How to hammer out a copper bowl

This is one of my favorite things to do. Try it, you'll be surprised how easy and beautiful it is.

How to Get a Humming Bird to Sit in Your Hand

I was a patient boy, my brother and sister might question that statement, but I could sit for hours, silently, without moving a muscle until a hummingbird would come and sit in my hand.
And you can do it too. Here's how:
Buy a nice Hummingbird feeder, one with hopefully a well to keep out the ants.

Make some Hummingbird water, mixing 4 parts water to 1 part sugar.

 Bring to a boil, then let cool. Pour into the feeder.

Make a Hummingbird Holder (optional)

Rob Barrett with a Hummingbird

Let a couple days go by until the birds find it. What's amazing is you'll notice they aren't afraid of humans. Once they start feeding at it, start to sit nearer and nearer to it eventually until you are right next to it.  Hold your finger under the spot where the birds feed.  Once one is feeding right above your finger you can actually push it up under the bird until it sits on it. They have no fear.


Try it, there's nothing like it.
Live well,
Rob Barrett, Jr.

Who you looking at?

Winter Fail

And lo, life bursts forth from lingering naught

escaping the winter's long draining draught.

For blight and white can not for long withhold

the force that slips from the creative fold.

From both the thin places and dry places

it seeps with yellowy smiling faces

shaking off the drips of vernal slumber

to replicate without heed to number

and sow the seed, thrusts of generations,

the oft coughing cause from seminations.

It cannot be denied its inspiring

the fruit and figs of our youth's deriving.

Spring forth and shout in utter glee

for winter has lost another fight with thee.

©2011 Rob Barrett, Jr.

How to make ice globe luminaries

Here's an updated video on tips and tricks.

Here's how to make these cool candle lit ice globes.

1. Live in MN or somewhere unreasonably cold.

2. Get some 12" balloons and fill them with water. Put them out on the deck to freeze.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="usually takes 2 nights to freeze completely"][/caption]

I had better luck putting them on a hard surface than in the snow.  The snow gives it a little rounder shape but also insulates the bottom part, making the freeing uneven.

3. Peel off the balloon. Take a drill and a 1" bit and drill one hole straight down the middle. Then place the edge of the bit on the edge of the whole and mover around the edges widening the hole. (See video)

[caption id="attachment_90" align="alignnone" width="225" caption="Drill out the hole"][/caption]

4. Use a propane torch to melt away the scratches or other scuff marks on the outside and in the hole.

[caption id="attachment_91" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="use a propane torch to smooth the surface"][/caption]

5. Lite a candle and put it in the globe for guaranteed winter fun. Use small candles without a metal base rather than tea lights.  The metal tends to melt the globe and make the hole longer or completely through.

[caption id="attachment_78" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="be a light in the darkness"][/caption]

Here's a rough vlog on how to do it.



Take pictures of your globes and send them to PR@cookingfordads.net.

Have a great winter.  In 4 more days the nights get shorter and the days longer!!

Rob Barrett, Jr.

[caption id="attachment_85" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="tower mounting"]

remember, more is more

[/caption]

mounting idea number 1 - pyramid

Why I returned my Iphone 4.

It was with great excitement that I upgraded my Iphone 3g to an Iphone 4.  Even thought there may have been some phone problems, I was mainly excited about being able to shoot and edit HD video on my phone. always having a good camera was also a plus, especially now that there was a flash.

But after shooting just a small amount of video, my smile started to lessen. It seemed no matter how still I head the camera, the video came out jerky and seemed a little wishy washy.  But it wasn't until I did some editing on a bigger computer and could see what was happening frame by frame that I was able to understand the depth of the problem.

My Iphone 4 was distorting and warping images in some sort of unadvertised effort at EIS, or electronic image stabilization.

Take a look at the following frames.  See how the potato is elongated and blurred in the second picture, and then shortened in the next one?



I noticed this in all the videos I had shot up to this point.  So like any good Apple nut I sent the pics to Steve Jobs.  Two days later I got a call back from Heather A. at corporate communications and she asked for the original video file because the engineers wanted to see what was going on.  Cool, someone from Apple actually read my email.

After quite a few phone calls, the engineers said, there was nothing they could do, and there was no software fix.  The distortion was here to stay due to the cmos chip they were using.

Rats! The main reason I upgraded was so I could avoid getting  Flip camera and always have a video camera with me.  The pone part was good and I enjoyed the speed bump over my Iphone 3g but was it worth another 2 years with AT&T?  Eventually I decided no and returned it.  My 3g is just fine and I have other options for cameras and video.

Here's hoping Verizon comes out with an Iphone 5 in January and they can fix this problem.

Here are some other videos I shot with it, you can see the watery effects of the Iphone 4 video.

Strangers on a plane

Nothing brings strangers together
like a crying, screaming child
on a plane:
The smirky glances,
the craned necks,
the shared smiles,
all bonding people with a similar plight -
making light of a loud situation.

For a recording of the experience click here.
Roles are assumed:
The Rogue in 25E laments his lack of duct tape.
(General, muffled, laughter)
Reveling in his triumph he tries again falling flat,
his reign as group comedian is over.
The compassionate grandmotherly type wanting to help,
straining against restraint to see over the rows of seats
her calming hands lonely to sooth.
The irritated business man wishing for a different seat
looks in vain at the full rows.
The attendant with her annoyed smile offering,
distracting, but wanting to be home.
The baseball capped youths laughing,
elbowing, poking. ear buds dripping
down their hooded sweatshirts.
All are reacting differently to
the insistent child who,
has just discovered,
and is now proclaiming
this world to be a place
that isn't fair.
Welcome, young brat.
The indulgent mother, finally paying her dues,
finding herself doing the hard parenting
best done in private,
now done in public
before this group,
this group of strangers
brought together
if only for a short while.

For takeoff will come
and the bell will chime
allowing the child
freedom from his belt
his constrained yelp
now free to fade.
Lesson not learned,
It will return.

To hear a clip of the experience click here

How to be a good dad, (or so I've heard.)

1. Spend time with your kids. the earlier in their life the better

2. Be the disciplinarian. It takes effort but shows them you love them.

3. When possible be fair. Again, it takes effort.

4. Only have one hobby. Don't golf and fish and play softball and something else.  Do one thing, and only do it one day a week.  Any more than that on a regular basis and you're spending too much time away. Ask your wife.

5. Read to your kids.

6. Every night, ask your kids their high point and low point of the day. Tell them yours.

7. Don't play Playstation or Xbox, unless you're playing with your kids and even then don't do it too often.

8. Be a grown up, and not a kid. Be a father not their friend.  They will have many friends in their life but only one father.

9. Keep your sense of wonder, explore with them, find out how things work.

10.  Cook, and do it with your kids.

11. Say "I love you" a lot, and sometimes even use words. (Thanks Sarah B.)

12. Love your wife (Thanks Nina)

13. Listen, especially dads with teenage girls, try and understand their drama.  (Thanks Mike H,)

14. Try as much as possible to say yes, saying no comes too easily. (Thanks Brian M.)

15. Lead by example, hypocrisy undermines all other efforts. (Thanks Brad S.)

Any other ideas, put it in the comments.

Rob Barrett, Jr. Father of Two.