Maker Friendly by Dale Dougherty
Dale Dougherty wonders what would it mean for products to be more maker friendly, not just user friendly. Page 7
Real Security Vs. Junk Science by Cory Doctorow
in Make Free
Why copy-restriction technology succeeds only in hurting the user. Page 10
And Miles to Code Before I Sleep by Merlin Mann, Danny O’Brien
in Life Hacks
How to hack your circadian rhythm: reboot to get more done. Page 12
News from the Future by Tim O'Reilly
in News from the Future
News from the Future: a report on the labs and garage projects changing the way we live. Page 15
Made on Earth by Shawn Connally, Bob Parks, Paul Spinrad, Phillip Torrone
in Made on Earth
Reports from the world of backyard technology, including a shopping cart
go-kart, the "Solar Death Ray," a demolished house sculpture, a gas
tank bass instrument, and some seriously big speakers. Page 16
Get a Life by Bruce Sterling
in Hands On
Makers of virtual goods earn real cash in Second Life. Page 24
A Fusion Reactor for the Rest of Us by Charles Platt
in Maker
Ed Storms is leading the effort to take cold fusion off the back burner by moving it into the garage. Page 25
Swamp Tech by Tim Anderson
in Heirloom Technology
Revisiting, revamping, and reusing forgotten technology: living free in the Florida Everglades. Page 36
Let There Be Speech by Fernando Botelho
How do you make a $200 computer for blind kids? Page 40
1+2+3: Blimp by John Perez
in 123
Fun for about a dollar: build a simple blimp with the use of helium, a balloon, and a few straws! Page 42
Bots Brewed Here by Quinn Norton
Silicon Valley's HomeBrew Robotics Club is leading the development of an
open source robot hardware system. Quinn Norton interviews Chuck
McManis. Page 43
The Maker's Ultimate Tools by Saul Griffith
The tools we use — or wish we could get our hands on. Page 44
Mod Your Rod by Tor Amundson, Rob Elam, Dave Mathews, Damien Stolarz, Phillip Torrone
James Bond depended on Q to trick out his cars. But with Make's
guide to car hacking, you'll learn how to turn your ride into a fully
loaded, grease-eating, MP3-blasting, Wi-Fi-transmitting monster machine.
Page 49
Hackable Platform on Wheels by Damien Stolarz
Your car's 12-volt wiring is loaded with opportunities for enhancing your vehicle in ways carmakers only dream of. Page 50
Making a Macswagen by Phillip Torrone
Adding a Mac mini to a VW: a pro tells us how he did it. Matt Turner is a
professional fabricator and installer of mobile electronics. He's been
working in the industry for 12 years and has built numerous
award-winning show vehicles. His latest project brings hope to all car
owners hoping to Macify their ride. Page 54
Uber Tester by Dave Mathews
Make your own 4-in-1 car wiring diagnostic tool. The Uber Tester is a
gadget that won't remove door panel clips but does test for most wiring
conundrums you might encounter. Page 56
StompBox: Mobile Hotspot by Tor Amundson
Turn your car into a Wi-Fi hotspot, then use GPS and webcam input to map
your current location online and auto-generate a photo travelog. Page 60
Making Biodiesel by Rob Elam
The best way to learn how to make your own backyard biodiesel is to
start with a one-liter batch. It's easy to make a small batch that will
work in any diesel engine. You won't need any special equipment--an old
juice bottle will serve as the "reactor" vessel--and on such a small
scale, you can quickly refine your technique and perform further
experiments. Page 68
Biofuels Today by Dan Gonsiorowski, Xeni Jardin, Polly Powledge, Paul Spinrad
The nation's #1 Mock Newspaper for Make readers intersted in
alternative fuels. Front page news: "Grassroots Network Offers
Alternative to Big Oil," "Deep-Fried Ride: Veggie Oil Inside," "Slippery
Characters Steal Fryer Oil, Leave Mess," and "How Eco is Bio?" Page 76
Hardwired iPod by Damien Stolarz
Want a better way to play MP3s through your car stereo than using an FM
transmitter or a cassette adapter? Cut the static by connecting your
iPod to your stereo's aux jack. Page 77
Game Systems to Go by Howard Wen
Portabilizers take apart video game systems and turn them into portable gaming units. Page 81
Halloween Haunted House Controller by Eric J. Wilhelm
Build a relay board that sychronized lights, motors, and other
electrical devices to a scary soundtrack playing on a computer, and
create spooky haunted house special effects! Page 86
VCR Cat Feeder by James Larsson
Liberate a motor from an old VHS deck, attach it to a food chopper, and
program the deck's recording timer to fill Fluffy's bowl on schedule.
Voila! Your own programmable pet food dispenser. Page 98
The Night Lighter 36 by William Gurstelle
Launch potato projectiles 200+ yards with this stun-gun triggered,
high-powered potato cannon with see-thru action. (Good thing potatoes
are biodegradable.) Page 108
Retrovision 2000 AV Cabinet by Steve Lodefink
in DIY: Home Entertainment
Building a home entertainment center in the form of an Atomic Age TV set. Page 119
VoIP Phone Wiring by Jake Ludington
in DIY: Home Entertainment
Connecting multiple phones to a Vonage connection. Page 122
Record Cloning by Dan Mikesell
in DIY: Home Entertainment
Old school file sharing: make a duplicate LP or 45 by casting it in plastic. Page 124
Print the Universe by Phillip Torrone
in DIY: Imaging
Make gigantic posters with a free web service. Page 127
Mailbox Movie by Michael Dean
in DIY: Imaging
Make a movie that's shot in many locations around the world without leaving your house. Page 128
Cheap Shot by Charles C. Hoffmeyer
in DIY: Imaging
Turn a $10 single-use camera into a $20 reusable digital camera. Page 130
Get Funky by Paul Spinrad
in DIY: Weird
Make custom stink pods for your Stink Blaster. Page 133
Squeezable Nightlight by Sparkle Labs
in DIY: Design
Soft silicone outside, tasty electronics inside. Page 135
Barebones LED Flasher by Mark Frauenfelder
in DIY: Design
A simple circuit to go with your silicone nightlight enclosure. Page 140
Keychain Survival Tools by Bob Scott
in DIY: Mobile
Whether you're facing a parachute drop into the High Sierras or a jammed
button on your mobile, some handy keychain gizmo can be there for you.
Page 141
Roll Your Own Ringtones by Ewan Spence
in DIY: Mobile
Why waste money on ringtones when you can use your audio collection? Page 143
Hack, Plug, and Play by Carlo Longino
in DIY: Mobile
Nokia's Pop-Port interface doesn't accept a standard headphone jack. Here's a fix. Page 144
Handheld Know-It-All by Tom Owad
in DIY: Mobile
Installing Wikipedia on a Sharp Zaurus. Page 146
Freedom to Unscrew by Johnathan Nightingale
in DIY: Workshop
Make tamperproof driver bits by molding the screw heads. Page 147
Square Deal by Nick Carter
in DIY: Workshop
How to make square holes in aluminum sheet metal. Page 149
Reading and Drawing Schematics by Joe Grand
in DIY: Workshop
Understanding schematics is a good baseline skill for makers, and not as hard as you think. Page 151
Spin to Win by Cameron Mallory
in DIY: Gaming
A steering wheel mount for gamers. Page 153
You Built It, You Play It by Brian Jepson
in DIY: Gaming
The Mignon is a kit for a handheld game player. Page 154
Tilt Interface by Tom Owad
in DIY: Gaming
Having fun with Apple's hard drive protection system. Page 156
Online Poker for Geeks by Chris Hanel
in DIY: Gaming
If Poker Tracker has taught me one thing, it's a reminder of the obvious: knowledge is power. Page 157
Primer: Welding by Mister Jalopy
in Primer
If you need metal stuck together, there is no quicker path than buying a
portable 110-volt wire-feed welder. Mr. Jalopy's introduction to
welding will help you understand the process and show how you can be a
welder by the end of the weekend--and end up with a couple of jigs for
the effort. Page 158
The Happy Hippo by Joost Bonsen, Nick Dragotta, Saul Griffith
in Howtoons
Page 170
Toolbox by David Albertson, Gareth Branwyn, Kevin Conod, Joseph Fung, Jason Griffey, Mister Jalopy, Steve Koschman, Matt Maranian, Arwen O'Reilly Griffith, Mike Riley, Bob Scott
in Toolbox
The best tools, software, gadgets, books, magazines, and websites.
Page 172
Maker's Corner
in Maker's Corner
Almost everything you need to know about MAKE. Page 181
Cloning an Apple I by Tom Owad
in Retrocomputing
Many hobbyists are beginning to rediscover the appeal of classic microcomputers from the 70s and early 80s. Page 182
Makezine.com
Highlights from the MAKE blog, the MAKE Flickr photo pool, and MAKE: Audio. Page 184
Maker's Corner
in Maker's Corner
Questions and comments, information about the free MAKE newsletter and
digital edition, and MAKE Amends, our apology section, for mistakes in
past issues. Page 185
4-Bit Binary Card Sorter by Nigel Hall
in 123
Make a 4-bit binary sort using a chopstick and 16 3x5 inch index cards. Page 187
MakeShift by William Lidwell
in MakeShift
A commercial real estate mogul wants to put a life-size sculpture atop a
tower crane at his latest development. Engineers are scared to touch
the problem for under $50,000. You boast that you could do it for $20. Page 188
Cover Up to See in the Dark by Robert Bruce Thompson, Barbara Fritchman Thompson
How to protect your night vision, from Astronomy Hacks. Page 190
Hack-O-Lantern: Extreme Pumpkin Carving by Arwen O'Reilly Griffith
Cinderella’s fairy godmother didn’t have a clue. Page 191
Reader Input
in Reader Input
Where makers tell their tales and offer praise, brickbats, and swell ideas. Page 192
eBay Metrics by Chris Smith
in eBay Metrics
What the TSA takes away really adds up on eBay. Page 193
Homebrew by Joe Holt
in Homebrew
I didn't set out to build a microprocessor. It just sort of happened. Page 194