How to Memorize Numbers

ers have a similar sound. 1 d, t d & t have one downstroke and sound similar (some variant systems include “th”) 2 n n has two downstrokes 3 m M has three downstrokes and looks like a “3″ on its side 4 r last letter of four, also 4 and R are almost mirror images of each other 5 l L is the Roman Numeral for 50 6 j, sh, soft “ch”, dg, zh, soft “g” a script j has a lower loop / g is al...

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The Art of Memory

bards of the past who could recite thousands of lines of poetry, or the Greek rhetoricians who could speak for hours at a time without notes? Thankfully the basics of the lost art of memory can be mastered in an evening. And  it’s all in a short section of a 2,100 year old document called the Rhetorica ad Herennium. Here’s the memory trick the ad Herennium describes in two easy steps. Step one. Say, for example, you want to memorize...

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Hay Hooks–The New Hipster Accessory?

With so many city chickens I predict that hay hooks will become just as indispensable to the urban hipster as is the fixed gear bicycle. After years of hauling staw bales up the 30 steps to our house (to use as bedding for the chickens) I just broke down and bought a pair. A vaquero at the feed store intervened with a neat tip when he saw me struggling to use my new hay hooks to load some bales into a friend’s truck. Here’s what he...

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Your Opinions Please

So what does seafood, terrible graphic design and urban homesteading have in common? Absolutely nothing, but we got your attention which we will now direct to the poll we are conducting on the right. Please take a moment to render your opinion, so that we can better serve you with a delicately balanced nori roll of information and helpful tips. Please note that you can vote for more than one topic....

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Saturday Linkages: Sedum Stumps, Chicken Steadycams and the End of the World

ist http://econ.st/KAOPVc Cornstalks Everywhere But Nothing Else, Not Even A Bee http://n.pr/Rlasks Why Phoenix is becoming more like Minneapolis: http://nyti.ms/V3Nwlo Central Valley residents tired of receiving L.A.’s urban waste – Los Angeles Times http://www.latimes.com/la-me-central-valley-20121126,0,3069632.story … For these links and more, follow Root Simple on Twitter: Follow @rootsimple...

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Raccoon Proof Chicken Coop

I could see feathers flying everywhere. I opened the coop and shouted at the raccoon to get out. Somehow, we got up there in time, because there was no visible carnage. One chicken lost a lot of feathers trying to escape, so it did look like quite a horrific mess. While my housemate held a flashlight, I picked up the frightened hens two by two and put them inside the house in my bathroom. But I couldn’t find Joan, one of my silkie bantams....

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Sandwiched!

Homegrown Revolution began guest blogging this week on the engaging new consciousness shiftin’ nexus known as Reality Sandwich. We’ll be posting there at least once every two weeks. Check out our first post, an urban homesteading manifesto, just above Jamye Waxman’s missive, “Celebrating Sacred Sex Communities” (No doubt Waxman will probably win in the hit count). As harangues are currently running low in our on-...

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Growing Home: Agriculture in the City

We’re pleased as punch to have been invited to participate in this fantastic symposium hosted by the Huntington Library & Gardens in Pasadena.  It’s a full day of presentations, tours and practical breakout sessions. We’re generally slow to open the wallet for events, but we’d gladly pay the $25 admission for this one.  Check out the line up below! Homegrown Neighbor will be there (Full Circle), as well as Tara of S...

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A Recipe for Injera

aking powder will provide leavening but leave the dough sour. Again, we recommend adding some baking soda. 5. Stir well and let sit for a few minutes after adding baking soda or powder. 6. Heat up a pan and and lightly coat it with oil. 7. Spread the batter thinly in the pan and cook on one side only. Cover the pan and cook the injera over medium heat. Injera works as both bread and utensil and the batch we made tasted better than what we2...

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