Posts from — May 2008

America’s Redneck Test Kitchen…
by TREASUREGIFT on MAY 27, 2008 - 3 Comments in WRETHA

I mentioned having an ant problem. we have another insect issue too, flies. Since we have to keep every window, door and any other openings open, the flies freely come and go, mostly come in, as far as I know they never leave. Yeah I know, we gotta get more screens up, one thing at a time…

Once the sun comes up, the flies start appearing, they buzz by your ears, face. land on you, just basically irritatating… I looked up some homemade fly catchers, I found ones that use clear plastic bottles, you cut the top off, insert it, lid side down into the bottle, you need something inside the bottle that the flies like, set these around and wait for them to fill up. The idea is the flies are attracted by the bait, crawl into the bottle, eat until full, they fly up, the problem is they don’t go back to the middle of the bottle where they came in, they just keep beating their little hairy heads against the top of the bottle, where they can’t get out. Muahahaha (evil laugh!)

Now to America’s Redneck Test Kitchen, I made 5 fly catchers, I placed a different bait into each one, I want to know which one works best. Here is what I placed in each one:

milk
vinegar and sugar
leftover chicken (with a bit of water to keep it from drying up)
leftover cinnamon roll (with a bit of water…)
poop (with a bit of water…)

Yes, that last one is real, I have to know! I set these all side by side, a veritable smorgasboard for the flies, they have their choice now, dairy, sweet & sour, meat, dessert, and poo.

I’ll post the results as they come in.

DIE FLIES DIE!

.

1 Comment

Anonymous seth said…
LMAO…..good post…too funny

May 27, 2008 1:40 PM

Humor
by TREASUREGIFT on MAY 27, 2008 - 0 Comments in WRETHA

Something light & fun…

15 of the strangest trees you have ever seen, how’d they do that???

**************************************************

15 stoopidest warning labels, wha???

**************************************************

15 unfortunately placed ads, funny and sad…
If I still worked at Best Buy, I would do this!

Monetizing with Google
by TREASUREGIFT on MAY 26, 2008 - 3 Comments in WRETHA

Monetizing, what exactly IS that? It’s a way to make money with your website and/or blog. How does it work? Basically you need a website, I believe you have to own your own domain, not a difficult thing to do, next you need something on your website, it can be anything. Next you need to sign up with Google Adsense, there are other ad sites, but I like Google and have stuck with them. Once you sign up with Google Adsense, it takes a while for them to approve your site, that’s why you need something on your site, Google wants to see what your site is all about. It’s best if you don’t have any other ads running on your website, Google does not like to share.

When they finally approve you, patients, they most likely will, eventually… anyhoo, once you are in, then you can start adding ad units to your site. That’s the fun part, it does take some finesse to add the ads in the best place, you want them visible, but not so much IN YOUR FACE that your visitors leave in disgust, see your webpage like your visitors, go to some other web sites, look at ones that you like, look at the ones that you don’t like, try to figure out how to incorporate what you like into your site, don’t use what you don’t like. It’s not rocket science.

Pick out the ad units you want to use, you can choose the size, number of ads per unit, you can customize the colors to match your site. Google decides what your page is about and delivers relative ads, if your page is about purple dinosaurs, then your ads will be about purple dinosaurs and related things. You can also choose to place other things besides ad units, you can choose:

Adsense for Content
These are the regular (and most popular) ad units you see

Adsense for Search
This adds a search box to your site, you can either have it search your site or the web

Referrals
This one allow you to choose specific products or groups of products to advertise on your site, again these are tailored to the content on your site

Video Units
This one is fun, you choose YouTube videos to be viewed on your site, little Google ad unit appears within the video box

The fun part of all this is you, the webmaster get paid for each click, most of the time, you get a few cents per click, but sometimes you get lucky and one of the clicks will really pay out! Once you reach $100.00, you get paid, either by check, or by direct deposit into your checking account.

Google Adsense has some rules, these are meant to protect the advertisers, these are the people who are paying you to have your visitors click on their ads. If you break any of these rules, then Google WILL cut you off, the ads will not show, you will see the space where they should go, but no ads will appear. So the main thing to do is to read the rules, yes, all of them, because you could accidentally be doing something wrong and not even realize it.

The number one no-no is to ASK or ENCOURAGE your visitors to click on your ads, as tempting as that may be, you run a big risk of getting caught, (someone WILL turn you in eventually), if you are caught you could lose your revenue or even be banned from Adsense. I have seen people asking their visitors to support their site by clicking on ads, that is a very quick way to lose your Google Adsense account, that is why I have never done that in all the time I have been with Google Adsense, though I personally would not turn anyone in for breaking that rule, there are those who would turn you in, in a heartbeat.

You want your visitors to click on ads they are truly interested in, hopefully if your visitors are at your site, then they are interested in what is on your site, therefore the ads Google serves up will also be of interest. Google does track your site’s clicks, if they detect that you are getting too many clicks (percentage wise) from the same region, they look at it suspiciously, they assume you are having the same people, or your family and friends clicking for you, especially if the clicks are coming from the same area where you live. They might remove some of your revenue if they suspect clicks to be fraudulent. Placing images near the Google ads is also a no-no, arrows, pointers, anything that would unduly draw extra attention to your ads could be grounds for removal. Never, NEVER click on your own ads, if you happen to see something that you are interested in, most of the time, the ad will have the URL written on it, type it in manually, do not click on it, that will cause problems for you. Tell anyone who uses YOUR computer not to click on any ads on your site, you MIGHT be able to explain that away to Google, yeah and the dog ate my homework and the check’s in the mail too… It’s best to prevent it from ever happening in the first place.

The idea is to have your normal traffic to hopefully be interested in what is being served and will click on your ads, this is a win-win situation, the advertiser gets more traffic, and you get paid for it.

With that being said, signing up for Google Adsense and adding it to your website or blog is one way to earn some money. If you have any questions about monetizing your website or blog, please feel free to ask me. I have been with Google Adsense since March 06, I have been paid by them, I really appreciate the opportunity Google has given to me to be able to participate in this program.

3 Comments

Blogger Lisa Cremer said…
Hello,

I just wanted to let you know that Oronjo.com has just gone live, a new monetization site for content producers. Everyone can now sell their own music, thesis, novel, photos or movies, all from their own webpage.

This even works for weblog articles.

Our service is 100% free. Oronjo also offers the Angel Whale option, where all revenue goes to charity.

With kind regards,

Lisa Cremer

May 27, 2008 8:55 AM

Delete

Blogger tjbbpgob said…
Wretha, I wasn’t going to comment on this post but I think I should. I took your advice and set up several of the accounts you brag on. Well, they may be good for you but I hope noone else has the problems I had. My computer was infected with so much crap I could not download anything and something started slowing down everything I tried to do. I have finally gotton rid of most of it but some doesn’t even give you an opt out feature. I still can’t get my computer to do a proper back-up. I am not sure those sites are the reason but it started about the same time I started using those sites.

May 31, 2008 3:41 PM

Delete

Blogger Wretha said…

tjbbpgob, I am very sorry you have had some trouble, it is frustrating when things like that happen. Are you talking about the pay to click sites or the Google Adsense? I assume you are talking about the ptc sites, the ptc sites are OK, at least the ones I use are, BUT they are sending you to other sites to view ads, and any time you visit any website, you run the risk of having viruses and other bad things happening to your computer, if you are not doing so now, I would recommend using some sort of antivirus program, and an antispyware program, I also use Firefox and I use several plugins that help protect me from bad scripts running in HTML that could harm my computer. The main one I like is called “no script”, it can be annoying at first, it asks you on every site you visit if it that page is ok, once you visit a site and set it to OK, it will not ask you again for that site, that helps a lot. Again, I am sorry you had trouble, I do hope you can get it resolved.

May 31, 2008 8:42 PM

US media coverage
by SPY_VONDEGA on MAY 26, 2008 - 1 Comment in COMMUNITY, OFF-GRID 101
Todd-Bogotay-on-roof-of-Turtle Building
Bogotay’s remote home (Reuters)

Reuters West Coast put out a big feature on America’s “off-grid pioneers” this morning, containing an interview with Off-Grid.net editor Nick Rosen. It was instantly copied by Guardian Online. Expect to see it taken up here and there over the next few days.

The New York Times, just published a piece about off-grid second homes which featured Nick and our friend Steve Spence.

The widely syndicated Canadian show Ecoshock also hosted a long interview with Nick about the many reasons why people go off-grid.

The CD quality version (at 12 min 37 sec, 12 MB) is at: (more…)

Personal Carbon Trading
by TECHSTAR on MAY 26, 2008 - 0 Comments in ENERGY
Catherine Bottrill
Bottrill – scheme is credible

An influential committee of British parliamentarians has called on the UK Government to push ahead with a “radical” system of personal ‘carbon credits’ .

Anyone who wanted to spend more than their limit would then be able to buy extra credits from low carbon emitters. Off-gridders would be amongst the lowest carbon users.

The scheme would see everybody given an annual carbon limit from an overall national pot, which they then ‘spent’ on items such as fuel and energy bills.

The government has dismissed the scheme as unworkable, but many believe otherwise. (more…)

Ant Issues
by TREASUREGIFT on MAY 25, 2008 - 6 Comments in WRETHA

Ant troubles, fortunately they aren’t fire ants or those crazy raspberry ants, these don’t seem to bite, or at least they don’t go out of their way to bite. These are smallish black ants, we leave them alone for the most part, but occasionally they wander into the house. They seem to like the dead moths that populate the house, the reason there are dead moths is because we keep the house open all the time, and at night the lights attract lots of moths. By the morning, the moths seem to be mostly dead. The ants then come in and remove the dead moths. Sounds like a good thing, except I know the ants will start looking for other goodies to eat, food crumbs, and such.

I have been dusting the doorway with cinnamon, and spraying Ivory soap water where ever the ants are coming in. The cinnamon works for about a day, then it loses it’s effectiveness, the soap works until it dries, which happens fast out here. I did a search for ant repellent, I found lots of home remedies, I found one that I had everything needed, yeast, molasses, and water. I made up a batch, put it in some jar lids and placed it in the ant’s path. So far, they seem to not like it, maybe I should paint it on the posts outside that are just under the door. I wonder if that would work? I guess we are just going to have to bite the bullet and get something from the store next time we are in town. I hate using poisons, I’ll see what the stores have…

7 Comments

Anonymous the texan said…

sprinkle some borax around where they are coming in.

May 25, 2008 12:03 PM

Delete

Anonymous the texan said…

sprinkle some borax around where they are coming in.

May 25, 2008 12:03 PM

Delete

Blogger Wretha said…

That is one idea, I’ll have to see if the store in town has any, it’s hit or miss with these stores. :) For what it’s worth, the spot where I placed the molasses and yeast mixture, the ants don’t seem to like it, and for now, have vacated that particular area. I’m going to move it around and see if it works elsewhere.

May 25, 2008 12:21 PM

Delete

OpenID lornkanaga said…

I’ve never heard of using Borax, but that stuff does so many things, who knows (g).

What I use on the tiny ants are Orange Clean/Glow–I used Orange Glow on wood, and Orange Clean on everything else. Amazingly enough, it’s been two years since the last “invasion,” and I’m keeping my fingers crossed. For some reason, the tiny ants don’t like it, and when I spray the stuff directly on them they practically fizzle and melt. Unfortunately, that stuff doesn’t work on the regular-size ants and even when I spray it right on them it has to literally be sprayed into a puddle before the things stop.

You may want to try whole bay leaves. I’ve heard it’s a natural insect repellant that was used in ancient times to keep bugs out of stored goods (smells nice, too). A friend of mine has roach problems, and since she’s been placing bay leaves everywhere the roach population has greatly diminished.

Good luck!

TheMajor’sLady

May 25, 2008 1:09 PM

Delete

Blogger Wretha said…

Thanks TheMajor’sLady, I suspect the orange cleaner does the same thing that the Ivory soap does, I know that soap kills bugs fast! Borax is a known insect killer, I have heard different things as to how it works, I’ll probably look for it next time I’m in town. The bay leaves are an ancient (grin) remedy, just ask any grandmother! :) I purchased many bottles of dried bay leaves before I moved out here just for that purpose, to keep the bugs out of my food. So far I haven’t had to use it, but I expect I’ll need to be breaking it out soon, before the bugs get started.

Wretha

May 25, 2008 1:21 PM

Delete

Blogger The Scavenger said…

I have always heard the ants will not cross a line of flour. Give it a try and let us know.

Chris

May 25, 2008 7:47 PM

Delete

Blogger L Dew said…

sugar ants and other small antlings will be deterred by coffee grounds!

:)

Lisa

p.s. i linked to you. I hope that is okay!

June 26, 2008 9:33 PM

Short, Interesting Article
by TREASUREGIFT on MAY 25, 2008 - 2 Comments in LAND

Are they talking about me??? How about you? I don’t know if I agree with everything they say, but the bigger truth is evident, being more self sufficient, being ready to face the possible tomorrows by getting prepared today.

http://green.yahoo.com/news/ap/20080524/
ap_on_re_us/environmental_survivalists.html

2 Comments

OpenID lornkanaga said…

Good stuff–thanks for sharing. I emailed the article to friends and family.

BTW, I don’t think you’re an environmental survivalist. I think you’re smart, and you’re doing what your heart tells you to do.

May 25, 2008 3:10 PM

Delete

Blogger Wretha said…

Thanks lornkanaga, I found the article interesting, people do stuff for different reasons, I do think about if/when the SHTF, I hope it never does, though we (collectively) cannot keep going like this, something has to give!

Wretha

May 25, 2008 5:37 PM

Update
by TREASUREGIFT on MAY 25, 2008 - 1 Comment in WRETHA

Wow, it’s been a few days since I’ve written anything here, let’s see if I can catch everyone up on what’s been going on… Bob has been working on the bedroom addition to the cabin, I suppose it’s beginning to be more of a house and less of a cabin, Bob doesn’t like me referring to it as a cabin, so I will try to stop referring to our house as a cabin. :)

The bedroom has a roof and walls now, we had lots of windows (thanks to everyone who donated windows to us!), so many of the walls are mostly windows, that’s a good thing! We have great views, and it makes it a breeze to ventilate (pun intended). Most of the windows have screens too, for the ones that don’t have them, we will make them. Bob also built a deck outside the bedroom, it’s nice to go outside and sit on the deck, especially at night when it’s cool and the stars are out.

It’s been getting hot during the day, as long as the wind is blowing, it’s pretty comfortable, but on the days the wind is calm, it can get pretty warm in the house. We have found that during the hottest part of the day, the best place to be is under the house, it can be in the upper 90s in the house, but in the upper 70s to 80s under the house, the concrete walls tend to be cool, they register 75 degrees F. Our house sits some 7-8 feet above ground, so it’s pretty easy to walk under the house, still Bob has worked on digging out the dirt to increase the head room, we will eventually close up the bottom floor with concrete, and pour a concrete floor. It should be very comfortable down there, might even sleep down there, though it does get cool at night (typical desert, hot during the day, cool to cold at night). Last night I went to sleep with one light blanket, I had all of the windows open, I woke up early with a chill, I had to grab a second blanket. Trying to sleep during the day though it difficult, the bed traps your body heat, and it gets too warm, if we had a bed under the house, it would be easy to take a nap during the hottest part of the day.

Bob’s brother is supposed to come down for a visit soon, maybe in a week or so, I can’t wait, he will be a big help to Bob, I can do just so much for Bob, I am a big help, but I don’t have the strength of a man, so having another male here for a while will be a big help. Bob’s brother has lots of good ideas like Bob does, so the two of them together can bounce ideas off of each other and come up with even better plans together than they do separately. Bob wants to build a separate guest house, his brother will make things go lots quicker, and I think having someone else here inspires Bob to do more, though I can’t complain a bit about what he does, he works hard around here and does some amazing things! :)

My Dad will be coming out in July, he will be staying at least a month, hopefully we will have a nice guest house for him to stay in, if not, he can stay in the bedroom in our house, our neighbor has also graciously offered his spare bedroom too if my Dad wants it, though I know my Dad, he will not want to impose, and he doesn’t know our neighbor as well as we do, he will want to stay on our property if at all possible. We will be using our neighbor’s facilities as we always do, for bathing, laundry and such… I take the opportunity to catch up on my TV watching while I am doing laundry, I really don’t miss watching TV on a daily basis, it’s nice to watch it once a week (or so), though I think I don’t get to the laundry as soon as I could, gotta wait for the commercials ;).

Laundry, typically I do 3 loads a week. I separate the laundry into towels and socks, another load for blacks, darks and jeans, the final load is the light colors. I need to get our blankets and bed stuff into the wash too, it’s easy to put it off, mainly because I can carry one basket to my neighbor’s house at a time. That’s pretty much all of my laundry, if I do the bed stuff, it will have to be on a separate day, maybe I’ll do that later on today, there’s nothing like fresh, soft sheets and blankets!

The sun is coming up, I have been on an opposite sleep schedule, I tend to do this from time to time, I’ll stay up all night and go to bed about the time the sun is coming up, last night though, I went to bed fairly early, I woke up early too, I think it was because I was chilled, I grabbed a second blanket, but by then I was wide awake, so I just got on up, I suppose I’ll be going to bed early tonight too. That’s OK, I’m not on any particular schedule, nothing says I HAVE to sleep or be up at any particular time. As long as I get the garden watered once a day, and make dinner at a reasonable time, it’s fine. I have never been one of those people who have a routine, go to bed and get up at the same time, I can sleep anytime, I almost envy those who have a natural schedule, but I’m not complaining, I guess my natural schedule is flexible.

I detect the scent of moisture, it’s an odd scent here, it smells faintly of wet dirt, when you smell it, you first wonder, what is that smell? Then you remember, it’s the smell of moisture. That was one of the other things that caught my attention when I woke up this morning, it was almost overpowering at times, this happens whenever the humidity is up and when it rains. Last I checked, there was a 20% chance of rain today, chances are it will not rain, it might rain around us, it’s strange to hear it raining in the next valley over but not getting one drop. It also might rain but the rain will not actually hit the ground, maybe a drop or 2, we’ll see what happens.

I guess I’ll go out and sit on the deck and watch the world come to life. :)

1 Comment

Blogger Mayberry said…

Get a hammock for an afternoon siesta! They eliminate the trapped heat of a bed, and are really comfortable. String it out when you want to use it, and put it up when you’re done. I’d sleep in a hammock all the time if it were up to me!

May 26, 2008 12:49 PM

Delete

Low energy refrigeration
by TECHSTAR on MAY 24, 2008 - 3 Comments in FOOD, OFF-GRID 101
Fridge in a pot
Mohammed stays cool

With summers getting steadily hotter, food storage is an issue. Pictured is Mohammed Bah Abba’s Pot-in-pot invention, which won a Rolex Award of $100,000 –a refrigerator than runs without electricity. (more…)

Creative Commons license, which allows you to utilise all the information on this site for non-commercial purposes, providing you credit the information with the word 'off-grid.net', which should be written as one word and accompanied by a link to our web site.
View our creative commons license. View our Privacy Policy.

Vivum Intelligent Media Ltd. 2009
17 Scawfell Street
London E2 8NG

email nick (at) off-grid.net,
call US office:
toll-free 1-877-706-7423
OR
UK +44 207 729 2749