One of the ‘unwritten rules’ of the Tour de France is when the Tour is passing through where one of the riders grew up, everyone will slow down to let that rider lead the whole Tour through his hometown (also, if the race leader needs to stop to take a pee break, everyone else slows […]
Lyndon B. Johnson was known for…
Lyndon B. Johnson was known for wandering the White House turning off lights in rooms he thought empty, sometimes to the surprise of people working in those rooms. This earned him the nickname “Light Bulb Johnson.”
After losing a drunken bet…
After losing a drunken bet with his bandmates, Sabaton singer Joakim Broden had to walk to the band’s next gig. Broden walked from Falun, Sweden to Trondheim, Norway, over ~700km, staying at fans’ houses and accepting food/beer donations along the way to complete the journey.
A former Michelin Guide inspector…
A former Michelin Guide inspector said an inspector’s life is lonely, underpaid drudgery, driving around France for weeks on end, dining alone, under intense pressure to file detailed reports on strict deadlines, the guide had become lax in its standards, and some famous chefs are “untouchables”.
In 1670 a native american tribe decided….
In 1670 a native American tribe decided to travel to Europe to sell pelts after being scammed by colonists. They built a fleet of canoes, as they thought that England lay just over the horizon so they could easily row there. And the ship that found them and rescued them was a British slave ship. […]
In 2015, a guide dog in New York…
In 2015, a guide dog in New York was awarded the ASPCA’s “Dog of the Year” award for running in front of an oncoming bus to protect his blind owner, and didn’t leave her side until she received medical attention even though he suffered a broken leg.
The Russian novel We (1920-21)…
The Russian novel We (1920-21) by Yevgeny Zamyatin is considered one of the grandfathers of the dystopian genre and influenced George Orwell’s 1984. “Zamyatin’s influence on Orwell is beyond dispute…1984 shares so many features with We that there can be no doubt about its general debt to it.”
Carl Sagan’s team wanted to include…
Carl Sagan’s team wanted to include the Beatles song “Here Comes the Sun” on the Voyager Golden Records (discs containing greetings in 60 languages, music and sounds from Earth aboard both Voyager spacecraft launched in 1977), but the record company EMI, which held the copyrights, declined.
Great Ways You Can Reuse Those Little Silica Gel Packets
This is pretty cool.
You know all those little packets of moisture absorbing silica gel that falls out of new boxes of shoes, electronics, big bags of rice…really all kinds of stuff? These little packets that tell you 1) not to eat them and 2) to throw them away?
Well, definitely don’t eat them, but don’t throw them away either – they can be repurposed and used for all kinds of things. Those packets are practically gold!
Here are some ways you can save these tiny dehumidifiers from the landfill and improve your own quality of life.
1. Keep your gym bag free from odor.
Throw a few packs in your gym bag with your stinky clothes and gear. They will absorb odor so you won’t recoil in disgust when you open it later.
Photo Credit: Flickr
2. Keep your razors from rusting.
No matter how thoroughly you think you dry your razors, you’re bound to miss some moisture. Store them with a silica gel packet to absorb water droplets.
Photo Credit: Wikimedia
3. Keep rust off your tools.
Live in Arizona? No? Your garage is practically a rainforest then, and if that’s where you keep your tools, you’ll need some packs to stop them from rusting.
Photo Credit: Flickr
4. Keep your pantry fresher.
Tuck some packs into your pantry or cupboard where you keep your spices, flour and potatoes.
Photo Credit: Flickr
5. Keep your expensive headphones from getting smelly.
Prevent your audio investment – before storing, go ahead and tuck packs into each “ear” of your over-the-ear headphones. It helps after they’ve spent a few hours near the warm, moist heat of your body.
Photo Credit: Flickr
6. In wet weather, use to protect chargers and cords.
If your staring down the barrel of a big storm and you need to keep electronic accessories dry, zip them away in a waterproof bag with a few packets for extra insurance.
Photo Credit: Pxhere
7. Protect photos
Remember printed photos? Remember your old box of printed photos? Whoopsie. Find that box and throw in some packets to keep them free from moisture damage.
Photo Credit: Pixabay
8. Get the musty smell out of your old books.
Old book smell is delicious. Musty, moldy smells? Not so much. If one of your books gets too much of a good thing, zip it in a bag with a few packets and wait a month. The offending smell should be gone.
Photo Credit: Pixabay
9. Use for storing seeds.
Gather seeds from your annuals and store them in a jar with a packet. Come spring, you’ll be ready to garden.
Photo Credit: Pixnio
10. Protect your silver jewelry from tarnish.
After wearing, clean your silver pieces and store it in your jewelry box with a couple of packets to keep them shiny and ready for next time.
Photo Credit: Pxfuel
See? Those little packets of silica gel are miracle workers. And if they don’t seem to be working, stick them in the oven on a cookie sheet on low heat for an hour or two or put them outside on a sunny afternoon. The moisture will get baked out, and they’ll be good as new and ready to reuse again!
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The National Bonsai Museum in Washington D.C. Looks Pretty Awesome
In Washington D.C., an extraordinary museum has some mighty special trees. These trees aren’t giant oaks or flowered with cherry blossoms, though. The National Bonsai Museum, rather, is home to 150 species of trees pruned and cared for in the manner of bonsai – a traditional Japanese cultivation technique that produces trees in miniature.
The museum opened in 1976 to exhibit a gift from Japan of 53 bonsai trees commemorating the U.S. bicentennial and presented to Secretary of State Henry Kissinger. Their botanical gift joins the 3,000 cherry trees, given by Japan in 1912, that famously still grow today around D.C.’s National Mall.
The exceptional display of bonsai trees can be found in the Department of Agriculture’s National Arboretum. Over the years, the collection has grown to include various species, including beeches, maples and pines, among others.
Photo Credit: Wikimedia
As the Japanese style of bonsai varies, there are several design types to see at the museum. Look for Chokkan style, characterized by a straight tapered trunk with thick branches coming from the middle of the trunk and finer sproutings at the top for a formal tree shape.
You can also see the dramatic kengai trees, which appear to “cascade” down mountains. Others on display are “root-over-rock,” where the tree’s roots reach around a stone base before disappearing into earth, and “forest” style, that have several trees, usually an odd number, arranged in a single container.
Photo Credit: Wikimedia
The absolute can’t-miss specimen of the entire exhibit is a Japanese white pine. The tree was started in 1625 and tended by five generations of the Yamaki family until it was donated to the U.S. It’s also called the Hiroshima Survivor because it emerged unharmed from the atomic bombing of the city of Hiroshima in 1945.
Bonsai gives both the viewer and the cultivator the opportunity for quiet contemplation. In a busy city that represents a country as dynamic as the U.S., this museum is an excellent place to root your soul.
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