CMKT 4 Westward Hackerspace Tour 2011

post from GetLoFi - Circuit Bending Synth DIY on 02 May 2011 11:56:25 PM. © GetLoFi - Circuit Bending Synth DIY

CMKT 4 is headed to Maker Faire San Francisco. We’ll be stopping at as many Hackerspaces as we can on the way teaching our popular EconoMIC Contact Microphone Building Class. Of course we will include a performance at each of the workshops and we should be appearing on the Maker Faire stage! Take a look [...]

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This is what happens when I have a free hour and
a blank room...

post from Suburban Spunk on 02 May 2011 08:33:54 PM. © Suburban Spunk

I am a firm believer in using ALL parts of your home. Too often, people cram old furniture, Christmas decor, bags of old clothes for Goodwill etc into a room/basement/closet and then the door closes and the space becomes unusable and ignored. Perhaps a tad dramatic, but you get my point. I've been guilty of it too.

Case in point...my office. It's the smallest of my 4 bedrooms and for the past 3ish years housed my leftover desk, bookcase and armoire from college. I never utilized it as an office. I type/websurf on my laptop (thanks to wifi) in bed, on the patio, on the kitchen island...everywhere except the office. It quickly became the dumping ground for random items that I didn't have a place for. Several months ago, I started purging all the 'stuff' that had collected. I sold the desk on Craigslist, put the armoire in the basement and revamped the bookcase (more on that later).

After all that, I was left with an empty room. And it sat empty for awhile. It's the room next to my bedroom, so I pass it ALL THE TIME. I couldn't stand staring at an empty room and hated to keep the door shut all the time, so I went shopping in my basement.

This is what I started with...
Luckily, the BF has quite the art/photo collection and I have a pretty large assortment of picture frames, photos, mementos etc. So, I started collecting these random items and laying them out on the floor.

I'll say right now that I had no plan in place. I didn't measure anything, didn't use the old trick of cutting out paper the same size of each frame and taping it on the wall to avoid nail holes and to map out a design. Nope, nothing was planned. I guess I like to live on the wild side:)

Once I had a general idea of how I wanted the frames, I grabbed my jar of push pins and went to work hanging.

That's right, I used push pins for every frame. The frames were all very light and I did not want to mark up the whole wall with nail holes. I kept going...
I liked it, but I didn't love it...yet. I went through my house room by room collecting more items and the BF even let me use some of his vintage concert posters.
Much better!

?I LOVE LOVE LOVE IT! It looks so awesome in person. The peacock green down filled chair was sitting unused in my basement and the parsons desk is from my bedroom (originally from Target). I had no idea what to do with this chair because it didn't match anything in my house but was too comfy to part with. I think the funky color looks great against the gallery wall. I am actually sitting in right now as I type this. I now come in this room to read, work and now blog!
The best part...it cost $0!!! I had everything on hand. It makes me want to go unpack some of those boxes that have been packed up since college sitting in the basement and see what else I can use...
*side note-This room is NO where near being finished. I just couldn't stand 4 blank walls. I'd love to add some curtains, colorful pillow for the chair and some shelving on the other wall to help balance things out.
Yikes, sorry this is a long rambling post! -suzanne

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Every Inchie Monday's Challenge: Heart

post from Aileen's Musings on 02 May 2011 08:33:43 PM. © Aileen's Musings

This week's Inchie challenge word isHEART
I just had to use a picture of our new grandson for it of course :-)
For unique gifts visit

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Its Melanoma Monday. Performing a monthly mole
check can save you from malignant melanoma. How to Examine a Mole

post from How to of the Day on 02 May 2011 08:00:00 PM. © How to of the Day

Performing a monthly mole check can potentially save you from developing malignant melanoma, a deadly type of skin cancer. The earlier you find anything suspicious on your skin the better, as early diagnosed skin cancer has a much higher chance of being cured.[1] Stop the cancer before it spreads by checking your moles on a regular basis; it could save your life.

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Crossbow Tubing Bender

post from Toolmonger: The Week In Tools on 02 May 2011 03:33:57 PM. © Toolmonger: The Week In Tools

This crossbow-style ratcheting tubing bender from Uniweld will bend soft copper and aluminum tubing up to 90º. The ratcheting mechanism replaces the long lever arms of other benders, allowing you to make bends in tight spaces.

Designed to distort the tubing as little as possible to maintain optimal flow, the ratcheting handle drives the mandrel and the tubing against the side support blocks. As the mandrel continues forward, the side blocks rotate to keep their concave surface supporting the tubing.

Uniweld’s website describes the Crossbow tube bender coming in a plastic carrying case with mandrels for 3/8?, 1/2?, 5/8?, 3/4?, 7/8?, and 1-1/8? OD tubing, and three side support block bars. I can’t find the exact same kit listed by the manufacturer, but Enviro-Safe sells what looks to be that same bender with a slightly different list of accessories for $130.

Ratchet Tube Bender [Uniweld]
Ratchet Tube Bender [Enviro-Safe]

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http://toolmonger.com/2011/05/02/crossbow-tubing-bender/

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A Solution For ShopSweat

post from Toolmonger: The Week In Tools on 02 May 2011 03:33:57 PM. © Toolmonger: The Week In Tools

Your eyebrows are supposed to keep sweat out of your eyes, but sometimes we perspire so much they can’t divert all the sweat streaming down your forehead. You could wear a sweatband, but not everyone wants to rock the 1980s Richard Simmons look.

The Sweat GUTR from Glove Guard is the hip new way to keep sweat out of your eyes. How do we know it’s hip? Because they leave out the E between the T and the R (not to mention the second T) just like pop photo-sharing site flickr.

The sloped “MicroLip” on the front of the Sweat GUTR channels sweat away to the sides of your face to keep it out of your eyes. Made of soft plastic, the band incorporates hook & loop fasteners to easily adjust the fit.

The Sweat GUTR will run you about $17 before shipping and handling. Glove Guard also makes a version that attaches to a hard hat, but you’ll need to contact Glove Guard directly for more information.

Sweat GUTR [Glove Guard]
Street Pricing [Google Products]
Via Amazon [What’s This?]

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http://toolmonger.com/2011/05/02/a-solution-for-shopsweat/

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Paint Chips Turned Wall Art

post from DIY Life on 02 May 2011 02:34:09 PM. © DIY Life

Filed under: Crafts, Crafts & CelebrationsDecided on a color and left with a pile of those tiny paint chips? Display them on your newly painted walls!Maybe you just painted your walls and have a stack of reject paint colors from the job. Or maybe you're the kind of obsessed that makes you pocket a few paint chips every time you saunter into a hardware store.Either way, your extra chips can make for some pretty fantastic art. Check it out: Apartment TherapyYes, yes, this one will make your[...]

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Otomata, A Generative Online Sequencer; Apps
versus Web, Plus SuperCollider Goodies

Behold the power of the Web: composition ideas become a tool, a tool becomes a means for even casual users sharing musical sketches, and a browser toy can be a window into a Turkish sound artist breeding musical DNA like some people breed strains of flowers. Otomata is a simple generative online grid-based sequencer, owing … Continue →

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http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/createdigitalmusic/~3/BqEoJF99gbk/

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Songs of Peace

Photo (CC-BY) srqpix. We are, as every generation, part of a planetary history that’s bigger than anyone can really comprehend, but of which we’re a part. So, music isn’t terribly good at making specific policy prescriptions, or solving tangible problems, or feeding people – all vitally important things. But nothing can express hope or feeling … Continue →

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Hol Cat Litter box with Sliding Top

Materials: Hol Storage Cube (Large), floor sliders, hardware, plastic cat box, mat, trash bag.

Description: OK folks, just like a lot of cat litter solutions, this one is intended to:

1) Get that nasty box of Cat poop hidden: we live in Boston's Back Bay and have limited space in our wee little apartment.
2) Save space by making something functional, in this case a place to put a couple of houseplants.
3) Keep litter contained, instead of all over the floor. This is huge. Our cat likes to dig aggressively, scattering litter everywhere. What a mess, and required constant sweeping and vacuuming to keep up.

So, here's what I did:

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