DIY Life

Addictive pop culture site X-Entertainment has posted a fine DIY/reuse-recycle idea. X-Entertainment guru Matt demonstrates how to turn an empty Altoids tin into a teeny-tiny sanity-saving survival kit. Yep. All you need to get out of any conceivable urban scrape (well, some of them, anyway) is tucked securely -- and super compactly! -- in your back pocket.

Check out the X-E site for most excellent pics. Wow, that's a lot of stuff to fit into one tiny tin! First, there's the basics: food and drink, in the form of beef jerky, two types of gum, and a tiny vial of something strong to drink. Second, are comfort items: Listerine strips, a cigar and a couple matches. Finally, fun items to help you cope with typical urban boredom, such as being stuck in traffic: crossword puzzle, pencil and paper, a tiny piece of clay for modeling, a die (as in one half of a set of dice), and stickers for decorating your surroundings. Beautiful, just beautiful.

For those of you already enamored of those cute little Altoids tins, this is a fabulous way to prolong the love. In fact...let's make a pact not to toss them when all the mints are gone. We will try and repurpose them instead! Need ideas? Here's a DIY project that I touched upon just a couple days ago: the Minty Boost iPod charger. As I stumble on more ideas, I'll share them with you right here at DIY Life.