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!
Worldchanging covered an important conference on an often-neglected concept: An international conference on Ecological Safety, held earlier this month in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, called attention to a dangerous sanitation issue by offering an inspiring and feasible solution. The problem: international donors are still promoting pit latrines… but most families can’t afford to pay for safe emptying […]
Here are some Instructables for variations on building shelves with glass bottles as the verticals: Bottle shelving with tension provided by a hook and bolt tightened between the shelves. A kitchen shelving unit version of their design. Check out Zero Waste’s other projects here.
Here are 3 different designs for bicycle-powered buses: 1. The Buscycle (image via Ecofriend) 2. Eindhoven University’s human-powered bus (also see our previous coverage): 3. The Velodisco: On one hand, these all look pretty inefficient. On another, shouldn’t you have less wind, drivetrain, and surface resistance to overcome per person on a well-designed setup like […]
This doesn’t quite look like the most crash-safe vehicle ever designed, but electric power plus bamboo construction does provide a dream-like level of sustainability: (video found via G4TV) Any guesses on what epoxy/resin they’re using to hold the bamboo together? Thanks to Ecofriend for finding some specs: “the 60-kg electric car can run for 30 […]
Design Crisis recently featured the work of Austin artist, Virginia Fleck. Fleck’s work takes plastic bag reuse to a whole new level, and the mandala patterns she creates are absolutely breathtaking. Her pieces are large – with some ranging up to seven feet tall. I loved learning, too, that she works with teens on ecologically […]
Florian Dussopt & Julie Girard designed this desk clock that’s powered by one of my favorite early chemistry experiments: the Citrus Clock has zinc and copper electrodes under the lemon halves and through oxidation and electrolysis, powers the clock. I bet it makes your desk smell nice, too. Via Core77.
There are many Instructables about changing your oil, but only one starts like this: I learned to do oil changes in high school speech class. One of the boys worked in a garage. He gave a really great how-to demonstration/speech about changing oil. He gave another about rotating tires, but there isn’t anything complicated about […]
