http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap120526.html

At the Edge of NGC 891

http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap120525.html

Scorpius in Red and Blue

http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/CoolTools/~3/XEQX2Tm9RC8/006213.php

http://www.kk.org/cooltools/archives/006213.php

I have used several borrowed models of both electric and gas powered trimmers. The electric plug-in Stihl FSE 60 is my favorite by far. It is quiet and strong. The only concern is that when used continuously for half an hour or more, it gets very hot. I find that it is better to use it in shorter intervals.

It works better than other models and is easier to clean. While I have to wear earplugs when using it, it is far from the teeth-shaking monstrosities that disturb the neighborhood. I couldn't see going to a gas powered trimmer unless I were very far away from an electric outlet. It is a bit more expensive than big box electric trimmers, but way better. The only reason to buy something like a Black & Decker or McCullough electric model is if you were only going to do a few light jobs one season and never use the thing again.

I was surprised that this dealer distributed model was so much better than the big-box online-marketed alternatives. In value, it's one of my best tool purchases ever.

-- Bill Owens

I initially bought my Stihl FSE-60 reading a review at Consumer Search. The Stihl FSE-60 is not available at big boxes. They are only available at stores who function as local Stihl dealers. Presumably, this makes customer service a more personal experience and does a positive service to those smaller hardware stores trying to survive the big box onslaught. In any case, I bought mine a year ago in Kearny, NJ.

The balance is a bit weird. In your hands it has a bias to the rear, which is helpful, but necessary because it is powerful. VERY powerful. It uses a two-string configuration, and it's a bump-feed. I found it to be efficient and effective. I may have only bumped it twice during a day's use, whereas the Black and Decker it replaced was more bump than trim. It's heavy, but not so heavy as to make it a terrible chore. It's solid and quiet for a trimmer. Cleaning is easy after use as well. I suppose in comparison to the old B&D I had it's superior, but I don't do enough yard work to say definitively that it's the best. I like it a lot, and I'm glad I bought it from a local dealer.

-- Christopher Wanko

Stihl FSE 60 Electric Trimmer
$130

Available from and manufactured by Stihl

http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap120524.html

How much of

http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/rooreynolds/whatsnext/~3/zy8N-oyG0JI/

http://rooreynolds.com/?p=2686

For the past month or so, I’ve been trying to make at least one thing every week. This week, while digging through my list of someday/maybe projects, I was delighted to find this little beauty: “website idea: a collection of things riding on other things. Videos of kittens riding on tortoises, etc”.

I had originally been expecting to build a whole thing from scratch; a gallery, a submissions engine, the lot. Crazy. Tumblr is custom built for things like this. So, may I humbly present Things Riding on Things, ‘a comprehensive collection’.

A consistent tagging structure was required, so I’ve gone for a simple system where all entries are tagged with rider, ridee and rider:ridee. Therefore, if you want to find entries in which a monkey is riding on a deer, you need thingsridingonthings.tumblr.com/tagged/monkey:deer. Easy.

Building further on that, I hacked together a quick script to generate a matrix of all the things riding on all the other things, to help visualise the various relationships between rider and ridee.

Contributions are already coming in thick and fast. Feel free to suggest your own.

http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/CoolTools/~3/adkGmgncC-U/006212.php

http://www.kk.org/cooltools/archives/006212.php

I've always wanted a small pen to keep with me at all times for quick notes and such. I've even considered taking a hacksaw to the venerable Bic ballpoint pen to keep in my wallet. One of the things that kept me from doing that was worrying about it exploding and flooding my pocket with ink.

Fortunately, Zebra has come up with a far more elegant and affordable solution with the Telescopic and F-301 Compact pens. Both feature a metal body made popular in their other pens. The telescopic pen body extends to a regular pen length when full telescoped, and exposes the tip, ready to write. Retracting the pen body for stowage fully retracts the tip safely into the body, like a frightened turtle. It fits neatly in the fold of my tri-fold wallet. I found them at my local OfficeMax for about $5. So far, it's survived some gnarly crashes during snowboarding trips, and being sat on daily with out a single dent.

--K. Rhainos

The Zebra Compact closes to a small size and has a clip for shirt pockets. I have used this pen for a couple of years. In the past I've used the previously reviewed Fisher Space Pen but they are expensive and easy to lose because they are so smooth. This pen is cheap and even cheaper when you can find them at Walmart. Not only that but the refills are cheap, too!

--Chris Acree

Zebra F-301 Compact Pen
$6 for two pack
Available from Amazon

Zebra Telescopic Ballpoint Pen
$5
Available from Amazon

Manufactured by Zebra Pens

http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/rooreynolds/whatsnext/~3/WZzBGvyRnLk/

http://rooreynolds.com/?p=2683

I made a video.

Would The Voice UK judges have turned around for themselves?

http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap120523.html

This fire-breathing Dragon can fly.

http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/CoolTools/~3/T1QOPLNCmSA/006170.php

http://www.kk.org/cooltools/archives/006170.php

Where I live, decent public libraries with connections to the software service Overdrive allow surprisingly easy checkout of "library books" wirelessly to your Kindle. The Overdrive system provides libraries with both audiobook downloads and eBooks. I find, like most, that reading or listening to these books on a computer is untenable, but transferring audiobooks to my Sansa Clip player is as easy as pie.

For the (increasingly) large selection of books with Kindle versions, it's very easy to get free content to show up via Amazon's Whispernet. Nothing fiddly about it, no cables either. And for the earlier cool tool of "User Manual First", Kindles are a pretty good place to keep these PDF files. Either transfer via cable (easy) or use your Kindle's email address which allow your docs to show up via Whispernet.

Finally, if you sign up for Amazon Prime service, you not only get free shipping on your purchases, you also get access to the "Kindle Owner's Library" - more books without fees. And if your Kindle is a Fire (or you don't mind watching on a PC), you also get access to lots of streaming video (my wife is re-enjoying Ally McBeal (and I'm enjoying not being exposed to it, too)).

Anyway, go to your library's website and look for Overdrive services. Another convergence of several cool tools that merge to form a new level of cool tool.

-- Wayne Ruffner

The ubiquity of ereaders like the Kindle, Nook and iPad has driven a surge in ebook availability. Retailers like Amazon and Barnes and Noble have the lock on bestsellers and the like, but a flourishing underground market for free and cheap ebooks has become a boon for readers.

The best established source for free ebooks is Project Gutenberg whose archives contain over 36,000 ebooks that represent nearly every out-of-copyright classic piece of literature along with a vast archive of obscure but pleasurable reads. The quality of digitization is excellent, and the site's vibrant community ensures that any errors are quickly fixed. They also offer the ebooks in a variety of formats (ePub, mobi, html), including some as downloadable audiobooks.

With more and more libraries getting into the game of lending ebooks, the software company Overdrive (that Wayne mentioned) has been leading the way. Libraries contract out their ebook libraries to OverDrive who make them available for a limited loan period (via a proprietary DRM from Adobe) through their software that is available on most operating systems including iOS and Android. Once you have the application, simply add your local or state library system (some are better stocked than others) and Overdrive allows you to browse the ebooks that they have available to check out. Everything's automated so there are no late fees, and often times you can get best sellers without waiting (or, if they're "checked out" you can reserve them and when they become available they are automatically downloaded).

ManyBooks.net is the friendliest index of free ebooks of the bunch. It will search Project Gutenberg's archives, as well as troll through numerous other archives. They also provide recommendations and reviews (which is incredibly useful given the sheer number of available titles).

Outside of strictly free sources, InkMesh is the best search engine I have found for identifying if an author or a book is available in ebook form, whether it is free, where I can download it, and in what format. They have also collated a comprehensive list of free ebooks available for a variety of platforms.

Two more sources for the ebook crazy are the blogs Pixel of Ink and Books on the Knob which highlight attractive deals for the Kindle.

Finally, to manage this inundation of ebooks I heartily recommend the previously reviewed Calibre. If you have other recommended sources for eBooks and the like, feel free to leave a note in the comments and I'll make sure to update this page.

-- Oliver Hulland

Overdrive
Free

Amazon Prime
$79/year (or $39/year for students)

Project Gutenberg
Free

ManyBooks.net
Free

InkMesh
Free

Pixel of Ink
Free

http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap120522.html

It was a typical Texas sunset except that most of the Sun was missing.