I challenge anyone to watch the documentary Food, Inc. and not be influenced to make at least a few changes in the way you eat. More than likely, you’ll change a lot. You’ll look at that half-pound chicken breast and wonder if the chicken was still able to walk, supporting […]
Author: snewpy
How Is AT&T Still In Business?
I just had another horrible experience with AT&T customer support, and I know I’m not alone. They have to be one of the most hated companies on earth for this reason. I just tried logging into their website to make changes to an account and since I do this so […]
Mmmm… Beer
Rule #1 in home improvement projects: everything takes longer than you think it will. This past winter, I started building a bar in the basement. When the cold outside prevented me from doing anything else, progress was swift, and I was actually thinking I would be done with the whole […]
I Speak For The Trees
[continued from Part 1] After meeting with the contractor that Ameren dispatched to walk my property line and mark trees, he invited me to walk the line with him. I was glad I did. Not only did this give me an opportunity to recalibrate his understanding of easements, but it […]
I Am The Lorax
I am not a fan of Ameren. Ever since I spent seven days without electricity in the throes of a St. Louis summer, there is very little that company can do to find favor with me. I’m sure I’m not alone. That incident in July 2006, where a half million […]
Stop Draggin’ My Car Around
Last year I wrote about the state of the electric car market, so I wanted to revisit the topic and provide an update. I’m still planning to buy an electric car one day, so this is something I have been following pretty closely for years now. I previously wrote about […]
President for a Day
I came across an interesting bit of trivia this week that I’m almost embarrassed to admit I had not heard before, but my guess is that residents of the western side of Missouri are more prone to have heard of Senator David Atchison than us easterners. Historians dispute the claim, […]
Ready, Set, Blog!
It is time once again for the Running of the Blogs! This is my fourth year participating, and it seems to get harder every year. The idea is to post something every day for 30 days. It’s harder than it sounds. Although it’s a lot easier than writing a novel […]
Garden 2.0
Last year’s garden was a big success, but it didn’t take us long to realize that it wasn’t big enough to produce all of the food we wanted. So we started this season by expanding it to twice the size. Our success with the garden last year has also led […]
More Sketchup
Last year I wrote about how I was learning to use Google Sketchup and that I was planning to use it for some home improvement projects. The first project is a basement bar that I have been planning ever since we moved into our house. I have found Sketchup to […]
Handy Storage For Christmas Lights
Looking for a good way to store your Christmas lights and don’t want to spend a lot of money? If you have any of the cardboard boxes that they use to ship Florida citrus, they are an excellent storage solution. Each box has three removable cardboard trays that will keep […]
Bye Bye Movable Type
It’s been a good run. I think I started using Movable Type as my blogging platform in 2003, but it was time for a change. Most importantly because Movable Type blogs have become spammer magnets. A month or so ago, after a particularly nasty spam storm, my hosting company suspended […]
Rooftop Antenna
I’ve not had much luck with antennas as part of my Home Theater PC build. Up until now, none of the models I’ve tried have worked very well. This latest one, a Channel Master 4228, did not fare well inside my attic, so I finally had to admit defeat and […]
Fifteen Albums That Don’t Suck
At the urging of a friend on Facebook, I am accepting the challenge to name fifteen albums that don’t suck. This isn’t as easy as it sounds, either. I was around and buying music when CDs first hit the market — you know, back when they were called “record stores?” […]
Hey Airline Industry!
Recent surveys have indicated that the airlines are getting worse instead of better when it comes to customer satisfaction, one of the key areas being on-time arrivals. Now it doesn’t take a genius to realize that arriving on time is heavily dependent on departing on time, so it follows that […]
Google Sketchup
This has been on my todo list forever, and today I finally got around to it. I’ve been wanting to learn how to use Google Sketchup ever since it was released and they are now on version 7, so that should tell you how long I’ve been putting it off. […]
Netopia 3347 DSL Modem/Router
At the suggestion of an AT&T technician, I upgraded my old router and DSL modem to this Netopia 3347 combination unit, and I am very glad I did. He notified me that my old DSL modem, a Slipstream 4100 B that I purchased at Best Buy about a year ago, […]
Quest For A Good Antenna
An integral part of my Home Theater PC build is the antenna, and when I first wrote about the hardware, I wasn’t even aware how complicated things would become in this area. The RCA ANT1251, which is little more than a pair of glorified rabbit ears, did not perform well […]
Lenovo Wireless Keyboard
The Lenovo N5901 wireless keyboard is a small handheld remote with a full QWERTY keyboard and built-in trackball. It seems well suited for home theater (HTPC) applications, however, it has a number of drawbacks. The first, and most noticeable, is that in the home theater environment, there is a desire […]
Magnetic Picture Gallery
What do you get when you cross a child’s door with a refrigerator? A door that any kid can use to show off his best work. This is a simple project you can do with your child (it takes less than an hour), and then eliminate the need for tape […]
Sammy Scott’s
I don’t think I’ve ever written a restaurant review before, but since I’m waiting for Dobbs to change the oil in my car, and this was the first place I found within walking distance with a free wi-fi connection, here we go. This is the first and only location of […]
The Lost Room
I just watched Sci-Fi Channel’s miniseries The Lost Room for the second time, and I have to say that it is really very good. It originally aired in 2006, but I didn’t watch it the first time until 2007. At the time, I was in between seasons of LOST, and […]