Flower Hair Clips

sam — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 18:18:07 -0400

The beautiful and talented Julie Gillrie shows you how to become the coolest girl on the block with this simple fabric flower tutorial. With just a little bit of felt and thread, you too can enjoy the admiration of your peers and the satisfaction of knowing your flowers will never wilt like the crappy real kind.

art, craft

Rock Your Little One to Sleep Nerd Style

sam — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 16:50:52 -0400

You know that drink holder that came with your computer that says "CD ROM" on it? Turn out it can be used for more than just a beverage shelf. With this simple script, you can program it to open and close endlessly. Tie it to a baby rocker and you've just got yourself a few precious hours of freedom from being a parent. [via]

Creating Your Own Geocache

sam — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 09:16:05 -0400

If you've never heard of geocaching, you're in for a treat. Chances are that you have a few geocaches right in your own neighborhood. These mini-treasure boxes can be found with GPS coordinates downloaded from the geocaching website and can be a fun way to get outdoors and try something new. All you need is a GPS - even a capable smartphone will do the trick.

After you've found a few caches, it's a good idea to contribute to the sport by making one of your own. Geoaching.com offers a great tutorial on putting together your first cache and finding a good hiding place for it.

sports

$1 Op-Amp ECG

sam — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 04:53:38 -0400

Sometimes you just want to do a little heart monitoring without going into debt for the rest of your life (yes, that's a not-so-subtle jab at our wonderful healthcare system). When you can't afford the real thing, this $1 home made electrocardiogram will allow you to monitor your heart as you go into cardiac arrest while opening bills from your previous hospital adventures. This is much simpler than our previously covered homemade ecg, and probably about as accurate (read: not very). [via]

Notice: This ECG cost less to make than an artery clogging burger from your local BK. Therefore, we do not recommend making medical decisions based off of the data received from it.

medical, cheap

Walkie Talkie Camera Trigger

sam — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 02:40:22 -0400

Here's a great MacGyver tip on how to make a remote (very remote) camera trigger using a couple of walkie talkies. This idea came from the desire to take nature photography from a remote location and a unique viewpoint (although we're pretty sure by "nature" the inventor means "women's locker room").

Anyway - a very cool project. Putting together some simple electronics is required. Go find out how to make your own walkie-talkie camera trigger. [via]

macgyver, photography

Cereal Box Journal Part of a Balanced Breakfast

sam — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 13:12:34 -0400

This project creatively uses a cereal box as a cover for a super hip notebook (although if it was us, we'd be even more super hip by putting the cereal box graphics on the outside). Not only that, but it's a good introduction to a simple book binding method (sewing required). This is a great inexpensive alternative to those expensive journals that are all the rage these days and you'll get twice as many looks of approval from the other hipsters. Plus, your doodles and shopping lists will now be complete with 12 essential vitamins and minerals. [via]

DeskSquid: The Ultimate Helping Hand

sam — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 10:55:45 -0400

Need a hand? A good set of helping hands is crucial for any tiny jobs you might have - especially when dealing with electronics. An extra set of nimble fingers goes a long way. Mike from Instructables has put together a guide for making the ultimate set of helping hands using some commonly available pieces.

DeskSquid / Helping Hands. [Thanks, Mike]

PDF Planner Pro

sam — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 23:05:47 -0500

Here's one for all you hipster PDA users - our friends over at Worldlabel have done it again with these downloadable, fill-outable, printable, life-organizingable pocket calendars, task lists, planners, and note pads. You can fill in your info right on the computer and print it out and write in any changes as your week progresses. You can definitely tell they've put some good thought into these - making them both useful and attractive.

PDF Planners.

Live Wallpaper

sam — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 08:51:14 -0500

Turn a blank wall opposite any window into a live action wallpaper by effectively turning the entire room into a giant camera obscura. The view from your window will be projected (upside down) onto the opposite wall with the use of only a bit of cardboard, tape, and a lens available from your local optician. The effect is pretty cool - but wouldn't it be possible to flip the image right side up again by using a second lens? [via]

Your Own Personal Fonts

sam — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 16:00:00 -0500

Web Service yourfonts provides a software package for creating your own fonts. Although it's commercial, they offer a free web service that allows you to design your own handwritten fonts in a jiffy! Simply print out the template, fill it out, scan it and upload it back to the site. [via]