Business

Sell better, hire better, lead better. The operating manual for running something real.

The BRO Code. What to do, what not to do, and a few laughs on the way.

Hang a Pre-Hung Door So It Doesn't Drift Open at 2 a.m.

Most bad door installs get decided before the first nail. Diagnose the opening, set the hinge side first, and the latch takes care of itself.

StoryHistoryDean Shaw3 Oct 20266 min

The Can Came Almost Fifty Years Before the Can Opener

The zipper, the lawnmower and the can opener all took two men: one with the idea and a second, stubborn one who made it actually work.

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Rehearse the raise conversation with me

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GuideGarden & YardWes Dunbar5 Oct 20267 min

Peppers Want Warm Feet, So Plant Them Later Than You Think

Most pepper plants fail before they're two weeks in the ground. The fix costs about ten dollars and a little patience.

Dude.com — 16 advisers who listen, talk and pray with you

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Can You Fix It7 min read

Sweating a Copper Joint Is Mostly About Getting the Water Out

The torch is the easy part. A dry pipe and clean metal decide whether the joint holds, and most first-timers skip both.

Poll

Where does your phone charge overnight?

StoryHistoryMarcus Vale3 Oct 20266 min

The Flour Sack Dress and the Neighbors Who Fed Each Other

Our grandparents didn't get through the 1930s on grit alone. They had a system: the garden, the sewing box and the family next door.

GuideGarden & YardWes Dunbar5 Oct 20267 min

Plant Paste Tomatoes If You Actually Want Sauce

Most homemade sauce fails in March, when you buy the wrong seeds. Pick the right variety and the timing, and one August afternoon fills your freezer.

Shirts.com — Design it with AI. Wear it this week.

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GuideTools & OrganizingDean Shaw3 Oct 20267 min

The Ten Minutes Before You Start a Chainsaw After a Storm

Chaps, chain tension, a clean air filter and fresh fuel. The checks that keep a cleanup Saturday from ending in the emergency room.

Quiz

Does your wardrobe actually fit you?

Five questions, honestly answered, and a plan for the next fortnight.

StoryHistoryMarcus Vale3 Oct 20266 min

Proving up took five years and two neighbors willing to swear

The Homestead Act's paperwork was easy. Staying alive on the claim was the hard part, and at the end your neighbors had to vouch for you.

GuideGarden & YardWes Dunbar5 Oct 20266 min

Plant by Your Frost Date, Not Your Zone

Your zone tells you what survives winter. Your frost date tells you when to plant. Most first-year gardeners mix them up and lose a flat of tomatoes.

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GuideAutosDean Shaw3 Oct 20267 min

The spark plug job is easy until the last quarter turn

Gapping, torque and the hand-start habit that keep a simple plug change from ending with a stripped aluminum head and a tow truck.

Delicious.com — Nine thousand recipes and a plan for tonight

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StoryHistoryDean Shaw3 Oct 20266 min

From the Plow to the Combine, One Broken Bottleneck at a Time

For most of history a farm was only as big as one family could harvest. How a blacksmith, a Virginian, and a few stubborn tinkerers changed that.

Poll

When did you last ask for a raise?

GuideGarden & YardWes Dunbar5 Oct 20266 min

Your Soil Needs a Test and Compost, Not Another Bag of Fertilizer

Most yellow leaves aren't hungry plants. They're a soil problem nobody tested for. A cheap lab test and an inch of compost fix more than any bag will.

GuideMomsNina Castellan3 Oct 20267 min

Your Mower Probably Isn't Broken. The Gas Is Just Old.

Most mowers that won't start in spring just need fresh fuel and a proper pull. Start, fuel and care for one yourself, without a repair shop.

Coconut.com — Tell us when. We find where the sun is.

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StoryHistoryMarcus Vale3 Oct 20267 min

Baseball's Birth Story Was Made Up, and the Real One Is Better

A commission handed America a tidy origin myth in 1907. The true history has clerks, prisoners, a paid shortstop and a man who refused to swing back.

Quiz

Is your money actually in order?

Six questions. No email required, no sales pitch at the end.

Garden & Yard7 min

Your First Raised Bed Costs More in Dirt Than in Wood

BRO for Her6 min

The anchors that came in the box are why the shelf fell

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Rehearse the raise conversation with me

Ask it

StoryHistoryMarcus Vale3 Oct 20267 min

Every Rodeo Event Was Somebody's Job First

Rodeo started as ranch hands settling an argument. It became the one sport where every event began as a day's work.

Names.com — The name is the first thing you sell

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Garden & Yard7 min read

Start Your Seeds Later Than You Think and Closer to the Light

Most homegrown seedlings fail for two reasons: planted too early and grown too far from the bulb. Fix both and you'll beat the garden center.

Poll

When did you last ask for a raise?

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