Make: Online: The Maker File Archives

Archive: The Maker File

December 3, 2008

Maker dad saves babies

George DeCell got scared, then when he didn't get the support he needed from the government or industry, he got Making. Many parents go around the house and kidproof their digs. Child locks on knobs, latches on drawers and cabinets, and outlet plugs are all supposed to make children safer and leave their parents at ease about safety. But when George's daughter choked on one of those very safety devices, he petitioned the US Consumer Product Safety Commission to make regulations to bring outlet caps into line with the requirements for baby pacifiers. When they didn't respond quickly enough, George DeCell decided to make his own solution.

What would you have done? Could you/should you modify the outlet plugs in your house? Do you see unsafe products around you? What would you do to fix them? Do you know how to help people bring great life saving ideas to market? Add your suggestions and ideas to the comments section, and add photos and video to the Make Flickr pool.

April 28, 2008

MAKE Interview: DIY video mixers and more with Karl Klomp

"OSD-glitcher", (Klomp, 2006, 2007)

Interview/Article by Jonah Brucker-Cohen

In the multifarious world of circuit bending outdated audio and video sampling devices, there is a strong community of artists and makers who are pushing the envelope on their designs with each new incarnation of their work. One of these impresarios is Dutch artist and maker, Karl Klomp. Klomp's work includes modded video samplers and intricately bent video descramblers and sync generators that change their visual output based on audio feeds and are completely customizable through many switches, knobs, and other sensor inputs. Make recently caught up with Klomp to discuss his approach to building these devices and to discover exactly how many custom knobs are necessary to generate the optimal bent performance.

More images and full Interview at the link below.

Read full story

April 9, 2008

Active learning robot

A team of folks have developed this iRobot Create (former Roomba) project for engaging kids in learning basic programming skills and logic. Byron Lahey, Natalie Freed, Alex Kim and Camilla Jensen write:

Our robot recognizes "command tiles" placed in view of its mounted camera and acts accordingly ("turn left," "stop," "go in the direction of the arrow", "repeat last command," etc.) The commands mapped to each symbol can vary with the type, position, and orientation of the symbol. The idea is to teach basic programming and spatial reasoning concepts in a tangible way. We've created challenge scenarios in which participants have to plan where to place the tiles in order to complete a particular task.

The A.L.E.R.T. system makes use of the Create robot from iRobot (the company behind the Roomba vacuuming robot), the open source computer vision symbol recognition system Reactivision, and Hacking Roomba's Java programming platform.

You can catch up with the team at Maker Faire Bay Area, or at the next Phoenix DIY meeting on April 17th.

Maker Faire is a two-day, family-friendly event that celebrates the Do-It-Yourself (DIY) mindset May 3rd and 4th at the San Mateo Fairgrounds, CA (Upcoming.org). It's for creative, resourceful people of all ages and backgrounds who like to tinker and love to make things. Buy tickets now and save, discount ticket sales end on April 25th, 2008. If you're in the Bay Area, or plan to attend Maker Faire add "makerfaire" to your Twitter, we'll be giving away tickets and will have updates before and during Maker Faire!

December 4, 2007

Monocrom: human USB interface instructions

This video by Vienna's "Monocrom" artist group details how to build a "Human-USB" interface by combining everything from old ice skates, onions in alcohol and even our own videographer in residence, Bre Pettis. Bre presented the "Brain Machine" at Dorkbot Vienna last month. Well, watch and you'll get the idea. Don't worry, we're sure he's not in any pain.

MonoCrom - Link

August 3, 2007

Make Goes to the OSHKOSH Airshow

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Make's Publisher Dale Dougherty along with Contributing Editor Bill Gurstelle and Associate Publisher Dan Woods recently attended the OSHKOSH Air Show in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Among the interesting features of this show, aimed at recreational flyers, are people who build their own airplanes, such as the Breezy. Enjoy the sights and sounds of this unique event.

December 5, 2006

The Maker File: High Tech Red Neck

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In part 4, we wrap up the 2006 Punkin Chunkin series. We meet the self-professed high-tech red neck, John Buchele of Jeffersontown, Virginia. John, who spent $70,000 on his air cannon, brings his family and friends to Punkin Chunkin. Finally, in the town square in Georgetown, Delaware, Bill and Dale review some of the highlights from Punkin Chunkin.

Previous Maker Files - Link.

November 29, 2006

Young Punkin Chunkin (slideshow)

Dale Dougherty and Bill Gurstelle of MAKE Magazine visit the Punkin Chunkin World Championships in Millsboro, Delaware. Lots of families come to Punkin Chunkin, some of them for all of the twenty-one years the event has existed. And many of them are local to the area near Millsboro, Delaware. In recent years, even the sons and grandsons of the founding fathers have begun bringing their own air guns to the championship. In this part 3 of the Punkin Chunkin 2006 series, we'll meet Robert Guido of Soldier Too and Michael Nelson of Ozone Blaster. We'll also meet Bob and Sherri Davis who make Punkin Chunkin a family affair and who entered the Adult Human Powered category with a rig that uses garage door springs from a dumpster.

Previous:

The Maker File: The Punkin Chunkin - Link.

November 22, 2006

The Maker File: Punkin Chunkin 2006, Part two...

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Dale Dougherty and Bill Gurstelle of Make Magazine visit the Punkin Chunkin World Championships in Millsboro, Delaware. In part two, we listen to a couple of centrifugal throwers: Bad to the Bone and JD Lazarus. Then we meet one of the Yankees behind Yankee Siege, Steve Seigars, a dentist from New Hampshire whose team has built a record-setting 55-foot trebuchet.

Click here to get the video (MP4) delivered automatically with iTunes / RSS 2.0 Or just click play to watch!

Previous Maker Files:

The Punkin Chunkin (slide show) - Link.
The Punkin Chunkin - Link.
Interview with Michael Schiess, Lucky Ju Ju Pinball Arcadium - Link.
Interview with Marcell Mars - Link.
Colin Berry reads Spinout - Link.
A Tour of TechShop - Link.
Interview with James Larsson - Link.
Interview Tim Black - Link.

November 16, 2006

The Maker File: The Punkin Chunkin (slide show)

Dale Dougherty and Bill Gurstelle of MAKE Magazine visit the Punkin Chunkin World Championships in Millsboro, Delaware. In this segment, they talk about air cannons with Virginian Ray Tolson, owner and operator of Second Amendment Too. Here's the slide show version! If you want the MP3, you can grab it here too... - Link.

November 14, 2006

The Maker File: The Punkin Chunkin

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Dale Dougherty and Bill Gurstelle of MAKE Magazine visit the Punkin Chunkin World Championships in Millsboro, Delaware. In this segment, they talk about air cannons with Virginian Ray Tolson, owner and operator of Second Amendment Too.

Click here to get the audio (LISTEN - MP3) delivered automatically with iTunes. Or just click the MP3 link to listen!

Previous Maker Files:

The Maker File: Interview with Michael Schiess, Lucky Ju Ju Pinball Arcadium - Link.
The Maker File: Interview with Marcell Mars - Link.
The Maker File: Colin Berry reads Spinout - Link.
The Maker File: A Tour of TechShop - Link.
The Maker File: Interview with James Larsson - Link.
The Maker File: Interview Tim Black - Link.

Bonus links:

Video slideshow of The Maker File - Link (mov).
Photos from Punkin Chunkin - Link.

November 7, 2006

The Maker File: Interview with Michael Schiess, Lucky Ju Ju Pinball Arcadium

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Volume 8 of MAKE features pinball machine restoration in its Toys and Games section. In this Maker File, we visit the Lucky Ju Ju Pinball Arcadium in Alameda, California. Michael Schiess is the proprietor of Lucky Ju Ju, and a group of us went there to check out the place and take some photograph of pinball machines. Michael gave us a tour of some of his favorite pinball machines, starting with Fireball and then Lady Luck, and as we walk through the place we learn a bit about the history of pinball machines and what makes a good machine.

Click here to get the audio (MP3) delivered automatically with iTunes. Or just click the MP3 link to listen!

Previous Maker Files:

The Maker File: Interview with Marcell Mars - Link.
The Maker File: Colin Berry reads Spinout - Link.
The Maker File: A Tour of TechShop - Link.
The Maker File: Interview with James Larsson - Link.
The Maker File: Interview Tim Black - Link.

November 1, 2006

The Maker File: Interview with Marcell Mars

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Croatia is the homeland of Nikola Tesla, a world-reknowned geek. Ten years ago, Croatia was at war after the breakup of Yugoslavia and even today is still trying to figure out life after communism. Dale went to Zagreb recently to participate in the Device-Art festival and gave a talk about "Geek Life" at an Internet Cafe called Mama. The organizer of Mama is Marcell Mars. In this interview, Marcell talks about building community around free and open source software, music and art. What does geek mean as a label? Interview by MAKE & CRAFT publisher, Dale Dougherty.

Click here to get the audio (MP3) delivered automatically with iTunes. Or just click the MP3 link to listen!

Previous Maker Files:

The Maker File: Colin Berry reads Spinout - Link.
The Maker File: A Tour of TechShop - Link.
The Maker File: Interview with James Larsson - Link.
The Maker File: Interview Tim Black - Link.

October 26, 2006

The Maker File: Colin Berry reads Spinout

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Here's a special edition of the "Maker File" - Colin Berry reads Spinout, the story he wrote for Make Volume 07 about his brother's efforts to build and race a car in the soap box derby in Longmont, Colorado. Unfortunately, he was up against more than just his own bad luck. Introduction by MAKE & CRAFT publisher, Dale Dougherty.

Click here to get the audio (MP3) delivered automatically with iTunes. Or just click the MP3 link to listen!

Previous Maker Files:

The Maker File: A Tour of TechShop - Link.
The Maker File: Interview with James Larsson - Link.
The Maker File: Interview Tim Black - Link.

More:

MAKE 07 - Spinout Was building a Soap Box Derby racer my brother's last best chance at escaping his fate? Subscribers--read this article now in your digital edition!

October 24, 2006

The Maker File: Interview Tim Black

Each Tuesday we have "The Maker File" - an interview with an interesting Maker and what they do, this week's is an interview with Tim Black from the Mad Scientists collective by MAKE & CRAFT publisher, Dale Dougherty.

The Mad Scientists are a group of Silicon Valley techies who engage in art projects at Burning Man. If you were at Burning Man between 1999 and 2004, you probably saw a ring of orange lights around the Man at some point during your stay. This was the L2K project. In 2005, the L2K team decided that 7 years was enough and that it was time to retire the project. But being the geeks that they are, they couldn't just let it go entirely. The L3K project is a full-color version of the L2K. The technology is basically the same but now instead of one circuit board driving 10 orange lights spread out over 10 feet, one circuit board driving three color LEDs in a 1 inch square. Ten times the electronics! Ten times the wow factor!

Click here to get the audio (MP3) delivered automatically with iTunes. Or just click the MP3 link to listen!

Related:

Mad Scientists collective - Link.
The L3K Project - Link.
L3K Software Project - Link.

Previous Maker Files:

The Maker File: A Tour of TechShop - Link.
The Maker File: Interview with James Larsson - Link.

October 17, 2006

The Maker File: Interview with James Larsson

Each Tuesday we have "The Maker File" an interview with an interesting Maker and what they do, this week's is an interview with James Larsson by MAKE & CRAFT publisher, Dale Dougherty, he's joined in the conversation by Bre Pettis who also shot some footage separately of James and one of his devices. James is an engineer and collector of old and interesting technologies. He is the author of the VCR Cat Feeder project in MAKE volume 03.

Click here to get the audio (MP3) delivered automatically with iTunes. Or just click the MP3 link to listen!

Previous:

The Maker File: A Tour of TechShop - Link.

Related:

VCR Cat Feeder - Liberate a motor from an old VHS deck, attach it to a food chopper, and program the deck's recording timer to fill Fluffy's bowl on schedule. Voila! Your own programmable pet food dispenser. From MAKE: 03: Cars and Halloween page 98. Subscribers--read this article now in your digital edition!

September 28, 2006

Maker file: A Tour of TechShop

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Listen in on a great audio interview and tour of the TechShop with Dale Dougherty, the editor and publisher of MAKE.

TechShop is a membership-based drop-in workshop in Menlo Park on the San Francisco peninsula that provides members with access to a full range of hand tools and machines to safely perform practically any task any DIY project. The equipment at TechShop includes welders, milling machines, lathes, drill presses, band saws, sheet metal equipment, a 3D printer and laser cutter, vacuum forming system, presses, an electronics lab, sandblaster, air tools, and just about every other tool that a Maker would ever need.

TechShop also offers a wide variety of classes for members and non-members of all ages and skill levels in topics including soldering, welding, machining, CAD, 3D printing, laser cutting and etching, electronics, robotics, hacking, Legos and VEX, programming, green materials and design, sheet metal fabrication, plastics, and so much more.

Click here to get the audio (MP3) delivered automatically with iTunes. Or just click the MP3 link to listen!

More: