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!
We’ve just added a bunch of new content to the Make: Science Room. In “General,” we added Bob’s brief on how to set up and keep a proper lab notebook, in “Chemistry,” we added Section 12 on the fine art of studying reaction rates in chemical processes, called “chemical kinetics,” and in “Forensics,” we take […]
Almost 100 years ago, John Krubsack made this amazing chair by growing a bunch of box elder trees together.
I reviewed The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind for Good. I think it’s one of the best books I’ve ever read. Here’s an excerpt of my review: William Kamkwamba’s parents couldn’t afford the $80 yearly tuition for their son’s school. The boy sneaked into the classroom anyway, dodging administrators for a few weeks until they […]
Holly of Chez Beeper Bebe embarked on a summer-long project of crafting a wardrobe of cloth napkins for her home, and recently reached her goal of 40 napkins. Along the way, she’s shared tutorials for several of the napkin variations she’s used, including ruffled napkins and ric rac-trimmed napkins. She’s concluded her series with a […]
Now here’s a perfect example of why I love the MAKE community. In response to my earlier post about the possibility of modern mechanical gate openers, reader MichaelLubke went out and took these photos (1,2,3) of a real live working mechanical gate near his ranch. What’s more, he ran down the original patent on the gate’s design! This patent, US number 3,163,947, was issued to Mr. Alvin E. Gandy of Eden, TX, in the year of Our Lord nineteen-hundred and sixty-five. His invention, known as the “Gandy Slide-A-Way,” is activated by the weight of one of your vehicle’s tires on a short steel ramp built into the driveway right in front of the gate. I wonder how many of these were ever made?
A Personal Perspective by Robert Bruce Thompson Bob Thompson is our Science Curator at Make: Online and in the Maker Shed. He’s the author of numerous O’Reilly and Make: Books titles, including Building the Perfect PC, Illustrated Guide to Astronomical Wonders, Astronomy Hacks, and Illustrated Guide to Home Chemistry Experiments. I asked if he would […]
Amphibious architecture, I TXTed a beaver in the East River, neat… You can too, just text “EastRiver” or “BronxRiver” to 41411 Amphibious Architecture is a visual interface floating on the water’s surface, a veritable looking glass into the aquatic ecosystem. This manufactured point of connection submerges ubiquitous computing into the one element that covers 90% […]
