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July 4, 2009

How fireworks...work

Dark night, bright flashes, ooooh, ahhhh....hmmmm, how does that work? Here is a collection of how those flashy bangs and pops do their thing.

How Stuff Works does a typically thorough job explaining the hows and whys of fireworks.

When the fuse burns into the shell, it ignites the bursting charge, causing the shell to explode. The explosion ignites the outside of the stars, which begin to burn with bright showers of sparks. Since the explosion throws the stars in all directions, you get the huge sphere of sparkling light that is so familiar at fireworks displays.

Pyrouniverse is up for giving the abstract on how they are loaded, but keep their lips sealed on the ancient family secrets.

Fireworks tubes are made by rolling thick paper tightly around a former, such as a dowel. Though they can be made by hand, most firework/tube factories use machinery to manufacture tubes.

The shells that hold the individual charges are loaded with various metals and other ingredients.

Inside a shell are pellets that, when burning, produce the colors in a fireworks explosion. Various compounds create various colors -- strontium gets you red; barium, green; copper, blue; sodium, yellow. Aluminum, titanium and magnesium brighten the flames.

The Boston fireworks show has a tradition of drawing huge, potentially panic attack producing crowds. Each of the charges have been built and are planned and manufactured for months in advance. When the time comes, they will be fired off in coordination with the music emanating from the stage.

They downloaded the soundtrack onto a specially designed computer system and began the time-consuming work of matching their arsenal of Roman Candles, Comets, Meteors, Spinning Wheels, and other fireworks with the rhythm of the music.
"You judge what to use by the feel of the music,'' Art Rozzi said. "You have to know what you've got. You have to know if you're going to shoot a lot or a little. And you have to keep in mind the finale, so you're not giving anything away.''

Though many cities have fireworks shows, lots are also dampening the fuse this year because of the expense and budget priorities. For the lucky remainders, people have been prepping the sites for the past few days and weeks.

Each firework is encased in a shell that looks like an oversized light bulb wrapped in brown paper. Inside, one fuse launches the firework like a rocket, while another has a time delay that makes it burst in the air.
The fireworks are made of gunpowder and beads that form various shapes and colors depending on the chemical pigments and how they are arranged inside. They come from all over the world, though most are from China.

[Image from Wikipedia]

The color of a compound in a firework will be the same as its color in a flame test. Not all compounds that produce a colored flame are appropriate for coloring fireworks, however. Ideal colorants will produce a pure, intense color when present in moderate concentration.

Check out the wikipedia entry for more details, and a trip around the world detailing ways that fireworks are used in other cultures.

Share with us in the comments your experiences of making and deploying fireworks.

How-To: shoot fireworks

[Photo via Digital Photography School]

So, you're heading out with the family and need something to do at the local fireworks display. How about taking some memorable photographs?

Don't keep your shutter open too long. The temptation is to think that because it's dark that you can leave it open as long as you like. The problem with this is that fireworks are bright and it doesn't take too much to over expose them, especially if your shutter is open for multiple bursts in the one area of the sky. By all means experiment with multiple burst shots - but most people end up finding that the simpler one burst shots can be best.

Shoot some great stuff, and don't forget to share with us in the Make Flickr pool. Know of any other great low light photography technique resources? Share 'em in the comments!

June 28, 2009

AIDG: water solutions

AIDG is a NonGovernmental Organization (NGO) that helps provide low technology solutions to help address environmental and health needs to people living in communities without great access to the systems that many of us consider requirements.

Here are a few of their water-based initiatives:

Solar Hot Water:

XelaTeco, with support from AIDG's wonderful interns, recently installed a solar water heating system and water tower for La Guarderia, a childcare center in Llanos del Pinal, Guatemala. La Guarderia was started by two non-profit organizations, Pop Wuj and Jóvenes Juntos, who saw the need for daycare and after school homework assistance in a community plagued by poverty, domestic violence and alcoholism.
Jóvenes Juntos requested the hot water system to promote healthy hygiene practices amongst the children served by center, particularly in the cold winter months. The presence of hot water is expected to reduce the occurrence of skin ailments, such as scabies and other rashes. This segment of the project was funded by AIDG.

Ram Pump:

As the water runs downhill from the source to the ram pump, it gains force and velocity. When this velocity reaches a determined point, the water closes a valve in the ram pump known as the "impulse" or "waste" valve. The force of the water against the now closed impulse valve causes pressure to build inside the pump. The water sends high-pressure shock waves in all directions (the "water hammer," or "ariete" in Spanish, from which the pump gets its Spanish name, "Bomba de Ariete"). These shock waves open another valve, the delivery check valve, and water squirts through reaching altitudes of up to ten times greater than the vertical distance from the water's source to the pump. An air vessel installed in the pump acts as a kind of regulator which keeps the flow at the top steady, instead of delivered in bursts, as the pump internally functions

Sand Filtration:

Properly managed sand filters remove 96%-98% of water borne pathogens such as E. Coli and Giardia, producing a positive significant impact on the health of target users. The greatest effect is expected for young children, who are extremely susceptible to diarrheal diseases caused by exposure to contaminated water. Diarrheal disease causes approximately 2 million deaths per year among children in developing countries.

The World Health Organization has some good documentation on sand filtration technology.

To find out more about AIDG, check out their blog and their photos.

Make your own radio programming

[Photo from MetroMode]

Michael Jackson's death caused radio's roboprogrammers to take a back seat for a while. Increasingly, over the past few decades, broadcast radio has ceased to be a local affair. As the FCC regulations on local ownership of media outlets has faded towards corporate behemoths, radio programming more and more these days is done by databases and distant decision makers. For those of us who remember real radio dj's who made personal decisions about what song would come next, this has driven us more towards our own music collection, rather than being stuck listening to the corporate drivel. Pandora and Last.fm are okay, but they lack the personal touch.

With Michael Jackson's death announcement, the clacker driven music machine was taken off line, if only for a few hours and only on a few stations. Human beings again ruled the airwaves of some radio stations.

"It's a good reminder of what live radio can do, of the role that radio can play in bringing a community together,'' said Scott Fybush, editor of Northeast Radio Watch in Rochester, N.Y.
Many stations no longer have live announcers, using canned voices for part or all of the day, and so can't react to a major news event, he said.

DJ Deirdre Dagata, 39, has been working at Mix 98.5 part time since May, after being replaced at Kiss 108 by recorded programming the month before. And yesterday, she was back in action for the biggest radio day in memory.

Dagata was in constant motion during her 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. shift. Sitting in an elevated office chair in front of four computer screens, she punched blinking phone lines, tapped on keys, and slid knobs - simultaneously editing recorded calls and fielding a steady stream of new ones from listeners who wanted to share stories about Jackson.

Back in the day, I recall listening to the radio knowing something unique was happening. The radio announcers had their own tastes in music, and they helped to create a following around their musical tastes. Sometimes there was dead air as the dj missed the cue for a variety of human reasons, some more innocent than others. This caused me to volunteer at and work at several radio stations in the 1980's and 1990's. I actually chose my university because I liked the on air feel of the campus radio station, which turned out to be a very influential organization for me. At the station, I did on-air work, production of public service announcements, newscasts, dj training, and eventually became Program Director. The audience's active listenership of the music and programming was exciting to be involved with.

Back then, radio was a public service to be provided to the community, not just a marketing opportunity. Almost radio programming was done with people at the microphones, nearly always they were playing actual records, tapes or cds. Even the commercials were created in-house, except those for national campaigns.

Do you miss real radio? There are a bunch of college radio stations around, and most of them depend on the student body and sometimes local community members to create their programming. With web streaming, it is possible to listen way beyond the broadcast range of your favorite station. WERS in Boston plays a good mix curated by communications students. KEXP in Seattle has a wonderful mix of live performances and genuine djs choosing the music they play. Transom and Youth Radio are helping to cultivate the new voices of radio that we need. Public Radio Exchange has a channel on XM radio, and features a mix of voices that you may not have heard before.

With podcasting and the great suite of computer software and hardware available for free, just about everybody has the radio recording studio in their laptop, desktop, cellphone and digital camera that I had in my bedroom as a high school kid. If you want to broadcast, you may want to build your own transmitter. Sending out your homebrew radio programming out to your house or close neighbors could be a neat experience. You could record some short pieces like songs, jokes, or seque buffers, drop them into your music library and set your music player loose, sending your personalized radio program out to the transmitter.

Radio used to be a LOT of fun as a listener and programmer. Now the tools are much easier to get and use for us regular folks. Hopefully, the corporations will lighten up on their centralized programming and return to the human touch of radio, but even if they don't we can realize that we can choose what radio we listen to or create. If you have any stories of making your own or listening to real radio, pirate or otherwise, tell us in the comments.

June 14, 2009

Where's all the CNC kerf-bending?

Here's a traditional wood-bending technique that seems ready-made for CNC millers, and yet I can't find much online evidence that it's being done.

To make a kerf-bend, the wood is first corrugated on the inside of the intended radius. The width, depth, number, and spacing of the kerfs all affect the qualities of the finished bend. The open kerfs are flooded with glue, and the bend is made and clamped in place until the glue dries. Stuart Lees of Stu's Shed has a nice piece on the subject.

I imagine it's tedious work, cutting all those kerfs, at least if you're doing it manually with traditional tools, like a table saw or a fence router. And perhaps more intimidating, for some, is the mathematics of figuring out just how many kerfs you need, and just how thick, deep, and widely spaced they ought to be to achieve a particular radius. Yet both functions can be performed automatically by a CNC system--the cutting by the hardware and the calculating by the software.

In fact, it seems like such a natural fit that I'm having a hard time believing it's not already out there. So sound off, CNC-millers: Who's doing this today, and where can I learn more about it?

June 13, 2009

A sightseer's guide to engineering

If you are looking for a way to smarten up your travels, you may want to look into the Sightseer's Guide to Engineering provided by the National Society of Professional Engineers and National Engineers Week.

From the entry on the Tacoma Narrows Bridge:

To engineers, crossing the Tacoma Narrows presented more of an economic challenge. Originally it was hoped the federal government would help pay for an $11 million bridge that would cut at least 40 miles off the trip between Tacoma and Bremerton. After the federal government refused, the state turned to Leon Moisseiff, who calculated that a thin-plate girder type bridge could be built for only $6.4 million. The collapse of the bridge shocked the engineering community, and the lessons learned did a lot to shape future American bridge building. The replacement bridge, built in 1950, is one of the largest suspension bridges in the world.

There are entries for each of the states, though it appears that they could use some suggestions for additional places for engineering minded vacation spots. Via Celeste.

June 12, 2009

Belizean boats in Cholula

Replicas of actual old boats and sailboats - Last photo: replica of engine boat Rum punch.

Shermac is a Belizean friend who comes to Cholula two or three times a year for a couple of months. He's made these boats since he was a boy, in his hometown Mullin's River, to play boat races in the river and later, in Caye Caulker island, as a handicraft that attracts the attention and desire to own one of tourists and locals alike. These boats are made of three types of wood mainly: moho, pine, and Santa Maria. Sometimes he also uses mahogany. Moho, Shermac's favorite, is a very light tropical wood that floats like cork when it dries completely; so it is ideal to make sailboats. Pine is the heaviest and hardest wood - and, therefore, more fragile for this kind of work - and Shermac uses it to make replicas of engine boats (or Belikin boats), fishing boats, and yachts. The Santa Maria wood is the most flexible of the three; it is also light and boats made with it sail pretty well in the sea.

Shermac uses very simple tools for the process. The first step is shaping the piece of wood with a machete and sometimes a coping saw. Then, with a smaller sharp knife - and I mean any knife, even a kitchen knife, as long as it is sharp -, he cuts away any bumps from the surface and begins working on the details, as in engine boats where he has to carve a rectangular hole that represents the cargo deposit in real boats. Afterwards, he rubs the surface with sandpaper until it is smooth and gives the final touches to the boat. He does this by hand.

Once this part is finished, he makes the details with plywood and glues them on, like the cabins on the engine boats (whose interiors in the photo are painted white to cover up the porosity of the wood). For the sailboats, Shermac carves and paints bamboo masts - bamboo is also used to make the masts of real sailboats. The last step is painting the boats. Shermac uses wood paint diluted with thinner and lets the boats dry in the shade, since putting them in the sun would bring up bubbles on the paint coat. Again, for the sailboats, after painting and placing the mast, Shermac cuts, sews, and puts the cloth sails which he obviously does himself with no more than scissors, thread, and needle. Depending on the size and type of boat, Shermac finishes a boat in approximately three days. These boats are a clear example of the inventiveness and creativity put to work with little resources that we can find a bit further down the Rio Bravo. Thanks, Shermac!

Make: es Español

June 11, 2009

How-To: Knap an arrowhead from a beer bottle

(Image courtesy of Kevin Dunn, whose book Caveman Chemistry, along with a bunch of other cool hands-on projects, contains a chapter on knapping in bottle glass. Thanks Kevin!)

Anybody else read Snow Crash? Remember the big scary Aleut who likes to steal warheads from nuclear submarines using only his canoe and handmade glass knife? Remember how, when you first read that book, you kinda wanted to be that guy? Well, I'm here telling you: It's not too late to become the baddest mango-farmer in the world. After all, even Raven had to start somewhere, and apparently chipping an arrowhead out of bottle glass is the "hello world" of the flintknapping user community. Mike Melbourne and Tim Rast's venerable tutorial shows you how.

June 10, 2009

In the Maker Shed: The Ballistic Bundle

Announcing our new bundles available exclusively in the Maker Shed. William "Bill" Gurstelle is an award-winning writer, licensed engineer, bestselling author and professional speaker (not to mention MAKE Magazine contributing editor and producer on Make: television). We like the guy, we like the way he thinks. We think you'll like him too, which is why we've created the Ballistic bundle.

The Ballistic Bundle includes:

Backyard Ballistics $16.95 value
Whoosh! Boom! Splat! $16.95 value
Make Vol. 3 $14.99 value
Barrage Garage Vol. 1 DVD $19.99 value

All for the discounted price of $48. That's an amazing 46% off the price if you purchased these items individually. Take advantage of this amazing deal before it's too late.

More about the Ballistic bundle in the Maker Shed

June 7, 2009

Tool drool: Park Tools

[Photo from Park Tools]

Mike writes in the comments:

It's good to learn how to maintain anything that you use and bicycles are one of those few things that people own that you can still do this with only $100 worth of tools.

One of the best websites I've found for bicycle maintenance is on the Park Tools website. They have guides for doing lots and lots of things, and how to do them properly.

Indeed, this seems like a good resource. All the repair how-tos have a printable version that pops up, giving you a way to keep your keyboard clean during your bike repair projects. It might even make sense to print a copy of the most used repairs in your shop and keep them in page protectors, handy near the bench for quick reference. The tool list is worth checking out, too.

From their Home Mechanic Tool Lists page:

Maintaining your own bike can be fun, but it can also be confusing at times to know which tools you will need to perform the service you want. Below are a series of recommended tool lists for general maintenance of the average road or off-road bike. Attempt to develop two sets of tools- one for inside a seat bag for on-the-trail/road use, and another set for home use.

The page goes on to list a collection of tools, some of which they manufacture, others that you can pick up locally.

[Thanks Mike!]

June 1, 2009

Experiments with homebrew CIS

So-called Continuous Ink Systems (CIS) are after-market goodies that attach to your inkjet printer, replacing the pricey consumable ink cartridges with permanent cartridge-heads that are continuously refilled from external ink bottles connected by silicone tubing. So to replace the ink in the printer, you just pour more ink in the bottles. Here's a good review of an aftermarket CIS system priced at $250 (which still seems like a lot to me since it's basically just a couple hundred grams of injection molded plastics.)

The idea of a CIS is simple enough, and beautifully subversive of the military-industrial-inkjet complex, but it's received surprisingly little attention from the DIY community. Eddie Matejowsky of Brisbane, Australia, has one of the very few pages I could find on DIY CIS, and its records of his experiments--both successful and otherwise--make very interesting reading for those interested in the idea.

Know of other cool pages about this? Drop me a link in the comments!

May 24, 2009

Electric Cars Are For Girls

[Image from Electric Vehicles are for Girls]

Nikki Bloomfield pointed this one out to me yesterday while we were talking about EVs.

The idea here is that if you want to do an electric car conversion, but are not fully confident, you can join others and take an online course through the Electric Cars are for Girls site. The site is already a decent source for EV information. There is a good description of the project on Auto Blog Green:

Converting a liquid-fueled vehicle to electric drive is nothing new, but, if you've never done it before, then everything can be fresh and totally overwhelming. For those of you interested in trying a conversion project, the fine folks at Electric Cars Are For Girls are here to help. The site is getting ready to put EV conversion classes online using the same materials and demonstrations that they use in local classes. The project is called EV University, and they are currently running a survey to find out what would be most useful to home mechanics. The classes will include written materials, videos, lectures with slides and a chance to interact with the instructors. Help them out by taking the survey. If you want to help them out more, they are also looking for people to teach the courses.

This is a new project, looking for participants. Right now the site is in "seed mode" with starter bits of information in place with a promise of more to come. Nikki is up for teaching a class on Plug In Hybrid Electric Vehicles or PHEVs. They have a survey up asking for people to tell what they are interested in learning on the EV subject. If you have a huge bucket of knowledge on the subject, maybe you teach a class?

May 14, 2009

In the Maker Shed: Learn to solder bundle

Announcing our new bundles available exclusively in the Maker Shed. This time it's our Learn to solder bundle. This bundle includes a bunch of great products that will get you on your way to being a soldering pro in no time. Keep an eye out for a lot more great bundles exclusively in the Maker Shed.

The Learn to solder bundle includes:

(1) Learn to Solder Kit $14.95 value
(1) Solder Practice Kit $9.95 value
(1) Maker's Notebook $19.99 value
(1) MAKE Volume 01 $14.99 value (featuring a learn to solder article)

All of these items are bundled together for the discounted price of $39.95. That's more than 30% off if you were to purchase them individually.

More about the Learn to solder bundle in the Maker Shed

May 13, 2009

Programming AVRs with Eclipse

MightyOhm points out this tutorial covering some basic setup for using the Eclipse programming software with AVR chips. If you're not familiar, Eclipse is a cross-platform open-source development environment that uses plugins to expand compatibility with different coding languages. The AVR plugin can be found here and the software can even be configured to make use of the Arduino library.

I was actually just discussing Eclipse + AVR/Arduino with my brother just last week - but have yet to give it a go myself. So I'm wondering - any code-makers out there using the combo? If so, please give your take in the comments.

May 1, 2009

Killer crochet

I first saw Howie Woo's work on Neatorama, but then quickly spent way too much time on his site checking out all his killer (get it?) crochet projects, from dynamite to ray guns, to cigarettes. This guy has talent! And a wacky sense of humor, which is a mighty fine combination IMHO. (Be sure to check out his homemade videos!)

This Canadian native describes his work as "crochet creations inspired by life's fun oddities," and if his blog is to be believed, he's a crochet newbie who hasn't even been crocheting amigurumi for a year. Dude, did I mention he's got talent?! His work has inspired me to pull out my Visual Crochet how-to book and to give learning crochet another chance!

April 26, 2009

G1 PhoneTar

Photo from Connors934 on Flickr

Do you have a phone with a touch screen? Have you tried out some music applications and found the thing a bit awkward to hold? Last year I saw some people messing with guitar application on their phones at the Boston Fab Lab and it got me thinking. When I finally got around to getting a phone, making a PhoneTar was up high on the list of things I 'needed' it for. I did some early testing with the laser cutter for sizing and fit, and the project sat for a while.

When I saw the video of "Kids," the project got reactivated.

Mine is the G1 model of PhoneTar, and though I haven't found many instrument apps for it, I have found that it works fairly well as a stabilizer when taking pictures. It can also work on the dashboard as a way of holding the phone while showing maps, but it would need a way different profile for that.

Want to give it a try? Here is a zip file with the Open Office Draw document I used to cut the part and a pdf of it as well: PhoneTar-G1Tar.zip

To turn it into an iPhoneTar, iTouchTar or possibly a BerryTar wouldn't be too hard, you would need to get measurements of your phone, and change the size and possibly the location of the hole. Different models will have alternate locations for the headphone jack as well.

Looking into the future for the project, I see a need for the right hand to do something. A module down there for strumming or touching contacts would be nice, and could probably be connected to the phone with bluetooth or usb. It would also be nice to have a sound scoop behind the speaker so that it directs the audio towards the audience. A mounted amplifier would be festive as well. It could also be configured for use with the Arduino and Drawdio, both of which can be found in the Maker Shed.

This is not intended to be about a finished project, but rather a step in the Design Process. It does work, but there are many ways it could go from here. My hope is to stir you to action (if you are so inclined) and imagine a new way of seeing your music, phone or other devices. If these ideas gets you thinking, give it a shot and let us know what you come up with!

April 24, 2009

Wake up your fish feeder

Cheap automatic aquarium feeder on the go. - More DIY How To Projects

Zach, one of my 9th grade students showed me this last week.

Hey, maybe you should really mess with your fish by modifying this idea to feed them every time you download files to your thumb drive. It really could be feast or famine, depending on what your file habits are. If you want something more involved, then check out John Park's excellent VCR cat feeder build.

Maker Revolution this weekend in Cambridge

Jimmie has this followup on his announcement for Maker Revolution in Boston this Saturday and Sunday:

The event can pretty much be summed up as a two day extravaganza of makers, hackers, and artists getting together to share cool things they've made, and how to make them. There will be installation art pieces, workshops, and talks. You'll be able to both see an Arduino in use for an art piece, purchase one, and even learn how to use it. There will be workshops as well, so you can learn to circuit bend, or build your own TV-B-Gone with the inventor, Mitch Altman. The Makerbot will also make an appearance, and Bre Pettis will be on hand demonstrating rapid prototyping and how it can change your life.
A number of Boston area makers and artists will also be presenting,
showing off some of the their works. This is a good way to find out
about things going on in the area, and how you can become involved.
From building music and sound installations, to designing your own
video games, and even trying a shot of your own DNA. There is sure to
be at least one art piece or talk that you will find interesting. It
is also very conveniently located just a few minute's walk from the
Kendall T stop.

Watch here for updates! If you are going, add your photos to the MAKE Flickr pool.

Posted by Chris Connors | Apr 24, 2009 12:00 PM
Announcements, Arduino, Arts, Computers, Crafts, Culture jamming, DIY Projects, Education, Electronics, Events, Gadgets, How it's made, Kids, Makers, Music, Open source hardware, Robotics, Science, Something I want to learn to do... | Permalink | Comments (1) | Email Entry | Suggest a Site

April 23, 2009

In the Maker Shed: Pinewood Derby Designs and Patterns book

The Pinewood Derby Designs and Patterns book from the Maker Shed is on sale now as part of our Spring-cleaning sale. This book is loaded with great designs for making the ultimate pinewood derby racer.

Build the coolest car in the pinewood derby! In this ultimate design guide, Troy Thorne - woodworker, artist and derby-winning dad - shares his expert tips, techniques and amazing patterns so parents and scouts of any skill can build a jaw-dropping, prize-winning car that's quick out of the gate. Officially licensed by the Boy scouts of America, this valuable guide provides 34 amazing patterns and designs along with step-by-step instructions for building a High-Wing Racer, a Stock Car and a Vintage Racecar. Techniques and tips for creating custom decals, applying a high-quality finish, and prepping the car's wheels, axles, and weight for the race are also included.

Check out the Pinewood Derby Designs and Patterns book from the Maker Shed

April 22, 2009

Home automation gear

[Image from Smart Home USA]

Want to get on the smart grid bandwagon without having to wait for the mature technology to be delivered by your utility? Here are some features you can add to your house now that will allow you to remotely control and schedule your energy use. If you can control the time and duration of your usage, you can get a better handle on your expenses and your carbon footprint.

Programmable thermostats are one of the best ways to control your energy usage. These devices allow you to turn your home's heating plant on or off when you know you'll be home and awake. I have used one for more than ten years and am amazed that more people don't. Mine came as the result of an energy audit, paid for by the energy conservation surcharge on my utility bill. Newer thermostats have features that allow you to control them with a computer, but even the simpler, older ones like mine use a clock and allow you to set a schedule for heating by day and hour. Turning your house on before you wake up can at least make for a more pleasant trip to the kitchen first thing in the morning, if you've turned the heat down for the night.

[Image from Home Power]

Home Power Magazine has a decent collection of low-tech solutions. While not exactly "smart," you can go a long way by deploying these techniques before jumping into a more complex home energy-management project.

DIY Home Automation has a round-up of energy saving resources:

Home automation technology is becoming as synonymous with sustainability as it is with convenience. Incorporating smart home technology into a new or existing structure makes it easier to reduce energy consumption and the carbon footprint (your impact on the environment) a home or business creates. Why go green? Our actions over the last 50 years, such as the burning of fossil fuels and deforestation, have led to increased greenhouse gases (like carbon dioxide emissions and methane) which in turn cause global warming. Environmental responsibility is everyone's responsibility, so do your part by making simple changes that not only help the earth, but will also save you money and add convenience to your home. With many new easy to install home automation products readily available, it's now simpler than ever to automate your home and go green at the same time!

X10 can be a good starter system, but it does have some drawbacks. X10 is easy to set up. Basically, you just plug in a few modules and start using it to control lights and other devices in your home. It uses the wiring in your home as its communications network. When I used some X10 modules in a previous home, it didn't work out very well, because of the trickle-charge killed off a number of compact fluorescent light bulbs. There are usually some good starter deals at X10.com which allow you to try it out for a small investment. You can control devices with remote control clickers, and also through computer-based modules.

The Museum of Science and Industry has an exhibit of a model smart home. Their resources section provides some good leads and reads.

The award-winning Tweet-a-Watt, from adafruit industries, helps you monitor and share your electricity usage via Twitter. There are a number of ways for you to store, monitor, distribute, and display your energy usage data. As the collection of electricity data grows, the project will be enriched by a community of dedicated volunteer and professional participants. [Editor's note: Look for the full project details on building your own Tweet-a-Watt modules in MAKE, Volume 18.)

This project involved hacking a common Kill-a-Watt power meter to transmit data wirelessly usign an Xbee to my computer (Mac), and then upload the data to two different websites (Pachube.com & Google App Engine) to display graphically...

A much simpler and more useful alternative to plotting with Google is to use Pachube. Pachube allows you to upload your live data and share it with others. Likewise, you can use other people's data feeds to control something locally or use many feeds to make composite plots, etc. The data is submitted using a fairly simple protocol called Extended Environments Markup Language (EEML) which you can learn about at Pachube.

[Image from Agilewaves]

Brad suggests Agilewaves for monitoring electricity, and Lutron for lighting and shade control.

Set bedroom shades to open at precisely the moment you wish to rise -- next best thing to a personal valet Custom shades and drapes can operate automatically, according to the time or day or light level, or with the press of a single button.

[Image from Wired]

Looking into the future, Wired has a good feature on smart grids and their place in present and the future.

A smart grid requires smart electric meters that let households track and manage their power consumption in real time. The Obama administration wants 40 million homes to have technology like this installed within the next three years. But smart meters require smart consumers--or at least attentive ones--and most people don't think about their energy use until it's time to pay the bill or until the lights go out.

What are you using to control your energy usage? Is it more important to see it as a financial challenge or an environmental solution? Here in the States, we generally have flat-rate electric metering, but in other countries, time-of-day metering is more common. If you live in a place where you're charged peak and off-peak rates, maybe you could share your experiences with that system.

Editor's Note: This post is part of a series of posts sponsored by GE. GE had nothing to do with the content of the article and no control over Make: Online editorial. -Gareth