MAKE Magazine: MAKE Playlist

Noisebridge visit - Amazing hacker space in San Francisco, CA

Sat, 24 Oct 2009 14:59:11 -0800

Here are some photos from my visit to Noisebridge, an amazing hacker space in San Francisco, CA.

Noisebridge is an educational non-profit corporation, 501(c)3 public charity status.

We provide infrastructure and collaboration opportunities for people interested in programming, hardware hacking, physics, chemistry, mathematics, photography, security, robotics, all kinds of art, and, of course, technology. Through talks, workshops, and projects we encourage knowledge exchange, learning, and mentoring.

As a space for artistic collaboration and experimentation, we are open to all types of art - with a special emphasis on the crossover of art and technology. From hardware labs to electronics, cooking, photography, and sound labs, anything that's creative is welcome.

Many interesting things are happening at all times. Sharing is essential to making this work. We believe in starting from a point of respect and trust. We believe it builds a safe community and that this will foster innovation and creation. Our code of conduct is "Be excellent to each other".

MAKE: television Episode 6 - Music Machines & Trebuchet

Thu, 23 Jul 2009 14:00:00 -0800

Enter the plugged-in world of Tim Kaiser, a maker who fashions experimental musical instruments from scavenged objects. In the Workshop John Park assembles a portable trebuchet from plastic plumbing pipe, and circuit bender Bianca Pettis demystifies the art of soldering. The Maker Channel presents a Smash Bat that snaps moment-of-impact photos, a drum synthesizer played with Skittles, a pedal-powered tennis ball launcher, and an evil mouse that causes the cursor to misbehave when moved. Watch in HD at blip.

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Make: television Episode 10

Sat, 16 May 2009 06:00:00 -0800

Here's another chance to see Make: television - Episode 10

Visit SparkLab founder and designer Syuzi Pakhchyan, a maker who explores the new frontier of high tech and fashion with her space age handiwork. In the Workshop, John Park shows us how to build a guitar out of a piece of wood, some string, nails and a cigar box. Then he "makes it rock" by wiring it to a buck-fifty cassette-player amp. In a Hidden Treasures segment, Mister Jalopy opens up his Chevy Camaro's cassette player to show us the beauty and value of clear schematics for makers like him. The Maker Channel features a sunlight-triggered poem, a pedal-powered blender, a time lapse photography rig, and a handmade theremin.

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Make: television Episode 9

Sat, 09 May 2009 06:00:00 -0800

Meet CCRMA, a group of musical makers who stretch the sonic boundaries by turning personal computers into an electronic symphony. In the Workshop, John Park hacks a Wii controller and turns it into a personal flight recorder that can measure the G forces of roller coasters and other high-speed activities. In the Toolbox segment, William Gurstelle demonstrates the slick, back-cutting action of a super-sharp Japanese saw. The Maker Channel features a tesla coil-powered guitar amp, an RFID reader implanted in a human hand, and LED fan sign to bring to baseball games, and a solar powered bicycle gondola.

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Make: television Episode 8

Sat, 02 May 2009 05:00:00 -0800

We journey upstream with environmentalist Dan McCormick, a maker who crafts intricate watershed sculptures out of woven willow. In the Workshop, John Park shows how to build lively and inexpensive miniature robots. Mister Jalopy reveals the hidden treasures of his "Compact Childhood Museum." The Maker Channel segment features French fries shot from a spud gun, freeline skates that ride like a skateboard, an Asteroids game wrist watch, and a motorized wheel chair that shoots flames.

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MAKE: television Episode 10: Wearable Technology & Cigar Box Guitar

Sat, 07 Mar 2009 06:00:06 -0800

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Maker Profile - Wearable Technology on Make: television

Sat, 07 Mar 2009 06:00:04 -0800

Visit SparkLab founder and designer Syuzi Pakhchyan, a maker who explores the new frontier of high tech and fashion with her space age handiwork. Syuzi attaches LED's and audio recording devices to clothing to craft unique sound and light wearables. Then see the very first maker of electric fashion.

Learn more about Syuzi Pakhchyan at http://www.sparklab.la.

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Maker Workshop - Cigar Box Guitar on Make: television

Sat, 07 Mar 2009 06:00:03 -0800

With a piece of oak, some string and a cigar box, John Park creates a three-stringed guitar. The cigar box acts as the resonating soundboard for the instrument. John then wires the guitar to a buck-fifty cassette-player amp and makes it really rock.

Check out the PDF for this project.

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Maker to Maker - Camaro Cassette Deck on Make: television

Sat, 07 Mar 2009 06:00:01 -0800

In this Hidden Treasures segment, Mister Jalopy opens up his Chevy Camaro's cassette player to show us the beauty and value of clear schematics for makers like him.

Check out Mister Jalopy's blog, Hoopty Rides.

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Maker Channel Ep. 10 - Sunlight poem, Pedal-powered blender, Handmade theremin, Time-lapse camera

Sat, 07 Mar 2009 06:00:00 -0800

Make: television presents:

Sunlight Poem - Ji Yeon Song's one-day poem projector made of cardboard and sunlight.
Pedal-Powered Blender - David Butcher outfits a bike with a generator that can run a blender.
Handmade Theremin- Lorin Parker's theremin works great and sounds even better.
Time-lapse Camera - Jay Burlage hacks into a clock to create an inexpensive way of taking panning time-lapse photography. Watch more of Jay's videos at his YouTube channel.

[Trouble Maker] Cellphone Jammer - Limor Fried made a handheld RF emitter that can disrupts cellphone signals. Never overhear awkward conversations again!

Submit a video of your own project at makerchannel.org.

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Make: television Episode 9: Computer Making Music & Personal Flight Recorder

Sat, 28 Feb 2009 05:00:07 -0800

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Maker Profile - Computer Making Music on Make: television

Sat, 28 Feb 2009 05:00:05 -0800

Meet CCRMA, a group of musical makers who stretch the sonic boundaries by turning personal computers into an electronic symphony. Based at Stanford University, CCRMA teams composers, artists and acoustical researchers together to meld music with new technology and explore the outer limits of audio from playground-activated sounds to laptop orchestras. Then see the origins of the synthesizer.

Learn more about CCRMA at http://ccrma.stanford.edu/, or visit Chris Warren's website and blog.

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Maker Workshop - Personal Flight Recorder on Make: television

Sat, 28 Feb 2009 05:00:04 -0800

John Park hacks a Wii controller and turns it into a personal flight recorder that can sense and measure the stomach-churning G forces of roller coasters and other high-speed, high-risk activities.

Download the PDF for this project.

Download the Personal Flight Recorder program for the Arduino.

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Maker to Maker - Japanese Saw on Make: television

Sat, 28 Feb 2009 05:00:01 -0800

In this Toolbox segment, William Gurstelle demonstrates the slick, back-cutting action of a super-sharp Japanese saw.

Get the m4v, subscribe in iTunes, watch on YouTube or Blip.

Maker Channel Ep. 9 - Tesla coil guitar, RFID implant, LED fan sign, Solar-powered gondola

Sat, 28 Feb 2009 05:00:00 -0800

Make: television presents:

Tesla coil guitar - Steve Connor plays his tesla coil guitar amplifier
RFID implant - Amal Graafstra opens locks and other devices with his hand-implanted RFID tag.
LED fan sign - Kip Kedersha lights up the baseball bleachers with his homemade sign.
Solar-powered Gondola - Reno Tondelli takes us on a spin with his Solar Powered Bicycle Gondola.

Submit a video of your own project at makerchannel.org.

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MAKE: television Episode 8: Watershed Sculptures & Miniature Robots

Sat, 21 Feb 2009 05:00:06 -0800

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Maker Profile - Watershed Sculptures on Make: television

Sat, 21 Feb 2009 05:00:04 -0800

Journey upstream with environmentalist Dan McCormick, a maker who crafts intricate watershed sculptures out of woven willow branches. Dan places his eco-art in gullies and riverbanks to help reduce erosion and filter out sediment and farm fertilizers that can clog streams and suffocate spawning salmon. And see other manmade structures built to help fish return to their origins.

Learn more about Dan McCormick at http://www.landviews.org/la2003/meaning-dm.html, or check out his blog.

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Maker Workshop - Miniature Robots on Make: television

Sat, 21 Feb 2009 05:00:03 -0800

John Park builds some lively and inexpensive miniature robots. Starting with a simple vibrabot made from a scrub brush, John assembles a solar junkbot and a slightly more complex beetlebot, which has paper clip 'feelers' attached to switches that allow it to respond to its environment. All it takes are a few common electronic components and some everyday objects and you can make an entertaining robot all your own.

Check out the PDF for details on how to build your own bots.

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Maker to Maker - Compact Museum on Make: television

Sat, 21 Feb 2009 05:00:01 -0800

In this Hidden Treasures segment, Mister Jalopy reveals the wonders of a Skippy Peanut Butter jar he bought at a garage sale that is chockfull of a kid's treasures circa the 1950's.

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Maker Channel Ep. 8 - Uber Tuber, Freeline Skates, Asteroids Watch, Moto Wheelchair

Sat, 21 Feb 2009 05:00:00 -0800

Make: television presents:

Uber Tuber - Zack Gens and Ted Groessling slice and French fry potatoes with each blast of an air cannon.
Freeline Skates - Ryan Farrelly's skates are made to simply step on and ride like two mini-skateboards.
Asteroids Watch - John Maushamer's watches tell time while playing Asteroids and Pong.
Motorized Wheelchair - Lance Greathouse's custom wheelchair shoots flames.

Submit a video of your own project at makerchannel.org.

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MAKE: television Episode 7: Urban Projections & Wind Generator

Sat, 14 Feb 2009 05:00:06 -0800

Bike along with Ali Momeni and his fleet of mobile video projectors that transform public spaces into massive sound and light shows. In the Workshop, John Park combines a used treadmill motor and PVC pipe to build a wind generator, and William Gurstelle tests hardware on a giant trebuchet. The Maker Channel features a balloon organ, a ball-fetching autonomous robot, and a lie-detector wristband.

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Maker Profile - Public Projections on MAKE: television

Sat, 14 Feb 2009 05:00:04 -0800

Ride along with Ali Momeni and his bicycle fleet of mobile video projectors that transform public spaces into eye-popping sound and light shows. Ali's group, 'Art on Wheels' brings ephemeral art to the masses by modifying vendor carts into portable projection systems that can roll to a site, set up and illuminate city walls at a moment's notice, then whisk away into the night. Also, see the first projector, the "magic lantern," that's still in use today.

Learn more about Ali Momeni and Art on Wheels at minneapolisartonwheels.org/.

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Maker Workshop - Wind Power Generator on MAKE: television

Sat, 14 Feb 2009 05:00:03 -0800

Taking a motor from an old exercise treadmill and some PVC pipe, John Park constructs a wind-powered generator. The electrical power may not be enough to get your home off the grid, but the great thing about the project is how it explains in simple terms the technology involved in turning wind into free electricity.

Check out the PDF for details. Plus, take a look at the original article from Volume 5 of Make: magazine

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Maker to Maker - Load-Release Devices on MAKE: television

Sat, 14 Feb 2009 05:00:01 -0800

In this Toolbox segment, William Gurstelle introduces us to unique load-release devices like the panic snap and the pelican hook which he applies to his giant trebuchet.

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Maker Channel Ep. 7 - Balloon Organ, Ball-fetching Robot, Truth Wristband

Sat, 14 Feb 2009 05:00:00 -0800

Make: television Presents:

Balloon Organ - Fran Holland's bagpipe-sounding musical balloon instrument.

Ball-Fetching Robot - Mark Whitney's autonomous dog-like robot that can follow and fetch a ball.

Truth Wristband - Sean Montgomery's wristband that uses technology similar to what's in lie detectors. Check out Sean's website for more info

Submit a video of your own project at www.makerchannel.org.

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MAKE: television Episode 6 - Music Machines & Trebuchet

Sat, 07 Feb 2009 05:00:06 -0800

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Maker Profile - Music Machines on Make: television

Sat, 07 Feb 2009 05:00:05 -0800

Enter the plugged-in world of Tim Kaiser, a maker who creates experimental musical instruments from scavenged objects. Tim seeks out unique sounds everywhere he goes plucking chimes out of grandfather clocks and jingle mechanisms from children's toys. And he doesn't stop there - his electronic instruments have to look cool, too. So, Tim houses them in wildly inventive containers. Then meet the musical maverick who inspired him, Harry Partch.

Learn more about Tim Kaiser at www.timkaiser.org.

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Maker Workshop - Portable Trebuchet on Make: television

Sat, 07 Feb 2009 05:00:04 -0800

What's it like to have a five-foot long throwing arm? Just watch as John Park builds a portable trebuchet that can fling water balloons fifty yards. Unlike Medieval trebuchets that were constructed out of giant timbers and stout materials, this human-powered version is made out of cheap, easy-to-assemble ABS plumbing pipe. The perfect weapon for hurling rotten fruit at your enemies.

Check out the PDF for this project.

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Maker to Maker - Soldering on Make: television

Sat, 07 Feb 2009 05:00:01 -0800

In this Toolbox tutorial, Bianca Pettis demystifies the art of soldering as she applies it to circuit bending a keyboard to make bizarre sounds. Bianca is one half of the circuit bending band Beatrix Jar.

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Maker Channel - Episode 106, Smash Bat, I Eat Beats, Tennis Launcher, Evil Mouse

Sat, 07 Feb 2009 05:00:00 -0800

Make: television presents:

Smash Bat - Walter Kitundu and Luigi Anzivino rig a baseball bat to flash photos at the exact moment of impact with some leftover fruit.

I Eat Beats - Kyle McDonald's drum synthesizer played with Skittles.

Tennis Ball Launcher - Daniel Bauen's pedal- powered tennis ball launcher built from two recycled bicycles.

[Trouble Maker] Evil Mouse - Joe Bowers hacks into a mouse that causes the cursor to misbehave when moved.

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