Perfect for the hobby electronics musician, the E.S.V. Fuzz pedal adds that “Extra Special Vintage” tone to your electric guitar. The kit has a handy PCB design that makes soldering a breeze, and as a result I was able to put this kit together in about an hour. Follow the detailed instructions and you, too, […]
Impressive work from Instructables user parrster, who meticulously crafted the twenty-three separate pieces for his son’s Star Wars “clone trooper” costume, this year, mostly from cardboard and papier-mâché.
A Climbing Robot Based on Hot Melt Adhesion” by Marc Osswald and Fumiya Iida from the Bio-Inspired Robotics Laboratory at ETH Zurich, was presented at IROS 2011 [IEEE Spectrum via Hacked Gadgets]
Zachary Rukstela of Kinetic Steamworks considers himself the steward of the pieces of vintage steam technology he owns. He operates a steam powered vehicle at Maker Faire Bay Area 2011, and explains his background in steam, from growing up on a farm, to working on a WWII era steam powered destroyer.
If you’ve never needle felted before, you’ll start this kit a beginner, and complete it an expert. With enough wool to make two large friends, or a handful of tiny octopi, these creatures will take shape before your eyes, and as you work, you’ll refine your skills. Follow the clear and funny directions to needle […]
This twist on a hanging kitchen rack is a solution for spaces where a cabinet forms part of the wall and can’t be drilled. It gives you room to store whatever you need — pots, pans, kitchen utensils, silverware. And it adds flair by using belts to hang the bar.
This week for my bi-weekly soapbox columns I thought I’d share some of my notes I’ve jotted down recently about making things, working with and supporting beginners. Lately, I’ve been thinking about how much fun it is when you’re a beginner at something as opposed to being an “expert”.
At some point, we all become experts at something. I really want to avoid being an expert in some things, only so I can continually look forward to learning more without the overhead of being an “expert”. Being an expert means your journey is somewhat over. I was going to call this column the “expert problem” but I hope you enjoy this semi-stream of conscience collected over the last few weeks. Be sure to post up in the comments about your experiences with learning a new skill and how you keep motivated to keep learning more.
