Hobbies

Pickleball to woodcarving, ham radio to bread baking. Find a new thing to love and the people who do it too.

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Before Paul Bunyan Was an Ad, He Was a Few Thousand Real Men

The north woods camps ran on pine, pancakes and nerve. They built the Midwest, nearly burned it down, and left a lesson in how to clean up after yourself.

GuideMilitary & VetsMarcus ValeOct 4, 20267 min

The World War I Heroes Worth Teaching Your Kids by Name

York, Johnson and the Hello Girls are the place to start. The World War I story your kids need most is probably sitting in your family's paperwork.

Ask BRO

Rewrite my résumé so it actually gets read

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GuideGarden & YardSam OrtizOct 5, 20266 min

A Kid's Garden Needs a Win by Week Four

Tomatoes and pumpkins lose kids by July. Radishes, bush beans and one giant sunflower keep them coming back out the door.

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

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History7 min read

The Wright Brothers Flew for Five Years Before the World Believed It

Kitty Hawk was the easy part. The hard part was the cow pasture, the newspapers that yawned, and the years they chose not to fly at all.

Poll

Where does your phone charge overnight?

GuideTradesDean ShawOct 3, 20266 min

Read a tape measure in one glance, sixteenths and all

Stop counting little lines from the inch mark. Read off the landmarks, call it like the crew does, and quit wasting lumber.

GuideGarden & YardNina CastellanOct 5, 20266 min

Water-Bath Canning Lives or Dies on the Acid

Jam, pickles and tomatoes are the safe starting point for home canning, but only if you get the acid right. Grandma's method won't cover it.

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

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StoryHistoryMarcus ValeOct 4, 20266 min

The Railway Canada Couldn't Afford and Built Anyway

A young country promised a train to the Pacific, nearly went broke keeping its word, and finished five years early. Not everyone was thanked.

Quiz

Does your wardrobe actually fit you?

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

GuideHomeWes DunbarOct 3, 20267 min

Caulk a tub and a window so nobody can tell you did it

A pro-looking caulk line has almost nothing to do with a steady hand. It comes down to what you do before the gun ever comes out.

GuideGarden & YardWes DunbarOct 5, 20267 min

Save Tomato and Bean Seed First and Leave the Squash Alone

Seed saving is easy with the right five crops and a jar of stinking tomato goo. Pick the wrong ones and next summer gets weird.

Ask BRO

Give me something to do with my kids this weekend

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StoryHistoryMarcus ValeOct 3, 20267 min

The Pony Express Went Broke Delivering the Mail on Time

For eighteen months, kids on fast horses beat the clock across 1,900 miles of open country. The company lost a fortune doing it. The ride was worth it.

GermProof.com — An invisible germ barrier on your skin for hours

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GuideSurvival & Self-DefenseWes DunbarOct 3, 20267 min

Fire Without Matches Is a Tinder Problem, Not a Spark Problem

A ferro rod, a bow drill and a 9-volt battery will all make fire. Only one should be your plan, and none of them work without the boring part.

Poll

What was your first ever job?

GuideGarden & YardNina CastellanOct 5, 20267 min

Your Rosemary Died Because You Treated It Like Basil

Four kitchen herbs, two completely different gardens. Split them up and you'll stop buying the plastic clamshell at the grocery store.

StoryHistoryDean ShawOct 3, 20266 min

Wash Day, the Iceman and the Lamp Chimney Nobody Misses

Three machines took apart the American week your great-grandmother lived. The real story of how they got into the kitchen is better than the myth.

Dude.com — 16 AI advisers who listen, talk and are here with you

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GuideSkillsCal BrennanOct 3, 20267 min

Four emergencies, and the instinct that makes each one worse

Bleeding, burns, choking and sprains each come with one obvious move that's wrong. Learn the right one now, while nobody's hurt.

Quiz

Is your money actually in order?

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

Garden & Yard7 min

Skip the Bucket and Grow Your Potatoes in a Bag

History6 min

The Can Came Almost Fifty Years Before the Can Opener

Ask BRO

Plan a cook for eight people

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GuideCountry BroDean ShawOct 3, 20267 min

Set up the block so your worst swing hits wood, not your shin

Most splitting injuries are decided before the maul leaves the ground. Get the block, the stance and the wedge right, and a bad swing costs you nothing.