Why is Heather Lang fascinated with chess? Though she is a master player herself, her passion lies in coaching others, and helping guide them to the moment where they say "Ah, yes, got it!". In this video, she talks about running after-school chess clubs to get kids interested in the game.

Heather's interview is the latest installment in our Fascination series of interviews with notable scientists and technologists, sponsored by Dow Chemical.

Mackenzie Cowell is one of the founders of DIYbio.org. He is featured in the most recent of our ongoing series of video interviews with notable makers, sponsored by Dow chemical, over at elementsofhumanity.com. Mac is a big advocate, not just of the fledgling discipline of synthetic biology (or "biological engineering," as it's coming to be known), but of the idea that amateurs, hobbyists, and so-called "citizen scientists" have a meaningful role to play in its development. Check it out.

Fiorenzo 'Fio' Omenetto, a physicist turned bioengineer at Tufts University, takes a few minutes to explain his fascination with silk. Not your typical fiber artist, Fio is actually using the silk proteins as a material for building bio-compatible sensors that could be safely implanted in humans. Silk may seem like a strange material to use, however it has properties that allow biochemical components that are mixed into it to remain active. As a bonus, it can also be produced using a green, non-toxic and neutral pH process.

Fio's interview is the latest installment in our Fascination series of interviews with notable scientists and technologists.

In this installment of our ongoing series of video interviews with notable Makers and scientists, sponsored by Dow Chemical, paleontologist Louise Leakey talks about the challenges involved in finding fossils, and outlines her plan to crowdsource the search. Louise comes from a long line of Leakeys in Kenya, and is co-founder of the Turkana Basin Institute there.

Introducing Make's Fascination series: Adam Summers' Fascination with Sharks! Editor and Publisher Dale Dougherty writes:

What fascinates you about science and technology? Do you remember something that caught your interest as a kid and fascinated you? What fascinates you today in the work you do? These are basic questions that get at how we're personally motivated to explore, learn and ultimately create new ideas. I wanted to ask a group of scientists and technologists these questions and present their answers in this Fascination video series. I hope you find them and their stories as fascinating as I do.

This summer, O'Reilly organized an event with Google and Nature called SciFoo where scientists from around the world are invited to a open-ended, unstructured event on the Google Campus in Mountain View, California. At SciFoo, I interviewed a dozen or so scientists and/or technologists across a range of disciplines and interests. I wanted to know what fascinated them as a child and how that might be connected to work they do today. Each one of them demonstrates the truth of Emerson's maxim: "Nothing great is achieved without enthusiasm."

The first interview in the series is Adam Summers who works in the field of Comparative Biomechanics, a field he didn't know existed when he graduated from college. He didn't even graduate in biology. It wasn't until he found himself collecting fish on the Great Barrier Reef as a self-proclaimed "bum" that he discovered that he wanted to become a biologist. Now, "I'm interested in how sharks swim fast." Sharks don't have a rigid skeletal structure like bony fishes. "Comparative Biomechanics is one of those fields at the interface" between disciplines, says Adam.

Fascination with Sharks: Adam Summers.

Check out the complete "Nightlighter" Stun Gun Potato Cannon article in MAKE, Volume 03 "Nightlighter"
and you can see that in our Digital Edition.

MAKE, Volume 19 features a special section on robots. Learn how to make a model plane with an autopilot and a small built-in robot brain. We also show you how to make a comfortable plywood chair, a bicyclist's vest that shows how fast you're going, and projects that introduce you to servomotors. There's a free downloadable papercraft diorama featuring a robot picnic with his human and feline friends. MAKE, Volume 19, on newsstands today!

Subscribe to MAKE, or log in to check out the Digital Edition.

Subscribe to the MAKE Podcast in iTunes, or download the m4v video.

Check out the complete Cigar Box Guitar article in MAKE, Volume 04 "Cigar Box Guitar"
and you can see that in our Digital Edition.

Check out the complete DIY Teleprompter article in
MAKE, Volume 02 "No More Cue Cards" and you can see that in our Digital Edition.

Check out the complete Covert Wireless Listening Device article in
MAKE, Volume 16 "Covert Wireless Listening" and you can see that in our Digital Edition.

Check out the complete Head Mounted Water Cannon article in
MAKE, Volume 07 "Head Mounted Water Cannon" and you can see that in our Digital Edition.

After a recent post on the topic, I decided to experiment with a bit of IC decapping by way of propane torch. My first chip roast went relatively well allowing access to the precious chip within. I imagine a more evenly distributed & thorough torching would have made the hammer unnecessary - but I was happy with it as a first try.

Now I find myself in need of better optics - anyone have any microscope recommendations?

Download the m4v file or subscribe in iTunes

Update:Already some very helpful tips rolling in! -

Marc writes -

The hottest part of a flame is the tip of the inner cone (blue part). You should never touch the cone to the work-piece. (sorry, I majored in product design - metals)

Keith writes -

Boy Scout tip -- be careful heating porous rock and concrete. If it has a high moisture content and the water boils faster than it can be driven out, the rock could potentially explode.

It certainly doesn't look like that was an issue here, but one might recommend baking the moisture out at < 100°C for a while before torching.

Make some crazy musical noise with this 555 Timer-based Noisemusick Kit. Watch the video to see it in action and pick up your own at the Maker Shed.

In the Maker Shed:


In the Maker Shed: 555 Noisemusick Kit
To download The Noismusick Kit MP4 click here or subscribe in iTunes.

A brief introduction to the technology that makes it possible for today's electronics to do so much with very little space - the IC (aka microchip)!

Download the m4v file or subscribe in iTunes

Check out the complete Kinetic Remote Control article in MAKE, Volume 12 "Kinetic Remote Control"
and you can see that in our Digital Edition.

Make your own fire starter that uses compressed air and burns at 500 degrees!
Thanks to Bill Gurstelle for showing us this at Maker Faire.
To download The Fire Piston MP4 click here or subscribe in iTunes.
Pick up your own Fire Piston Kit in the Maker Shed.