MAKE-ing things
While
most of the world is moving from print to web, a very techie publisher is
moving in the opposite direction.
O’Reilly
is known throughout the techie-programmer-geek world as the main source for
great manuals on software programming, server tools, and website development.
Last month the publisher launched a new magazine called MAKE ($14.99, www.makezine.com), dedicated to people who like
tinkering in the real world.
The
first issue (it’s quarterly, and more like a book or
manual than a magazine) includes how-to articles on aerial kite photography
(www.kiteaerialphotography.net), a video camera stabilizer, a magnetic
card-strip reader, and many more projects, each with detailed instructions and
diagrams or photographs.
Along
with the print issue, MAKE runs a continuously
updated blog on its website. In fact, the magazine is
essentially a print version of a blog — a
collection of postings from inventors, tinkerers, and
enthusiasts compiled in a handy format for easy referral. (And if you don’t
know what a blog is, it’s basically an easy way to
post thoughts, or really anything, to a website quickly, without having any
knowledge of html, etc. More on blogs
in a future Fiz.)
One
of the reasons I dig MAKE is for the
reuse-recycle nature of most of its projects (I’m a pack rat). For instance, a
recent blog entry found a use for old laptops by
turning them into digital picture frames. These frames can sit on a desk or on
your wall, and can cycle through your library of digital photos.
I
also like the fact that MAKE doesn’t
assume everyone knows how to do everything. So, in the first issue, there’s an
introduction on soldering, which is vital in any projects involving
electronics.
Related
homework: MAKE something;
find an alternative use for those plastic “cake boxes” that blank CD-Rs come packaged in. I’ve heard of people making small
lamps out of them. What can you come up with?
—
Joe Tunis
Message
control
So
you’ve got a message you’d like to spread around the globe, but you just opened
a beer and that killer parking spot right in front of the house is finally
yours. In days of yore you’d have to stifle those megalomaniacal tendencies and
simply be happy with absolute autonomy over the remote control. But with
CafePress.com, world domination is merely a few mouse clicks away.
Founded
in 1999, CafePress.com is the internet’s leading site for people who want to
design and sell their own merchandise. You can choose from more than 70 ways to
foist your views upon others, including the ever-popular T-shirts, mugs, and
bumper stickers. Once you provide CafePress.com with your words and/or images,
they take care of the rest (production, payment, shipping)
via your own little online shop.
Shockingly,
this service is totally free. CafePress.com keeps a portion of the amount for
each item sold to you or your customers, and anything you decide to charge over
their base price is sent to you as your profit.
Let’s
say I decided Bug Jar bartender Herman Gatto should
be the next President of the United
States (note to self: continue to jot down
nightmares). All I would have to do is create my “Herman in 2008” logo, upload
it to CafePress.com, and watch as the orders come pouring in and the monthly
checks go flying out.
Realistically,
however, I’d be the only person sporting a “Herman in 2008” T-shirt (except for
possibly Herman, though I’m pretty sure he’s shooting for 2012). But there’s
always some smug comfort in wearing a unique piece of clothing, even if the
idea conveyed by said garment calls your judgment into question.
—
Dayna Papaleo
This article appears in May 11-17, 2005.
