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NYC health officials decide to allow beekeeping

Posted: March 19th, 2010, 10:08pm MDT

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NYC health officials decide to allow beekeeping...

Beekeepers in New York City no longer have to keep the honey of their labors a secret. The city's Board of Health decided Tuesday to allow beekeeping in the city after a long ban. Some New Yorkers have secretly tended beehives on rooftops and in backyard gardens for years in defiance of city regulations. The health code had placed honeybees in the same category as other creatures that are deemed too dangerous or venomous for city life, including hyenas and venomous snakes.

And more @ the NY Times...

New York City is among the few jurisdictions in the country that deem beekeeping illegal, lumping the honeybee together with hyenas, tarantulas, cobras, dingoes and other animals considered too dangerous or venomous for city life. But the honeybee's bad rap -- and the days of urban beekeepers being outlaws -- may soon be over.

More:

Make: Holiday Gift Guide 2009: Beekeeper Gift Guide

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Look, it's Jersey in space!

Posted: March 19th, 2010, 9:01pm MDT

Notice tarp taped to the ground, stocking feet, and cotton gloves, all used to keep the fragile balloon intact. Bright tape on the camera-carrying cooler helped them recover the balloon rig.

To the left can (barely) be seen cellphone and handwarmers, to the right (under the bungies) the camera and handwarmers. The warmers are used to keep the equipment from freezing.

That's Long Island to the middle-left, the Hudson River, bottom-middle, and Jersey, middle-right.

And it's just that easy -- or at least the folks at Island Labs make it seem so. John Abella sent us these pics of their recent camera balloon launch. Great job, guys!

Update: John emailed to clarify that Island Labs is, in fact, on Long Island, and the launch, and recovery, were both in NY (launched in Roscoe, recovered in Patterson, New York). My headline was just to make a joke about seeing New Jersey from space, not to imply that the launch was by Jerseynauts. (Er... not that there's anything wrong with that. Go Jersey!)

Balloon Launch Flickr set

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Record player built into a record jacket

Posted: March 19th, 2010, 8:00pm MDT

Enclosure: [download]

Ad agency GGRP recently built this cardboard record player. The record player is built into the dust jacket for the record, and you play it by turning record with a pencil. It's a neat idea, but it turns out that there is some prior art here. There is an earlier version of the same thing called CardTalk, which was produced by Global Recordings Network to spread their missionary messages in the 20th century:

If you want to try making your own, teacher Dan Keith has instructions for a make-it-yourself version [via inhabitat]

More:

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Cubely: a new 3D printer?

Posted: March 19th, 2010, 7:00pm MDT

Cube.ly appears to be a 3D printer that uses 80/20 girders for the 2'x2'x2' chassis, with all electronic components identical to those used in the Makerbot and Mendel. The project's charter describes the project's goals:

Provide a fully capable 3D printer which can be used to directly manufacture or can be used to easily create the precursors to large volume traditional manufacturing including vacuum forming, injection molding, casting and others.

The core device must be buildable using standardized, commodity components that are widely available and under $1,000 USD. The core device must not require any other device as a prerequisite to build it (other than identified tools).

The core device must be able to be completed by typical implementers in 30 hours or less including time to purchase components and assemble The core device must be able to be finished and assembled with only a modest set of tools including screw drivers, a drill press, a collection of drill bits and a circular or table saw.

The primary goal of Cubely is to get 10,000 Open Hardware 3D printing devices in the hands of 10,000 people worldwide by Jan 1, 2013.

It looks awwwwwfully preliminary but fascinating and ambitious nonetheless.

[Image credit: JohnKit]

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SXSW 2010 Web Awards are Thingamagoopy

Posted: March 19th, 2010, 5:30pm MDT

It's about time somebody made a media award that actually does something other than serve as a impromptu murder weapon. At this years SXSW festival, the Web Awards were built around Bleep Labs' Thingamagoop 2, the analog synth toy (which now has digital/Arduino-control capability).

Bleep Labs

In the Maker Shed:

Thingamagoop 2
Our Price: $100.00
Make, mod, hack, and bend your own analog noise monster! Great for beginners with its detailed instructions and photos of each step. Advanced users can taking advantage of Arduino integration, control voltage in and out, or just bend it like crazy! Choose from 3 colors!

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Free mail-in scanning electron microscopy promo

Posted: March 19th, 2010, 3:58pm MDT

Chalk Crayon Under an SEM Scanning Electron Microscope

ASPEX, a company that makes desktop scanning electron microscopes (SEMs), is running a promotional campaign under which anyone can mail them a sample, which they will then image under one of their SEMs. The results will be posted on their webpage, and all for free! Challenge: Take advantage of their offer to produce publishable data! [via Boing Boing]

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Hacker Helpline, like free office hours for physical computing questions

Posted: March 19th, 2010, 3:00pm MDT

Musician, artist, engineer and programmer Eric Singer is starting an interesting project, called the hacker helpline. For a few hours a week, he'll be taking calls on Skype to help answer your questions about building physical things:

Hacker Helpline is a new service from Eric Singer of the League of Electronic Musical Urban Robots. For a few hours a week, Eric will be on Skype, ready to answer your questions about projects, electronics, software, robotics, physical computing, etc.
To contact the Hacker Helpline, open Skype and add contact "hackerhelpline". Then look in the Mood section to see dates and hours. During those times, you can chat in and get help (or get queued up for help if a previous chat is active). A/V chats are supported (even preferred...it's nice to see who you're talking to).

Hacker Helpline launches on March 23rd at 10 am EST.

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MAKE interviews Peter Atwood

Posted: March 19th, 2010, 2:00pm MDT

Peter Atwood of Turners Falls, Mass. makes his living as a knife- and toolmaker. He produces limited runs of unique items every few days, which he then posts on his blog, Planet Pocket Tool. The name of his blog indicates his focus: small wrench-like tools. However, Atwood creates a wide variety of metal items like rulers, steel shot glasses, whistles, prybars, ring tools, and so on.

in 2000 I discovered the world of custom knives and I was instantly hooked. When I realized that I could actually make my own knives and gadgets, it got even better. And so it continues to this day. This is what I truly love to do and I hope I can do it for the rest of my time on this earth.

I specialize in small pocket tools and key ring knives although I have made many folding knives and even a few larger fixed blades over the years. But my main love is for the small stuff. I'm constantly working on new designs for gadgets, prybars, small edged tools and unique hand tools. My philosophy is if you aren't carrying it then it isn't going to be there when you need it. Hence the obsession with small tools that pack a big punch. Let's face it, they are the ones that are more likely to be in your pocket or on your keys rather than languishing behind the seat in the truck or stuck in your toolbox in the garage.

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Opening Hardware at Eyebeam

Posted: March 19th, 2010, 1:19pm MDT

A couple of us from MAKE attended an inspirational meeting on Wednesday at Eyebeam in NYC with the most influential people in open source hardware including Limor Fried, Bunnie Huang (Chumby), and the Arduino team. Legal counsel from Creative Commons brought answers to many of our questions, and we discussed the future for open source hardware:

We all agree open sourcing hardware is important, and as practitioners, many of us have been involved in work, research and talks about it. To date, no universal "right solution" exists. While Creative Commons licenses are widely used for software, there is a growing number of groups using the licenses for hardware, without necessarily accounting for the difficulties and restrictions hardware imposes. In short, open source for hardware is not like open source for software, and thus cannot use the same legal tools.

The purpose of this workshop is to create a direct dialogue between Creative Commons and some of the most significant players in the Open Source Hardware Community . CC representatives will be sharing their perspectives while listening to the needs and perspectives of this community, in order to help form more appropriate licensing options for open hardware.

Thanks to Ayah Bdeir and Eyebeam for organizing/hosting. Pictured above is the group, and the FIRST ARDUINO EVER MADE, toted around in a box of prototypes by Massimo Banzi himself. Check out PT's Flickr photos.

More:

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UK's first Fab Lab opens in Manchester

Posted: March 19th, 2010, 12:30pm MDT

Wish you had access to tools like milling machines, 3d scanners, and laser cutters, but don't have the budget or space to keep them at your home? Well, if you are a resident of Manchester, you might be in luck. The Manchester FABLAB, an open workshop with all of the aforementioned tools and more, will be opening up next week. They aim to provide a free place for people to build noncommercial projects:

The Manchester fablab is a creative workspace in Manchester where you can pretty well make whatever you can think of. When we say anything we do mean pretty much anything. There's about 35 fablabs (fabrication laboratories) around the world so far and people have made all sorts of things from T-shirts to robots. The fablab is open for use by individuals, community groups, schools and companies.
The Manchester fab lab will be equipped with many different machines including laser cutters, milling machines, 3D scanners, embroidery and sewing machines which are mostly controlled by simple computer programmes, so you don't have to be an machining or computer expert to use them.

We are going to be open for use at the beginning of 2010. As always there are a hundred things to think of and a few more we haven't thought of.
Fablabs Basics:
The fablab is free to use for non-commercial use. (A small charge applies if you are a commercial company)
We aim to provide free basic materials like wood, plastics and electronic components for non-commercial use (Not gold or diamonds!)
We have lots of different machines to use and don't worry we'll help you learn how to use them

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Laser-cutting old vinyl LPs

Posted: March 19th, 2010, 11:15am MDT

Personally, these laser-cut plastic end tables by Israel's Studio Groovy (Fair warning: I couldn't actually find them on their Flash-y website) are not to my taste, but I really like the fact that that they put some old vinyl records in their laser cutter and managed to make something fairly cool out of them. Bonus: The table on the left uses the cut-out from the table on the right as decoration, so there's very little waste. [via Recyclart]

Update: I might do better in life, in general, if I would, you know, use my eyes more. As a commenter pointed out, close inspection of the photograph indicates that the detail on the left-hand table is not, in fact, exactly the cut-out from the table on the left. That doesn't mean you couldn't do it that way, at least... [Thanks, Click!]

More:
Love is in the Air (cut vinyl record silhouettes)

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More random than random()

Posted: March 19th, 2010, 10:30am MDT

The Arduino random() function can be used to easily generate a seemingly unpredictable series of numbers. The only problem is, from the first time it's used in a sketch, random() actually begins spitting out the same series of seemingly random numbers. The standard solution to this conundrum is to start (or "seed") the formula with a noisy reading taken from an unused analog pin like so: randomSeed(analogRead(0)); But for some the data returned by that little trick may still not be random enough, and that's why Tinker.it created an extra randomy randomabration by the name of TrueRandom -

It is hard to get a truly random number from Arduino. TrueRandom does it by setting up a noisy voltage on Analog pin 0, measuring it, and then discarding all but the least significant bit of the measured value. However, that isn't noisy enough, so a von Neumann whitening algorithm gathers enough entropy from multiple readings to ensure a fair distribution of 1s and 0s.

And if you're left wondering what all that random is good for, think - games, cryptography, generating serial numbers and similar. Swing by the TrueRandom code repository to download the library.

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Ultimate film set first aid kit

Posted: March 19th, 2010, 10:00am MDT

This is the fanciest first aid kit I've ever seen! MacGuffin Films made this one up with everything they might need for a location shoot for about $235 total, not including the $55 Husky case. In addition to bandaging cuts and scrapes, this kit can ease almost any ailment that would delay filming. Parts list after the jump. Photos by Nathan Rosenquist.

More:

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In the Makers Market: Glass bell with frame

Posted: March 19th, 2010, 9:06am MDT

Inspired by the late great American composer and experimental-instrument-maker Harry Partch (Wikipedia), Makers Market seller Johnson Arts created this gorgeous hardwood frame and hung a beautiful glass bell in it. Where'd they get the bell? In a former life it was a glass sink! Check it out, along with other cool handmade one-offs from Johnson Arts, in their Makers Market store.

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Cool Idea: Bannister ropes

Posted: March 19th, 2010, 8:04am MDT

Image courtesy W.R. Outhwaite & Son, Ropemakers.

Depending on where you live, this may be old hat for you, but I've lived 30 years on this earth and never seen a rope bannister before. And I just finished remodeling my staircase too. Besides being less expensive, easier to ship, easier to install, and way more interesting than a rigid handrail, a rope bannister is an awesome excuse to do some classic knotwork and play with giant-gauge rope. I'm pretty sure that's a Matthew Walker knot (Wikipedia) there in the end of that one.

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Weekend Project: Pinhole Panoramic Camera

Posted: March 19th, 2010, 7:01am MDT

Enclosure: [download]

A sturdy, panoramic design pinhole camera that uses 120 film. Thanks go to Ross Orr for the original article in MAKE Volume 09.
To download The Pinhole Panoramic Camera video video click here and subscribe in iTunes. Check out the complete Pinhole Panoramic Camera article in MAKE Volume 09 and you can see that in our Digital Edition. Get the Pinhole Camera Template here

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Weekend Project: Pinhole Panoramic Camera (PDF)

Posted: March 19th, 2010, 7:00am MDT

Enclosure: [download]

A sturdy, panoramic design pinhole camera that uses 120 film. Thanks go to Ross Orr for the original article in MAKE Volume 09.

View the PDF of this project. And then subscribe to MAKE magazine for other great projects you can do over the weekend.

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In the Maker Shed: 54 Piece Bit Driver Kit

Posted: March 19th, 2010, 6:30am MDT

Got some strange screws that need unscrewing? Want to get in there and modify some gear the manufacturer didn't trust you to open? Maybe you need to pick up the new 54 Piece Bit Driver Kit over in the Maker Shed.

This kit includes a magnetized driver with metal shaft, swivel top, and rubberized grip, a 60 mm extension, a 130 mm flexible extension, and 54 bits. By iFixit.

Features:

# Slot sizes 1, 1.3, 1.5, 2, 2.5, 3, 3.5, 4 mm

# Philips sizes #000, #00, #0, #1 (x2), #2

# Spanner sizes 2, 2.2, 2.6, 3 mm

# Torx sizes T3, T4 (x2), T5, T6 (x2), T7, T8, T9, T10, T15, T20

# Hex sizes 0.7, 0.9, 1.3, 1.5, 2, 2.5, 3, 3.5, 4, 4.5, 5, 6 mm

# Posidrive sizes #0, #1, #2

# Star sizes 2, 3 mm

# Square sizes #0, #1, #2

# Triangle size 3 mm

# Tri-wing sizes #0, #1

# Drop size 1 mm

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DIY home carbonation

Posted: March 19th, 2010, 6:00am MDT

Repurposing a leftover CO2 cylinder and regulator, maker Joel Miller assembled this DIY home carbonation unit after a quick parts run.

The carbonating process is simple. Fill an empty bottle with the liquid of your choice and refrigerate it. Replace the cap with the special one you made and attach the quick-disconnect hose to it. Make sure the shutoff valve on the regulator is closed, then slowly open the main valve on the tank until the regulator shows pressure. Adjust the output pressure to about 45psi and open the shutoff valve, pressurizing the bottle. Now loosen the cap on the bottle just slightly while squeezing any air space out of the neck of the bottle, then tighten the cap. This will purge any air from the bottle and replace it with CO2. Now shake the bottle vigorously for about 20-30 seconds; this will help dissolve the CO2 into the liquid faster. Shut off the CO2 at the regulator and disconnect the hose from the quick-disconnect fitting. You can now remove the special cap (slowly, the contents are now carbonated!) and replace it with a regular cap.

So on the first day I made seltzer water. On the second day I carbonated apple juice, grape juice, and Gatorade, and ended the evening with a carbonated vodka martini (nice!). What else can I carbonate?

Just to be on the safe side, Joel also mentions:

VERY IMPORTANT: Apparently there is a chemical reaction between the CO2 dissolved in water and copper (or copper alloys like brass) that creates a toxic substance that will make you sick. Never use brass or other copper-based fittings with seltzer! All of these fittings (or at least the ones that will be in contact with the seltzer for any length of time) are either zinc-plated steel or stainless.

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Workshop panorama

Posted: March 19th, 2010, 3:00am MDT

I love this panoramic series of photos of Matthew Good's workshop. He describes the contents:

Ohm's Law
Medicine Man balsa wood glider (half finished)
Make:Electronics book, Maker's Notebook
Woolly Mammoth clone guitar pedal, nearly done
2.5 gallon fishtank, testing out temperature logging via LM34 and Arduino
There are no less than five computers on/around my desk. Not all are visible.
Small cheap telescope
Printing plate of some old ship
Guitars
More guitars

The mess? Oh, that just means I'm getting work done.

I can't believe he didn't mention the X-Files poster!

(Note: Click on the image for a larger version of the panorama.)

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BuffaloFeeds » MAKE Magazine » March 19, 2010

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MAKE Magazine (20 unread)

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Enclosure: [download]

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