Is the Urban Homesteading Trend Over?

...en free” searches And another digression–it looks like we may have reached peak “gluten free.” I’ve often joked that when the economy picked up Kelly and I would have to write a book called How to Shop Your Way to Happiness, but that’s pretty much the story the culture at large is always telling, particularly at this time of year. Root Simple is going to, defiantly, keep covering these topics because we believe that the DIY ethos is important in b...

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Weekend Linkages: Omicron, Belgian Houses and Farts in Jars

Spotted in San Francisco: some strange brickwork. Omicron could peak in U.S. fairly soon. Maybe. 30 Belgian Houses That Are So Bad, They’re Good The Getty’s Gift to Locked Down Los Angeles: 71,139 Ed Ruscha Vintage Streetscape Photos Digitized Column: He’s L.A. food royalty. He began with a taco cart. Let street vendors thrive TikTok Star Who Sells Her Farts in Jars Starts Selling Fart NFTs A Night at the Church of Salt Bae, America’s Newest Cele...

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How to Avoid “Avocado Hand”

...tip of my index finger My mind is slowly creating a link From your mouth speaks your lovely voice The softest words ever spoken “What’s broken can always be fixed What’s fixed will always be broken” You put your arms around me You put your arms around me You put your arms around me You put your arms around I must have passed out on the porch Dreamt I was carried in a kangaroo’s pouch When I wake up, I’m in the waiting room On a dirty hospital cou...

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What is a Swarm of Bees and What Should I Do About It?

...neybees in a Mediterranean climate such as Los Angeles. Speaking of which, peak swarm season begins earlier here than in colder places and swarms can happen anytime of the year including our “winter.” Image: Wikipedia. Basic Swarm Biology Swarms are the way honeybee colonies reproduce. As with all matters related to the biology of the honeybee, it’s easier to think of a colony as a single super-organism rather than thousands of individuals. Swarmi...

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Stellarium: A Handy Desktop Planetarium

...ous time to view a meteor shower (like the Persead shower that reached its peak last week). You’ll want to pick a time when the moon is not up. Or let’s say you want to have some friends over for some planetary viewing and a glass of bourbon (as happened last night at the Root Simple compound). In that case you might want to pick a time when you can also take a look at the moon. In the pre-personal computer era I used to use a planisphere. I still...

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