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Sunday, January 13, 2013

DIY Altoids Make âCuriously Strongâ Mints in Unique Flavor Combinations

Source: http://lifehacker.com/5975442/diy-altoids-make-curiously-strong-mints-in-unique-flavor-combinations

DIY Altoids Make âCuriously Strongâ Mints in Unique Flavor Combinations If you don't just buy Altoids for the tin you may want to consider making your own to experiment with flavors we'll probably never see in a mass produced product. If you already have flavoring or essentials oils and food coloring on hand the only specialty ingredient you need is gum paste, which is found in the cake decorating section of hobby shops or you can purchase it online for less than ten bucks.

Household DIY weblog One Good Thing By Jillee shares a simple recipe for curiously strong mints. Remove a piece of gum paste the size of an egg and knead it with your hand for a minute or two until it becomes pliable and then add any flavoring and/or food coloring you'd like (see the source link below for combinations and ideas) such as wild orange, raspberry, or pineapple. Continue kneading until the additions have been worked into the gum paste and then roll out the paste on a work surface covered in powdered sugar. You'll want it to be around one-eighth of an inch thick. To cut out the mints use a drinking straw to cut out little circles, toss the mints with a bit more powdered sugar to keep them from sticking together, and let them dry for 48 hours before putting them into a tin or other container.

I don't know about you but I'm now thinking about all kinds of crazy mint flavoring ideas such as root beer, wasabi, and mango.

Make Your Own "Curiously Strong Mints" | One Good Thing By Jillee

Mini-Aquaponics Setup Made from Ikea Parts

Source: http://lifehacker.com/5975473/mini+aquaponics-setup-made-from-ikea-parts

If you've ever wanted to try Aquaponics, growing fish, plants, and bacteria in a nearly-closed loop ecological system, you can get your feet wet by building a basic system using Ikea Antonius frame and wire baskets, two plastic bins, PVC pipe, and a submersible water pump.

You'll also need to create a bell siphon, which you can build from PVC components in the full instructions list from aquaponics store Japan Aquaponics's weblog. The structure of the system comes from assembling the Ikea frame as per the instructions and using the wire baskets to hold a 25-liter liter bin for the grow tray and the bottom 50-liter bin to house the fish. You'll then create a bell siphon from PVC parts or buy one from Amazon for $45, and assemble the plumping from PVC pipes. You can then add water to the tank and test out the operation of the system. If all is go you then add a growing medium such as perlite, lava rock, or river stones to the growbed and add fish and plant seeds.

For further instructions on making the system and on aquaponics in general check out the source link below. This seems like a great starter kit if you're interested in the subject and it's much more productive than most pet aquariums.

Indoor Aquaponics System Plans | Japan Aquaponics via Instructables

Samsung's 85-inch Ultra HD TV up for pre-order in Korea, priced at just $38k

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/01/13/samsung-s9-uhdtv-pre-order-korea/

At CES last week Samsung set a new benchmark in size with its 85-inch S9 that edged past the Ultra HD competition by one inch, and now it's setting a new high mark for price as well, at least in Korea. While we still don't have any US pricing or release details, the first 77 models encased in that "Timeless Gallery" frame are going up for pre-order, priced at 40,000,000 won ($37,877 US). Other than the obligatory 214cm of 4K goodness, it has built-in 2.2 channels speakers, quad-core CPU and Precision Black Pro LCD panel. We've heard that sales of Sony and LG's models have been surprisingly brisk despite their high prices so you may want to run, not walk to your local Korean high-end electronics retailer to get one first. Of course, if you wait, you can always snag the 95- or 110-inch model that are promised to ship later this year, albeit at similar prices. While you're deciding, check out our hands-on pictures and video to get an idea of what awaits.

Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD, Samsung

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Source: Samsung Tomorrow (Flickr), Korean Newswire

Flipboard refresh supports Android 4.2's Daydream mode

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/01/13/flipboard-refresh-supports-android-4-2-daydream-mode/

Flipboard readers on Android have a little more reason to celebrate beyond just the recent addition of tablet support. A quick update this weekend lets the curated news reader hook into Android 4.2's Daydream mode: news covers can become part of a screensaver that automatically updates with the freshest stories while on WiFi. It's a simple tweak, but it may help Android users catch stories they would miss while their mobile devices sit idle. Hit the source link if you're not already on Flipboard's latest page.

Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets, Software, Mobile

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Via: Android Police

Source: Google Play

Saturday, January 12, 2013

TourWrist puts a twist on the photo sphere (hands-on video)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/01/12/tourwrist-puts-a-twist-on-the-photo-sphere-hands-on-video/

You've heard of Instagram, right? Are you familiar with Microsoft's Photosynth and Google's Photo Sphere on Nexus phones and tablets? How about Apple's brilliant continuous-scan panorama mode on iOS devices? Well mash all this up and you get TourWrist, an app / social network for sharing photo spheres. The app started life as a social network for virtual tourism and gained one million users since launching in 2010. Here in Las Vegas, the company just launched the latest version of TourWrist with a focus on capturing photos spheres. Unlike Microsoft's and Google's approach, which stitches 360-degree images from discrete pictures, the app uses continuous-scan like Apple's panorama mode. The resulting photo spheres are truly impressive and look significantly better than the competition, especially when captured in tricky lighting conditions. All 360-degree images can be shared with other TourWrist users, Instagram-style, and with other social networks by linking to an HTML5-compatible viewer. Take a look at our gallery below and peek after the break for our hands-on video and sample photo sphere captured on site.

Gallery: TourWrist hands-on