Welcome to Provide Your Own - Blog


When we find something on the web we really like, or have just a short comment not warranting an entire article, we put it here. Check often for updates or subscribe to our RSS feed.

Alzheimer’s and Lyme Disease: Caused by Disruptions in Food Chain

When we look closely at the causes of lyme disease and Alzheimer’s, we find its origins in the food production system.

Source: Alzheimer’s and Lyme Disease: Caused by Disruptions in Food Chain

Alzheimer’s has reached epidemic proportions, now the third largest cause of death (not counting deaths by the healthcare industry). While medical researchers continue to search for a cause, this article cites two principal causes. The first one rest on some pretty solid evidence, and the second one is yet a theory, but one that might be worth considering.

The first cause is the one most easily preventable – excess sugar consumption. The cause of the obesity epidemic should be no surprise to health conscious individuals. It is not the consumption of excess fat as is commonly supposed, but excess consumption of carbs and sugars, primarily the latter. The surge of soft drink consumption (both diet and regular) along with supposedly healthier fruit juice has moved lock-step with the obesity explosion. Coincidence? I don’t think so.

Excess sugar consumption causes not only obesity, but also type 2 diabetes. Alzheimer’s has been called type 3 diabetes by some. Do you want to avoid Alzheimer’s? Ditch the sodas and fruit juice. … Read the rest

Posted in Health | Tagged , | Section: | Comments closed

Flax Seeds for Breast Cancer & Health

Lignans are a type of plant compound known as polyphenols found in flaxseeds, sesame seeds, berries, and other foods.

Source: Lignans Play an Important Role in Optimal Health

This ground breaking article breaking article by Dr. Mercola, examines some of the many health benefits of eating freshly ground .

One of the more significant benefits is in preventing and even curing breast cancer. He cites one case where a woman’s tumor shrank significantly from consuming flax seeds.

One of the principal mechanisms by which it benefits is in estrogen regulation. Since many other types of cancers, including prostrate cancer is estrogen driven, both women and men can benefit from flax seeds.

Another benefit of flax seeds is estrogen regulation. They not only reduce excess estrogen, but can increase low estrogen levels as well. This is an important benefit to aging women. Since older men suffer from excess estrogen levels due to conversion from testosterone, I believe flax seeds would provide similar benefits for older men.

Because of the highly perishable nature of flax seeds once ground, it is important to keep and store only fresh whole flax seeds, and grind them just before consuming. To get sufficient benefits, studies have … Read the rest

Posted in Health | Tagged , , , | Section: | Comments closed

Non-Slip Pervious Concrete Stepping Stone

This Instructable is to create a stepping stone out of pervious concrete that has a personalized touch. Pervious concrete allows water to flow through it thus eliminating ponding on the surface that may be slick. The personalized patterned is created by using two different types of aggregate that are different sizes and/or color.

Source: Non-Slip Pervious Concrete Stepping Stone

The non-slip stone allows for much safer walking in gardens and walkways. Because after the pathway is water-logged by a lot of rain or hose watering, the pervious stone remains free of standing water. The stepping stone lends itself to creativity with the various colours of aggregate, (the author used and ). It also has a stone look that is much prettier than pure concrete.

The author of the Instructable gives a very detailed set of instructions, including how to mix the concrete and aggregate together, dry times, tools to use, and how to make personalized designs. Even a beginner should have no difficulty creating their own beautiful stones.

 

 … Read the rest

Posted in Living | Tagged , , | Section: | Comments closed

DIY Powder Coating

Source: Hackaday – DIY Powder Coating

This is so cool. I did not know powder coating could be done so easily at home. Powder coating is similar to paint, but is much harder and more durable, since it’s baked on.

Powder coating can only be done on metal objects and involves these simple steps:

  1. Throughly clean the part – sandblasting if necessary
  2. Hook ground clamp from the powder coating gun to the part and spray on the powder
  3. Place part in toaster oven at 450Β° F until the powder liquifies

You can mask any parts not to be coated with a high temperature tape such as <a href="http://www.amazon click now.com/gp/product/B00DVBLKZE?tag=provideyourown1-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00DVBLKZE” onclick=”__gaTracker(‘send’, ‘event’, ‘outbound-article’, ‘http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DVBLKZE/?tag=provideyourown1-20 ‘Kapton tape’);”>Kapton tape. Also to be noted is you should use a dedicated toaster oven that won’t be used for cooking food, and the baking should be done outside due to the fumes released.

You can buy an old Crafstman powder coating gun used on e-bay or a newer one here on Amazon.

Here is a video showing the entire process:

I want to try this sometime. Any ideas for applications?… Read the rest

Posted in Household | Tagged | Section: | Comments closed

Neat low cost storage idea

Having a place for everything is key to a productive workbench.We want to make stuff, not look for stuff! :-)While we could make the cabinet out of wood, as long as your the parts are not too heavy, foam core is strong enough, inexpensive, and quicker to make than a wooden cabinet. Plus, no one has ever gotten splinters from foam core! πŸ™‚

Source: Instructables.com

What a great idea for storing small parts like electronics, screws, buttons, etc. I like the idea of using foam core and hot glue. There are a lot of storage needs that can be met with foam core or cardboard instead of wood. Also, hot glue works great for these materials as well as wood. I made a silverware drawer divider from Luan plywood and hot glue years ago, that is still going strong.

 

Please add your own ideas in the comments.

 … Read the rest

Posted in Household, Tech | Tagged | Section: | Comments closed

A Maker’s Microwave

How many microwaves have you thrown out because they get flaky after a few months? The thrift stores are full of these rejects. How many times have you wondered who designed the user interface for these things? What planet were they from? Wouldn’t it be nice to have a microwave that isn’t flaky and has a sensible interface?

Nathan did exactly that. He took a broken microwave and put in his own smarts via a Raspberry PI. It has a beautiful control panel, accepts voice commands and provides voice synthesized feedback. It even scans a product bar code to fetch cooking instructions. It is so smart, that you don’t have to babysit the thing to stop it to stir. With the bar code powered instructions, it will stop at the right time, tell you to stir, and start up again to finish the cooking. He even did a tablet interface.

The key to a project like this is a microwave with an intact magnetron, which is the tube which does the cooking. As already mentioned, most of the time these tubes are fine. It is the sorry electronics that flake out. Take inspiration from this guy. You don’t have … Read the rest

Posted in Tech | Section: | Comments closed

Get Accredited Degree Online

While many universities have been offering some of their courses online for a few years now, none have offered actual degrees (aside from dubious “professional” colleges). Georgia Tech is first to have taken the leap. In collaboration with Udacity (which I have written about before), they are offering an accredited masters of computer science degree for $7,000.

Of particular interest is the fact that the actual courses are free. It is only the degree that costs money. This is nevertheless good news. There are a number of positive things to note:

  • An actual college degree can be obtained online from home without having to move and live near or on a campus.
  • The cost is much less than tuition for the same degree is normally; not to mention the considerable savings in living expenses.
  • The actual education is free for everyone in the world.
  • The degree is obtained via proctored exams offered at 4000 Pearson locations around the country.

That last item also points to another positive trend – certification by exam. Currently, the primary value of a college degree has nothing to do with education. Its main value is the piece of paper that opens doors into the world … Read the rest

Posted in Education | Tagged , | Section: | Comments closed

Nanotechnology at Work – A Wonder Waterproof Coating Now Available

There is a new two-part coating that will make anything waterproof. Called Ultra-Ever Dry, it is nano-technology based and works wonders. Watch the video below and be amazed:

The only problem with this product is it is far too expensive to be practical and only comes in large industrial quantities.

There is now good news. Rust-oleum has brought out a similar product called NeverWet. You can buy it at Home Depot for only $20 for 18 oz. It is still pricey, but practical for many things. Imagine boots that cannot get wet or even muddy. This product is definitely not your father’s Scotch-guard. I just hope there isn’t a patent war, putting this technology out of reach for us regular folks.

For more materials that have great uses for the maker, see Materials for the Maker/Provider.

If you use this product, please share the applications you find for it in the comments.… Read the rest

Posted in Household | Tagged , | Section: | Comments closed

Why You Should Homeschool Your Child

Here at ProvideYourOwn, we believe one of the most important things you can do for yourself and your children is to teach them at home. If you need yet another reason to do so, take a moment to watch this telling interview with Michio Kaku on how children’s intellect and desire to learn are crushed by the schools:

Of course, homeschooling is not a panacea if it duplicates the public school model. Set your child free – let him or her direct their own learning. That is what children are designed to do, and it makes your job as a mom or dad that much easier.

Thanks to PCBHeaven for the link.… Read the rest

Posted in Education | Tagged | Section: | Comments closed

DIY Desklamp – from a Pizza Box!

Here at Provide Your Own, we love LED lighting. We also believe the best use of LED lighting is by making your own custom fixtures rather than going out to buy a manufactured light bulb.

An Italian company has the same idea. They have a product where you make your own LED desklamp from a pizza box. In the great spirit of open source, they even provide downloadable plans for cutting and folding your own.

Their version of the lamp uses only a 4″ LED strip for illumination. That comes out to about 60 lumens or the output of a 4 watt bulb. We recommend using at least a 12″ strip (cut into two 6″ pieces), which would provide about 180 lumens or 12 watts equivalent.

Here’s what you need to build your own:

For your convenience, we offer a complete kit (no soldering required) for only $24.95 (over 30% saving over buying the parts separately).

You don’t have to be limited to cardboard either. It is simple to repurpose an … Read the rest

Posted in Energy, Household | Tagged | Section: | Comments closed