Every year 15 billion batteries are made and thrown away. Rechargeable batteries are nothing new, and their benefits are pretty well known. In the long run, you save money over disposable batteries and you’ll help the environment, too. There are many rechargeable battery chargers which are powered off the now-common USB port. USBCell adds a new twist to that idea : get rid of the charger, and charge the battery directly off the USB port.
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The holiday season is here — and it’s not pretty. In the US, severe storms in the East, Northeast and the Midwest claimed lives and disrupted holiday travel. Locally, tens of thousands of people are displaced by heavy rains and floods. I hope your emergency preparedness supplies are fully stocked, and that you are safe with your family during this time.

Is vinegar part of your disaster / emergency preparedness “tool kit”? If not, you may want to reconsider. The book Vinegar: Over 400 Various, Versatile, and Very Good Uses You\’ve Probably Never Thought Of is an eye opener on the many different things you can do with vinegar. Here is just a sampling:
- deodorizer (e.g., of pet stains)
- recipe-helper
- laundry-cleaning-helper
- home remedy (e.g., against bug-bites and burns)
- pet cleaner/medicine

[ via Cool Tools ]