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!
We’re fans of PVC here at MAKE, from marshmallow shooters to our gift guide, we find uses for PVC for just about everything. PVC is a little like LEGOs for adults depending on how you use them I suppose…Imarunner2 just posted up a great Instructable on how to make a simple, cheap bike rack using PVC. Link.
Peter is looking for some Makers out there, he writes “Basically, the folks at National Instruments have added DSP (digital signal processing, useful for lots of audio applications — both industrial and musical), to LabVIEW, their high-end development platform for creating test / measurement / control applications. Here’s the cool part: they designed a free synth (as in musical synth) to run on the platform. Somewhere out there, there’s a scientist or engineer who’s going to love fiddling with this thing. It’s electronic music for Dr. Bunsen Honeydew. Know anyone in those communities (blogosphere or printosphere) who might be interested in this?” Link.
Ever wonder why some of the ice cubes in your ice tray have little spikes? Here’s why and here’s how to make your own spikey ice cubes “With ideal conditions (distilled water, a fan promoting evaporation and rapid cooling, -7 degree C temperature, an empty freezer) about half the cubes in an ice-cube tray will form spikes” [via] Link.
Interesting and sorta gross “epiSkin jewelry extends biological identity by combining technology and design into a new decorative body surface. This project is an exploration into the decorative technological control over biology to create an artifact which is a hybrid of both. Cultured in a lab, this biological jewelry is made of epithelia cells which grow to create an artificial skin. The cells are grown into custom designed forms, controlled by the artist. The cells are incubated for a period of time, following which they are stained with a custom dye. The skin is then visibly sealed into a wearable object.” [via] Link.
Tips for getting rid of the annoying hum – “Of all the annoyances that can afflict any audio/video home theater or even a simple stereo installation, the notorious “ground loop” may well be the most difficult and persistent one to track down and eliminate. A “ground loop” is caused by the difference in electrical potential at different grounding points in an audio/video system. (All the grounds in an A/V system should ideally be at “0” potential.) A ground loop typically adds a loud low-frequency hum or buzz as soon as you plug in any of various audio or video components, including subwoofers, cable-TV outboard boxes, satellite-TV feeds, TV displays, amplifiers, A/V receivers or turntables. The buzz/hum is a byproduct of the multiple power supply cables and a ground voltage differential within your system and its network of interconnecting cables.” Link.
Nothing says Christmas like a Yeti ornament. Craftlog posted up her tips on using Print Gocco to create her abominable creature. Make one yourself or if you are up for a swap, she’ll make you one for something else in return. Also big news here, you might want to stock up on the cool printing machines as Gocco’s are being discontinued from the manufacturer. Link.
Here’s how to make a fun boat powered by steam “…it wasn’t until I was an adult that I saw my first putt putt steam boat, chugging away in an outdoor market in Bangladesh– in Southern Asia– one of the poorest countries in the world. Made mostly from a recycled milk tin, it sounded like a tugboat and it really moved–all efficiently powered by a little vegetable oil lamp. How could such a cool thing have existed without my knowing about it?” Thanks Jos! Link.
