How-To: Ferret wheelchair
Got a limited mobility ferret? Instructables user odiekokee made this mobility aid for his recovering furry friend.
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!
Amazingly simple magnetic heat-switching valve
Here’s an interesting article about a very clever gizmo by two scientists at Denmark’s Risø National Laboratory for Sustainable Energy. It’s being hyped as a totally original invention, but the idea is so conceptually simple that I have a hard time believing it’s entirely new under the sun. Still, though–very cool. So, quick science review: […]
Living root bridges
Wow, how cool are these bridges, “grown” by training roots to grow into the shapes you want for your structure. In the depths of northeastern India, in one of the wettest places on earth, bridges aren’t built – they’re grown. The living bridges of Cherrapunji, India are made from the roots of the Ficus elastica […]
Speed Week at Bonneville Salt Flats
Bill Gurstelle is a Contributing Editor for MAKE magazine. His most recent book is entitled Absinthe & Flamethrowers: Projects and Ruminations on the Art of Living Dangerously. You can follow Bill on his danger-quest at twitter.com/wmgurst. He is a guest Make: Online author for the month of August. In this month’s MAKE magazine, Volume 19, […]
Theo Gray on electrochemical machining
In this Boing Boing Video, PopSci columnist and author of the splendid and high-recommend Theo Gray’s Mad Science, explains how electrochemical machining (ECM) works and shows off a rig he put together to do ECM in his shop. The entire how-to can be found at popsci.com. Carve Steel with Saltwater, Electricity and a Tin Earring […]
How a Differential Gear Works
Wonderful industrial film from the 1930s showing how a car’s differential gear works.
Heirloom technology: Yazd’s windcatchers
When I visited the 3000-year-old city of Yazd, Iran, the old school technology I was most fascinated by is the windcatcher. Seen atop many a building in this arid city with an annual rainfall of 2.4 inches and summer temps frequently pushing 104°F, these towers are the predecessors to the swamp cooler.