A Homegrown Revolution manifesto by way of a short (true) story.

...you, I was staring at you.” Robert Hurst, in his excellent book The Art of Urban Cycling covers this very problem. Fixed gears, high traffic speeds, poorly designed bike lanes, inattentive motorists, and voyeurism make an especially dangerous cocktail. Stay alert out there folks and read Hurst’s book (read an interview with Hurst here). 7. Karma The hipsters jumped back on their bikes leaving Homegrown Revolution, the two women, and the security g...

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A ceramic oil lamp

...much, I made a little seashell oil lamp the very first project in our book Making It. As a child of the electric age it continuously amazes me that I can make light so easily with cooking oil. Also, in reproducing these lights, I feel a connection to history. I’ve no doubt that my ancestors gathered around fish oil lamps in the north and olive oil lamps in the south. To add to their charms, they aren’t based on petroleum–as paraffin tea candles ar...

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My Brand New Homebrew Soda Carbonator

...husband award this Valentine’s Day. He surprised me with my very own soda making machine. This is not a SodaStream–it’s better. It’s an industrial strength CO2 tank topped with sturdy dials and valves and whatnot, all sourced from the local homebrew shop. He’s going to do a how-to post soon (tomorrow maybe?) on how to put together the parts, and how to use it. So hold on for those details! Right now, I’m just going to gush. I’ve been wanting some...

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We heal together

...n with our more usual practical DIY postings, garden rants and pictures of cats. Right now I can say was enormously touched by the things you all shared. I did not answer the comments individually. I didn’t want to turn the conversation in any particular direction–I wanted to leave the comment board as a blank slate. But as I read, I was saying, “Yes, yes” — yes to all of you, actually. Because my thoughts encompass all the thoughts I read, even i...

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Saturday Tweets: Too Many Tweets!

...it’s not an Uber or a self-driving car… it’s the bus! Our latest episode, “Making the Bus Sexy Again,” is here. https://t.co/Qn6WT81cQU pic.twitter.com/xxdXriepKI — The War on Cars (@TheWarOnCars) March 7, 2019 I quit as a math teacher in the public schools in America when I realized I had to choose between doing the BS to prove I was doing my job, or actually doing my job. Complying with the BS made real teaching impossible. My wife's last da...

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