Shakadoo

Everything to do with your shak.

  • Home
  • About Us
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • Press
  • Privacy Policy
You are here: Home / Archives for How-To

The LED Table Makes You Think You're On LSD

by Ron Hogan Leave a Comment

Lediningtable062408 Sometimes I wish I was more handy when it comes to building things.  When I was buying my desktop computer (many years ago), the gentleman at Office Depot who helped me through it was a younger guy who built his own computer circuits.  That’s right, he soldered two motherboards together, created his own duo-core rig, and generally was a high end techincal user.  I was incredibly jealous.

However, in order to learn to do that sort of stuff, you have to start off simple and make a lot of soldering mistakes (well, I would, I don’t know about you).  Before I start building my own motherboards from scratch and magic, maybe I should start out with something easier, like stringing together the LED circuitry for this awesome LED dining table.  It might still be a little out of my level, but it’d definitely be awesome if you could make it work.

The best part is the complete directions on how to build the LED table are available for free from Evil Mad Scientist Laboratories!  It still looks a little intimidating, but everything is intimidating until you actually try it.  You have to break a lot of eggs to make an omlette, and I imagine you have to fry a lot of circuits to make a light-up table.   

+1
Tweet
Share
Share
Pin
Shares 0

Musical Monday: Harder Better Faster Stronger

by Ron Hogan Leave a Comment

Today’s Musical Monday is inspiried by this post over at Engadget pointing out a place where you can make your own EL suit like the kind worn by Daft Punk on their 2007 tour.  The very fact that you can add glowing lights to your very own clothing at home thrills me to no end (and makes me want to try it, too!), but I don’t think my work could ever come close to the work of Janet Hansen, who did the Daft Punk suits, clothes for Kayne West, outfits for Incubus and Big And Rich, and the light-up antlers for the Rockettes, among many other things.  Check out her amazing work here for sports teams and music stars here.

If you remember the Musical Monday where I highlighted the new Weezer video with various Internet superstars, you’ll remember the Daft Bodies girls.  I’d never seen this one until I looked them up after catching the video, but I watched it and was amazed at just how fast and good the girls were able to get their routine down.  It’s really impressive, so check it out.

I barely have enough coordination to type and not fall out of my chair.  I could never do something that impressive, especially not with a box on my head!

+1
Tweet
Share
Share
Pin
Shares 0

Celebrate St. Patrick's Day With Potato Power!

by Ron Hogan Leave a Comment

Happy St. Patrick’s Day! Celebrate wisely, don’t drink and drive, and be sure to tip your waitresses!

+1
Tweet
Share
Share
Pin
Shares 0

Happy Holidays From Shaktronics

by Ron Hogan Leave a Comment

I don’t know about you guys, but I think I have a project for next Christmas.  The hard/fun part is drinking 1050 bottles of beer!

+1
Tweet
Share
Share
Pin
Shares 0

DIY Wrapping

by Sarah C. Leave a Comment

Office_wrapped_paperpreview1Can you believe these presents are wrapped with grocery bags? They’re gorgeous. And green. The decoration is made from stickers you can get an any office supply store.

Get the DIY low-down at Casasugar.

+1
Tweet
Share
Share
Pin
Shares 0

Drive Somone Nuts Through The Magic Of Ebay And Snail Mail

by badbadivy Leave a Comment

PostcardsThis is the perfect marriage of the digital age and old school. There’s a person on eBay selling, well, I’ll let them tell you:

You are bidding on a
rare chance to traumatize a treasured friend or relative with baffling,
mind-numbing, mystery correspondence from abroad.

Here is the arrangement:

I
will be spending the Christmas holiday in Poland in a tiny village that
has one church with no bell because angry Germans stole it. Aside from
vodka, there is not a lot for me to do.

During the course of my holiday I will send three postcards to one person of your choosing.

These postcards will be rant-ravingly insane, yet they will be peppered with unmistakable personal details about the addressee. Details you will provide me.

The postcards will not be coherently signed, leaving your mark confused, guessing wildly, crying out in anguish.

“How do I know this person? And how does he know I had a ferret named Goliath?”

Your
beloved friend or relative will try in vain to figure out who it is.
Best of all, it can’t possibly be you because you’ll have the perfect
alibi: you’re not in Poland. You’re home, wherever that is, doing
whatever it is you do when not driving your friends loopy with
international prankery.

Your target will rack their brains in the shower. At dinner. During long drives. At work. On the golf course.

“Who did I tell about the time I got fired by a note on my chair?” they’ll ponder,  “And where the hell is Szczeczinek?”


Ah, if only I had the address of my arch-nemesis. That’s, I guess, where the digital age fails me. I mean, how do you google the address of someone named Serr8d*?

*just kidding, Serr.

HT: The beautiful, brilliant Jag

+1
Tweet
Share
Share
Pin
Shares 0

Featured Squidoo Lens: Box It!

by KellyBax Baxter Leave a Comment

Create You Squidoo Lens On A Shak Subject And You Could Be Featured On Shakadoo! Once you have built your lens, submit it to the group HERE.

Box It! by EditorDave

The Shoe Box, Cigar Box, Hat Box, Jewelry Box, Bento Box, Lunch Box, BOX!

The box.  The best ones have a lid. You can close them and open them. You can stash your stuff in them! 

Kids love boxes. Whether they are the big refrigerator boxes that they can make-believe are a spaceship or a castle or a giant dollhouse, or the tiny single-ring-sized boxes for tiny treasures.

You can probably tell that I like boxes, too!

When I was a kid, I’d use old shoe  boxes to stash my "treasures"–the assorted rocks, seashells, MatchBox Cars, foreign coins, assorted change, and so on. 

My grandpa once gave me an old cigar box. What was neat about this box was that it was more sturdy than my shoe boxes and the lid was attached with a cool hinge that allowed the lid to close flush with the top of the box.

I plastered the box with stickers from our travels and started keeping small souvenirs (sometimes other stickers) in the box.

My grandma would sometimes send us cookies and other goodies during holiday season. She’s put these goodies in metal tins with seemingly airtight lids.  When my family was finished with eating all the goodies in the tins, my sister and I would inherit the tins. 

Again, these made fine storage for all the sea shells, pretty rocks, driftwood, and other treasures we’d find on our hikes to school and around our area.

To learn everything you ever wanted to know about decorative and fun uses for boxes, visit the entire lens by clicking: Box It!

+1
Tweet
Share
Share
Pin
Shares 0

How Big Should Your Christmas Tree Be?

by badbadivy 1 Comment

December06_204The old joke about buying a Christmas tree that’s too tall for your house is one that has been played out in my own family. How do you know how big a Christmas tree you need? CasaSugar has the answer.

+1
Tweet
Share
Share
Pin
Shares 0

Featured Squidoo Lens: Fun Firehouse Furniture for Kids

by KellyBax Baxter Leave a Comment

Create You Squidoo Lens On A Shak Subject And You Could Be Featured On Shakadoo! Once you have built your lens, submit it to the group HERE.

Fun Firehouse Furniture for Kids by Lights



For the Future Firefighter

Furniture for kids can be both practical and fun and we have some great furniture ideas that can also be a great gift for the future firefighters on your holiday list.

For every future fireman the Firefighters Collection promises hours of fun. The rocking chair, the hydrant revolving bookcase plus the table with two stools, the fire station toy box bench, the firefighters hanging rack, and the firefighters growth chart/clothes stand round out this great collection from American Christian Gift.

From the Firefighters Collection

This brightly painted firestation has a working bell and ladder design arms. Slow-closing metal safety hinge. Large sliding door so fire trucks and other vehicles can "drive" right up the ramp and into the fire station!

Revolving Fire Hydrant Bookcase

This clever revolving fire hydrant bookcase is a great choice for rooms with limited wall space. Holds lots of books at 37 in. tall and is 13 in. L x 13 in W.

Firefighters Table with Two Stools

The Firefighers table and two stolls comes with a Firehouse storage box with working bell Includes two toy 3-dimensional city buildings (stored in the firehouse) for hours of hands-on fun!

Hanging Rack

Ladder design with mini firetruck on the top Three pegs for hanging clothing, hats and other fun stuff! Features two 4 in. x 6 in. corkboards, two 4 in. x 6 in. blackboards and one 5 in. x 7 in. photo frame to make it his own!

Firefighers Growth Chart/Clothes Rack

Three pegs help keep the firefighter’s "uniform" off the floor. 54 in. measuring stick stand with real bell and movable firefighter that helps the little hero see how much he’s grown

To learn everything you ever wanted to know about firehouse furniture, visit the entire lens by clicking: Fun Firehouse Furniture for Kids

+1
Tweet
Share
Share
Pin
Shares 0

Featured Squidoo Lens: Mousepad Mania!

by KellyBax Baxter Leave a Comment

Create You Squidoo Lens On A Shak Subject And You Could Be Featured On Shakadoo! Once you have built your lens, submit it to the group HERE.

Mousepad Mania! by EditorDave

Is Your Mouse…… ????

Sluggish?

Jumpy?

Uncooperative?

It might be because you have a dirty mouse ball!

No… I’m not talking about rodents here (although I might go with a different Squidoo lens on that subject later<grin>).

What I’m talking about is that computer accessory that usually resides next to your computer.

What I’m saying is that perhaps it’s time to clean your mouseball.  Yup, dirty mouseballs can cause all sorts of problems when trying to move the cursor accurately on the screen!

So, this Squidoo lens is an attempt to help you to improve your onscreen experience. This Squidoo lens will not only provide instruction for do-it-yourself mouseball cleaning, but it will also provide ways to give your mouse traction so that the mouseball can do its job! 

How do you provide traction to mouseballs?  With a proper mousepad, that’s how!

You not only want a mousepad that will be functional from a traction perspective, but also something that can provide atmosphere for more comfortable mousing.

Oh, and for "proper use of a mouse", I’ve recently added a new video that provides instruction at the end of this Squidoo lens.  Just scroll down and watch the video there.  Be sure to leave a comment on how you use your mousies.

Also, if you like this Squidoo lens, be sure to share it or email it to your friends!

If Your Mouse Is Uncooperative, Jumpy, or Sluggish…. Here’s How to Check It

Nothing worse than dirty mouseballs!

Gently hold your mouse upside down in your hand.

Using your other hand, slowly twist the circular washer-shaped cap over the mouseball to release it from the mouse-frame.

Place this cap on your desk.

Turn the mouse over briefly to release the mouseball.

This mouseball may be dirty–So take a look at it to see if it is covered with dust, fuzz, or goo. It’s pretty bad when you have dusty, fuzzy, gooey mouseballs! No wonder your mouse is jumpy, uncooperative, or sluggish.

Wash the ball in tap water, then dry it thoroughly with a clean lint-free towel.

Now that the mouseball is clean, check the inside rollers of the mouse housing.

You should see some rollers inside the cavity under the mouse. These rollers are what transfer the mouseball movements to the computer screen.

You may see gunk (technical writing term for dust, fuzz, and goo) wrapped around the rollers and perhaps clogging them up (another technical writing term!).

With a moist (I said "moist", not dripping wet!) cloth (similar to a lint-free T-shirt or the like), gently wipe the gunk off the rollers. You’ll be amazed at the accumulated stuff on them.

When you believe you’ve gotten all the gunk off the rollers. Let them dry a bit (you can help them along with a dry cloth–again, lint-free).

Then, replace the mouseball, and reseal the cap over the cavity.

Your mouseball should move freely now. You are free to mouse around the country!

Of course, for maximum mouse movement (cursor movement, that is), you need to give your mouse a decent pad–a place to reside. A place that provides traction for your mouse. A mouse pad!

You can find a wide selection here. You can upgrade your mouse’s abode… with one or more of the goodies presented here.

Hey, why not have a different mousepad for each day of the week? Or… for real variety, a different mousepad for each day of the month!

Let’s go really wild… mousepad collectables–one for each day of the year!

To learn everything you ever wanted to know about keeping your mouse responsive, visit the entire lens by clicking: Mousepad Mania!

+1
Tweet
Share
Share
Pin
Shares 0
« Previous Page
Next Page »

Subscribe to the Shak

Copyright © 2023 · Shak Media · All Rights Reserved