MAKE » Category: Science

Synthetic Biology for Makers

David Lang — Wed, 22 May 2013 17:41:20 +0000

John Cumbers and a team of synthetic biologists are offering a one-day course on the subject in San Francisco. The course is aimed at makers and programmers, and designed to give a comprehensive introduction into synthetic biology. Last week, I learned that we're much closer to DIY synthetic biology than many of us realize. This course should be a good primer.

DIY Synthetic Biology: Making Your Own Glowing Plants

David Lang — Fri, 17 May 2013 05:14:48 +0000

Based on the popular (and controversial) Kickstarter project, here is the DIY How-To for creating your own glowing plants with this DIY synthetic biology kit.

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3D-Printing Mechanical Hands

John Baichtal — Thu, 09 May 2013 17:30:09 +0000

This is really cool, a MakerBot Industries-supported 3D printable prosthetic hand project. When Richard Van As, a master carpenter in Johannesburg, South Africa, decided to make a set of mechanical fingers, it wasn’t just for fun. He’d lost four of the fingers on his right hand in an unfortunate work […]

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Mapping Buildings with a Kinect

John Baichtal — Tue, 07 May 2013 18:09:47 +0000

This cool mapping system created by MIT uses a Kinect motion tracker, a laser range finder, GPS, and inertial sensors to map out the interior of a building. [via Beyond the Beyond] Filed under: Computers & Mobile, Science

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Tool Review: BioLite CampStove

Keith Hammond — Tue, 07 May 2013 13:13:52 +0000

We're impressed with the BioLite CampStove, a fan-stoked, twig-fueled rocket stove with a thermoelectric module that converts heat into electricity to charge your cell phone or other device.

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Things from Rings

Glen Whitney — Mon, 06 May 2013 19:00:19 +0000

From the Museum of Mathematics The Math Mondays Experimental Making Labs recently received numerous binder rings in its Incoming Raw Materials box. You know — the little circles that clip closed, used to hold a sheaf of hole-punched paper together. According to the donor: “Here’s an office supply item that […]

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Learning to Hack Fireworks with the WPA

Sean Michael Ragan — Fri, 03 May 2013 19:21:19 +0000

Founded in 1989 by a handful of dedicated "pyros," the Western Pyrotechnics Association is a west-coast answer to the older Pyrotechnics Guild International (PGI) and other fireworks enthusiast and advocacy groups. The WPA works with hobbyists and professionals to promote fireworks safety, educate about the science and art of fireworks display, and to entertain the public.

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Charge Your Smartphone–With Fire!

Alasdair Allan — Thu, 02 May 2013 17:39:18 +0000

If fire wasn't the first thing invented, it was probably the second. The human race has had a long relationship with fire, and now you can use it to charge your smartphone, GPS, or anything else that you can connect to this thermoelectric generator using a USB cable.

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Couch Potato Perfection: Self-Assembling Furniture

Alasdair Allan — Wed, 01 May 2013 13:17:43 +0000

"The idea is that you can buy it in a local store," explains designer Carl de Smet. "It's a small package, you put it under your arm, and you carry it home because it's also super light. Then at home you plug it into electricity," he continues. Ten minutes later your chair will be ready.

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FirstLight: The Story of a Telescope

Sean Michael Ragan — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 13:03:11 +0000

Oakland resident Douglas Smith is an architect by training, working as a BIM / CAD manager at the San Francisco offices of internationally-renowned skyscraper architects Skidmore Owings & Merrill. In 2006, co-worker and amateur astronomer David Frey persuaded him to take an amateur telescope-making class at The Randall Museum, taught by famous amateur astronomer John Dobson. It changed his life.

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