diy

One man's journey to create Obi-Wan Kenobi's lightsaber

It seems doubtful we will live "in a galaxy far, far away" in this lifetime, but we can at least build incredible homages to the "Star Wars" saga in the meantime.

One could say that Brad Lewis -- a BioWare senior visual-effects artist who works on the Star Wars: The Old Republic role-playing game -- wields a certain affinity for "Star Wars." After all, his personal blog Slothfurnace features systematic build guides for half a dozen previously created lightsabers that completely outshine those frail plastic toys that occupy countless toy shelves. … Read more

Episode 5: We get physical!

Hello Internet. Eileen here, Supervising Producer for Always On. Molly is on vacation, so I'm filling in to give you a little background on this week's episode!

This week we get physical! Molly is in the best shape of her life and was inspired by her road test of both the Nike+ FuelBand and Fit Bit Ultra to enter her first half-marathon! She said to me, "I think we need to stay true to the extreme nature of the show. How about I sign up for a half-marathon?!?"

At first I thought she was crazy to … Read more

DIY: Turn a book into a sleek charging phone dock

Remember when it was taboo to write in books? Well, a college career of in-book highlighting and two e-readers later, I'm ready to admit that I have absolutely no guilt about writing in books. Or tearing them apart, for that matter.

So when I was looking for inspiration for a DIY charging dock and found myself staring at a shelf of books, I knew I had the answer.

With this guide, you'll turn a hardcover book into a charging station for your Android or iPhone. And, if you have an Android phone that's equipped with NFC, I'll also show you how to make your DIY dock automate tasks with NFC tags.… Read more

How to (sort of) shock people like Emperor Palpatine

The dark side of the Force offers many benefits, including the power to electrocute those who oppose you. Unfortunately, force lightning remains a skill only available in the "Star Wars" universe, but YouTuber Nighthawkinlight dreamed up a static-electricity generator device that gives aspiring Emperor Palpatines the ability to shock someone (or something) with 7,500 volts through their fingers. … Read more

Turn your slow cooker or rice maker into a sous-vide machine

Having the right kitchen gear there when you need it is a great way to get the job done right. However, as we all know that idealized reality doesn't always happen. Most often a quick substitution of gear or gadget provides an acceptable (or even superior) level of utility. But sometimes, you just have to make it yourself.

The DorkFood DSV Temperature Controller conquers half the battle when attempting to repurpose a piece of kitchen equipment into a sous-vide cooker. The controller is meant for use with a manual slow cooker or similar, non-digital appliance and monitors the temperature … Read more

Turn a laptop bag into a DIY camera strap

Instructables user Nano_Burger has found a creative way to repurpose an old laptop bag's padded sling into a camera strap. It involves cutting out strips of nylon and fashioning them into loops for your camera strap lugs. … Read more

AT-AT bed the stuff 'Star Wars' dreams are made of

With Father's Day fast approaching, the kids in the Dutilly family have an extra big reason to show dad some love. Derek Dutilly built his young son an AT-AT bed.

The massive plywood and Masonite bed is decked out with PVC head cannons and entry/exit stairs with secret compartments for storing lightsabers, Jedi robes, and "Star Wars" Legos.

The bed is sized to allow the lucky kid to disappear to sleep inside the AT-AT body, but a window near the front lets the parents check in on their snoozing little Jedi. … Read more

Find and save user manuals with ManualsLib

I recently had to reinstall a network printer with no manual, and it was a long exercise in frustration and resentment. ManualsLib aims to make it much easier to use and fix electronics and appliances with its huge database of manuals that is rapidly approaching half a million entries. Here's how to make the most of it:

Point your browser to ManualsLib. Search for your product. It's much, much easier if you've got the model number, so scour your device for it if it's not immediately obvious. When you find the product, you may have several … Read more

Haute couture as lightbox: 'Little Slide Dress' gets the picture

Here's a high-tech dress that's tailor-made for the red carpet.

Emily Steel, a student of industrial design, digital photography, and fashion at New Zealand's Victoria University of Wellington, has stitched together a garment using slide film, LEDs, and a LilyPad Arduino, a set of sewable electronic components. … Read more