Christmas Gift Ideas on a Budget

Toolbox Ideas

exercise your rights

when i arrived in arizona, a coworker and i started discussing off-roading in all of the beautiful remote places the state had to offer. my coworker told me i needed 4 things:

1. a good pair of sunglasses
2. tinted windows
3. a wide-brimmed hat
4. a gun

i’d never even handled or fired a gun until i came to arizona. the idea of getting one both scared me and intrigued me. i’m not a "conservative" or a "republican" as those terms are used nowadays, but i’ve always believed in gun rights from a theoretical standpoint. it has always shocked me when i hear stories of mass shootings. i always wonder, why didn’t any of those innocent bystanders have a gun? the answer isn’t always "because it’s illegal" (i.e. school campuses). most people have come to believe that it’s acceptable to outsource our personal security to the police. i respect and admire the police. i have friends and relatives who are police officers. but realistically, the job of the police is to get there as soon as they can, clean up the mess, maybe do a little detective work, and every now and then, catch a bad guy (or girl).

"when seconds count, the police are minutes away." –bumper sticker

living in the "blue states" for so long might have had something to do with my inexperience with guns. the more-democratic "blue" states on the coasts are much less gun-friendly than the more-republican "red" states in the middle. our country has an important history with guns, and that’s why it’s written right into the constitution that our right to own guns "shall not be infringed". what’s been happening over the past few decades, however, has been that gun rights have been infringed–er, "regulated"–more and more, bit by bit.

nevertheless, in many places out west, it’s still perfectly legal to carry a gun on your hip, with no special permits or anything. to me, an easterner, this seems like an overtly political act. all the employees at the gun store (who are also the teachers of my gun classes) carry guns on their hips (at least when they are at work). they tell stories of being harassed by law enforcement and confronted by concerned strangers. one of my teachers said that if he’s not allowed to carry a gun into an establishment, he stops visiting that establishment. places he’s been kicked out of include the local mall and the county fair. he says he hasn’t been to either in a decade. after hearing those stories, i realized that it is a very political act to carry a gun, especially openly, and i admire them for it.

the biggest hassle of carrying a gun is dealing with all the places you’re not allowed to. it’s absurd that a gun owner is not considered a threat outside the post office, but inside it she is (federal law). outside of lovin’ spoonfuls (a delicious vegetarian restaurant that happens to serve alcohol) she is not a threat, but inside she is (state law–even if she does not drink while in the establishment). there are so many surprising and difficult-to-abide-by gun laws that almost every gun owner inadvertently violates one or two of them occasionally. this is one reason why people often prefer to carry concealed. if you have no way to be sure you’re not violating a law without hiring a lawyer to follow you around everywhere, it’s easier to avoid scrutiny by concealing your weapon. this can be done legally here, with a permit acquired after a couple classes in safety, shooting, and the legal issues involved with gun owership and concealed-carry.

the problem with concealed-carry is that criminals are not deterred by the sight of a gun on your hip, so you may be mugged even though you’re carrying. then you have to decide what to do. that’s a tough decision to make, and it’s an even tougher one to execute properly if your plan involves actually pulling out your gun. usually, the best thing to do, carrying or not, is throw your money on the ground and run.

the advantage to concealed carry is you’ll be harassed less by people who don’t realize that guns are legal and safe when used correctly (or not used at all, which is usually the correct thing to do). it’s often the police themselves that don’t even realize it’s legal for regular citizens to carry guns on their hips, since it happens so rarely (especially in states where permits are required and nearly impossible to obtain). the best thing about concealed-carry is that it has the potential to reduce crimes committed against everyone, even those who aren’t carrying guns, since criminals cannot know who is and who isn’t carrying.

the next thing to rant a bit about is the drug war. i’ve never used or sold drugs and never will. nevertheless, i think the drug war is absurd. one of the most frightening aspects of it is that police have abandoned the "knock and announce" procedure they used to follow when serving warrants. nowadays, if you’re suspected of a drug crime, they will simply throw small bombs (flash-bang grenades, intended as a non-lethal distraction, but which occasionally permanently injure or kill) into your house and break in through windows and doors while shouting "police! search warrant!". of course, home invading criminals are quite capable of shouting "police" just as well as the police can. homes are entered this way because it is very easy to flush a large amount of drugs down a toilet in a small amount of time.

the problem with this is, what if they have the wrong house? it happens fairly often. what if they’re acting on bad information? that also happens fairly often. these situations often lead to police officers being shot and the shooters being convicted of murder when the shooters only thought they were defending their homes against invading criminals.

what a mess.

another thing i’ve come to understand is why "gun nuts" stockpile guns and ammunition.

in researching all of these arcane gun laws, i’ve discovered that one trick that is often used by gun-fearing legislators is to "chip away" at gun rights rather than take them away altogether. they will outlaw some kind of gun, but only if you don’t own a gun like that already. this angers gun owners and pro-gun legislators, but since it doesn’t require people to turn in their existing guns to the police, it is seen as less of a draconian violation of rights. automatic weapons were outlawed in the 80s (i approve of this law, since i don’t think they are necessary for self-defense), but only if you didn’t own one already. in washington dc, handguns were outlawed in the home in the 70s, but if you already had one you were exempt. this pattern is repeated time and time again.

imagine yourself as a gun owner, wanting to preserve your rights. wouldn’t it make sense to buy as many guns and as much ammunition as you could? tomorrow they might outlaw revolvers or semiautomatics. perhaps they will outlaw guns of a certain caliber. perhaps they will outlaw hollow-point ammunition (it is more likely to kill, which of course makes it more useful for both crimes and self-defense). but you can rest assured that, if you own that stuff already, you’ll be exempt.

no, i’m not stockpiling guns or ammo. and no, i’m not turning into a gun nut. if i could wish every gun off the face of the earth, i would. but since guns exist, i believe that i should be able to have one in case i need it. i see it as a tool. i have no emotional attachment to the hammer in my toolbox, and i have no emotional attachment to my gun.

"better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it." –bumper sticker

my latest update to this post is that i’ve now moved back to the east coast. new york city, in fact. my gun rights have been taken away completely. let’s hope the pepper spray works.

Christmas Gift Ideas on a Budget

Most of us know that homemade gifts are the cheapest way to give something to someone and maybe even one of the most thoughtful, but nobody wants to show up Christmas morning with a bunch of handmade construction paper cards.  You want to give something meaningful and yet you do not want to be or seem cheap.  There are a varity of things that you can do even if crafts are not your forte. 

Burn a CD

Burning CDs is a great way to be thoughtful and still watch your budget.  This is a great way to give someone the music they like, or even introduce them to music that you like.  This is a cool gift for someone of almost any age and can be given by someone of any age.  If you burn someone the music they want you cant go wrong, and if you introduce them to something new they will appreciate it.  Everybody loves the possibilities that come with a burned CD of music they do not know.

Care packages

These can come in many shapes, sizes, and themes.  You put together a basket of something, a mixing bowl of cooking items, a tin of candy or fudge, a toolbox of tools.  This is basically buying a bunch of stocking stuffers with a common theme, and then putting them together and forming one gift.  This can be done for a very reasonable price.  Here are a few examples.  You can find great holiday deals on screwdrivers, wrenches, drillbits, flashlights, tape measurers, and pocket knives for a handyman gift.  You can buy very inexpensive bath salts, bubble baths, bath oil, bady wash, lotion, soap, and scrubbers for a bath basket.  You can also very inexpensively get some popcorn, chocolate pretzels, cookiedough bites, the pre-panned microwave brownies, and either a movie or two or a movie rental giftcard for a great night in basket.  The possibilities here are endless.  You can really set your own budget here.  You could spend or you could spend between and .  You can go to places like Walmart and Dollar Tree and make a great care package for a very good price, and you hand picking everything and putting it together makes it more meaningful. 

A Couple Crafty Ideas

If you are someone who is crafty and creative you can try making something from scratch.  Painting is a very thoughful gift.  It really does not have to be that hard or that time consuming.  You can simply paint some abstract shapes or let the paint run together using the colors of the person you give it to’s home.    You can put together a scrapbook page and frame it.  You can also put together some classy black and white photos for them and frame them.  These can be pictures of the person or people you give it to, pictures of their children, pictures of you or your family, or even just some great nature shots.  You choose which is the most approprioate.  You do not have to be a professional to take or find some great shots.  You can also make a great holiday wreath or even just a decorative wreath.  Just buy an inexpensive wreath of dried branches or greenery.  Then weave different florals or holiday prieces through it.  You can go to Hobby Lobby or Michaels to find an entire section dedicated to these kinds of projects.

Everybody Loves Food

This is an age old gift and you can not go wrong with it.  Here are some great ideas and wonderful thoughts for your budget.  You can bake some cookies and buy a nice platter to wrap them on and give to your loved ones.  You can melt some chocolate and start dipping.  Dip pretzels, dip cookies, dip strawberries, and anything else you can get your hands on.  Put together an arragement, put it in a tin with a ribbon, and there you go.  You can buy some various teas, coffes, or hot cocoas, and spoons.  The spoons can be plastic or pretty and unique, you decide.  Then dip the spoons in warm honey, melted chocolate (milk, dark, white, or flavored), carmel, butterscotch, or anything else you find appropriate depending upon the drink you choose.  Take the spoons, once cooled and dry, and then wrap them in celiphane and tie them with a ribbon.  Put the spoon or spoons together with the drink they go with and there you have a great gift.   

Giving gifts does not have to be a bad experience for your pocket book or your time.  These are just a few listed possibilities.  I hope all of you find what you are looking for, and have a great holiday season.  Good luck!    

A Voice of Their Own: A Toolbox of Ideas and Information for Non-Instructed Advocacy

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A Voice of Their Own: A Toolbox of Ideas and Information for Non-Instructed Advocacy

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Organizing Ideas

The Recruiting Conference Panel Session: Recruiting Trends 2012
Toolbox Ideas
(Chicago, IL – August 12, 2011) Jason Warner, the Principal at Recruiting Toolbox, will be heading the panel of industry leaders titled: Recruiting Trends 2012 at THE RECRUITING CONFERENCE 2011. Jason will be joining Yves Lermusi – CEO and Founder of …

Toolbox Ideas question by Ursus: Selling vintage tools and a toolbox?
I have a number of vintage tools and an old school metal toolbox (maybe 60 or 70 years old) that I want to get rid of. I’d like to sell them, but I don’t want to deal with shipping them through Ebay (too many of them and not enough time for that!).

So I’m looking for another way. Does anyone know if there are stores/clubs/associations/pawn shops, etc. that will buy them?

And for a fair price? I have no idea how much they are worth. Any way I can find out how much they would be worth? Thanks in advance!

Toolbox Ideas best answer:

Answer by Fyreaway
Try looking for similar tools on eBay to see what they’re selling for. Then post on craigslist.org to find a local buyer. You won’t have to deal with shipping and you get to list the stuff for free!

Toolbox Ideas

Roger

Recently I blogged about a new project that I am starting called portraits. The idea is that I will offer to anyone who asks me for money from now on in exchange for their portrait.

Earlier today I ran into Roger in Reno. Roger was sitting on the corner outside the El Dorado Hotel and asked me for some money to get something to eat. I told Roger about my portrait project and he agreed to pose.

Roger said that he lived up in the hills above Feather River. He said that he makes 12-15 a year mining for gold. He said the beautiful thing about gold was that you could spend it anywhere in the world. Gold is always good he said.

Roger said he also leads groups out fishing for trout for per person per day. He said that he knows where all the fishing spots are and can guarantee someone their 11 fish limit per day or they don’t have to pay.

Roger said that even though he was raised in the cities that he’s spent most of his life in the mountains. He said that if you give him a toolbox that he can fix anything in the world.

Roger said that he used to be in the military. I asked him if he’d served in Vietnam and he said no, that he’d worked on top secret spook type stuff in South America that he can’t talk about. He said that he the only reason why he did it was to help his dad pay off his mortgage.

Roger told me to be careful wandering around shooting in Reno. He said that it’s becoming a more and more dangerous place. Roger told me to avoid an area where a bunch of homeless people congregate and told me not to offer any of them for a portrait with a bunch of them around. He told me that there’s a reason why they have an armed security guard over there at the bus station.

I told Roger that I’d be careful and thanked him for his portrait and his story and he thanked me for the as well.

How do Create an Animated Image in Flash ?

Most of us know that homemade gifts are the cheapest way to give something to someone and maybe even one of the most thoughtful, but nobody wants to show up Christmas morning with a bunch of handmade construction paper cards.  You want to give something meaningful and yet you do not want to be or seem cheap.  There are a varity of things that you can do even if crafts are not your forte. 

Burn a CD

Burning CDs is a great way to be thoughtful and still watch your budget.  This is a great way to give someone the music they like, or even introduce them to music that you like.  This is a cool gift for someone of almost any age and can be given by someone of any age.  If you burn someone the music they want you cant go wrong, and if you introduce them to something new they will appreciate it.  Everybody loves the possibilities that come with a burned CD of music they do not know.

Care packages

These can come in many shapes, sizes, and themes.  You put together a basket of something, a mixing bowl of cooking items, a tin of candy or fudge, a toolbox of tools.  This is basically buying a bunch of stocking stuffers with a common theme, and then putting them together and forming one gift.  This can be done for a very reasonable price.  Here are a few examples.  You can find great holiday deals on screwdrivers, wrenches, drillbits, flashlights, tape measurers, and pocket knives for a handyman gift.  You can buy very inexpensive bath salts, bubble baths, bath oil, bady wash, lotion, soap, and scrubbers for a bath basket.  You can also very inexpensively get some popcorn, chocolate pretzels, cookiedough bites, the pre-panned microwave brownies, and either a movie or two or a movie rental giftcard for a great night in basket.  The possibilities here are endless.  You can really set your own budget here.  You could spend or you could spend between and .  You can go to places like Walmart and Dollar Tree and make a great care package for a very good price, and you hand picking everything and putting it together makes it more meaningful. 

A Couple Crafty Ideas

If you are someone who is crafty and creative you can try making something from scratch.  Painting is a very thoughful gift.  It really does not have to be that hard or that time consuming.  You can simply paint some abstract shapes or let the paint run together using the colors of the person you give it to’s home.    You can put together a scrapbook page and frame it.  You can also put together some classy black and white photos for them and frame them.  These can be pictures of the person or people you give it to, pictures of their children, pictures of you or your family, or even just some great nature shots.  You choose which is the most approprioate.  You do not have to be a professional to take or find some great shots.  You can also make a great holiday wreath or even just a decorative wreath.  Just buy an inexpensive wreath of dried branches or greenery.  Then weave different florals or holiday prieces through it.  You can go to Hobby Lobby or Michaels to find an entire section dedicated to these kinds of projects.

Everybody Loves Food

This is an age old gift and you can not go wrong with it.  Here are some great ideas and wonderful thoughts for your budget.  You can bake some cookies and buy a nice platter to wrap them on and give to your loved ones.  You can melt some chocolate and start dipping.  Dip pretzels, dip cookies, dip strawberries, and anything else you can get your hands on.  Put together an arragement, put it in a tin with a ribbon, and there you go.  You can buy some various teas, coffes, or hot cocoas, and spoons.  The spoons can be plastic or pretty and unique, you decide.  Then dip the spoons in warm honey, melted chocolate (milk, dark, white, or flavored), carmel, butterscotch, or anything else you find appropriate depending upon the drink you choose.  Take the spoons, once cooled and dry, and then wrap them in celiphane and tie them with a ribbon.  Put the spoon or spoons together with the drink they go with and there you have a great gift.   

Giving gifts does not have to be a bad experience for your pocket book or your time.  These are just a few listed possibilities.  I hope all of you find what you are looking for, and have a great holiday season.  Good luck!    

Flash’s Timeline allows you create smooth and smart animations that can be as simple or as complex as you would like them to be.

Creating a file

Let’s start by opening Flash CS3 and creating a new file. From the File menu, select the New option. In the dialog box that appears, select Type: Flash File ActionScript 3.0. Even though we won’t be using ActionScript at all in this example, let’s keep the file compatible with the most recent iteration.

Your layout should look like Figure A.

Figure A The default layout of the Flash CS3 workspace

Lots of animation tutorials get you started by having you animate a bouncing ball, but we’ll go a little farther than that. We’re going to animate a moon coming out from behind a planet, revolving around to the front, and then disappearing behind the planet — while increasing and decreasing in size as it comes toward and moves away from the camera on its orbit.

The orbiting idea came from a TechRepublic member who is trying to perform the same function using JavaScript. Can you describe how to accomplish this animation using JavaScript? Submit your answer using our new Blog Submission Tool.

Start by saving your file. It’s always a good idea to save your file as soon as you create it, because as you work and save every few minutes, a fast hit on [Ctrl]+[S] will be a habit that you’ll form quickly.

Let’s start by changing the color of the stage to black so that our planet and moon will be living in outer space instead of on a boring whiteboard.

Go to the bottom of the screen and in the Properties palette, click the Background color box and choose a black swatch. While you’re in the Properties palette, click in the field labeled Frame Rate and change the number from 12 to 24. Since most film animation displays 24 frames per second, this setting will look much more pleasing to the viewer. Refer to Figure B to see how these changes should appear.

Figure B Making the background of the Flash movie black and changing the Frame Rate to 24 frames per second (FPS)

Next, go to the Layers palette at the top of the screen. It’s tied directly to the Timeline window, so as you add layers to your file, you add layers to the working Timeline. Double-click the first layer and rename it “Planet.” Click the Insert Layer button again and rename the new layer you create “Moon.” Finally, click the Insert Layer button one more time and name the third layer “Mask.” Your Layers palette should resembleFigure C.

Figure C Creating the layers for the animation

Now let’s get drawing.

Start by selecting the layer named Planet in the Layers palette to ensure that the planet you’re about to draw is on the correct layer. Then, select the Oval tool from the Toolbox on the far left, and for the Fill color, choose a pleasant blue. Also, make sure that no Stroke option is selected; otherwise, when you draw the planet on the stage, it will have a line around it. Refer to Figure D if you are unfamiliar with the Toolbox.

Figure D Selecting the Oval tool with a blue fill and no stroke in the Toolbox

Go to the Black stage and while holding down the [Shift] key (to constrain our Oval tool into drawing a circle), click and drag to draw a circle on the stage that will represent our planet. Don’t draw the planet too large, or there will not be enough room to animate the moon in orbit.

Next, lock the Planet and Mask layers and select the Moon layer in the Layers palette.

This step is important!

The Timeline can animate only one object on a layer, and it will be much easier for you to create your animations if you keep all of your stage objects on separate layers.Figure E shows you how to lock a layer.

Figure E Locking the Planet and Mask layers and selecting the Moon layer

Now, go back to the Toolbox and select the Oval tool again. For the fill color, choose an orange-yellow hue. Then, go back to the stage and draw a smaller circle that will represent the moon. Your stage should look like Figure F.

Figure F The stage with the planet and moon in place

The planet and moon are on the stage, so it’s time to animate the moon. Flash can put an object in motion only if it exists as a Symbol. So before we can put the moon in orbit, we have to turn it into a Symbol.

Click on the moon to select it, then right-click on it to bring up a contextual menu. From that menu, choose Convert To Symbol. A dialog box will appear, as shown inFigure G. Give the Symbol a name of (you guessed it — Moon) and select the Movie Clip option. Click OK to return to the stage, where you’ll notice that the moon has a blue bounding box around it.

Figure G Converting the Moon object to a Symbol

Rather than painstakingly animating the moon in orbit by hand, you’re going to rely on Flash’s Motion Guides and keyframes to do all of the heavy lifting.

A Motion Guide is exactly what it sounds like: a line that will guide a symbol about the stage. Keyframes are specific frames in the Timeline in which you can change the position or properties of a symbol and have Flash animate the transitions between the frames.

Right-click on the Moon layer and from the contextual menu, select Add Motion Guide. Click on the Motion Guide layer to select it, as shown in Figure H.

Figure H Selecting the new Motion Guide layer for the Moon layer

The Motion Guide layer is where you will create your orbit path for the moon. Select the Oval tool from the Toolbox again, but this time, select a White stroke and no fill. Then, go back to the Stage and draw a narrow, horizontal oval around the center of the planet, as shown in Figure I.

Figure I Creating the Motion Guide for the moon’s orbit

Motion Guides work best when they have a beginning point and an end point, but right now our orbit is a closed circle. Choose the Selection tool from the Toolbox and click and drag to select a small segment of the orbit path near the top center. Press the [Backspace] key to delete it. Your Motion Guide should look like Figure J.

Figure J Breaking the oval to give the Motion Guide a beginning and ending point

Select the Moon Symbol and place it at the left-hand open end of the Motion Guide. It should snap into position via an anchor point in the center of the Moon Symbol. Then, choose the Free Transform tool from the Toolbox and reduce the size of the Moon Symbol to about half of its current size. Your stage should look like Figure K.

Figure K Reducing the size of the moon and placing it at the start of the Motion Guide

Here’s where keyframes come into play. Go up to the Timeline and click and place your mouse into the 48th frame at the top layer (the one labeled Mask). Click and drag straight down to the bottom layer to select the frame across all four layers. Then, right-click in the selection and from the pop-up menu, choose the Insert Keyframe. Your Timeline palette should look like Figure L.

Figure L Inserting keyframes at the end of the animation

Now, go back to the Stage and select the Moon symbol. Click and drag it to the opposite end of the Motion Guide, allowing it to snap into place, as shown in Figure M.

Figure M The Moon at the ending position of the animation

Here is where the magic happens. Go back to the Timeline and select Frame 1 of the Moon layer. Right-click the frame and choose Create Motion Tween. The Moon layer will turn blue, with an arrow leading from keyframe 1 to keyframe 48. If you press the [Enter] key, you will get a preview of the animation, as the moon revolves around the planet.

But our animation lacks depth. Let’s start by making the moon appear bigger as it revolves toward us. Use your mouse to select Frame 24 in the Moon layer and right-click on it. Select Insert Keyframe again, making your Timeline look like the example in Figure N.

Figure N Inserting a new Keyframe into the middle of the timeline

Now, select the moon on the stage and choose the Free Transform tool from the Toolbox again. This time, increase the size of the moon by about 100 percent (Figure O). Hit [Enter] again to preview the animation and see the moon increase and decrease in size as it moves to and from the camera.

Figure O Increasing the size of the moon at the new Keyframe

We’re almost there. All we need to do now is make it look as if the moon disappears behind the planet at the back of its orbit.

Lock the Moon layer and the Motion Guide layer and then unlock the Planet layer and the Mask layer. Select the planet and copy it to the Clipboard. Go back to the Timeline and just as you did before, select Frame 6 of the Mask layer and insert a Keyframe. Then, in the same layer, insert another Keyframe at Frame 43. Your Timeline should look like Figure P.

Figure P Inserting new Keyframes in the Mask layer

Select Frame 1 of the Timeline in the Mask layer. From the Edit menu, choose Paste In Place to drop a copy of the planet in the exact position as it exists on the Planet layer. Repeat this process at Keyframe 43 of the Mask layer. Finally, select Keyframe 48 of the Mask layer, right-click and then select Clear Keyframe to remove the empty Keyframe and extend the mask to the end of the movie.

Press [Ctrl]+[Enter] to test your movie. You’ll see that the Guide layer is not visible in the final SWF file.

That’s all there is to creating an animated 3-D effect with 2-D objects in Flash. Keep the Flash Timeline in mind the next time you need to quickly create a simple, attention-grabbing animation.

103 Group Activities & Treatment Ideas & Practical Strategies Therapeutic Toolbox [HC,2007]

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103 Group Activities & Treatment Ideas & Practical Strategies Therapeutic Toolbox [HC,2007]

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Country Home Decorating Ideas – Old Crate

Pirates of Black Cove Review – More ARRRGH! than Arrr
Toolbox Ideas
Both battle systems also give you the ability to instantly fully heal yourself by using either a toolbox or a mug of grog respectively, further lowering the degree of difficulty. It's like listening to a song with one note – I mentioned all the …

Toolbox Ideas question by shredsobad: What type of grease is used on snap on toolbox ball bearing drawer slides?
The original stuff is extremely thick and sticky which is what seems to make the drawers very quiet and smooth. I cleaned a couple slides and tried a couple different greases which were heavy duty bearing grease and a lithium grease but none seemed to make the drawers glide as smooth and quiet as the original grease. Anyone got any ideas?

Thanks

Toolbox Ideas best answer:

Answer by I taut I saw a puddy kat
vaseline