Wide-angle HD Micro-Camera Mounted to a Firework
Happy Fourth of July! Here’s a fun way to get a first-person view of a rocket’s trajectory and mid-air detonation. The setup was put together by Jeremiah Warren (friend him on facebook). The camera is the 808 Car Keys Micro Camera #11. 720p…
Secret Surveillance Garden Birdhouse – Notes and Plans from my Build
This Friday I’m doing a workshop for Craftsman in Chicago, for their first annual blogger summit. The different presenters each introduced themselves by building a birdhouse project that represents them. I started the project by drawing a set of blueprints, knowing that I wanted…
A Very Peculiar DIY “Hip-Neck Mount” Camera Extension
Check out this wacky “above the crowd” camera rig spotted at the royal wedding. What IS this thing? My friend Travis is an awesome guy and a talented photographer. He’s the type of guy that I admire for finding life curious and fascinating. Case in…
Using Your iPhone as an Audio Recorder Will Make Your Videos Better
A fast way and easy to make your videos better is to improve the audio quality. It’s a proven fact that poor audio will turn people away from a video much quicker than poor video. Have you ever seen a video that sounds like…
Whiskey Tricks: Proving Alcohol Content and Preserving Matter
(Quick reminder: add me on twitter and sign up for my newsletter for more cool science demos and awesome DIY projects) A few months ago I appeared in a couple episodes of How Stuff Works on Discovery channel. One of the episodes, “How Whiskey…
My Chevy Volt Q&A and Engineer Interview – Watch Here
EDIT: Here’s the video for those that missed it. Things begin at about the 7 minute mark. The Chevy Volt is a very exciting car, just named both Motor Trend’s and Automobile Magazine’s 2011 Car Of The Year. After a few years of excited…
My Halloween Pizza Bash Video
Halloween is a big deal on my street. This year I invited a few friends and neighbors over to pass out candy while I made pizzas. It was a blast. Many, many thanks to PizzaHacker for creating the PizzaForge oven and for working with…
Calculating Trajectory – A Few Notes In Case You Ever Find Yourself Near a Giant Slingshot
Not every episode of Catch It Keep It involves saving falling objects – but as the title of the show indicates, it does happen from time to time. And when an object is launched through the air, it helps to know how to track the…
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…
Afterdark – Short Film Starring Me, and Some Notes On Making Your Own Short Film
A couple years ago I acted in a short film, one of the few things I’ve done as an “actor” (a term I use reluctantly), rather than as a host or behind-the-scenes. Directed and edited by the talented Camilo Restrepo, Afterdark is a post-apocalyptic…
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!