30 August 2008

23 August 2008

Much Cooler Than the Pop up Lily, but Again, You Need the Original


How to Make a Unicorn Pop up Card


from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

Unicorns have always seemed like mysterious creatures, and in the imagination of the young, have always held some promise of adventure. Though the modern popular image of the unicorn is sometimes that of a horse differing only in the horn on its forehead, the traditional unicorn has a billy-goat beard, a lion's tail, and cloven hooves—these distinguish it from a horse.[1] With the 2008 birth of a real-life "unicorn" in Italy--a deer with a single horn growing out of its head[2]--make a card to celebrate!

Steps


  1. Print out all the unicorn pieces (click here for PDF) and unicorn card (click here for PDF) on heavy paper, like card stock or construction paper. You will need to have Adobe Acrobat Reader[3] installed in your computer in order to view and print the templates.
  2. Using a ruler as a guide, take the rounded end of a paper clip (or ballpoint pen that has run out of ink) and press along the dotted lines of the pop-up pieces and card.
  3. Carefully cut out your unicorn pop-up pieces and card following the solid black line around the shape(s).
  4. Note that you should have 5 pieces and 1 card.
  5. Take your card and fold it in half. Unfold and put it back to its original position.
  6. Take your pop-up piece with the horn on it. Fold it in half towards you.
  7. Fold and crease the left tab up. Crease well and unfold. Repeat this step on the other
  8. Take your pop-up piece with the ears on it. Fold it in half towards you.
  9. Fold the bottom left tab up and crease well.
  10. Continue to fold and crease. The E tab should fold towards the horse's shoulder.
  11. Continue to fold and crease until it looks like this.
  12. Repeat the previous three steps on the other side. Set this piece aside for now.
  13. Take the head piece and fold it in half towards you.
  14. Take the left tab and fold it down away from you. Crease well and unfold.
  15. Do the same with the right tab.
  16. Apply a small amount of glue to where it says "glue here A" on the card.
  17. Take your pop-up piece with the horn and line it up against "glue here A". Press firmly and let the glue dry.
  18. Apply a small amount of glue to "glue here B". Line up the tab and press down firmly
  19. Let the glue dry.
  20. Apply a small amount of glue to area C.
  21. Press firmly and let the glue dry. Do the same to the other side by applying a small amount of glue to area D.
  22. Glue the left side and press firmly. Wait for the glue to dry and set this pop-up piece aside for now.
  23. Apply a small amount of glue to E and F.
  24. Take your pop-up piece you just put aside and line it up over "glue here E" and "glue here F".
  25. Apply a small amount of glue to areas G and H. Line up the tabs over G and H. Press firmly and let the glue dry.
  26. Apply a small amount of glue to area I.
  27. Take a leg and attached it over area I. Press firmly and let the glue dry. Do the same on the other side.
  28. Close your pop-up carefully.
  29. Open your pop-up unicorn! Color it in with markers and crayons. Share it with someone special!


Related wikiHows




Sources and Citations



  1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unicorn

  2. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25097986/

  3. http://www.adobe.com



Article provided by wikiHow, a collaborative writing project to build the world's largest, highest quality how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Make a Unicorn Pop up Card. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

Jerry’s Getting More Intelligent All the Time!

From Quotes of the Day, today:

A bookstore is one of the only pieces of evidence we have that people are still thinking.

- Jerry Seinfeld

17 August 2008

Still Thinking This One Over…


How to Be Good


from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

Philosophers have been debating what is good and what is not for centuries. Many people find that it's more complicated than just being kind, and several complex religions have arisen with the attempt to understand the difference between good and evil. While every person's journey is different, being good has a lot to do with discovering yourself and your role in the world. Here's how to be a good person on your own terms.

Steps


  1. Be proactive. It's tempting to infer that as long as you avoid doing the things you know are bad (stealing, badmouthing, lying, etc.) then that means you're a good person, but there's more to it than that. By avoiding bad behavior, you've made a big step towards becoming a good person, but you've only just begun. In order to be good, you actually have to do good things rather than just avoid doing bad things.
  2. Consider the results. Have you ever heard the saying that "the road to hell is paved with good intentions"? It's not enough to want to do good, and to try to do good--you must also think about whether your actions actually had good results. Not every attempt to do good will end with good results, so when things don't work out, be willing to reconsider your actions and change them accordingly. Never let your sense of duty, loyalty, or obligation get in the way of doing what's right.[1] For example, many parents feel that it's always good to help their children in every way they can, but there are times when children need to learn lessons on their own and face challenges in order to achieve or to avoid mistakes in the future. A child who has been arrested on suspicion of drunk driving needs to bear the responsibility of his or her actions. If the parent bails the child out, then helps the child avoid consequences, s/he will only learn that the parent will be there to help even if s/he does wrong. The intention is good (wanting to help the child succeed) but the action might not be (removing all obstacles from their path).
  3. Think about the greater good. What might seem like a good decision in your situation might not have a very good impact on a broader scale (in the example above, the child doesn't have a DUI on his record, but is then free to go and violate the law again, this time possibly hurting or killing someone else). People often do right things for the wrong reasons, and wrong things for the right reasons. If you're playing a game with your team, for instance, it might seem good to try and score as many goals as you can to bring your team to victory. But look at the big picture. How will your teammates feel if you score all the points instead of helping set them up to score at times, never allowing them to get a shot in? How will that kind of victory affect the team spirit? Would you still feel good if your team won, but your teammates felt that it was an individual effort and they weren't involved?
  4. Define what "good" means to you. Ultimately, you have to decide on your own code of ethics, and what matters is that you follow through with what you believe makes you a good person. At times, this may conflict with what others believe is good, and they might even accuse you of being wrong or evil. Consider their views - either they know something you don't, in which case you may learn something from them and "update" your morality, or perhaps their experience is limited, meaning that you should take their views with a grain of salt.
  5. Be balanced. In the struggle to be good, it's easy to swing from one extreme to another. However, any form of extremism can lead to closed-mindedness, a quality that can be found behind what most people can agree are bad deeds. In Buddhism, there's a term for avoiding extremism: "the Middle Way". Whenever you find yourself leaning towards an extreme, try to find the Middle Way before you act. This isn't going to be easy, but if being good was easy, wouldn't every good-hearted person be good? Here are some dilemmas you may encounter:
    • It's good to be humble and kind, but is it good to be so humble and kind that you let people walk all over you, to the extent that it damages your physical and emotional health, or lessens your ability to care for, spend time with, and provide for your family?
    • It's good to be responsible (pay your bills on time, plan for retirement, save up for your kids to go to college) but is it good to be this way to the point that you hoard away hundreds of thousands of dollars in assets and wealth for your own family's financial security without ever giving someone else (who isn't fortunate enough to be born into your family) a helping hand?
    • It's good to be positive, but is it good to be so positive that you ignore risks and brush mistakes under the rug, never learning from bad decisions because you're always "positive" that it'll work out the next time around?
    • It's good to be honest, but is it good to be so honest that you hurt people's feelings unnecessarily, violate someone's privacy or prevent someone from finding answers that they might need to find for themselves?

  6. Give people the benefit of the doubt. To the extent that it doesn't jeopardize your safety (like getting in the car with a group of people you just met), assume each person you meet is a good person, and act likewise. If you see someone do something that you consider to be bad, consider what they are dealing with in the context of their own life--don't jump to conclusions. Try to discover what motivated their bad act, and if appropriate, show them how it was hurtful by using nonviolent communication. Many times, helping someone else become a good person in a gentle, open-minded and unimposing way can help you learn and become a better person yourself.
  7. Be good for its own sake. Don't try to be a good person because your parents told you to, because you want recognition or respect, or for any kind of reward except your own satisfaction in doing what you believe is good. Never act superior to anyone else or brag about your "goodness" or "righteousness". Your dedication to a particular creed, ideology, or set of guidelines does not make you better than anyone else. Do what you believe makes you a good person on your own terms, and remember that it's an individual journey--everyone's path is unique. Do good by stealth, and blush to find it fame.[2]


Tips


  • Believe in the power of your actions to influence others. When other people see you doing good deeds, they will be reminded to take more positive action themselves.


Warnings


  • Don't push your assistance on people who don't want it. If someone is telling you they don't want your help, just apologize if you presumed, and bow out gracefully.
  • Don't be so nice and constantly helpful that people take advantage of you. Part of being a good person is helping others become better people. Doing everything for someone who is capable of taking care of him or herself is not helpful to either of you.
  • Be very careful what you say to people. It can be incredibly affecting to say something thoughtless off the top of your head. A rash judgement. A poorly observed conclusion can resonate forever in someone's life. Particularly children and others with little or no defenses.


Related wikiHows




Sources and Citations


  1. Isaac Asimov

  2. Alexander Pope



Article provided by wikiHow, a collaborative writing project to build the world's largest, highest quality how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Be Good. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

04 August 2008

Truth Is, well… the Truth

Today’s Daily Thought from Real Simple:




The greatest homage to truth is to use it.
— Ralph Waldo Emerson