Make Your Own Ice Packs from Cheap Sponges [Clever Uses]

Source: http://lifehacker.com/5942213/make-your-own-ice-packs-from-cheap-sponges

Ice packs are a great way to keep your lunch cool, but they're a bit expensive if you're in the habit of losing them. Over on cooking blog My Kitchen Escapades they show a cheap, reusable, and easy way to make ice packs from kitchen sponges.

All you need to do is take a standard kitchen sponge, soak it in water, put it inside a ziploc bag, and freeze it. When you're done, you have an ice pack. The handy thing is that when the ice starts to melt, the sponge soaks up the water so it doesn't leak everywhere. If you're looking to upgrade your brown-bag lunch this should be a helpful trick.

Lunchbox Icepacks | My Kitchen Escapades via The Kitchn

Read More...

Summary only...

Make Grab-and-Go Oatmeal in Your Fridge [Food Hacks]

Source: http://lifehacker.com/5942286/make-grab+and+go-oatmeal-in-your-fridge

If you rarely have time to make breakfast in the morning, try this method of making oatmeal in your fridge. There's no cooking or heating up required, and you can quickly make a couple of batches on the weekend for several days' worth of meals.

The Yummy Life posts this very healthy recipe for overnight, no-cook refrigerator oatmeal (a.k.a. "summer porridge"). In pint-size mason jars, mix old-fashioned rolled oats (not instant, quick, or steel-cut) with milk, Greek yogurt, and chia seeds (which has great nutritional value, including Omega-3). Add fruit or other flavorings, shake, and you're done. Overnight in the fridge, the chia seeds and oats soften and absorb the liquids.

Grab one in the morning and enjoy it cold.

This is even easier to make than the oatmeal-in-jars method we've seen previously.

The refrigerator oatmeal is very versatile too. Flavor varieties offered in the article below include mango almond, blueberry maple, banana peanut butter, and many more. Yummy!

Overnight, No-Cook Refrigerator Oatmeal | The Yummy Life

Read More...

Summary only...

A Bike This Cool Can't Possibly Be Made From Cardboard (or Cost $10 to Make) [Video]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5942257/a-bike-this-cool-cant-possibly-be-made-from-cardboard-or-cost-10-to-make

The bicycle is one of the most efficient, environmentally-friendly modes of transportation, even centuries after its creation. Still though, there's no lack of innovation happening when it comes to bike. The latest example of this is the Alfa: a 20-pound bike made primarily of cardboard which is capable of holding nearly 500 pounds. Oh, and it only costs $10 to make.

According to .CoDesign, the belt-driven design of the bike makes it a maintenance-free ride, and could even be adapted to house an electric motor. In the works for more than three years, inventor Izhar Gafni is still in the process of raising funds for production, but its an idea so good, it'd be a shame for it not to become reality. [NewsGeek via No Camels via DesignTaxi via .CoDesign]

Read More...

Summary only...

Intel's Next-Gen Haswell Chipset Will Have 2X More GPU Power Than Ivy Bridge [Guts]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5942285/intels-haswell-3d-transistor-chipset-will-have-2x-more-gpu-power-than-ivy-bridge

Intel's next-generation laptop chipset (Codename: Haswell) isn't set to come out until next year, but when it does, AnandTech says the 3D-transistor-based hardware will offer twice the GPU performance as Ivy Bridge, and when idle, will consume 20x less power than Sandy Bridge. Excited yet? [AnandTech]

Read More...

Summary only...

Pentax launches Q10 interchangeable lens camera, K-5 II and K-5 IIs flagship DSLRs

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/09/11/pentax-launches-q10-K5-IIs/

It's not every day that a camera company launches two major models the same day, but Pentax has done just that with the Q10 mirrorless interchangeable and the K-5 II / IIs cameras. The Q10 joins its equally tiny stablemate, the Q, to round out its line of mini-sensored, playing-card-sized cams that still let you change lenses. The new model boasts the same bokeh control and effects dial of the original Q, but adds a new grip and several color options, like the now-ubiquitous red shown above. Other features include a K-mount lens adapter, an included 15-45mm zoom telephoto, improved AF performance, full HD video recording, anti-shake technology, 5 fps continuous shooting capability and a pop-up flash. The new mini-shooter will go on sale in October at around $600 with the kit lens.

If you have bigger (and deeper) pockets for something more sporty, Pentax has also announced it's top K-5 II and K-5 IIs models to replace the popular K5, which has been around since 2010. The weather- and cold-resistant, dustproof DSLRs retain the same 16.2-megapixel resolution of their predecessor, but Pentax claims the new SAFOX X AF sensor has improved sensitivity in low-light conditions and improved auto-focus. The K-5 IIs eschews the anti-aliasing filter found on its sibling, but is otherwise the same, with a 3-inch, 925k LCD, 7fps burst mode, magnesium alloy / stainless steel body and RAW data retrieve function. Thes! e models will also appear in October and dent your wallet to the tune of $1,200 and $1,350 for the K-5 II and IIs, respectively. All that might address some of the AF and light sensitivity beefs we heard before, but we'll have wait for the next round of reviews to find out.

Continue reading Pentax launches Q10 interchangeable lens camera, K-5 II and K-5 IIs flagship DSLRs

Filed under: Cameras

Pentax launches Q10 interchangeable lens camera, K-5 II and K-5 IIs flagship DSLRs originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 11 Sep 2012 08:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

Read More...

Summary only...