DIY Life

There's nearly nothing so frustrating as a clothes dryer which returns your freshly washed laundry in the same condition as when you put it in there. Most of us know the feeling we get when we stick our hand in the dryer expecting warm fluffy towels only to find a cold wet lump of terry cloth fabric.

There are three main conditions which most commonly cause this problem to occur. Your dryer vent could be plugged up, your heating element could be failing, or your dryer drum may be refusing to turn. A few tests and observations can quickly reveal the source of your trouble.

I guess it's a little early in the season to begin thinking about gardening, but I can't help it. I live to have my hands in the dirt. I love the feel and the smell of it. That's why I'm bringing you this helpful suggestion on how to get your garden going a little earlier than you might have expected this year. The concept is called cold frame gardening. It's easy and highly effective.

Cold frames are nothing more than small self-contained green houses. They are generally about three feet square with an angled top to face toward the sun. One of the best things about cold frames is that you can build them utilizing materials which might otherwise have been considered scrap.

Television miracle product barker Billy Mays wants you to buy the "new" epoxy putty which claims to fix almost anything effectively and permanently. Billy's not lying to you in the assertion that epoxy putty can make an effective repair in many situations but don't be fooled, epoxy putty is nothing new.

Go to your local hardware store and ask them for epoxy putty, they should have it available for you and you'll save about $7.95 in shipping charges. Epoxy putty works in the manner that Billy says, just knead it to mix it and apply it to accomplish your chosen repair. Epoxy putty does have a limited shelf life so be careful not to buy much more than you need.

Do not use epoxy putty for attaching things which will be suspended above occupied spaces. Do not use epoxy putty for surfaces which will come in direct contact with food. Do not use epoxy putty for towing vehicles and do not use epoxy putty for permanent repairs on any kind of fluid lines while under pressure.

Do make sure that the product is properly cured before putting it into service in any capacity and do take Billy Mays with a grain of salt.

Of all the bird species native to North America, bluebirds are some of the most beautiful. During the decades of the 80's and 90's, bluebird populations were in serious decline which spawned nation wide efforts to assist them. One of the most dramatic developments to arise from the movement to assist the bluebirds may have been the inspired design of the Peterson bluebird house and the bluebird trails created with them.

How many people out there remember Weird Al Yankovic? He was the musical satirist who made a name for himself in the 80's and 90's by taking pop songs and twisting them into his own hilarious interpretations of the original works. In particular, some of the parodies he created from Michael Jackson songs were amazingly inspired works of comedy art.

Because of Weird Al, I myself have tried my hand at the writing of parodies and I found it to be fairly simple. You must have the ability to follow a tune in your head and you need a sense of musical timing and rhyme. A slightly warped sense of humor can come in handy also which makes me a perfect candidate for the job.

If you are interested in seeing a working example of how you can write a song parody yourself, I invite you to take the jump and witness the creation of my song parody: "Internet writer", as based on the Beatles song "Paperback Writer".

There was a fix for this problem discussed quite some time ago by our friends at Engadget. The solution they addressed suggested using a video file provided by Best Buy to force those stubborn pixels back into doing their jobs. The video file, which works by flashing red, green and blue colors on the display, seeks to dislodge stuck pixels and make them part of the team again. Mixed reports suggest that the process is at least marginally effective.

It seems to me that a person could attempt the same type of fix without having to hunt down that Best Buy video file. If I was required to try it for myself, here's what I'd do:

• In any paint program I'd create a set of solid color images including: black, white, cherry red, forest green, canary yellow, royal blue, teal, magenta and cyan.
• Save those images in a large enough image size so they won't tile if set to desktop background.
• Set those images to run as a screen saver, slide show. Cycle them as fast as possible.
• Let that screen saver run all night.

In theory, the rapid fire flashing of the intense colors should break loose those stuck pixels. I'd like to test this process myself but all my LCD pixels are performing pretty well. This process is not intended to bring dead pixels back to life, it's suggested simply for breaking loose a few stubborn ones.

One additional suggestion: If you suffer from epilepsy, you'd probably rather not attempt this fix.

In response to possible fuel tank leakage, Billy Goat Industries Inc. has voluntarily recalled Billy Goat MultiVac outdoor vacumms. The manufacturer indicates that the fuel tanks on the machines can crack, leading to possible fuel leakage near hot engine parts creating the hazard of fire or explosion. No incidents have been reported to date. The recall affects approximately 1,600 units.

If you have a Billy Goat which is black and green with the product name printed on the collection bag, you can locate the product model number on a label located directly below the height adjustment crank on the left side of the vacuum. To find out if your Billy Goat is affected by this recall you can reference a list of the appropriate model numbers on the original Consumer Product Safety Commission press release.

Please discontinue using your Billy Goat and contact the manufacturer for a fuel tank replacement. You may contact Honda at (800) 426-7701, or you can visit the company website at www.hondapowerequipment.com.

People ask me about ideas for things that they can make themselves to sell on Internet sites like Etsy.com. I tell them the trick is to come up with things that can be produced rather quickly with quality results and it helps if it's something they can make uniquely their own. It's also beneficial if the items are practical as well as decorative. A healthy dose of whimsy always helps to capture the attention of curious shoppers.

To see a fine example of what I'm suggesting, take a look at the home sewn washcloth puppets on Sewing.org. These home made little cuties would be relatively cheap to make because they're sewn using basic washcloths and some other common sewing supplies. Sewing.org gives you the full instructions for making them and even includes printable patterns for you.