Table of Contents
Maker's Corner by Dan Woods
in Maker's Corner
Advice and news for MAKE readers. Page 12
News from the Future by Tim O'Reilly
in News from the Future
Virtual meets real. Page 13
The Simplest Thing That Could Possibly Work by Merlin Mann, Danny O’Brien
in Life Hacks
Get more done by trying to do less. Page 14
A for Anything by Cory Doctorow
in Make Free
Creative destruction opens more doors than it closes. Page 16
Penny-Powered LED by Matthew Ruschmann
in 123
Power an LED with some salty water and $1.21. Page 17
Made On Earth by David Albertson, Xeni Jardin, Arwen O'Reilly Griffith, Bruce Stewart, Megan Mansell Williams
in Made on Earth
Report from the world of backyard technology. Page 18
The Interventionists by Bruce Sterling
in Hands On
The "creative class": tech geeks and fine artists are jostling onto the same page. Page 26
Mark Pauline's Machine Mayhem by David Pescovitz
in Maker
For nearly three decades, Survival Research Laboratories has redirected
the technology of industry, science, and the military to create the most
dangerous theater on Earth. Page 28
Spinout by Colin Berry
Was building a Soap Box Derby racer my brother's last best chance at escaping his fate? Page 36
Shopping Cart Chair by Tim Anderson
in Heirloom Technology
Turn a shopping cart into a comfortable and stylish wheelchair. Page 40
Garage Biotech by Bob Parks
in Proto
For a safer world, Drew Endy wants everyone to engineer life from the ground up. Page 42
How To How-to by Saul Griffith
in Making Trouble
Use a head-mounted video camera to produce instructions for making things. Page 46
Genuine Ingenuity by Dale Dougherty
True stories and authentic experiences at the first annual Maker Faire. Page 48
Digi-Comp Redux by Tim Walker
in Maker
A maker in the middle recreates a kit classic. Page 49
Magnetic Switches from Everyday Things by Cy Tymony
in 123
Control many devices from afar with the magnetically sensitive Sneaky Switch. Page 51
Arduino Fever by Daniel Jollife
in Maker
The tale of a cute, blue microcontroller that fits nicely in the palm of
your hand, and the expanding community of developers who love and
support it. Page 52
Life and Death at Low Temperatures by Charles Platt
How to freeze and revive a garden snail. Page 54 
Download Sample PDF of this article.
A Sublime Machine by Mike Kuniavsky
Mike Wilder makes Lego robots for time-lapse 3D videos of carnivorous plants. Page 57
Kitchen Counter DNA Lab by Dr. Shawn Carlson
Extract, purify, and experiment with the blueprint of life. Page 59
Home Molecular Genetics by UBC Advanced Molecular Biology Lab
Extract, fingerprint, and replicate your own DNA. Page 65
Hack Your Plants! by Robert Luhn
Play God in your garden--create custom fruits, flowers, veggies, and more. Page 72
Rocket-Launched Camcorder by John Maushammer
Hack a $30, single-use camcorder to make it reusable, then launch it up
in a model rocket and capture thrilling astronaut's view footage of
high-speed neighborhood escape and re-entry. Page 78
The Two-Can Stirling Engine by William Gurstelle
The Stirling engine has long captivated inventors and dreamers. Here are
complete plans for building and operating a two-cylinder model that
runs on almost any high-temperature heat source. Page 90
Home Mycology Lab by Philip Ross
Use an off-the-shelf home air purifier to make a laminar flow hood for
your own miniature mycology lab. Then use it to culture and grow
mushrooms, and to perform other experiments that require a clean-room
environment. Page 102
Head-Mounted Water Cannon by John Young
in DIY: Outdoors
Use steel fire-extinguisher power to pummel plastic squirt toys. Page 111
Weatherproof Wi-Fi Access Point by Will O'Brien
in DIY: Outdoors
Outdoor router with minimal coaxial run maximizes network range. Page 114
Convertible Jockey Box by Carlo Longino
in DIY: Outdoors
Portable cooler taps and dispenses ice-cold beer from both kegs and mini-kegs. Page 119
Beepkiller: Parental Revenge by Erica Sadun
in DIY: Home
Three ways to silence annoying toys. Page 121
iPod Video Converter Cable by Erica Sadun
in DIY: Home
An easier way to watch iPod video on your TV. Page 123
Automate Your Voicemail Greeting by Dave Mabe
in DIY: Home
Program Asterisk to daily update your outgoing message in your own voice. Page 126
USB-Powered Fan by Erica Sadun
in DIY: Computers
12 easy steps to a cooler you. Page 127
Installing Bluetooth Internally on an iBook by Timothy B. Hewitt
in DIY: Computers
Tuck a USB wireless adapter inside the case. Page 129
Thumb Life by Russ Ethington
in DIY: Computers
USB keydrive lets you listen to, read, and play what you want on any machine. Page 131
El Cheapo Cantenna by Will O'Brien
in DIY: Mobile
"Mountain Grown" coffee can makes homegrown wi-fi range extender. Page 133
Backup Power To Go by Erica Sadun
in DIY: Mobile
9V battery USB-compatible charger juices up portables in a pinch. Page 135
Palm Pilot Notebook by Allen Wong
in DIY: Mobile
Modified hardback book contains extra-powered PDA and travel keyboard. Page 138
Scribbler Bot by Douglas McDonald
in DIY: Imaging
Homemade two-axis plotter finds work as a cariacature artist. Page 141
How to Drink Beer on C-SPAN by Bill Barminski
in DIY: Imaging
Put yourself into somebody else's video. Page 144
Monster MIDI Detector by David Battino
in DIY: Music
Here's an easy-to-build MIDI detector packaged in a small Japanese action figure. Page 147
Duct Tape and Cyclotrons by Michael Shapiro
in Maker Trips
Incredible machines at thte Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Page 152
The Bugeye Lens by Joost Bonsen, Nick Dragotta, Saul Griffith
in Howtoons
Water droplet lens with special bottle-cap twist focus. Page 154
MakeShift by Lee D. Zlotoff
in MakeShift
The creator of MacGyver challenges you to save a man stuck in a fissure filled with toxic gas. Page 156
MIDI Control by Peter Kirn
in Primer
Music equipment language isn't just for audio anymore. Page 158
Toolbox by Rob Bullington, Saul Griffith, Ty Nowotny, Tim O'Reilly, Ross Orr, Joseph Pasquini, Dave Prochnow, Matthew Russell
in Toolbox
Create ant farm documentaries, play record albums with a plastic cup, and dosome pocket-sized instant messaging. Page 166
Digital Spelunking by Tom Owad
in Retrocomputing
Unearthing ancient Apple II files on AOL. Page 176
MAKE's favorite puzzles. by Michael H. Pryor
in Aha!
MAKE's favorite puzzles. Page 177
Workshops, Big and Very Small by Mister Jalopy
in Blast from the Past
Build a stowable mini workshop for modest tasks like lamp rewiring and
scissor sharpening and soon you'll be building your dreams. Page 178
Reader Input
in Reader Input
Where makers tell their tales and offer praise, brickbats, and swell ideas. Page 182
Maker's Calender by William Gurstelle
in Maker's Calendar
Our favorite events from around the world - September, October, and November 2006. Page 186
iTune In, Turn On, Make Stuff by Phillip Torrone
in Tales from the MAKE: Blog
Looking for a weekend project or steam-powered robots? All aboard! Take a
tour of the new video features, including projects, interviews, and
virtual tours. Page 187
Strange Love by George Dyson
in Retrospect
Or, how they learned to start worrying and love to hate the bomb. Page 188 Download Sample PDF of this article.
My Robosapien in a Can by Dave Prochnow
in Homebrew
Page 192
