Toolbox

Skill Builder: Knife Skills 101

Skill Builder: Knife Skills 101

I treat knives as the second most dangerous implements in the average kitchen. (Microplanes and mandolins hold the top spot.) When using a knife, I’m always thinking about the “failure mode.” If it slips, or something goes wrong, how is it going to go wrong? Where is the knife going to go if it does slip? How can I use the knife and position myself such that if an exception does occur, it isn’t fatal? Of course, getting a good, clean cut and keeping the knife in good working order are also important.

Tool Review: Video Experimenter Shield

Tool Review: Video Experimenter Shield

With high-definition television becoming increasingly widespread, many people are tossing their old NTSC or PAL video equipment to the curb. But as makers, we can reclaim this old equipment for our own projects. Enter The Video Experimenter. This Arduino shield by Nootropic Design lets you program your Arduino microcontroller to manipulate and analyze NTSC or […]

Rules from The Tinker’s Handbook

Rules from The Tinker’s Handbook

For eight days, David Malki’s Wondermark webcomic was turned into the Tinker’s Handbook, a loving send-up of MAKE and maker culture. He ended the “handbook” with this wonderful Maker’s Bill of Rights-like “codified set of the builder’s, crafter’s, maker’s rules. [via Boing Boing, by way of MAKE’s Laura Cochrane] Wondermark’s Nominally-Essential Tinker’s Handbook: The magazine […]