instructables

About a year ago, when resident mad scientist Theo Gray pitched me a Gray Matter column on liquid oxygen, an extremely flammable energetic form of the element, he first proposed showing how to use it to light a grill nearly instantaneously. The lawyers, however, suggested we go a more tame route, so instead we showed how you could make a few drops of the hooch yourself.

But of course, when left to his own devices (and free of legal oversight), Theo couldn't help himself.

It's official: Santa showed up a little early this year. The unveiling of the Popular Science archives on Google was, last week, a very big deal. Our readers and fans can now search and browse over 136 years' worth of the future then and now whenever they damn well please.

Ever resourceful, PopSci DIY-ers are already doing what they do best. Instructables.com member TimAnderson created a gas mask using instructions in a December 1942 Popular Science Article. How awesome is that?

The ghosts and goblins may be prowling about for tonight and tonight only, but the DIY-ers are keeping the terror alive. In fact, the Instructables.com DIY Halloween Contest is open for entries until November 9, and there are over $7,000 worth of prizes up for grabs.

Are you looking for that little extra "something" to kick your entry up a notch in the upcoming PopSci/Instructables Halloween contest? Then you might want to consider some professional help. No, not a therapist, rather a Cordless Pumpkin Carving Tool by Dremel.

Carving's its name, and pumpkins are its game.

There are many prizes to be won in this year's Halloween contest, but we know you're most interested in the big kahuna: The Tech Grand Prize includes a $250 Shopping spree at the Maker Shed Store, a $250 gift certificate to Plaid Craft Express, and a $100 gift certificate to Hack N Mod. So get your tech tools out and start impressing the PopSci.com judges (that's right kids, we're in on it)!

Submit a 5 Minute Project for Popular Science! Each month we feature a cool and handy new project, and we're excited to showcase some ideas from the inventive Instructables.com community, and our own.

It's a mere 50-some days till All Hallows Eve. Huzzah! Time to dust off your bioluminescent thinking cap, strap on your fanciest pumpkin duds and get hacking. Just like last year, we expect to be floored by you ingenious folks. And, just like last year, grand rewards (lest fame and glory fail to entice) await entrants.

Have 24 cameras handy? Too bad, because if you had 'em (along with a cabal of the East Coast's best graffiti artists and some flashlights), you could make a stab at the below. We've always liked Graffiti Research Lab, but after taking a peek at their winning Intructables entry (How to Enter the Ghetto Matrix (DIY Bullet Time)), we're downright smitten.

In May 2007, we published a project on Instructables that showed how to assemble a potentially useful tablet PC. Why was this project only a potential success? We couldnt get the Fujitsu Stylistic 1000 to boot. All of that has changed and now we can boot the Tablet PC in DOS, Windows 95, and DSL Linux. The secret element that made this doorstop into a viable Tablet PC was a Windows tool called HP USB Disk Storage Format Tool V. 2.1.8. At the link, a Texan named Nox will supply all of the needed know-how for using this utility, as well as downloads for both HP USB Disk Storage Format Tool and a collection of boot files. Now dont get too excited, these dated tablet PCs only worked really well when they were booted into DOS. So we converted ours into a dedicated DOS game machine. Skip the stylus and use an old salvaged PS/2 keyboard. Also, drop the battery and pick up a power supply. These two mods to our original project will shave about $135 off the projects price tag. Not bad for around $120.—Dave Prochnow

Halloween is officially here, and if you´re still scrounging for ideas with precious few hours until the march for candy begins, we´ve got you covered. Entries have been pouring in to our DIY Halloween Instructables contest, and whether you´re fashioning a costume made entirely of pumpkins or wiring up a USB-powered jack-o´-lantern, one thing´s for certain-Halloween really brings out the DIY spirit in everyone.