Volume 09: Fringe

Available as a Single Volume

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

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Fringe Benefits by Mark Frauenfelder in Welcome
Why it sometimes pays to look beyond the limits. Page 11 Download PDF.Download Sample PDF of this article.

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Pervasive Publishing by Tim O'Reilly in News from the Future
The future of media is the future of thinking. Page 13

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Maker's Corner by Dan Woods in Maker's Corner
Advice and news for MAKE readers. Page 14

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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

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Raygun Reverie by Keith Hammond in Made on Earth
Paul Loughridge turns flea-market junk into retro rayguns. Page 16

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Illegal Soapbox Derby Races by Todd Lappin in Made on Earth
Careening illegally down a hill in San Francisco. Page 18

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History Junkies by Audra Wolfmann in Made on Earth
Chinese sailing junks on the San Francisco Bay. Page 19

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Purrfect Relaxation by Steve Nalepa in Made on Earth
Duncan Laurie relaxes with the Purr Generator. Page 20

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Throwing to the Dogs by Charles Platt in Made on Earth
Ken Schroeder's dog-bone throwing machine. Page 21

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The Sound of Music Blocks by Nicole Oncina in Made on Earth
Rainbow-colored blocks of sound. Page 22

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Hacker of Yesteryear by Gareth Branwyn in Made on Earth
Hacking the new and the old together. Page 23

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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

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Aircraft Band Receiver by Cy Tymony in 123
Modify an AM/FM radio to pick up air traffic control communications. Page 27

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What Rough Beast Slouches Toward Arcata? by William Gurstelle
MAKE goes to the World Championship Kinetic Sculpture Race. Page 28

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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

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P.O.K.E.R. Night by Mister Jalopy
Trick your friends into building a vortex tube. Page 34 Download PDF.Download Sample PDF of this article (excerpt).

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Disappearing Apple by Tom Owad
Remove the logo from an iBook. Page 38

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Instant Hammock by Tim Anderson in Heirloom Technology
Make your own hammock in less time than it takes to read this. Page 40

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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

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Who Wants to Be an Inventor? by Saul Griffith in Making Trouble
Patents and secrecy don't really serve the individual. Page 46

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Patently Curious by Charles Platt
Physicist Tom Valone looks at technologies most scientists consider junk. Page 50

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In Search of Psi by Charles Platt
A boy and his Hieronymus Machine. Page 56 Download PDF.Download Sample PDF of this article.

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The Music of Chance by Bob Parks
Roger Nelson's Global Consciousness Project searches for meaning in random numbers. Page 62

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Digital Kirlian Photography by John Iovine
Shoot "auras" without film. Page 66

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Reinventing the Square Wheel by Donald E. Simanek
Unlimited allure: the perennial search for perpetual motion. Page 70

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Masonic Conspiracy Revealed! by Paul Spinrad
When engineering culture detaches from reality. Page 75

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The Essential Strangeness of Time by Jonah Peretti
Reconstructing Athanasius Kircher's magnetic clock. Page 78

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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

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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

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Project: The $5 Cracker Box Amplifier by Blind Lightnin' Pete, Ed Vogel
Small box, big sound. Page 104 Download PDF.Download Sample PDF of this article (excerpt).

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Prototype That by David Pescovitz in Workshop
Maker-for-hire Kevin Binkert shows us around his San Francisco workshop. Page 112

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Curie Engine by John Iovine in 123
Changing the temperature of nickel wire turns heat into motion. Page 114

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Strung Out by Tom Zimmerman in DIY: Music
Make a one-string electric guitar from plastic tubing. Page 115

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Time-Based Devices by Larry Cotton in DIY: Home
Transplant a heartbeat from cheap alarm clocks. Page 120

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Metal Etching by Tom Jennings in DIY: Home
Chemically carve detailed text or line art onto brass or copper. Page 123

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Elegant Plywood Coffee Table by Andy Lee in DIY: Home
Making furniture with no nails, screws, or glue. Page 129

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The ByteLight by Ross Orr in DIY: Home
Make a high-tech mood light from a fluorescent lamp and 54 obsolete SIMMs. Page 132

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Digital Clock by Sparkle Labs in DIY: Circuits
Programming PIC microcontrollers, part 3. Page 134

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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

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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

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Tilt-Shift Photography by Dennison Bertram in DIY: Imaging
Flexible lens makes scenes look miniature. Page 144

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Online Video Production by Andrew Michael Baron in DIY: Imaging
Tips and techniques for daily content. Page 147

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Outdoor Webcam Enclosure by Alek Komarnitsky in DIY: Imaging
Capture winter scenes from a sewer-pipe cam cozy. Page 150

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Wind-up Car by Sunny Armas in DIY: Cars
Mod a cute convertible with a big rotating key. Page 153

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Tips and Tricks
Shoe racks, dish stacks, and photo hacks. Page 155

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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

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The Beaufort Scale by Nick Dragotta, Saul Griffith in Howtoons
Learn to tell the force of the wind — by eyeball. Page 160

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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

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Working with Carbon Fiber by John Wanberg in Primer
Form, lay up, and cure your own high-performance composites. Page 164

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An Apple II in a Wristwatch by Tom Owad in Retrocomputing
Emulating a classic Apple computer in the Palm OS. Page 171

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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

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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

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Reader Input in Reader Input
Where makers tell their tales and offer praise, brickbats, and swell ideas. Page 182

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The Science of String by George Dyson in Retrospect
High-tensile fastenings stand the test of time. Page 186

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Puzzle This by Michael H. Pryor in Aha!
MAKE's favorite puzzles. Page 189

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Maker's Calendar by William Gurstelle in Maker's Calendar
Our favorite events from around the world. Page 190

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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

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Bolivar from Project: The $5 Cracker Box Amplifier

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Partagas from Project: The $5 Cracker Box Amplifier

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Out of Milk and Butter Blues from Project: The $5 Cracker Box Amplifier

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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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