Keep your laptop computer cool! (Alternate uses for common objects)

You might have noticed that a laptop computer can get very hot. It is a good idea to put it where it can get good air circulation to cool it down and extend its life. You can buy items for this purpose. Some simply elevate the laptop above the desk and others have fans built in to further circulate air underneath cooling off the laptop. With the latter you have to be careful that the computer fans connect to where the fans are located on the platform or they do not work as well. This can cause confusion for matching one to the computer and many are not cheap for what they do. The former version can likely be made from something laying around at home.

Upside-Down, Floating Goldfish Problems?

I just took care of this problem with one of my goldfish today and thought I would pop a quick note up about it. Some of you may have noticed your goldfish has trouble swimming downward on occasion and just pops right back to the surface like it is full of air. The worse cases end up floating belly-up. This is most often seen in fancy goldfish with compact, round bodies. Their organs are all tightly packed in that round body and sometimes air does get trapped in the intestines. This sounds funny that the fish cannot swim due to a fishy equivalent of a fart but it can kill the fish if it continues too long. Many times they work it out, but not always.

Review of Donvier Yogurt Cheese Maker (whey drainer)

Item Reviewed:

Donvier by Cuisipro, Yogurt Cheese Maker (fancy name for a yogurt drainer. You still have to make the yogurt and use an incubator.). For use with yogurt that does not have gelatin added as a thickener.

If you have been making your own yogurt and yogurt cheese you may be familiar with draining the whey from the yogurt to thicken it. The batch I am using for this post will be made into thick Tzatziki. Often people use linen sacks or fine cheese cloth to do this. I ran across this little device some time ago and finally decided to try it though I had some reservations. The linen bag works just fine, I just hate washing the thing and scraping the yogurt out. I tend to get covered in yogurt (but I am handicapped in the kitchen). I am also never sure if I get the bag clean enough, though so far it seems I do. I also cannot find a fine mesh strainer the right size around here to use, so I ordered this off of Amazon.com.

I still respond to comments on all posts, old and new.

Hi there. If any of you still follow this blog you probably have noticed that I do not post as frequently. I am working a few jobs now and trying to find a better job, so that and a few other things in my life has kept me very busy. I honestly hope I can add more often later down the road. But I am still here.

Needless to say projects and  hobbies are also getting stunted right now.

Fix Firefox crashes when opening a PDF file

Vs. PDF files!

Update: May 20, 2009. Well it was working after I did what I put below. Now it is crashing again. Go ahead and try this but I will post what fixes it this time when I get around to messing with it again. You would think it would stick. Hmph.

Original post:

If you use Firefox on a PC (nothing against Mac, this is just what I use) and have been having problems opening PDF files, this might help. Mine would freeze up any time I opened a PDF link to view with Acrobat. (There is rumor that the latest version of Acrobat does not work with Firefox so I am using 8.0.)

Since the plug-ins offered to bypass this had terrible reviews, I went to the support section of Firefox on this topic (finally) to try and fix this. It took forever going through each troubleshoot. Seems like this is a common problem (yet Firefox is still worth it).  Here is the one that worked for me. One of the others on the list may work for you so do try the link above if this does not work. Just be sure you have a few minutes to kill.

Adding yogurt starter without clumps

Here is a quick, easy way to add freeze-dried yogurt starter to your milk without clumping.

I was making a batch of yogurt this morning and was thinking about my post on making yogurt that I need to go back and polish. As I was adding starter, I realized maybe I should add this little detail as a separate post, instead of including it only in the main post, for people who already know how to make yogurt.

Air Pump Hazards to Remember.

Many of you with fish tanks have at least one air pump and bubble stone. Often they are on the floor because of noisy vibrations or other area a little away from the tank. I just wanted to throw a quick post reminding people who have tanks and alerting those about to start the hobby an easy way of killing your fish due to forgetting about the nature of many of your pumps.

Convert an old-style filter cartridge for the new Tetra model. Save money and customize!

(Finally a post!! Woohoo! Geez, long title huh?)

Some of you out there may be thinking of getting, or have bought, a the newer version of the Tetra, Whisper filter for your fish tank. The type that hangs over the back. The price of the filter cartridges that go with these new ones are expensive when compared to the old models that you can buy in bulk and assemble yourself. This might be putting you off. Or you have several old cartridges laying about you need to use up. Or you maybe your store does not carry the replacements (recently here). Well there is a solution! (Insert happy noises here!)

Behind temporarily, but not gone

January 25:

I am a little behind on new posts but I am still around and checking in every few days for those who comment. I apologize to the few who are still waiting for a response. Several half finished posts are on the way to completion. It is hectic right now with jobs and such but it should smooth out soon. So if for some reason you follow this blog (Yay!) do not give up!

Thank you to everyone who stops by for a read.

Coming soon: Another knitted mouse (a maid this time), a few fish related articles, and one for making something different. All started, just need to finish! sigh….

Too many hobbies + work + random weird stuff = no time left to post!

- A

Adding Salt to a Freshwater Aquarium

(Last post of the year!  Happy New Year!!!! I hope 2009 brings health, happiness, and security (in many forms) to everyone.)

The other day I was researching how much salt to add to our main freshwater aquarium containing an adult Black Ghost Knife fish (1/2 teaspoon/gallon or a little less for an adult) and remembered a common mistake people new to the hobby tend to make. (Yay! Something to post!)

Common Mistakes (in no order):

• Using the wrong salt
• Adding salt to the tank the wrong way (directly to a filter or dumping in directly all at once)
• Adding too much salt after a water change