RSSVolume 09: Fringe
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Volume 09: Fringe
Explore the fringes of technology with projects that push the boundaries of physics and reason.
View a list of all links referenced in this volume
Table of Contents
Fringe Benefits by Mark Frauenfelder
in Welcome
Why it sometimes pays to look beyond the limits. Page 11 
Download Sample PDF of this article.
Pervasive Publishing by Tim O'Reilly
in News from the Future
The future of media is the future of thinking. Page 13
Maker's Corner by Dan Woods
in Maker's Corner
Advice and news for MAKE readers. Page 14
I Agree by Cory Doctorow
in Make Free
In order to "protect intellectual property," these bandits are perfectly willing to take away your rights to your physical, personal property. Page 15
Raygun Reverie by Keith Hammond
in Made on Earth
Paul Loughridge turns flea-market junk into retro rayguns. Page 16
Illegal Soapbox Derby Races by Todd Lappin
in Made on Earth
Careening illegally down a hill in San Francisco. Page 18
History Junkies by Audra Wolfmann
in Made on Earth
Chinese sailing junks on the San Francisco Bay. Page 19
Purrfect Relaxation by Steve Nalepa
in Made on Earth
Duncan Laurie relaxes with the Purr Generator. Page 20
Throwing to the Dogs by Charles Platt
in Made on Earth
Ken Schroeder's dog-bone throwing machine. Page 21
The Sound of Music Blocks by Nicole Oncina
in Made on Earth
Rainbow-colored blocks of sound. Page 22
Hacker of Yesteryear by Gareth Branwyn
in Made on Earth
Hacking the new and the old together. Page 23
Mark Twain: Technologist by Bruce Sterling
in Hands On
How the author of Huckleberry Finn couldn't make it as a venture angel. Page 24
Aircraft Band Receiver by Cy Tymony
in 123
Modify an AM/FM radio to pick up air traffic control communications. Page 27
What Rough Beast Slouches Toward Arcata? by William Gurstelle
MAKE goes to the World Championship Kinetic Sculpture Race. Page 28
Art Work by Douglas Repetto
The joy of YDKEWYGUYGI: You Don't Know Exactly What You'll Get Until You've Got It. Page 32
P.O.K.E.R. Night by Mister Jalopy
Trick your friends into building a vortex tube. Page 34 Download Sample PDF of this article (excerpt).
Disappearing Apple by Tom Owad
Remove the logo from an iBook. Page 38
Instant Hammock by Tim Anderson
in Heirloom Technology
Make your own hammock in less time than it takes to read this. Page 40
Turn On, Tune In, Bliss Out by David Pescovitz
in Proto
Dr. James Hardt hopes his DIY neurofeedback tech will fire up the global brain. Page 42
Who Wants to Be an Inventor? by Saul Griffith
in Making Trouble
Patents and secrecy don't really serve the individual. Page 46
Patently Curious by Charles Platt
Physicist Tom Valone looks at technologies most scientists consider junk. Page 50
In Search of Psi by Charles Platt
A boy and his Hieronymus Machine. Page 56 Download Sample PDF of this article.
The Music of Chance by Bob Parks
Roger Nelson's Global Consciousness Project searches for meaning in random numbers. Page 62
Digital Kirlian Photography by John Iovine
Shoot "auras" without film. Page 66
Reinventing the Square Wheel by Donald E. Simanek
Unlimited allure: the perennial search for perpetual motion. Page 70
Masonic Conspiracy Revealed! by Paul Spinrad
When engineering culture detaches from reality. Page 75
The Essential Strangeness of Time by Jonah Peretti
Reconstructing Athanasius Kircher's magnetic clock. Page 78
Project: The Bullwhip by William Gurstelle
You don't have to be Chuck Yeager to break the sound barrier. You just need a good bullwhip, which converts arm movement into supersonic speed and triggers the sonic boom we call a whip crack. Page 82
Project: Panoramic Pinhole Camera by Ross Orr
Lenseless and low-tech, pinhole cameras have always been maker-friendly. But forget the Quaker Oats carton, and go wide with this roll-film, panorama design. Page 92
Project: The $5 Cracker Box Amplifier by Blind Lightnin' Pete, Ed Vogel
Small box, big sound. Page 104 Download Sample PDF of this article (excerpt).
Prototype That by David Pescovitz
in Workshop
Maker-for-hire Kevin Binkert shows us around his San Francisco workshop. Page 112
Curie Engine by John Iovine
in 123
Changing the temperature of nickel wire turns heat into motion. Page 114
Strung Out by Tom Zimmerman
in DIY: Music
Make a one-string electric guitar from plastic tubing. Page 115
Time-Based Devices by Larry Cotton
in DIY: Home
Transplant a heartbeat from cheap alarm clocks. Page 120
Metal Etching by Tom Jennings
in DIY: Home
Chemically carve detailed text or line art onto brass or copper. Page 123
Elegant Plywood Coffee Table by Andy Lee
in DIY: Home
Making furniture with no nails, screws, or glue. Page 129
The ByteLight by Ross Orr
in DIY: Home
Make a high-tech mood light from a fluorescent lamp and 54 obsolete SIMMs. Page 132
Digital Clock by Sparkle Labs
in DIY: Circuits
Programming PIC microcontrollers, part 3. Page 134
TV Set Salvage by Thomas Arey
in DIY: Circuits
Nothing good on TV? Well, there's plenty of good stuff in a TV. Page 138
Action Movie Effects by Zack Stern
in DIY: Imaging
Shoot a fight scene with a blood-spurting knife wound and a head smashing through a window. Page 140
Tilt-Shift Photography by Dennison Bertram
in DIY: Imaging
Flexible lens makes scenes look miniature. Page 144
Online Video Production by Andrew Michael Baron
in DIY: Imaging
Tips and techniques for daily content. Page 147
Outdoor Webcam Enclosure by Alek Komarnitsky
in DIY: Imaging
Capture winter scenes from a sewer-pipe cam cozy. Page 150
Wind-up Car by Sunny Armas
in DIY: Cars
Mod a cute convertible with a big rotating key. Page 153
Tips and Tricks
Shoe racks, dish stacks, and photo hacks. Page 155
Build a Cloud Chamber by Dr. Shawn Carlson
in Citizen Science
Catch the ghostly tracks of cosmic rays using dry ice, alcohol, and a basketball display case. Page 156
The Beaufort Scale by Nick Dragotta, Saul Griffith
in Howtoons
Learn to tell the force of the wind — by eyeball. Page 160
MakeShift: High School Lockdown by Lee D. Zlotoff
in MakeShift
The creator of MacGyver challenges you to contact the outside world in a lockdown. Page 162
Working with Carbon Fiber by John Wanberg
in Primer
Form, lay up, and cure your own high-performance composites. Page 164
An Apple II in a Wristwatch by Tom Owad
in Retrocomputing
Emulating a classic Apple computer in the Palm OS. Page 171
Toolbox by Tanner Beck, Gareth Branwyn, Dale Dougherty, Andrea Dunlap, John Krewson, Arwen O'Reilly Griffith, Ross Orr, Donald E. Simanek, Paul Spinrad, Brian Stucki, Phillip Torrone
in Toolbox
Read about crop circles, make your own temporary tattoos, and take crystal-clear photos with a circular polarizing filter. Page 172
Old-School Hand Tool Hacks by Mister Jalopy
in Blast from the Past
What I learned from the 1963 Bureau of Naval Personnel Training Course. Page 180
Reader Input
in Reader Input
Where makers tell their tales and offer praise, brickbats, and swell ideas. Page 182
The Science of String by George Dyson
in Retrospect
High-tensile fastenings stand the test of time. Page 186
Puzzle This by Michael H. Pryor
in Aha!
MAKE's favorite puzzles. Page 189
Maker's Calendar by William Gurstelle
in Maker's Calendar
Our favorite events from around the world. Page 190
Our 6,000-volt Wedding Cake by Michael Flynn, Heidi Kumao
in Homebrew
Page 192
Extras
Additional content for this volume available only online.
MakeShift 09: Analysis, Commentary, and Winners
by Lee D. Zlotoff;
June 18, 2007
MakeShift 09: Jonathan Deber and Karen Dawson's Most Creative Winning Entry
June 18, 2007
MakeShift 09: David Glass' Most Plausible Winning Entry
David Glass' entry was awarded the MakeShift Master Plausible award for his solution to MakeShift 09.
by Lee D. Zlotoff;
June 18, 2007
Unsafe At Any Amperage?
Behind the scenes of our high-voltage dilemma: whether to publish a dangerously cool project in MAKE magazine's "Fringe" issue.
by Tom Anderson, Gareth Branwyn, Shawn Connally, Dale Dougherty, Mark Frauenfelder, Joe Grand, Saul Griffith, William Gurstelle, Bunnie Huang, Tom Igoe, Mister Jalopy, Steve Lodefink, John MacNeill, David Pescovitz, Charles Platt, Paul Spinrad, Phillip Torrone;
March 16, 2007
Mulitimedia for this Volume
Monte Cristo from Project: The $5 Cracker Box Amplifier
Download now: MPEG
Bolivar from Project: The $5 Cracker Box Amplifier
Download now: MPEG
Partagas from Project: The $5 Cracker Box Amplifier
Download now: MPEG
Out of Milk and Butter Blues from Project: The $5 Cracker Box Amplifier
Download now: MPEG
MAKE: Amends Errata for this volume.
| Where it appears | TV Set Salvage, Page 138 |
| The error | On page 139 of this article, Fig.D shows a deflection yoke, not a flyback transformer. Fig.B shows a flyback transformer, with the heavy, red 2nd anode lead still attached. |
| Where it appears | Working with Carbon Fiber, Page 168 |
| The error | A photo in this article incorrectly shows the mandrel being rounded over on a router sitting upside down. This is dangerous - you cannot rout safely in that manner. You need the support that a router table provides. |
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