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, preferably at the base of a fake gravestone, it'll look like it's digging its way out of the ground. Plus, all you need to do to make it is chop up some metal with a hacksaw, attach it to a low-speed high torque motor (like a paint mixer), and finally dress it up. The photographs show some kind of half-decayed zombie, but it could easily be turned into some other scary creature that grabs at people: a swamp monster, or a man-eating mutant gorilla, or former Congressman Mark Foley.
Easy, right?
Caroline McCarthy, a CNET News staff writer, is a downtown Manhattanite happily addicted to social-media tools and restaurant blogs. Her pre-CNET resume includes interning at an IT security firm and brewing cappuccinos. E-mail Caroline. 
