad as doing nothing.

Here’s what you need:

One Tupperware 2-Cup Quick Shake Container

1/4 cup of heavy whipping cream*

Salt to taste or go salt free

Your running shoes.

Pour the cream into the quick shake container and seal the lid tightly. Put on your running shoes and go for a brisk walk or jog. If you aren’t jogging, you’ll want to shake the container as you walk. Be sure to switch hands occasionally. It will take approximately 25-30 minutes for the cream to turn to butter. Once it’s butter, you can keep running or head back home. Spoon it into a small bowl and cover it. You’ll want to keep it refrigerated.

* Tip: Most recipes for butter call for 1-2 cups. But by cutting it down to 1/4 cup you don’t have a ton of butter lying around the house. Plus, you’ll go through it quicker which means you have to get back out there and jog or walk to get more. Giving some of the fresh churned butter to neighbors and family is another way to deplete your butter supplies.