Lego Minifigure Bracelet

I'm seeing a lot of Lego jewelry these days, including quite a bit here on Instructables. I decided to jump on the band wagon and make some, and the first thing I thought of was a bracelet made of minifigures. I looked around but i couldn't find any instructions on how to make one, so I designed one myself.

If you like this please vote for it in the Toy Building Blocks Contest!

- Some Lego minifigures
- 2 Lego 1x1 round bricks
- Leather cord, thin enough to fit through a 1/8" hole
- Glue (I used hot glue because I wanted to get mine done fast, but if you aren't impatient like me it would probably be better to use something else.)
- Scissors
- Drill or rotary tool
- 1/8" drill bit
- Leather cord, thin enough to fit through a 1/8" hole

View the original article here

Lock bracket that doesn't interfere with bottle cages or panniers.

The bracket which came with my lock was (as with most I've ever seen) rubbish, insecure & would have prevented me mounting any water bottle cages. However I don't like always having to have a bag with me when I cycle or putting a wet lock (if my bikes been locked up out in the rain) in my bag so I came up with this.

Materials needed:

•  PVC Conduit - As close a fit as possible to the U part of the lock. I got a suitable 2m length for £1.70 from B&Q
•  Hose clamps - 4x 10mm and 2 or possibly 4 x 22mm (sizes will vary according to your rack & lock diameters)*
•  Bits of old inner tube or other material to make shims
•  Zip ties - 2

*The hose clamps need to be reasonably robust I initially used some from Aldi which were soft and thin and not up to the job. I got some more substantial ones from Screwfix which seem just fine.

View the original article here

Is Your Home Network Wired?

Wireless is the simpler choice when setting up a home network, but even at today's wireless speeds many people still find that a wired network offers the best solution. What do you do in your home?

Wireless networking has come a long way. The chances are that a decent modern wireless network outstrips your Internet speed, so for most applications it works just fine. But with online gaming, streaming video and audio, and more happening over that network, wired still offers better speed and a more reliable connection. Even on your local network, you may be streaming from a media server or backing up to a central location, so a good connection matters even more. We've shown you how to upgrade your home network and how to wire your house with Ethernet cable. But for now, we'd like to know:

Related Home networks can be great or they can be a huge pain in the butt. Set aside some time this weekend to fix your annoying network issues, boost your… Read…

Although wireless is simpler for a lot of people, due to multimedia sharing, bandwidth on a home network, and paranoia about wireless security, you… Read…

View the original article here

Concrete Block Handles

This is important. A great man once said, "Think - don't stink." *  That guy was totally right.

Man is a tool-making creature, not because he is particularly noble, but because he is lazy, and would prefer it if the laws of physics would do his work for him, or at least interfere with his desires as little as possible.

One of those laws is Gravity. More often than not, Man finds himself diametrically opposed to this law. He is at odds with it all day long, and though he appreciates its purpose, he will try to circumvent it at every opportunity. But in order to do this, he needs to know a little about it, for "Knowing is half the battle." **

So he sits down in a comfortable chair (See? Already he's giving Gravity the proverbial finger, because his legs sure as smack don't want to carry all this weight around) and says to himself:

"Gravity moves in a straight line, and an object supported any angle apart from directly up and down will incur additional resistance, particularly at those points at which departure from vertical begin." Or "Heavy things held out make arms and hands hurt."

In order carry a concrete block normally, Man would grip the block from the side, offsetting the block's loading axis from its center to the edge. Now, the block is a tightwad and will follow Nature's statutes and by-laws to a T, so when it senses it's being picked up off the prescribed axis, it will contort itself until it has re-righted itself with Gravity's regulations. As it angles itself, it becomes more inconvenient for Man to hold. He must angle his wrist and elbows to counter-compensate for the block's adjustment and tighten his grip to prevent the block from slipping. All of this because he marginally infringed upon Gravity's "straight down" clause.

But what if there was a way to keep everything in line? What if there was a way to grasp the block from straight above? It would mean eliminating all ancillary stresses from the equation, rendering the block much easier to maneuver... but how?

Now, bear in mind, Man is not a creature of infinite intelligence, and thinking takes effort, so he employs another strategy to hold information for him and minimize his own exertion - he draws. And once an image mysteriously appears that makes some modicum or sense, he musters up enough strength to get out of his chair and get to work.

* This person's name was Apollo Creed. He was a genius who hospitalized an Italian with a below-average IQ in a fist-fight. Later, he lost to that individual, but while his opponent came close to squandering all of his new-found wealth, Apollo managed to retain buckets and buckets of money, because he was smart.

** Quote from another one of history's most pivotal personalities.

View the original article here

Fruity 4th of July Ice Cubes

What makes a cool glass of water even better on a hot day?  Fruity ice cubes!  What could make your 4th of July even better?  Fruity 4th of July colored ice cubes!I've made these specifically for the 4th of July and that is why I used the fruit I did.  Please feel free to change it up however you want!

Supplies: StrawberriesBlueberriesLemonsIce Cube TrayWaterHand Blender (or real blender, whatever works for you)FreezerWater Pitches or some kind of liquid holding containers

View the original article here

Avoid Bad Buying Decisions with the Dictionary of Numbers Add-on

Chrome: We've probably all made a regrettable, impulsive buy before. What if there was an app that automatically put such purchases into perspective? There is, and it's called the Dictionary of Numbers.

The Chrome extension turns numbers on web pages into relatable, easy-to-understand terms. As Reddit user Saturated_Wombat points out, this can be useful not just for interesting factual knowledge ("oh, I have as many followers as the capital city of a country I never heard of"), but also to possibly curb spending.

When shopping online, Dictionary of Numbers will convert dollar amounts to comparable stats: you could buy a beginner bike instead of that portable gaming system, that pair of sneakers is equal to the average household's daily income, etc. It's just a very visual reminder of the opportunity cost of buying anything.

Dictionary of Numbers | Chrome Web Store via Reddit

Related Chrome: When you're reading articles that have a lot of big numbers in them it's hard to actually wrap you mind around what they mean. A… Read…

View the original article here