Women aren’t the only crafters out there. Slide over scrapbookers, knitters and jewelry makers, men are in the DIY game too. And ManMade features projects that are masculine or at the very least gender neutral like those yellow baby showers.

Seriously, we’re digging this site. Where else can you find everything from bicycle pants how-to videos (peep it below) and DIY mouse pads to a whole post on 5 Ways to Open a Wine Bottle Without a Corkscrew. ¬†They also seem to have a love for Mario. We send love to anyone who respects the more superior Nintendo brother.

How to Make the Ultimate Pair of Bike Pants for Urban Cycling from Curbly Videos on Vimeo.

It has been a long time since I took a math class. I realized that when I followed the steps on the Wolfram Alpha sample question and still couldn’t figure out how to get the answer. To be honest it was a bit of an ego check. I always thought I was pretty good at math, but I obviously didn’t retain much of what I learned. But anyway enough about how awesome I am. This looks like a great tool for parent’s that help their kids with their homework. No more math tutor for you Zion. Hop on over and take a look and remember, if you don’t use it, you lose it.

All you have to do is enter the equation you want to solve: (solve 3x + 52 = 1999) and click the Show steps button. Pretty nice if you ask me.

[Wolfram Alpha via Lifehacker]

I have yet to read the book, but this story of a self-taught Malawian boy building a windmill to bring electricity to his village is nothing short of awe-inspiring. Mind you, he built this windmill out of parts from a junk yard. I am totally blown away.

And that is just the beginning. William Kamkwamba was kicked out of school because his family could not afford to pay the roughly $80 a year tuition. Instead of hanging his head, William went to go to the library. It was there he found the book, Using Energy. In the book he read about windmills and how they could generate electricity as well help with pumping water. Here is an exert from his blog:

Determined to continue my education, I began visiting a local library, funded by the Americans, where I quickly fell in love with science. As the hunger clawed its way across our country, the library was where I escaped and became lost in discussions of electromagnetism, simple motors and electricity — my favorite topic, since only 2 percent of Malawi enjoyed such a luxury.

I didn’t read English well, so I mainly taught myself these things by studying the pictures and diagrams. By the time I saw my first windmill on the cover of an American textbook called Using Energy, I was able to apply all this previous knowledge and set out to build my own. Within six months, I’d constructed a windmill that provided my family with continuous electricity and completely transformed the way we lived. A later machine allowed us to irrigate a small garden to grow produce year-round.

After reading this and watching the video below, it makes me take pause when I think to complain about something I can’t do. Obviously, if you want to do it, you can. You can find more information about William at his blog. You can also purchase his book, The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind.

[Via William's Blog via Gizmodo Via Good]

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Bravo on this post =)

[Via HowAboutOrange]

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Book lovers are known for sharing their favorites. But borrowers don’t always bring them back, and since there are no late fees, it’s easy for them to keep them.

Great stories are meant to be shared, but there should be a system in tact to ensure you get them back.

So if you’re tired of loaning out your copy of Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight, only to never see it again, The Knock Knock Personal Library Kit might be for you.

Complete with date stamp, self-adhesive envelopes and checkout cards, it allows your book shelf to become the freshest library in your house. For $16, it’s the perfect gift for any bookworm.

[Via Suck UK]