Another Homemade Near-Space Balloon Project – This Time With Video
There’s a short but growing list of awesome people who have successfully launched DIY aerial photo and video rigs. Add to that list father/son duo Luke and Max Geissbuhler and their personal homemade spacecraft. This is my favorite of the many I’ve seen so…
Improve Your Photography with a DIY LED Ring Light
Ring light: a source of light for photography that encircles the camera lens completely. It creates a shadow-softening effect on the object or person being photographed, a warm and natural alternative to the stark standard camera-mounted single flash look. Normally the tool of professional photographers,…
Micro-Scale Pencil Lead Sculptures by Dalton Ghetti
Dalton Ghetti makes art from an EXTREMELY small medium: pencil lead. With the steady hand of a surgeon and some obviously super sharp tools (I’d love to see his kit), he transforms writing instruments into tiny sculptures, including mind blowing links of “chain.” Originally…
High Speed Photography Using Laser Triggers
One of the fun capabilities that the CHDK hack for Canon point and shoot cameras enables is super fast shutter photography. By snapping the shutter at 1/10,000th of a second (or faster), you can freeze moments that are imperceptible to the human eye. Speeding…
Reverse Engineering Apple’s iPhone/iPod Charger System Secrets
Third party manufacturers that want to make iPhone/iPod charging devices have to agree to a secret hardware setup that will allow the devices to work, and promise to not disclose what components and specifications are needed to make a charger work. Engineer/hacker/braniac Ladyada (of…
Les Paul vs Thermite: The Catch It Keep It Episode That Haunts Me
On Catch It Keep It, I had the weekly challenge of designing and building an insane method for destroying an object of considerable value, and then figuring out and building a solution to the same challenge in order to show the contestants that the…
How to Pirate A Vinyl Record, And How Vinyl Records Are Made
Vinyl records have a unique place in the world of music media. Aside from their warm analog tone, vinyl is the only popular medium that is nearly impossible to create or duplicate at home – something that can’t be claimed by cassettes, CDs, DVDs,…
Guitarist and Musician Project: Make Your Own Digital Delay Pedal
This is a low-cost, easy to follow project that appeals to all of us who have wanted to sound like a guitar god at some point. Delay pedals are a staple effect of so many musicians these days. Take U2’s The Edge; his sound is…
CNC Milled Aluminum Tape Dispenser
I’ve been gathering materials and information to build a CNC machine for a while, but keep putting it off because I haven’t thought of any exact application I need one for just yet (aside from milling a Hellraiser-style cube). Then I saw this: a…
Deal Of The Day: Makita 18v Lithium Drill/Driver With Hammer Mode – $149
Just in time for father’s day – or just a treat for yourself – the Makita 18v lithium drill/driver is a kickass tool that lists for $398, regularly sells for $197 ($199 at Home Depot) and today (Sunday, June 6) is available for $149….
Hi, I'm Mike. I’m the executive editor of Make: magazine, and host of Discovery channel’s Punkin' Chunkin' and Catch It Keep It, TV shows where I build and explain crazy machines that crush stuff, blow things up, shoot fire, all in the name of science.
I've previously worked at Wired and ReadyMade magazines, writing about how to utilize new technology in our everyday lives.
This site is where I keep a list of instructions for fun projects I've done, am working on, or draw inspiration from. I encourage everyone to get involved — get up and do something!