During the holiday season most of us have a Christmas tree up in our living rooms, filled to the brim with sparkly ornaments and twinkly lights. But the Christmas spirit tends to be a bit damper at work, where the most jolly it gets is making a makeshift post-it note Christmas ...more
Start by fluffing your Christmas tree to make it look fuller, and then string on the lights (use one hundred lights per foot in height of your tree). Then weave some ribbon through the branches of your tree. Beautiful and festive!
Microcontrollers are great. You can do anything from water your garden to catch wildlife trash diggers in the act—and on the cheap. I prefer to use the Arduino microcontroller because of the large and helpful community built around the website. Though it is my favorite, there ...more
If you take two flat mirrors and place them front to back and look at them, you can see an infinite number of reflections. While this is a self-replicating pattern and can be somewhat mesmerizing, it isn't anywhere as interesting as looking at the chaotic scattering of light t ...more
Whether you're in an airport, restaurant or waiting room, the insidious grip of televisions on human life is omnipresent. Sometimes it's nice to talk to other human beings while looking at them directly—actually hearing what they have to say. Thankfully, there's a DIY device ...more
Know how some people have a natural way of lighting up a room? Well, hacker i-am-jen has an artificial one—LED sneakers! Powered by a pair of 6-volt batteries and two teeny-tiny RBBB Arduino microcontrollers, the shoes offer a high-tech, DIY spin on the mass-market L.A. Lights ...more
This is probably the least "Mathy" thing I will ever post. In my opinion, it's impossible to have architecture that isn't mathematical in some sense, so I am posting it anyway. Two years ago, I made a papercraft version of a cathedral in Christchurch New Zealand (It was severe ...more
The truth is we really don't like handmade presents. Yes, grandma, we thank you for your reindeer sweater whose nose lights up, but to be honest, nothing beats an iPad. But when it comes to Christmas cards, it's a whole other story. Make your Christmas cards personalized by m ...more
The truth is we really don't like handmade presents. Yes, grandma, we thank you for your reindeer sweater whose nose lights up, but to be honest, there's very little to beats that new headphone set we've been eyeing. But when it comes to Christmas cards, it's a whole other st ...more
It's that time of year again! The air is a whole lot nipper, lights dance around sidewalks as you drive past shopping centers, and the scent of warm gingerbread and sweet cookies fills your nostrils when you enter your home. That's right, it's Christmas, and what better way to ...more
Thanksgiving. It's sadly over. But happily replaced by the Christmas season! My apartment complex is already full of the Christmas spirit. Wreaths are tacked up on wooden doors, windows contain strands of bright and colorful lights, and there's even a few nearly decorated con ...more
Smartphones are crazy awesome. You can do your banking, track your children, find directions, and even pretend to have a mustache. The only thing that these personal supercomputers are missing is physical interaction with the environment. I wanted to be able to call my house ...more
Decorating for the holidays can be a lot of fun, but it can also be a lot of work if you let it get out of hand. Keep it simple and try and use as many things as you have around the garden, like tomato cages. When you combine tomato cages with a few other unlikely objects, an ...more
Pranks are fun, but finding a way to maximize the affect of a prank can be tricky. Toilet papering the whole campus or repainting all of the parking spaces slightly smaller can take a long time and a lot of resources. A better plan of attack is to booby trap the choke points w ...more
Face it, when it comes to the holiday season buying a Christmas tree can be a bit of a pain. Always going out and trying to find a tree that is just right, then lugging it back home and setting up the lights and decorations. While at the same time little pieces of pine needles ...more
During the darkness of the winter months some bright and spirited holiday decorations can really add holiday cheer to a home. This Christmas, try making this festive tree and light table piece because you can never have too many decorations. Step 1: Clean and dry baby food ja ...more
Chestnuts are roasting on an open fire, which can only mean one thing: Christmas is nearly here. It's the time of year we're supposed to spend with family and friends, but usually we spend it stressing out over what to buy everyone on our list without going over budget, or sho ...more
You've probably tried just about every method of hanging your holiday decorations: nails, thumbtacks, sticky hooks, and, in desperation, even tape. Each method can leave a host of complications when removed, though, from chipping paint to visible holes. Your holiday adornment ...more
The holiday season wouldn't be the same without decorations. Ornaments and fancy lighting brightens up a neighborhood and helps spread the holiday cheer. While decorations and Christmas lights are fantastic, why not get a little more creative and some fun in the process? One ...more
Are you expecting a lot of guests for an upcoming holiday party? To make your home smell like the holiday season, simmer orange peels, cinnamon sticks, cranberries, and cloves with water on a stovetop for several hours to make your indoor space smell really good. You can also ...more
If you're tired of using the same old ornaments on your Christmas tree year after year, then it's time to experiment with borax snowflakes. It's not only a fun decoration to make, it's a great science project to try out with family and friends. All you need for to make DIY cry ...more
Forget those boring evergreen wreaths with the thick red ribbon and the pine cones that everyone else has hanging in their homes. Make your own DIY upcycled wreath using newspaper, paper shopping bags, cardboard coffee cup sleeves, toilet paper tubes, or even that trashy paper ...more
Don't toss out those cardboard tubes just yet. Whenever you have one leftover from a roll of paper towels, toilet paper, or wrapping paper, hang on to it, because it's got some great DIY potential. Cardboard tubes of all sizes can be handy for a variety of uses, from storing ...more
Some people put up their holiday decorations as soon as Thanksgiving is over. Some wait until Christmas Eve. Right now, the only thing in my whole apartment that would tip you off is a tiny little fake tree on the counter. I've been planning on decorating all month, but I have ...more
Holidays can be challenging, especially around Christmastime—but not if you invoke your inner MacGyver spirit. In my latest "life hacks" guide, I show you 10 amazing tips and tricks that'll hopefully make your holiday season a little more merry. Video: . If you're in need of s ...more
Broken glass Christmas ornaments? Evergreen wreath falling apart? Before you throw away or donate Christmas decorations you no longer need, see if you can reuse or recycle them for better use year-round or for next year's holiday season. Christmas ball ornaments can be used t ...more
This year, there's no need to waste time and energy stringing colorful Christmas lights all over your home and yard. All you need is the Circuit Marker from AgIC, a Japanese technology company, and you're ready to deck the halls. Video: . The marker, along with special circuit ...more
If you want to avoid the hassle of going out on New Year's Eve, you can always host your own New Year's Eve celebration at home—and it doesn't have to cost a lot, either. A few basic tips: Host your party after dinnertime so guests don't expect full entrees. Limit your guest ...more
Want to liven up your game of beer pong? You could always add more cups or play with paddles, or you could make your own custom table with 500 LED lights that flash in sync with your favorite tunes like Redditor did. Video: . First come the lights. This one was done by hand, b ...more
Plastic red cups are synonymous with college parties, beer pong, and generally a good time. The reason these cups are so rampant in the party scene is because they're cheap, easily disposable, and, well... who wants to drink out of a blue cup?!? Oh, to be young and in debt. O ...more
You've found the perfect tree — or so you think. As hard as we try to display an ideal tree each year, both plastic and pine can disappoint, especially when you're shopping on the cheap. Whether you use an artificial or authentic Christmas tree, sometimes you discover gaping, ...more
No matter what your holiday preference, you're probably aware that Christmas is now just days away. By now, you've already decked your halls with boughs of holly (either physically or virtually), thanks to our last holiday app roundup. With that in mind, let's take a look at ...more
Send the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man back to the world of s'mores and hot cocoa this Halloween. This complete Ghostbusters costume from Instructables user Depot Devoid is like the real-life movie prop. You can shoot "laser" particle beams at ghosts with the Proton Pack, and cap ...more
The concept and structure of Christmas hasn't changed much since its inception. In its infancy, Christians recruited Roman pagans by associating Christmas with the Saturnalia, an ancient Roman festival in honor of the deity Saturn (also held in December). The pagans had long w ...more
If you ride your bike or motorcycle a lot, especially in a large city, you've probably had a few close calls. No matter how safely you're driving, you never know what other people are going to do, and being on a smaller vehicle makes you difficult to see. Most bicyclists rely ...more
Individually addressable LEDs, also commonly called "NeoPixels" after the popular Adafruit product, are a bright and colorful way to get started with basic Python programming. With an inexpensive ESP8266 or ESP32 microcontroller, it's easy to get started programming your own h ...more
Walking the streets at night can be uncomfortably dangerous. In 2010, there were 32,885 motor vehicle deaths in the United States. Of those, roughly 13%, or 4,280, were pedestrians. Two-thirds of those pedestrian deaths occurred at nighttime. Along with darkness, drivers also ...more
The LED pollution dress: the ultimate tech + fashion + eco-friendly accessory. Danish design company Diffus recently introduced the Climate Dress, a garment with hundreds of LEDs that light up when air pollution is detected. Dvice explains how it works: "Hidden somewhere ab ...more
There are plenty of times when it would be nice to be able to give other drivers a piece of your mind, or let them know you're having car trouble so they go around instead of riding your bumper. While there are several gestures that can certainly get the point across, none of ...more
Being Jewish is kind of tough this time of year. Folks are putting up their lights, stringing popcorn and cranberries, and decorating trees. Those of us who don't celebrate Christmas start to feel a wee bit left out in the cold. Yes, some families give out presents on each of ...more
Christmas is just a few weeks away and the decorating has already begun. The centerpiece for most home during the holiday is, of course, the Christmas tree. But let's face it—that tree can be a big pain in the ass to decorate. You'll run out of tinsel, your lights will be too ...more
Games are always more fun when you have someone to play them with, but if you're not always logged in to your Xbox LIVE account, how do you know when your friends are online? You can always log in and check, but where's the fun in that when you can hack together a traffic ligh ...more
Hackers and makers are often grouped under the same label. While hackers draw on computer science skills to write programs and find bugs, makers use electrical engineering to create hardware prototypes from microprocessor boards like the Arduino. We'll exercise both sets of sk ...more
If you've ever been on your way to a party and felt that your outfit just wasn't flashy enough, engineering student 'Rambo' has got just the thing for you. His homemade LED suit lights up and dances to the beat of the music, and can even be controlled via Bluetooth. Video: . T ...more
Getting pulled over sucks, even when you're in a normal car. Just imagine how these teenagers felt when they were pulled over for driving their wooden car without a license! They also got a citation for not having a speedometer or side indicator lights, but if that's all that' ...more
I've had this idea in my head for almost a year now. I knew what I wanted to do, but wasn't sure if it would work. After a long time of armchair-engineering, I decided that the best way to test my idea was with a soldering iron and a screwdriver. Video: . Impressive? :) Guess ...more
This video shows how to create an infrared heart sensor using an Arduino controller, a couple of resistors, and an infrared light emitter and detector. This device will be used on the subject's finger, detecting the amount of blood which is flowing through the subject's finger ...more
Stars are symbols of hope and light during the holiday season, probably the reason why lots of folks dress the top of their trees with this single most important holiday emblem. So what better origami project to fold this Christmas than an origami star? Take a gander at this ...more
When Christians are out celebrating Christmas this year, Judaists will be out celebrating Hanukkah, or Chanukah, which is a lesser Jewish festival that lasts eight days from the 25th day of Kislev (December), and commemorating the rededication of the Temple; it is marked by th ...more
Love folding origami? Then what better shape to fold for Christmas and the New Year than a star? A symbol of divinity as well as light and life during the dark days of winter, a star also makes great decor for Christmas trees and garlands. Take a look at this video to see how ...more
There's no better symbol for Christmas than the evergreen Christmas tree. A symbol of the preserverance of life and light during the dark and short winter days when everything else is dead, the tree is a beacon of hope. Check out this crafting video to learn how to craft an o ...more
When it comes to Christmas gifts, stuff that comes from the heart and is handmade is nice, but often times we really DO want that new iPad. But it's a little bit different when it comes to Christmas cards. There's nothing better to light up your day than a personalized, handm ...more
We know that Thanksgiving isn't the likeliest of holidays on which to send greeting cards. With Christmas in such close promixity, Thanksgiving usually gets relagated to being solely a food holiday where the turkey is the main attraction. But why not light up your friend's fa ...more
The only thing better than eating a cupcake is eating two cupcakes, and the only thing better than eating two cupcakes is, as it follows, eating three. So imagine the way your kids' faces will light up when you bake them these gigantic Christmas tree cupcakes! Made of not one ...more
Remember baby Maggie from "The Simpsons" and the adorable Christmas tree-shaped star bodysuit to Lisa's sax recital? Babies look cute in almost anything but somehow wrapping them up in star-shaped blankets/costumes puts them at their cutest. Watch this video to learn how to c ...more
First off, don't be frustrated. YOU CAN DO IT! Contrary to the message in the image above, it's NOT over. It's just beginning. And when it comes to solving the New York Times crossword puzzle, the old cliche does apply: practice makes perfect. I've read quite a few books and ...more
If you're lucky enough to have a large, winding staircase, there's no reason not to dress it to the nines for this holiday season. Make sure that your party guests' jaws drop to the floor once you open the door by decorating your staircase with this gorgeous golden splendor th ...more
So, you've made the change to fluorescent light bulbs? What should you do with those old energy wasting bulbs? Decorate your tree with it! Learn how to turn lightbulbs into Christmas ornaments with GiannyL! Create beautiful Christmas ornaments and decorations with old recycle ...more
"Photo Grandpa" aka Fotoopa (that's photograndpa in Dutch) has created an amazing laser rig for ultra-high speed photography. Says Gizmodo, "His setup includes his own custom shutter—which can fire at five microseconds—made around an Arduino controller and custom aluminum pa ...more
Etching your own circuit boards is tons of fun, but etching requires strong chemicals to dissolve the copper plating on blank circuit boards. The normal ferric chloride solution works well, but can be expensive and leaves permanent stains. Luckily, we can whip up our own etcha ...more