In busy times, it takes a certain combination of inspiration, spare time and a little cash to stop dreaming and start making. I was inspired to make a cheap solar light back in June based on an Instructables post involving deconstructing solar garden lights and reinstalling them in mason jars. My inspiration held out long […]
Continue ReadingWe’ve been trying to get our kids to ride their bikes for about a year and a half. It hasn’t been a constant battle — we would try for a bit, then take a month off. Rinse. Repeat. It’s been tough, but that’s what makes today so rewarding. Today, we have success. All three kids […]
Continue ReadingFor years I’ve been saving the styrofoam packing that protects the new devices that arrive in our American household. Computer gear especially is sheathed in custom-fit styrofoam armor, and I hated to throw it out because it was beautiful stuff. I took the little bits to the recycling center, but the large, intricate, weirdly organic […]
Continue ReadingNothing says summer better than Root Beer floats. This weekend the kids and I started on the first half of that magical concoction. Hopefully we can find an ice-cream maker to borrow for the second half next weekend. We started out with a kit from MrBeer.com (aka Mr. Root Beer). We might consider graduating to […]
Continue ReadingLast week, I posted an introduction to world building. In this second post of the series, I wanted to address the first step that any worldsmith should take in their journey of creation. Before you draw a map, before you write up a mythology, before you start naming plants and mountains and seas, you need […]
Continue ReadingKids love to build their own worlds. They do it without prompting as they “play pretend” with toys and with one another, but some excel and go on to greatness. Everyone takes joy in a good story, but one that …
Continue ReadingI wasn’t paying much attention to how my boys were using their computer time last week. The laptop hummed on the dining room table as they plotted together. Over three daily sessions, they covered an oversized sheet of paper with Lego products, quantities and prices copied from the website. Their list was heavy with Bionicles […]
Continue ReadingAs any proper geek, or anyone who’s ever seen a movie with one, knows, it is absolutely essential to nitpick every movie you see. The amount of nitpicking should always be in inverse proportion to the quality of the movie, because that way you avoid ruining really good movies and you make lousy movies more […]
Continue ReadingWe got a cool nudge from Cindy Hopper, via our main man Chris, pointing to an awesome DIY post on her website demonstrating how to make a great Indiana Jones-style bullwhip at home from brown duct tape. You will need: 1 roll of brown duck tape (we found this at Wal-Mart) cut into 3- 12 […]
Continue ReadingYou’ve heard of them, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID, pronounced arfid) tags, little transmitter chips that broadcast your identity to airline check-in stations as well as to anyone who has a RFID snooper. The phenomenon has all sorts of people up in arms over the possibility we’d be tracked wherever we go, or that criminals could […]
Continue ReadingOne year ago, you were reading this on GeekDad, by Kevin Kelly: Crystal Radios are an old standby of GeekDads. For the early mists of time GeekDads have been showing kids how to pull radio stations from thin air with the barest snips from the basement. Here are some very simple radios that you can […]
Continue ReadingHacker hangout NYC Resistor is offering a bunch of great classes for those who want to get into hardware hacking. Saturday, 4/12 — Game Boy Software Development 101 Tuesday, 4/15 and Wednesday, 4/16 — Soldering 102 and Electronics 102 If you miss out on those sessions, check out their calendar for more. They also have […]
Continue ReadingIt’s not just a grilled cheese in the VCR to worry about these days… Advice from a GeekDad who has gone through an awful lot of time, energy and three sets of speakers in a quest to come up with a kid-resistant home theater set-up.
Continue ReadingWhile it’s good to dream, many of us realize it’ll be a long time before we can build our own Predator UAV. Or maybe we just want to start small. Thanks to YouTube and Evil Mad Scientist Laboratories we can build our own micro robot for cheap: Pager motors are available from a number of […]
Continue ReadingA gigantic spot, large enough to swallow the Earth in one gulp, slides into view on the edge of the Sun’s surface. It creeps over a period of days across the Sun’s visible disk, growing ominously. As it nears the Sun’s center a massive solar flare erupts from the spot, triggering a coronal mass ejection […]
Continue ReadingHere’s a fantastic Instructibles – a DIY light that looks like it came from the movie Tron. The Instructibles post is here – How to Make a TRON Style Lamp. The instructions are very detailed, and my first thought is a bit much for a Geekdad with his kids…but I’ll leave that up to […]
Continue ReadingI found this great video on making your own kaleidoscope out of basic household items. The best part is that it’s so easy to do, you can experiment with different objects that you place in the business end of your kaleidoscope. You could build several in an afternoon. There are a few steps that require […]
Continue ReadingMy son, Adian’s, kindergarten class was learning about three dimensional shapes and objects last week. His teacher opted to bypass the usual visualization tools (Tinkertoys, LEGO, K’NEX, etc…) and used marshmallows and toothpicks instead. This actually worked out pretty well. The toothpicks can be stuck in pretty much any which way and the whole thing […]
Continue ReadingThe Craft Magazine blog recently posted a video of Bonnie Burton talking about how to make Star Wars crafts. These ideas coud fuel a fun Dad+geeklet (or Mom+geeklet, or whole geek family) craft day. Click To Play Read the Craft blog post and check out the StarWars.com Kids section for more.
Continue ReadingO’Reilly’s Make series of books has made a name for itself with how-to books that present all manner of crazy projects that we are — theoretically — able to build ourselves. With Eccentric Cubicle, they deliver once again. However, as it’s written by Kaden Harris, you get a delightfully eccentric slant as well. Harris is […]
Continue ReadingI’m guessing at least a couple Robosapiens are busted already. Or maybe last year’s gifts are long forgotten and destined for the trash bin. Well, what better to do with the junk than pop it open and play with its electronics? For those who are too scared or success-oriented to DIY, there’s a cool-sounding <a […]
Continue ReadingObservation #1: It’s hard for male geeks to understand the difference between he-geek and she-geek. Every fiber in my body wants my daughters to like computers, electronics and gaming. What I have to accept is that girls have different interests and aptitudes that are, in their own way, just as geeky. Observation #2: Crafting is […]
Continue Reading“Void your warranty,” MAKE Magazine urges its readers. The best DIY magazine ever, MAKE has been engaging and inspiring thousands of readers for the past two years. Now, in the The Best of MAKE they have collected their coolest 75 articles thus far. Here are a measly ten that caught my eye: Your Electronics Workbench: […]
Continue ReadingA lot of LEGO builder books are intended for power users. They employ obscure Technic parts in their projects and assume a level of sophistication beyond the ability of most casual builders. The Unofficial LEGO Builder’s Guide (No Starch) is not one of them! ULBG is directed firmly at beginners, but doesn’t neglect aspiring power […]
Continue ReadingPerhaps as a child you made a wish on a falling star, and perhaps as a parent you’ve encouraged your young ones to do the same. But wouldn’t it be neat to have a falling star you could carry in your pocket, to make a wish on whenever you wanted to? Falling stars aren’t stars […]
Continue ReadingA recent GeekDad post mentioned a UK company that will send you a cardboard rocket for 30 pounds (around $US62) plus shipping. For those of you who found that deal less than titillating, I have a better deal for you: A company called Mr. McGroovy’s Box Rivets sells kits for building cardboard castles, pirate ships, […]
Continue ReadingJust in time for the weekend: a homebrew speaker using a plastic cup, business card, Legos, wire and a magnet. How it works? The coil generates a magnetic field when electricity is applied to it. The magnet attracts or repels the coil and makes it to move. The vibration generates the sound that we […]
Continue ReadingAbout the time home computers became commonplace, people got the bright idea that this wondrous new gadget could interface with everything electrical in your house. Why couldn’t you control lights and temperature via a computer? Why can’t your clock radio talk to your toaster? Ultimately, while fascinating, the home automation phenomenon never really took off. […]
Continue ReadingAh, November. Clear dark nights, not too cold. A great month for stargazing — to say nothing of the Leonid meteor shower, which will swing by in a couple of weeks. For meteors, all you need is your eyes, or else a good pair of binoculars. But if you want to look at planets, you’ll […]
Continue ReadingFound on Boing Boing this weekend, detailed, step-by-step instructions on how to make your own, "life"-sized Jabba the Hutt. Dang, wish I’d seen this before Halloween! Link.
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