Volume 09: Fringe

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MAKE 09: Fringe

Explore the fringes of technology with projects that push the boundaries of physics and reason.

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Made on Earth

» Raygun Reverie by Keith Hammond

Paul Loughridge turns flea-market junk into retro rayguns. Page 16

» Illegal Soapbox Derby Races by Todd Lappin

Careening illegally down a hill in San Francisco. Page 18

» History Junkies by Audra Wolfmann

Chinese sailing junks on the San Francisco Bay. Page 19

» Purrfect Relaxation by Steve Nalepa

Duncan Laurie relaxes with the Purr Generator. Page 20

» Throwing to the Dogs by Charles Platt

Ken Schroeder's dog-bone throwing machine. Page 21

» The Sound of Music Blocks by Nicole Oncina

Rainbow-colored blocks of sound. Page 22

» Hacker of Yesteryear by Gareth Branwyn

Hacking the new and the old together. Page 23

1+2+3

» Aircraft Band Receiver by Cy Tymony

Modify an AM/FM radio to pick up air traffic control communications. Page 27

» Curie Engine by John Iovine

Changing the temperature of nickel wire turns heat into motion. Page 114

Welcome

» Fringe Benefits by Mark Frauenfelder

Why it sometimes pays to look beyond the limits. Page 11 Download Sample PDF of this article .

News from the Future

» Pervasive Publishing by Tim O'Reilly

The future of media is the future of thinking. Page 13

Maker's Corner

» Maker's Corner by Dan Woods

Advice and news for MAKE readers. Page 14

Make Free

» I Agree by Cory Doctorow

In order to "protect intellectual property," these bandits are perfectly willing to take away your rights to your physical, personal property. Page 15

Hands On

» Mark Twain: Technologist by Bruce Sterling

How the author of Huckleberry Finn couldn't make it as a venture angel. Page 24

» 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

Heirloom Technology

» Instant Hammock by Tim Anderson

Make your own hammock in less time than it takes to read this. Page 40

Proto

» Turn On, Tune In, Bliss Out by David Pescovitz

Dr. James Hardt hopes his DIY neurofeedback tech will fire up the global brain. Page 42

Making Trouble

» Who Wants to Be an Inventor? by Saul Griffith

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