Why else would a grown man play with trains?

Exhibit A: Matthew James Taylor's The Art of Sharpening Pencils (Styles & Techniques), a website you can go to right now that gets right to the point. Exhibit B: How to Sharpen Pencils by David Rees (previously at Boing Boing), which goes well beyond the point, but only once it's gotten there. Exhibit C: A… READ THE REST

It's a tough one, especially for people who aren't "into" the whole cult of Rubik's Cube variants and the formulas and tricks we can use to solve them. But this video from J Perm describes a straightforward method for solving the 1x1x1 cube [Amazon] that almost anyone can put to use. Next week I'll be… READ THE REST

Our latest Cool Tools video shows how to make natural dyes based on recipes from the book, A Garden to Dye For: How to Use Plants from the Garden to Create Natural Colors for Fabrics & Fibers. READ THE REST

We thank our sponsor for making this content possible; it is not written by the editorial staff nor does it necessarily reflect its views. Communication is the key to, well, almost everything. Understanding and being understood is so core to the experience of life that species will do almost anything to make sure they're heard… READ THE REST

We thank our sponsor for making this content possible; it is not written by the editorial staff nor does it necessarily reflect its views. We know that technology can get overwhelming and is mostly very helpful, but none of your electronics can be good to you dead. Your phone is super useful daily, but it's your… READ THE REST

We thank our sponsor for making this content possible; it is not written by the editorial staff nor does it necessarily reflect its views. A reliable chainsaw is necessary once you become a homeowner, but it often takes a lot of effort to lift and operate. The Pocket ChainSaw is a must for anyone who needs to cut and… READ THE REST