Human Strengths Search Results

How To: Tie the sheep shank Boy Scouts knot

Learn how to tie the sheep shank Boy Scouts knot. A sheep shank knot has two uses. First, you may use it to shorten a rope and maintain its strength for pulling. Its most useful purpose, however, is in situation when you cannot retrieve your rope. When lowering yourself over a rock (with no intention of returning up the face) how are you going to retrieve the rope that it tied to a rock or tree at the top? Tie a sheep shank knot close to the top end of the rope. Maintain tension on the rope a...

How To: Get started playing the banjo again

A bit rusty on the banjo? This video lesson from the BCC will get you going again. If your banjo hasn't been played for some time it's possible the vellum might need replacing - this is the skin, like the head on a drum, which is stretched over the banjo's circular sound body, and tightened using tensioning nuts. Plastic is a good option these days, as it's more constant and less likely to attract moisture and slacken.

How To: Snag Prime Seats at an NBA Game

There is no fan experience in professional sports quite like watching an NBA game live. Partly, this can be attributed to the combination of fluid teamwork and jaw-dropping athleticism the players exude in the form of size, speed, jumping ability, grace, and strength. What truly differentiates the NBA from the spectators' perspective, though, is the figurative nakedness of the players. While the NFL buries its athletes beneath pads and masks, the NBA presents its talent in shorts and a tank top.

News: The Chemistry of a Perfect Bloody Mary

A perfect Bloody Mary on a Sunday morning could be the best thing that ever happened to the human race. It's tangy, it's sweet, it's spicy...and there's alcohol. Need I say more? Flavor chemist Neil C. Da Costa's latest project is to investigate the taste sensations created by Bloody Mary ingredients and create tips for making the best Bloody Mary humanly possible.

News: Why is ACL Injury More Common in Female Athletes?

The sudden deceleration, shifting in the knee, popping sound and screaming from the intense pain that immediately follows is becoming increasingly common among our young athletes. Those who have witnessed or suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) are familiar with the pain, surgery and intense 6 to 8 month rehabilitation that accompanies the injury, not to mention the disappointment of ending a season. Nationwide, this will occur more than 500,000 times this year, and female athlete...

How To: Tie a surgeon's knot when fly fishing

To add tippet to your leader, overlap a piece of tippet by no more than six to 8 inches with the end of the leader. Make a double overhand knot in the middle of the overlapped pieces, being sure to pass both the end of the leader and the entire tippet twice through the loop. When you tighten, lubricate the knot and pull on all four ends at the same time. This is crucial for maximum knot strength. This knot is so easy that I usually tie it as a triple overhand for a little extra strength. This...

How To: Tie a uni knot when fly fishing

The best knot for you is any good knot that you can tie quickly and strongly. So wouldn't it be great if you could tie all three connections with the same motion and if that motion were based on the first and simplest knot you learned as a child--the overhand knot? It turns out that by using the uni knot and its twin, the surgeon's knot, you can do just that. Though the uni knot is not as strong as many other knots, it is stronger than the improved clinch, and its simplicity may make up for w...

News: Enter the Weird World of Hojamaka Games

Without Japan, video games would not be very fun. Atari's early work was important, but Japanese developers, publishers, and hardware makers were responsible for almost every major advance in video games for the first 25 years of their mainstream existence. In recent years, it has often been said that they have become less relevant than Western developers. In the indie games movement— (our area of greatest interest here at Indie Games Ichiban)—Japan does not have anywhere near the presence th...

News: Hone O Oru

This Japanese expression has two basic meanings. The literal meaning is to break one’s bone(s), as when falling from a height. The figurative meaning is “to try harder.” That is, to try so hard that one’s bones break.

News: Advertising in Alan Wake

These are great times. It is about time advertisers invaded our video games in the same way they do our driving (billboards), walking (fliyers, posters), and our private home (emails, bulk mail, text messages).

How To: Do a v-up ab exercise

The V-up is one of the more challenging ab exercises. While it may appear simple, there are several factors that make this exercise difficult to execute properly. Some of these factors include timing of the movement, counterbalancing, hip positioning, flexibility, and abdominal strength.

How To: Do a single leg deadlift with a medicine ball

If you want to improve balance and strength in the leg muscles, try the single leg deadlift (also called the single leg Romanian deadlift). This exercise is primarily going to work your hamstrings and butt. The single leg deadlift comes with a high degree of difficulty because it is performed on one leg. An advanced level of balance and muscular control is required for this exercise. Here are the instructions:

How To: Do a crossover lunge

The crossover lunge is an advanced exercise that is used to build strength and improve flexibility in the muscles that act on the hips and thighs. The crossover step is often used as a warm-up to prepare for more dynamic exercises or sports conditioning drills.

Guerrilla Gardening 101: How to Make a Seed Bomb

Build up your arm strength and beautify your local community in a single stroke by dropping homemade seed bombs in and around your neighborhood. A guerrilla gardening technique anyone can participate in, seed bombing is a fun and effective way to add tiny oases of wildflowers and healthy green plants in vacant lots and other overlooked and neglected parcels of land.