diy

Yes, I’m back from hiding with another empty promise to blog more often. :)

This one is a pretty simple and “obvious” hack. Last week Cool Tools posted a link to a simple and very ingenous device for holding those extra cords behind your desk, the Keep-a-Cable cord organizer.

While I could have just bought a pack for $5 and be done with it (and I encourage you to do so if you’re so inclined rather than rather blatantly ripping off their idea like I did), I’m just not that kind of guy. I can’t look at a flat 5-cent piece of stamped plastic and not want to make my own.

So I did. Details below the fold.

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This one has been done a million times before, but I figured I’d write it up anyway. I also seem to have ended up being written up in Make Magazine’s Blog, so I figured I might as well document it in my blog as well.

For details on construction, read on.

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A few weeks ago I finished my latest batch of beer, this time a nice Scottish Ale.

The results were quite good, and the whole process was much smoother than the last batch. I had very willing helpers for the boil (my parents) and for bottling (my girlfriend) which helped a lot. I also switched to a “pump-style” racking cane, which eliminated the painful siphoning process I struggled through last time.

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This one’s a pretty short one. I wanted some tripod leg pads for the Gitzo Basalt Reporter tripod I picked up used (and got a great deal on) but I didn’t feel like paying over $40 for a set from B&H. So I made my own.

Read below for more instructions.

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Every “maker” (crafty person who makes stuff, in the sense of “Make” magazine) needs a good place to store their supplies and tools. Especially if they live in a 600 square foot studio apartment like me.

This is mine. Click through to Flickr to see the details of all the stuff I crammed into it. It started as a standard IKEA shelving unit that I decided to convert into storage, but when I discovered that they had discontinued the cabinet (and more importantly the doors) I bought the last set of doors they had and painted them flat black.

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