When I visited my cousin last week, his daughter Neeka Mashouf (age 13) and two of her classmates (Nicole Bronstein and Sydney Schonefeld) were deeply engaged in creating a stop-motion animation film for a class project, complete with a homemade stage and camera platform. The assignment was to explain and show examples of Newton's three Laws of Motion in a creative way. They chose clay as their medium and did all their stitching and editing in iMovie. It was fun to hear them talk about their learning process. When they first started, they weren't capturing small enough motions in each frame and the flow was coming out choppy. They went back to the drawing board and this is what they came up with. Way more dynamic than any presentation I remember doing for science class in 8th grade. It's exciting to see what this next generation of makers is crafting.

Back in MAKE Volume 04 (2005), we ran a project for making an electric cigar box guitar. In the newest issue of MAKE, Volume 21, our editor in chief Mark Frauenfelder offers a DIY on making a classic cigar box guitar, and we've had a few people commenting on the article page and sharing gorgeous images of the guitars they've built. We love when that happens, so I wanted to share a few of them here. What I like most about this project is that everyone has their own distinct take on it. Seen above is Jason Hitesman's CBG. You can see more shots on his photo stream. Below are front and back shots of Jake Sunding's cigar box mandolin (build notes on his blog), inspired by Mark's article:

One more for now. Here is Dan Morrill's CBG build. Love the surrounding workshop in this shot:

Have you built one? Share your pics with us in the comments and/or add them to the MAKE Flickr pool! And if you don't already have Volume 21, you can pick it up at fine newsstands near you, order it from the Maker Shed, or subscribe.

This week's Flashback, from the pages of MAKE Volume 15, shows how authors Jim Moir and Ken Lange devised a camera setup to auto-trigger photos of the critters who came to visit their backyards in the dead of night. Judging from the multitude of pictures they've gathered over the years, there is no shortage of wildlife variety in their neighborhood. Check it out to build your own and see what's lurking behind your house. You can also still pick up a back issue of Volume 15, the Music issue, over in the Maker Shed.

Caught in the Act
By Jim Moir and Ken Lange

Ever wonder what's getting into your garage at night, eating your cat food in the backyard, or coming by your tent when you're camping? Now you can find out. With a digital camera, flash, and triggering mechanism, you'll be able to see exactly which critters are prowling at 3 a.m.

Although there are some challenges to overcome, we've discovered that there are plenty of solutions to develop a remote wildlife photography system that meets your needs and budget. Film cameras were used in the past, but clearly digital cameras bring this hobby to a new level by eliminating the expense, time, and effort that comes with film.

MATERIALS
Digital camera We prefer the Kodak DC-290 and discuss its benefits in this article.
Infrared (IR) detector or motion sensor
Camera flash
Power supply

What Does It Take to Do This?
Our challenge was to choose a camera system that can stay awake for long periods (most shut down after a few minutes to conserve battery power) and to rig a method for sensing the animal and triggering the shutter remotely. We also needed a flash capable of illuminating an area large enough to capture pictures of what tripped the camera. Finally, we needed power reserves big enough to run the camera, the external flash, and the animal-sensing trigger mechanism for several days.

What Camera to Use?
We evaluated the 2 typical camera types -- point-and-shoot and SLR -- to capture our wildlife images. Both have advantages and disadvantages. Point-and-shoot cameras are inexpensive but need a lot of modifications to work. SLRs have more features but can be pricey.

We chose a third path and used the Kodak DC-290. This modestly priced camera was an excellent choice, with a respectable 3.3-megapixel picture and many programmable features not available in most point-and-shoot cameras. This enabled us to make the system work without extensive hacking, and at the same time kept the total system to a reasonable cost. While this camera is no longer in production, it is regularly available on eBay for $50 to $150 (depending on condition, accessories, and demand).

Mechanical and aerospace engineer Dr. Afsaneh Rabiei set out to create a material "as light as aluminum and as strong as stainless steel," and she has succeeded, in the form of composite metal foam. In this Science Nation video, she discusses its applications as a building material, a way to make car bumpers stronger, and a superior substitute to solid metal in knee and hip surgeries. A professor at North Carolina State University, Dr. Rabiei encourages her students to be "persistent and pioneering." In her spare time, one of her passions is introducing grade school children to the wonders of engineering.

I thought I was really into coffee until I met John Edgar Park, host of Make: television, contributing writer to Make: Online, and author of several MAKE magazine articles. John takes his coffee seriously. Seriously. Case in point was when he devised and wrote a how-to for his Florence Siphon Brewing and Extraction Apparatus for MAKE Volume 17, our Lost Knowledge issue. This apparatus is sure to raise eyebrows (and spirits) next time you invite someone to your workshop for a cup of blessed joe. Check out the whole project in this week's Flashback, and pick up a back issue of MAKE 17 over in the Maker Shed.

Make your own mad-scientist coffee machine.
By J. Edgar Park II

Aboard the dirigible Aeroship Phaedrus, two men are seated at a table in the onboard Laboratory:

"Doctor Liepold, would you kindly prescribe something to lift my depressed spirits?"
"Why of course, Captain Heffernan. What is it that ails you?"
"My mind feels sluggish and there is still much work to be done before daylight. I am drawing up charts for the expedition."
"Ah, yes, I have just the thing. Sit a moment while I extract the invigorants from these wondrous beans."
"Very good, thank you. What is that strange device, Herr Doktor?"
"I call it the Florence Siphon. It is an arabica brewing and extraction apparatus. Allow me to demonstrate. First, I fill this boiling flask with a quantity of pure spring water. It is a vessel of my own devising that can withstand great heat and pressure. I heat the flask, which causes the water to vaporize, passing through this tube here, through a filter, and into the beaker to my left. Here, the water commingles with precisely roasted and ground fruit of Coffea arabica. I give the slurry a rapid stirring to fully saturate the grounds, then wait.
"As my boiling flask cools, a vacuum is created, causing the very atmosphere of the Earth to push the liquid through the filter, leaving the grounds and all unsavory particulate matter behind. Thus the liquid, now filled with essences, oils, solubles, flavors, and vital invigorants, is returned to the flask. Allow me to unstopper it and pour you a dose."
"Doctor! You have outdone yourself! I feel revitalized by this most miraculous potion."

The vacuum siphon coffee brewing method dates back to the 1840s. It produces some of the cleanest, smoothest-tasting coffee of any method. Commercial vacuum pots are available, but I wanted to heighten the drama of vacuum brewing by taking it into the realm of the mad scientist's lab. Thus the Florence Siphon was born!

After studying original patent drawings and existing devices, I identified these key features:
• Water is heated in a boiling flask that has a tube leading to a second vessel containing ground coffee.
• The tube must have a filter, to allow the water to flow through but not the grounds.
• The filter must be submerged during brewing, so as to maintain a seal with the boiling flask.
• The second vessel must be accessible for stirring the slurry.
• The boiling flask must be large enough to create a sufficient vacuum as it cools to "pull" the coffee back through.

One drawback to early vacuum brewers was the constant danger of exploding glass. Today, we have plenty of high-quality borosilicate glassware that's up to the task — it just happens to be found in the lab, not the kitchen.

Filtration was another challenge. I tinkered with a few options (including an unfortunate foray into shower heads) before arriving at an inverted thistle tube. This is a type of bulbed funnel that's easy to cover with filter cloth. (Thanks to Dr. Jim Callan from Avogadro's Lab Supply for this suggestion.)

I assembled my funnel, stopper, tubing, filter, and a beaker for the grounds. I filled my flask with preheated water (small burners can take a while to boil 500ml), poured 38g of medium-ground coffee into the beaker, donned my goggles, and lit the burner.

The water began to bubble quickly, and soon went straight up the glass tube and over to the grounds. After about a minute, the flask was nearly empty and I extinguished the flame. At this point, there was an abundance of expanded water vapor (steam) inside the flask, which prevented the water from returning.

I stirred up the slurry with a stick and then waited with great excitement. Would the siphon be able to draw the coffee back up? At just about the 2-minute mark, I saw the gorgeous brown liquid begin its ascent. This is due to the vacuum created by the cooling and contraction of water vapor in the boiling flask. It was tentative at first, but as the boiling flask continued to cool, the coffee started to move quickly up the tube, over and then back down to the flask below. Within another 20 seconds, the journey was complete: 420ml of coffee made it back, leaving 80ml of water behind with the grounds.

I removed the stopper and poured myself a cup. It was perfect! Smooth, bright, clear, and clean. Vacuum coffee is a step above a French press, and leagues above drip. Plus, when you brew with the Florence Siphon you get to don your lab coat and cackle maniacally. What more could you want from a cup of coffee?

Here's how to build your own Florence Siphon.

Here on Make: Online, we've featured lots of projects that use electrolumiscent wire, like the barbershop pole, the sequencing costume, and the angler fish. EL wire is a really flexible (pun intended) way to add lighting to your projects, and it's fairly easy to use. In the newest issue of MAKE, Volume 21, we offer an 8-page primer on how to use EL wire, including the anatomy of EL wire, a discussion of drivers and sequencers, a comparison between EL wire and LEDs, and walking you through creating an animated blinking eye (frames shown above). If you already have MAKE 21, flip on over to page 142 and get started. If not, you can pick one up at a fine newsstand near you, get one over in the Maker Shed, or subscribe and have knowledge delivered to your doorstep.

Looking at the Low End
Infrared photography reveals a world invisible to the naked eye.
By Richard Kadrey

For the human eye, the lowest visible wavelengths are red light measuring about 700 nanometers (nm). Below that, infrared radiation runs from about 750nm down to 1mm. When photographed in this part of the spectrum, leaves and grass glow with energy, as if the entire natural world is lined with fiber optics. Skin is luminous and perfect, like alabaster. Infrared photography gives you an inhuman view of the world, and it's a beautiful one.

In the beginning, infrared photography was nothing you needed to know about. It was a high-tech procedure reserved for laboratories and mapping satellites. Even when artists got their hands on the stuff, it required special film that had to be kept in an ice chest until it was used, and special processing that required access to a darkroom with the right chemicals, and all the expenses those items entailed.

Digital photography has made infrared accessible to everyone. That's great news to those using IR for the first time, because this is when you're liable to make the most mistakes. Better yet, you don't need an expensive camera to take great shots. In fact, cheaper and so-called "dinosaur" digital cameras can be the best ones for IR shooting. The reason is simple: most high-end cameras come with a built-in infrared-blocking filter (sometimes called "hot glass") that sits right in front of the camera's sensor chip. Cheap cameras don't always have this IR filter, and they're easy to hack if they do. But remember when picking your cheap camera to make sure it has a Preview mode. This will allow you to see your infrared shot and make adjustments on the fly.

As one of the biggest storms of the winter is hitting Lake Tahoe, MAKE Volume 21 is about to hit newsstands. What do these two phenomena have in common? Snow! In the DIY Outdoors section, we're featuring a Combo Snow Gun project written by one of our own former MAKE engineering interns, Steven Lemos. As a matter of fact, I distinctly remember when we were interviewing Steven, asking him what types of projects he had made. When he said he made his own snow gun, I was sold, and we knew we had to have him write it up for the magazine. Steven teaches you how to make your own for about $90.

Then, in Forrest M. Mims' Country Scientist column, he teaches you how to evaluate snow on the ground as a heat island indicator as well as a particle collector. Mims takes it further and shows you how to use ImageJ image analysis software to study your snow pictures.

MAKE Volume 21 is the Desktop Manufacturing issue, with how-to articles on making three-dimensional parts using inexpensive computer-controlled manufacturing equipment. Both additive (RepRap, CandyFab) and subtractive (Lumenlab Micro CNC) systems are covered. Also in this issue: instructions for making a cigar box guitar, building your own CNC for under $800, running a mini electric bike with a cordless drill, making a magic photo cube, and tons more. If you're a subscriber, you may have your issue in hand already, and can access the Digital Edition. Otherwise, you can pick up MAKE 21 in the Maker Shed or look for it on newsstands near you!

Back in MAKE Volume 05, Chicago Sun-Times technology columnist Andy Ihnatko offered two fun gear-related DIYs: one on how to get VIP treatment by dressing the part of a pro photographer and the other on using a gunbelt and leg holster to hold your gear. The caption that ran in the magazine under the images of Andy below was: "How flexible is a gunbelt system for carrying your stuff? Flexible enough that you'll no longer bristle at a concert event's 'No Bags or Backpacks' policy. I keep a pouch containing iPod speakers, a canister of Pringles, and a thermos of frozen dacquiris ... or as I like to call it, the 'Date-In-A-Bag.'" Andy makes me smile, and I do love repurposing. Check it out. You can also still pick up a back issue of Volume 05, the Outdoor Issue, in the Maker Shed.

Geared Up
By Andy Ihnatko

We geeks have a crackhead-like dependence on personal electronics, gizmos, tools, and other modern fetish objects. Things like pocket computers, smartphones, LED flashlights, USB thumbdrives, multitools, ZipLinq cables, notepads, digital cameras, spare batteries, and GPS units enhance our lives in obvious and inexplicable ways, but we can't deny that living in the Push-Button World of Tomorrow greatly complicates the otherwise straightforward task of changing one's pants.

Every night, you have to empty all of your pockets. Every morning, you have to fill 'em up again. And portable pockets (in the form of belt pouches) are a mere Band-Aid solution. Unless your electronics are machine-washable, you still need to unthread them from your belt and reinstall them over and over again, morning after morning. Decent men and women change their pants every day, so what else can you do?

Well, you can head off to your nearest police supply store and buy yourself a genuine, professional duty belt. With your pouches suspended off of that wide band of stiff, thick nylon or leather (structurally speaking, it acts more like a supporting frame than a belt), a simple click of the buckle leaves 6 pounds and $1,200 worth of personal electronics hanging off your bedpost until you get dressed again in the morning. And no, whistling the Clint Eastwood theme from The Good, the Bad and the Ugly as you put it on isn't at all inappropriate.

My day-to-day gunbelt configuration consists of a medium-size pouch for my cellphone, iPod, and PDA, plus a holder for my Leatherman tool. But with a drawer full of pouches purchased over the years at various camping and photo stores, I can easily add capacity to suit the situation.

For the ultimate in added capacity and conven-ience, buy yourself a leg holster, which allows you to quick-draw your smartphone, even when you're sitting down or wearing a jacket. Tactical Tailor (tacticaltailor.com) manufactures equipment for urban SWAT units and Army Rangers. They make a "Modular Leg Rig" that can be custom-configured to your specific needs, along with a wide array of pouches that can easily be perverted to nonlethal, geeky needs and will hold everything but your PowerBook.

When I attend trade shows and conferences, my usual gunbelt is supplemented by TT's small leg rig. I've configured it with their adjustable Small Radio Pouch (which is perfect for a PDA or a chunky smartphone), a Small Utility Pouch for my camera, plus the real superstar of their line: the compact, compartmented Multi-Purpose Pouch, flexible enough to hold anything from a folding PDA keyboard to a palmcorder. You can even mount most third-party belt pouches to the leg rig, using Tactical Tailor's "Malice Clip" system.

Gunbelts are a perfect answer to the blight of personal electronics. I've been wearing one for years, and its value has only increased with recent tightening of airport and building security. Yes, indeed: I routinely walk through airport security while wearing a police gunbelt and a SWAT tactical leg holster, and I haven't been held in a windowless room without charge even once. To the contrary, screeners and passengers are relieved to encounter a geek who can get all of his personal gear on the conveyor and walk through the archway after just two seconds of fiddling with a buckle, instead of holding up the line for five minutes while he desperately curses and pats himself down.

Just, um, be sure to refer to your gunbelt as a "utility belt" while you're in the facility.

A few years ago I picked up Ken Libbrecht's Field Guide to Snowflakes, thinking any self-proclaimed snow junkie like myself should own it. A renowned snow scientist and physicist, Libbrecht's great little book taught me about snowflake fundamentals and helped me identify different types of flakes and learn what each shape tells us about the weather. Then my friend Katie got me Libbrecht's The Art of the Snowflake: A Photographic Album, a stunning coffee table book filled with snowflake photographs (like the one above) Libbrecht has taken using his snow photography rig. Recently I stumbled across his site, which details each component of his photo-microscope rig, including cost (although this part is a bit dated), perfect for trying to come up with the setup for cheaper. Check it out if you have any interest in snowflakes or micro-photography.