My Favorite Oscillating Tool Attachments

HERCULES Multipurpose Drywall Blade for Oscillating Multi-Tools

Purpose: Cutting drywall

HERCULES 2 in., 3-in-1 Multifunction Knife Blade for Oscillating Multi-Tools

Purpose: Cutting carpet, cardboard, roof shingles

HERCULES 1-1/4 in. Tapered Scraper Blade for Oscillating Multi-Tools

Purpose: Removing caulk and sealant

HERCULES 1-3/8 in. High-Carbon Steel Reduced Neck Plunge Blade for Oscillating Multi-Tools

Purpose: cutting wood

HERCULES Triangle Sanding Backing Pad for Oscillating Multi-Tools

Purpose: sanding, including sanding drywall

HERCULES 3-3/8 in. and 4-1/4 in. Recessed Light Cut-Out Saw Set for Oscillating Multi-Tools, 2-Piece

Purpose: cutting holes in walls, including for recessed lights

And here’s an oscillating tool that I use. It’s low-noise, low-vibration, and has a trigger-lock feature, tool-free accessory change, and a light.

Make Realistic Lip-sync Music Videos with SeeDance 2.0

I just made this music video, and the lip-sync portion is amazingly impressive.

I actually used SeeDance 2.0 Fast at Kie.ai, but you can use SeeDance 2.0 as well and get up to 1080p resolution. For each generation, I used

  • Prompt
  • Reference image (not first-frame image)
  • Reference video (this was just a black video containing the audio clip)
  • “Generate audio” enabled
  • “Web search” disabled
  • Duration = duration of reference video

SeeDance 2 supports reference audio, but for some reason it didn’t lip-sync my reference image and sometimes it would change the lyrics.

Here’s a screenshot of the inputs.

Below are the inputs and outputs for various lip-sync clips.

Prompt:

use the song from the given video and use the character from the given image to make a music video of the man singing the song. he sings the exact lyrics in the song as if lip-syncing.

Reference image:

Reference Video:

Output:

Prompt:

use the song from the given video and use the character from the given image to make a music video of the man singing the song. he sings the exact lyrics in the song as if lip-syncing.

Reference image:

Reference Video:

Output:

Prompt:

use the song from the given video and use the character from the given image to make a music video of the man singing the song. he sings the exact lyrics in the song as if lip-syncing.

Reference image:

Reference Video:

Output:

Prompt:

use the song from the given video and use the character from the given image to make a music video of the man singing the song. he sings the exact lyrics in the song as if lip-syncing.

Reference image:

Reference Video:

Output:

Prompt:

use the song from the given video and use the character from the given image to make a music video of the man singing the song. he sings the exact lyrics in the song as if lip-syncing.

Reference image:

Reference Video:

Output:

Prompt:

use the song from the given video and use the character from the given image to make a music video of the man singing the song. he sings the exact lyrics in the song as if lip-syncing.

Reference image:

Reference Video:

Output:

Prompt:

use the song from the given video and use the character from the given image to make a music video of the man singing the song. he sings the exact lyrics in the song as if lip-syncing.

Reference image:

Reference Video:

Output:

Prompt:

use the song from the given video and use the character from the given image to make a music video of the man singing the song. he sings the exact lyrics in the song as if lip-syncing.

Reference image:

Reference Video:

Output:


Prompt:

use the song from the given video and use the character from the given image to make a music video of the man singing the song. he sings the exact lyrics in the song as if lip-syncing.

A man (same subject, unchanged face and outfit) singing into a microphone at the center of a large ancient Roman-style amphitheater at night. Camera is positioned at chest height, medium close-up framing, stable and focused on the singer.

The audience fills the stone bleachers behind him, hundreds of people seated and standing, naturally animated: subtle head movements, clapping, cheering, shifting in seats, occasional phone screens glowing, realistic variation in motion without repetition.

Warm golden stage lighting illuminates the singer from the front and slightly below, creating a cinematic glow on his face. Behind the singer, rows of soft amber lights line the steps and columns. Moving stage lights sweep slowly across the audience and architecture, creating gentle light motion across the crowd and stone surfaces.

The night sky is clear with visible stars. Light atmospheric haze adds depth and catches the beams of moving lights. The columns and amphitheater remain stable and realistic.

The singer performs naturally: subtle head movement, mouth lip-syncing accurately, slight body sway, breathing and posture shifts.

Camera behavior: very subtle cinematic push-in (slow, minimal), no drifting or unintended orbit, no zoom jitter. Maintain subject as the clear focal point at all times.

Depth of field: subject sharp, audience slightly softened but still readable.

Lighting style: warm amber/yellow tones only, no harsh white light, no overexposure, cinematic contrast.

Reference image:

Reference Video:

Output:

Here are some similar clips using the same prompt and reference image but different reference videos (for the audio).

Reference Video:

Output:

Reference Video:

Output:

SeeDance 2.0 seems to also support making a video of a person playing a musical instrument in a way that matches the sounds in a reference source. Consider the following:

Prompt:

use the song from the given video and use the character from the given image to make a music video of the man playing the guitar sounds in the song. sync the playing of the guitar to the guitar sounds in the song.

Reference image:

Reference Video:

Output:

Wall Framing: How to Cut 2×4 Wood Studs So They Fit Perfectly Between Top and Bottom Plates

This method assumes the top and bottom plates are already in place.

  1. Use a laser measure like the one shown below. In this example, the reading shows 8′ 11″ 5/16″. If you prefer precision to 1/8 of an inch, you may be able to change the precision settings in your laser measure.

Make sure the laser dot is on the surface of the distance you want to measure.

2. Then, using a measure, mark that length on your 2×4 wood.

3. Use a carpenter square to draw a straight line at that mark

4. Cut the wood at that line using a miter saw.

If you want to dry-fit your studs before permanently fastening them with nails, you can use A34 metal brackets with screws.

Chia Seed Pudding Recipe

Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp black chia seeds
  • 8 oz of full-fat coconut milk
  • 1.5 tbsp monk-fruit sweetener
  • 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
  • Fruit topping (optional)

For the coconut milk, make sure to get full-fat coconut milk that’s usually in a can, not the heavily diluted coconut milk that’s in a carton, unless you want less calories at the expense of taste.

Instructions

  1. Add and mix all ingredients in a container
  2. Place in refrigerator for 1 hour
  3. Mix again to break up any chia seed clumps
  4. Refrigerate again for another 1-2 hours or overnight
  5. Chia seeds should have absorbed the milk and become soft
  6. Optionally, top with fruit (blueberries, raspberries, etc)
  7. Enjoy

Easily Fix Loose Screws in Door Hinges

If you have a loose screw that just keeps turning when it’s fully inserted, some sources indicate you can stuff one or two zip ties in a screw hole before screwing the screw to fix that. I’ve tried that, but it only works occasionally. I’ve also tried the Screw-it-Again wood anchors, but those are no better. What actually works are these plastic anchors at Harbor Freight.

They are cheap and work consistently. Here’s how to use them. For standard residential door hinges, choose the smallest anchor (15/16″ long”) and the #8 x 1-1/2″ screw. You can also just reuse the screw that came with the hinge.

Wrap a piece of painter’s tape around a 3/16″ wood drill bit the length of the anchor from the tip so you know how far to drill without drilling longer than the length of the anchor.

Remove the existing screw and drill into the hole until you reach the tape.

Insert the anchor into the hole.

If you can’t insert it all the way into the hole with your hands, hit a hex key against it to push the anchor flush with the hole.

Screw either the existing screw or a #8 x 1-1/2″ screw into the hole. The screw will eventually stop turning when it’s tight.

If you need even stronger door hinges, these Zzem steel anchors may fit the bill.

If, after tightening all screws, your door is still slightly hitting the door frame, sand off the protruding part using a belt sander like the one below.

Whole-House Interior Painting Tips

Repainting all the walls and ceilings in your house can really refresh your home and make it appear new and clean. As a landlord of multiple properties, I’ve repainted the interior of entire homes in as little as 6 hours. Here are my tips for whole-house interior painting.

Neutral Paint Color

My go-to paint color is Hazelnut Cream 750C-2 (Eggshell) by Behr (Home Depot). It looks good both during the day and at night and in different light color temperatures.

Same Wall and Ceiling Paint Color

Unless you’re really picky or enjoy spending time masking surfaces and painting, I recommend painting the walls and ceilings the same color. It greatly simplifies the painting process. If you have an MDF baseboard, you can also paint it the same color as your wall. Or, you can paint it pure white, which is the default color.

Masking

You’ll need to mask areas you don’t want to paint, like windows, ceiling lights, and doors.

For windows, I like to staple somewhat thick (3.5 mm) transparent plastic. If it’s too thin, it’s harder to cut, it easily blows away, and it’s hard to secure to a surface. Also, stapling is much quicker and easier than taping all sides. The transparent plastic lets light in so you can see what you’re painting. Since the air pressure from spray painting can blow paint particles everywhere, I like to use a healthy margin around any objects I’m masking so that even if paint manages to get under the plastic, it won’t go far and reach the surface I don’t want painted.

For stapling, I like to use large 9/16″-leg staples and a battery-powered staple gun.

For ceiling lights, I like to staple heavyweight red rosin paper over them, as shown below. Taping is not necessary as long as the paper is large enough to prevent paint particles from reaching the lights from the gaps along the edges. Cutting rosin paper is easy using scissors or a utility knife.

For other surfaces that could fit under one piece of red rosin paper, I’ll use that paper. Otherwise, for surfaces that are too large for the red rosin paper, I’ll use the plastic.

For the floor, I use red rosin paper taped to the top of the baseboard and I’ll use a plastic and fabric drop cloth for the middle of the floor.

Paint Sprayer

For painting, I use the Graco Magnum X5 Airless 3000 PSI Stand Paint Sprayer. It works well. Just make sure to clean it when done so the paint doesn’t cause clogs. Also, when you

Here’s the quickstart guide.

When screwing the spray tip guard assembly to the gun, make sure to only tighten by hand. If you tighten with a wrench, it may be too tight, preventing paint from coming out.

One way to tell if you’ve tightened it too tight is if you are unable to rotate the tip from the spray to the unclog position using your hand.

If you’re having trouble spraying paint, you might need to replace one or more parts, like the spray tip, spray gun and tip, and hose. Start with replacing the spray tip first since it’s cheaper than the other parts.

Clothing

When spray painting, paint particles can go everywhere. You can buy and wear a painter’s coverall, but they are very uncomfortable. Instead, I recommend wearing sacrificial clothing that you don’t mind getting paint on. I wear a long-sleeve shirt with a hoodie so I can cover my arms and hair, leaving only my hands and face exposed to paint particles. If you wear glasses, I also recommend wearing old glasses that you don’t mind getting paint on.

Removing masks

When removing plastic or red rosin paper that was stapled to a surface, I recommend using a staple puller. It makes removing staples and nails much easier than using other methods.

Painting Masked Areas

When you’re done spray painting and removing all masks, you can easily paint any masked surfaces manually using a paint roller.

How to Create a Heading in Google Docs with a Full-Width Background Color Without Using Tables

Document headings (Heading 1, Heading 2, …) are useful to show a document’s content hierarchy. But, unless styled, it can still be difficult to visually scan a document to quickly find different sections. Some techniques to add styling and improve visual hierarchy include

  • using a horizontal line to separate sections
  • using a background color
  • changing the heading text color

All of these styles, except the one with the different background color, look fine, but they may not suffice if you want high-contrasting section headings. You can put heading text in a 1×1 table, as shown below, but that’s not ideal, especially if your document may be parsed.

To create a table-less heading with full-width background color, do the following:

  1. Type your heading on its own line
  2. Select the entire heading line (triple-click to include whitespace after the text)
  3. Go to Format → Line & paragraph spacing
    • Click Single
    • Click Remove space before paragraph
    • Click Remove space after paragraph
  4. With the line still selected, go to Format → Paragraph styles → Borders and shading
    • Background color: e.g. #1F2933
    • Border width: 0 pt (all sides)
    • Paragraph padding: e.g., 6 pt or 7 pt

You can optionally style the heading text and create a reusable heading style (Format → Paragraph styles → Heading 1 → Update “Heading 1” to match).

Here’s a link to the test document used in this post.

Simple Turkey Slider Recipe

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Cover turkey patty with a paper town and heat it in microwave on high for 1 minute
  2. Put a slice of cheese on the patty and microwave for 20 seconds to melt the cheese
  3. Slice bread, add BBQ sauce to both sides,
  4. Place heated turkey patty in the bun
  5. Enjoy