Article: Use sharp scissors to cut a disposable plastic water bottle into two pieces. The top should ideally be only slightly shorter than the bottom. Note that you can create a larger water clock that tracks more time if you use a larger bottle, like a 2-L (2-qt) soda bottle. Use a bradawl or other tool with a sharp, narrow point to pierce the lid of the bottle, creating a small hole with a diameter of roughly 1/8 inch (3.175 mm). The hole should not be much larger than this, since a bottle with a hole that is too large will lose water too fast to be effective as a water clock. Alternatively, if you do not have a tool that can create a hole in the hard plastic lid, you can use a plastic cup instead of the top part of the bottle. Pierce the bottom of the cup with an embroidery needle or sewing needle to create a small hole. Flip the top part of the bottle over so that the cap faces down. Slip this top part into the bottom portion of the bottle so that the cap rests 4 inches (10 cm) or so above the bottom of the lower half. Make sure that the cap does not touch the bottom of the bottle. The higher up it is, the better, as long as you can create a snug fit. If using a plastic cup instead of the top portion of the bottle, rest the cup inside the lower half of the bottle with the bottom of the cup facing down. Pour water into your water clock and start timing the flow of water. Use a permanent marker to mark, on the lower half of the bottle, how much water falls within one minute. Repeat this for the second minute, third minute, and so on, until all the water originally poured into the upper half has dripped out. Your clepsydra should now be complete. You can use it to measure the passage of time over several minutes.
Question: What is a summary of what this article is about?
Cut the bottle in half. Puncture the lid. Invert the upper part inside the lower part. Measure and mark how many drops will fall within a certain amount of time. Use the water clock.
Article: Having your goal somewhere that you can see it, such as on your refrigerator or as the wallpaper on your laptop, can help you to stay focused on the goal. By reminding yourself of your goal every day, you will help yourself to make choices that bring you closer to achieving your goal. It is important to commit to achieving your goal when you first set it and to recommit any time that you stumble. Maintaining your commitment will help you to stay focused and keep working towards your goal. For example, you could make and sign a contract with yourself where you agree to do certain things (daily or weekly) in order to accomplish your goal. Writing about your journey can be a great way to keep yourself motivated. Journaling can help you to privately sort out your thoughts about your new situation, while blogging can allow others to share the journey with you. Decide which method you are more comfortable with and begin writing today. You can use your journal to record your thoughts and feelings about the change you are trying to make, make lists of things you want to do each day, or just write about whatever is on your mind. Visualization is a powerful tool that can help keep you motivated to make the change you have envisioned. Take about 10 minutes every day to simply think about what it will be like to accomplish your goal. Imagine what it will look like, how people will react, and how you will feel. Staying positive can help you to accomplish your goals by keeping you happy. The happier you are, the more you feel capable of accomplishing your goal. Try to remind yourself to focus on the positive more than the negative. If you find either yourself or those around you being extra critical, think about making some changes. Leave encouraging notes for yourself to put a smile on your face when you least expect it. Writing down things like, "You're awesome!" or "Keep going!" can help to give you a little boost now and then. Spend time doing things that make you feel happy with people who make you feel good. Walk around the mall with your best friend or go see a movie with your significant other. You can also help yourself to stay motivated by setting rewards for yourself. Simple things like rewarding yourself with a new outfit after you lose 10 pounds can make a big difference in your motivation to stick with your goals. Make sure that you choose rewards that are healthy and that you can afford to provide yourself. When you accomplish a goal, make sure that you give yourself the reward right away.
Question: What is a summary of what this article is about?
Post your goal somewhere that is visible to you. Commit to keep working towards your goal until your achieve it. Start a journal or a blog to track your progress. Visualize accomplishing your goal. Stay positive. Reward yourself.
Article: Do not put a lot of lights in your haunted house, or people will be too relaxed. They will also be able to tell where your spooky friends are hiding. If it's dark, they will be tense and have a better time. Just make sure your guests have enough light to get through the house safely. Here are some ways to use the lighting to create a haunted effect: Consider putting your guests in a very dark room and giving them flashlights to try to find the way out. Replace your lamps with dim, green bulbs around the house. Drape traditional lamps with cobwebs and tape rubber bats to the insides. Light a spotlight under a spider web or fake creepy insect to create a spooky shadow. Try mirrors, black lights, and smoke to confuse the visitors. The special effects will make your visitors feel more shocked and spooked at every turn. Fog machines and strobe lights are also classics when it comes to haunted house special effects. You can find fog machines for around $30 at a party or Halloween store. Put strobe lights in a room to create a dramatic effect. The sounds in the haunted house will scare your visitors and keep them on their toes. The trick to having spooky noises is to time them perfectly and not use them too often, or your guests won't be surprised. Here are some tricks to creating some scary sounds: Have a recording of a different spooky sound in every room. One room can have the sound of a chainsaw, while another can have the sound of a woman screaming. Your volunteers can scamper from one side of an empty room to another to create a scary sound. Put on a soundtrack made up of soft, creepy music. Use silence to your advantage. Pick some key moments to keep the house silent so your guests will be even more startled by the next sound. A maze is a great way to guide your guests through your haunted house, whether it is located in a house, apartment, or even a garage. You could stack boxes and cover them with a black cloth so they look like walls. Plan your maze out with a sketch first and then start building it at least a week before the haunted house. Decorate your maze with scary props, lights, and characters. Make sure the way out of the maze is clear to guests. If you are going for a fun, child-friendly theme, avoid gore and try to keep the decorations fun or only mildly scary. For example, use bats, friendly looking ghosts, or cartoonish looking monsters. Use decorations such as fake blood, skulls, hazmat suits, heads in a jar, or gory "bodies" if you want a more adult, scary theme.
Question: What is a summary of what this article is about?
Create an eerie effect through lighting. Use special effects like strobe lights and a fog machine. Create spooky noises. Create a maze for your guests. Decorate based on your chosen tone and theme.