A vexing problem with the foreclosure wave sweeping the nation is abandoned swimming pools are becoming breeding grounds for mosquitoes, which can carry deadly diseases. Now many towns in foreclosure epicenters such as Florida, Arizona and California are turning to a novel solution—stocking the pools with fish known as "mosquito fish" that eat the larvae. The fish can eat up to 500 larvae a month and save the town the expense of repeated spraying of toxic pesticides. The solution is not without its critics. The fish breed are known to harass the California red-legged frog, a threatened species, so towns should be wary not to transfer the fish from swimming pools to local ponds. But many applaud the application of an environmentally sound solution.
Nothing goes hand in hand quite like sunlight and swimming pools. That's why this solar powered pool skimmer from Hammacher Schlemmer makes almost too much sense. Two solar panels power the device as it continuously paddles the pool, scooping up debris. This is one sophisticated device; when the batteries are running low, it stops cleaning and seeks out sunnier areas to recharge. And when it becomes clogged, it reverses direction to rid itself of the junk. It holds two 3-inch chlorine tablets that slowly dissolve as the skimmer moves across the pool. It can be ordered online from the Hammacher Schlemmer Web site.
Way back in 2006 I wrote about an enterprising Australian converting his old television into a working aquarium. Now there's a web page documenting how to tackle this project. Amazing what the Internet makes possible. Considering there are two televisions for every citizen in America, there are a lot of potential aquariums out there, which can potentially save a lot of space in our nation's landfills. This is a great example of reuse and recycling, so have at it do-it-yourselfers!
Click this link to see the coolest swimming pool I've ever seen. It's found on the 10th floor in a building being converted to a five-star hotel in Dallas. When this hotel opens, there's going to be a mile-long line of people waiting to swim in it. I wish that I could be among them.
I love this article and think you will, too. Money magazine has written a humorous yet sensible piece called "5 Dumbest Renovation Fads." Here they are:
1. The great room craze 2. The kitchen stadium 3. The garage that ate your home 4. Porches in the wrong place 5. Built-in lighting
Not satisfied to just point out what went wrong, the author also provides details on how to re-do each area "the right way."
If you want to build a vacation resort where the ocean water is cold and inhospitable, you'd better come up with something incredible to attract people. That's exactly what Chilean developer Fernando Fischmann did with his kilometer-long artificial lagoon. Equivalent to 6,000 eight-meter long swimming pools, the lagoon is the world's largest swimming pool in the world. This project was not for the faint-hearted; it took 10 years to develop the new technology for capturing, filtering, and recirculating ocean water. But guests are sure to appreciate it. The surrounding ocean water is around 62 degrees while the lagoon maintains a more swimmer-friendly 78 degrees. I especially love the photos of guests sailing in the lagoon alongside swimmers and kayakers as shown on the resort website. Now that the project is completed, Fischmann is ready to go worldwide. He recently launched Crystal Lagoon Corporation, using the technology he developed to sell more arena-sized swimming pools.
I've got a real soft spot in my heart for animals. So the thought of a family pet accidentally falling into a swimming pool and swimming around in circles trying to find a way out, until they start to tire and...well, it's tough to take. Dogs can't see pool steps and when they are trained to find them, they are actually learning to find them by some other landmark. In a stress situation or at night, that landmark may not be easy to find. And that's why I liked the idea of the Skamper-Ramp; the ramp sits at eye level to the water, so it is easily seen as an escape. The ramp is constructed of all white plastic, the only color all living animals can see, so it is useful day or night to all kinds of animals such as dogs, cats, squirrels, and possums. The Skamper Ramp comes in two different sizes: the original for pets up to 45 pounds and a larger size specially designed for big dogs. The Skamper Ramp website has a store locator, but the ramps are also available online from resellers. Prices vary but are in the $47.95-$59.95 range for the classic model and $65.95-$85.95 range for the larger model for big dogs.
