RSSGareth Branwyn
Gareth Branwyn is something of a reluctant geek ("I'm more of your arty-farty type and a journalist than a real geek."). But this doesn't stop him from being endlessly fascinated by all forms of technology, especially their application outside of their intended purpose. He is a Senior Editor at MAKE, "Cyborg-in-Chief" of Streettech.com, and "Co-Overlord" of Dorkbot DC. To date, he has written or edited nearly a dozen books on technology, techno- and fringe culture, art and media. He lives in Arlington, VA, with his 21-year-old son.
Recent Blog Posts
Thoughts on the 7th Annual Maker Faire
MAKE Editorial Director Gareth Branwyn shares some of his notes and takeaways from this weekend's Maker Faire Bay Area.
Space Marines Tower Over Maker Faire
Master costume maker, Shawn Thorsson, wowed the crowds at Maker Faire again this year with his impressive Warhammer 40,000 Space Marine costumes. It was amazing, especially being a 40K player, to see these giant armor-clad, genetically-modified super humans patrolling the aisles of Expo Hall. Space Marines are HUGE!
Math Monday: Grocery Geometry
By Glen Whitney for the Museum of Mathematics MoMath colleague Dave Masunaga and I were chewing on some of the tasty macadamia nuts, while chewing on some interesting problems that may show up in the Museum of Mathematics this December, when we realized that the pleasant and unusual geometry of the packaging of these nuts [...]…
Announcing the 2nd Annual MAKE Magazine Industry Maker Awards (aka The Makeys)
It's that time again -- announcing the 2012 season of The Makeys, our way of celebrating mainstream companies that express some aspect of the maker spirit in the products. Nominate your favorites!
How Touch-Tech Faucets Work
Delta Faucet asked us to do something with them and their touch-faucet technology. Of course, our first thought was: Tell us how it works. We interviewed Bob Rodenbeck, director of research and development, and here’s some of what he had to say. -Gareth Make: Can you first give us an overview of the faucet itself? [...]…
Makers and Shakers Inspire at Hardware Innovation Workshop
The first MAKE Hardware Innovation Workshop wrapped up this evening. Featuring over 30 of the most well-known innovators in the MAKE space, the event found a perfect home in the storied garden-roofed research facilities at PARC Xerox. As one of the speakers commented, this was probably the first time that all of these path-breaking [...]…
CRAFT on MAKE
Coming is June, CRAFT, our popular go-to site for the crafting community, will be moving over to makezine.com. We've always felt as though crafting was just another type of making. As we've moved our content management deeper into WordPress, it makes sense for us to move our craft content over to the makezine.com domain and to treat it as one of the key content areas that we plan on building out as we move forward.
Math Monday: Live-In Polyhedra
Continuing last Math Monday's theme of building polyhedra, let's turn to the opposite end of the spectrum from paper models: polyhedra so large and substantial that people can live in them.
Happy Maker Mom’s Day
We have a new Facebook page devoted to Maker Moms. "Like" it and share your maker mom story (on the FB page, not here), for a chance to win Maker Faire Bay Area tickets.
Want to Attend the Hardware Innovation Workshop as My Guest?
I want to invite five MAKE readers to our Hardware Innovation Workshop happening this coming week, May 15-16, at PARC Xerox!
Read the full archive →
Author of these Magazine Articles
Let the Games Begin
We’ve posted oodles of articles and projects on makezine.com related to gaming, from tabletop wargames to video game console hacks to such outdoor geek pastimes as geocaching. Here are a few of our favorites.
In
Tales from the Web
from MAKE:
28: Toys and Games page 26
Drill-Powered Future Trike
Young German designer Nils Ferber, along with his team, created the EX, a futuristic drill-powered trike.
In
Made on Earth
from MAKE:
27: Robots page 23
Building a MAKE Video Network
We've greatly expanded MAKE's video offerings with a regular roster of excellent project and tutorial series, all conveniently accessed from blog.makezine.com/video and youtube.com/makemagazine and iTunes.
In
Tales from the Web
from MAKE:
27: Robots page 26
Live from MAKE!
This year we not only upgraded our website and moved "into the cloud" – we hope you're enjoying improved performance, social media, and commenting tools – we also launched some great programs online. Check them out!
In
Tales from the Web
from MAKE:
26: Karts and Wheels page 26
The Computer with 1,000 Faces
Here are a few cool Arduino projects of staggering diversity from Make: Online.
In
Tales from the Web
from MAKE:
25: Microcontrollers and Arduino page 29
Garden of DIY Delights
Make: Projects is our newest online service, a living library of how-to tutorials being built by the entire maker community.
In
Tales from the Web
from MAKE:
24: Space page 29
Connect with Makers Online
Make a connection and share your story.
In
Tales from the Web
from MAKE:
22: Remote Control / Wireless page 11
Remote Control State of the Art
Inventors and enthusiasts from remote realms tell us what's on their radars.
From MAKE:
22: Remote Control / Wireless page 75
Tales from Make: Online
Get Your DIY On(line)
From MAKE:
21: Desktop Manufacturing page 15
3D Fabbing State of the Art
3D printing and desktop manufacturing innovators tell us what’s currently
on their radars.
From MAKE:
21: Desktop Manufacturing page 71
Toolbox
A simply great calculator, laundry alternatives, a look at music, and the 3D camera you’ve been waiting for.
In
Toolbox
from MAKE:
21: Desktop Manufacturing page 152
WALL-E World
Before the Disney/Pixar film WALL-E premiered in 2008, replicas of its robot star were already showing up on the internet.
In
Made on Earth
from MAKE:
20: For Kids of All Ages page 20
Bot State of the Art
Robot engineers and enthusiasts discuss what’s currently holding their attention.
From MAKE:
19: Robots page 54
The Accidental Pioneer
How a neurophysiologist’s experiments in brain behavior
created the first autonomous robots.
From MAKE:
19: Robots page 68
Toolbox
Titanium nail puller, autonomous blimp kit, Mad Science, and extra heavy duty screwdrivers.
In
Toolbox
from MAKE:
19: Robots page 156
Romancing the Steam
Learning from makers of long ago.
In
Welcome
from MAKE:
17: Lost Knowledge page 12
William Blake: Patron Saint of Makers
The mad Englishman was on a mission that makers can relate to.
From MAKE:
17: Lost Knowledge page 56
The Lost Knowledge Catalog
Amazing & confounding techno-artifacts, unearthed for your edification & amusement, in the interest of their most timely preservation.
From MAKE:
17: Lost Knowledge page 80
Steampunk Family Album
Colorful, creative expressions of alt.Victorian finery.
From MAKE:
17: Lost Knowledge page 83
Toolbox
Cool beats, aged brass, an analog synth kit, and a guide to surviving the apocalypse (steampunk style).
In
Toolbox
from MAKE:
17: Lost Knowledge page 168
Darkside Rocketeer
Jack Parsons, the space pioneer history likes to forget.
In
Maker
from MAKE:
13: Magic page 94
Toolbox
All the awl you'll need, a kit to build your own yo-yo, wireless SD memory cards, and the maker before MacGyver.
In
Toolbox
from MAKE:
13: Magic page 190
Toolbox
From fuzzy sensors to underwater ROVs to your very own eco-friendly surfboard.
In
Toolbox
from MAKE:
12: Upload page 166
Maker Faire Is Too Much
Author Gareth Branwyn welcomes you to MAKE Volume 11: Alternative Vehicles.
In
Welcome
from MAKE:
11: Alt Vehicles page 10
What the Hell is That Thing?
The world of weird and wonderful crafting tools.
From
CRAFT:
04: Costumes page 40
Toolbox
Get started in electronics, eliminate red eye the old-school way, and touch up your walls with the screw of a lid.
In
Toolbox
from MAKE:
10: Home Electronics page 168
Scanning the Shirt Off Your Back
C-shirts allow you to swipe designs from others and make them your own.
From
CRAFT:
03: Japanese Influence page 44
Hacker of Yesteryear
Hacking the new and the old together.
In
Made on Earth
from MAKE:
09: Fringe page 23
Toolbox
Read about crop circles, make your own temporary tattoos, and take crystal-clear photos with a circular polarizing filter.
In
Toolbox
from MAKE:
09: Fringe page 172
Eraser-Carved Rubber Stamps
Your own stamps, just an X-Acto blade away.
In
Quick Craft
from
CRAFT:
02: Creative Clones page 21
Attack of the Craft Club Clones!
The Craft Mafia and the Church of Craft spread the DIY ethos and the good word.
From
CRAFT:
02: Creative Clones page 48
Journal-Art Memoirs
Make a scrapbook the Moleskine way.
In
DIY: Book It
from
CRAFT:
02: Creative Clones page 127
Chris Ware's ACME Papercraft
Comics you can build!
From MAKE:
08: Toys and Games page 76
Tabletop Terrains
That's no pile of trash; it's my asteroid mining colony!
From MAKE:
08: Toys and Games page 80
Pummer, Dude!
Download Sample PDF
Part robotic plant life, part techno-sculpture, these desktop toys are easy and fun to make.
From MAKE:
08: Toys and Games page 84
Handmade
Download Sample PDF
A spotlight on extraordinary handmade creations. This installment features Johnny Swing, Escama, David North, David Cole, and Bill Burns.
In
Handmade
from
CRAFT:
01: Craft Premiere page 12
A Beginner's Guide to BEAM
The BEAM design approach creates nimble robots from simple components, with no programming required.
From MAKE:
06: Robots page 54
The Vex Robotics Design System
Versatile, powerful design raises the bot in prefab robotics construction kits.
From MAKE:
06: Robots page 66
Two BEAMbots: Trimet and Solarroller
Solder together one simple circuit and use it to control two very different solar-powered robo-critters: a little satellite that scoots and bumps around, and a mini cart that just keeps a-rolling until the sun goes down.
From MAKE:
06: Robots page 76
It Came From My Garage
Model kit makers bring B-movie monsters to your home.
In
Maker
from MAKE:
05: Science, Weather, and Outdoors page 44
Wiki Your World
Getting things done with GTD TiddlyWiki.
In
DIY: Online
from MAKE:
05: Science, Weather, and Outdoors page 135
The Rocketman's Garage
Meet Minnesota's celebrated thrill-machine maker.
In
Workshop
from MAKE:
05: Science, Weather, and Outdoors page 154
Kits For The Holidays
Our guide to the coolest kits to make and give.
From MAKE:
04: Music and Kits for the Holidays page 64
Toolbox
The best tools, software, gadgets, books, magazines, and websites.
In
Toolbox
from MAKE:
03: Cars and Halloween page 172
Mousey the Junkbot
With a few spare parts, you can turn an old computer mouse into an amusing robot.
From MAKE:
02: Home Entertainment page 96
Toolbox
The best tools, software, gadgets, books, magazines, and websites.
In
Toolbox
from MAKE:
02: Home Entertainment page 174
MAKE: Online Extras
Unsafe At Any Amperage?
Behind the scenes of our high-voltage dilemma: whether to publish a dangerously cool project in MAKE magazine's "Fringe" issue.
by Tom Anderson, Gareth Branwyn, Shawn Connally, Dale Dougherty, Mark Frauenfelder, Joe Grand, Saul Griffith, William Gurstelle, Bunnie Huang, Tom Igoe, Mister Jalopy, Steve Lodefink, John MacNeill, David Pescovitz, Charles Platt, Paul Spinrad, Phillip Torrone;
March 16, 2007
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