Geek Out

12 Ways To Rid Your House Of Bad Smells

Exhaust fans and open windows only go so far toward eliminating foul odours. Making your sniffer happy oftentimes requires something extra, like baking powder, vinegar or special charcoal. For smells that make you run out of the room holding your nose, try these tricks:


May 15, 2012
Entertainment

Stream Music To Every Radio In A House

You can broadcast streaming internet music throughout a house over Wi-Fi using products from Sonos or Grace Digital, but it gets expensive. Instead, why not make send the tunes to the basic FM radios you already own?


May 8, 2012
Geek Out

11 Other Uses For Toothpaste

Besides keeping your teeth sparkly, toothpaste offers a wide range of cleaning, cosmetic and even healing abilities around the house. Just be sure to use the white pasty stuff, not gel. And for any of these tips that call for an actual toothbrush, just consider that tool off-limits for the mouth from here on out.


May 1, 2012
Entertainment

The Best Way To Mount Rear Surround Sound Speakers

You’ve spent thousands on your incredible James Cameron-certified home theatre. Movies look beautiful; the sound is amazing. But every time you step out to refill the popcorn bucket, you risk knocking over those damn stands jammed in the back of the room, holding your rear-channel speakers.


April 26, 2012
Entertainment

A Professional Recording Studio In An Unbelievably Tiny Room

Paul McCartney, Bruce Springsteen and The Foo Fighters have something in common with Brooklyn-based musician Neil Shah — they all made great music in a basic home studio. McCartney and Springsteen had a four-track cassette deck, and Dave Grohl used a garage. But Shah’s setup is even more limited — his whole studio measures all of 66 square feet. Here’s how he made it work.


April 19, 2012
Geek Out

The Home Brewing Laboratory Of Every Beer Drinker’s Dreams

There’s a beer nirvana in Pennsylvania, and it’s in a shed. The HammerSmith Ale House and Brewery, a slice of heaven near the Delaware River, was designed by Chris Bowen — a beer enthusiast, beer historian and certified beer judge. Bowen always loved cooking for friends. Eight years ago, he tried his hand at making beer and soon got hooked. “Brewing is an addictive hobby,” he said.


April 18, 2012
Science

Solar Power And Battery Backup: Tesla And SolarCity’s Dream Home

Electric car maker Tesla Motors is teaming up with the solar panel leasing company SolarCity to make what might be the first complete, packaged electrical system for an off-the-grid solar home.


Gadgets

Wireless Sensor Syncs A Hot Pot With An Induction Cooktop

Induction cooktops can rapidly, powerfully heat a skillet. If you don’t stare at your stove, you can easily burn food to a crisp. A new induction cooktop adds greater control to the operation with preset cooking modes and a wireless sensor that monitors the cookware’s temperature.


April 13, 2012
Gadgets

Solar Panel-In-A-Tube Generates Power And Hot Water At The Same Time

Solar photovoltaic cells and solar thermal collectors both capture the sun’s rays. The first one turns the light into electricity, while the other turns it into hot water for heating. They usually battle for rooftop real estate, but Naked Energy has found a way to merge them both into a single solar solution.


April 5, 2012
Cameras

Withings Smart Baby Monitor Review: Always Watching, Always Judging

Babies are helpless. They need things, like food and shelter and comfort, and you have to give these things to your baby unless you are a horrible person. Babies often need things in the night, or upon waking up from naps. And, of course, for new parents, SIDS is a concern, or should be.