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Ideas for a Sideline Business

In these tough economic times, good jobs are hard to find. Even if you find one, the pay may not be so great. This article provides ideas for 37 different sidelines. These ideas are better than most and can also inspire you to think of some of your own as well.

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A Cardboard Bicycle

Izhar Gafni should be an inspiration for us all. He made a bicycle out of cardboard. Everyone thought he was nuts – impossible they said. The idea kept bothering him, so his wife encouraged him to try – he wouldn’t have peace until he at least tried it. You can see the results in the video from this article.

Don’t let naysayers discourage you from pursuing your ideas or dreams. Just do it – what have you got to lose?

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All About DC Barrel Jacks/Plugs

Unfortunately, there are no real standard sizes in the industry. Plugs & compatible jacks can vary by barrel diameter, pin diameter and barrel length. Even the polarity is non-standard. Some appliances actually use the center pin for negative/ground and the outer barrel for positive. You can determine which one is used by the pictorial representation found on the side of a gadget. It will show the pin and outer barrel and the polarity of each.

Even though there are two diameters that determine the size of the jack/plug, usually only the pin diameter is specified. For example, the popular 2.1mm jack has a barrel diameter of 5.5mm. The barrel diameter is assumed in most cases.

Despite the total lack of standards for household stuff, for the hobbyist, some popular sizes have emerged.

For low power connections, the pin diameter is 2.1mm and the barrel diameter is 5.5mm.

For higher current connections, having currents greater than 2.0 amps, the pin diameter is usually 2.5mm with a barrel diameter of 5.5mm.

Barrel length on the plugs seems to have settled at about 9.5 to 12mm long. The length match is not as critical as long as the plug is sufficiently long to … Read the rest

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When something goes wrong…

I love to build and sail wooden boats when I have the time. One of my favorite boat designers – Ross Lillistone, has written a very encouraging article on how to deal with obstacles and mistakes made when working on a project.

Although the article is geared toward boat builders, it contains good advice for all of us. Frequently we make a big mistake in our project. It then leaves us frustrated and we often abandon the project. Abandoned projects are very hard to come back to. Instead of being stymied by setbacks, we should correct the mistake as best as we can and continue on. It is the overall quality in a project that makes the difference – not the absence of any mistakes. Don’t let perfectionism stand in your way.

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