How to Build an Aerator: Garden Diary #015

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Garden Diary 2010 Episode #014: How to Make Newspaper Pots

This is a short little video I did just to show you how easy it is to make little newspaper pots to get your plants started. The video was so short that I took a few more moments to show you how my vegetable seedlings were doing in the window box in the kitchen. Enjoy.

How to Make Plarn

I am always looking for ways to reduce the cost of my garden. If I could keep it for free I would. One of the things I want to do is to contrucrt something for my Cukes, Squash and Zuccini to grow up. After I have the frame built I will run line up and down the frame so those vines will be able to grow up rather than out. If I could use Plarn rather than going out to buy the twine, I would save myself a buck or two. I know, I am cheap.

This video is me showing you how to make plarn.

Garden Diary 2010 Episode #006: How to Build a Mini Greenhouse Pt1

It is February 1st and I wanted to plant my seed for the new year. It is still too cold. So I spent a little time building a Mini Greenhouse. This video is the first part of that process. I wanted to make all the parts from used or recycled items. I cut the plastic from empty soda bottles.

FREE DVD Contest: This Writers Journey: Episode 2

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This Writers Journey: Episode 2 for June 1st, 2009

Welcome back everyone. The journey this week has been full of ideas. I can’t share all of them with you, but one of them I am going to lay out here for you. First, though, I want to let you know how I have been doing on my writing since we talked last Thursday. I have written 512 words. Yes, I know. I‘ve only written two days since last Thursday. I have an excuse though. I worked the entire weekend, leaving only time for meals and sleep. This week is not going to leave me that much time to write either, but I am going to try to make the time to write my 200 words everyday.

The subject I want to discuss to day has to do with creating an audience. The traditional way to do this is to write your book, edit your book, and release your book. Then you grow your audience by going to book readings and signings and conventions and other things like that.

Today things are done a little different. You can grow your audience way before you publish your book. How do you do this? You release segments of your book. You release short stories that introduce characters to your readers. You create games that hint to what your book is about. You do all of this through the social media scene and through the new media outlets.

I am going to test this idea right now. I am going to hold a contest. I am going to give away a DVD to one random fan. How am I going to do this? I am going to hold a drawing. Here’s how you can enter for a chance to win this DVD (1998 release of Godzilla; still shrink wrapped… never been opened. Hey it’s FREE. I’m even going to pay for the shipping.):

First, copy the embed tags for this audio if you click the link that says “Share” you should find what I am talking about. Paste this episode onto your Myspace, Facebook and weblog pages, this way I can get as much exposure as possible.

Go to my weblog at roberttgasperson.com and find the post where this episode is posted. Here’s a hint… it was posted on June 1st, 2009. Leave a comment on that post that states you want to win the FREE DVD and leave the link leading to the social media sites where you posted this episode. Make sure you leave me your email address so I can contact you if you win. You could also thro me some encouragement to keep me writing this week. That’s it. I ask that you only leave one comment. Multiple comments will be discarded and not counted for the drawing.

The deadline to enter will be June 30th. I will hold the drawing on July 1st, 2009 and will randomly draw one winner. I will contact that winner for their mailing info and will send the DVD to them as soon as I can get it into the mail.

What I am hoping this will do is get people on my weblog and reading the over 600 posts I have written there. If they get excited about me and what I have to say then they will come back to read more every week. If I can grow that readership, then when I get ready to release my podiobook or hardcover, there will be a fan base of people out there excited about buying their own copy.

So are you excited about this contest? Me too. I am so excited, I hope I can settle down and write. I need to write more this coming week than I did last week. I need to write 200 words a day. That isn’t that much. That is 20 minutes of work… not even if I already know where I am going with the story. If I can hit 200 words a day; that means by next Monday I should be at least to 47,486 words. That is 65.04% of the way to my goal of 73,000 words. I am getting there. This is by far the furthest I have ever gotten on a novel. This one I am going to finish.

So… y’all have a great week and until next time, Keep writing.

Have Fun in a Productive Way

Recently I have come to the conclusion that I should always be doing something constructive during my free time. What do I mean? I look around and see all the distractions that keep me from doing anything worth wile. Some of these time wasters are:

1. Television
2. The Internet (FaceBook and MySpace are really good time wasters if you let them be)
3. Video games

I guess my definition for a “Complete Time Waster” would be something you do where you don’t do any of the following:

1. You don’t get any exercise
2. You don’t expand your mind
3. You don’t make a connection with someone
4. You don’t make any money

There have been a number of people I have worked with and went to school with who were excited about going home after work or class so they can spend hours on a video game trying to figure out how to beat that game. My biggest problem with that is when you are done playing this game for several hours, what do you have to show for it? You have sore thumbs and bloodshot eyes.

I had a Playstation 2 for a while; several years I believe. I played it a good bit at first, but as I got deeper into my career and thinking more about this website, I didn’t find myself spending very much time playing games on the Playstation. Finally, I sold the console and all the games on eBay after I had not played it more than twice over the course of a year. If I wasn’t going to play it, then there was no point in keeping it.

Television is a necessary evil. It wastes your time when you could be doing something else. It is kind of our lifeline to the outside world these days. It lets us know what is going on around us so we can make the all important decisions about what we should wear out in today’s weather or helps us learn about all the information we need when it is time to vote for the leaders in our nation.

For some of us, the television is no longer this information guru. The internet has kind of taken its place. So that leaves the television as something we watch when we are bored, or when we want to procrastinate.

That is not to say that the television can’t be a good thing. You can learn a lot of things by watching television. There are the news and the weather channels. There are also the Discovery Network channels like TLC and the Science channel. I even like the NASA channel.

Let me ask you though, do you really benefit from the information you learn on these programs? You see… I love to watch the Food Network. It’s fun. I feel like I am learning something about cooking. I have been asked by loved ones, though, “Why do you watch the Food Network if you never get into the kitchen and cook the stuff your learning about?” They’re right. I may watch the Food Network, but how many times have I gone into the kitchen and tried one of the recipes they show me how to cook. In other words this show is not doing me any good unless I get in the kitchen and cook.

I know there are those of you who do actually try what you see on the TV. That is great. That means you are actually getting something out of what you are watching. Keep it up.

Another way that Television is productive is if you are watching it with other people. Make it a relationship growing experience. If you are watching it by yourself, you really are not benefiting anyone. You might have the small chance to have a conversation with someone at a later time about that program, but does that really further your relationship with that person or does it just give you small talk? Watch a movie with a loved one. If it is a romantic relationship, take the time to snuggle and get close. If it’s a buddy, watch the game and get excited about what is going on. If it’s a bunch of you girls, watch something creative and discuss how you are going to make it a reality in your own home. If you make it productive, then Television is not all that bad.

What about the internet? We use the internet for all our information needs today. We get a lot of our news and weather from the internet. That is great. If you are using the internet to either shop, or to sell something, then you are doing something productive with the internet. You may even use the internet to research something you are building or trying to learn about. That is what it was meant to be used for. It is when we get online just to be online. That is when we get ourselves in trouble. We waste a lot of time playing games and checking spam emails and surfing sites that have no relevance in our lives. If we would just be productive online, we would have so much more time to do other things.

Take the time right now to evaluate how you use your time. Are you productive in everything you do? If you are not, take the time right now to reset your way of thinking so when you catch yourself doing those things that don’t benefit you in any way. Then make a list of the things that you would like to get done. Plan on using your free time to get those things done.

Here is a small list of some of the things I think will help you be productive:

1. Read – Reading has been proven to expand the mind.
2. Grow – Start a vegetable garden. Flowers are pretty, but I find vegetables and fruits have something to strive for.
3. Build – Make something. Do something with your hands. Create something you can sell on eBay or on your website. This will be beneficial to your pocketbook.
4. Change – Make a difference in your community. Change something you think is a hindrance for everyone. Make life better for all.
5. Support – Be a mentor to someone else. Help those less fortunate that you.
6. Dream – Think about all the things you want in life. Make a plan to accomplish those dreams and make them come true. Only you can make them reality.

How to Build A Birdhouse; You Should Make One Before You Die.

Why should you build a birdhouse?

It is a great problem solving exercise. You first have to find the scrap wood to buold the birdhouse. Then you have to figure out what kind of bird you want to live in that birdhouse, find out how much space that bird needs to live, ho big of a hole the bird needs to get in and out of the birdhouse and how high you are going to have to mount it to make sure a bird actually nests in it. All of that doesn’t include trying to figure out how to build it with the tools you already own.

Birds are good for your yard. They till up the ground looking for food. They rid your yard of pesky insects. They are fun to look at and talk about.

We are killing their natural habitat. We are constantly cutting down trees, taking away their homes. A birdhouse will keep them from nesting in your house.

Its relaxing. There is something zen like about building something with your hands. It brings you peace and gives you an escape from all the other stresses in your life… At least for a little while.

What birds can you build a birdhouse for?

Wrens – There are about 80 species of wrens. Their scientific name is Troglodyte which means Cave Dwellers. They derive this name because wrens are known to get their food from dark caves.

Blue Jays – Found in North America, is a bright blue color with a pronounced crest on the head, a crown of feathers, which may be raised or lowered according to the bird’s mood.

Cardinals – Their diet consists of seed. That are a beautiful red color and have a crest on their head that stands up when they are showing their mood.

Robins – Flock at night. Is one of the first birds to lay their eggs every year. Their diet includes grubs, catterpillars, fruits and berries. They have a re

Swallows & Martins – a group of birds who are known for their habit of aerial feeding.

There are many other birds that you can build a birdhouse for. All you have to do is find out what birds live in your area and build your birdhouse to fit those birds.

Where do I find specifications about birdhouse sizes?

Building Nest Structures – This one has the best information. 53 Pages Worth of Information to be Exact.

The Little Chikadee

PVC Birdhouse

Wildlife Projects

Get Ready for Spring

Gourd Birdhouses

Here is a video i found on youtube. I actually want to build this birdhouse. I will document my progress as I build it for you to watch. Until then, enjoy this how-to video.

How do I build a birdhouse? I will be explaining the following as I go about building my own birdhouse. Make sure you come back to see my progress.

Find birdhouse plans

Find your materials

Find your tools

Assymble the birdhouse

Here are 100 more things you should do before you die.

How to Build a Photo of Clones Using Photoshop

The photo above was my tribute to my old Pontiac Sunfire. You see… It was time to trade it in for something a little newer. It had treated me well for nearly 8 years and over 154,000 miles. It got me from point A to point B for many years and only had a problem keeping fuel pumps (had it replace 3 times during its lifetime). That was the only problem I had with it other than regular maintenance.

You may be wondering, “How did you Clone yourself eight times around your car?” The process is fairly easy. All you need is a digital camera, a tripod (if you can find a place to prop your camera, that will work too) and a computer with Photoshop installed (You might be able to do this with other photo manipulation programs, but I used Photoshop).

Step 1: Take the Pictures. Set up your camera in one spot. Set the timer and take a dozen or so photos of you in different places within the frame.

Step 2: Load your Photos onto your computer.

Step 3: Find 5-8 of your favorite poses and open all of them into Photoshop. Choose one photo to be your base photo.

Step 4: Pick a photo other than your base photo and select everything by pressing Control-A (Apple-A for you Mac Users) Then Copy (Control-C).

Step 5: On your Base photo paste the new content. Everything should be the same except your pose. The reason everything is the same is because you were taking the photos on a tripod. You didn’t change the point of view.

Step 6: Take the Polygonal Lasso Tool, set feathering to 20 or more and roughly cut out your new pose.

Before you hit the delete button, go to the Select Menu and Hit Inverse. When you hit the delete hey, everything in that layer except you will disappear showing the previous layers. The feathering will blur the edges of what you cut out so you will be able to blend the new image with the background or base image. If you have a version of you right behind another clone of you, you may have to reset the feathering to 0 and cut around part of the clone in front so the layer above the one in front doesn’t show the background in front of previous layer.

Step 7: Open the levels tool on that layer. You can either his Control-L or go to the image menu. Touch adjustments and then Levels. Adjust the levels in this window till the layer matches the background perfectly. This will make the image look seamless.

Step 8: Repeat Steps 4-7 for all of your poses till you have them all on one image.

Step 9: Play with some shading, especially around the versions of you that are in front of other yous. This will only make the image look more realistic.

How to Build Your Own Wind Turbine

Part 1:

Part 2: