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!

Handmade sailing canoe

Handmade sailing canoe

Tim Anderson’s canoe just underwent its maiden voyage, and it’s beautiful: Detailed, step-by-step Instructables are here. While you’re at it, make yourself a 5-minute paddle, too: http://p.webshots.com/flash/smallplayer.swf?videoFile=http://videoserve.webshots.com/video/10540/3019809250100343814CoHoeL_v_0.flv&audio=on&displayImagePreview=http://videothumb21.webshots.com/thumb/10540/3019809250100343814CoHoeLstill_001_0.jpg&videoPageUrl=http://home-and-garden.webshots.com/video/3019809250100343814CoHoeL&autoPlay=false&shareLink=http://cards.webshots.com/ecard/personalize?photoId=3019809250100343814%26source=v?.swf

Loofahs + plastic = sustainable building

Elsa Zaldívar just won a Rolex award for her work turning loofahs, a sponge-like cucumber that I thought grew underwater but apparently doesn’t, and recycled plastic into a sustainable building material: You can read more on the awards page here. I eagerly await the promised how-to video; any readers able to find her specific recipes […]

Rocket powered sled

Rocket powered sled

Ky Michaelson, better known as The Rocketman, is one of the world’s leading rocket powered vehicle builders. He was featured in MAKE, Volume 05, and says he got his start using a Gilbert chemistry set at the age of 12. This JATO rocket powered sled is meant to take the strain out of the uphill […]

The Return of Amateur Science

The Return of Amateur Science

Mark’s article on GOOD! The Return of Amateur Science… Last week, while browsing the Popular Science archives (which recently became available on Google), I noticed that the earlier issues of this 138-year-old magazine contained quite a few articles devoted to amateur science. The 1940s and 1950s were a heyday for basement-based research, with experiments such […]

LED lighting roundup

LED lighting roundup

Greater City: Providence has a post on some recent LED lighting news (good stuff+links in the blog and the comments), including links to a couple of articles on LED streetlights in NYC, Ann Arbor, and others: Since LEDs use less power than existing halogen, incandescent, or even fluorescent bulbs, it makes sense that this will […]