DIY Projects

Open source media center for Windows…

Open source media center for Windows…

MediaWhy buy a Media Center PC when you can make your own – fun project for an old PC “MediaPortal turns your PC in a very advanced Multi-Media Center / HTPC. It allows you to listen to your favorite music, radio, watch your video’s and DVD’s, view, schedule and record live TV and much more. You get Media Portal for free/nothing/nada/nopes and best of all it is opensource. This means anyone can help developing Media Portal or tweak it for their own needs! “ [via] Link.

Record podcasts with your browser on ODEO

Record podcasts with your browser on ODEO

Front-786774The ODEO podcast studio is now open – I was on the beta, and it’s really fun – “…everyone can now record audio with the browser-based Odeo Studio – or via the phone. Either way, your voice gets posted as an MP3 on an Odeo page, and from there you can easily share it or edit the title, etc. We’ve also made some changes to how the site looks and works, which we think make it simpler and move it closer to our vision of Podcasting for Regular People.” Link. Anyone with a web browser can pretty much make their own audio show, excellent use of Macromedia Flash and Com server…

The real life TRON race…

The real life TRON race…

TronThis is from earlier this year, but I didn’t see how it was done – so here it is. Ever want to make your own TRON lightcycle game? But not a video game, real life! Here’s a page that details how a group of racers hacked up gear and software to make a real life TRON racing game. Ingredients: “gps-receiver, backpack with laptop(Tatonka Serverpack with Gateway Solo 2500), keyboard, trackball (from old broken laptop), helmet (giro switchblade) with display (old viewfinder)” Link.

MAKE-like HOW-TOs for Home Depot?

MAKE-like HOW-TOs for Home Depot?

DepotOnyxfrog wants you! “I work at a Home Depot and over the holiday shopping season we have a ‘santas workshop’ setup and I get to run all sorts of demos and classes. It’s lots of fun and I keep all my issues of Make with me for ideas but I would really like to hear and cool How-To’s you guys have that can be done with products primarily from Home Depot. I actually made a cigar box guitar last weekend. So far I haven’t been able to convince them to let me make a spud-gun but I’ve made plenty of mini-marshmallow guns =) If it wasn’t so darn cold out I would love to do a Kite Aerial Photography demo. So if anyone has any ideas I would love to hear them!” Link. I think the $14 video camera stabilizer from MAKE 01 is a good one. Post your ideas in the comments!

Once an Altoids tin, now a pinhole camera…

Once an Altoids tin, now a pinhole camera…

AltDaniel on CNET has a great article about the excellent Altoids contest that just wrapped up “If you happen to find yourself looking to remake your leftover Altoids tins, the company that makes the mints says the creative bar is a whole lot higher than an ashtray or a trinket box. Earlier this year, Altoids invited customers to enter its Tin Million Uses competition. The idea? Challenge people to come up with the most innovative way to reuse the ubiquitous tins.” Link. Many of the projects can be found in the pages of MAKE if you want to build your own too!