Ad: Manage updates with the Download App
ie8 fix

diy

Roll your own DAP

It takes a certain kind of person to pay $115 for the pleasure of soldering together your own flash-based MP3 player. Still, Make magazine's open source MP3 player kit Daisy has been taunting me for a while now and I think I'm finally up for the challenge. I've had more than my fair share of misspent weekends behind a soldering iron, getting woozy from fumes and cursing myself when projects fall to pieces. Why invite another weekend project disappointment? Well, maybe you're just the kind of crafty nerd who can't resist the idea of making … Read more

Why would you want a folding PC?

Because it costs less, that's why. If you're the type of rugged individualist who builds computers from scratch (well, almost), then you know that shipping can be the difference between a bargain and a waste of time. So Aopen Asia is making tower cases that fold up and save space, resulting in lower packing and shipping costs, according to OhGizmo. This way, the company says it can fit twice as many cases in a standard shipping container. There are no guarantees, of course, that the savings will be passed along to the consumer. (We can be so cynical … Read more

iRobot lets you build your own

What can robots do? Fetch beer, pick up socks and empower rodents.

At the Consumer Electronics Show this week, iRobot will publicly release its latest product, the Create, a programmable robot for entertainment and education. The base of the Create is similar to the Scooba, the company's mopping robot, and the vacuuming Roomba. It comes with wheels, motors for movement, and sensors that prevent it from tumbling downstairs or getting mired in corners.

The brushes and fluid tanks, however, have been removed and, instead, the Create comes with a series of connectors that let users attach reticulating arms, cameras … Read more

The FragBox, DIY edition

If you jump on over to NewEgg.com this morning, you'll find a new desktop PC chassis for sale. The Falcon Northwest FragBox case runs nearly $300 ($289.99, to be exact), but for that price, you get a small form-factor case with the spec standards of premiere, high-end PCs. Falcon has sold its Northwest FragBox directly from its Web site. According to the press release issued this morning, however, the act of unleashing the item on NewEgg was less at-odds with Falcon's own custom-PC business.

The case doesn't come with a power supply, and you have … Read more

Turn a paint mixer into a zombie!

I'm one of those people who's always very impressed by hardcore Halloween decoration--legitimately scary, mind you, no cutesy stuffed pumpkins or cartoon witches. And it's even better when it's home-made. So that's why I was very impressed by this do-it-yourself tutorial.

Most of the do-it-yourself gadgetry featured on Make magazine's blog is way over my head. But I have to say I'm tempted to go out to Home Depot and grab the supplies needed to make the "Grave Grabber" that Make's featuring today. If you stick it in your yard, … Read more