Columns

Open, Sesame by Mark Frauenfelder in Welcome
The fun of remote control. Page 1

Are You the Scanner or the Barcode? by Cory Doctorow in Make Free
Would you rather be emitter or sensor? Page 10

Connect with Makers Online by Gareth Branwyn in Tales from the Web
Make a connection and share your story. Page 11

Celebrate the Machinery by Saul Griffith in Making Trouble
Capturing the promise of a new technology. Page 12

Data Mining by Forrest Mims III in Country Scientist
How to analyze scientific data. Page 26

Put Stuff in the Microwave by Gever Tulley in
Experiment with electromagnetic radiation in the kitchen. Page 166

Made on Earth

Cardboard Carbon Neutral by Arwen O'Reilly Griffith
Chris Gilmour's cardboard sculptures. Page 18

Rocking on Eggshells by Megan Mansell Williams
Mini speakers made of eggshell. Page 20

Trebuchet Tossables by William Gurstelle
Kurt Modert and his friends built a giant trebuchet. Page 21

Network Tormentations by Laura Kiniry


Constraint City is a fetish-inspired piece that explores the realm between public and private space. Page 22

Manga on Wheels (with Snacks) by David Battino
Japanese story card theater. Page 23

Explosive Stuff by Annie Buckley
Felipe Barbosa transforms common objects into unexpected works of art. Page 24

A Reel-Time Clock by Bruce Stewart
Reel Time tells time in pieced-together English sentences, displayed on rolls of 35mm film. Page 25

1+2+3

Sculpting Circuits with Conductive Dough by AnnMarie Thomas
Electric play dough. Page 78

Maker

Seriously Heavy Metal by Goli Mohammadi
Engineer and musician Tristan Shone conceives and machines instruments that extrude deep, dark sounds rich with texture and emotion. Page 30

Under a Blue Tarp by Gever Tulley
Building a hang glider from scratch. Page 38

Inside Out by Laura Cochrane
The inner beauty of appliances. Page 39

SPECIAL SECTION: Remote Control

Lawnbot400 by J.D. Warren
Make an Arduino-controlled R/C lawn mower. Page 42

Mind Surfer by Mark Ulrich
This Wiimote hack will convince your friends you've broken the mind-machine barrier. Page 52

Easy Home Control Via Web Chat by Lee von Kraus
Switch stuff at home from anywhere, with this screen-to-photosensor hack. Page 57

How to Make a Motion-Sensitive Camera Trap by Tom Igoe
Build a camera trap (hidden automated camera) for wildlife observation. Page 60

The Automatic Chicken Coop by Alan Graham
Build a henhouse motion detector that notifies you when your brood arrives safely in their coop each night. Page 64

TV-B-Gone Hoodie by Becky Stern
Covertly turn off televisions with the tug of a zipper. Page 68

Hacking R/C Power Outlets by Andrew Wedgbury
Inexpensive wireless home automation. Page 70

Remote Control State of the Art by Gareth Branwyn
Inventors and enthusiasts from remote realms tell us what's on their radars. Page 75

Projects

Kitty Twitty Cat Toy by Marc de Vinck
Craft a cheery cat toy that sends tweets to update the world with your pet's activities. Page 80

Double Pendulum by William Gurstelle
Build this simple device that exhibits chaotic behavior and makes an excellent science project. Page 92

Solar Tracking Platform by Thomas R. Hughes
Construct a turntable that follows the sun, maximizing solar cookers. Page 100

DIY: Toys

LED Yo-Yo Caps by Eric Chu
Spin-activated lights for your butterfly. Page 113

DIY: Kitchen

Homemade Goat Cheese by Wendy Tremayne
Fermenting your own cheese is easier than you think. Page 116

DIY: Music

Headgear: 8-Mic MIDI Controller by Tristan Shone
Make your own octo-microphone USB/MIDI controller. Page 118

Diddley Bow by One String Willie
Build the elemental slide guitar. Page 123

Wind Your Own Guitar Pickups by One String Willie
Build a homemade electromagnetic guitar pickup. Page 127

DIY: Workshop

iPhone Screen Repair by Morten Skogly
Replace the broken glass of an iPhone 3G. Page 131

DIY: Home

Extract Essential Oils and Fragrances by Sean Michael Ragan
Extract fragrances from your favorite plants, using steam. Page 135

Resin Casting Belt Buckles by Jenifer Bryan
Make easy belt buckles with casting resing and your favorite art. Page 138

Build Notes

Boiling Spaghetti Without Water by PES
How PES makes his stop-motion movies. Page 142

MakeShift

Snowbound! by Lee D. Zlotoff
The creator of MacGyver challenges you: Get to safety before a snowstorm arrives! Page 146

Howtoons

Howtoons: Shadow Puppets by Saul Griffith
Set the stage with paper. Page 148

Toys, Tricks, and Teasers

Puzzle of the Crowned Pulleys by Donald E. Simanek
Real-world problems in physics sometimes take quite a while to figure out, unlike the contrived problems in textbooks that must be solved by next week. Page 158

Workshop

Executive Suite by William Gurstelle
Manhattan's Best Basement Shop. Page 163

Heirloom Technology

Crooked Knife by Tim Anderson
The northern nomad's tool. Page 164

Remaking History

The Oil Lamp by William Gurstelle
The cave dwellers of Lascaux and the oil lamp. Page 168

Aha!

Spy Games by Michael H. Pryor
Spy Games Page 171

Homebrew

My Servoelectric Guitar by Keith Baxter
Keith Baxter's servoelectric guitar. Page 176