DIY The Microdoodle
Convert an old-school microfiche reader into a magnifying machine.
Science
DIY science is the perfect way to use your creative skills and learn something new. With the right supplies, some determination, and a curious mind, you can create amazing experiments that open up a whole world of possibilities. At home-made laboratories or tech workshops, makers from all backgrounds can explore new ideas by finding ways to study their environment in novel ways – allowing them to make breathtaking discoveries!
The state of DIY biology
Amateur biotech is starting to heat up — witness Biocurious, the new biology-focused hackerspace. DIY bio enthusiast Cathal Garvey analyzes the state of affairs: DIYbio and its more professionally oriented cousin, Garage Biotech, are undergoing a revolution at present. Essential equipment that used to cost thousands is now available at affordable prices, in many cases […]
21,000-image Mars map
Via io9, Arizona State University has assembled the highest-resolution Mars map to date, the images drawn from 21,000 pix shot by the Mars Odyssey orbiter’s THEMIS camera. The maps show Mars as if sliced from a globe, unwrapped and flattened out on a table. Nearly 21,000 individual images have been smoothed, blended, fitted together and […]
Nexus One/Arduino SmallSat satellite test launch video
Matthew Reyes sent word that the RocketMavericks launch event on Saturday in Nevada’s Black Rock desert was a resounding success. Traveling 28K feet aboard James Dougherty’s Intimidator-5 rocket was a payload consisting of a Nexus One/Arduino SmallSat. Matthew and his cohorts Chris Boshuizen & Will Marshall are championing the use of smartphone components to lower the cost of deploying a satellite and expect it to become even more affordable with every revision.
Beautiful, unusual model engine runs, baffles experts
Nederlander Jan Ridders, who is something of a legend in the model engineering world, built what he calls his Thermo Pulse Mobile without really understanding how it works, basing his model solely on a YouTube video demonstrating another one in operation. At first it didn’t work. Then…
Indoor snowstorm
An installation by Tokujin Yoshioka, whom some may remember for growing a crystal chair back in 2008, for the Mori Art Museum’s ongoing Sensing Nature exhibit. Snow is 15 meters wide and contains hundreds of kilograms of white down which is randomly blown around at intervals by hidden fans. [via Dude Craft]
Adorable Micro Cars
Meep meep! These cars are cute! Be sure to check out the massive gallery! As today’s economy continues to shake and stagger, most people find themselves in the “savings” and “fuel efficiency” mode when it comes to cars – and so the idea of small, easy to park and to maintain micro cars remains popular. […]