Wish you had $1000 to throw down for a projector? Well, if you have an old laptop lying around instead, here is a simple way to cheaply build your own digital projector. Lifehacker posts a HowTo excerpted from DIYer Randy Sarafan's 62 Projects to Make with a Dead Computer: (And Other Discarded Electronics).
Don't worry, the robot apocalypse is not upon us...yet. Wired reports it may be closer than you think:
Bakerella offers a trove of fun recipes for dessert-on-a-stick. Cupcakes, cakes, pies, cookies, even macaroons, all bite-size, all lollipop-style. My favorites below.
Designer Xavier Calluaud offers a simple solution for the urban dweller with a green thumb. The "urb garden" enables those living in small spaces (without a yard) to grow food at home, or more specifically, herbs. The best part? The eco-conscious system has an integrated worm farm.
We have seen it before (previous post: Human Powered Ferris Wheel), but it never gets any less amazing. Talk about resourcefulness. No need for electricity. Use humans to power your ferris wheel (if you had one sitting around... I wish I had one). Via Make,
Simple enough. You will need: 1 toilet paper tube, a dab of peanut butter, and a bucket or trash can.
Not sure when this might come in handy, but I'm a fan of these silly DIY edible googly eyes. Tutorial courtesy of Evil Mad Scientists:
Our expert, Teri Lynne, shows you how to stretch your neck, legs, waist, hips, arms, ankles, and much more! So, if you are interested in stretching out your body, watch this video series today! Do simple stretching exercises - Part 1 of 17.
Elisa Strozyk's wooden textiles fold and drape in beautiful forms. Incredible how a hard material combined with a simple, pieced construction can take on both sculptural and fluid qualities. Truly innovative.
Time to make those lazy Sunday afternoons even lazier. Instructables member johndavid400 has posted a full HowTo on modding your lawn mower to operate via remote control.
Tom Friedman. One of my very favorite contemporary artists. Friedman injects the wonder into the humdrum. He creates magic from the unsuspected with his incredible sculptures assembled from simple, everyday materials. His materials have included: toilet paper, drinking straws, construction paper, masking tape, toothpicks, bubblegum, spaghetti, toothpaste, soap powder, sugar cubes.
A group of industrious, like-minded friends built this amazing DIY metal motor home from scratch, converting an old semi into luxury-style living.
Alan Parekh's latest creation is a clock made from wooden gears. Parekh says on Hacked Gadgets:
A brand new Japanese prototype offers users the ability to manipulate real 3D forms, employing a touch interface with a squeezy, rubbery feel.
"Bang Goes The Theory" is back on Wonderment. This time it's not a vortex cannon demolishing houses (three little pigs style). In this episode, Jem Stansfield's latest stunt involves him climbing a 1210 feet high building like a real life Spider-Man. Stansfield uses a special pair of hand built vacuum gloves, powered by a vacuum cleaner on his back.
Sometimes the simplest things yield the most fun results. This clever trick creates long, condom-esque plastic bubbles.
Papercraft guns are the new origami. The new origami for boys, that is. WonderHowto and YouTube are chock full of paper gun tutorials. Many models are simple, but some are impressively realistic, not to mention functional. My personal favorite (unfortunately no tutorial) is the homemade Desert Eagle .50 cal by YouTube user Changmobile.
Finally! Counting down the days to a paperless (and errand free) banking system. Both no-hassle and eco-friendly, USAA bank has released an iPhone application that allows its customers to deposit their checks via iPhone. The process is simple: photograph both sides of the check, hit send, and void, file or discard the paper trail.
Middle school lunch tables are begging for this prank. Wait, who are we kidding? Everybody's lunch table could use a ketchup explosion every once in a while!
Magic? Camera tricks? Did someone build an egg inside the bottle with tweezers as if it were a ship? Nope.
Recession? What? We have money to burn. But don't worry. KentChemistry has a strategy to keep it in your pocket-- fireproof it!
This is the Harpo Marx tutorial. We have several recipes for silly putty in our index... with sound, but this version (from our friends at YouTube) is more colorful. We just like it the best. It is aesthetically more appealing than the others; conceived for the visually minded.
Creator Funditor claims right off the bat that this survival tip could save your life. We think that's slightly dramatic, but it shouldn't take away from his video's utility.
We were dumbfounded at first, too. But this jumping bean is momentum based, not larva powered. The erratic movement of these DIY foil toys is actually simple physics. Hint: there is a marble inside the aluminum foil. When the marble rolls internally to the foil's end, the foil-bean flips with the momentum. All this commotion mixed with some well coached hands makes for a magic jumping effect.
Simple to make and cheap. Splice a pen with the igniter of a Bic lighter. Make sure you use a metal pen. Plastic won't zap. We look at this as a safer cousin to the camera taser prank.
Here's a DIY dream. Solar-power, recycled bottles, snap'n'go toy car! Simple. How easy to transform trash into toys.
Wait...with only your hand? It's simple. Take a normal Bic-style lighter. Hold down the button to release butane gas into your cupped hand. Then light it.
Think back to the trick candles of your childhood. No matter how hard you blew, those darn things kept lighting back up!
Why? Tricks the eye into thinking the impossible is as simple a single chemical reaction.
So simple. So elegant. Like all of the very best magic and pranks. The best part? The odds are overwhelmingly in your favor, considering none of your friends have seen this.
March Madness is upon us! Who are you cheering for? UConn? USC? Chattanooga? Regardless of what team you root for, you will be watching lots of basketball and eating lots of chips. This trick will ensure you at least win out with the snacking.
Gameday! Bring on the best and most evil pranks. Humiliate those closest to you. This devastatingly simple office prank requires nothing out of the ordinary to perform. In fact, you could probably execute this right now, without getting up from your chair.
Arachnophilia and technosexuals rejoice. This whimsical, skittering robot takes only 5 minutes of tinkering.
The WonderHowTo Awards winners are in. The votes have been tallied. Despite all of these devastating wild fires, pyromania thrives!!
This is a wonderfully simple method of kernel popping. Our pal Loup226 came up with this Coke can mod. It's a perfect anti-kitchen appliance. Pop corn anywhere there's flame: candle-top, campfire or car engine!
This is a simple trick of perfect balance. Seventeen dominoes balance on a single chip. The strategy implores you to be as patient and steady handed as a neurosurgeon.
Looks simple. It ain't. Surfing is an amazing sport. Zen like. I have been surfing for more than 10 years.
Yesterday was simple paper airplane replica of an F16 Fighting Falcon. Today, something other worldly. Vincent Floderer has mad originality creating origami figures. This Frenchman is widely regarded as the master of a form called Crumpling. Sea urchins, coral, mushrooms. The realism is breath-taking.
Lucy once ranted to Ricky, "How can I look up a word in the dictionary if I don't know how to spell it?" A very logical conundrum that exists in the world of video search as well.
This video shows how to build a simple motor using a battery, magnet, a screw, and some wire. This is a fun project for children. Build simple motor.