Hacks Archives | The Cool Down

A zucchini with its flower still intact.

Home

Gardener grows giant, oddly shaped zucchini, and the internet calls it an Olympic torch

A modern house with solar panels on the roof, surrounded by green hills and a clear blue sky.

Business

Idaho added enough solar for 25,000 homes, but nearly all of it is spoken for by Meta

A person holding soil in both hands, examining its texture against a background of tilled earth.

Home

Soil scientist tests forest, prairie, and marsh soil to see if garden inoculation works

The Google Maps app on a phone.

Tech

Amateur's Google Maps find in Canada is now a confirmed 390-million-year-old impact crater

A welcome sign for Saugus, established in 1629, surrounded by greenery and wooden fencing.

Home

Massachusetts town seeks answers after water bills go bonkers, one from $325 to $192,000

A water heater with corrosion on the tank.

Home

Florida homeowner sees rusty water from a 3-year-old heater, asks if flipper botched the install

Potted plants on wooden pallets.

Home

Rural King marks tomato six-packs down to 10 cents as plants whither away

The nozzle of a hose.

Home

Four leaky garden hoses got a second life after one quick fix instead of a costly replacement

A collection of sewing materials, including instructions, fabric, buttons, and thread, arranged on a table.

Home

Free library class shows how to mend torn clothes instead of replacing them

A pink zinnia.

Home

First year growing zinnias leaves one gardener with endless cut flowers and no going back

Businessman and philanthropist T. Denny Sanford.

Business

South Dakota banking magnate said he wanted to die broke, gave away more than $4 billion

A dense mat of water hyacinth.

Tech

What looks lush on Iraq's Tigris is an invasive weed that is choking fish and breeding mosquitoes