DIY Bamboo Garden Ideas: Transform Your Outdoor Space

Bamboo is a versatile and sustainable plant that can bring a touch of exotic beauty to your garden. With its rapid growth and elegant appearance, bamboo can be used in a variety of creative ways to enhance your outdoor space. Whether you’re looking to create a serene retreat, a natural privacy screen, or a unique focal point, here are some DIY bamboo garden ideas to inspire your next project. 

1. Bamboo Privacy Screen 

Materials Needed: 

- Bamboo poles (varying heights for a natural look) 

- Rope or wire 

- Garden stakes 

Steps:

1. Choose the Location: Select the area where you need privacy, such as along a fence or around a patio. 

2. Install Stakes: Drive garden stakes into the ground at intervals that match the width of your bamboo poles. 

3. Attach Bamboo Poles: Secure the bamboo poles to the stakes using rope or wire. For a more secure installation, consider digging shallow trenches and embedding the bamboo poles into the ground. 

4. Finishing Touches: Add some decorative touches like hanging planters or fairy lights to enhance the aesthetic appeal. A bamboo privacy screen not only provides seclusion but also adds a natural, organic feel to your garden.

2. Bamboo Trellis for Climbing Plants 


Materials Needed:

- Thin bamboo poles 

- Twine or zip ties 

- Garden shears 

Steps: 

1. Cut Bamboo Poles: Trim the bamboo poles to the desired length. 

2. Create the Frame: Arrange the poles in a grid or fan pattern, securing the intersections with twine or zip ties. 

3. Install the Trellis: Place the trellis in your garden, near climbing plants like cucumbers, beans, or flowering vines. 

4. Support Plant Growth: Train the plants to climb the trellis as they grow, guiding them gently with garden ties. This bamboo trellis not only supports your climbing plants but also adds vertical interest to your garden. 

3. Bamboo Water Feature 

Materials Needed: 

- Bamboo poles (various diameters) 

- Water pump 

- Basin or container 

- Rocks or pebbles 

Steps:

1. Prepare the Poles: Cut the bamboo poles to create spouts and channels for water flow. 

2. Set Up the Basin: Place the basin or container where you want the water feature and fill it with rocks or pebbles. 

3. Install the Pump: Position the water pump in the basin and connect it to the bamboo spouts. 

4. Assemble the Feature: Arrange the bamboo poles to direct the water flow, creating a soothing, cascading effect. 

5. Test and Adjust: Turn on the pump and adjust the bamboo poles as needed to achieve the desired water flow. A bamboo water feature adds a tranquil, Zen-like ambiance to your garden, perfect for relaxation. 

4. Bamboo Garden Edging 

Materials Needed:

- Bamboo poles or split bamboo 

- Mallet 

- Garden shears 

- Rope or wire (optional) 

Steps:

1. Cut Bamboo: Trim the bamboo poles to the desired height for your garden edging. 

2. Install Edging: Use a mallet to drive the bamboo poles into the ground along the border of your garden beds. 

3. Secure the Poles: For added stability, you can tie the bamboo poles together with rope or wire. Bamboo garden edging is a simple and effective way to define garden borders while adding a natural look. 

5. Bamboo Garden Arches 

Materials Needed:

- Flexible bamboo poles 

- Garden stakes 

- Twine or zip ties 

Steps:

1. Prepare the Poles: Select long, flexible bamboo poles that can be bent into arches. 

2. Create Arches: Bend the bamboo poles into arch shapes and secure them at both ends with garden stakes. 

3. Install in the Garden: Position the arches over pathways or entrances to create a welcoming garden feature. 

4. Decorate: Train climbing plants to grow over the arches, or add fairy lights for an enchanting evening glow. Bamboo garden arches create stunning entryways and pathways, enhancing the overall charm of your garden. 

Conclusion 

Bamboo is an excellent material for various DIY garden projects due to its strength, flexibility, and aesthetic appeal. Whether you're looking to create privacy, support plant growth, or add unique decorative elements, these bamboo garden ideas can help transform your outdoor space into a serene and beautiful haven. Embrace the versatility of bamboo and let your creativity flourish in the garden!


Battle Bears takes top spots on App Store

The game app called Battle Bears has proven to be very popular. The game has you as a bear in a sandbag hideout shooting teddy bears that come stumbling towards you in an attempt to hug you to death.

The game has proven to be so popular since its launch on August 31 that it has grabbed the number 1 spot on the Action/Adventure game list and the number three spot on the all games chart. The game has been downloaded 800,000 times and is expected to hit a million downloads by the end of September.

New versions of the game are coming with more details on the storyline and characters. In the game, the bear characters use weapons like the Bearzooka and Unicorn Horn Crossbow. The full game sells for 99 cents and a free version is available as well.

Source: http://www.iphonebuzz.com/battle-bears-takes-top-spots-on-app-store-258444.php

Cheaper New iMacs On The Way, Could Include Blu-ray (AAPL)

Apple could unveil new iMacs as early as this month, potentially including Blu-ray drives, AppleInsider reports.

The new iMacs could be cheaper and thinner than existing ones, according to AppleInsider's Kasper Jade.

It's been 206 days since Apple's last iMac update, according to MacRumors' trusty Mac Buyer's Guide -- almost reaching the 220-day average between iMac updates.

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/cheaper-new-imacs-on-the-way-could-include-blu-ray-2009-9

iPhone app for fresher students

A university is offering a free iPhone application it has developed to help students starting their first term.

The University of Central Lancashire in Preston says the mobile phone service will provide maps and details of entertainment and local transport.

There will also be details of campus facilities and access to students' university e-mail accounts.

Director of learning, Michael Ahern, say this will help connect with students who "lead very busy lives".

He believes this is the first such iPhone application for a university in the UK.

Keeping track

"At the beginning of term you're always being stopped by students asking for directions, now they're going to have the information they need in their pockets," says Mr Ahern.

"As they roam around the campus they can get information about lecture theatres, places to eat and libraries," he says.

The mobile phone service links to an alternative student guide, written by fellow students, and can also access student union services, such as letting students book tickets for bands.

Students are increasingly likely to be studying part-time - or to have term-time jobs - and Mr Ahern says that a mobile phone is a convenient way for the university to keep in touch with busy people in many different locations.

"It's a different track for reaching students," says Mr Ahern.

But he says that there is a question about the lack of access for students who do not have iPhones - and although not wrapped into a single package, the same information can be accessed through laptops and other mobiles which can access the internet.

The university has just invested a £1m in laptops and online access for students who cannot afford their own computers, he says.

The iPhone "applications" are customised information services which can be downloaded onto this type of mobile phone.

It has been estimated that there will be 100,000 applications available by the end of the year, with 1.8 billion having been downloaded so far.

Source: BBC News

The Top 25 PSP Games of All Time

Source: http://psp.ign.com/articles/102/1023970p1.html

Since the PSP hit the market in 2005, an uneducated sliver of the videogame kingdom has been bashing it and claiming that there are no good games for Sony's engine baby.

Screw the naysayers.

Today, we're putting that rumor to rest and compiling our list of the best games the PSP has to offer you at this very moment. These are the games we think are the most fun to play. These are the ones we find our handhelds getting drawn toward. These are the ones that make train rides to work and the horrible TV shows our significant others watch tolerable.

These are the Top 25 PSP Games of All Time.

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Apple event speculation: App Store fix, $150 iPod touch, more

Source: http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/09/09/08/apple_event_speculation_app_store_fix_150_ipod_touch_more.html

With Apple's annual iPod event imminent, Internet buzz, rumors and speculation have reached a fever pitch, as industry watchers wait to see what the hardware maker will debut Wednesday.


Predictions are varied, though most everyone agrees that Apple will reveal its long-expected new iPod line with cameras, alleged last-minute technical issues notwithstanding. In a brief preview, Forbes speculated Apple would bring a "mundane" yet "important" fix for iPhone and iPod touch users: a new-and-improved App Store.

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Solar-powered Bluetooth car kit to feel safer on the road

Source: http://www.gadgets-reviews.com/solar-powered-bluetooth-car-kit.html

If you consider yourself to be a prudent driver you might know about potential risk of cell phone driving. But high technology keeps on moving and moving and we do have some intelligent ways making our driving safer. Called the Bluetooth car kit seems to be a smart way to drive both carefully and ecologically friendly.

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15 Snow Leopard Tricks You Have to Try

Snow Leopard is finally reaching the masses. As much as we like it, though, the interface feels awfully similar to its predecessor. Here are 15 tricks to check out that are undeniably new—and even a little exciting.

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All About Reverse Call Charges

Reverse charge call is a phone call that requires the receiving party to pay for the call i.e. reverse call charges; it agrees to receive from the calling party. The reverse call charges are clearly mentioned to the called party and are charged through a Premium SMS after the conversation ends. There are number of companies that offer reverse call charge services in many countries including UK and USA where it is referred to as a collect call.

The growth of reverse call services is attributed mainly to the shortcomings of prepaid mobile phone accounts. While many people use prepaid mobile phones in order to counter the high roaming charges when visiting other countries, the costs associated with them are quite high, especially when you have to leave the country and still have some euros or pounds left in your account. This credit left on your prepaid phone will most likely expire before you revisit the country. This lost credit pushes up the costs of your prepaid phone calls. That's why; many people prefer reverse call services over prepaid phones while visiting other countries. It is best for students who are usually on limited budget and need to make contact with friends and relatives when in a foreign country.

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PS2 God Of Wars Hitting PS3 On Blu-Ray This Fall

PS2 God Of Wars Hitting PS3 On Blu-Ray This Fall

Source: http://www.giantbomb.com/news/ps2-god-of-wars-hitting-ps3-on-blu-ray-this-fall/1666/

Maybe this is why there hasn't been a PlayStation 3 with backwards compatibility lately. Sony has just announced God of War Collection for the PS3, a Blu-ray compilation of the first and second God of War games, both of which you will recall were originally made for the PS2. The press release says the games have been "reworked... at full 1280x720 resolution" and "remastered with anti-aliased graphics running at 60 frames per second for a smooth gameplay experience on the PS3 system." There's also trophy support for both games, so even if you played them in their heyday, there's some new stuff in here for you.

Just so you know I'm not fibbin', here's the new logo. No new assets released for this one, but then, you ought to have a pretty good idea what these games look like.

Destructoid is reporting the comp will be out in November and will run you the nice price of $39.99. This is certainly a good way to get Kratos and friends implanted back into the public consciousness, since God of War III is still a ways off into 2010.

But do you think this is a one-off promotional move, or will we see other PS2 series being restored to glory with high-res graphics and hooks into the PlayStation Network? What franchises would you want to see get this treatment? It would be a little odd for Sony to start selling packages like this frequently, since they removed support for the original versions from the PS3 after it was there in the first place. But I have to admit, I'd pay good money for a disc with 720p versions of ICO and Shadow of the Colossus sometime before The Last Guardian is out. How about you?

IBM's 8-core POWER7: twice the muscle, half the transistors

IBM's 8-core POWER7: twice the muscle, half the transistors

Source : http://arstechnica.com

IBM's Hot Chips presentation on its forthcoming 45nm POWER7 server processor had a wealth of information on the chip, which, at 1.2 billion transistors and 567mm2, is actually quite svelte considering what it offers. The secret is the first use of a special cache technology that IBM has been touting since 2007, but more on that in a moment.

POWER7 will come in 4-, 6-, and 8-core varieties, with the default presumably being the 8-core and the lower-core variants being offered to improve yields. Each core features 4-way simultaneous multithreading, which means that the 8-core will support a total of 32 simultaneous threads per socket. POWER7 is designed for multisocket systems that scale up to 32 sockets, which means that a full 32-socket system of 8-core parts would support 1024 threads.

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How Apple Will Sell 50 Million iPhones

How Apple Will Sell 50 Million iPhones


Source: http://www.forbes.com

Steve Jobs and company will more than double iPhone sales by 2011, analyst says.

Bernstein Research's Toni Sacconaghi wrote something pretty startling Monday: that Apple ( AAPL - news - people ) could sell 50 million iPhones in 2011--up from precisely squat in 2006--it means that Steve Jobs and company are going to sell 50 million iPhones sometime real soon.

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How mobile CRM can improve your business

How mobile CRM can improve your business


Source: http://www.computerweekly.com

Today's customers are ever more demanding expecting a fast tailored response to enquiries. In a more competitive and fast-paced business environment the companies with the best customer service generate customer loyalty.

Being able to service customers' demands while outside of the office is becoming a necessity for an increasingly mobile workforce. To meet this demand SAP and Research In Motion (RIM) have developed a mobile customer relationship management (CRM) application for the Blackberry.

The SAP CRM application uses Blackberry applications, such as e-mail, address book and calendar, to deliver mobile CRM data for sales people, customer services, field services and marketing.

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