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MAKE Flickr Pool Weekly Roundup

MAKE Flickr Pool Weekly Roundup

I’m beginning to suspect an October conspiracy: While last week’s Flickr pool submissions, on average, had a distinctly orange hue, this week they are distinctly black. And I’ll give dollars to donuts that next week, sure as clockwork, we’ll start to see actual jack-o-lanterns. Our featured image this week is cosplayer JiaJem,as “Jack,” from Mass Effect 2, sporting Shawn Thorsson’s sweet “Predator Heavy Pistol” replica prop.

MAKE Flickr Pool Weekly Roundup

MAKE Flickr Pool Weekly Roundup

It was as if there were some October-inspired conspiracy, this week, to turn the MAKE Flickr pool pumpkin orange! Fortunately I found some nice greens to round it out. Our first image this week is the mostly-completed “Most Spectacular Failure Award” trophy from last weekend’s handcar regatta. Other highlights include a beautifully printed and photographed mechanical differential, some 2-liter bottlecaps modified for a home carbonation system, and a brain in a jar. Mmmmmm. Brains in jars.

Project Gutenberg’s Michael Hart: Builder of Public Libraries, Tinkerer

Project Gutenberg’s Michael Hart: Builder of Public Libraries, Tinkerer

Michael S. Hart, the founder of the Project Gutenberg, passed away this week at age 64 in Urbana, Illinois. He single-handedly created the first free e-books and then organized a worldwide effort to give books their first digital form — as ASCII text. His chief goal was to make sure e-books were accessible to anyone for free on any device. His work in creating a truly public library is a lasting legacy, and Hart should be considered among the founders of the Free and Open Source movement.