joh's Profile

This is to live edge what laminate covered mdf is to solid wood.

The Expedit instructions clearly state that these should not be mounted on a wall. The Ikea kitchen cabinets are far more solid, and designed to be wall mounted. When assembled correctly and used as instructed, most Ikea furniture can last quite some time (though there have been "duds" over the years).

As for the vinyl-holding Expedits that failed, look closely at those pics and compare with the pics on Ikea, and you'll see the failed ones were oriented with the side-panel down (as opposed to the bottom-panel down).

according to Kodak, refrigerating film won't help keep it fresh beyond its expiry date, so don't get too excited.

Freezing film will keep it fresh much, much longer than simply refrigerating. The best way to avoid condensation is to keep it in the plastic canister until it warms up. For most, it's too impractical to try to control how fast it comes up to temp when in hot weather.

Consumer films don't need refrigeration, since they are manufactured to looser tolerances. Pro films need to be refrigerated or they'll start to shift well before their expiration date (which is based on storing at refrigerator temps).

I've always been more of a non-fiction reader than a fiction reader. With that said, I got rid of a lot of useful reference material during a major purge of my belongings a few years ago, and it felt damn good. I still miss a few of those books on occasion, but as far as information goes, so much of it is available online that I can do without. Sure, there's the tactile feeling of holding a real book, but with space being a valuable commodity, I chose to do without most of them.

I did keep a few dozen books, almost enough to fill a small bookshelf, and I'm still acquiring new books on occasion.

I still have a few thousand vinyl records sitting in storage. I've managed to get rid of some of them, but can't bring myself to part with most of what remains, but I will eventually. Most of these records I have already digitized, so even if my records were in my home, I probably wouldn't play them very often. MP3s are just so much more convenient. Say what you will about audio quality, which I can truly appreciate. But for me, convenience wins, as does minimizing my belongings.

Soon enough, photo albums, CDs, records, tapes, and books will be a thing of the past for mainstream folks.

You will get a smoother finish by thinning the latex primer/paint with water as per the instructions on the label, and then sanding very lightly between each and every coat.

You can also thin the paint with Floetrol for a very smooth finish.

Foam roller is the way to go for the smoothest of finishes.

We should all be aware of what we're supporting, right?

Interesting read (or listen), for those who care. For those who choose to live in denial, just keep moving, nothing to see here :-)

Children keep Egypt's cotton spinning:
http://marketplace.publicradio.org/display/web/2010/07/07/pm-children-keep-egypt-cotton-spinning/

While Singapore has been in a development craze during the past decade, there is a lot more to it than "soulless streets crammed with one bland shopping mall after the other." There are many, many neighborhoods where restored colonial shophouses dominate the street scene. In fact, there are development projects that incorporate rehabbed old buildings into modern and interesting shopping malls.

... in the heart of Hong Kong.

Sorry to say this, but the above reads like a real estate advert. Chai Wan is hardly the heart of HK. More like the end of the MTR line - which isn't to say that it's terribly inconvenient.

@ricestein,

You can stick a leg extender on one the legs of an aluminum ladder so that when the two legs are on different steps, the ladder is still vertical. Inquire with your local hardware store. You can probably just rent such a ladder.

Another option would be to attach a paint roller to an extending pole and paint from the steps. You can duct tape a brush to the end of the pole to get the edges/corners. I've painted entire rooms this way without a ladder, and it works fine if you've a steady hand. It also helps if the ceiling will be painted the same color.

"Filling in the hole" without disconnecting the wiring at the switch is a violation of electrical code. You're supposed to keep the junction box in place and use a cover plate, regardless of how ugly it is.

If you do decide to disconnect the switch, you can't fill in the switch hole without disconnecting the wiring from its electrical source (a nearby outlet or possibly the breaker box).

If you have no idea what I'm talking about, talk to an electrician (for your safety and your neighbors').