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I posted to blog.makezine.com
http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2010/03/backpack_hydroelectric_plant.html
Bourne Energy's "militarized" luggable hydroelectric plant measures 3 feet in length and weights around 25 pounds. It can be transported to a water source by one person, then set up either on the surface of the river or, ninjalike, completely submerged.
[I]t is self-contained with its own integrated power, control, cooling and sensor systems. The unit collapses into three major parts which slide into a large backpack. The BPP-2 produces up to 20% more power (600W) and can be set up singularly or in arrays of over 20 kW. The BPP-2, which operates silently with no heat or exhaust emissions, is 40% less visible during operation and can also be bottom mounted to be totally invisible.
[via Wired Science]
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Digg this!March 2 2010, 7:00pm | More »
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I posted to blog.makezine.com
http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2010/02/waste_oil_foundry_furnace_--_comple.html
Jake von Slatt gives us a video tour of his finished propane and waste oil foundry furnace. I love the lamp post and lights. SO von Slatty!
Final test of Jake von Slatt's Waste Oil Foundry Furnace
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February 16 2010, 5:00pm | More »
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I posted to blog.makezine.com
http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2010/02/using_snow_to_see_heat_transfer.html
In these photos, you can see the heat transfer happening through a number of roofs in my neighborhood. In a wintery time like we have now, the snow acts as an indicator of your insulation. If you have a full roof of snow, then you're well insulated. If you have spots of bare roof surrounded by snow, then inside the house is an area where it's uninsulated, or poorly insulated. If your roof doesn't hold the snow at all, then it's time to look at your attic insulation. Sunny, South facing roofs will naturally clear faster on clear days, due to the input of solar energy. Any part of your building envelope that transfers heat is spending your money and wasting energy resources.
On some of these roofs, you can see areas of white lines. These are the rafters. The roofing structure is thicker there, and heat isn't transferring as well in those spots. A nearby antique cape, shows that the rafters are 3 or 4 feet apart. That is a big difference from the way it would be framed in modern times with the rafters at 16 inches on center.
One neighborhood house sports a chimney from a woodstove. It seems that the rafter bay where the chimney pierces the roof is totally uninsulated, judging from the lack of snow on that one section of the roof.
On my house, you can see thin spots about two feet from the gutter. That is the place where the studs from the wall meet the rafters. This unusual framing technique seems to have been done to save on materials when building the house. The wall is well insulated, as is the attic. Its just the junction point that is radiating heat.
Before this winter, there were three bare spots on a section of roof over the mudroom in my house. I noticed these spots, and really noticed the cold air flowing from the recessed lights in that room. For a few winters, I put up insulating window plastic over the fixtures to keep the warm in and the cold out. These lights have since been removed and the cavities insulated, there is still a bit of melting in those locations, but nothing like it was.
What can you see by looking at the exterior of the houses around you? Can you see the energy flowing from warm to cold? Does this help you see improvements you can make to your house?
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Digg this!February 14 2010, 4:00pm | More »
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I posted to blog.makezine.com
http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2010/02/screw-in_coffin_patent_issues.html
This is a choice selection of images from the application for U.S. patent 7,631,404, which has since issued to Donald Scruggs of Chino, CA. The title is "Easy inter burial container." [via Neatorama]
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Digg this!February 9 2010, 3:59pm | More »
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I posted to blog.makezine.com
http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2010/02/bowling_lane_coffee_table.html
William Stranger specializes in building furniture out of repurposed wood. I especially liked the massive coffee table whose top is a four-inch-thick slab of bowling lane. It's part of a exhibit(?) called Second Growth:
A second growth forest is one that has re-grown after it has been heavily logged or clear-cut. The installation of reclaimed materials, organic furniture and hand carved objects suggests the life cycle of a tree. It encourages a closer look at the relationship between consumption and conservation and promotes the idea of a culture in balance with the natural world. A tree is borrowed from its cycle without breaking it. The wood is worked with attention, treated with non-toxic finishes, and after its long second life it will return to nourish the earth. Scrap wood is saved and becomes the raw material for innovative design.
[via dornob]
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Digg this!February 8 2010, 3:00am | More »
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I posted to blog.makezine.com
http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2010/02/you_can_lazzzer_biodegradable_plast.html
Make biodegradable "bioplastic" out of common household ingredients, then laser-cut it with ease. [the Shapeways blog]
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February 5 2010, 3:00am | More »
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I posted to blog.makezine.com
http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2010/01/apartment-sized_vertical_herb_garde.html
Xavier Calluaud's "Urb Garden -- A vertical food garden for the urban gardener" complete with a composting 'worm farm' and internal watering system. [via Inhabitat]
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Digg this!January 30 2010, 7:00pm | More »
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I posted to blog.makezine.com
http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2010/01/mypod_looks_like_a_neat_pad.html
Need a unique spot for your studio/workshop/cave? Perhaps you could get inspired to incubate your latest crazy ideas inside one of these. They're being pitched as an environmentally benign alternative to commuting and less expensive to heating a whole house for a home office. These appear to be production models with standardization of design and materials. Anybody have other versions we can see? Do you or your neighbor have one we can view? [Via StumbleUpon]
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Digg this!January 30 2010, 11:00am | More »
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I posted to blog.makezine.com
http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2010/01/creating_an_e-tractor.html
Students at Bonham ISD High School, in Bonham, TX, are turning this old on tractor, donated to them by the Ivanhoe Christmas Tree Farm, into their Electric Vehicle Project for the 2009/2010 school year. Plans are to use the tractor in a farm tractor driving certification/safety course. Primary charging of the E-Tractor will be via a solar array, with the option of a plug-in charger for emergency and quick-charge situations.
Bonham ISD: E-Tractor 2009/10 Project
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January 29 2010, 6:00pm | More »
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I posted to blog.makezine.com
http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2010/01/fablab_house_mit_cribs.html
So apparently, MIT's Center for Bits and Atoms is in the housing biz. Recently they sponsored the FabLab House, a futuristic-looking concept house designed for the Solar Decathalon Europe.
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Digg this!January 29 2010, 2:00pm | More »
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I posted to blog.makezine.com
http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2010/01/low_impact_vehicles_grant_program.html
This is rather last minute (the deadline is 5pm PST Monday), but it was just sent to us and we thought some of you might find it interesting:
Seattle, WA + aLIVe: a Low-Impact Vehicle exhibition
4Culture is seeking ideas that will inspire and engage the broader community in a conversation about transportation. This opportunity is open to artists and artist teams, architects, landscape architects, designers of all types, engineers, tinkerers and community members residing in Washington, Oregon, California, and British Columbia.
Currently, our transportation system is designed around 40 ton trucks, but what if we were to design around the human body instead? A bicycle is a low-impact vehicle. What else can be imagined? Selected project ideas will be funded and exhibited in a variety of ways, depending upon medium and context. This is a great opportunity for people working across disciplines to explore how the arts can enhance existing systems and stimulate public conversations about energy, livability and design. Citizens from all backgrounds are encouraged to submit ideas for everything from poetry to prototypes. This project is produced in collaboration with artist Cheryl dos Remédios and Great City.
Deadline: January 25, 2010
Budget: varies by selected idea or project
More Info: http://www.greatcity.org/about/alive/
Application Guidelines: http://www.4culture.org/publicart/calls/index.aspx
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January 23 2010, 2:01am | More »
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I posted to blog.makezine.com
http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2010/01/wind_turbine_covered_in_leds.html
It's a Xmas-time publicity stunt from German engineering conglomerate Siemens AG, which counts a couple of wind power companies amongst its vast holdings. The "Siemens Superstar" was created in collaboration with Munich multimedia artist Michael Pendra and installed on a large wind turbine in Fröttmaning at the gates of Munich, overlooking the A9 autobahn. It was up from November 29 through January 6. The Siemens publicity site has lots more info and some beautiful video. [Thanks, Rachel!]
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January 22 2010, 8:00am | More »
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I posted to blog.craftzine.com
http://blog.craftzine.com/archive/2010/01/untitled_2.html
>
Elvis and Kresse, a Dutch accessory company, rounds up old firehoses and produces a line of bags made from them. [via Core77]
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Comment on this articleJanuary 2 2010, 1:00pm | More »
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I posted to hackaday.com
http://hackaday.com/2010/01/01/making-a-rail-gun-again/
January 1 2010, 9:00am | More »
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I posted to blog.makezine.com
http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2009/12/make_uses_recycled_paper_better_pap.html
MAKE's on a list of about 200 magazines rounded up by the Better Paper Project for using recycled paper in our print magazine. From the statement in the mag:
MAKE is printed on recycled, process-chlorine-free, acid-free paper with 30% post-consumer waste, certified by the Forest Stewardship Council and the Sustainable Forest Initiative, with soy-based inks containing 22%-26% renewable raw materials.
In other words, we love trees and the planet, so you can feel good about subscribing.
From MAKE magazine:
Want to know how to build a hydrogen rocket? How about a laser light show in a lunchbox? Or a simple remote-controlled videocam car? Or maybe you want to go old-school and build a wooden mini sailboat or toy car launcher? All this and tons more, plus revealing photos of Adam Savage's maker childhood, can all be found in MAKE, Volume 20, "For Kids of All Ages." Get your individual copy in the Maker Shed, or subscribe now.
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Digg this!December 3 2009, 10:00am | More »
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I posted to blog.makezine.com
http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2009/12/diy_car_hammerhead_eagle_i-thrust.html
Looking for the ultimate DIY gift for the holiday season? Yeah, me too! How about building your own electric car? It won't go more than 55 mph, and the seats happen to be green lawn chairs, but it will save you some money at the pump.
Anyhow, here's a brief review: the Hammerhead Eagle i-Thrust is a road legal car/shed that started life as a TVR Chimaera and underwent quite a few modifications to become a 21st-century range-extender, all built for considerably less money than GM would spend... on biscuits.
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Digg this!December 2 2009, 4:00am | More »
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I posted to blog.makezine.com
http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2009/11/coconuts_with_zippers.html
The coconut is nature's Altoid tin. If there was one accessory that could drastically improve the coconut it would have to be the zipper. On Lamu Island, off the coast of Kenya, it would appear that they've developed a decent trade around this concept. [via AfriGadget]
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Coconut Headphone Mod
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Digg this!November 30 2009, 4:00am | More »
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I posted to blog.makezine.com
http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2009/10/energy-harvesting_rocking_chair.html
Rochus Jacob designed this energy-harvesting rocking chair. It works by storing energy while you rock during the day, then lights up the attached OLED lamp at night. It is a neat concept, however there is no reason to wait for future technologies to build one. Just start with this human-powered fan design, add a small generator and a standard LED, grab your whittling project, and you should be set to go. [via gizmodo]
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Digg this!October 16 2009, 4:00pm | More »
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I posted to blog.makezine.com
http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2009/10/open_source_sourcing.html
This is a really cool idea, an open source project dedicated to the idea of tracking, documenting, and mapping where all of the components for our everyday goods come from. It's supply chain transparency. [Thanks, Laura Cochrane!]
SourceMap - Visualizing Supply Chains
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October 15 2009, 9:31pm | More »
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I posted to instructables.com
http://www.instructables.com/id/Jeans-Apron/
Use an old pair of jeans, and you favorite garage-sale material to
make a fun, easy apron. Materials Scissiors1 pair of jeans1 yard
of material (be really green and use an old shirt with a great
pattern!)Needle & threadRazor Blade, or good seam ripper(Just a
disclaimer....I didn't invent...
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Very InterestingOctober 11 2009, 4:29pm | More »
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I posted to blog.makezine.com
http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2009/10/real_time_energy_monitoring.html
A few months ago I met Mike Costa at Design Continuum. He had a Chumby on his desk which was set to monitor the energy usage of the building. At the time, he was working out the technical details of the system, and now has posted up some info about the project. Here are some highlights:
Real time power monitoring has been proven to effectively reduce power consumption due to waste. It is intuitive to consider that humans need some sort of feedback in order to recognize the presence of waste. For example if one leaves the faucet open one has sound and sight feedback indicating there is waste. What sort of feedback do we have for electricity? None really, this is why these systems can help with waste reduction
The system uses images from a camera to track changes on the power meter, which is then fed through the network, converted to data and ported to the Google Powermeter. The data can then be viewed online from any browser. The history page gives some more context on the data. Check out more about the project's impact on the Analysis page.
The data can be sent to any device as long as the device has internet access and can read a RSS feed. So a web browser can display it, as well as a cell phone that has internet access.
The data that the chumby takes comes from this address.
The Chumby application is a simple flash movie that reads from the above rss feed and displays the data. the color changes from green to red as we use more electricity. so at night the text will be green/yellow. This is a link to the exact same flash movie that is running on the Chumby. It updates real time. The data is being served from a web server I built.
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Digg this!October 11 2009, 2:00pm | More »
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I posted to instructables.com
http://www.instructables.com/id/Non-PV-Solar-Power/
Hello, in this Instructable I will show you how to generate solar power using inexpensive solid state parts and without PV (photovoltaic) cells or panels. I wanted to make this project to see if I could beat the dollars per watt costs of commercially available solar panels.
You only need a few inex...
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bananafredOctober 3 2009, 10:09pm | More »
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I posted to blog.makezine.com
http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2009/10/novel_edge-collecting_solar_panels.html
This is a solar panel. Really. If you've observed that it looks a lot like a piece of live-edge fluorescent acrylic, you're more than halfway to understanding how it works. Light entering the panel from the sides is absorbed by dyes and converted, by some fancy top-secret nano-metal whatnot ingredients, into a kind of internal re-radiation that is collected by conventional silicon applied only at the edges. Fair warning: Full science-hype disclosure rules apply here. The responsible party is Israel's GreenSun, and they do not have a product at market yet. But The Economist seems to be buying in, and their ethos is good for a click or two, in my book.
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Digg this!October 2 2009, 6:11pm | More »
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I posted to hackaday.com
http://hackaday.com/2009/10/02/how-to-build-your-own-lathe/
October 2 2009, 2:00pm | More »
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I posted to instructables.com
http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-Build-a-Polished-Concrete-Desk/
This Instructable documents the construction of my new Modern desk with a polished concrete desktop!
Plans!
Plan and layout the desk. Take measurements of the location you plan to place it. Nothing is worse than building something you wont be able to use. Make sure the concrete is broken up into m...
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hivoltageSeptember 27 2009, 7:06pm | More »
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I posted to instructables.com
http://www.instructables.com/id/Projector-Slide-Window-Hanging/
I managed to snag an old box of projector slides at the thrift store for a buck fifty and just had to do something fun with them! They're really neat little collage images, probably from some art class. They're all from 1998 and 1999, so they're not really old enough to be cool. I love them just the...
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ShrimpSaladCircusSeptember 22 2009, 1:52pm | More »
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I posted to instructables.com
http://www.instructables.com/id/How-I-built-a-Solar-iPhone-Charger-for-under-50/
To see my personal site with these tutorials and news, please visit
http://www.BrennanZelener.com
**DISCLAIMER**
I am not responsible for any damage that you may cause to your iPhone or any device that you use with this charger. I can not stress the importance of checking your circuits with a mult...
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akbrennanSeptember 22 2009, 1:09pm | More »
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I posted to instructables.com
http://www.instructables.com/id/Upcycled-Vintage-Lace-Shirt-Collar-Necklace/
I found a fantastic royal purple long vintage skirt with a beautiful embroidered lacy bottom recently, and I just love it because it works as a skirt or a strapless dress. It came with a very unflattering shirt, which I was about to drop off at the thrift store when inspiration struck.
I love the w...
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ShrimpSaladCircusSeptember 17 2009, 7:48pm | More »
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I posted to blog.makezine.com
http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2009/09/straw-bale_house_construction_timel.html?CMP=OTC-0D6B48984890
Peter Maltzan is building a passive solar straw-bale house, and has been at it since October of 2008. He's done a great job of documenting the construction process, which is now nearly complete, in photographs. Highly recommended if you want to get a feel for how it all goes together. Thanks to MAKE subscriber Pete Marchetto for suggesting the link.
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Digg this!September 17 2009, 12:00pm | More »
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I posted to hackaday.com
http://hackaday.com/2009/09/13/laser-spiro-made-from-junk/
September 13 2009, 6:03pm | More »
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I posted to instructables.com
http://www.instructables.com/id/Making-a-desk-featuring-old-wooden-crates/
For years i have planned on building a desk to meet my needs and use old wooden boxes and crates for the drawers. I'm not a finish carpenter but was able to cobble this desk together over a few evenings with a little trial and error.
I wanted to use crates found at garage sales and thrift stores f...
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zieakSeptember 12 2009, 3:57pm | More »
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I posted to blog.makezine.com
http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2009/09/diy_electric_el_camino.html?CMP=OTC-0D6B48984890
DIY Electric El Camino @ Wired.com
The electronic controls engineer from Franksville, Wisconsin, electrified an ‘81 Chevrolet El Camino, a poster child for the darkest days of American automotive design and a car with enough steel to shrug off a collision with a Sherman tank.
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Digg this!September 11 2009, 11:00pm | More »
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I posted to hackaday.com
http://hackaday.com/2009/09/10/tapping-tree-power/
September 10 2009, 1:00pm | More »
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I posted to instructables.com
http://www.instructables.com/id/Homemade-Carbonated-Beverages/
I have been making homemade soda for longer than I have used Instructables. After scanning what people have posted here on soda making, I decided that I would post my technique. This will not save you money if you compare it to most store bought carbonated beverages. However you will have control ov...
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ronmaggiSeptember 8 2009, 2:55pm | More »
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I posted to instructables.com
http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-Make-a-Laundry-Water-Recycler-Gray-Water-S/
For those interested in getting into gray water, this may be one of the simplest ways. I got this idea from Home Use of Graywater from the University of Arizona. The idea is very simple: Save the rinse water from one load of laundry in a tank and use that water to wash the next load, cutting the amo...
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dlginstructablesSeptember 8 2009, 12:10am | More »
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I posted to instructables.com
http://www.instructables.com/id/how-to-make-a-bowl-out-of-magazines-in-thirty-seco/
a fun ecofriendly project that will help the earth and its creatures
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oceanblue824September 5 2009, 3:43pm | More »
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I posted to instructables.com
http://www.instructables.com/id/Beneficial-Bug-Houses/
In this instructable im going to show you how to make a quick, cheap and easy Beneficial Bug Houses!
So why and what is a Beneficial Bug?
Did you know, your garden is an important refuge for wildlife and can be an amazing place to watch it?
Your garden will be packed full of mini beasts, not...
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icecreamterrorSeptember 3 2009, 9:30pm | More »
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I posted to blog.makezine.com
http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2009/08/following_the_trail_of_toxic_e-wast.html?CMP=OTC-0D6B48984890
Updated story on CBS - Following The Trail Of Toxic E-Waste @ 60 Minutes...
(CBS) This story was first published on Nov. 9, 2008. It was updated on Aug. 27, 2009. 60 Minutes is going to take you to one of the most toxic places on Earth -- a place that government officials and gangsters don't want you to see. It's a town in China where you can't breathe the air or drink the water, a town where the blood of the children is laced with lead. It's worth risking a visit because, as correspondent Scott Pelley first reported last November, much of the poison is coming out of the homes, schools and offices of America. This is a story about recycling - about how your best intentions to be green can be channeled into an underground sewer that flows from the United States and into the wasteland.
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Digg this!August 31 2009, 11:00pm | More »
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I posted to blog.makezine.com
http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2009/08/ready-made_pedal-power.html?CMP=OTC-0D6B48984890
Here's a clever reuse of a plastic pedal boat as a ready-made power plant for a mechanical washing machine.
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Digg this!August 31 2009, 5:00pm | More »
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I posted to hackaday.com
http://hackaday.com/2009/08/27/energy-efficient-fridge-hack/
August 27 2009, 7:35pm | More »
