Your Daily Posterous Spaces Update

	September 15th, 2012 週末 Posted 1 day ago by Koichi Mitsui to s a s u r a u 1 世間は三連休なんだね。 The IKEA effect: Why we love DIY Posted 1 day ago by Kate Rinsema to Holy Kaw! 2 So, the clock you built in a junior high shop class may not hold a hallowed place in anyone’s heart but your own, but chances are, you still value it more highly than the high-end model you put on the one from your wedding registry, but what is it about DIY that makes us feel so good? Psychology Today found an answer that explains this attachment, but may make you pause when it comes to starting your own Etsy site: The act of building something, putting your own blood and sweat (and if we're being honest, plenty of frustrated swearing) into a physical object, seems to imbue it with additional value above and beyond its inherent quality, which the researchers dub the "IKEA effect." …Participants in another study who constructed their own origami frogs and cranes valued them roughly five times as much as another group of participants thought they were worth. The increased value is not just about effort, but about completion, as built-then-disassembled and incomplete projects received no such benefit. So, if you often suffer from buyer’s remorse, give the DIY project a try; it might not impress the neighbors, but you’ll feel better for the effort. Full story at Psychology Today via Lifehacker. The charm of DIY. Photo credit: Fotolia 10 tips for taking better kid pics Posted 1 day ago by Kate Rinsema to Holy Kaw! 2 Every parent dreams of being able to capture all the priceless looks of their children on film, but few of us manage to record those precious moments to our satisfaction. If you’re determined to preserve their youth outside of the yearly portrait shot at the mall but don’t have the funds to hire a professional photographer for a session at the park, Jodi Friedman at Digital Photography School has ten tips on lighting and technique to achieve the perfect shot. • Get a little closer. One of the biggest differences you can make is to get closer to the subject in your photo. Sometime we are caught up with getting the nice scenery behind them and our children get lost in the image. • Look for different angles. One way to get more variety in your photos is to look for different angles instead of always taking them straight on. • Try to engage your kids. Be silly, make funny faces, jump around, sing silly songs. They will be more likely to give you natural expressions and they will have more fun. Full story at Digital Photography School . Taking the perfect picture. 7 ways to beat a bad mood Posted 1 day ago by Kate Rinsema to Holy Kaw! Some days seem destined to be dismal, but rather than give up before the clock strikes noon, why not try one of these seven suggestions from Margarita Tartakovsky at PsychCentral? (We have to admit, we’re particularly fond of #3. Let it rip!) 1. Get outside. Being in nature can help to lift your mood and even lull your nervous system. For instance, this 2010 studyfound that “forest environments promote lower concentrations of cortisol, lower pulse rate, lower blood pressure, greater parasympathetic nerve activity, and lower sympathetic nerve activity than do city environments.”… 2. Listen to music. “Get out your absolute favorite grouchy, wallowy music and relish in tunes that match your mood for as long as it feels good,” suggests Ashley Eder, LPC, a psychotherapist in Boulder, CO. Then when you start feeling better, adjust your music to fit your brighter feelings, she said… 3. Embody your bad mood. “Ask your bad mood how it wants to move and honor its impulses in safe — but sometimes messy — ways like smashing eggs, breaking old dishes, ripping up paper, or punching pillows,” Eder said. Full story at PsychCentral. Giving your mental health a hand. Photo credit: Fotolia How to bake without eggs [infographic] Posted 1 day ago by Kate Rinsema to Holy Kaw! 3 With more people going vegan, there will soon come a time in every baker’s life when that warm gift of edible love will not be so well received thanks to that baking basic, eggs. Thankfully, Vegan Mainstream has created this handy little chart regarding easy egg substitutes to use when you’re in a bind, but simply must bake. After all, vegans love cookies as much as the next person. Via Vegan Mainstream. Vegan infographics. The Pinterest drinking game Posted about 16 hours ago by Kate Rinsema to Holy Kaw! 5 Ah Pinterest, you are all the things we aspire to acquire from wedding doo-dads to pugs in hats, but you’ve reached the age when it’s time to have fun at your expense and break out the drinking game. And you thought you didn’t have any plans for the weekend… Full story at WTF, Pinterest? via Buzzfeed. Getting buzzed off Pinterest. Sent by Posterous. Change your email settings or unfollow. Other questions? We'd love to help.