The folks over at the Additive Manufacturing Lab, GE Global Research, sent us this video about their 3D-printed jet-engine Christmas tree decoration. They're looking to see what sorts of other 3D-printed and science-tech-themed tree ornaments makers are creating. If you've made any such ornaments, post them to their Edison's Desk Facebook page.

Posted by Gareth Branwyn | December 21st, 2011 4:30 PM

Categories: 3D printing, Holiday projects | No Comments

I love the look of this Prusa Mendel RepRap 3D-printer fork designed by Thingiverse user Mecano. Shown above is a concept rendering of his second prototype, Prusa Air 2, which hasn't been built yet, and below, the physical prototype of Prusa Air 1. Among Manuel's stated design goals for the project were "a little beauty," which I daresay he has already achieved, admirably.

Posted by Sean Michael Ragan | December 21st, 2011 4:08 PM

Categories: 3D printing, Gadgets, Tools | No Comments

"Sony invited children to put paper into a mixture of water and enzymes, shake it up and wait for a few minutes to see the liquid become a source of electricity, powering a small fan."

Posted by Phillip Torrone | December 21st, 2011 3:00 PM

Categories: News from the Future | No Comments

Want to send secret messages over long distance but are wary of your communiqué being intercepted? After all transmissions can be listened to with the right equipment, and you don't want to run entire spools of wire to say, "Hello world." I know, how about a Simple Laser Communicator!

Posted by Nick Normal | December 21st, 2011 2:30 PM

Categories: Electronics, MAKE Projects, Weekend Projects | No Comments

I'm no battery expert, but in tracking science and tech sites this year, there seemed to be more promising developments in the field than in previous years. Let's hope so. Here are a few of the recent headlines that caught my attention on Science Daily

Posted by Gareth Branwyn | December 21st, 2011 2:00 PM

Categories: News from the Future, Science | No Comments

I’m a huge drawbot fan, but Eske Rex’s Drawing Machine surprised me by not being powered by motors. Instead, it uses the pendulum-like motions of two big concrete weights, creating super Spirograph style art. Sweet! [Via The Donut Project]

Posted by John Baichtal | December 21st, 2011 1:30 PM

Categories: Arts | No Comments

Spotted in the MAKE Flickr pool, this clever idea for recycling dead tires (or storing new ones) from Pittsburgh's Joe Katrincik. It's two smaller plywood circles for the base, a larger one for the top, 6 castors, 6 screw eyes / eyebolts, and 3 ratcheting tie-down straps. I bet if one were to counter-bore the top holes, a bit, and used T-nuts instead of hex nuts to secure the top eye bolts, one could avoid having the nuts sticking up above the work surface. If one thought it mattered.

Posted by Sean Michael Ragan | December 21st, 2011 1:00 PM

Categories: Furniture, Transportation, Workshop | 1 Comment

While on a trip to Mendoza, Argentina, I came across a man sharpening scissors using a bicycle to power his grinding wheel. It's a clever lo-tech combination.

Posted by Dale Dougherty | December 21st, 2011 12:30 PM

Categories: Bicycles, DIY Projects, Home and Garden | 5 Comments

I designed, pre-fabricated, hauled, and then re-assembled a treehouse I've dubbed "The Wolfe's Den" (Wolfe being the last name of the woman I built it for), and luckily had Steven Sherrick of Modern Vintage Productions to help document the laborious process.

Posted by Derek "Deek" Diedricksen | December 21st, 2011 10:00 AM

Categories: MAKE Podcast, MAKE Video, Woodworking | 1 Comment

To celebrate the release of our latest publication, the Make: Ultimate Kit Guide 2012 (and its companion website), we're giving away at least one of the cool kits reviewed in the issue each day during the holiday season. Today's giveaway is for an Arduino ADK Tinkerkit (a $359 value.)

Posted by Michael Castor | December 21st, 2011 9:00 AM

Categories: Arduino, Contest, Maker Shed Store | 996 Comments