Patent Depending, The “Nonsense” Inventions of Steven M. Johnson at Maker Faire
How the goofy inventions of Steven M. Johnson serve a serious design purpose.
brainstorming
Transform a Clothing Rack into a Portable Whiteboard
A DIY rolling whiteboard is a must have for the next brainstorm session at your local Makerspace.
BioBrainstorming: A Biomimicry Tool
Biomimicry finds models in nature–organisms and ecosystems–that are doing what we want our designs to do. BioBrainstorming is a technique for quickly finding lots of potential models. It involves first asking the right question, based on function, then looking on AskNature.org, going for walks outdoors, talking to biologists, and other techniques such as looking on Google Images and other photo sites.
Zero to Maker: Gateway to Making… Drawing
Regardless whether it’s an email exchange, Skype call, or an in-person meeting, I always make sure to ask them for one piece of advice they would give a wannabe maker. More often than not, the response is some derivative of: just get started. Make that first mistake, pick up that tool, or go out and get your hands dirty. I agree with all of that, but I want to offer another piece of advice: start drawing.
How-To: Make your own chalkboard paint
Martha has a great little tute up about how to make your own chalkboard paint by adding tile grout to regular latex paint. What’s the most ridiculous object (besides a chalkboard) you could cover with with chalkboard paint? Or have seen covered with it? Maybe we should have a contest.
Top 10: Whiteboards, Blackboards, and Brainstorming Tools
Our roundup of ten clever and useful projects for making blackboards and whiteboards.
Blackboard Idea Globe
Make a cool chalk blackboard out of an old school globe.
