KWBaker

When does a hobby become a business? It sounds like a simple question to answer. But, that’s not always the case. The IRS has rules for what qualifies as a business, and your entrepreneurial idea might not be making the cut. Why should you know the difference between hobby and [...]

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Ruby Falls Cave has all the geological features one would expect (stalactites, stalagmites, etc.) with one magical addition: an underground waterfall. Until humans tunneled into the cave in the 19th century, the water had been trickling undiscovered beneath Tennessee for roughly 200 million years.

The cave system, called Lookout Mountain Caverns, had been used for shelter as far back as the Civil War, likely even earlier. But when a railroad was built to intersect with the caves, they were sealed shut. It wasn't until amateur spelunker Leo Lambert tunneled higher up the mountainside to reopen the caverns that the underground waterfall was exposed to the light of day.  

Lambert named the falls for his wife, Ruby, and opened them to the public. They became a popular tourist destination, advertised across the South on barns painted with the slogan "See Ruby Falls." The caves and the underground waterfall were some of the first such attractions to be electrically lit. The light display continues to wow visitors, as its hues melt into one another on the cavern walls.

By Peter Hink
If you are into kayak fishing, here is your list of five must haves when fishing.

Annie Nagel on vacation, enjoying the Florida weather while protecting herself from the sun.

Over the last decade kayak fishing has boomed in Florida as anglers learn that they don’t need a big boat, tons of rods, reels and tackle to go out and have an enjoyable day on the water. A kayak set up for fishing seemed to end the money hole that most power boats seemed to become. Once you have it set up for your style of fishing you are for the most part done putting money into it. For most it was a simple and easy way to enjoy the sport of fishing. For others it became almost a challenge to see how much stuff you could put on a kayak. Fishfinders, GPS, live bait wells, leaning post, power poll and trolling motors to name a few. So what should you carry on your kayak for a day on the water. I always like to go as light as I can and only bring something like a fishfinder with GPS when I have a real need to. Whether you like to go light or load it up to the max there are 5 things that you should always bring with you.

1. P.F.D. P.F.D. or Personal Floatation Devices are mandatory for any paddle craft. a simple orange live vest under a bungee cord will make you legal on the water but will not make our list of must haves. A must have P.F.D. is one that you are going to wear any time you are on the water. Many P.F.D. companies make vest for the kayak fisherman with pockets and lash tabs to hold everything from pliers to VHF radios. The comfort level of the new fishing vest are a huge improvement over the older vest. Now if you still find these vest to hot and uncomfortable, try a inflatable P.F.D. These vest are much lighter and a great choice when the heat index is pushing 100. When picking a inflatable P.F.D. look for a manual inflatable vest. An automatic inflating vest may go off if you get it wet . Inflatable life belts are a good choice for paddle board fisherman. Whether you pick a fishing paddle vest, inflatable vest or inflatable life belt, pick one that you are going to wear. By the way, all inflatable vest and belts must be worn. You can’t store them on you kayak.

2. Sun Protection. Use a sun screen lotion with at S.P.F. of 30+ is a good start. Sun protection is more than using a sun screen lotion. You can now wear long sleeve shirts and long pants with a S.P.F. rating of 30+ that are made of quick drying fabrics that not only protect you from the sun but will help keep you cool in the hot Florida sun. A wide brim hat with a S.P.F. rating of 30+ is the best choice in hats. If you don’t like hats or prefer a visor of baseball cap, you can add a buff type head wear to help protect you head and neck. Again look for a S.P.F. of 30+. Last have a good pair of polarized sunglasses. Not only can they help you see in the water, they will protect your eyes from sun rays. Remember, not only are you getting the sun’s rays from above, they are also reflecting off the water and in a kayak there is nowhere to hide so protect yourself.

3. Communication. One of the best parts of kayak fishing is the feeling of being away from everything, but there are times when you may need to communicate with others. A cell phone is the best form of communication, have one that is waterproof or in a waterproof case. Make sure your batteries are charged before every trip. Some kayak fishing spots will not have coverage and can drain your phone battery as it tries to find a signal. It may be better to turn off your phone when you are out of range and turn it back on when you have coverage. VHF radios have their spot in kayak fishing and are a great way to keep in contact with others that you are fishing with. Hand held VHFs will have a shorter range than a cell phone, a good rule is if you can see them you should be able to talk to them. Around mangroves and trees the range can be greatly reduced. Make sure you get one with a good waterproof rating and has weather alert. Next on the list would be a PLB, Personal Location Beacon or Spot. These location devices are a good choice for those that make offshore or long trips into places like the Everglades and Chokoloskee. With a push of a button you can alert the Coast Guard of your location. One of the best ways to communicate is to write a float plan of where you will be fishing and when you should be back and leave it with a loved one.

4. First Aid Kit. Too many kayak anglers go out without one. You can buy a kit or make your own. Make sure it is in a watertight case and check it out before each trip to make sure no water has gotten into it. Add a bottle of hand sanitizer and use it any time you get a cut in the water. Use it even if you get a scratch in clean water. There are living things even in clean water that you don’t want living in you. The faster you can apply first aid the better your chances of a safe and fast recovery.

5. Signaling kit. Even though it is not mandatory, it is on our must have list. If you fish inshore or offshore there may be a time when you will need help. Even if you are able to call for help on a cell phone or VHF radio it can be hard for help to find you. The Coast Guard can have trouble finding a fishing boat, let alone a small kayak. Kayaks can be very hard to find even when there is good weather. Orion makes a Kayak/Paddle Sport Aerial Signal Kit, that includes two skyblazer II self-contained red meteor aerial signals, a signal mirror and whistle, or you can carry a couple of handheld red locator flares. Chances are you will never need them but that one time you do could save your life.

On January 9, 1991, police arrested Aileen Wuornos while she was drinking a beer at The Last Resort biker bar in Port Orange, Florida. Though she was arrested for an outstanding warrant, a decade later she would be put to death for the murder of six men.

Wuornos has become a controversial figure. She was clearly a complicated, tragic figure (she grew up poor and sexually abused, claimed that the murders she committed were in self-defense as her johns attempted to rape her, and was poorly represented by an attorney who called himself "Dr. Legal"), and she was depicted this way in the 2003 film Monster. Given the rarity of female serial killers, Wuornos' case gained widespread media attention, but she also became famous for her last words before her 2002 execution: "Yes, I would just like to say I'm sailing with the rock, and I'll be back, like Independence Day, with Jesus. June 6, like the movie. Big mother ship and all, I'll be back, I'll be back."

Since the incident, not much has changed at The Last Resort. It's still frequented by bikers, and features a "Japanese garden" of motorcycles dangling from an old oak. However, the decor has been altered to remember Wuornos' last drink here. Pictures of her plaster the walls, including her mug shot. A mural on the bar's brick wall depicts her craggy face and a list of her victims. Perhaps less tastefully (but more tastily) the bar has also branded its own "Crazy Killer Hot Sauce."

Rodeo legend Bill Pickett had a saying. "What's gonna happen, gonna happen," he'd mutter to himself before going face-to-face with a charging bull. Then, with thousands of people watching, he'd do something the crowd never expected to see. 

In Pickett's signature move, he would launch himself from the back of his galloping horse, wrap his arms around a steer's neck, grab the animal's lip between his teeth, and then use the full weight of his small 5'7" frame to pull it to the ground. He called this wrangling technique "bull-dogging."

Pickett's unprecedented methodology and extraordinary personal history make him the perfect subject for the second episode of Horizon Line, which explores the lives of the adventurous – people who pushed the limits of the possible. 

Born in 1870 to Thomas Jefferson Pickett, who had been a black slave, and Mary Gilbert, who was of black and Cherokee descent, Pickett was familiar with the harsh realities of the American frontier. However, his extreme tenacity, incredible talents, and gift for showmanship swiftly made him a rising star on the Wild West rodeo circuit and a defining figure in American cowboy lore. 

Listen to the tale of Pickett's exploits here, and be sure to subscribe to Horizon Line in iTunes, Google Play, or wherever you get your podcasts from. We would also love your feedback, so be sure to leave a comment and a rating!

Few things have inspired more poetry and flowery philosophizing than the passage of time. It’s no wonder that the sundial, one of our most ancient and widely used timekeepers, would be the perfect place to inscribe maxims about the transience of life.

Sundials have been around since at least 1500 BCE, but it wasn't until around the 16th century that it became customary in Europe to inscribe them with poems and codas to life, death, and the lessons of time. This helped the sundial evolve from functional timepiece into symbols of our fleeting mortality.

While not the only collection of sundial quotes, one which exemplifies the meaning and importance of sundial codas is a guide called, fittingly, The Book of Sun-Dials. The book was written and compiled by Margaret Gatty, a Victorian children’s book author who also had a passion for collecting seaweed. Gatty was afflicted with illnesses all of her life, likely related to an unidentified case of Multiple Sclerosis, and so during her many instances of convalescence, Gatty was able to indulge in a handful of interesting hobbies, some of which led to published works. The Book of Sun-Dials, originally published in 1872, was her final book, released less than a year before her death.  

According to the preface in a later edition of the book, Gatty was inspired to begin cataloguing sundials around 1835 when she began to notice them scattered around the villages of Yorkshire. One 18th-century dial in a local church bore the motto Fugit hora, ora—Latin for “Time flies, pray.” Another church a few miles away held a dial with the inscription “Man fleeth as a shadow.” 

As Gatty’s health declined, her collection of mottoes grew. It began to incorporate sundials from all over Europe, thanks to her daughter and a friend who continued to collect sundials they would find in their travels. Even after Gatty passed away in 1873, expanded editions of the book continued to be released as there didn’t seem to be an end to the sundials and mottoes to be found. The fourth edition of the book, released in 1900, featured the locations of over 1,600 sundials and their mottoes.

Many sundial mottoes found in the guide fall into similar themes, with references to time, the sun, shade, death, and light being extremely common. Sometimes the mottoes feature a well-worn saying like “A stitch in time saves nine” or “Sic vita transit,” Latin for “So passes life.” Since many sundials can be found as decorative elements in churches, a great deal of them are written in poetic Latin, giving them an air of august antiquity.

Humorous ruminations on mortality are also popular inscriptions. A dial from 1851 found in France’s Abriès commune features the simple line, “Il est plus tard que vous ne croyez”—“It is later than you think.” A dial found in Surrey reads ”Tenere non potes, potes non perdere diem” (“You can avoid wasting a day, although you cannot hold it.”) At a church in the city of Durham is a dial that states,“The last hour to many, possibly to you.” Another oft-used double entendre is some variation of “Only mark the bright hours,” referring both to an outlook on life, and how a sundial works. Clever.

Some mottoes focus on rhyme, like a dial that was found in Leicestershire that reads, “How we go, shadow show.” Some lean into their poetic inspirations, such as a dial found near Florence that reads, “Della vita il cammin l'astro maggiore, Segna veloce al giusto e al peccatore,” (“The glorious orb of day with breathless speed, To good and bad alike the way of life doth read”). Still others are just depressing, like a Yorkshire dial that reads Disce mori mundo—“Learn to die to the world.”

But to truly understand the art of the sundial inscription one need look no further than the words found on a sundial in Courmayeur, Italy, which reads, “Cette ombre solaire est a la fois, La mesure du temps, et l’image de la vie,” translated from the French, “This solar shadow is at once the measure of time and the symbol of life.”

This poetic tradition of sundial mottoes has fallen a bit out of use as modern dials become both more detailed and more abstract since they are little more than decorative flourishes in the modern age. That said, some people are still cataloguing their locations in places like the British Sundial Society’s fixed dial list, which has brought the spirit of Gatty’s project into the age of crowdsourcing. 

(Courtesy daspaddy/Flickr)

Here at Budget Travel we speak fluent French, Italian, Spanish, and other languages. But we've also mastered the phrases that can score you a deep discount, a steep upgrade, or some tasty perks.

Have you ever had a conversation where moments—or even days—later you realize, "I wish I'd said that"? Travel booking and airline and hotel check-ins can often feel like that, with so many questions, options, and price points to juggle. The travel experts at Budget Travel have been there and back. We've assembled a 12-point cheat sheet with twelve phrases to help make your next travel booking easier, nab you some upgrades, and save you money.

"Can I get an upgrade?"

Well, that question seems a little on-the-nose, doesn't it? But most airline passengers never ask, and it can pay off. Ask politely, and if you're met with silence, be willing to wait for an answer instead of backing down. Last-minute first and business class seat availability can mean you pay an "up-sell" fee (typically $50 and up) to get out of coach. The same question can work at a hotel, especially if it's a hotel that caters to business travelers and you're checking in over the weekend.

"Bump me!"

Airline crews deal with a lot of tired, anxious, and sometimes just plain cranky passengers all day every day. Letting them know that you're willing to get bumped to another flight solves some major problems for them—and can result in your being moved up to first class just because you were willing to be accommodating. Note: It might also get you bumped, so use this phrase only if you mean it.

"I serve in the military."

We can't guarantee it, but first-class passengers have been known to trade seats with military personnel as a way of saying "thank you" for their service. On a more predictable note, cruise lines will often offer a discount if you tell them about your military service.

"Would you like some chocolate?"

This may sound a little precious, but handing out one-pound chocolate bars to the gate agents and flight crew gets John E. DiScala, founder of travel advice site johnnyjet.com, a better coach seat or upgrade about half the time.

"We're on our honeymoon!"

Our evidence here is anecdotal, but Budget Travel readers have reported that telling airline personnel at check-in that you're newlyweds can get you moved to first or business class. Hotels, of course, will almost always respond with an indulgence or two. But don't say it if it's not true—apart from the fact that lying is wrong, you may have a difficult time answering questions about your alleged recent nuptials!

"I have kids."

Hotels may be willing to upgrade you to a suite at no charge, and if you ask for a later check-out to accommodate the little ones you'll almost always get a thumbs-up.

"I'm flying alone."

When airlines try to accommodate families who want to sit together, it helps if they know they can move your seat, and there's a chance they'll move you to first or business class, where single empty seats are more common.

"Give me the cheapest car you have."

We know, we know. When renting a car, you don't really want to cram yourself into the cheapest model in the company's garage. But if you're willing to take the chance, booking the lowest-priced car available and showing up super-early in the morning (before most people have returned their rental cars) can garner you a free upgrade to a bigger car.

"Has the price gone down?"

Yeah, airline seats and hotel room prices fluctuate, and there's a chance that the price has dropped since you made your reservation. Call the airline or hotel regularly as your trip approaches and, if the price goes down, ask for a refund or re-book. (But make sure there's no significant re-booking fee!)

"Is that 'free' newspaper going to cost me $25?"

Resorts are notorious for tacking on fees up to $25 per night for goodies you might assume were free—including pool towels, Wi-Fi, newspaper delivery, gym access, and even access to the resort's casino. Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and Las Vegas are especially known for these non-negotiable surprises. Your best bet it to ask about extra fees up front when making a reservation.

"I'm a return customer."

When booking a cruise, mentioning that you've sailed with the line before can nab you a 5 to 15 percent discount on your fare.

"I'm 55+."

Yup, just remembering the 1960s should get you a 5 percent discount from most cruise lines.

See More From Budget Travel:
6 Easy Ways to Save on a Cruise
The Right—and Wrong—Way to Pay for Your Dream Trip
12 Most Iconic Rivers on Earth

First introduced in the 1950s as the Portable Kitchen, the charcoal grill quickly spread across the south until production halted in the 1970s. Over 20 years later, it was rediscovered...

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Commissioned by FJ Company president Juan Diego Calle, the 1982 Toyota FJ43 Aspen Edition was designed to be family-friendly yet still capable of tackling the roads in its namesake city....

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Issued to soldiers fighting in the Pacific Theater during WWII, the Woodman's Pal is still the same dependable tool it was seven decades ago. This combination axe and machete replaces...

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One of just 17 SA coupé aerodinamico models ever made, this 1961 Ferrari 400 Superamerica SWB Aerodynamic is an outstanding example of a very rare sports car. Meticulously restored, it's...

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Asheville may be a small city, with a population of just around 83,000, but it’s known nationally as a destination for outdoor adventures and craft beer (there are at least 15 breweries within the city limits). Fall is peak travel time as the leaves change to scarlet, gold, and rust in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Embrace the season with the Fall Farms & Artisans Tour, offered by the Asheville Bed & Breakfast Association. Spend two nights at a charming B&B, meet farmers in their fields and makers in their studios, and enjoy discounts on wine, local honey, and grass-fed beef. Buxton Hall BBQPhotograph by Andrew Thomas Lee Where to eat Home to a slew of recent James Beard nominees, Asheville is a foodie mecca. If…View Original Post

Recently, someone mentioned a “hot chicken” place had opened in Krog Street Market and I was on it like, well, hot sauce on chicken.  I couldn’t work out the right time to get to Richard’s Southern Fried, which is from chef Todd Richards (executive chef at White Oak Kitchen & Cocktails), for a while, but today the stars aligned for us to be in the Old 4th Ward around lunch and we found a parking space. 

Hot chicken may be my favorite dish in the world.  Maybe it’s because I always have to drive to Nashville to get it, but I’m always on the prowl for some fowl near home.  The chicken comes in three heat levels (from their website):

• Classic is well-seasoned without heat – a delicious option for anyone!
• Hot introduces you to the slow-burn heat that is the hallmark of the Richards’ Southern Fried spice mix.
• Richards’ Hot is an experience that everyone should try – at least once – thanks to the masterful balance of heat and flavor, with neither dominating the other
  

My beloved ordered the chicken and waffles.

Today’s waffle was pumpkin, so that set the mood for fall.  She really enjoyed the waffle and ordered her chicken “Hot”, which was an overstatement.  It was slightly spicy, but with no serious burn.  To get their chicken the way the want, they marinate the chicken in a spiced brine for 24-48 hours (depending on the size of the bird), then air dried, before pressure-frying it – to get a crispy, crunchy skin that is not heavy.  I ordered a breast and wing, “Richard’s hot”, with a side of mac-n-cheese.

This was good (kind of) hot chicken, but the highest heat level here only hits medium at a good Nashville hot chicken place.  The skin was crisp and the chicken underneath was moist.  The corn had jalapenos in it and had almost as much heat as the chicken.  The corn muffin, as opposed to traditional white bread, was a pleasant surprise and just slightly sweet.   

I enjoyed it and will go back.  Probably for the chicken sandwich, topped with pimento cheese and chow-chow.  I could go for one of those right now, now that I mention it…

Bub-Ba-Q is a place that popped onto my radar with an Atlanta Magazine article from July of 2010 which, after their ranking of the top 5 BBQ places, listed the other places they had tried, by county.  This list was invaluable, providing places I had no idea about.   Now Cherokee County isn’t a place we often frequent for food, but on this Saturday afternoon we’d been to Camping World and were right down the street.  This is the second location, branching out from their original location in Jasper.

They had a slew of sauces to choose from and the hot and saucy one was very tasty.  These folks have won a ton of awards – they line the walls and shelves of the restaurant.  Best ribs, best pork, best chicken and several Grand Champions (according to their web site including the first two contests they entered).  So many choices.   

Always curious as to the kind of ribs a place offers (she prefers Danish baby backs), my beloved asked about theirs and our server brought us one to try.

This was a very meaty rib, which knocked it out of contention for her.  I, on the other hand, decided to order a rib plate with pork and dry ribs (the sample was covered in the sweet sauce), with sides of fries and green beans.

The ribs were decent, not stunning, and the pork was fine.   The green beans were the best thing on the plate.   

One of the things I wanted to try was the burnt ends, which are only available as an appetizer, not as an entree meat. So my beloved ordered the burnt ends appetizer with sides of baked beans and slaw.

The burnt ends were disappointing – kind of tough and stringy.  But the baked beans were good and she enjoyed the slaw.  Maybe we just hit them on a bad day, otherwise, it might be a great barbecue place to go to for a vegetable plate.

Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) are like an emergency fund for your health care expenses. When you need to pay for care, and haven’t met your deductible, the money you’ve put into the HSA is there for you. And unlike use-it-or-lose-it FSAs, the money in an HSA is yours to keep forever.

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Given the underground nature of tubers, you might think you need a lot of space in your garden where you can dig deeply if you want to successfully grow edible potatoes. Actually, though, you can pretty easily grow potatoes above ground in a pot or bag.

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Punch is the perfect festive party drink, and making a good one is all about striking that perfect balance of flavors. If you want to mix up a bowl that hits all the tasty notes, you just need to remember a little rhyme.

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Hanging items on a nail isn’t hard, but it’s always tough to hang something you can’t see. You need the string to thread the nail, but not the wooden frame itself. You could photocopy a template, but your poster or painting might be too big. A simple fork can make the job easier.

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Mead is a sweet, alcoholic beverage made from fermented honey and water that has a long history and is sure to please most palates. You can find it in stores, or you can make a big batch of it at home for cheap.

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Those $2 IKEA plastic bags at the checkout are near indestructible, and great for just about anything, especially if it’s heavy or otherwise awkward, but we never thought we’d see a full backpack made from them. Well, SanDiegoMitch bought three, hacked them up, and built this super-light carry-all with them.

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Why do we fear ghosts? Isn’t it strange that we fear the dead more than the living? This is something that technology cannot help us play Ghostbusters with — or, on second thought, maybe it can in a small way. Housecreep is a website which got some attention over Halloween. It was launched in 2013 with the simple purpose of helping you make the right home purchase. It evolved into something that can be your only defense against poltergeists — by providing a bit of foreknowledge. But first let’s learn how “housecreep” can be an urban verb: The act of housecreeping;...

Read the full article: Is Your House or Neighborhood Haunted? Find Out With This Website

Before you share a photo online you may need to pixelate part of the image. Whether you want to hide sensitive information, or provide anonymity to someone in the photo, you don’t always want the entire image to show.

Fortunately, there are lots of websites that you can use to pixelate or blur an image online, regardless of your OS, browser, or platform. So, in this article, we detail how to pixelate or blur your images online.

1. LunaPic

If you want to pixelate or blur an entire image, head over to LunaPic. This website is very straightforward and incredibly simple to use.

On LunaPic, you can either upload your image directly, or share an image with the website using a URL.

To use LunaPic:

1. Under the main menu, click Adjust > Pixelate.
2. Upload your picture.
3. Once your picture is uploaded, adjust the pixel size by using the pixelation slider.
4. Click Apply.

NB: We’ve noticed that the Apply button can sometimes be slow or unresponsive. If the changes don’t work the first time around, click Apply again.

If you want to add a pixelated blur to your image, go to Adjust > Blur under the main menu. Once again, a sliding scale allows you to adjust how blurry your image will be.

If you think the blur isn’t strong enough, you can easily apply the blur tool multiple times to the same image. This will help you achieve the desired effect.

After all adjustments are complete, you can save your image to your computer. You can also share your pixelated image on Facebook, Twitter, Imgur, Pinterest, or Google Photos.

In terms of security:

• Images uploaded to LunaPic are temporarily cached and stored on its server.
• Once your editing session is over, your image should be deleted.

2. Facepixelizer

What if you want to pixelate part of an image, but not the whole thing?

Facepixelizer is a great option for this, especially if you want to hide personal information in a screenshot. You can either blur or pixelate a photo. You can also easily adjust the degree to which an image is obscured.

With Facepixelizer, there are two main options for pixelating a picture:

• You can automatically detect faces to censor.
• If you don’t like the automatic result, you can manually select the parts to censor instead.

To manually pixelate an image:

1. Drop your picture into the image editor.
2. Select Manual in the editing menu on the left.
3. Select the Size that you want each individual pixel to be.
4. Click and drag your mouse over the sensitive information that you want to hide.

Once you’re finished, you can save your image to your computer by clicking Save Image.

For security:

• Facepixelizer removes EXIF data from the image.
• Your images are not saved on the website’s server.
• The images are secured because all image processing happens in your browser. They never leaves your browser, nor is data sent over the network.

For more information on what EXIF data is, check out our article on how to remove metadata from photos.

3. Pinetools

Pinetools is an online editing app that can teach you how to pixelate a photo. You can blur a photo on the website, too.

Like the other apps on this list, Pinetools is free to use. All you need is a browser.

To pixelate part of an image online:

1. Open up Pinetools in your web browser.
2. Next, upload a photo from your computer.
3. Click and drag to select the area that needs to be “censored.”
4. Select the pixelation Block size for that area. The slider is located to the right of your screen.
5. Click on the green button at the bottom of the screen that says Censor!

When you click this button, Pinetools will pixelate part of an image or blur it. After that, you can download the image as a JPEG, PNG, or BMP.

Under its Terms of Service, Pinetools states that you can use the website for personal, non-commercial projects. While easily available information about the company is scant—and we wish there was more of it—Pinetools is very transparent about what they’ll do with your data.

For security:

• Pinetools does not collect any information from website visitors.
• It does not use cookies for tracking purposes.
• Pinetools does collect information when you use the site, such as pixelating a photo.
• It does not use an SSL certificate.

So in terms of security, it could be better.

However, that doesn’t mean this site is unusable. It just means it’s best for funny images or adding cool effects. Save your sensitive documents for something like Facepixelizer.

4. PNG Pixelator

PNG Pixelator is one of our favorite tools on this list. Billing itself as “the world’s simplest online Portable Network Graphics image pixelator,” the website takes pride in being user-friendly and ad-free.

Honestly, after trying it out, we would have to agree. PNG Pixelator is fantastic.

To learn how to pixelate a picture with this app:

1. Open up the website.
2. Upload your image into the upload box on the left.
3. Click and drag the bounding box across the specific area that needs to be pixelated.
4. To the right of your screen, you should see a live preview box. Here, you can watch the pixelation happen in real time.

Once you’re satisfied with your adjustments, click Save As > Download, located under the right-hand box. This will save your image to your computer.

The best thing about PNG Pixelator—beyond the fact that it’s free—is that it’s much more than a pixelation tool. As part of a wider collection of apps, Online PNG Tools function as “a collection of useful PNG image utilities.”

Some other things you should know:

• You can use all tools on the website for personal use, so long as you’re not doing anything illegal.
• At the moment, you don’t need an account, username, or password to access any of the tools.

For security:

• PNG Pixelator does “all conversions and calculations in your browser.”
• The website doesn’t send any of your input data to its servers.
• Your IP address is saved to the website’s servers, but there’s no personal identifying information attached.

PNG Pixelator is definitely one of the top tools on this list.

Learn How to Pixelate Photos Online

Now that you know how to easily pixelate or blur your images online, you can start editing out sensitive information, completely free of charge.

However, there may be additional edits that you want to make that have nothing to do with censoring. Perhaps you want to recolor an image, or add some text to it. If so, here’s a list of no-signup image editors on the web you can make use of.

Read the full article: How to Easily Pixelate or Blur Your Images Online

Alaska is perhaps my favorite place, a rare place where you can still witness nature fully at its work, and preserved in its wild ways. I wanted to share Alaska with my partner Andrea and spend the summer really immersing ourselves in both the landscape and culture. There is a unique dynamic in Alaska: the community is very welcoming and excited to share, the people are deeply connected to their environment. Everything is larger, the extremes are more pronounced, and the remoteness of many places contributes to this sense of closeness. Mountains tower up out of the ocean, glaciers carve across the landscape, the weather is unpredictable, and roads are few — and often unkempt.

As it turned out, summer never really came. It was wet and cold throughout the Kenai Peninsula. It raining most days and cleared up infrequently. The beginning of our trip seemed like a disappointment, but as time wore on we realized we were getting a truer taste of Alaskan life. Surrounded by the mountains, next to the north Pacific and never far from some of North America’s most pronounced glaciers, this wasn’t a landscape that was supposed to be sunny and warm. It was carved by the extremes, and thrives on the very same wet and cold that we were bristling against. We released our expectations and gave in to the notion that our summer would be as it should be this far north — we were experiencing the real Alaska.

On the Road

Life on the road is defined by freedom: finding swimming holes off the road, scouting camp spots in the hills, choosing whenever you want to make a pitstop. None of us on the trip had driven the entirety of the Alaska highway, and most of us hadn’t ever made it as north as the Yukon until now. Carving through Northern British Colombia, south-western Yukon and the heart of West Alaska was fascinating. Watching the ever changing landscape shift over the long and impossibly diverse highway was something that you can only experience in a car. Having the Land Rover to test rugged backroads was an instant bonus.

The Knik Glacier

The Knik River Lodge was one of our first tastes of true Alaskan hospitality. If you want to get around you’ll often need more than just a car, it takes boats, helicopters and float planes to find the local secrets and hidden gems. At the lodge, the owner Peter mentioned he owned a helicopter and offered to tour us around the glacier. From above we saw this incredible blue lake that had formed atop the glacial ice and we immediately wondered if it was possible to get our kayaks up there. 

Peter told us that if we could get the Kayaks to the mouth of the glacier in our car, he could probably sling load the kayaks up to the lake and land somewhere nearby. Kayaking through crevasses and staring through the clear water into the heart of the glacier is something I’ll never forget. 

Camping on Blueberry Island, Tutka Bay

If you want to find a gem hidden in the Alaskan landscape, you’d better find someone who knows. Down in Homer, tucked into the fjords, you’re probably also going to need someone with a boat.

For us, it was Brad.

We had spent the day before out on his boat, tracing the coastline, looking for a spot to camp. Eventually we found an island tucked down a nearby peninsula; an island we had no chance of finding, much less accessing without the help of someone who grew up on these waters and called this coastline home. [H]

 

This is as old school as it gets. I have friends who are crazy into labeling, but I’m quite disorganized. I organize my files once every six months and it piles up with tax stuff and documents. I go nuts because I can’t get any work done and so I organize it. I have very bad handwriting, so I write in my chicken scrawl on all the file folders and I can’t really identify them later.

I went to my friend’s house and he’s one of those nerds who follows David Allens’ Getting Things Done so he’s got labels on everything. He’s got labels on his file folders, his food, his pets, everything! He had one of these three hundred dollar labeling machines, a steam-propelled thing that produces beautiful ink jetted labels. I thought “that seems kind of nice,” but since I was experimenting with labeling I didn’t want to spend a lot of money.

I went to Amazon and I sorted them from cheapest to most expensive and it turns out the cheapest one was like fifteen dollars [It is now $9 on Amazon – MF]. It was one of those old school ones where you turn to the letter you want and clunk it out, then you turn to the next one, and clunk that out. It’s got those black, red, or blue little plastic strips and you’re pushing each letter into it.

I looked at it and I thought “that’s a fifteen dollar experiment . If I end up being lazy and not actually doing any labeling I won’t waste too much money.” So I ordered this thing and it has the advantage of not running on batteries or needing electricity and it turned out to be so delightful to use.

I discovered it’s actually useless as a labeler because if you make a mistake the label and the letters come out wonky and if you push harder they come out whiter and they’re a little uneven. And I thought, “well this is actually a sub-par labeler, but it’s fantastic for art projects!”

I started writing poems on it. One line of a poem was one strip and I would just tape them to things around my desk. This follows one of my dictums, which I’ve discovered over and over again: bad tools make for great art! Tools that were designed to do something utilitarian and fail miserably at the task tend to produce delightful aesthetic experiences, and this is exactly why David Byrne discovered that PowerPoint and Excel were fabulous for creating artistic works. PowerPoint, as Edward Tufte proved, degrades cognition, but what degrades rational cognition can augment aesthetic cognition and you can do beautiful, crazy, stupid things with it. And, over and over again, when I find a tool and realize it’s totally useless I go “Ok what can we do with it that’s nuts?” This is what this thing is. I’ve realized this is not a label making thing because it fails at that. This is a publishing platform for producing the strangest looking type imaginable.

-- Clive Thompson

[This review is from our Cool Tools Show interview with Clive Thompson.]

DYMO Organizer Xpress Pro Handheld Embossing Label Maker ($9)

International Amazon link

Available from Amazon