Make: Technology on Your Time Volume 04 [Paperback]

Mark Frauenfelder Ed. (Author)

Book Description

Series: Make: Technology on Your Time | Publication Date: November 1, 2005

If you like to tweak, disassemble, re-create, and invent cool new uses for technology, you'll love MAKE our quarterly publication for the inquisitive do-it-yourselfer.

Every issue is packed with projects to help you make the most of all the technology in your life. Everything from home entertainment systems, to laptops, to a host of PDAs is fair game. If there's a way to hack it, tweak it, bend it, or remix it, you will find out about it in MAKE.

This isn't another gadget magazine. MAKE focuses on cool things you can do to make technology work the way you want it to. The publication is inspired by our bestselling Hacks series books but with a twist. MAKE is a mook (rhymes with book). We've combined the excitement, unexpectedness, and visual appeal of a magazine with the permanence and in-depth instructiveness of a how-to book.

Whether you're a geek or hacker who delights in creating new uses for technology, or a Saturday afternoon tinkerer who loves to get his hands dirty, you'll keep every issue of MAKE on your bookshelf for years to come.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Mark Frauenfelder is a writer and illustrator living in Los Angeles, and the editor of MAKE. He is the cofounder of the popular Boing Boing weblog and was an editor at Wired from 1993-1998.

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: O'Reilly Media (November 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0596100817
• ISBN-13: 978-0596100810
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.6 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #891,480 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I'm a writer and illustrator living in Los Angeles. I am the editor-in-chief of MAKE magazine (http://makezine.com) I co-founded bOING bOING magazine, and was the founding editor-in-chief of Wired Online. I write a monthly column for Playboy called 'Living Online,' and was the co-editor of The Happy Mutant Handbook (Putnam-Berkley, 1995). Find out more about me at http://boingboing.net

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Just DO Something!, November 13, 2005

By 

Gary Fisher "><///'>" (West Michigan, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Make: Technology on Your Time Volume 04 (Paperback)

Ever wonder how to upgrade that old music keyboard that's been sitting at the back of the closet for years? Want to improve that "almost good enough" coffeemaker? How about building a mobile WiFi hotspot, cooking up a batch of biodiesel fuel, or turning an old computer mouse into a robot?

MAKE magazine offers a tremendous variety of articles for those who want not only to know how things work, but how to make them work better and perhaps how to build something that does more than "off-the-shelf" technology. Building on traditions ranging from "Mechanics Illustrated" to the old "Mother Earth News," MAKE combines a huge range of hands-on articles with in-depth interviews, opinion pieces and technology news. MAKE addresses a wide spectrum of interests and abilities, offering simple projects for kids as well as some which might present a refreshing challenge for even the skilled hobbyist.

O'Reilly publishing has a well-deserved reputation for excellence; with MAKE magazine they have simply confirmed and expanded that reputation. Subscribe to MAKE; you'll enjoy it.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wow! This magazine feels like home for creative minds who like technology!, February 19, 2006

By 

Scott A. Miller (Central Iowa, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Make: Technology on Your Time Volume 04 (Paperback)

Have you ever taken something apart because... you were interested in how it works? ... you wanted to try and fix it? ... you thought you could improve it through modification? Do you enjoy the satisfaction of doing something yourself? Keep reading, because I think have found something you will enjoy.

When browsing in a bookstore a week ago, I discovered Make. I grabbed a copy and a coffee drink and sat down to see what it is all about. Make is a technical geek's dream come true. After skimming the steps for building your own cigar-box electric guitar, I read an article on how to modify your old battery-powerd electronic keyboard to allow for bending notes and other cool effects. I was also fascinated by an article on how to build a rig to take a picture of a balloon popping. At this point my neurons were in a state of nirvana! I exclaimed "Wow, this is the coolest thing ever!" to no one in particular.

Make is a cross between a magazine and a book published four times a year by O'Reilly. It's full of articles on how to modify existing commercial products and how to build new things from scratch. The magazine also features reviews of do-it-yourself books, kits, and a few geek-friendly tech toys. I hesitated for a moment when I discovered the price was $14.99, but realized... Make has almost no ads so the nearly 200 pages are packed full of original ideas - it really is 3 months worth of material (or more) jammed under a single cover. Every article features high quality color photos and/or diagrams, and the printing and binding are book-quality. I realized I had made up my mind when the next thing that crossed my mind was "this is volume 4, it hasn't been out long, I wonder if I could still find volumes 1 through 3 anywhere?" (Yes, I did find them! As of this writing, Amazon has them in stock.)

Parents and guardians, I caution you that many of the things described in Make have an element of danger. The children under your care need your supervision, but this is a great opportunity to nuture their curious and creative minds. Don't miss out! I'm in no position to gauge the age-appropriateness of Make, but I suspect that many creative-minded 13 year-olds would find it hard to close the covers on an issue of Make. So either hide your magazine well, or be prepared to supervise. :-)

5.0 out of 5 stars Like crack candy for your brain!!, September 26, 2010

By 

Bean Slap (COLORADO) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Make: Technology on Your Time Volume 04 (Paperback)

I love this magazine, the corresponding makezine website and it's sibling instructables. This is one of the actual uses for the internet, ie building, creating and expanding your mind! This magazine has tons of great information, great projects and is very DIY oriented without compromising quality of projects. You learn things you didnt even know existed-even with the internet!The other great thing is they also tend to be more gender inclusive than Popular Mechanics or Popular Science so you're more likely to see alot of modern elements (since it is the 21st century) in it rather than the 'old fogey' ones. Keeps the magazine young, fresh, always progressive and maintains its core as always about science!If you love making things, def buy these magazines and check out their website! I am currently building a shover-board from one of their websites instructables!