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!
Andrew Hicks, a mathemagician at Philadelphia’s Drexel University, has lately made headlines with one of those head-slappingly simple, brilliant, OMG-why-didn’t-I-think-of-that sort of projects: He makes mirrors. Not the run-of-the-mill flat mirrors most of us use every day for identifying vampires, but totally unorthodox, heretical, downright blasphemous mirrors with convoluted surfaces that do tricks I didn’t […]
From the MAKE Flickr pool Eschlaep shares details on building a 2-axis joystick from scavenged VCR and computer mouse parts – Well, the other day I found another idler wheel from the same VCR, and I decided to share the construction technique so that you can make one too. It’s pretty simple and takes an […]
Here’s how Instructables user pilx made this simple floating dock with some wood carpentry and four 55 gallon plastic barrels.
This winter, my dad and I took up the project of building a simple pedal-powered cell phone charger to mount on my bicycle. Cell phones are small potatoes in the big picture of energy consumption, but the apparatus we built could be a very practical concept for those on self-supported bike tours or those living […]
If you have a Prius, and want to go more than a mile in battery mode, then you might want to check out 3 Prong Power 3Prong Power is delivering enhanced Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEV) conversions for our customers. Our goal is to meet and expand the demand for PHEVs that has […]
In the mail today arrived the 36 page schedule/flyer for this year’s SolarFest. Based on the three I’ve been to in the past, this should be an excellent time as well. There are plenty of workshops, live music, and great vendors who have either made their own wares or are willing to share lots of […]
I made this minimalist table lamp from three ready-made components: 1) a burner tripod lab stand from The Science Company, 2) a 5″ globe incandescent light bulb, and 3) a socket extension cord from the hardware store. It works and looks great, and the total cost is about $20 US. The 5″ globe light bulbs […]
