A blog about science, technology and ideas for building useful stuff

No Preservatives Added, Guido's irregular monthly blog. Enjoy reading.

2019-03: Building a travel power adapter
How to build a nice and reliable travel adapter.
2019-02: The Hudson Oka ice bridge
This is another interesting winter activity near Montreal.
2019-02: A winter excursion to dowker island
Dowker island is a small uninhabited island near Montreal.
2019-01: Using ascorbic acid externally
Ascorbic acid is not only a food supplement. Here are some surprising external uses.
2018-12: Citric acid and Ascorbic acid for healthy skin and hair
A thin film of acid crystals on the skin protect the skin and keeps dandruff away.
2018-10: Disable URL recognition in xfce terminal
This is a "must disable" feature if you use an editor that runs in the terminal.
2018-09: spilathes tincture
How to make your own spilathes tincture to support oral health.
2018-08: fixed - Firefox Quantum unable to open shtml files
An easy solution for a very strange firefox quantum bug, linux
2018-07: Old fashioned plantain salve
A really good salve to apply to minor cuts and insect bites.
2018-07: Great tasting watermelon popsicles
A great idea for a warm summer day. Very easy to make.
2018-06: Beautiful natural spring time lawns
How cooperate bottom-lines can poison you and destroy your garden.
2018-05: Garlic Mustard a very nice culinary herb
A really nice culinary herb, an often underrated wild gem for your kitchen.
2018-05: neocities.org
Free web pages, a little known jewel of the internet. Add-free.
2018-05: Anti itch remedies
Here is what to do about minor skin irritations.The summer is comming and the bugs too...
2018-04: Spring clean-up weekend
What you can learn about people when you pick-up their garbage.
2018-04: Ruizu x02 mp3 player
How to change the language settings of this mp3 player from factory default Chinese to English. A short product review is included too.
2018-04: Replacing a worn-out mouse button
It's usually the left mouse button that fails after a few years. Here is how to replace it with one that will last.
2018-04: Turmeric as a natural easter egg dye
Turmeric changes not only the color of the eggs but it gives them as well a nice taste.
2018-03: Why is IPv6 a failure and how to disable it
Some general observations about IPv6 and how to disable it on your Linux laptop/pc.
2018-03: Raspberry PI, reading temperatures with a DS18S20 sensor
A nice spring break project for your childen. Read temperatures with a Raspberry and serve it over the web.
2018-03: Raspberry PI, beginner GPIO tutorial, a traffic light
A Raspberry PI GPIO 101.
2018-03: Sewing: an interesting stitch pattern
A very interesting hand sewing stitch pattern that makes a nice continuous line in one go.
2018-03: A home made jar opener
A little wooden jar opener makes your life in the kitchen much easier.
2018-02: How to fix an icy driveway without salt
You have a really icy driveway and you are wondering what to do about it?
2018-01: Is firefox a spyfox?
Firefox is spying on us under the cover of a feature called captive portal detection.
2018-01: How to open and clean a Nutone bathroom fan
This is a short guide on how to remove the cover from a Nutone bathroom ceiling fan.
2018-01: Health risks due to electromagnentc fields (EM Fields, EMF)
Some toughts about all those radio wave and micro waves around us.
2017-12: Fennel, a herbal remedy for Menstrual Cramps and Period Pain
A herb that could help millions of women if they just knew about it.
2017-12: Speeding up the web experience with a dnsmasq DNS cache (ubuntu 16.04)
This article explains how the configuration between network manager and resolver library works.
2017-12: How to melt old shaving soap scraps into new soap
Here is how to "recycle" shaving soap
2017-11: Calendula, Comfrey, St-John's oil
How to make a wonderful oil with soothing and healing properties
2017-11: Linux: how to write your own systemd scripts (unit files)
How to use the Linux systemd and how to add your own stuff
2017-10: How to keep small animals from drowning is a swimming pool
A lot of people with in-ground pools find occasionally dead animals in their pool. Here is how to avoid that.
2017-09: Computer CPU fan cleaning
Here is what a CPU heat-sink looks like after 5 years.
2017-08: Adapting a USB sound card to work with the NW-700 condenser microphone
How to get a professional condenser MIC to work on a USB sound card without an extra phantom power supply.
2017-08: Solar eclipse Montreal, Canada, August 21, 2017
We were able to observe a partial eclipse in montreal, spectacular
2017-04: Cutting a movie with vlc and ffmpeg
An efficient way to make a movie for a school project without any complicated cutting software.
2017-01: Sage Honey Lozenges
You can harvest fresh sage even in winter and make some lozenges
2016-10: Lacto-Fermented Green Tomato Pickles
Here is how to make delicious fermented green tomatoes out of those remaining tomatoes that will never ripen before the first frost comes..
2016-07: labels for your seedbeds
Here is a labeling solution for your garden that works.
2016-06: Nettle spinach
What some people call a "weed" is actually a very beneficial plant.
2016-05: How to photograph watches and jewelry
It's very easy with the right tools and it does not have to be expensive.
2016-04: How to graft apple trees
Grafting is used to transfer "good apples" to more "crappy trees".
2016-03: How to dye easter eggs with normal food coloring
Just use a few drops of food coloring.
2016-02: Tips for getting rid of any fuel oil smell on your hands
How to really clean your hands after a dirty job in the workshop.
2016-01: Ice damming, attic temperatures and insulation
Technical details and measurments about roofs and attics designed for cold winters.
2015-07: A really good stone ground flour: upper canada village mill
A really good museum and excellent flour.
2015-06: How to change a car tire
I think everybody should know how to change a tire.
2015-05: Dandelion Salad
Yes, dandelions make a delicious salad.
2015-05: air furnace blower noise reduction system
How to reduce the noise produced by a hot air furnace.
2015-04: Sourdough bread
Great bread home made.
2015-03: building an electric feet warmer
It keeps your feet warm on a cold winter day and it's fun to build one.
2015-02: Prevent squirrels from chewing holes into garbage cans
If you live in Canada then you have probably seen garbage cans with tennis ball sized holes in the lid. There is a simple solution.
2015-01: Getting through the Canadian winter
A few tips to stay healty during a long winter season (Rosemary Gladstar's Fire Cider recipe)
2014-12: Homemade sauerkraut
How to make real sauerkraut.
2014-10: Homemade dill pickles
Really delicious and so easy to make.
2014-09: Book: Missing Microbes by Martin Blaser
Antibiotics have long term side effects and non of them are listed on the package. A must read for young parents.
2014-08: Using your AC to make distilled water
A normal AC makes a lot of distilled water, for free.
2014-08: Recipe: summer salad dressing
Very simple but wonderful.
2014-07: A really good book: No place to hide
A must read book for anybody who values freedom and democracy.
2014-06: A honeysuckle cough sirup recipe
How to prepare a honeysuckle cough and sore throat remerdy.
2014-05: exifdate -- sorting and renaming digital camera images by date and time
A great way to sort and archive your digital images.
2014-04: cyclo-vac: what to do about a defective on/off switch at the vacuum hose handle
certain cyclo-vac models have a built-in defect that can easily be fixed.
2014-03: Problems with CREE LED light bulbs and the garage door opener
Some LED light bulbs jam radio signals.
2014-02: A sheath for opinel folding knifes
Here is how to make a nice pouch for your opinel folding knife.
2014-01: New year's resolution: no more gmail
The NSA spy affair was a wake-up call for me.
2013-12: Clothespins for the children's gloves
A nice way to dry the gloves in winter.
2013-11: Making a pocket watch storage and presentation box
A nice box to store your watches when you don't use them.
2013-10: How to make a delicious cake from small and sour apples
This is the prefect time of the year for a few nice apple cakes.
2013-09: Polishing old watches
How to make an old watch case or any old metal piece shine again.
2013-08: How to stop ants from coming into your home
The article has describes some interesting alternatives to commercial products.
2013-07: Building an outdoor door chime
A second door chime installed outside in the backyard. This door chime is recodable and you can make it payback any sound.
2013-06: Clover lawn
It's very beneficial for your lawn to have some clover in it.
2013-05: Homemade natural deodorants and perfumes
We make some very effective deodorants using food grade ingredients only.
2013-04: Shoelaces make the perfect pocket-watch chain
How to carry an old pocket watch without scratching the case over time.
2013-03: A warm car seat in winter time
How to make a microwavable heating pad to keep you warm.
2013-02: Making Fennel and Estragon Vinegar
Some very nice vinegars, rich in flavor
2013-02: A permanent and light fast pen?
Which pen is absolutely permanent and light fast?
2013-02: Marvelous giant marbles made out of ice
Winter can be a lot of fun.
2013-02: DIY book printing and binding
Learn how to print and bind a really nice hardcover book yourself.
2013-02: How to make a nice leather pencil case
It's a small but very convenient pencil case with a magnetic lock.
2013-01: A magic way to clean dark spots on your teeth
A good way to remove dark spots from your teeth. No dentist appointment required.
2013-01: HP15c-LE power consumption and the low battery indicator
A small investigation into some of the limitations that the HP15c Limited Edition has.
2013-01: Compost: No more leaf bagging
How to get the perfect planting soil without mess and without much work.
2012-12: Self made acid/base indicators, PH indicators, litmus
How to make PH indicators from plant dyes
2012-12: The perfect pouch for my HP 15c calculator
How I designed a neoprene pouch for my vintage HP-15c
2012-11: A tree shaped advent calendar
Fun to make for children of every age.
2012-11: Plant a tree to save energy
How a tree can help you to save cost for AC and heating
2012-10: Make your own protective wood coating
How to make a durable but harmless outdoor wood paint
2012-07: How to vacuum a laptop keyboard
How to use an ordinary household vacuum cleaner to clean the keyboard of your laptop.
2012-07: St. John's Wort Oil
An oil that soothes and heals inflamed tissue and reduces pain.
2012-06: After bite
What to do about the itch that results from a mosquito bite.
2012-06: How to make a bee-hotel
Solitary bees are very important pollinators especially in urban areas.
2012-05: Making a classic birch broom
Use it in the garden and as decoration. It's a really nice project to do with your kids.
2011-04: Android GPS car mount
How to mount a mobile phone GPS device in your car.

Suggestions and thoughts

Write me if you have some thoughts about any of the topics discussed here or you want to share some own ideas. You can contact me at

Please enable Javascript to see the email address