diy

If you were ever a Boy Scout, you may recall earning an archery or camping badge. Girl Scouts offer athlete, naturalist, and many others. But what if you're a kid with serious 3D printing or laser cutting chops? Is there a badge for you?

There is now, thanks to the folks at Adafruit Industries, a New York-based open source hardware and maker products emporium. Starting in the next few days--timed to the 100th anniversary of the Girl Scouts on March 12--Adafruit will begin offering a broad set of skill badges that reward kids--and presumably others--for completing any of a … Read more

Remember Cable Card? It's still around, quietly allowing owners of TiVos and Home Theater PCs, via devices like the HDHomeRun Prime, to get the full complement of cable TV programming without having to use the company-issued DVR or cable box.

At CNET we've tested a few Cable Card products, including TiVos and the now-defunct Moxi DVR. The latter product was still hanging around the CNET offices so I decided to test it out for myself at home.

I called up Verizon (I'm a Fios TV subscriber) last week, told the rep I had a third-party DVR and … Read more

By now, you're probably a little bored of playing Angry Birds, but here's a new way to make it fun and challenging again.

Simon Ford over at Mbed has an awesome hack that lets you hurl your favorite fighting birds using a real slingshot. Inspired by a demo on how easy it is to build your own USB devices, the idea behind this DIY project is to turn the slingshot into a mouse.

The slingshot was actually handmade by Chris Jarratt using a branch he found in Epping Forest, London. Ford then hollowed out parts of the branch, … Read more

"Star Wars" in 3D is still out in theaters, but why not make some real 3D Star Wars of your own this weekend?

For barely $10 worth of supplies, you can fight off the winter blues with everybody's favorite mercenary Wookiee, Chewbacca. In the second installment of our crafts series courtesy of Bonnie Burton's "The Star Wars Craft Book," we've turned him into a tissue box cover. Raaaaaaaaaaaaaaawwwwrrn! … Read more

Though the concept of transforming bokeh (the aesthetic quality of image blur) into different shapes isn't new, photographer Mike Gerdau has managed to come up with a system of bokeh modifiers to be used on a variety of lenses instead of just being restricted to one dedicated lens diameter.

In his tutorial, the solution he provided was to cut out the desired custom shapes first, then mount them on 45x45mm squares, which can be slotted into a cutout located on the front of the homemade hood. The benefit of this system is that it's modular and allows the user to use the bokeh modifiers on various lenses regardless of the diameter.

Shutterbugs who aren't very handy with tools or just don't have the patience can opt for a ready-made Bokeh Masters Kit, which retails for $25 online.

(Source: Crave Asia via DIY Photography) … Read more

If you have an iPad 2, you might be familiar with Apple's Smart Cover accessory, a cover that locks and unlocks your device using a simple magnet system.

Bearing in mind that magnets were always known to "break" electronics, the technology is really neat, offering you one less step to access your iPad and get stuff done.

The only issue with the Smart Cover is that it's flimsy--its thin, minimalist construction offers your iPad no protection from falls, bumps, or scratches. And even though they come in a variety of colors, the Covers are still pretty … Read more

Fans (present company included) flipped out when Mattel announced that it would release a 1:1 replica of the hoverboard from "Back to the Future II" and "Back to the Future III." However, the replica doesn't actually float, and it's not even clear how it glides over surfaces, which is perhaps why one enterprising individual took matters into his own hands.

Inspired by an art exhibition by Nils Guadagnin, YouTube user dondula7 created a floating hoverboard using an electromagnetic kit. Dondula7 notes on his YouTube page that his replica is still a work in progress, and he's hoping to build a better display to hide the magnets. … Read more

A special Valentine's Day episode of Crave featuring robots, champagne, littleBits circuit boards, and zombie chocolates. Plus, X-ray leggings, spider battle bots, hoverboards, Star Wars crafts, and a peek at the perfect date movie, "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter."

Subscribe in iTunes SD Video | Subscribe in RSS SD Video … Read more

George Lucas has just released his version of "Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace" in 3D, but c'mon--the guy believes Greedo shot first. Why not make your own little Star Wars universe?

For around $20 or less, supplies from your local arts and crafts supplies store can put you well on your way toward creating your own Star Wars-themed puppets, cat toys, tissue box covers, flower vases, and more. In the first of a Crave series based on projects from Bonnie Burton's "The Star Wars Craft Book", a crack team of crafters fights … Read more