Month: December 2011

Recently, I’ve had a lot of questions about which microcontroller kit to purchase for gift. The best answer depends entirely on the recipient. If the person is curious about electronics and microcontrollers but doesn’t know where to start or how things work, I highly recommend the Getting Started with Arduino Kit. If the recipient is tech / electronics savvy, likes to experiment, and wants lots of parts to keep them busy, I recommend the Ultimate Microcontroller Pack.

One short mile away from downtown Detroit is Brother Nature Produce, a community supported farm run by Greg Willerer. Greg shows us around the farm and discusses his composting venture, which aims to create a closed loop of urban food waste being turned back into food that is healthy and locally produced.

This is a simple trick, but if you’re looking for a fast, easy, nil-cost handmade gift project (or just a friendly gag) it’s pretty good. Get your hands on one of those promotional “message” pens with the rotating text window. Disassemble the pen, dissolve away, abrade off, or paint over the factory messages on the interior barrel, and write, draw, and/or paint your own personalized messages in their place.