The author, back in the day, messing-up her first kid Dear New Parents, Hi! How's it going? Feeling a bit tired? Maybe a little less spry these days what with the 2AM feedings or trying to keep up with a toddler whose main occupation seems to be trying to find new ways to turn your hair gray - licking outlets, hurtling themselves down stairs, not eating antioxidant rich foods? Maybe you're feeling a bit overwhelmed. Out of your league. Like you'll never get the hang of this parenting thing and the guilt is starting to seep in with more and more "Oh, what have I done?"…
Selected by halushki
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Most Topular Stories
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French Parents Are Superior. In Fact, Most Other Parents Are Better Than You Are.
Halushki5 Feb 2012 | 3:49 pm -
Don’t Fence Me In
Craftastrophe9 Feb 2012 | 5:56 amBecause nothing says Love like an old, rusty piece of wire? Hope you’re up on your tetanus shots, honey! {Source} $12. Emergency room visits extra. Not the same, but still fun:TIMES UP! TIMES UP! TIMES UP! CONTEST: Win a Brother P-Touch Label Maker!TIMES UP! Giveaway! Hangman NecklaceGIVEAWAY: Fail Whale: Part Deux! TIMES UP!TIMES UP! GIVEAWAY!GIVEAWAY!: Cozies, Done Craftastrophe Style (NSFW) -
Robot tigers or Robobcats? I’m leaning toward the latter simply because they’d be easier to put in your carry-on luggage.
TheBloggess.com7 Feb 2012 | 6:25 amVictor: One day I’m going to finish my robot tigers and we will rule the world. me: It’d be easier if you just took over the world with real tigers. Victor: Robot tigers are scarier than real tigers. me: No. Real tigers are scarier because they’re unpredictable. Victor: My robot tigers have a random setting. me: Like a shuffle function on an iPod? Victor: Exactly. me: That is way scarier. Victor: Plus they could beat you at chess. me: Well, not me specifically. I’m pretty damn good at chess. Victor: Not as good as a robot tiger. me: Live tigers are… -
Scrappy 'Girlchild' Forms A Girl Scout Troop Of One
Books9 Feb 2012 | 9:37 amTupelo Hassman's debut novel stars Rory, a resilient-if-ragged life force raised in a Reno trailer park who adopts a tattered copy of The Girl Scout Handbook as her Bible. Rory endures sexual abuse, the death of loved ones, and everyday invisibility — all without playing for our sympathy.» E-Mail This » Add to Del.icio.us -
Understanding the role of micro-copy in a brand's content strategy
Holy Kaw!9 Feb 2012 | 9:58 amWhen it comes to planning your brand's content strategy, pay special attention to the micro-copy -- wording on a website's interface such as "submit" or call-to-action links, according to Amy Thibodeau, a content strategist for Facebook. Thibodeau explains the social site's reasoning for choosing the "Like" button and breaks down three steps that other strategists can use to ensure that their copy works in harmony with the rest of the website. Full story at SmartBlog on Social Media by SmartBrief. More SmartBrief stories. Permalink | Leave a comment »
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Halushki
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French Parents Are Superior. In Fact, Most Other Parents Are Better Than You Are.
5 Feb 2012 | 3:49 pmThe author, back in the day, messing-up her first kid Dear New Parents, Hi! How's it going? Feeling a bit tired? Maybe a little less spry these days what with the 2AM feedings or trying to keep up with a toddler whose main occupation seems to be trying to find new ways to turn your hair gray - licking outlets, hurtling themselves down stairs, not eating antioxidant rich foods? Maybe you're feeling a bit overwhelmed. Out of your league. Like you'll never get the hang of this parenting thing and the guilt is starting to seep in with more and more "Oh, what have I done?"… -
Tiger Mom, Maybe; Ninja Mom, Definitely
13 Jan 2012 | 6:03 amMother: Hey, did you hear anything about any new after school language classes coming up? Child: Whaddaya mean? Mother: You know, like the French class you took after school last year? Child: Huh? Mother: You know, like the French class that's taught by the high school students who come to your school one afternoon a week for a few months to teach you a foreign language? Child: Uh...I dunno. Mother: So, if I email your teacher or look through your backpack, I won't find out that there's another after school language class starting soon? Child: Oh, that. Mother: Yes, that. Child: I don't… -
Pennsylvania Farm Show with The Tractor Expert
9 Jan 2012 | 9:22 pmThis is The Tractor Expert. He knows a lot about tractors, farm equipment, and all sorts of machinery that make noise and move things around in a loud, destructive/constructive fashion. Today he is at the Pennsylvania Farm Show - a week-long extravaganza of farm equipment, farming supplies, pigs, goats, chickens, cows, milkshakes, butter sculptures and gewgaws galore. Right now, he is on his third ice cream. Farm Show is a lot like camping: Mom lets you eat a lot of junk. Eating ice cream is also important if you are a Tractor Expert. Here are some of the many fascinating… -
Homeschooling Figure Skaters
6 Jan 2012 | 7:11 amA while back, someone asked me to write a post on my thoughts about homeschooling. They were especially wondering whether I'd ever consider homeschooling my daughter who is a competitive figure skater. At one point when I lived in center city Philadelphia in the catchment area for a seriously failing public school, I had looked into homeschooling. I bought the books, joined the co-ops, engaged in the debates. I was convinced it was for us. Then we moved to the suburbs of Harrisburg and into a seriously awesome public school district. It's not perfect. But the more general complaints about… -
Open Letter To Retail Shoppers, Especially During This Time Of Year
15 Dec 2011 | 7:16 amI am a low-level, store-floor retail employee. I am paid somewhere between $7.00 - $9.00 per hour to offer helpful customer service. I am paid to be factually knowledgeable regarding the products our store sells. If I do not have the answer to your particular question, it is my job to find another employee who can answer your question, or to research your question myself and get back to you with an answer in a timely manner. I am paid to find solutions to potential problems regarding the products you've purchased in our store - as well as with your overall shopping experience - whether that…
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Craftastrophe
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Don’t Fence Me In
9 Feb 2012 | 5:56 amBecause nothing says Love like an old, rusty piece of wire? Hope you’re up on your tetanus shots, honey! {Source} $12. Emergency room visits extra. Not the same, but still fun:TIMES UP! TIMES UP! TIMES UP! CONTEST: Win a Brother P-Touch Label Maker!TIMES UP! Giveaway! Hangman NecklaceGIVEAWAY: Fail Whale: Part Deux! TIMES UP!TIMES UP! GIVEAWAY!GIVEAWAY!: Cozies, Done Craftastrophe Style (NSFW) -
Excuse Me, Your Bookmark Needs a Brazilian
8 Feb 2012 | 5:57 amBookmarks are one of those little things in life that make a statement about what kind of person you are. The deeply pragmatic go with an old receipt; the sentimental with a beloved note. Others have some kind of complicated thing that clips on or has a chain or something. But what does it say about you when you have a completely random collage topped by what looks like a hank of unruly pubic hair? {Source} $5, which you could just save toward a wax job Not the same, but still fun:TIMES UP! TIMES UP! TIMES UP! CONTEST: Win a Brother P-Touch Label Maker!TIMES UP! Giveaway! Hangman… -
Monkey See, Monkey Don’t
7 Feb 2012 | 4:46 pmThe best part of this? You don’t have to buy it. They give you a pattern so you can make your own! As if. He gets that extra-demented look from the inclusion of pop tabs, so you can use up some of the beer pulls that have been littering your living room carpet. {Source} Less than 4 scary dollars Thanks to Schmutzie for this one, too. Not the same, but still fun:TIMES UP! TIMES UP! TIMES UP! CONTEST: Win a Brother P-Touch Label Maker!TIMES UP! Giveaway! Hangman NecklaceGIVEAWAY: Fail Whale: Part Deux! TIMES UP!TIMES UP! GIVEAWAY!GIVEAWAY!: Cozies, Done Craftastrophe Style (NSFW) -
Going Bananas
6 Feb 2012 | 6:10 amThis one comes from an assist by the able Schmutzie, of Schmutzie, Five Star Friday, and the Canadian Blogging Awards (among other things). She sent me the cutest message saying “Would you mind if I occasionally sent you Etsy links to crazy shit? Like this?” Would I MIND? No, I love having people help me excavate the muddy minefields of crazy Etsy stuff. Oh, you want to see what she sent me? Guess what? It has already sold! But it looked like this: Fret not, my friends. The shop has even better items in it, my favorite of which is a – wait for it – statement necklace… -
Your Friends Are For Giving You Nightmares
4 Feb 2012 | 7:27 amLaurieWrites pointed me to these horrifying items. Thanks, Laurie. When we’re sharing a room at BlogHer and I wake up screaming, I’ll remind you about this. Jewelry made from Barbie parts. They should be called the Mayhem Collection. Full story at Toxel.com Not the same, but still fun:TIMES UP! TIMES UP! TIMES UP! CONTEST: Win a Brother P-Touch Label Maker!TIMES UP! Giveaway! Hangman NecklaceGIVEAWAY: Fail Whale: Part Deux! TIMES UP!TIMES UP! GIVEAWAY!GIVEAWAY!: Cozies, Done Craftastrophe Style (NSFW)
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TheBloggess.com
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Robot tigers or Robobcats? I’m leaning toward the latter simply because they’d be easier to put in your carry-on luggage.
7 Feb 2012 | 6:25 amVictor: One day I’m going to finish my robot tigers and we will rule the world. me: It’d be easier if you just took over the world with real tigers. Victor: Robot tigers are scarier than real tigers. me: No. Real tigers are scarier because they’re unpredictable. Victor: My robot tigers have a random setting. me: Like a shuffle function on an iPod? Victor: Exactly. me: That is way scarier. Victor: Plus they could beat you at chess. me: Well, not me specifically. I’m pretty damn good at chess. Victor: Not as good as a robot tiger. me: Live tigers are… -
This candle-stick needs an intervention.
4 Feb 2012 | 6:46 pmConversation I had with a shopkeeper at a resale shop today: me: Can you go any lower on the candle-holder in the back room? her: No, it’s in really good shape. me: Yes, but looks like it has erectile dysfunction. her: Oh. Well, it gets hot in here in the summer. But the candelabra is still very nice. me: It looks like it’s very disappointed to see me, and possibly needs to be medicated. her: Um…? me: I think your candlestick holder is clinical depressed. her: What? me: I think I need to have an intervention. With your candle-holder. her: … me: I… -
UPDATED X 2: Lost in translation
1 Feb 2012 | 4:29 pmVictor: What are you doing? me: Making stuff for my store. It helps me break my writer’s block. Victor: Who’s gonna buy a mug that says “I love to go down”? Are you making mugs for hookers again? me: What? I don’t have a mug that says that. Victor: Uh, yeah, you do. It’s right there. me: That’s a guy on a slide. It means “I love slides.” Because I do. Because they’re whimsical. The fuck, Victor? Not everything is about sex. Victor: That’s not a slide. It’s an escalator. That’s the… -
The end. And the beginning
31 Jan 2012 | 12:26 pmI know I said I was going to give away five red ball gowns as part of the #travelingreddress project, but I am a tremendous liar who can’t be trusted. That’s why instead today I’ll be mailing out nine red ball dresses to women around the world. The tenth will be just as beautiful, but will be smaller and hopefully a bit more magical, as it will be going to Alice: Amazing pictures already pouring in from women across the globe in their red dresses. In fact, some have improvised using just a few yards of material to make amazing portraits. Ball gowns are flying across the… -
The traveling red dress revisited
28 Jan 2012 | 7:14 pmIf you’re a long-term reader of this blog you already know all about the traveling red dress and the magic it brings to those who wear it. If you’re new, start here and then come back, because it’s about to get fun. A few weeks ago we picked up the traveling red dress project again as people began offering red dresses to strangers in the hopes that they could pass a little magic into the lives of people who were celebrating a milestone, battling an enemy, or simply in need of a shiny red ball gown to remind them how amazing they were. People around the world started…
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Books
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Scrappy 'Girlchild' Forms A Girl Scout Troop Of One
9 Feb 2012 | 9:37 amTupelo Hassman's debut novel stars Rory, a resilient-if-ragged life force raised in a Reno trailer park who adopts a tattered copy of The Girl Scout Handbook as her Bible. Rory endures sexual abuse, the death of loved ones, and everyday invisibility — all without playing for our sympathy.» E-Mail This » Add to Del.icio.us -
Wael Ghonim: Creating A 'Revolution 2.0' In Egypt
9 Feb 2012 | 9:24 amThe protests that led to the Egyptian revolution last year were organized in part by Wael Ghonim, who use an anonymous Facebook page to coordinate the demonstrations. Ghonim explains how social media helped transform Egypt in Revolution 2.0.» E-Mail This » Add to Del.icio.us -
Time Travel And Photos Of Earth's 'Oldest' Animals
9 Feb 2012 | 9:09 amWhat if a dinosaur was found in Africa? Would you consider it worthy of conservation? If so, why — and why not a horseshoe crab species that's even older? That's what photographer Piotr Naskrecki wants to know.» E-Mail This » Add to Del.icio.us -
Finding 'Life, Death And Hope' In A Mumbai Slum
8 Feb 2012 | 9:01 amPulitzer Prize-winning journalist Katherine Boo spent more than three years in Mumbai's Annawadi slum. In her new book, Behind the Beautiful Forevers, she profiles people living in extreme poverty — right in the shadow of luxury hotels.» E-Mail This » Add to Del.icio.us -
Donald Hall: A Poet's View 'Out The Window'
8 Feb 2012 | 8:30 amThe 83-year-old former poet laureate reflects on how life has changed as he's grown older. "My body causes me trouble when I cross the room, but when I am sitting down writing, I am in my heaven — my old heaven," he says.» E-Mail This » Add to Del.icio.us
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Holy Kaw!
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Understanding the role of micro-copy in a brand's content strategy
9 Feb 2012 | 9:58 amWhen it comes to planning your brand's content strategy, pay special attention to the micro-copy -- wording on a website's interface such as "submit" or call-to-action links, according to Amy Thibodeau, a content strategist for Facebook. Thibodeau explains the social site's reasoning for choosing the "Like" button and breaks down three steps that other strategists can use to ensure that their copy works in harmony with the rest of the website. Full story at SmartBlog on Social Media by SmartBrief. More SmartBrief stories. Permalink | Leave a comment » -
Pizza Hut's proposal package
9 Feb 2012 | 9:36 amLove and pepperoni: the perfect delicious match. Pizza Hut wants to help you pop the question to your main squeeze with the $10,010 Ultimate Valentine’s Day Proposal in a Box. The package includes limo service to a local Pizza Hut location, a professional photographer and videographer, fireworks display, flowers, ruby engagement ring, and, most deliciously, a Pizza Hut $10 Dinner Box. Domino's, your move. Full story at Eater. Love is pizza. Permalink | Leave a comment » -
Uncertain choices light up ‘explorer’ brains
9 Feb 2012 | 9:19 amPeople who consistently select for uncertainty may harness the computational power of a specific brain region. Some people—”explorers”—choose to grapple with uncertainty head on. It’s a strategy of maximizing rewards by discovering whether as yet unexplored options might yield better returns. While some might stick with the usual, “explorers” might order the special in a restaurant because they aren’t sure they’ll like it. Prior to the Brown University study, there was no consensus that a precise area of the prefrontal cortex, in this case… -
Valentine's Day rebooted as Generosity Day [video]
9 Feb 2012 | 9:05 amOut with the chocolate, roses, and edible underwear, in with spreading kindness. The big hearts at Causes.com have set out on a mission to rebrand Valentine's Day as Generosity Day and it starts with you pledging to share the love on February 14th. The Generosity Day pledge: Just say YES. This February 14th, let's reboot Valentine's Day as Generosity Day. Practice saying YES to every request for help and by being generous. I pledge to spend February 14th saying YES to all requests for help. Say "yes" to generosity at Causes.com. Spread the love by doing something good. Permalink | Leave a… -
How coffee changed America [infographic]
9 Feb 2012 | 8:57 amFull-size version at Lumin Consulting. Delicious coffee. Permalink | Leave a comment »
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MAKE
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3D-Printed Shells for Hermit Crabs
9 Feb 2012 | 9:00 amIf you can endure the relentless puns, the tag aggregator page for MakerBot’s Project Shellter is a fun read. There are cool pics of the denizens of MakerBot’s official “crabitat” sporting their fused-filament homes (such as “Paris Shelton,” above, in a lovely little daffodil yellow number) as well as oddly touching night-time videos of each crab adopting its new home for the first time. [via nerdstink] More:Hermit crabs in glass -
VW Bus Customized with a Mural and Stained Glass
9 Feb 2012 | 7:00 amHaD writer Caleb Kraft of Springfield, MO, sexed up his VW bus with a lovely (and Cthulhu-esque!) elephant mural as well as stained glass sun visors that complement the painting. Caleb says he “never really painted before” — ORLY!? Looks pretty amazing to me. -
How-To: Duct Tape Roses
9 Feb 2012 | 6:16 amIf you’re celebrating Love Day this year, and could’t make it to the Kwik-E-Mart before they sold out of Lord Huggington, you might consider going the handmade route, in which case you could probably do a lot worse than a dozen of these realistic duct tape roses from Instructables user DIYHacksAndHowTos. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to go outside and assemble Love Land. [via CRAFT] More:Heart-Shaped Hack Box from Evil Mad Science Labs -
NTH Hackable Synthesizer
9 Feb 2012 | 4:00 amColumbus, OH makers Kevin Holland and John Staskevich have built a seemingly fun to play hackable synth using a PIC microcontroller, 8-bit DAC, and analog low-pass filter. It includes an integrated step sequencer and simple, intuitive controls. The device was built with hacking in mind, so you’ll also get a spare hardware DAC channel, on-board prototyping area, and ICSP port to modify, update, or completely rewrite the firmware. It’s all housed in a clear laser-cut acrylic housing so everything’s easy to see. [Thanks, John!] -
The Homemade Earth and Fire of Jonathan Garratt
8 Feb 2012 | 7:30 pmIt’s been over a decade since I’ve thrown clay on a wheel, but watching this video, by David Hobson, of Dorset-based potter Jonathan Garratt, makes me want to return to the art. Garratt is a true maker from beginning to end, including farming his own clay, mixing it in a blunger, drying it over a month, then processing it through a pug mill. He chops his own wood and claims to have nearly 100 tonnes of wood stacked in sheds and under tin tarps outside, which he rotates out on a two-year cycle! The combination of using local clay and firing with wood gives his work a…
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ze's page :: zefrank.com
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Alex Braidwood and his Noisolation Headphones
8 Feb 2012 | 10:54 amKPCC beautifully reports on this sound artist :: watch the report and his own project below :: (via boing boing) -
disneyland home movie :: 1957
7 Feb 2012 | 12:02 pma fascinating look at the theme park from back in the day :: from the Disney Historic Institute's blog: "DHI uses the same transfer process that Ken Burns does to get his amazing footage and the result is something with the truest and brightest colors I’ve ever seen from Disneyland’s early days." :: click below to watch :: (via boingboing) -
russian kid with no fear of heights
6 Feb 2012 | 10:21 amthis makes my stomach hurt :: the kid's amazing :: click below to watch :: -
diagrams to explain your behavior
6 Feb 2012 | 9:05 amcar richards takes big ideas and sketches them, simply :: read more here http://www.behaviorgap.com/about-carl-richards/ -
long exposure photos of fireflies
4 Feb 2012 | 9:05 amsee more at http://digitalphoto.cocolog-nifty.com/digitalphoto/cat4164851/index.html
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Improv Everywhere
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Meet a Black Person
6 Feb 2012 | 7:47 am(View it larger on YouTube) | Subscribe to our YouTube channel Producer: Charlie Todd / Editor Andrew Flynn Soltys / Music: Tyler Walker / Black Person: Colton Dunn / Camera: Chris Kula Since Aspen, Colorado has an African American population of 0.44%, we decided to give the locals a chance to “meet a black person.” We put comedian Colton Dunn in an empty hot chocolate kiosk at the foot of the mountain to greet folks as they exited the slopes. This 2006 mission is the second in a series of remastered videos we are producing from our archives to commemorate our 10th anniversary. We… -
No Pants Subway Ride 2012
11 Jan 2012 | 7:49 am(No Pants Subway Ride 2012 View on YouTube) | Subscribe to us on YouTube Produced by Charlie Todd / edited by Nathan Russell / music by Tyler Walker On Sunday, January 8th, 2012 tens of thousands of people took off their pants on subways in 59 cities in 27 countries around the world. In New York, our 11th Annual No Pants Subway Ride had nearly 4,000 participants, spread out over six meeting points and ten subway lines. Enjoy the video first and then go behind the scenes with our mission report and photos. No Pants Subway Ride 2012 Generals: (top L-R) Cody Lindquist, Matt Shafeek, Zach Linder,… -
No Pants Subway Ride 2012 New York Reports
8 Jan 2012 | 2:22 pmUPDATE: The video is up! See the full report and watch it here. Photo by Ari Scott The 11th Annual No Pants Subway Ride took place today in New York in mild 44 degree weather. Nearly 4,000 riders met at meeting points spread out all over the city and converged on Union Square. The event also happened in 59 other cities in 27 countries around the world. Thanks so much to all who participated! Links to photos from our official photographers are below along with the official video. Be sure to sign up for our mailing list so you’ll stay updated on future events like this. You can also like… -
No Pants Subway Ride 2012 Global Reports
8 Jan 2012 | 8:45 amNo Pants Subway Ride in Istanbul, Turkey, January 8, 2012 If you participated in one of the 59 regional No Pants Subway Rides today in 27 countries across the world, leave us an agent report in the comments below letting us know how it went. Post links to any photos and videos from your town’s event as well. Let us know how many people participated and what the temperature was. Reports from the New York ride are here. Be sure to sign up for our mailing list so you’ll stay updated on future global events like this. You can also like us on Facebook, follow us on twitter and… -
No Pants Subway Ride 2012 Details for New York
3 Jan 2012 | 8:11 amUPDATE – The New York Ride was a success– read about it and leave your reports here: No Pants Subway Ride 2012 New York Reports. All are invited to participate in the 11th Annual No Pants Subway Ride. The event will take place at 3:00 PM on Sunday, January 8. Everything you need to know is in this post. Please read it carefully! (Click here for information for participating in other cities.) REQUIREMENTS FOR PARTICIPATION: 1) Willing to take pants off on subway 2) Able to keep a straight face about it DETAILS When: Sunday, January 8 at 3:00 PM, Sharp! (Over around 5 PM) Where: Six meeting…
