Zen sand garden in a suitcase doubles as MIDI controller

Reading Time: 3 minutesAt the shallow end of the pool, a MIDI (musical instrument digital interface) controller can be as simple as a handful of buttons that correspond to different notes. But even as one wades into the deep end of the pool, MIDI controllers tend to still look like hunks of plastic with some knobs and keys. […]

Mokey is an affordable DIY laser engraver

Reading Time: 3 minutesAll makers love lasers and they make great shop tools. Even low-power lasers can engrave a variety of materials. Cutting material requires more power, with the most popular cutting lasers being CO2 with power between 10W-100W. But the small, affordable solid state laser modules can cut some materials, like acrylic, if you get a powerful […]

Shop fan automatically activates when airborne particulates are present

Reading Time: 2 minutesEven if you’re one of the few people in the world who is consistent about wearing a respirator in the shop, it’s a good idea to run a filtration fan. Not only is that good for your own health and comfort, it can help keep your equipment running well — the last thing you want […]

Art class stinks! Learn with smell in art class using this olfactory display

Reading Time: 3 minutesBy Maria Nikoli, Interaction Designer, MSc., Malmö University Smelling is crucial to our everyday living. But how well do we really understand the role that smells play in our day-to-day? Ask someone who temporarily lost their sense of smell because of COVID-19. They’ll probably tell you about how incredibly boring eating became all of a sudden, […]

Beating unscrupulous arcade owners at their own games

Reading Time: 2 minutesMark Rober isn’t just a talented mechanical engineer and entertaining personality, he is also something of a champion of justice for the common man. He’s already proved that several times with his famous yearly porch pirate-targeted pranks, but now he’s taking on the corrupt fat cats running arcades for children. Those arcades are often full […]