After stumbling upon footage from a GoPro strapped on a quadcopter, I got excited and started doing some research on quadcopters. It seemed like a really awesome hobby that would be a perfect fit for my interests. There's a wealth of information available online but it seemed spread out over many resources so I decided I'd document my build and try to get all the information in one place.
Read MoreBack in college I found a tutorial online on how to light up a glass bottle with some LEDs and crushed glass and started making them for friends and family. I've modified and optimized the original process to make it a bit easier. Here's a list of the required materials:
Last week I decided to take the plunge into R/C quadcopters. With the help of a friend, I composed a fairly large list of parts to order from hobby stores. One of the initial components of R/C is power. How will it be supplied to your R/C craft? What types of batteries will you use? How are you going to charge these batteries? Instead of trying to get into R/C on a budget, I decided to spend a bit more than I wanted so I wouldn't have to upgrade to new and higher quality equipment later on. In doing so, I purchased a Turnigy Accucel-8 150 Watt 7 Amp Balancer/Charger. This specific charger needs to be supplied with 12 volts and it will do the rest; balancing and discharging the batteries to keep them in perfect condition. There are 12 volt power supplies available but I decided to go the DIY route, save a little money, and have a fun afternoon project.
Read MoreThe 2 lbs of shrimp I used for the seafood boil was actually too much for two people, so I saved it for some shrimp and grits the next morning! To prepare the shrimp, I sliced them in half and washed out any veins. This makes the pieces smaller and bite size, which helps integrate it within the dish. I had some cooked polish sausage from earlier in the week and decided to add that. For veggies, I chopped some mushrooms, red onions, parsley, and garlic. I reserved some of the parsley for garnish at the end. I started off sauteing the mushrooms, garlic, and onion in a bit of butter. Once the veggies started to soften, I threw in the shrimp and sausage and added salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, and Old Bay to taste.
Read MoreI'm a big fan of seafood. Although pricey at restaurants, it's fairly cheap and extremely easy to cook it at home if you buy on sale. Cooking it yourself provides enough seafood for two people for around $20. I keep an eye out for sales on snow crab and stock up when it's about $6.99 a lb or less. When I buy it I ask if they have any still frozen because I have no idea how long it has been thawing out in the display case and I don't want crab that's be frozen, thawed, frozen again for storage, and then thawed again for use. I also went with some head-on shrimp that was only $3.99 a lb to save a bit of money. Although you're throwing away some of the weight because of the discarded heads, it comes out to about $5.95/lb, which is still pretty cheap.
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