INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Not all plants require the same amount of water. If your herbs did not come with a care tag when you bought them, you'll have to research them online. In general: Mediterranean plants, such as oregano, require less water. Let the top 1 to 2 inches (2.5 to 5.1cm) of soil dry before you water them again. Water-loving herbs, like basil, require constant moisture. The top 1 to 2 inches (2.5 to 5.1cm) of soil should feel like a damp sponge. When watering, use enough water until you can see it coming out from the bottom of the pot. How often you use the fertilizer depends on what you are using. If you are using a liquid fertilizer, you need to use it every 3 to 4 weeks during the growing season. If you are using a slow-release fertilizer, however, you only need to use it once or thrice per year. For best results, use a slow-release organic fertilizer, or a half-strength liquid fertilizer. Make sure that the fertilizer is suitable for herbs. Read the label. How much sunlight your herbs need will very, so read the care tag or research the information online. In general, most herbs need around 6 hours of daily sunlight, but some may require more. The strength of the sunlight is also important. South-facing windows will provide the best, strongest sunlight, whereas north-facing windows will give you the weakest sunlight. If your herb pot is on a windowsill, you may have to move the pot around throughout the day or year. This is because windows can become really hot or really cold. You don't have to remove the pot from the window completely; a table next to the window would be just fine. If you put the herbs outside and the temperature rises or drops below the ideal range, you may want to bring the herbs inside. When harvesting, you want to leave the larger leaves at the bottom along so that they absorb more sunlight. Be sure to prune off spent flowers and leggy stems as you see them. This will result in stronger, bushier herbs. You can pinch the herbs off with your fingers, or you can cut them with scissors. If you decide to use scissors, however, make sure that they are clean. Unfortunately, not all herbs last forever. Some herbs are annual and need to be replanted every year. Others are perennial and will return every year. A few herbs are biennial and need to replaced every 2 years.

SUMMARY: Water your herbs according to their watering needs. Use a fertilizer a few times per year. Rotate the pot as needed to ensure that herbs get enough sunlight. Keep the herbs at a temperature between 65 and 70F (18 and 21C). Harvest the herbs from the top. Replace the herbs as needed.

INPUT ARTICLE: Article: While there is a lot of calibrating that goes into high end speakers, the basic technology is actually pretty simple. An electrical current is run through a wire that is attached to a magnet. This current makes the magnet vibrate, and those vibrations are picked up by our ears as sound. To hear the sound well you should also get a small plastic tupperware or cup. This will amplify the sound much like yelling into a cone amplifies your voice. You want to wrap the wire 6-7 times starting from the middle. Make sure you leave several feet of wire unwrapped on either side of the magnet. Tape this coil onto the bottom of your tupperware, but without the magnet. Using both ends of the leftover copper wire, make an even large coil and tape this on top of the smaller one. Like before, you will leave roughly a foot of leftover wire on each side of the coil -- this is how you will attach your "speaker" to your music source. You want it to sit comfortable within both coils, but don't worry too much about touching every inch of wire. The most common attachment is an 1/8th inch cable or "Auxiliary" cord (the input on most headphones). Wrap one end of the wire around the top of the metal input and the other around the bottom. Gator clips, which are small clamps that transmit electricity, can make attaching your copper wire to a music source easier. Try using a stronger magnet, keeping your coils tighter, using different "amplifiers," and playing different music sources at different volumes.

SUMMARY: Find copper wire, packing tape, and a strong magnet. Wrap the copper wire around the magnet several times to make a coil. Use a bottlecap or other round object to make another, larger coil. Place the magnet on top of the two coils. Attach both copper wires to a music source. Tinker with your speakers to get better sound.

INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Keep the rat cage in an area where you are often present and the rats can watch what's going on around them. This will prevent feelings of isolation. The more attention you give, the more bonded, active, healthy, and friendly your rat will be. A single rat is a lonely rat, and this can cause behavioral issues. Unless your rat is aggressive, they are best not left alone. Even if they are aggressive, patient love and attention can bring them around. Handle the rats daily, preferably two to three times a day for ten minutes or more. Rats love to learn and solve problems, so consider setting up little obstacle courses containing hidden treats in order to mentally stimulate your rats. Teach tricks by starting slow, rewarding, and reinforcing with treats and praise if done correctly. Rats are very intelligent, and can learn many tricks, such as jumping through a hoop, spinning in a circle, standing up, and even giving a handshake, all on spoken command. Do not punish your rat for failure. Rats don't understand negative punishments, and will only confuse the rat. Instead, give them a treat when they do it right. If your rat bites, don't give him a firm tap and a "no." Instead, squeak like a rat would and pull away. Eventually your rat will understand. Do not forget that each rat has his or her own personality, meaning that one rat may learn differently from others. Any specific method of teaching may work for one rat, but may not for another. The key to successful training is to be persistent and have lots of short training sessions filled with treats. Rats enjoy a change of scenery and a chance to stretch their legs and explore. Rats should be taken out at least one hour per day. You can let them roam around on your shoulder or somewhere in your house where it won't be a problem. If you take your rats outside, a harness is a good idea so that you have some control if the rat becomes frightened. There are many rat websites, forums, and other online communities to join with other rat lovers if you'd like to talk with like-minded people and share.

SUMMARY:
Make sure your rats have good visibility. Spend time with your rats. Teach them tricks. Take them out.