Looking for the Union Label

...d a highly catchy ad jingle from the roller disco era, “Look for the Union Label” (youngsters can watch it on youtube here). We looked for the union label and we were surprised to find it via a company called Union House which carries a functional, if unexciting line of apparel. Unless hipsters take to golf shirts in an ironic fashion judo move, these offerings will never be cool like the domestically made clothes made by the union busting folks o...

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007 RIP Handsome, 3 Power Tools You Should Own and Hipster Compost

...mpted by a recent comment on the blog we review an old post on three power tools every urban homesteader should own: drill, circular saw and jigsaw. Lastly, we expand on a recent post about composting brew waste, coffee grounds, juice pulp and coconut husks. In other words, “hipster compost.” During the discussion we answer a reader concern about black solider flies in compost. For more info on soldier flies (they are beneficial in compost but can...

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Saturday Tweets: Figs, Cordless Tools and Dancing Sunflowers

Convert old cordless tools to Lithium power https://t.co/s5lS8Mzj5h — Root Simple (@rootsimple) August 13, 2016 Love the Fig https://t.co/sFTxWLgAoS via @newyorker — Root Simple (@rootsimple) August 12, 2016 This app aims to gamify biology and let amateurs discover new species. https://t.co/KidGZ0NRIo #STEM pic.twitter.com/r8ezFYqMeD — SRS @ UCSD (@SallyRideSci) August 13, 2016 Watch a sunflower dance in the sun: Now scientists know how it’s done...

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054 Digital Design Tools on the Homestead

Our topic this week is using digital design tools such as Sketchup to conceptualize and build simple projects around your house or apartment. Our guest is designer John Zapf, proprietor of Zapf Architectural Renderings and the genius behind our chicken run. During the podcast we discuss: Why you should draw up plans before you build something Architectural Graphics Standards Computer Numerically Controlled (CNC) technology John’s Cat Bed 7 (pictu...

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I Made an Enzo Mari Table and So Can You

...here) contains a suite of furniture that Mari describes as a “project for making easy-to-assemble furniture using rough boards and nails.” With just rudimentary tools, pretty much anyone could use his book to furnish their own house. John and I built the base of this table in a day and I added the top the next day. This is significantly faster than the fussy hardwood arts and crafts stuff I usually make, which can take months to complete just one...

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