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!
Patti Schiendelman, our indexer for the upcoming Illustrated Guide to Astronomical Wonders, was poking around at the site of the German science novelty catalog who carries the Stirling Engine coffee cup, and noticed that they have a bunch of very cool working papercraft astronomy gear, including the Newtonian reflector pictured above. These look like they […]
Maker Jason Wolf sent us a link to his page detailing his build of half-mil Tesla Coil. Nice docs, with beautiful photos… and video. Thanks, Jason! [All our normal cautions and caveats go here about the dangers of working with high voltage, not doing anything boneheaded, ask your mother first, etc.] Wolf Engineering – High […]
Ever since I bought the Muscle Wire Project Book in the mid ’90s and experimented with the “Flexinol” shape memory alloy I bought with it, I’ve been fascinated by this material. I’ve also been amazed at how few applications SMA has enjoyed in the real world since then. There appears to be a recent growth […]
Happy 50th Sputnik! – History changed on October 4, 1957, when the Soviet Union successfully launched Sputnik I. The world’s first artificial satellite was about the size of a basketball, weighed only 183 pounds, and took about 98 minutes to orbit the Earth on its elliptical path. That launch ushered in new political, military, technological, […]
The Times Online show you how to measure the speed of light with a bar of chocolate, why spaghetti always breaks in three places and how ants can survive a switched-on microwave – Link.
My favorite store in Los Angeles, ReForm School, has a beautifully redesigned new website–and this one offers online shopping! Now even those of you who don’t live a block away from the shop like yours truly can enjoy the amazing selection of eco-friendly and handmade products owners Billie and Tootie have put together. (If you […]
Treehugger has put together a fun roundup of bikes with reel mowers bolted onto the fronts of them. Not sure how effective this is as a mower, or rideable as a bike — this might be more Chindogu than workable hack. Has anyone made and/or ridden one of these? The Cutting Edge: Bicycle Lawnmowing – […]
