Articles written by Joe Brooks

Where Knowledge Rules

What is Helium

About me - Joe Brooks

I'm a full-time freelance writer and geek-for-hire. I'm not as young as I once was, and I have a little disability thing going on. My mobility is limited. But my brain and my fingers still work.

I use my technical experience to troubleshoot websites and web

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Creative Writing > Satire Satire: Technology: 2 of 30
On the ordinary human's love for pain, or; why won't they read the FAQ's, anyway? With a secondary consideration of why rats are still with us, despite millennia of our efforts at eradication, and may remain after we are gone. Scenario One: Human A approaches a device, setup, or gizmo. Human A decides to give it a try. Human... More..
Home & Garden > Home Repair (Other) Remodeling projects that will increase the value of your home: 6 of 26
Is that remodeling project you are considering worth doing? Well, it depends. What is your goal? Is it to add value to your home, or make your home a better place to live, or maybe both? As with any project, planning and self-education are key to understanding the project and achieving success. You see a lot of estimates of ... More..
Home & Garden > Plumbing Repairs How to safely unclog drains without harming pipes: 2 of 8
There are good reasons to try to unclog your drains before calling in the plumber. You might be able to save serious money. And it might even be a quick and easy fix. If not, you can always call the professional after trying it yourself. You can use these ideas to give it a good try without doing any harm. The most common pr... More..
Home & Garden > Home Interior Low cost home heating: 1 of 4
Saving money on home heating is an attainable goal. It can be done in a series of small steps, or with some pretty sweeping changes. It must be done safely, and it should be done sensibly. The goal is to save money in the long run, not take dangerous chances and risk damage to the home or even loss of lives. Often, people fa... More..
Food & Drink > Breads, Grains, Pasta & Rice How do you describe your favorite biscuits?: 3 of 8
Discussing the biscuit, and other historical remarks. If this was an O'Reilly publication there might be a picture of a biscuit on the cover, or maybe a pilgrim. But it's not. It's an article about biscuits, sort of, by me. Now I know a little something about the biscut, having been baking them almost as long as I've been ea... More..
Creative Writing > Memoirs Memoirs: My great, true, personal garden story: 149 of 391
It was a long time ago. Well, the best part of fifty years is a pretty long time, I guess. And I'm not sure where it happened, exactly, in a strictly geographical sense. I was raised more or less on the road, my father being always convinced that the grass would be greener somewhere across the country. But it was in Oklahoma... More..
Sciences > Sciences (Other) The history of air conditioning: 2 of 5
Air conditioning is not new. Home cooling efforts date back at least to the Romans in their prime Those old Persians made some pretty advanced and well-documented efforts toward enhancing indoor comfort as well. When out-of-doors, and before air-conditioned vehicles became available, humans adapted their clothing to reduce h... More..
Home & Garden > Home & Garden (Other) How to cut air conditioning costs: 11 of 25
With the price of everything being what it is, do you think it might be a good idea to try to save some money on air conditioning for the summer? Is it possible to save money on air conditioning, and if so, how? Definitely there are ways, ranging from simple home maintenance projects to major system replacements, that can he... More..
Creative Writing > Poetry Poetry: Drinking: 85 of 172
The Master The mead said "Go"! And so I went. And going pondered: Is this the end of all, A process of elimination, And that ordained By imperious masters of our own choosing? But enough of this mewling; The urgent moment passes. And this cold doth diminish me Almost beyond the hope of redemption. To the fire, with fuel at h... More..
Home & Garden > Plumbing Repairs How to unclog a toilet fixture with a flange plunger: 4 of 8
What to do when you pull the handle, and the bio-degradable material in the toilet comes back up at you, instead of going decently down and away? Panic is an understandable option, but won't help. If the top of the toilet tank is accessible, get it off quick and close the flap to stop the flow. That's a good move. Good plumb... More..