There are a couple of ways to move photos taken on my Canon 20D to my computer out of the box; none of which I like. I can install the software that came with the camera, but it is clunky at best. I can plug the memory card into a reader and move the files manually, but it’s time consuming to select files from multiple folders.

Instead, with a little time invested, I came up with a tool to copy the files over. I call it the Canon Copier.More...

To hang an artwork recently acquired on a trip to China, I set out on a mission to frame it. I could buy a frame with the artwork for a small fee, but couldn't carry something big and fragile on an airplane. There were no stock frames of the right size anywhere online either.More...

Since moving from Windsor to Guelph, I needed to buy furniture for my new home. Wanting to dress my apartment with unique, one-of-a-kind decoration, I set off to build a coffee table that uses a bicycle frame. More...

I had a computer desk that was made purely for working at the computer. I loathed the slide out keyboard tray and found the surface too high. It was uncomfortable to do simple things like reading a book.

I went to a furniture store to look for one that is more suitable. A saleslady there talked about her days as a student and how she hung a door under a window to make a table. I decided to make my own along the same lines.

To go on a cycling tour on real cheap, I devised a tent made out of a tarp and a rope. By stringing my camera tripod and bicycle together, then laying a tarp on top, I thought I could keep myself warm and dry during the trip.

To test it, I set it up in my backyard. It worked really well, although it was really warm inside.

I used it on the 12-day trip around Lake Erie. I dropped the idea the second day when I found that tarps were completely unbreatheable - my breath condensed inside the tent when it was cold outside, soaking everything from my tripod to clothes.

Not a good way to save a couple of hundred bucks. 

Backpacks as bicycle panniers can work really well. They are cheap, plentiful, and of good quality. You could even dismount them and carry them on your back.

It was an easy decision for me to get backpacks instead of shelling out some money for proper panniers, but there are concerns. Since they are not designed as panniers, how could I mount them on the bike? They are also usually tall, likely disturbing the rear derailleur.More...