The International Space Station is a habitable man-made satellite currently in orbit around the Earth. Launched in 1998, the ISS is used mainly as a microgravity and space environment research laboratory where astronauts perform experiments in large variety of fields, including biology and physics. In order to be hospitable for crew members and scientists, the ISS needs energy. To do this, the station uses its solar panels to capture rays of sun and power the station up. In order to garner th...
In photography, bokeh refers to the blurry or out-of-focus parts of a shot. Bokeh can be good or bad—it all depends on how you use it. There are tons of ways to create a bokeh effect, whether you go the traditional route with lens filters, digital with Photoshop, or even from your iPhone. With filters, you can use the blurred spaces to produce different shapes and colors. If you have a DSLR and want to experiment with bokeh, this tutorial by Chris Perez over on Apartment Therapy will show you...
In yesterday's tidbit, we learned that across the planet women seek material wealth in their mates. This stems from our hunter-gather past in which females depended on male hunters to provide them and their children the meat necessary to support their large brains.
You knew that the food you eat gives you energy, but did you know it can actually power a thermal lance with enough heat to burn through steel? A thermal lance, as in, the tool used to demolish buildings and bridges.
Roughly five million years ago, humans split off from chimpanzees, who had in turn split off from gorillas five million years earlier.
One of the coolest things about chemical reactions is that they can be so unexpected. I mean, who would think you can make water explode?
Fluorescent dye can be a great addition for decorating around the house for Halloween, especially for a haunted one. Creating your own fluorescent dye is a simple experiment, as long as you've got the proper chemicals and safety gear. Nurd Rage details the chemical process of creating your own fluorescein below.
Zombies. That's the first thing that comes to mind when I see footage of a once heavily populated area turned completely desolate. Either that or you stumbled across a Ke$ha concert...BURN.
In this episode of Steampunk Research and Development, our guest is Matt Silva, the co-founder and art director of Penny Dreadful Productions. While his current love is producing, Silva is also responsible for bringing to life some amazing creations in PDP's Remnant line, which we talk about on the show. Silva, who supports himself entirely from his work as an artist and a producer, talks about how he got to where he is today and offers advice for anyone interested in following in his steel-p...
In a previous project, I showed how to build an electrical Jacob's ladder using an old microwave oven transformer (MOT). In this project, I modified the secondary coil on the MOT, which converts it from a high voltage/low current device into a low voltage/high current metal melter!
So you've made a somersaulting robot, one that delivers your beer, and even a robot you can ride, but you want to try out something really different. Why not add a steam engine?
Got an upset stomach or a little heartburn? America's favorite pink pill will cure it right up. But did you know that there's actually metal hiding in those chewable Pepto-Bismol tablets? Yes, metal. Technically, it's a poor metal, but metal's metal, right? Well, we do tend to eat a lot of iron in our diets, because it carries oxygen throughout our bodies, so consuming metallic minerals isn't anything abnormal. But you'd never think that Pepto-Bismol is actually made up of metal.
Whether you've got an itch for a mini-flamethrower, a shower of burning sparks, or a exploding ball of flames, these little fireworks-producing lighters may be the answer to your pyrotechnic cravings!
A spectrometer is a device that splits light into all of the different colors it's composed of that can't be seen with the naked eye. It does this by using a prism to refract or bend the light. Jeffrey Warren over at Public Labs created a tutorial showing how you can make your own video spectrometer and create spectra like the one pictured below. Any guesses as to what the subject is? Believe it or not, that's what whipped cream looks like when viewed through a spectrometer. You can do this w...
It's been proven over and over that you can make batteries out of fruits and vegetables such as lemons, potatoes, and even apples. Turns out, passion fruit is also acidic enough to power a battery, but Maui Makers member Ryan K decided to take it a step further by adding a laser. Passion fruit, or Lilikoi as it's called in Hawaii, is usually over-abundant in Maui, so Ryan decided to put it to good use. Using anodized bolts, copper pipe, wire, switches, and some LEDs, he built a battery that c...
Believe it or not, it's possible to make your very own lava—if you have a furnace capable of heating up to 1,200 degrees Celsius, that is. Bob Wysocki and Jeff Karson started the Syracuse University Lava Project to study basaltic lava and give students a hands-on way (hypothetically, of course) to learn about it. Oh, and they also want to use it for art projects. Sign me up for that class! It all starts with 1.1 billion-year-old basalt gravel, which apparently anyone can buy. They put the gra...
Here's how to build a sexy looking water-fuel generator that will convert your tap water into an extremely powerful, clean burning gas!
For years, astronomers have been trying to figure out how our galaxy came to be. Even with the help of high-performance computers, no model of a spiral galaxy has ever been able to recreate the Milky Way, until now. An international team of researchers has created the first successful simulation of what happened 14 billion years ago to give our galaxy its unique shape. Turns out, all they needed was a bigger bang. Photo by IntelFreePress
Just about every household gadget we own runs on 1.5 volt batteries of one size or another. Wouldn't it be great if you could reuse all of those dead AA, AAA, and D batteries after they've passed on? It turns out you can make a simple circuit called a "Joule Thief" to reanimate the undead flesh of your deceased batteries and create a zombie battery.
I feel like doing a bit of chemistry today, how about you? To my knowledge, thermite is the hottest burning man-made substance. Thermite is a pyrotechnic composition of a metal powder and a metal oxide that produces an exothermic oxidation-reduction reaction known as a thermitereaction.
Before there was Gray's Anatomy, physicians and medical students used anatomical flap books to explore the inner workings of the human body—a scientific illustrated guide that takes its name from the moveable paper flaps that can be "dissected" to reveal hidden anatomy underneath. Similar to pop-up books, these instructional tools mimic the act of human dissection, allowing doctors and students to study the intricacies of the body normally concealed by flesh.
Frosted glass windows are meant for privacy, plain and simple. Sometimes you see it used for aesthetic effect, but primarily it's used to let a little light in while keeping wandering eyes out—unless those wandering eyes have some Scotch tape in their pocket.
After you start drawing people, you will undoubtedly want to dress them. Drawing clothing is all about knowing how clothes fall, fold and wrinkle. Check out this tutorial, and you will be drawing realistic folks in no time.
If you live in the US then you've probably already seen a crow if you recognized it or not. The common crow has a distinctive if not dramatic appearance and a less than melodic sound. With this information you'll be sure to spot one.
This video presentation details the process of changing the spikes on the bottom of a golf shoe. First off, a tool must be purchased for the process of removing the spikes from the bottom of the shoe. Along with the tool, spikes should be purchased which correspond with the tool purchased. A key element to the removal of the spikes from the shoe is not the wait long to switch out the spikes, this produces a large sum of wear. To remove the spike, use the tool to turn and twist the spike. As i...
Giardia -- ever hear of it? Probably not, but you'd more than likely be surprised to know that it is the most common nonbacterial cause of diarrhea in the United States. Learn how to care for your pet with help from VetVid. See how to prevent and treat giardia in pets with this video tutorial.
Karma is an idea that exists in the Hindu, Buddhist, Jain, and Sikh religions, which simply holds that all actions have consequences. In other words: karma’s not a bitch, but you might be. If so, here’s how to start sending the world good vibrations. Learn how to store up some good karma for yourself.
Still got stock? Many factory installed exhaust systems not only sound anemic, they actually are because they scrub power. The designers who are given the task of producing these pipes are often handcuffed by several different requirements that add up to one big compromise. Exhaust engineers are required to build systems that are quiet and that meet certain types of emission standards, but not all of the design concerns are driven by government regulations. Some are based on a perception of w...
Check out this instructional RV video that demonstrates how to fix your motorhome refrigerator. Learn what to look for when fixing your RV refrigerator along with simple steps to keep your RV out of the dealership repair bays. Here are a few simple do it yourself repairs that just might save you thousands.
This tutorial video will teach you how to make low-salt, lacto-fermented sauerkraut using the whey from Greek-style yogurt.
So, you've mastered the knot tying process for fishing, and you already know how to catch bait, so now what? You need to put that live bait to good use... this animated tutorial from Marinews will show you how to rig a garfish for fishing swimming bait. Catching bait might just be as hard as baiting fish, but it's all in good fun when you kick back with a brewsky in your hands. You can learn by simply watching the bait rigging animation at a moderate speed, or if need be, click on "learn by s...
A rocket stove is a "rocket" combustion approach to preparing meals, which provides high combustion efficiency and efficient heat transfer to the cooking pot. Research suggests (through practical experience) that by using a rocket stove, you could save at least 50% of fuelwood, which is a significant savings for anyone's financial situation.
Watch this science video tutorial from Nurd Rage on how to make potassium permanganate with Dr. Lithium with potassium nitrate and manganese dioxide.
Give a new look to your photographs! Use coffee! This video tutorial will show you how to develop film with coffee and washing soda, along with a little vitamin C.
In this clip, learn how to make soap from scratch. This method of soap making involves melting and pouring and will produce fine, high quality soaps. Check out this tutorial for a step by step on how to create beautiful, long lasting soaps that your guests will love.
What is an oscilloscope? Well, it's an electronic instrument that produces traces of color on a cathode-ray tube that corresponds to oscillations of voltage and current. Check out this video to learn how to make the world's simplest scilloscope. The best part? You can do it in five minutes.
This software tutorial shows you how to create a flame from a sphere in 3D Studio Max using FumeFX. After you complete this tutorial you will have a realistic 3D flame produced by a sphere using the FumeFx plugin.
This how to video explains the blues scale, as well as how to express emotion and feeling into your playing. Playing with emotion is very important to master in order to produce compelling music. Watch this tutorial and you will be playing piano passionately in no time.
Check out this how-to video to learn the basics of playing the tabla. A tabla is a drum that is commonly used in Indian Carnatic music. Learn how to strike a tabla and where to hit to produce specific notes.
Tim Carter shows you how to install a door hinge like a pro. Steady work-pace is the key to this video which ultimately produces a quality hinge installation.
