Cooped Up? Get Uncooped.

Bikes and the City spotting a biker with a very interesting rear view mirror. It's made out of a bottle cap. Corona, specifically. Looks easy enough to MacGyver up. Wire, tiny mirror, one bottle cap rescued from the bin...you're good to go. Via.

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It's lists like this one from Green Daily that make me want to opt for a properly chlorinated swimming pool. On the bright side, two, count 'em TWO, of the cleanest beaches in the U.S. are in my backyard, right here in Minnesota.  First the cleanest:   Lafayette Community Club Beach, Minnesota Franklin Park at 13th Street on Park Point, Minnesota Hampton Beach State Park, New Hampshire Wallis Sands Beach at Wallis Road, New Hampshire Bolsa Chica State Beach, California Huntington...

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Taking a hike doesn't necessarily mean having to take a long drive to get the your place of departure. Daily Green has some excellent ideas for finding a prefect hiking spot closer to home, so you don't blow your gasoline budget. They also share six awesome sites that will help you find trails. Here they are: NatureFind LocalHikes.com Trails.com The Nature Conservancy The Sierra Club Land Trust Alliance This really is just a snapshot of...

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  Paul from Dudecraft posted a GREAT video tutorial last week showing us how to sew cycling caps. He used shirts from the thrift store and for the bills--get this--he used yogurt containers. Crazy cool. Here's a link to the vid, which also includes a link to the hat pattern. Photo Credit: Dudecraft

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True or False: You should stay indoors until 30 minutes after the last clap of thunder. If you answered 'true' give yourself a cookie, because you are correct! How about this one.... True or False: You can't get struck by lightning if you're inside a building. If you answered 'true', spit the cookie out, because you're wrong! To read more about these and 7 other lightning facts & myths, follow this jump to The Daily...

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YouTube user Hungrybear9562 had what one might call a religious experience when encountering a double rainbow earlier this year. It's possible he was high. Or he just really, really, REALLY loves rainbows and this one came at a time in his life when he needed a 'sign'. It was a pretty awesome rainbow but his reaction is more awesome--in a funny, slightly uncomfortable, enviable way.

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Going green and going camping go hand in hand. Which is why this list from Re-nest is tailor-made for the environmental Uncooped crowd.  Here are links to the products featured on the top row: Big Agnes Salt Creek 2 Tent, a backpacking tent made with mainly recycled components and fabrics, $350. Big Agnes Diversion Recycled Insulated Air Core Sleeping Pad, 100% recycled polyester shell, 100% recycled insulation and a recycled aluminum valve, $95. Marmot EcoPro...

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The Web Urbanist has a great article about the 'car-house fad of the 1960's and 70's. The most famous of all was the VW Beetle RV conversion known as the Bugaroo or Minihome. A perfect companion to the  VW Beetle 5th wheel?? Via.

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Volkswagen revealed its new concept bike at Auto China 1010. Dubbed the Bik.e, the electric 2 wheeler folds down to the size of a car's spare tire. The idea behind the car-trunk-totable bike is that it allows commuters who don't live close enough to walk or bike to work to drive, park and then ride the rest of the way. According to reports, VW will offer the Bik.e as an auto accessory.  Other important info:...

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'Keep Calm and Carry On'. That was the directive of a propaganda poster of the late 1930's that was to be disseminated by the Ministry of Information formed by the British Government in the event that the country was invaded by Germany. Since that didn't happen, it was never widely seen...until 60 years later. Now the poster has become iconic. Its sentiment has also been appropriated in some very clever ways. (Just choose your ride.)...

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