Scary Terry’s Halloween pages has some cool projects using wiper motors that look like a lot of fun. Rocking a chair, kicking legs and dancing skeletons. Although it’s a bit too early for Halloween I’m going to start picking some motors up over the next few months to get ready to totally freak out the kids this October. Have any Halloween projects you’re thinking of doing? Let us know!
Here’s a simple project that might be interesting to try out. This simple circuit can detect the invisible fields of voltage which surround all electrified objects. It acts as an electronic “electroscope.” Regular foil-leaf electroscopes deal with electrostatic potentials in the range of many hundreds or thousands of volts. This device can detect one volt. Its sensitivity is ridiculously high.
MacMinute has a story about Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails making the band’s new single, “The Hand That Feeds” available to download for Mac users with GarageBand to mix and mash up (an actual multi-track audio session). “For quite some time I’ve been interested in the idea of allowing you the ability to tinker around with my tracks — to create remixes, experiment, embellish or destroy what’s there,” Reznor says. Here’s a screenshot of it on my Mac (View image) and here’s where to get it (70MB file). Here are a couple of the first remixes!
Comic Life from Plasq might just be the coolest Mac applications that made me go “no way!” since Delicious Library. In MAKE we feature comics from Howtoons.org and I love the idea of using an photos I have around here to my own comics. Here’s the first one I made called “IT CAME FROM MAKE” (click here to view). It’s a one page comic with stuff I posted to my photo site. Speaking of– on a MAKE-mash up note, wouldn’t it be cool if this app “slurped” in your Flickr photos so you could make (and share) comics from all your Flickr photos? Might make a cool web app.
We’re going to try an experiment with an additional audio program starting next week. We’re still gearing up to release our interview series really soon with great audio from all sorts of amazing Makers out there. But, we’ve had a ton of requests to do a weekly show with DIY projects, hacks and commentary on stuff we’re up to at MAKE, so we’re going to do it, why not. We’ve also been doing the FM radio rounds lately and the “call in” part of the shows have been packed with hundreds of folks working on cool projects or looking for advice- so if you’d like to ask us a question or tell us what you’re up to call 206-888-MAKE. Toll charges apply, we’ll have a Skype voicemail set up soon too, but do call in or post up questions here!
As some of you noticed I was offline for a couple days this week, at the peak of depression (wireless deprivation) I considered grabbing a EVDO card, but since I use a Mac for some of my work, the card I was considering didn’t seem supported. No longer! The folks over on EVDOinfo.com have posted the instructions on using the Novatel v620 from Verizon. If anyone tries this out and can confirm that it works the comments it would be much appreciated.
A lot of MAKE blog readers requested an easy way to suggest a site, so we made a suggest a site form you can send DIY stuff, hacks or projects you think we should know about. You can also click the “Suggest a site” link on the main page or on the blog. In other MAKE news we just surpassed 200 members in our MAKE Flickr group pool! If you haven’t already, join the group and check out the DIY-ity. Where else could you see a powered super-whiteboard eraser in action.
