108 Artist/Maker Federico Tobon

August 23, 2017

Animals, Cats, Design, Podcasts, Preparedness, Tools

...and chisel. Scary kickback video. Budget bandsaw repair. DIY belt sander. Making your own bandsaw. Sewing a big bag for bees. Cool Tools knot tying card. Clicker Training for Cats by Karen Pryer. You can follow Federico’s work at WolfcatWorkshop and he’s @wolfcatworkshop on Instagram. Make sure to sign up for his newsletter. If you want to leave a question for the Root Simple Podcast please call (213) 537-2591 or send an email to rootsimple@gmail...

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Chris Burden’s Small Skyscraper

Mr. Homegrown

November 1, 2017

Design

2 Comments

...n closed the loophole. Burden was probably best known for having himself shot and crucified in the name of performance art, but I remember him for making it impossible to build the backyard tower I’ve always wanted....

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How to Remove Bees From a Tree

Mr. Homegrown

November 13, 2017

Animals, Bees

3 Comments

...at the section with the bees can simply be relocated or if the hole is large enough to reach into, a cutout can be done. The bees that I took out of the tree back in June are doing well in my backyard: The 2×4 is my crude way of making the entrance smaller. When a hive is getting established a smaller entrance is easier to defend against other bee colonies in search of free honey. My new “tree bees” seem healthy and are already expanding into a se...

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Federico Tobon’s Kinetic Sculptures

Mr. Homegrown

November 22, 2017

Design

...ments never before published and several which have only recently come into use by Henry T. Brown. Follow the link for a website with all the movements (and even some that have been animated!). A tip of the mechanical hat to Federico for both the amazing sculptures and for making Facebook, Instagram and Twitter worth looking at again. As Federico says: My personal rules for social media, inspired by @michaelpollan and @rootsimple: “Post positive t...

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A Spidery Christmas

Mr. Homegrown

December 6, 2017

Animals, Thoughtstylings

3 Comments

...nka and, hearing this, a spider overnight spins its web all over the tree, making the spiderweb sparkle and glitter in the morning sunlight. This explains the tradition of tinsel on the Christmas tree. The various embellishments of the story depend upon the teller and the tale. Another version has the Holy Family hiding in a cave during their flight to Egypt. The benevolent spiders spin webs and cover the whole entrance to the cave. When Herod’s s...

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