The Bold, Red and Black Workspace

There's nothing like a dedicated color scheme to tie a room together. In this workspace's case, it's bold red walls and all black furniture and hardware.

The home office belongs to Erik J. Hazekamp, who details his setup on Flickr:

Herman Miller Embody Chair

Humanscale M8 Monitor Arm

Corsair 650D PC Case

Polk 35b Bookshelf Speakers (on stands)

APC SMT750 Smart-UPS

Ducky Shine II Mechanical Keyboard

Dell S2740l 27" IPS Display

Logitech G700 Mouse

Check out Erik's photostream for a view of the other side of the room, which houses a dedicated turntable space.

If you have a workspace of your own to show off, share them with us by adding it to ourLifehacker Workspace Show and Tell Flickr pool. Make sure any photos you include are at least 640x360. Keeping them to 16:9 helps, too! Include a little text about the stuff you used, how you came up with the design, and any other relevant details. If your clever organization and good design sense catches our eye, you might be the next featured workspace.

Desktop Office Space 2014 | Flickr

"Get Comfortable Being Uncomfortable"

The U.S. Navy SEALs have a saying: "Get comfortable being uncomfortable." If you can be comfortable being uncomfortable, you'll be prepared to handle whatever situation comes along in your own life.

The Navy Seal saying applies not only to the extreme physical conditions they endure, but also the situations. During their rigorous training, SEALs go through what's called "surf torture." The process involves everyone linking arms and laying down in the frigid ocean until the body reaches early stages of hypothermia. They do this daily before taking on whatever other tasks are required of them.

The point is for them stay focused on what they need to accomplish, despite how uncomfortable they feel. You shouldn't subject yourself to these extremes, but the sooner you can find a way to stay focused—no matter what situation you're in—the better. Life will make you feel uncomfortable, but that doesn't ever have to stop you. Remember, it's a good thing to feel uncomfortable. It means you're moving forward and exploring new territory.

These 7 Motivational Navy SEAL Sayings Will Kick Your Butt Into Gear | Inc.

Photo by Official U.S. Navy Page.

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Here are Seven Restaurants and Retailers That Pay a Livable Wage

If you're shopping around for a new job with a decent starting pay, G.E. Miller at 20somethingfinance has compiled a list of business chains that give you a fighting chance.

Here's a list of the decent paying business chains, that might make the perfect summer job:

• IKEA: You can start here at $9.17 an hour, and next January they're upping it to $10.76.


• Costco: Starting wage here is $11.50 an hour and if you stick around long enough, the average wage is around $21.00 an hour.


• The Gap: $9.00 an hour to start here, but it will be raised again to $10.00 an hour in June 2015. (This includes Old Navy, Banana Republic, PiperLime, and Athleta)


• Whole Foods: Workers start here at $10.00 an hour.


• Trader Joe's: You can start here at $9.00 and the average wage is $13.33 an hour.


• Ben & Jerry's: You start here at a whopping $16.13 an hour. Pretty cool, right?


• In-N-Out Burger: This chain starts new employees at $10.50 an hour.

So if you're out there looking for a good first gig, or just something to move on to, check these places out first.

Don't Settle for Anything Less than a Livable Wage | 20somethingfinance

Photo by Ed Ivanushkin .

Know the Effects of Heat-Related Illness to Stay Safe This Summer

With July 4th just around the corner, summer's really starting to heat up for a lot of us. If you plan on spending a lot of time outside this weekend, it's good to keep an eye out for heat-related illness. The New York Times describes what to watch out for.

As with most things like this, prevention of heat-related illnesses is mostly about preparation. Drink a lot of water, eat salted foods, and if you're exercising in the heat, consider a sports drink diluted with water. If you are out working in your garden, playing in the sun, or whatever else, just practice a few simple things:

[W]ear light-colored, breathable clothing; schedule heavy work for the coolest parts of the day; take frequent breaks in the shade or a cool area; drink water often; and avoid drinks with caffeine, alcohol or lots of sugar.

As for the effects, The Times notes that sports players might be especially prone to heat-related illness, but really this applies to anyone:

Any player who becomes confused, disoriented or unsteady should be removed immediately from practice to a cooler environment, fanned, rehydrated and doused with or immersed in cool water.

Remove the athlete's clothing or soak it with water, which conducts heat away from the body much more effectively than air.

If the player's core temperature (the most accurate measurement is rectal) rises to 104 degrees or higher, it's considered a medical emergency.

It seems simple enough, but when you're enjoying the sunshine it's easy to miss the signs sometimes. OSHA has a full list of all the symptoms that's good to brush up on as well.

Keeping Your Cool | The New York Times

Photo by Michael Le Roi .

How to Keep Your Dog Happy When Fireworks Go Off -- Using Science!

Dogs are terrified of fireworks. How can you enjoy the Fourth of July while also being sensitive to your canine companions' needs? We reached out to a group of dog scientists to get some answers. Here's what they had to say.

A More Intense Form of Terror

Dr. Gregory Berns is a neurobiologist at Emory University and author of the book How Dogs Love Us. He's been putting fully conscious, unrestrained dogs into fMRI machines for the last few years in an effort to understand the complex relationship between man and man's best friend. I asked him to speculate on why fireworks are so tough on dogs.

My guess is that these reactions are most like PTSD in humans – and that is notoriously difficult to treat! In humans, at least one has the possibility of some type of cognitive-behavioral therapy in which the person mentally tries to override automatic anxiety responses. But this takes a lot of work. Dogs do not have that level of cognitive control, and without an ability to rationalize, or think through their anxiety, may experience a rawer, more intense form of terror.

"I wish I had something on the neurobiology of this in dogs," he adds, "but we're not about to induce panic in any of the MRI dogs in the project."

Fear of Fireworks is "Noise Phobia"

Veterinarian and veterinary genomics researcher (and blogger) Jessica Perry Hekman is particularly interested in the stress response in animals. She provided some more insight into the psychiatry that underlies the fear of loud noises in dogs, and has a unique perspective since her own dog suffers from noise phobia.

We don't fully understand noise phobia in dogs. Thunderstorm phobia is a bigger problem than fireworks phobia (because thunderstorms happen more often) and is better studied. We do know that noise phobia is often comorbid with separation anxiety, suggesting that there's some underlying anxiety disorder. We also know that some breeds, such as border collies, have a predisposition to noise phobia. A breed disposition suggests that it's heritable and therefore to some extent genetic. But we don't think there's a single gene that determines noise phobia vs. lack of noise phobia. It would be more likely to be some combination of a variety of personality traits coming together to make a dog at higher risk for developing this problem.

I have never heard of a way of completely preventing it before it starts. However, a noise phobia is liable to start around a year of age and ramp up quickly. So if your dog is anxious about fireworks this year for the first time, be prepared for the problem to return and probably be worse next year. Don't just wait and see if it's worse next year, but be prepared to take steps.

What sort of steps can you proactively take to make the Fourth of July experience as easy as possible for your dog? Well, one thing is to celebrate in a place where there are no fireworks. But assuming that's not an option, canine scientist (and blogger) Julie Hecht points out a perhaps obvious solution:

Most owners of dogs showing fear behaviors in relation to loud noises reported that they were unaware that professional help (from animal behaviorists or veterinarians) was available to help. And owners had not pursued such help.

Give Fido a Hug

There are other interventions as well. Some owners have found success with products that maintain a tight hug on the animal, like the Thundershirt or Anxiety Wrap. The idea is that the tight grip reduces fear in the dog by maintaining constant pressure. That's at least theoretically possible. Hecht explains:

Research has suggested that tactile pressure can have a calming effect on a number of species (ourselves included), but there are two other elements to consider: how much pressure should be applied for the desired effect, and should the pressure be constant or changing so as to avoid habituation? For example, Temple Grandin found that she habituated to steady tactile pressure after about 15 minutes and would need to vary the intensity of the pressure.

Still, the data are mixed. A study on dogs wearing the Anxiety Wrap found that they had less shaking and pacing, but it did not reduce or eliminate panting, performing inappropriate elimination, seeking attention, vocalizing, not eating, salivating or hiding. It could be that the wrap doesn't actually decrease anxiety; instead, it makes dogs less ambulatory. Still, the reduction in shaking is promising, since shaking is not related to locomotion.

If you're going to try one of those products, you'd do well to habituate your dog to wearing it well before the fireworks start (so it might be a bit too late, this year). You want your dog to retain a positive association with the product; it would be all too easy for the dog to learn the association between the wrap and the fireworks, making the wrap itself an anxiety-inducing object! While the results have been mixed, Hecht says, "I'd say it's certainly worth a shot."

Fight Phobia with Pheromones

Hekman offers yet another possible solution:

Dog Appeasing Pheromone (DAP) also helps some dogs. This product can be put in a nebulizer in a room or comes in a time-release collar. It is made from pheromones released by a lactating female dog, so supposedly gives dogs a feeling of security. It has been used on anxious dogs in various situations with varied success.

On the other hand, if your dog is still a puppy, you might actually consider letting them hear the fireworks. Mia Cobb is an Animal Welfare Consultant and graduate student studying how enrichment benefits shelter dogs. She's also a blogger. She says:

Interestingly, [one] study suggested a link between the time of year dogs were born and fearful behaviour to loud noises (i.e. if they were likely to have heard fireworks when puppies, they were reportedly less likely to show a fearful response).

Taken together, while there are some products explicitly designed to reduce anxiety in dogs, their actual effectiveness is at best mixed. No doubt some of the products are more effective and relieving the anxiety of the owners than of the dogs for which they're intended.

Talk to Your Vet

There's at least one more possible solution for a dog that has a diagnosed noise phobia, which is psychiatric medication. Hekman, again:

For dogs with known fireworks phobia, medicating with a situational anxiolytic just before the fireworks start is a great approach. Alprazolam is a commonly used medication which provides anxiety reduction for several hours and can be used situationally, meaning just in the situations when it is necessary and not daily. With medications like this is important to test them out at a time when there is no anxiety-producing situation, in case the dog has a bad reaction to them. (Writing this paragraph reminded me that I meant to test out alprazolam on my thunderstorm-phobic dog today so that I can give it to her during the next storm so she doesn't keep me up all night.) If you're interested in medication, talk to your veterinarian to get a prescription.

Basic Preparation

If your dog simply experiences a more run-of-the-mill variety of fireworks-related stress, rather than a full-blown diagnosable noise phobia, you can still take some steps to keep him or her safe:

1. Leave your dog at home. Taking them to a fireworks display is a bad idea.

2. If you're home with your dog during fireworks time, calm reassurance is a good idea. Studies have found that reassuring a dog (without becoming anxious yourself) does not reinforce the dog's own fear response.

3. Lock your doors and windows. Some pets have been known to escape as a result of their anxiety.

4. Be sure your dog has on the appropriate tags and microchips so that if he or she does manage to escape your house or yard, you can increase your chances of a happy reunion.

5. Don't punish your dog. Some dogs react to stress with digging or scratching behaviors, and punishing your dog for them will not help. As Julie Hecht says, "Remember that those behaviors are part of an emotional response. Change the underlying emotional state and you can change the resulting behavior."

Header image: Jessie Greger, used with permission; Kurume-Shimin/Wikimedia Commons.

Do Step Counts Motivate You?

In a recent article for the New Yorker, David Sedaris describes his loving relationship with his Fitbit and how it motivates him throughout the day. So, we want to know, do you feel step shame? Do those step counts actually motivate you to leave the house and walk?

Sedaris describes his relationship pretty bluntly:

"The Fitbit is a digital trainer, perpetually egging us on. During the first few weeks that I had it, I'd return to my hotel at the end of the day, and when I discovered that I'd taken a total of, say, twelve thousand steps, I'd go out for another three thousand. "But why?" Hugh asked when I told him about it. "Why isn't twelve thousand enough?"

"Because," I told him, "my Fitbit thinks I can do better."

But that's just him. We want to know how you feel. Do those step counts on your Fitbit, phone, or wherever else, actually motivate you?

Stepping Out | The New Yorker

Photo by Becky Stern .

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Determine Your Risk Tolerance Level Before Investing

When it comes to investing your money, there's always a risk. In some cases, risk is minimal, other investments might be incredibly risky. Determine how much you're willing to risk before you invest.

Risk tolerance assessment is a key step in setting up an investment portfolio. As Daily Worth explains, there's always a chance that your investments could lose value. Some amount of loss is acceptable (and even expected, as investments tend to fluctuate over time). Decide first how much you're willing to lose before you take the leap:

Assessing your risk range is a calculated exercise that considers your time frame for meeting specific financial goals, investing experience and comfort level with worst-case scenarios. Even if you're young and have a long-term horizon, you may not necessarily be comfortable investing aggressively.

Your personal risk tolerance level will vary depending on the state of your finances, so there's no right answer for where to set this level. The important thing is that you have a well-defined tolerance level and stick with it.

Do You Look Before You Leap? | Daily Worth

Pushbullet Pushes Files From Windows to Your Phone with a Right Click

Windows: Today, Pushbullet added a new feature to its Windows app. Now you can right click on a file to send it to any of your devices that have Pushbullet installed.

Most of us probably only use the Pushbullet browser extension to send links and files between devices, but the Windows app now adds the ability to send files from the right-click menu. You can send it to any devices that have Pushbullet set up, which includes other Windows computers. Unlike Dropbox, it won't share to every single computer you have set up, which may make it more useful when you just need to move it to one other computer.

Pushbullet Windows App Gets Right-Click File Push Capability | Android Police

Use the HAIL Method to Be More Persuasive and Trustworthy

Being persuasive is often a function of being (or at least appearing) trustworthy. The more people trust you, the more likely they are to listen to your words and do what you want. For that purpose, the HAIL method can guide you.

Sound consultant Julian Treasure explains the four principles of the HAIL method: Honesty, Authenticity, Integrity, and Love. While it might sound cheesy, living out these four ideas all have a direct effect on how trustworthy you come off and, as a result, how persuasive you are:

The H, honesty, of course, being true in what you say, being straight and clear. The A is authenticity, just being yourself. A friend of mine described it as standing in your own truth, which I think is a lovely way to put it. The I is integrity, being your word, actually doing what you say, and being somebody people can trust. And the L is love. I don't mean romantic love, but I do mean wishing people well, for two reasons. First of all, I think absolute honesty may not be what we want. I mean, my goodness, you look ugly this morning. Perhaps that's not necessary. Tempered with love, of course, honesty is a great thing. But also, if you're really wishing somebody well, it's very hard to judge them at the same time. I'm not even sure you can do those two things simultaneously.

Of course, this isn't revolutionary news. The more authentic and honest you are, the more people will be willing to trust you. That's how trust works. But running through your conversations, speech, and behavior through this filter can help keep you on the right track.

How to speak so that people want to listen | TED

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Gawker Judge Judy Finally Hears Case Involving Grindr | Jalopnik Car Market Explodes In June As Amer

Gawker Judge Judy Finally Hears Case Involving Grindr | Jalopnik Car Market Explodes In June As America Buys Everything | Jezebel Beyoncé Changes Lyrics On Stage, Sparks Rumor Jay Z Cheated With Mya | Kotaku Japanese Politician Freaks Out, Spawns Internet Memes

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Use Google Image Search to Match Unmatchable Clothing

All of us have at least one item of clothing that's tough to pair up with other things without looking ridiculous. Whether you bought it on a whim or it was a gift, I Am Alpha M has a simple but smart tip to help you wear it well: Use Google image search to find matches for it.

He explains in detail the video above, but the idea is pretty simple. Just grab that pair of red pants or that purple shirt and type it into Google image search. The results will obviously be mixed, but odds are you'll find at least one or two simple matches or outfits that you can make work for you, even without running out and buying something new. Also, while Alpha angles the whole tip towards men and menswear, there's no reason you can't do this with women's clothing that's equally difficult to match. With luck, you'll be able to take some of your favorite items and wear them in new ways, or take something you've never really figured out how to wear well and match it up so you look good.

Style Life Hack Every Man Should Know | I Am Alpha M

To Retire Sooner, Save Half of Every Raise

"Save 10 percent of your income" is the retirement savings standby. But certified financial planner Michael Kitces points out an interesting issue with this rule: it doesn't account for lifestyle inflation.

On his blog, Kitces explains:

...saving something like 10% of your income also implicitly means you're spending the other 90%, and continuing to do so over time means you'll also be saving (only) 10% and implicitly increasing your standard of living by 90% of ever raise you receive in the future. As a result, your standard of living rises as fast as your retirement savings…

This means the amount you need in retirement will keep getting larger, considering your lifestyle changes. As Kitces puts it, the goal continually outpaces the savings needed to reach it.

As an alternative, he suggests spending 50 percent of each pay raise and putting the other half toward your retirement goals.

The end result of such an approach is that increases in the standard of living are more controlled and rise far more slowly, savings grow exponentially, and you can even retire early… all while feeling like your lifestyle is steadily rising as you're still committed to spending more every year, just not increasing as rapidly as saving 10% of your income (and spending the rest)!

Simply put, this is a trade off between lifestyle inflation and your future retirement goals. But Kitces gives examples in the post that show just how effective this method can be over time. Your goal and your lifestyle are more closely matched, and, theoretically, this method can help you retire sooner.

Check out the post for more detail and some hard numbers.

Don't Save 10% Of Income, Spend (Just) 50% Of Every Raise And Systematically Save More Tomorrow! | Kitces

Photo by papagaio-pirata.

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Two Cents is a new blog from Lifehacker all about personal finance. Follow us on Twitter here.

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Twitter Archiver Saves Tweets by Keyword or Hashtag in Google Drive

Digital Inspiration has made a neat Google Sheets app that imports tweets with a particular search term or hashtag. The tweets are fetched and updated automatically, for free.

You will need to make a copy of the Twitter Archiver sheet in your Google Drive to start. Change the sheet's name (note: not the file name) to your desired keyword or hashtag, such as #lifehacks.

Next, go to apps.twitter.com and fill in your name, a description and the Google Sheet's link in the "Website" section. Agree to the rules and click "Create your Twitter application." This next part might seem technical, but it's easy copy-pasting:

• Put http://ift.tt/PDVGTM as the Callback URL and save your changes.


• Select the API Keys tab and make a note of the Twitter Consumer Key and Secret.


• Switch to your Google sheet and select Tools -> Script Editor.


• Copy-paste the Twitter secret and key inside the editor.


• Select the Run menu, choose Initialize and grant the necessary permissions.

That's it! Your spreadsheet will import the first 100 tweets, and update with more as they come in. You also get each tweet's date and time, retweets, favorites, the user who tweeted it, the number of people they follow, and their total followers. The sheet can be sorted by any of those elements.

How to Save Tweets for any Twitter Hashtag | Digital Inspiration

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The Timeline Home Screen

Your phone can display so much information and let you do so many things, it can be hard to keep track of it all. This home screen puts everything you need on one, easy-to-read home screen.

The design follows a sensible flow for what you'll need throughout the day. It starts off in the morning with an agenda view of your calendar events for the day. Directly below that is the day's weather, so you'll know what's going on and how to dress. The third section is any apps you might need to check to catch up on the day's events, and ending with a music player widget. Everything you need all in one place.

This design is a custom look for Themer. You can download the necessary .zip file here, then install it by doing the following:

1. Move the .zip to sdcard0 > MyColorScreen > Themer > Exported > zip (Your initial location may vary.)


2. Open Themer and browse for themes.


3. Under "My Themes" select "Exported."


4. Choose "Time-line.zip"

Do you have an awesome, tweaked-into-oblivion home or lock screen of your own that you'd like to share? Post it in the comments below, or on your own Kinja blog with the tag "home screen showcase" (no quotes). Be sure to include a description of how you made it so we can feature it as the next featured home screen.

Time-Line | My Color Screen

myMeetingTime Helps Schedule the Perfect International Meeting

When you're communicating with others overseas, it can be difficult to find a time for meeting that works for all parties involved. myMeetingTime shows you what time it is anywhere in the world compared to your time.

It might sound simple, and it is! myMeetingTime presents you with an easy to read timeline that you can add multiple contact locations to. It has a slider so you can adjust your time with a simple move of the mouse, and as you slide it moves the other location times as well. It gives you a "Business hours" zone that you can try to slide everything into to make that business call as easy as possible for everyone. When you've got the right time figured out, you can click "Share details with participants" and it gives text with the chosen meeting time that you can copy and paste into an email. Hit the link to check it out.

myMeetingTime | via MakeUseOf

Your Blade And You: The Basics Of Chef's Knives

I recently bought a new chef's knife and a few people were asking me about how to purchase their own knives. I often get asked questions about knives and I thought it might be helpful to write a basic primer on how to choose a knife and what options are available to you.

Carbon Steel vs Stainless

This is a good place to start. The knives you will choose from will be made of either carbon steel, stainless steel, or a combination of both. This will be maybe the most important choice you make and for me it's the first. People are divided on this issue with chef's falling strongly into one camp or the other. I will try very hard to hide my carbon steel bias here.

Carbon steel

Pros: Carbon steel tends to be cheaper. It it very strong and holds an edge like crazy. You will not need to sharpen a carbon steel knife very often and it takes an edge easily when you sharpen it. It's harder than stainless which accounts for the great edge.

Cons: Carbon steel is very reactive. This means it will rust. These knifes need maintenance. They must be dried thoroughly after each use. If a tiny bit of rust begins to show, it must be immediately scrubbed off with some steel wool. If you are going to store carbon steel, the blade must be oiled with mineral oil to avoid rusting in storage. Being harder than stainless steel, thees knives are more delicate and brittle too. Dropping on the ground, depending on how it falls, may result in a broken or chipped knife rather than bent.

Personal Preference: Carbon steel will develop a patina over time (see photo) regardless of how it is treated. The blade will discolor from the acids in foods no matter how well you take care of it. Some hate this look as it makes a very clean knife look 'dirty', but others feel the patina is beautiful and gives the look of a well used tool. It's personal preference but has no bearing on the actual usefulness of the knife.

This is a great carbon steel knife and one that I keep meaning to buy. As you can see, it's very cheap. I've used this knife several times and wow is it ever nice! It only comes in one shape though and it isn't my favorite shape. The blade style takes some getting used to and the bolster is too low for my hands and so it won't be my main blade. I want it in my kit though as a boning/meat knife. I'll talk a bit more about blade styles later on.

Stainless Steel

Pros: Stainless steel is softer and won't be damaged as easily. It is also called stainless for a reason. It will not rust. The knives you currently own are probably stainless steel. Stainless is more forgiving about drops and damage since it is generally softer than carbon.

Cons: Stainless barely holds an edge compared to carbon. I find my stainless knives dull up all the time and I am constantly truing them and sharpening them (bear in mind that I am constantly using them too, at home use will be a lot less frequent). Stainless is generally more expensive than carbon as well.

Comination Blades/Cladded Blades

You can also get knifes which try to give you the best of both worlds. My knife is a #2 White Carbon Steel blade clad in stainless. This means a carbon steel core is wrapped in stainless steel so when the knife is finished, the blade area is carbon steel, whereas the rest of the knife is stainless. This results in a knife that hopefully gives you a more flexible knife which doesn't require as much maintenance, but has a blade edge with all the properties of carbon steel. Here is a photo of my main knife. You can see how the blade was exposed through grinding. It leaves a really pretty wavy line along the blade road (the blade road is the term for the area of the knife where the grinding is).

Hardness

While carbon is generally harder and more brittle than stainless, all steel can be made harder or softer in the hands of a skilled blacksmith. My knife contains #2 White Carbon Steel which is a bit softer than its friend Blue Carbon Steel, for example. A friend at work has a knife which is almost exactly like mine, but has a Blue Carbon core and his has chipped whereas (you can see faintly in the picture right in the center of the blade edge) mine has bent a tiny spot when I dropped it. My bend with come right out on sharpening though, whereas his chips will take a bit more work to remove. His though, will hold an edge much better than mine. Both are much harder than stainless, however.

Blade Styles And Characteristics

How do you cut?

To start deciding what kind of blade profile (shape) you want, it's important to notice the style you cut with. Do you use a rocking cut more often or a push/pull?

A rocking style:

A push/pull style:

I tend to use a rocking motion more often, but the push pull is really useful for some things. If you use a push pull style most often, look for a blade with a nice long flat section towards the heel. You are looking for a knife that gives maximum amount of blade hitting the cutting board, otherwise you are only using a tiny part of your blade to cut with.

If you use a rocking motion most often, more curve in the blade is fine. You can see my knife above has a minimal flat area and curves nicely towards the tip for most of the length of the knife. Here is an example of a good flat chefs knife:

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How big are your hands?

When you learn a proper chefs pinch grip, the height of the blade and the clearance it has at the heel for your fingertips becomes very important. First lets look at a proper pinch grip to make sure you are holding your knife correctly. This grip will give you an amazing amount of control over your blade. It makes the blade almost feel like an extension of your hand and makes cutting so much easier once you get used to it. Here's a video (pay no attention to the first 50% of this video, which is just the chef showing off to be pretentious. No one needs to flambe raw veg like that. I have no idea what he's doing besides showing off.):

So you can see how the clearance is important. How much clearance you want at the bolster depends entirely on your own hands. This is where you should try holding a few to see how they feel. You don't want your knuckles hitting the board, but a knife that sits too high for you will feel awkward to handle for most applications. Look up at my knife again, you can see the blade has a cutout before the bolster begins. This is common to Masakage knives (a popular handmade Japanese brand of knife) and also to many other Asian(the continent) blades. I like this very much as it gives me a nice area to sit my first fingers in a pinch grip. I prefer this Asian style of handle and bolster for this reason. It just feels nicer to me personally. Handles and bolsters like the one in the video above are referred to as 'western style'. I prefer Japanese style, personally after having used many, but others disagree. This is strictly personal preference.

Weight, Thickness and Balance

Weight and thickness will depend on your personal preference. I prefer something on the thinner and lighter side, mostly due to years of working in kitchens that have ruined my arms and wrists and given me carpal tunnel issues. Although, I do like my knife to have some heft and thickness along the spine for those times when you really need to hack something tough and you don't have a cleaver. A good chef's knife will be able to handle multiple tasks. In fact, that's it's job: to be a go to blade for most tasks. I use my knife like a cleaver, I use the tip like a paring knife at times. I prefer my knife to be in the mid-range of thick/thin, heavy/light. While some people have many knives and swap them out for all tasks, most people have one good chefs knife that is the workhorse of their kitchen. Even chefs with huge kits often don't bother going through it to get out 100 different knives in a shift.

Balance is personal as well. A perfect balanced blade will balance nicely on your pinch grip. In this way, balance is personal since your grip will be different depending on your hands. To test balance, hold the knife in your proper grip and let go off all fingers to balance the knife on your forefinger where your grip naturally sits. Does the knife immediately fall over? It's either blade heavy or handle heavy. Neither is what you want. If the blade seems like it's balance point is right where your finger sits naturally, that's what you are looking for. Some chefs prefer a bit of over or under balance, but you will get to know what you like over time. I recommend starting with a grip balance.

Oh This All Sounds Expensive!

It can be, but it doesn't have to be. If you have a good knife store in your city, definitely go in there and check out the blades. The best way to figure out what you like is to hold a bunch of knives in your hand to see how they feel. Here are a few examples from amazon of some great knives.

Under $100

$43.97 - This is a great starter blade. A lot of chefs start their careers using a knife exactly like this and since it isn't very expensive, it's good to practice sharpening with and if you break it, it's easy to replace.

$63.95 - Shun is a brand that chefs love. This knife has a VG-10 core clad in stainless. A very nice knife for a very good price.

$99.99 - This is a high carbon version of a stainless knife. It is stainless throughout, but has a high carbon content to strengthen it. I'm not sold on this particular knives handle shape, but I haven't held it, so I can't comment too much about it.

$98.58 - Here is an entry level Global knife. Many chefs I know swear by these. I am not, personally, a fan of the handle style and find these knifes weighted strangely. You might love them though! They have a huge following.

Of course, there is that great peasants knife I listed above as well for about $40, but it isn't available on Amazon.

$100 - $200

$129.99 - The 16 layer version of the same knife as the $164 one below. As you can see, this knife has a very different profile from that knife.

$127.90 - A classic knife from a classic maker. this company is quite popular among chefs. VG-10 steel.

$164.99 - A VG-10 stainless damascus blade. Damascus is a style of steel which results in the beautiful designs you see there. VG-10 is a popular high carbon steel used in many Asian blades. This knife is rather soft though at Rockwell 60.

$169.99 - High carbon blue steel. This is a beautiful knife! Grrrr.

$200 and up

$251.99 - Lets start here. this knife made me lose myself for a few minutes. Blue carbon steel with a great profile and it's soooo pretty! I want it very badly. I want a lot of things though, so there's that.

$276.34 - This is a great western style knife. I've used a few knives from this company and they have all been very good. I'm not usually a big fan of very polished flat blades though, they can stick to food. The roughness and dimples and things that some knives have are very useful.

$329.99 - This is another great knife. I have used knives by this company too and they tend to be very light and agile. This one is also quite beautiful but most knifes will be beautiful in this price range.

The <3 Factor

Lets be real though, at the end of the day, you might find a knife that just kills you. You fall in love and little things like a slightly too hard steel or a little too much thickness won't matter to you. In that case, buy for love. Really, do!

Knives are meant to be used to cook and when you have a great knife that you are in love with, you are bound to be more inspired to cook with it. I hope this primer has helped you understand a little bit more about your knives, but remember that the very best knife in the world is the one that inspires you to cook more. So buy that one!

3:43 PM | Filed Under | 0 Comments

Access a Mac's Specific System Reports with a Terminal Command

Macs all come packed with the System Information app, which is great for getting all kinds of information about your computer. Unfortunately, it's also kind of tough to find what you're looking for sometimes. To get this info quick, The Instructional shows how to access it from Terminal.

To load up your entire system information report, just type this into Terminal:

system_profiler

That's probably way more information than you really need though. It's more useful to do it by the type of data you're looking for. To do this, you just type the above command, followed by the data type you're looking for. To get a full list of all the different data types, just type in:

system_profiler -listDataTypes

For example, if you're having some issues with your network and want to quickly get that info, just type in:

system_profiler SPNetworkDataType

It's a fast, easy way to access information about your computer whether you're sitting in front of it, or you need to SSH into it. Head over to The Instructional for all sorts of other System Information tricks you can access through Terminal.

Mac Administration: A Closer Look at System Information | The Instructional

2:50 PM | Filed Under | 0 Comments

How to Design and Sew a Custom Backpack

Tired of never finding the perfect backpack for you? I was, and so I decided to create my own custom backpack from scratch. It took some thoughtful design and hard work, but now I have a bag literally tailored to my needs.

This tutorial covers a broad range of sewing topics and skills—everything from drawing your design, creating a prototype, editing a pattern, and even adding foam support structures.

Thus keep in mind that this project requires advanced sewing skills! Have a look through the entire tutorial to gauge if you are experienced enough before you buy materials!

If you'd like to get some practice in before trying to make your own backpack, check out my sewing collection on Instructables.

Of course, you can make this backpack your own by editing the design to suit your backpack needs.

Please note that I used an industrial walking foot sewing machine to make my backpack. It is possible to sew a backpack with a regular consumer sewing machine, but you will just have to choose your fabrics appropriately.

This post originally appeared on Instructables .

Materials

For my backpack I used:

• 1000 Denier Cordura fabric (2 yards)


• Ripstop nylon fabric (2 yards)


• Nylon webbing 1"(with reflector strips) (4 yards)


• 2" Seatbelt webbing (1 yard)


• 1" Webbing binding tape, a sports mesh fabric (.5 yards)


• 1/8" Closed cell Volara foam (.5 yards)


• 1" Aluminum cam buckles (x2)


• 2" Quick release buckle (x1)


• 1.25" D-rings (x2)


• 2" Velcro (5")


• 12" Zipper (x1)

You can find many of the materials I used on Amazon: Cordura, ripstop, 1" webbing, 2" seatbelt webbing, binding tape, sports mesh fabric, foam, cam buckle, D-Ring, 2" velcro, zipper, 2" buckle.

Alternative (Lighter) Fabric Options for Consumer Machines

• Cordura (outer fabric) - You can swap out for a mid weight denim, canvas, lighter upholstery fabrics, light faux suede or leather, non stretch velvet, mid weight packcloth nylon, etc.


• Ripstop Nylon (lining) - You should be fine using this or a similarly weighted fabric. Try to keep the lining light so you not unnecessarily weight down your bag. (if you don't want to line your bag you can skip this completely)


• 1" binding tape webbing - A good lighter weight alternative is 1" gosgrain ribbon(there are lots of awesome color options!)


• Sports Mesh (aesthetic for straps) - You should be fine using this but it isn't necessary, I used it for aesthetic reasons


• 1/8th Inch closed cell Volara foam (padding and structure) - You're going to want to use some sort of foam to give your bag structure and comfort. If you can't find any foam available locally check online. I got mine from foamorder.com, but buy anything over 1/8th inch as your machine likely won't be able to handle it (my industrial machine struggled with 2 layers of 1/8th inch foam). You might also consider using a thin yoga mat or foam sleeping pad, available at most outdoors stores.


• Hardware - All of the hardware can remain the same as long as you do not alter the webbing widths as they do not need to be sewn through. If you do alter the webbing widths, pick hardware that is compatible with the new sizes.

Step 1: Creating Your Design

This is the fun part, designing your backpack! Think about everything you use your backpack for. What do you like about other backpacks? It's okay to base your backpack off something you've already seen and modify it. What don't you like about other backpacks? If you hate using zippers, then don't design one into your bag! Do you have a long torso? Do you like a small backpack for essentials or a big backpack to fit everything plus the kitchen sink? Consider your wants and needs before you get designing.

I like to keep my bag simple but give a specific place for objects I carry everyday. It might be a good idea to empty out your current backpack and examine what you carry and how you might like to accommodate those items.

I also designed my bag to include an internal laptop pocket to hold my laptop and sketchbook, which I have on me at all times.

Additionally, I like to have a small zippered pocket for smaller items that I need easily accessible, like my cellphone and wallet, so I made sure I would have a secure pocket located on the inside of the top of my bag (making it easy for me to get to without having to dig through my bag, but is still safe from thieves!).

I always carry a water bottle but with my old bag I could only store it inside the bag. While hiking through Arches National Park, I had to keep stopping to take off my bag, just to get to my water. To fix this, I designed two front pouches big enough to fit my favorite water bottle and other quick access items that don't need to be as secure as my phone and wallet.

I commute to work by bike so I decided to include reflective webbing in my backpack for increased visibility on the road.

I liked the strap design of my old backpack so I kept the design mostly the same—no need to reinvent the wheel when effective designs already exist. If you like to carry your pet cactus around, why not include a cactus holding pocket! This is your custom backpack and that's the advantage of making it yourself—it's for you, by you.

Now that you've spent some time thinking about your ideal backpack, it's time to draw it. It doesn't have to be perfect; you don't need to be an artist. This drawing is meant to help you understand your design, work out any potential problems before you start sewing, and facilitate the transition into pattern making.

You might have all sorts of plans about including enough pockets to hold 17 cats and shoulder mounted lasers (I know I did). Drawing will help you realize if you can fit all these components, how they'll go together, and how difficult they'll be to construct.

First I draw my design in orthographic views (front, back, side, top, bottom). This helps get the basic placement of things down without getting distracted by trying to draw in perspective.

Once I have the basic design down, I draw it in different states in perspective to reveal any components hidden inside. What does it look like when the top is open? Is it a roll top bag? Are there internal pockets? Again remember it doesn't have to be perfect, as this is just a reference your own understanding. (I drew pages and pages before I got my design finalized, and there's still changes I would make!)

Consider using different colors or shading to reference material changes. I noted reflective material by hatching with vertical lines.

Now start thinking about how your bag will be constructed. This is the first step to pattern creation. It might be a little confusing to visualize if you aren't familiar thinking spatially, so just take your time and try documenting as you go.

I like to think of it as an exploded view. What would it look like if all the pieces were suspended in space. I start with the back and pull it apart in layers, drawing as I go. You might try thinking of it as something familiar like constructing a sandwich. There are layers of pieces that go together in a specific order. What are the "buns" of your backpack? What goes after each bun? You wouldn't want to put your mayonnaise outside of the bun just like you wouldn't want to put your fabric lining outside your bag. Making a backpack is just like making a fancy sandwich that you get to wear at the end!

Next lay these parts out into what they might look like as flat fabric pieces. How many do you need of each? What fabric will they be cut out of? What are their dimensions? If you're not sure how big you want them, you can take a backpack with dimensions that you like and measure it as a starting point. Or feel free to use the measurements I used (keep in mind I am 5'2"). I also altered the dimensions in the drawing above for my final bag (see further steps for accurate dimensions).

I find the most critical dimension is the length of the bag. Nothing is more awkward than having a bag that is too long and hangs past your back or too short and can't hold everything you want! If you do alter the length of my bag design, consider also adjusting the width to match, so you keep the proportions comfortable.

Since I was basing my straps off of another bag, I made sure they would fit the width of my new design. If you're recycling any patterns or dimensions from other bags, be sure to keep these things in mind!

Step 2: Creating a Pattern

Now that you've got your design and figured out how it will go together, it's time to translate your drawings into a paper pattern.

First gather pattern making supplies. I like to use:

• Large roll of paper with grid


• Scissors/rotary cutter


• Several markers and pencils of different colors


• Triangle


• Large ruler


• Ruled cutting mat


• My sketches

I've included my own pattern if you want to use my design or some components of it. It's not very printer friendly, but the shapes are all fairly simple for you to recreate on paper. Just follow the dimensions provided: PDF.

Step 3: Prototyping and Editing a Pattern

This next step, prototyping, is optional but recommended, especially if you have altered my design or chosen to create your own design. If you're creating a carbon copy of my design, prototyping isn't absolutely necessary.

Prototyping may seem excessive in both time and materials but it's very useful. A good design can go through many iterations and prototypes before it is finalized. While most people outside of the professional world don't have time or resources to prototype that many times, I would recommend at least testing out your design once in scrap fabrics before moving onto final materials.

A prototype has several useful functions, as it helps to reveal a few things:

• Order of construction (what needs to be sewn together first; this is very important!)


• Design reality (will the drawing you made actually work in fabric?)


• Functionality and aesthetics (do you like your design? is it the right size?)


• Testing (allows you to test your design in the real world and make changes)

What materials should you use to prototype? The most important thing to simulate with prototyping materials is how the fabric will behave structurally. Colors and textures don't matter. You should consider a fabric's weight and drape characteristics.

For example, if you want your final outer fabric to be a brocade upholstery fabric you would want to prototype it in a cheaper lightweight canvas.

For my prototyping fabrics I used scraps I found in the materials closet at Pier 9:

• Cordura - canvas


• Binding tape - improvised by cutting 1" strips of waxed canvas


• Ripstop lining - satin


• Webbing - more waxed canvas


• Hardware - I left the hardware (the metal bits) out because it wouldn't affect my final design or construction

The prototype might look a little silly but it served it's purpose. Here's some of the changes I was able to realize after making it.

Remember to take lots of notes while making a prototype. I find it useful to document what order I did the steps in, which can be important pointers to remember or things to fix on the final version.

Draw out any changes you want to make and document how that might effect each individual part. I like to redraw all the pattern parts I need to change and record their new dimensions and any other alterations. Be sure to mark off as you make each alteration so you don't "double edit" a component. I marked each part with a blue dot after I altered the pattern.

Mark your new measurements in a different color to avoid confusion.

Step 4: Cutting Fabric

You have a design, you have a pattern, you've bought your materials (prototyping or final), and now it's time to start making.

Spread out your fabric on a large flat surface, wrong side up. Make sure it isn't double layered.

Lay your pattern pieces out on the fabric to find the most efficient use of materials and trace around the edges with fabric chalk or something similar.

If you're comfortable with cutting fabric, you can line straight edges up end to end to conserve time cutting and marking, as well as materials. However if you don't cut exactly along the line you'll mess up one of the pieces on either side.

Using a straight edge when cutting with a rotary cutter can help avoid mistakes. However a straight edge won't help you when cutting your fabric with scissors.

Cut out all the pieces necessary pieces. For me this meant cutting out of my cordura, ripstop, mesh and foam.

After your foam is cut out, if you haven't considered it already, it's time to design your back pad details.

Here's what mine looks like, for example.

Step 5: Sewing Pockets

I started sewing my backpack by preparing the front pouches. This included using a basting stitch (a basting stitch is just a loose stitch used to tack pieces of fabric together—it is not structural so you don't have to knot the ends) to hold together the lining and outer fabric, adding darts to give the pouches dimension, adding binding tape to finish the edges and increase durability, and attaching velcro for closures.

If you did not include pouches in your design you can obviously skip this step.

Take both lower main pouch pieces and follow the instructions below. And the pouch flap:

Adding velcro:

Step 6: Preparing the Side and Bottom Pieces

Step 7: Sewing the Straps

Step 8: Creating the Back Padding

Note that I used two layers of 1/8th inch foam to give extra dimension. You don't have to do this and probably shouldn't if you aren't using an industrial machine.

The chalk lines can be wiped off later.

Step 9: Making the Top Handle

I used 2" seatbelt webbing to make the handle:

Step 10: Making the Lower Strap Attachments

The lower strap attachments are the small triangles of fabric that stick out of the bottom of the back of a backpack.

Step 11: Preparing the Internal Laptop Pocket

What's a modern backpack without a place for your laptop?

Step 12: Preparing the External Front Pocket

Preparing the outer front pocket—I lined mine to create extra contrast.

Step 13: Attaching the Back Pieces

In this step, you will be preparing the main front and back body pieces as well as sewing all pieces that will be attached to the main back fabric (one of the 27" x 14" rectangles). Order is very important in this step so follow along!

This next part might get tricky because you're sewing through so many thick layers of material. If your sewing machine gets stuck, try slowly hand cranking it and changing to a heavier needle. Don't force your machine though!

Step 14: Attaching the Front Pouches

This step covers attaching the front pouches and lower clip to the front pocket fabric:

Step 15: Adding the Zipper Pocket

Here we add a zipper and install the inside pocket:

Step 16: Attaching the Lower Strap Pieces

Starting to come together!

Step 17: Basting Together the Front, Back, Sides, and Bottom Pieces

Starting to look like a backpack, you're almost there!

Step 18: Fixing Uneven Top Edges

Like me, you probably ended up with some uneven top edges despite following the instructions perfectly. Here's how you can quickly fix them.

Step 19: Binding the Outer Raw Edges

Here are some of the final finishing touches, like adding binding tape to the outside edges. Start with the sides and bottom and then move to the top.

Step 20: Attaching Strap Cam Adjusters

This is the final step. Attach the strap cam adjusters to the strap webbing.

And that's it! You've just designed and sewn your own backpack from scratch!

Test it out and see how it works. You might even find things you'd like to change or wish you'd done differently. I have a bunch of new features I'd like to include if I make a version 2!

How to Make a Backpack | Instructables

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Rachel Ciavarella is an intern with Instructables and is pursuing a degree in Industrial Design at Carnegie Mellon University.

Photos by Rachel Ciavarella. Image adapted from PublicDomainpictures (Pixabay), Nemo (Pixabay), and OpenClips (Pixabay.

Want to see your work on Lifehacker? Email Andy .

Know When You Need Stitches By Looking for These Signs

It's summer time, and that means we're all a bit more likely to end up with some random cuts while we're playing outside in the sun. Not all of those cuts need stitches though. The Wall Street Journal breaks down when you'll need them.

Speaking with Cleveland Clinic Emergency Services Institute's vice chairman, Seth Podolsky, The Wall Street Journal offers this advice if you're not sure you need to go to the doctor for stitches or not:

Before racing to the urgent-care center, look for certain signs, says Dr. Podolsky. Seeing bone, tendon, muscle or fatty tissue from a laceration should be cause for concern as should any cut wider than about ¾ of an inch. Excessive bleeding that won't stop, loss of sensation and a risk of foreign objects stuck inside the cut also signal a need for medical attention.

That said, some parts of the body are more suited for stitches than others:

Different parts of the body heal differently. "The scalp has a lot of blood vessels, so it's good to sew up cuts there to stop bleeding," Dr. Podolsky says. "We also stitch up facial injuries to keep the scar to a minimum and in a straight line." Areas of the body that move a lot, like a knee, might also benefit from stitches. For the most part, though, "for a small, relatively superficial wound, the body will heal itself, and stitches are mostly for cosmetic reasons," he says. In general, stitches need to be inserted within the first 12 hours of injury, because of infection risk.

Podolsky adds that if you're in doubt, clean up the wound, bandage it, and keep a close eye on it. If you're concerned, head to the doctor.

When Does a Cut Need Stitches? | The Wall Street Journal

Photo by Eric E Castro