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February 28, 2008
Rules for Roboticists
In honor of Robot Day here on MAKE, I've posted my "Rules for Roboticists," from my 2004 book Absolute Beginner's Guide to Building Robots. It's a playful list of operating principles, rules of thumb, and words o' wisdom about bot building. The piece is accompanied by robot scientist "trading cards," illustrated by Mark Frauenfelder, for the book.
11. A roboticist should know when to come back later (A.K.A. "The Kenny Rogers Rule")
When you're building anything, especially something as complicated as a robot, the build can sometimes get ugly. If you try to force your way through, you can often dig yourself into an even deeper hole. So here's what you do: "Put the soldering iron down. Step away from the steaming robot entrails!" You'll be amazed at what an hour away, vegging in front of the TV, rolling around on the floor with the cat, or sleeping on your problem will do. It almost never fails. Here's a corollary: The extent to which you don't want to drop what you're doing and take a break ("I know I can fix this, damn it!"), is inversely proportional to the extent to which you need a break. Why is it the Kenny Rogers Rule? Cause "you got to know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em, and know when to walk away..."
Rules for Roboticists - Link
Posted by Gareth Branwyn |
Feb 28, 2008 11:00 AM
Makers, Robotics |
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February 26, 2008
How DIYers just might revive American innovation
Wired's Clive Thompson has a piece about how makers might revive American innovation (with a MAKE mention) he writes -
What a mess. I'm sitting on the floor of my apartment, surrounded by electronic parts, a cigar box, a soldering gun, and stray bits of wire. I'm trying to build my own steampunk-style clock -- hacking a couple of volt meter dials to display hours and minutes. It'll look awesome when it's done.How DIYers just might revive American innovation Link.If it ever gets done -- I keep botching the soldering. A well-soldered joint is supposed to look like a small, shiny volcano. My attempts look like mashed insects, and they crack when I try to assemble the device.
Why am I so inept? I used to do projects like this all the time when I was a kid. But in high school, I was carefully diverted from shop class when the administration decided I was college-bound. I stopped working with my hands and have barely touched a tool since.
As it turns out, this isn't a problem just for me -- it's a problem for America. We've lost our Everyman ability to build, maintain, and repair the devices we rely on every day. And that's making it harder to solve the country's nastiest problems, like oil dependence, climate change, and global competitiveness.
What do you think makers?
Oh, pictured here David Cole's work - the exhibit who appeared in CRAFT volume 01 he knitted a huge American flag with 20 foot knitting needles. More in Handmade from CRAFT 01 - Link.
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
Feb 26, 2008 07:00 AM
Makers |
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February 23, 2008
Interview with the "God of fountain pens"
PingMag has an interview with Nobuyoshi Nagahara, a Japanese pen nib craftsman who's been on the job for 50 years:
PingMag: You must need a lot of patience to deal with each customer with such care.Nobuyoshi Nagahara: The thing that makes me most happy doing this work is being able to help people with their worries and unhappiness, thanks to fountain pens. Nearly all of my repair jobs come to me with a letter attached. I once made a pen nib for a junior high school girl. She was a quiet, unhappy girl. But when I made her a new nib, I suppose she must have practiced writing really hard. She won a calligraphy award. And thanks to that she brightened right up. Or, I get a lot of repair jobs from people who have a pen that belonged to their father. Those times, I tell them just what I think. "Your father must have been a great father. In those days it was no joke to get hold of a pen as good as this one. This is your father's medal as a man." Even a simple fountain pen can be steeped in deep family relationships, you see.
The God of Fountain Pens - Link
Posted by Gareth Branwyn |
Feb 23, 2008 08:58 PM
Makers, Toolbox |
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February 21, 2008
Kinetic fantasy vehicle sculpture
Lovely Da Vinci-esque hand-cranked fantasy vehicle by Pablo Lavezzari.
Posted by Gareth Branwyn |
Feb 21, 2008 12:36 PM
Arts, Makers, Retro |
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February 13, 2008
Kevin Kelly on "subterranean tutoring"
Kevin Kelly has an awesome little piece on Geekdad about what he calls "subterranean tutoring." This excerpt explains the concept by way of example:
Science fiction author Neal Stephenson once told me something memorable as we were hanging out in his back yard. He pointed to an unfinished kayak under a tarp. He said he was slowly working on it, in part to mentor his kids, even though they did no work on the boat, nor express the least bit of interest in this project. None-the-less he continued puttering on the undertaking while they were home. Stephenson said when he was a kid, his dad was constantly tinkering on some garage project or another, and despite Neal's complete indifference for any of his dad's enthusiasms at the time, he was influenced by this embedded tinkering. It was part of the family scene, part of his household, like mealtime style, or the pattern of interactions between siblings. Later on when Neal did attempt to make stuff on his own, the pattern was right at hand. It felt comfortable, easy. Without having to try very hard, he knew how to be a nerd.
I've found this pattern in my own life (emulating my father's work and shop behaviors that I was utterly indifferent to as a child) and I take great comfort in this fact when I see my own son's apathy towards my "subterranean tutoring."
Subterranean Tutoring - Link
Posted by Gareth Branwyn |
Feb 13, 2008 01:00 PM
Makers |
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February 12, 2008
Kinetic Steam Works on BBtv
The folks at Kinetic Steam Works show Xeni around the shop in this latest issue of BBtv.
Kinetic Steam Works: artifacts of clockwork modernity. - Link
Posted by Gareth Branwyn |
Feb 12, 2008 11:00 AM
Arts, Makers, Retro |
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February 8, 2008
Eccentric Cubicle author Kaden Harris on the Space Channel
The Space Channel in Toronto, Canada is featuring Eccentric Cubicle author Kaden Harris this weekend. Catch him on the Space Channel's HypaSpace Weekly, a weekly entertainment news program about the world of science fiction and fantasy with "insightful features on movies, television, books, comics, video games and community events." It airs Saturday, February 9th at 5:30 and Sunday, February 10 at 4:30. If you don't get the Space Channel, you can watch the program online: video link: Author and Artist Kaden Harris.
From The Maker Store:
Eccentric Cubicle by Kaden Harris
Price: $29.99
Buy: Maker store - Link.
Sample chapters: - Link.
Who says office cubicles need to be dreary? In this book, author Kaden Harris (creator of Eccentric Genius) introduces aspiring and die-hard Makers to a highly entertaining parallel universe of surreal office-based projects that are sure to pique the curiosity of even the most jaded office mates.
From desktop guillotines and crossbows to mood-enhancing effects and music makers, each project presents a different set of challenges and opens new avenues of Maker lore. There's a strong emphasis on the basic mechanical theories and principles of the devices presented in the book, as well as the fabrication techniques you need to use. But this is far more than a book of project "how-tos". Eccentric Cubicle offers oblique industrial design and fabrication philosophies, countless cultural reference points, and innumerable bad puns.
This book is a dream come true for you office-bound souls who are tech DIY enthusiasts, hobbyist engineers/designers, and Makers at heart. Imagine having your cubicle sport projects such as:
- A mechanical golfer Lucid dreaming induction device
- USB-powered bubble blower Fog machine
- A desktop guillotine
- And a whole lot more
Posted by Brian Jepson |
Feb 8, 2008 08:00 PM
Makers |
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February 7, 2008
Light as jewelry
Kyeok Kim is an artist, jeweler and metalworker who's created these amazing pieces of jewelry that project patterns onto the skin. To see them, click on "Portfolio," then "The Sensory Wearable" (any image), then "Jewelry as Skin."
Jewelry as Skin - [Thanks, Patti!] Link
Posted by Gareth Branwyn |
Feb 7, 2008 12:00 PM
Arts, Crafts, Electronics, Makers |
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| Comments (1)
Your Psycho Girlfriend on BBtv
A tutu made of severed baby doll heads? A taxidermed possum that projects a keyboard from one of its hind legs? It's maker fun brought to you by HP Lovecraft and Salvador Dali. Actually it's brought to you by BBtv.
Text-o-possum / Your Psycho Girlfriend - Link
Posted by Gareth Branwyn |
Feb 7, 2008 11:08 AM
Arts, Interviews, Makers |
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| Comments (5)
February 1, 2008
Folding bike wheel
The aim is to try to get a really high end city bike or courier bike that can fold up into a package like a golf bag, which could go into an overhead rack on a train or go into a plane locker.
Reinventing the Wheel - Link
Posted by Gareth Branwyn |
Feb 1, 2008 11:00 AM
Bicycles, Green, Makers |
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| Comments (2)
January 28, 2008
Eccentric Cubicle author Kaden Harris profiled in The Globe and Mail
Canada's The Globe and Mail has a fantastic story up about Kaden Harris, the author of Eccentric Cubicle:
It's here, right next to the refrigerator, that Mr. Harris fabricates what he calls "antiques from a parallel universe" - wood and metal objects that draw on equal parts Jules Verne, Leonardo da Vinci and Salvador Dali, in a style called "steampunk." They take on many forms, from torsion-powered crossbows called ballistas to high-powered catapults called trebuchets and mangonels. He's built a bong from a glass lamp globe and scrapyard brass that looks as if it could've been stolen from Dr. Jekyll's laboratory. ("I have turned down ridiculous amounts of money for this," he notes.)
Zen and the art of scrapyard archeology - Link
Related:
- Office Supply Trebuchet - Link
- Lazyperson's Kaden Harris - Link
- The Eccentric Cubicle: The Philosophy of Improvisational Fabrication - Link
From The Maker Store:
Eccentric Cubicle by Kaden Harris
Price: $29.99
Buy: Maker store - Link.
Sample chapters: - Link.
Who says office cubicles need to be dreary? In this book, author Kaden Harris (creator of Eccentric Genius) introduces aspiring and die-hard Makers to a highly entertaining parallel universe of surreal office-based projects that are sure to pique the curiosity of even the most jaded office mates.
From desktop guillotines and crossbows to mood-enhancing effects and music makers, each project presents a different set of challenges and opens new avenues of Maker lore. There's a strong emphasis on the basic mechanical theories and principles of the devices presented in the book, as well as the fabrication techniques you need to use. But this is far more than a book of project "how-tos". Eccentric Cubicle offers oblique industrial design and fabrication philosophies, countless cultural reference points, and innumerable bad puns.
This book is a dream come true for you office-bound souls who are tech DIY enthusiasts, hobbyist engineers/designers, and Makers at heart. Imagine having your cubicle sport projects such as:
- A mechanical golfer Lucid dreaming induction device
- USB-powered bubble blower Fog machine
- A desktop guillotine
- And a whole lot more
Posted by Brian Jepson |
Jan 28, 2008 05:00 PM
Makers |
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| Comments (2)
10 year old makes a ski slope
Cool (literally) maker kid! He made a snow machine and filled his backyard -
Forest Pearson's snow dreams started three years ago when he froze ice cubes for an ice track. Back then, his mother wondered what in the world he was doing, but this year, she understands. "We're past toys," she said. "We're into air compressors and spray nozzles." Forest has even bigger plans for next year. He plans to double the amount of snow he can generate in one night to six feet. All he needs is a bigger pressure washer. "It's a lot of fun," he said. "It's fun to have people over and let them enjoy it too." Forest said the machine wasn't cheap. He had to save his allowance to pay for $500 in supplies, but he said it was all worth it.Boy, 10, engineers private backyard ski slope | KATU.com - Portland, Oregon - [via] Link.
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
Jan 28, 2008 10:00 AM
Makers |
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January 22, 2008
Incandescent sculpture
Dylan Kehde Roelofs creates these handblown light-up sculptures, complete with filaments and all. - Link.
Posted by Becky Stern |
Jan 22, 2008 07:00 PM
Arts, Electronics, Makers |
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January 12, 2008
Meanwhile, in a Parallel Universe 3 doors down and across the street...
You couldn't ask for a better poster boy for Eccentric Cubicle than my bud in Utah, Joel Dubliner. He's working his way through the nano projects in preparation for digging in to one of the larger builds, and has already earned his Maker wings with a quick and dirty mod to the drill press lathe that I'm still kicking my butt about for not thinking of it first.
My version of the headstock involved mutilating the end of a piece of threaded rod with a dremel and needle files to form a nice, edgy 'X' to anchor the stock securely while it's spinning. Finicky, time consuming metal mangling at best.
Joels' solution? Lop the tip off of a big-assed phillips screwdriver and clamp *that* into the drill press chuck instead.
Quick. Easy. Precise.
Duh.
Here's Joels' picasa albums of his workshop shennanigans; you might wanna book mark 'em, since he updates regularly:
...And for those of you who don't have a clue what I'm talking about, here's a pdf of the entire drill press lathe project, as seen in Eccentric Cubicle - Link (PDF).
Eccentric Cubicle
Who says office cubicles need to be dreary? In this book, author Kaden Harris of Eccentric Genius introduces aspiring and die-hard Makers to a highly entertaining parallel universe of surreal office-based projects that are sure to pique the curiosity of even the most jaded officemates. Get it at the Maker Store.
Posted by kaden |
Jan 12, 2008 12:00 AM
Makers |
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| Comments (2)
January 10, 2008
Interview with Johnny Lee
Alan Parekh, of HackedGadgets, has a short interview with Johnny Lee, the computer engineer whose Wii remote hacks we (and everybody else on the InterTubes) have blogged about. Johnny also created the popular $14 Video Camera Stabilizer project featured in the premier issue of MAKE.
AP: Your Wii projects have been taking the Web by storm! What attracted you to the Wiimote as your interaction device of choice?JL: Well, I was excited by the Wii Remote ever since the original press release about its capabilities was public. Ironically, I was an intern at Microsoft the summer before the Xbox 360 was launched. Several internal people, including me, were still trying to convince the Xbox group they should put an accelerometer into the controller. That, of course, didn't happen. The Wii remote is one of the most sophisticated input devices available today and an amazing piece of engineering containing an accelerometer, camera, and wireless communication. Combined with the ease in which you can connect it to a computer made it an obvious choice for experimentation.
AP: Have you had any discussions with Nintendo? Do you think they could use some of your techniques to enhance their console?
JL: I have not formally had any contact with Nintendo about this. I speculate that the Nintendo engineers who developed the controller probably knew of this technique, but probably passed on the idea or were saving it for a later product launch. But, these ideas can definitely be used in a Wii title assuming they would be willing to bundle a little bit of new hardware with it. I know several game developers are starting to look at the idea. Hopefully, the game concepts will make it all the way to market.
Interview with Johnny Lee - Link
Related:
- Head tracking with the Wiimote - Link
- Track fingers with the Wiimote - Link
- Improved Steadicam for under $40 - Link
- $14 Video Camera Stabilizer by Johnny Lee. You don't have $10,000 to spend on a Steadicam? Make this ultra-low-cost video camera stabilizer and see how much better your video shots turn out. MAKE 01 - Page 84.
Posted by Gareth Branwyn |
Jan 10, 2008 02:00 PM
Electronics, Gaming, Makers |
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| Comments (3)
January 9, 2008
Cal Lane profile
Our cohort at Craftzine point us to this New York Times profile of Cal Lane, the artist we blogged about a few days back, who plasma-torches delicate lace patterns into steel.
Turning Steel Into Lace - Link
Related:
- Plasma-cut lace art - Link
Posted by Gareth Branwyn |
Jan 9, 2008 08:00 PM
Arts, Makers |
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| Comments (1)
Automaton restoration site
Automatomania is a site run by a UK couple who restore antique automata and wind-up signing birds. The site has videos of the wind-up machines in action, a gallery of their restoration work, and a workshop, which so far, has precious-little content.
Automatomania - [Thanks, Patti!] Link
Posted by Gareth Branwyn |
Jan 9, 2008 11:00 AM
Makers, Retro |
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| Comments (0)
January 5, 2008
Plasma-cut lace art
Mind-boggling lace patterns cut in metal with a plasma cutter. Artist Cal Lane does "dirt lace" too (final image).
Cal Lane - Link
Posted by Gareth Branwyn |
Jan 5, 2008 02:22 PM
Arts, Makers |
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| Comments (1)
January 1, 2008
Revisiting the "Editor's Choice" winners
While you're busy digesting your New Year's feast (or nursing last year's hangover), why not check out the amazing Makers who won Editor's Choice "Blue Ribbons" at this year's Maker Fair Austin. It's quite a cavalcade of stars and you may have missed some in the flurry of post-Faire postings.
[Oh, and HAPPY NEW YEAR!]
Editor's Choice Ribbons Awarded at Maker Faire Austin - Link
Posted by Gareth Branwyn |
Jan 1, 2008 02:00 PM
Maker Faire, Makers |
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| Comments (1)
December 20, 2007
Tech and DIY-inspired ads for 2007
MAKE editor and publisher Dale Dougherty has had his list of favorite tech and DIY-inspired ads from 2007 posted on Boing Boing.
Here is an end-of-year list of ads that reflect DIY inspiration, a geek sensibility, or simply had a sense of humor tuned to the tech world. There's some irony in this list of somewhat traditional TV ads spots. I saw only one or two of these ads on TV. All of the ads are found on YouTube and I've found most of them because someone sent me a link. So I'll call this a list of: Top Tech Ads Not Necessarily Seen on TV in 2007.
Top tech ads not necessarily seen on TV in 2007 - Link
Posted by Gareth Branwyn |
Dec 20, 2007 04:00 PM
Makers |
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