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November 13, 2008

MAKE 2008 gift guide from MAKE volume 16 & "The value of a good hands on project"

Here's the MAKE 2008 gift guide from MAKE volume 16 (PDF). If you have your printed copy of MAKE it's on page 18, a pull out, and in the digital edition it's at the end.

I also wanted to post up a great article by our associate publisher Dan Woods called "The value of a good hands on project"...

Make Pt1247
Editor and Publisher Dale Dougherty came by my desk the other day pointing at a Newsweek folded back to a chart that ranked retail winners and losers for the past quarter. "Look what came in right behind gasoline stations on the high-growth list," he said, pointing to the circled chart. "Hobby, toy, and game stores." No one who owns a car will be surprised to see that gas stations top the growth chart, but hobby and game stores? We're in the midst of some gray economic times, and folks generally think of hobbies and games as discretionary pursuits, no?

Make Pt1250
Dale and I were intrigued by the chart because it mapped so closely to our own Maker Shed experience -- a pronounced upswing in interest in kits. To be sure, part of our success is the result of a team of smart editors and staffers who've uncovered beautiful kits and projects that really resonate with our audience of inquisitive makers and science enthusiasts. However, I think the underlying data is telling us something important about ourselves and the kind of value we derive from a good hands-on project.

Perhaps it's the constructive distraction of focusing ourselves on something other than the recession, something where we have a reasonable chance of controlling the outcome. Maybe it's the satisfaction of picking up a new skill, dusting off an old one, or simply learning how something works (or doesn't). Maybe it's the memories that live long after the project is done.

And there's definitely something intrinsically satisfying about passing along skills -- even the simplest of skills -- to a younger maker. What kid doesn't enjoy a workbench, a few tools, and a good project on a rainy day?

Even though many of us are nixing the vacation we'd thought about, driving that funky clunker of a car for another year, or putting the bathroom remodel on hold, the basements, garages, and backyards of this planet are coming alive with experiments, tinkering, and the making spirit.

So this holiday season, whether you provision a project from recycled materials and repurposed

The chart mapped so closely to our own experience: a pronounced upswing in interest in kits.

hardware lying around the house, or decide to buy a project kit from the Maker Shed (makershed.com) or somewhere else, give yourself and someone you care about the gift of making something together.

And if you're in a position and the spirit moves you, consider giving the gift of a science kit to a deserving school or teacher. They need your help more than ever before.

Photography by Scott Beale / Laughing Squid.

Posted by Phillip Torrone | Nov 13, 2008 12:00 AM
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October 24, 2008

Weekend Project: Cylon Jack O' Lantern (PDF)

Make an LED scanning Battlestar Galactica Cylon Jack O' Lantern!

Thanks go to Evil Mad Scientist Laboratories for the original article in Make: Halloween
View the PDF

Here is a link for the Larson Scanner Schematics

Pick up your copy of the Make Special Edition: Halloween at the Maker Shed.
Over 40 projects for the holiday that's made for makers. From the craftiest costumes to amazing animated props and the latest in computer-controlled haunted house effects.

Posted by KipKay | Oct 24, 2008 06:00 AM
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October 17, 2008

Weekend Project: Blood Spurting Knife Wound (PDF)

Try out this gory, spine tingling effect that is so realistic it will make people scream!

Thanks go to Zack Stern for the original article in Make: Halloween
View the PDF

Posted by KipKay | Oct 17, 2008 06:00 AM
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October 10, 2008

Weekend Project: Hot Glue Web Gun (PDF)

Make a spooky spider web shooter from a hot glue gun that will spread the creeps
all over your haunted house!
Thanks go to Edwin Wise for the original article in Make: Halloween
View the PDF

Posted by KipKay | Oct 10, 2008 06:00 AM
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October 3, 2008

Weekend Project: Ultimate LED Fan Sign (PDF)

Fan Sign copy.jpg

If you are a sports fan, here is how to make the Ultimate LED Fan Sign!
View the PDF

Posted by KipKay | Oct 3, 2008 06:00 AM
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September 26, 2008

Weekend Project: Vortex Cannons (PDF)

Here's how to make two different Vortex Cannons that throw chunks of air in the form of smoke rings across a room.
Thanks go to Edwin Wise for the original article in Make Volume 15
View the PDF

Posted by KipKay | Sep 26, 2008 06:00 AM
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September 19, 2008

Weekend Project: Scanner Camera (PDF)

Mod a flatbed scanner to take photos that decontruct time and motion with wild results!
Thanks go to Mike Golembewski for the original article in Make Volume 14
View the PDF

Posted by KipKay | Sep 19, 2008 07:00 AM
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September 5, 2008

Weekend Project: The Bullwhip (PDF)

Have you ever broken the sound barrier? It's easier than you think. You just need a good bullwhip,
which converts arm movement into supersonic speed and triggers a sonic boom called a whip crack.
Thanks go to William Gurstelle for the original article in Make Volume 9
View the PDF

Posted by KipKay | Sep 5, 2008 06:00 AM
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August 29, 2008

Weekend Project: Mint Tin Amp (PDF)

Build a pocket amplifier for your headphones and put it in a "curiously strong" minty case.
Thanks go to Warren Young for the original article in Make Volume 4
View the PDF

Posted by KipKay | Aug 29, 2008 06:00 AM
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August 22, 2008

Weekend Project: The Streamerator (PDF)

Launch streams of toilet paper in mid-air. The ultimate TP machine.

Thanks go to Professor Greg Arius of the Phenomenauts for the original article in Make Volume 8
View the PDF

Posted by KipKay | Aug 22, 2008 06:00 AM
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August 15, 2008

Weekend Project: Making Biodiesel (PDF)

Make your own backyard biodiesel. It's easy to make a small batch that will work in any diesel engine. You won't need any special equipment--an old juice bottle will serve as the "reactor" vessel--and on such a small scale, you can quickly refine your technique and perform further experiments.>br>
Thanks go to Rob Elam for the original article in Make Volume 3
View the PDF

Posted by KipKay | Aug 15, 2008 06:00 AM
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August 8, 2008

Weekend Project: In-Car Camcorder Mount (PDF)

Thanks go to Christophe Caron for the original article in Make Volume 13
View the PDF

Posted by KipKay | Aug 8, 2008 06:00 AM
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August 1, 2008

Weekend Project: Aircraft Band Receiver (PDF)

Dig out that vintage AM/FM radio and modify it so you can pick up air traffic control communications.Thanks go to Cy Tymony for the original article in Make Volume 09
View the PDF

Posted by KipKay | Aug 1, 2008 06:00 AM
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July 25, 2008

Weekend Project: Hard Drive Wind Chimes (PDF)

Reuse a crashed hard drive or two for a set of wind chimes. Easy to make and sound great.
From Make Volume 12 by Thomas Arey. View the PDF

Posted by KipKay | Jul 25, 2008 06:00 AM
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July 18, 2008

Weekend Project: Styrofoam Plate Speaker (PDF)

Get surprisingly good sound from disposable picnicware. From Make Volume 12 by José Pino.
PDF

Posted by KipKay | Jul 18, 2008 06:00 AM
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July 11, 2008

Weekend Project: Electronic Crickets (PDF)

Create a nightime chorus of crickets by modifying an ordinary solar powered yard light. From Make Volume 11 by Michael F. Zbyszynski. PDF

Posted by KipKay | Jul 11, 2008 06:00 AM
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July 4, 2008

Weekend Project: Soda Bottle Rocket (PDF)

With a few empty soda bottles and some PVC pipe, you can build a high-performance water rocket. From Make Volume 5 by Steve Lodefink. The basis for this project's launcher design is the Martinet Launcher PDF

Posted by KipKay | Jul 4, 2008 06:00 AM
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June 27, 2008

Weekend Project: Lensless Microscope (PDF)

A webcam's image chip is an ultrafine shadow-imaging stage. This version uses a mini CCTV camera and video output so you can record what you see.
PDF

Posted by KipKay | Jun 27, 2008 06:00 AM
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June 20, 2008

Weekend Project: Parabolic Microphone (PDF)

This dollar store DIY spy mic lets you listen from afar and bring the sounds up close.
PDF

Posted by KipKay | Jun 20, 2008 06:00 AM
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May 2, 2008

Weekend Project: Build an Ornithopter (PDF)

For millennia people have studied birds, observing and experimenting to see if humans can fly. But people can't fly by flapping no matter how hard they have tried. This project shows you how to build a small rubber band-powered ornithopter.(from Greek; ornithos meaning "bird" and pteron meaning "wing")
PDF

Posted by KipKay | May 2, 2008 06:00 AM
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WOW! Thanks to everyone involved with Maker Faire Bay Area and Maker Faire Austin in 2008: attendees, makers, exhibitors, sponsors, volunteers, and crew...it was an AMAZING year! Over 1,000 Makers and 87,000+ attendees total! Be sure to check out the photos @ Flickr, and our Maker Faire posts for all the action! Check back for dates for 2009 soon!