diy

DIY site Make.com wrote about how one reader ripped an old DVD player apart and fitted the optical drive lens onto a camera phone for some awesome macro shots. We couldn't resist trying it out with an old CD reader that we have.

While we did get some pretty impressive closeup shots with the puny lens and our Nokia E71, here are a few things we noted. … Read more

We're on the tail end of the summer vacation season, which according to the FBI is one of the peak periods of home burglaries. Chances are good you're about to head out of town, leaving your dwelling to fend for itself against intruders.

Got a house sitter or an alarm system? Good for you. If not, there are a handful of ways to turn a computer into a tool that will alert you if someone's there who shouldn't be.

For the sake of this guide we're keeping things simple and limiting our list to free apps that work on PCs, Macs, or both. A few simply use your browser. Later on we also have a section on specialty hardware that can take you beyond what most Webcams are capable of.

Software can offer a definite piece of mind over browser-based solutions. Most of these apps can run quietly in the background, and can save footage to your hard drive for archiving. High-end Webcams often come with their own security software, so in the spirit of this guide, we're going with generic software that should work with any model:

Yawcam (PC) Yawcam is free and PC-only. It's a complex program but not too complex to set-up. The app lets you set whether you want to capture all of the motion within the frame or just a part of it. I used it to track motion in a specific part of my workplace: CNET colleague Rafe Needleman's office door. Any time he came in or out of his office it took a photo. At home this is more useful if you point it toward something like a door or entry way, which can keep it from picking up one of your pets moving around.

The app does an exceptional job at letting you pick various ways you want to be notified. You can have it upload screen shots to an FTP site or as an e-mail. It can also play any sound on your computer, or start another program (such as a lock-down or keyboard locking application).

I set mine up with Gmail, which was a snap. You just have to have plug in the outgoing settings on Google's help page and it will send a high-quality screen shot of whatever motion it's captured just a few seconds after it happens. Using this with your phone's e-mail address will give you a live alert and a saved copy of all the shots in Gmail's sent folder.

HomeCamera (PC) This software runs a streaming video client that can be accessed from any computer with a browser. You can view either live video or snapshots that can be taken at intervals or on-demand. HomeCamera's secret sauce is… Read more

Rafe Needleman and Tom Merritt talk tips for fixing your own computers, as well as take live calls from the audience.

You no longer have to be a Michaelangelo or Rembrandt to paint great portraits, thanks to technology. Jen Hui Liao's Self-Portrait Machine will machine-assist the "artist," via straps tied to the wrists, to sketch a self-portrait, after a picture is taken while seated at the device.

The Renaissance and Dutch masters talked about capturing the soul of the subject in their paintings. But hey, since I can't draw squat save for stickmen, this device (spotted at the Royal College of Art Show) will do just fine. However, since there's no word on a commercial launch, … Read more

Our product manager Justin sent me a link to Kipkay's YouTube video on hacking apart a 9-volt battery into six AAA replacements. So, I had to try it for myself.

A 9-volt battery is actually made up of six 1.5-volt cells. Those cells are actually quadruple size, but you can make them work in AAA compartments.

Watch this video to see how. With some needle-nosed pliers, pry apart the casing of the 9-volt battery. As long as you're careful not to puncture the cells themselves, there's nothing harmful inside. Once you get it open, pull off … Read more

I'm really glad all the cameras I have are still functional, but I'm sure there will come a day when one of them refuses to fire the shutter, or worse, has a damaged circuit. When that day comes, I'll refer back to this article.

Photoblog Photojojo has a nice writeup on what you can do with your spoiled cameras, though most of it applies only to film-based shooters. The Web site suggests you turn these defunct gizmos into a flowerpot and grow plants in them. From lenses to camera bodies, it seems almost anything can be converted … Read more

Sorry, but I don't have the patience required for the intricate paper folding required to assemble incredible stuff like this astoundingly tiny DS lite with working hinge. I did go so far as to print out one of Yamaha's paper-folding kits (well, I did) after our blogger Mike wrote about it. But that was the extent of my inspiration.

However, if you're the sort who likes the origami-boggling challenge of papercraft, and can chopstick up minute paper sculptures with just a toothpick, glue, scissors, and nimble fingers, check out the DIY Paper Speakers from gadget maker Princeton (… Read more

I don't care how much money you spend on a piece of hoity-toity artwork--eventually you're going to get sick of looking at it. To keep things interesting, the folks at Rhode Island's AS220 Labs art space have created a drawing robot (Drawbot, for short) that can whip up a new work of art at the push of a button.

The AS220 Drawbot kit includes two wall-mountable DC motors, two string spools, a pen clip, and a controller board built around a Sanguino microcontroller. The whole kit comes inside a laser-cut wooden box engraved with the mandala pattern … Read more

Now that summer is finally here, homeowners will be spending time outside, fixing up their homes' exterior and improving the backyard. Whether they want to do some landscaping in the front of their home, build a deck in the back, or paint the house, they'll be able to design great outdoor spaces with the help of these tools.

Dave's Garden Dave's Garden is a social network for landscapers or people who enjoy landscaping. Once you register for the site, you'll be able to create your own gardening blog to inform other users about the improvements on your home. Dave's Garden also lets you trade seeds with other gardeners who want to barter. It's a neat site that is ideal for landscaping, but I would like it more if it had a more attractive design.

Deck Designer Deck Designer is a great tool for anyone who wants to add a deck to their house. The tool walks you through all the steps of adding the deck, including how tall it will be, whether you want to add benches, and more. Once complete, it produces a full list of all the materials you will need to build that deck. It will even provide you with step-by-step instructions on installing it.

DIY Network Gardening At first glance, the DIY Network's Gardening & Landscaping page won't look like it can be of help. But when you start digging a little deeper, you'll find a variety of great how-to videos on landscaping. The site has videos on topics ranging from installing torches in your backyard to adding art to a tomato garden cage. My favorite video taught me how to install a weatherproof cedar TV cabinet.… Read more