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!
Here’s a useful primer on whole-house rainwater catchment systems: In many areas of the country, a water-conserving household can provide for all its water needs from what it can catch off its roof. If the graywater and potentially the blackwater/humanure is also recycled for landscaping, each home can become an independent and sustainable part of […]
This is truly aggressive upcycling: The De Vrouwe van Stavoren Hotel in the Netherlands salvaged four wine casks from Switzerland and converted them into rooms. Formerly filled with 14,500 liters of Beaujolais wine from the French chateau, each now holds a modest two-person room with standard amenities and even an attached bathroom and sitting room. […]
The Purple Pedals project consists of 20 solar-powered, geotagging, photo-taking, flickr-uploading bicycles called the ybike. It’s also a really interesting look at why a major sponsor would fund such an unusual project. There is a great list of assets at the end of the post that you might want to check out. So how does […]
A Dress a Day posted this pic of Nancy Judd‘s gorgeous “Fan Mail” dress. Colorful junk mail (catalogues, solicitations, newspaper ads) were folded into fans and sewn onto a skirt and dress made of scrap canvas and a mantilla for the hair. The vintage shoes are covered with old postage stamps. The inspiration for this […]
This “Electric Trike” is a pretty cool ride that maintains its low rider status. Powered from two 12 volt, 32 amp batteries and a 75amp, 24 volt speed controller made in England, it gets pretty good speed even with someone strapped in for a ride. Check out the video to see it in action and […]
Cheap Vegetable Gardener is having seed starting success with a grow box that uses cheap LED Christmas lights. It looks like a nice portable system, and they reported that the seedlings seem to be getting enough light so far.
I learned something new today: shaving one Persian cat produces enough hair to make a handbag: I won’t be buying one anytime soon, but one must applaud the ingenuity! (via Inhabitat) UPDATE: this was posted last week by Gareth, sorry!
