free stats
 
 
 
Copyright © How To Do!!!
Design by Dzignine
Monday, July 9, 2012

How to Make a Starship Enterprise out of a Floppy Disk



Make a Starship Enterprise out of a Floppy Disk
Don't know what to do with that box of floppy disks you have sitting in your desk? Floppy disks might be a thing of the past, but spaceships are a thing of the future. Here's how to recycle old floppies by building a fleet of Starship Enterprises.

EditSteps

  1. 1
    Find an old floppy disk. Make sure it has a metal shutter at the bottom, and that it does not contain any important information.

  2. 2
    Take apart the disk. Pull the metal shutter off the bottom, then pry the sides of the disk open. Pull out the center and peel off the magnetic film surrounding the metal center. Discard the non-metal pieces.

  3. 3
    Open the shutter. Use a pair of scissors to snip the thin tabs around the opening of the shutter. Cut them on the side of the opening that has more metal attached to it. Make the wider portion of the shutter horizontal by folding at 90 degree angles to just above the shutter opening.

  4. 4
    Create warp nacelles. Working with the same wide portion of the shutter, fold up a small portion of the ends (again at 90 degrees, but opposite the original folds) to form the warp nacelles.

    • For more realistic looking nacelles, place a No. 2 pencil on the edge of the dust cover and roll the metal around it instead of bending it at a 90 degree angle. This will create a tubular shaped nacelle. Slide the pencil out of the metal tube and repeat on the other side.
  5. 5
    Snip a place on the shuttle for the disk hub. Halfway through the narrow portion of the shutter, make a small snip to both sides. Don't cut all the way through. This will facilitate placement of the disk hub (the saucer section).

  6. 6
    Attach the disk to the shutter. Draw the narrow portion of the shutter through the hole in the disk, and rest the edge of the hole on the slits you just cut.

  7. 7
    Secure the hub. Fold the portions of the shutter protruding through the hole in the hub down and around the hub to secure.
  8. 8
    Use a large paperclip as a stand. Enjoy your starship and boldly go where no man has gone before!

EditVideo



EditTips

  • Warp 9!
     Warp 9!
    To give your Enterprise the genuine "floating" appearance, use the spring that held the shutter closed to fashion a nearly invisible stand that will amaze and confound your peers.
  • You can use colored sharpies to add markings to the nacelles and the saucer such as "NCC-1701", lights, and so on.

EditWarnings

  • The edges of the metal dust cover and disk hub are extremely sharp––be careful so as to avoid cuts.
  • You can only use the disks with metal sliders; plastic sliders won't work.

EditThings You'll Need

  • An old floppy disk with a sliding metal dust cover.
  • Scissors or sheet metal snips.

How to Make Tea Party Favors



Make Tea Party Favors
When you're holding a tea party, it's a thoughtful gesture to send home your guests with a few tea party favors that reflect the theme of tea and tea parties. There are lots of possibilities and this article provides a sample of some ideas for you to consider.

EditSteps

  1. 1
    Set a budget. It can be easy to overspend on favors simply out of generosity toward your guests but it's important to avoid this by setting a budget and thinking of value ways to save money. For example, you might buy packages or tins of things and divide them into smaller amounts using your own materials, to help make things go further. Obviously, the number of guests will also direct how much you can splurge on favors for them.
  2. 2
    Make a small teabag pack.
     Make a small teabag pack.
    Make a small teabag pack. Tea is an ideal thing to give for a tea party favor and it's easy to make pretty little teabag packs. Here are some suggestions:
    • Purchase plain teapot shaped teabag holders. These are quite cheap in kitchenware stores and the like. Add a teabag or two of your favorite flavor (or choose interesting flavors or choose according to the color of the teabag cover) to the top of the teabag holder. Wrap in clear cellophane and finish off with a ribbon.
    • Place a teapot shaped teabag holder onto a single cup tray. Place a teabag on top. Wrap flat with clear cellophane and finish with a ribbon.
  3. 3
    Make a teacup favor.
     Make a teacup favor.
    Make a teacup favor. Purchase a pretty teacup or mug. If you're having just a small group of very special friends over, splurge on a nice bone china cup or mug but if you're having a lot of people over, choose plain and cheery cheap versions or go eclectic and purchase used ones from the charity store that are still in excellent condition. Then, try one of these ideas:
    • Place a few interesting teabags inside the cup and wrap with cellophane. Tie together with a ribbon.
    • Make the same thing but add a teaspoon.
    • Grow a plant in a teacup and saucer. Choose fast growing items like cress or grass or buy miniature plants and add to the cup.
  4. 4
    Make tea test tubes.
     Make tea test tubes.
    Make tea test tubes. Purchase jars that look like test tubes with cork stoppers in the top. Make a set of three and fill each one with a different loose leaf tea. Label each one and wrap in clear cellophane. Complete by adding a bow or ribbon.
  5. 5
    Find miniature teapots.
     Find miniature teapots.
    Find miniature teapots. Choose between cute little sets like the one shown here or single, slightly larger ones. If they're large enough, fill each one with a teabag, then wrap in clear cellophane. Finish with a ribbon. Be aware that some of the miniature teapots can be very expensive, so watch the price!
  6. 6
    Make teapot crafts. If you're handy with crafts, there are lots of lovely things you can make, such as:
    • Sew a mug mat stuffed with aromatic spices.
       Sew a mug mat stuffed with aromatic spices.
      Sew a mug mat stuffed with aromatic spices. Sew a pocket on the top of the mug mat and insert the teabag.
    • Sew a small teabag holder pouch that can be toted anywhere. Look for fabrics with teapot designs on the fabric.
    • Make felt teacups.
       Make felt teacups.
      Make felt teacups.
    • Make green tea bath bombs. Wrap in clear cellophane and tie with ribbon.
    • Knit a mug warming holder.
    • Make pin cushion teacups.
       Make pin cushion teacups.
      Make pin cushion teacups.
    • Make candles in a teacup.
       Make candles in a teacup.
      Make candles in a teacup.
  7. 7
    Make cookies to put into favor bags.
     Make cookies to put into favor bags.
    Make cookies to put into favor bags. Make designs such as teapots, cups and teabags. Decorate with pretty designs and place into small clear cellophane bags and tie with ribbons.
    • If you enjoy cooking jam, little jars of jam make another nice food gift for tea party favors. If you add the jam to a box with teabags and a couple of cellophane wrapped scones, all the guest needs to do is make a cup of tea and they'll have an instant afternoon tea! Bake the scones fresh on the day of giving away this favor and only wrap in cellophane after they have cooled down properly.
  8. 8
    Find pretty packaging that can serve as a favor in its own right.
     Find pretty packaging that can serve as a favor in its own right.
    Look for little teapot and teacup items. Things such as charms, jewelery, figurines and small teapot sets can all be turned into little favors. Add to little bags or boxes and finish with a bow.
    • Look for teapot, teabag and teacup items already packaged in pretty arrangements that will work as tea party favors in their own right.
  9. 9
    Pretty tins are another choice for holding tea.
     Pretty tins are another choice for holding tea.
    Make pretty decorative boxes. Line with wax paper or parchment paper and fill with loose tea. Choose loose tea with pretty additions such as petals, etc. Tie together with ribbon and a bow.
  10. 10
    Make your own or buy ready-made tea themed tags.
     Make your own or buy ready-made tea themed tags.
    Add a gift tag or label for each tea party favor you've made. Gift tags shaped like teabags can look really cute.

EditTips

  • If you have the time, make a little recipe book filled with your favorite tea, cake and scone recipes. Print off in small font, and tie together with a little ribbon.

EditThings You'll Need

  • Bags, cellophane, etc. for wrapping items
  • Ribbons, string, raffia, etc. for tying, bows
  • Gift tags or labels
  • Markers
  • Tape

How to Be Emotionless



Be Emotionless
Experiencing emotions is natural for human beings, and they are a part of our makeup. Yet, no matter whether you're experiencing positive or negative emotions, if they affect you too deeply, sometimes emotions can fuel self-sabotaging behavior or render you incapable of any action. For this reason, it can be extremely useful in both professional and personal situations to learn to be without emotion when the situation warrants it.
Being emotionless involves actively responding to emotions by consciously changing your patterns of thought and behavior so you dissociate from the emotion and do not let it affect your psyche or actions. In fact, the moment you "think" about the emotion itself as opposed to letting yourself be swept off by feelings, you start to control the emotion again. The following steps will teach you how to be emotionless when the need arises.
Note: This article is not recommending that you seek to be emotionless all of the time. The methods outlined here are intended for those occasions where you feel that emotions threaten to overwhelm you and/or your performance.

Steps

  1. 1
    Practice meditation. Meditation is one of the best ways to master your emotions. Through meditation and practicing mindfulness, you learn to acknowledge your emotions, accept them but then let them go. Though some people manage to release emotional attachments on command, this is generally only attained after practicing meditation for a long time and maintaining a daily practice.
    • Learn to meditate at a meditation or yoga school. You can also buy books or DVD courses to learn to meditate.
    • You can practice a simple meditation by focusing on your breath. Find a quiet place where you won't be disturbed and assume a comfortable position that allows you to breathe deeply. Inhale through your nose and breathe to your belly; exhale from your belly through your nose. While breathing, focus on your breath as it moves through your body. If any thoughts or emotions come up, simply acknowledge them. Do not try to change or fix them: just accept them. Then let them go and continue to breathe deeply.
    • Visualization techniques are powerful meditation tools. Imagine something that you associate with a peaceful feeling––traditionally, this would be the lotus flower––and concentrate on that image in your mind. Every time your mind wanders, acknowledge, accept and let the thoughts go, and bring the focus back to your visualization.
  2. 2
    Dissociate from the situation that is giving rise to powerful emotions in you. Rise above what is happening and pretend you're observing somebody else, not yourself. This action allows you to objectively interpret a situation without involving your emotions.
    • Imagine that you're looking at the situation as an outsider, with no prior knowledge or any material or emotional interest at all. With dissociation, you don't allow yourself to be subjective; rather, you remain objective, like a doctor treating a patient.
  3. 3
    Practice logic. Rather than assuming things based in fear, anger or similar emotional reactions, focus on finding the cause and effect relationship in a situation. Work purely with facts. Logic often combats emotion and allows you to see the reality in a situation––provided you make the choice to allow the facts to speak.
    • For example, if you're afraid you won't do well in a job interview, reason that you chose to apply to it and that the only reason you're being asked to interview is that you have the qualifications the position requires. In addition, you can reason that the demeanor of the person interviewing you is somewhat representative of the company culture, so depending on how at ease you feel, the company may or may not be a good fit for you.
    • Realize that we're somewhat attached to reaching a sense of emotional crisis or feeling bad because in many ways, this provides us with a sense of identity and allows us to take mental shortcuts rather than having to rely on thinking things through more substantially (which consumes energy). Being energy-conserving beings, we often let our pre-set emotional pathways do the thinking work, when in fact, we have to discipline ourselves to overcome this knee-jerk default.
  4. 4
    Accept that you might be wrong. Whether you're worried, angry, sad or overenthusiastic, you might be wrong. In fact, even if you are right, it's likely to be only your perspective and someone else's perspective is equally right or valid. Many issues in life simply don't have a pure, single answer and to think in such black and white terms and to never admit of doubt is to give precedence to gut reactions rather than reason or deduction.
  5. 5
    Dismiss self-sabotaging thoughts. It's easy enough to whip yourself into a frenzy of self-pity and internal loathing. Media images of the perfect body, the perfect lifestyle, the perfect job and the like are targeted at making us all feel "less than". But only you can accept to make yourself feel that way. The answer is to not do it.
    • Stop comparing yourself. The moment you compare yourself with others, you reduce your own unique worth. You have talents, abilities and foibles all of your very own––own them and help them to either shine or disappear, as needed. Comparison is for prices, not people.
    • Stop thinking that you aren't equipped to handle a situation, or thinking everything always goes wrong anyway. Thinking this way actively undermines your functioning. Replace thoughts like these with logic and try to find a solution.
      • For example, if you think you cannot go to your dentist because you're scared of having a tooth pulled, reason that your dentist is the right person to help you without hurting you, that he or she has dealt with many scared patients before and will be patient with you and that no matter what procedure needs to happen, he or she will give you an anesthetic so you don't feel any pain. Reason too, that if you do not go to the dentist, you will probably be in much more pain in the future, let alone wallowing in regret for something not done.
  6. 6
    Avoid self-sabotaging behavior. No matter how angry, frustrated or worried you are, do not act upon such emotions until you have taken the time to carefully review the situation. Place yourself in a position to think clearly and see the consequences of your actions.
    • For example, if a colleague criticizes your work, refrain from writing her an angry email or saying something to her in anger. Rather, take some time to figure out if her criticism is valid, whether you can improve your work thanks to her input, and whether you need to ask her to be more friendly in her criticism because her tone upset you.
  7. 7
    Distract yourself. Rather than remaining stuck in a worrisome train of thought, if you find yourself unable to change it, get up and do something else, preferably something active that makes you feel good. If you're sad or worried and you can't stop thinking, run outdoors with your pet, go to the gym for a workout or take your camera and go shoot nature. Do anything that will actively engage your mind and force your thoughts away from emotional ones.
  8. 8
    Create new mind maps. According to neuro-leadership expert David Rock, it's very hard to rewire our neural pathways. Instead, it's a whole lot easier to make new ones. And the good news is that new neural pathways, new mind maps, or new ways of thinking, tend to be stronger because they're fresh and you're focusing most on them. So, rather than spending inordinate amounts of time trying to overcome an ingrained perception of yourself as sullen, hopeless and never-going-anywhere, make a new mind map of yourself as inspired, goal-oriented and exciting to be around. Spend all of your energy on creating this new mental map through actions that confirm objectively that this is the person you are. With practice, you'll shape this new neural circuitry and you can simply ignore the old wiring that had you so emotionally overwrought.
  9. 9
    Think community, not self. It's a lot harder to be emotionally caught up in yourself when you're focused on others. In highly individualistic communities, the self can easily become paramount at the expense of a sense of connection with others. In turn, this can cause us to be too emotionally self-involved because the self is all we've got to concentrate on. Connecting with other people is healthy and uplifting in an individual's life. By helping others, volunteering, giving time to mentor or guide others, sharing your knowledge and your cup of sugar with other people in your community, you'll find your emotions aren't such a driving force. Sure, altruistic feelings and feeling good are at the basis of this, but by focusing on others, there is less space and time for turning any inner emotions into overwhelming inaction or self-distress. Others rely on you, therefore you get on with it and stop emoting.

Tips

  • Think before you speak. Often emotions cause us to blurt out a response that doesn't reflect good sense or what we really mean and yet we then feel defensive and get stuck defending stupid things. On the other hand, reflection allows for us to say something more meaningful––it is thoughts that give us wisdom. If you're dying to say something before thinking it through, remember the adage that it is better to not be heard and to have people think you're not so bright, than to open your mouth and confirm it.
  • Don't see tears as a problem but as a solution. Researchers into the science of tears have found that a crying person is best left to cry it out because this is, in itself, a resolution. You may actually make things worse when you ask a person to stop crying or to stop being so sad about something. Many people feel a whole lot better after crying––it's a physical mechanism for sorting out emotions. By diverting the person from crying, you might be condemning them to ruminate rather than move on!

Warnings

  • If you find yourself at the mercy of your emotions and you can't stop them, you might be suffering from anxiety, depression or another condition. Do not hesitate to seek medical help. The sooner you get help, the sooner you will be taken through coping tools that will help you for the rest of your life.