Table of Contents
Slow Made: Take It Easy by Dale Dougherty
in Welcome
A proposal to use "slow made" to identify the work of makers. Page 10
Maker's Calendar by William Gurstelle
in Maker's Calendar
Our favorite events from around the world. Page 12
Predicting the Present by Cory Doctorow
in Make Free
Science fiction writers may not accurately predict the future, but they're often excellent predictors of the present. Page 14
Looking for a Few Good Kit Makers by Dan Woods
in Maker's Corner
Interested in getting your kit in front of millions of makers and DIY enthusiasts? Page 16
3 1/4-Cent Lure by Tom Parker
in Make Money
Sometimes it costs more to buy it than to make it from the money itself, like this $1.04 fishing lure. Page 18
Ponoko by Bruce Sterling
in Hands On
Personal fabbing via the web: it's a long-tail, pro-am, digital maker thing. Page 20
Erik and the Submarine by Johanna Hallin
in Made on Earth
Erik Westerberg's homemade submarine can dive to a depth of 100 meters. Page 22
Hello Moto by Dan Fost
in Made on Earth
If the headlamp on a classic Vespa can illuminate a twisting Italian roadway at night, why couldn't it light up a desk? Page 24
Right on Track by Megan Mansell Williams
in Made on Earth
Jonathan Jamieson turned common barbecue skewers into a delicate sculpture of chutes and turns for a rolling metal ball. Page 25
Topsy-Turvy Expression by Karen Hansen
in Made on Earth
The Topsy-Turvy School Bus is touring the United States with a different point of view about the presidential election. Page 26
Wind-Up Whimsy by Bruce Stewart
in Made on Earth
Gina Kamentsky's Mechanical Confections are one-of-a-kind kinetic sculptures. Page 27
PlayStation Wizard by Shawn Connally
in Made on Earth
Teenager Max Maruszewski built a PlayStation console case out of Legos. Page 28
Bottled-Up Visionary by Marlow Harris
in Made on Earth
A bottle chapel built by restaurant owner and folk artist Martin Sanchez. Page 29
Art Work by Douglas Repetto
in Art Work
Using algorithms to create art might produce unexpected and marvelous results. Page 30
Making Magic by David Pescovitz
in Proto
The magician's magician, illusion designer John Gaughan is the man behind the curtain. Page 32
The Fairyland of Science by Saul Griffith
in Making Trouble
Magic is in the mind of a fifth-grader near you. Page 38
The Barrage Garage: Meet the Tool-Zine by William Gurstelle
Outfitting the all-purpose maker's worshop. Part 2 of the Barrage Garage series. Page 40
Post-Industrial Idyll by Dale Dougherty
The 2007 Robodock festival in Amsterdam. Page 46
Talk to the Hand
What's it like to participate in Robodock? Does a giant, car-crushing hand sound like fun? Page 50
One Man's Junk, The Same Man's Treasure by Rick Polito
Meet the Junk Brothers: they filch people's curbside castoffs, transform them, and give them back. Page 52
The Fire Drug by William Gurstelle
A maker's history of black powder. Page 54
Tin Can Copper Tan by Andrew Lewis
in 123
Copper-coat a tin can, turning it into an aesthetically pleasing, reusable container. Page 58
Uncle Bill's Magic Tricks by Dan Weiss
Revive five captivating magic classics. Page 60
The Escaping Blocks by Charles Platt
Remake this classic magic trick with high-quality materials. Page 70
The Conjurer's Dilemma by J. J. Loy
Do you protect a magic trick, or keep it a secret? You can't have both
-- patent filings expose the mechanics behind the tricks. Page 75
The Levitating Head by Charles Platt
Only you can stop the head from sliding down the string! Page 78
The Power of Negative Thinking by Charles Platt
While they're watching the money, you'll know the trick is in the bag. Page 80
Ghost Catcher by Steve Lodefink
How to catch a spirit with a trick scarf. Page 83
Telekinetic Pen by Brian Dereu
An ordinary-looking Sharpie dances at your command. Page 85
Diminutive Balls of Fire by Joel Johnson
Construct a concealable, hand-held fireball shooter. Page 88
Sucker Bucket by Mark Frauenfelder
MAKE takes apart an old carnival game to reveal its fraudulent gimmick. Page 92
Darkside Rocketeer by Gareth Branwyn
in Maker
Jack Parsons, the space pioneer history likes to forget. Page 94
All-Purpose Swahili Bed by Tim Anderson
in Heirloom Technology
In Kenya, the most common and most useful piece of furniture is the rot- and bedbug-resistant Swahili bed. Page 102
Quick Bits by Charles Platt
in Upload
Tips and tools for digital diversions. Page 104
Make Your Own Sun by Charles Platt
in Upload
Create dramatic back-lighting effects with image editing software. Page 105
The Incredible Shrinking DVD by Richard Kadrey
in Upload
Back up multiple movies on a single disc. Page 106
Music Control System by Andy Seubert
in Upload
Set up a cheap wireless server for your song collection. Page 108
Songs to Go by Charles Platt
in Upload
Enhance your music for playing in the car. Page 110
Candy Alert by Cy Tymony
in 123
Devise sneaky uses for high-tech candy packaging and other small toys. Page 112
Boom Stick by Edwin Wise
Build a PVC air cannon that delivers maximum bang for the buck. Page 114
R-Tronic Toy Music Sequencer by Brian McNamara
Build a simple sequencer that lets babies play with shapes, sounds, and
lights, or teaches older kids the basics of electronic music. You'll
have lots of fun with it yourself! Page 124
Smart Structure by Steven Griffin
Build and demonstrate an active vibration-damping system in the form of a
desktop "skyscraper" that uses integrated sensors, actuators, and
electronics to cancel out vibrations. Page 134
MAKE's favorite puzzles; including dates, palindromes, orbs, and poison pills! by Michael H. Pryor
in Aha!
MAKE's favorite puzzles; including dates, palindromes, orbs, and poison pills! Page 142
Zippy the Recycled Marionette by Ian Alejandro
in DIY: Toys
A Cub Scout shows how to build marionettes from old Zip drives. Page 143
3-in-1 Basketball Toy by Bob Pennington
in DIY: Toys
A wooden game uses a familiar cafeteria food-fight launcher. Page 146
In-Car Camcorder Mount by Christophe Caron
in DIY: Imaging
Rig an onboard camera like the cops and NASCAR, for 15 bucks. Page 147
Lost Screw Finder by Frank Ford
in DIY: Workshop
An easy vacuum cleaner attachment to help you find small parts -- including plastic ones that a magnet would miss. Page 149
Easy Backyard Graywater System by Tim Drew
in DIY: Home
Get a lush garden from your laundry water. Page 151
Grow Giant Vegetables by Carl Malamud
in DIY: Home
Extreme sports meet 4H when you grow giant pumpkins. Page 154
Backyard Hens by Terrie Schweitzer
in DIY: Home
Keep your own flock of hens in your backyard for delicious fresh eggs! Page 157
Explosion Engine by David Simpson
in DIY: Science
DIY internal combustion using Home Depot parts. Page 160
Analog Amp Meter Clock by Gene Scogin
in DIY: Circuits
Elegant timepiece marks the hours with needle meters. Page 165
TV-B-Gone Hat by Mitch Altman
in DIY: Circuits
Hide a gadget in a ball cap to turn off TVs by just looking at them. Page 169
Transistorize Your iPod by Nick Archer
in DIY: Circuits
Get vintage sounds from time-warp radio. Page 172
Toys, Tricks, and Teasers by Donald E. Simanek
in Toys, Tricks, and Teasers
Martin Gardner's mathemagic. Page 174
The Magical Mobius Strip by Joost Bonsen, Saul Griffith
in Howtoons
Celine and Tucker perform with a magical mobius strip. Page 178
Project Orion: Deep Space Force by George Dyson
in Retrospect
For the atomic rocket engineers, the moon was in; Saturn and Mars were out. Page 180
Reader Input
in Reader Input
Where makers tell their tales and offer praise, brickbats, and swell ideas. Page 184
Broken Arm in the Wilderness by Lee D. Zlotoff
in MakeShift
The creator of MacGyver challenges you to get your friend to medical help from an isolated fishing stream in a car with only three tires. Page 186
Blast from the Future! by Mister Jalopy
in Blast from the Past
If Snap-On doesn't want to sell to amateurs, somebody else will. Introducing Deen Tools: Japanese quality made in Taiwan. Page 188
Toolbox by Gareth Branwyn, Kes Donahue, Andrea Dunlap, Caterina Fake, Mike Lin, Goli Mohammadi, Dug North, Randy Sarafan, Terrie Schweitzer, Phillip Torrone
in Toolbox
All the awl you'll need, a kit to build your own yo-yo, wireless SD memory cards, and the maker before MacGyver. Page 190
My Own Relay Computer by Harry Porter, Ph.D.
in Homebrew
Harry Porter had dreamed of making a relay computer since he was a boy. Page 208
