MAKE Goes to Space!

In Volume 24 of MAKE, we blast off with our DIY Space issue . We show you how to put your own satellite in orbit, launch a stratosphere balloon probe, and analyze galaxies for $20 with an easy spectrograph! We talk to the rocket mavericks reinventing the space industry, and renegade NASA hackers. As usual, we've also got a full payload of other cool DIY projects, from a helium-balloon camera that's better than Google Earth, to an electromagnetic levitator that shoots aluminum rings, to a simple stroboscope that takes the most amazing freeze-frame photos. Plus: MythBusters' Adam Savage teaches you hard-shell moldmaking. And there's lots more! MAKE Volume 24 will be on newsstands by October 26. And you can subscribe here.

DIY Haunts Contest

This year's Halloween contest, DIY Haunts, challenges you to build an animatronic device, any Halloween prop that includes motion, light, and sound. For beginners, we're guiding you through a simple "Spooky Fun Tombtone Project," via a series of how-to newsletters. Prizes include a Stingray robot, a Lego Mindstorms set, and goodies from Maker Shed. Complete details here , including a form to sign up for the newsletters.

Also: Our collegues over at CRAFT are also running a Halloween contest, for costumes, decor, and food. Check out their contest landing page and sweet prizes. We're handling the haunts over at MAKE, while CRAFT works with some seriously cool costumes and party favorites. We've got your Halloween covered!

 

Do-It-Yourself Lexicon

Explore the world of DIY through its tech terms, jargon, and slang. If you have any words you want to share, send them to me.  —Gareth

Choke — An inductor designed to block (have a high reactance to) higher frequencies in an electrical circuit while passing signals of much lower frequency or direct current. [via Wikipedia]

DIT (Do It Together) — An alternative coinage to the more popular DIWO (Do It With Others), the collaborative answer to DIY (Do It Yourself).

High Junk — Term used by German-born artist, sound sculptor, and enginner Trimpin for the particularly high-quality and diverse cast-offs found in junkyards and thrift stores across the United States.

Trestle Ladder -- Not a ladder for climbing but a step-ladder-like stand used (in pairs) to hold the horizontal planks of a scaffolding, aka "painter's trestle."

[Thanks to Nicole Skillern and Jarod Hermann for "DIT."]

How-To: Make a Hollowed-Out Book

We've launched a new series that will run over the next few months, called Around the Maker Workshop, Brought To You By Dremel. In it, John Park, host of Make: television, will guide you through a series of projects using a multi-tool and an oscillating tool. Sponsored by Dremel, the projects feature the Dremel Rotary and Multi-Max oscillatiing tools. In the first project in the series, John uses the Dremel Multi-Max to make short work of hollowing out secret compartments in an unwanted hardback book. You can download the PDF with the project instructions here (PDF). And here's the blog post . You can view the entire series, as it's posted, on this link.