Great use for all those old CDs laying around, make a lamp! At a previous job, the head of QA had several stacks of several hundred CDs on the floor in front of floor to ceiling windows. The sunlight shining through the window would glow through these CDs in a very appealing manner that made the green light seam warm. From that point forward I always thought that a stack of CDs with a tubular light inside would make a very cool lamp. [via] Link.
DIY ammo for MAKE issue #2’s Marshmallow gun Howtoon! Marshmallows are spongy confections made of sugar beaten into a fluffy texture with the aid of gelatin. Marshmallows are essential components to many popular American snacks such as Rice Krispies Treats and S’mores (a sandwich of graham crackers, chocolate, and marshmallows melted over a campfire) Link.
Resource, links and kits for building your own thing to launch other things. Here is a collection of what plans we’ve been able to collect from around the web. These are compiled from several sources by many people. Some are suitable for physics projects, and some are for more serious hobbyists. You’ll have to figure out which ones are right for you. Link.
DIYParts.org is a grassroots effort that enables and ecourages the sharing and trading of computer parts that are still useful, but would otherwise mostl likely end up discarded…one of the goals of the project is to get unused older personal computer systems to parts of the developing world and to people who have thus far been sidelined in the “digital revolution”. The old hardware can be made useful by loading it with open source operating systems like GNU/Linux. [via] Link.
A neat How-to on building your own office irrigation system. There are retail systems for over $60, but this DIY version can come in around $30 or so. Pump, tubing, connectors, dripper, timer, a few other things- and you’ll have the greenest cube. Link.
Neighborhood Satellites are handheld sensing devices that monitor people’s local environment. In its current prototype form, the satellite is able to sense air quality, light, and the presence of cell phone signals. The satellite also communicates through tangible behaviour. For example, when approaching air pollutants onscreen, the satellite inside the game will suck in air to capture specimen. Link.
Neat DIY Camera Bag with hard internal fiberglass shell- I feel like such a tourist (waiting to get mugged) with a camera bag, so I bought a messenger bag and hopefully I won’t stand out anymore. I also wanted it to fit in my backpack without getting crushed when I cinch my packs compression straps, so I made a hard shell insert. It’s faily common for backpacks to be cut and contents emptied without the person wearing the bag knowing. Link.
