Weather App Notifications

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Someone from Cydia should make a tweak to the weather app on the iPhone that notifies the user when a certain temp. or forecast is reached. This would be great for gardeners and homeowners concerned with covering their plants when it gets too cold. I'm sure there's other uses.. Like, I don't want to go outside until it's at least 65 degrees so I can be notified me when the Earth has been preheated to my liking.

Salt Mats for Snow Covered Walkways

002/365 courtesy of Mike and Bryan

Ever walk on a walkway in the winter that wasn't treated with salt or cleared off with a shovel? Ever been the one that just didn't want to go outside and shovel that walkway yourself? Check out this fix. I call them Salt Mats.

First, you need to understand that salt is not the cause for crumbling concrete in the winter. This is a myth. Its the repetitive freezing and thawing that crumbles concrete. Throwing salt on concrete crumbles it for this reason:

The salt gets wet. It dilutes. It washes away. And the concrete freezes again. And have you ever seen what happens when you pour water onto concrete? It soaks into it. So get your concrete wet. Freeze it. Thaw it. Freeze it. Thaw it. Its going to crumble.

So the whole idea is this, you need to keep the snow on the walkway melted at all times.

So how do we do this.

Salt Mats come in a roll. The roll is basically a three dimensional grid. To envision what I'm describing, think of those commercial rubber mats that lunch ladies stand on top of so they don't go home with aching backs. They're easily rolled up and they have holes that go the entire way through. Alright, you're on track to getting this idea.

Now imagine it rolled up and not too wide. Place that rolled mat at the end of your walkway and unroll it the full length. You may need more than one roll; it all depends on the length of your walkway.

Great. Now I have a lunch lady mat rolled out on my walkway. What the hell is this going to do for me?

Go buy some salt. Lots of salt. You might even want to get a load delivered from a local snow removal company. Now start shoveling. Fill the mat to the top of the holes with salt (the entire mat). And let it snow!

As the snow hits the Salt Mat it will melt. For a while it will stay hard. I'm sure you've all stepped on or driven over a large deposit of salt on a road or a parking lot. As it devolves though, you'll basically get a puddle of brine (salt water) in each hole in the Salt Mat. But guess what? No wet shoes here! You're not walking in the slush; you're walking on top of the mat. Its basically a bridge on top of the slush.

Stop shoveling your walkways today and get yourself a Salt Mat!

PS we're not responsible for dead grass around the walkway, dead fish down stream, or environmentalists pounding on your door.

cellPIG.com OINK!

Fully Functional Waterproof Backpack

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My job requires me to be outside in any weather condition. I have a backpack I carry with me that hold my tools and other necessities including rain gear. I bought a dry sack last year to put over my bag but it is a bit inconvenient when I need something from inside my bag. Usually in that situation I need whatever I'm looking for in a hurry. I have to unroll the dry bag, take my backpack out, find the item then close everything back up.

So when I was in REI yesterday I asked the employee if there was a backpack that was full waterproof. He showed me to the dry bags section. I explained to him my situation and he, being an avid backpacker, explained that a fully functional waterproof bag would not fit the needs of someone worried about every ounce. But I'm sure there a many people like myself need that require functionality over practicality.

A waterproof bookbag could be built just the same as a waterproof jacket. Gortex body, hyrolocking zippers, welded seams and ventilation. The would allow functional operation while in all climates and conditions without the use of a outer bag.