This is an experiment. I want to see if you're interested in discovering how and why things work around your home in a fun and clever way. Please take the quiz below. It's only five questions. All of the questions are REQUIRED. I'll be publishing graphic results of how you and others did on each question. The […]
This column is a departure from my normal question and answer format. You can thank the editor of a large East Coast newspaper for the inspiration. She asked me to write a special column about preparing for storms, but she resisted doing a survey of her readers to see what information would best help them. […]
I was a Boy Scout fifty years ago, and the motto hammered into my head still rings true: Be Prepared. Lessons I discovered in Boy Scouts stuck with me all these years and they’re relevant to you on Long Island as the storm season approaches. September 21, 2016 marks the grim 77th anniversary of the […]
This AsktheBuilder Hall of Shame page was created on April 3, 2016, by a blistering email I received from (name removed) who lives in Evergreen, Colorado. It was presented to my newsletter list on April 5, 2016. Based on the wise and respectful comments below, I've decided to delete the blistering email but leave up the comments you may have […]
The above is a classic test to see if Morse code operators can beat young kids texting. Here's what you don't realize unless you're a Morse operator. The guys sending Morse on Jay Leno's show were doing it probably at only 20 words per minute (WPM). It's not unusual for good operators to be up […]
Did you read the book Shoeless Joe? You should. It's the basis for the Field of Dreams movie. It's very close to the movie - or should I say the movie stays very close to the book. One of the tearjerker scenes in the movie is when Ray is talking with the ghost or image […]
You may not be aware of the extreme danger in deep frying a turkey. Watch this video and don't make the mistakes you see here. Here's the short list: Do NOT overfill the kettle. Do NOT fry next to a building. Do NOT fry in a building, garage or shed. Do NOT try to put […]
Did you see the movie Home Alone? One of the best parts in the movie is when Kevin is in church and finally has a talk with the scary old man who's his neighbor. It turns out the old man is not scary. What's more Kevin discovers that he's really just sad. Kevin gives the […]
Have you dreamed of flying like a bird? Some ultra-light aircraft are not so safe. Gliders are attractive because there's no engine thus no noise. But traditional gliders must be towed up into the air by a real airplane. What about human-powered gliders with real wings that won't collapse like an ultralight? These videos may […]
This video is several years old and is part of a series that shows you, in a soap opera format, the power of Photoshop software. The main character, Donnie Hoyle, is hilarious. This is video #5 and it only makes real sense if you watch the series in order. Your takeaway from this video is […]
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