Informed Choice Search Results

How To: Sharpen an axe or knife with the Boy Scouts

You never know when you may need to sharpen an axe... and who better to learn from than the Boy Scouts? Brace the axe head on the ground between a log about 6" in diameter and two woooden pegs or tent stakes. Sharpen your axe with an 8-10 inch mill bastard file. Be sure to wear leather gloves. Make a knuckle guard out of leather, plywood, or an old inner tube. Place the file on the edge of the blade and push it into the bit. Lift the file as you draw back for each stroke. Turn the axe around ...

Bethesda vs. Notch: Does 'Scrolls' Infringe Upon 'The Elder Scrolls'?

Minecraft might still be in development, but that doesn't mean a creative guy like Notch doesn't have time for other projects. A few months ago he and his company Mojang announced their second game, a digital collectible trading card affair called Scrolls. A simple title (perhaps too generic if anything), but it's not the name of an extant game, and it's appropriate given the visual style and card-based gameplay of the game itself.

News: Final Fantasy 14 First Impressions

These impressions are coming from a person completely new to the Final Fantasy Online world. Never played FF 11 or the FF 14 Beta. This game is not friendly to new people. The account creation is a Kafka like experience in things that don't make sense. For the game itself, the beginning tutorial is awful and does not really teach you the basics of combat. Here is a small breakdown of my opinions, with the good points first so that they don't get overshadowed by the negatives.

How To: Make Christmas lobster ravioli with mascarpone cheese and truffle butter

Love the lobster, but also love the pasta? That's okay, because you can combine the two for dinner tonight with this delicious recipe for Festive Lobster & Mascarpone Ravioli with Truffle Butter. It sounds like a lot, but seriously, you can't say no to this dish. If you like lobster like you say you do, and you like pasta, you can't pass the opportunity to try out Roberta Dowling's dinnertime masterpiece.

News: The Snatch

This prank will take place at any local fast food drive thru, and will require more than one person to complete. You have 2 people following a car wearing gorilla suits when the drive thru attendant hands the bag of food to the customer, you have the first person run up and snatch the bag only to run off and dive into the bushes. You have the 2nd person still waiting behind the car and since the fast food establishment has no other choice, but to re-do the order while the 2nd person in the go...

How To: Prepare a basic Peruvian ceviche (raw fish marinated with lime juice)

If you're a fan of sushi, then you have to try out this delicious raw fish recipe. It's not your typical raw fish. It's called ceviche, and it's a South American (in this case, Peruvian) dish of marinated raw fish. It's an interesting process where you don't cook the food on the stove or in the oven, but instead you marinate your ingredients in lime juice, which basically "cooks" the raw fish. A very fresh dish, perfect for anytime you want something a little lighter for a meal or a snack.

How To: Make classic Italian marinara sauce with 6 ingredients

Six. It's the magical number for marinara sauce. A great sauce doesn't need a huge list of ingredients, only a handful, and six ingredients are all it takes to make Christine and Carla Pallotta's marinara. The nebo ristorante chef/owners' recipe makes a large batch of vibrant tomato sauce which is a great idea. Use what you need and the rest will freeze perfectly for up to 3 months. That way you'll always have a hearty red sauce available when you've got a craving for the Pallotta sisters' 5-...

How To: Make spicy honey wings

Need some wings to spice up the afternoon barbecue? Make some spicy honey wings, which are perfect for any football game. This is definitely a gooey and finger-licking good recipe. Try them out for yourself and see if you don't think they're the best ever.

How To: Train your dog to be obedient

Learn how to train your dog leave treats and toys, and walk on a loose lead. The Head of Training at Battersea Dogs and Cat's Home, Ali Taylor, takes you through the technique. First, learn when and how to reward you dog. Rewarding your dog will encourage them to repeat the action, so make sure to reward them immediately so that they know what they are being rewarded for. Next, teach your dog self control by teaching your dog to hold back from a treat until you say "take it." More importantly...

How To: Knit the Garter Stitch

There are two basic stitches in knitting. One is the KNIT STITCH, the other is the PURL STITCH. The GARTER STITCH itself is quite simple. You knit every stitch on every row of your knitting. It's the first stitch one learns in knitting. It's the easiest of all the knitting stitches and one that you can use for many projects. It's an especially good stitch for knitting something when you want both sides of the work to look the same.

How To: Make a homemade banana cream pie

Bananas are the perfect fruit for anything, even pie. It's no wonder why banana cream pie is a favorite among dessert lovers. Fancy, intricate desserts can be pretty to look at, but rarely taste as good as a down-home classic. Pastry Chef Molly Hanson of Post 390 shares her secrets to the restaurant's best-selling dessert, the Banana Cream Pie. Start with a baked pie crust of your choice, then layer Molly's velvety vanilla pastry cream and sliced bananas. After the pie chills, top with pillow...

How To: Make lobster mac and cheese

Enjoy a grownup version of macaroni and cheese with a lobster twist! Mac and cheese is always good, but lobster adds something to it you never thought possible. A great side dish or perfect for a main meal. See how to make this delicious dish with this recipe.

How To: Use the delete mesh modifier in 3ds Max

This 3D software tutorial shows you how to use the delete mesh modifier when modeling in 3ds Max. Delete Mesh provides parametric deletion based on the current sub-object selection level in the stack. The possible choices are faces, vertices, edges, and objects. Apply the Delete Mesh modifier to delete the geometry specified at that sub-object level. The Delete Mesh modifier in 3D Studio Max works well for removing geometry without having to delete. You can use it in conjunction with the Edit...

How To: Apply an oil- or water-based stain to wood

Staining wood is an exciting and fun step in your refinishing process. Staining brings out and enhances the patterns in the wood grain and it unifies an overall color. At this stage your project piece begins to look more finished. Allow enough time to complete this task from start to finish to ensure continuity of color. You have the choice of using either water or oil-based stain, and each offers advantages and disadvantages.

How To: Recover Lost Files and Images

You've had a massive hard disk failure.. ...in your PC or laptop and like a large number of people who think it will never happen to them...you did not have a backup of those 2000+ family pictures, those hundred of important Word documents, those family videos that you downloaded from the camera then erased from the cameras disk...the inevitable "I'm Screwed!'

How To: Chain VPNs for Complete Anonymity

Big name individual hackers and hacker groups everywhere in the news are getting caught and thrown in jail. Everytime I see something like this happen, I won't lie, I get a little sad. Then I wonder, how are these guys getting caught? If a group like LulzSec, with all the fame and "1337-ness" can get caught, I think my hacker comrades are doing something wrong.

Yuppie Frozen Pizza Taste Test: What's Your Favorite?

I'm a desert island pizza person, meaning, I pretty much never get sick of pizza. When it comes to other favorite cuisines, I operate in cycles - indulge often, grow tired of them, take a break and re-visit in time. But when it comes to pizza, I could eat it every night of the week. I typically practice enough self-control to override this desire, but luckily for me, I made a special concession this past week while creating this article.

How To: A Beginner's Guide to Appreciating Bourbon Whiskey

Bourbon is the ultimate American spirit, considering the barrel-aged distilled spirit was originally produced in an area known as Bourbon County, Kentucky. To meet the legal definition of bourbon, it must be produced in the United States, must be created with at least 51% corn, and aged in new oak barrels. There are two types of bourbon whiskeys—straight and blended. Straight bourbon means that the bourbon has been aged for a minimum of 2 years, and has no other coloring or flavoring added. B...

Playing Tera Online: Introduction

Tera Online is a beautiful Korean MMO with real time combat. The game is coming to the states towards the end of the year. Unlike other MMOs were combat is target specific (lock on target) and dependant on skill timers and macros, Tera Online focuses on fast area of effect action. Your blade or spell will hit whatever is in front, or miss if it's not. The closest thing to the game play of Tera is Vindictus, a free to play MMO with the same concept of game play. If you've played Vindictus, the...

News: The Witcher Quick Look

Besides Killing Floor, I played a bit of The Witcher over the weekend. If you're curious about the game now is the perfect time. It's on sale on Steam, and the sequel is being released early next year. Though the game is three years old, it's still one of the best western rpgs on the PC. Here are some quick impressions on the game: