DIY (Page 31)

PopSci's curated collection of life skills, tech tips, and hands-on projects we think you'll love.

Latest in DIY

an Apple iPhone with the Google search engine up on the screen

Your guide to every Google app’s privacy settings

magic starter kit

Six magic accessories every beginner needs

By Stan Horaczek

Person at computer with cat

Find the perfect internet speed for you

By Whitson Gordon

a TV with a family video chatting on it over a video call

How to put video calls on your TV

Rescue dried-out cheese with this simple trick

Rescue dried-out cheese with this simple trick

By Benjamin Kember/Saveur

Person laughing at computer

Emojis and reaction GIFs make Slack better. Here’s how to create them.

By Sandra Gutierrez G.

a campfire in a designated fire area

How to build and extinguish a campfire without sparking a catastrophe

By Alisha McDarris

A beginner’s guide to buying your first drone

Mix your own delicious herbal tea using leftover spices

By Kristy Mucci/Saveur

Turn soap bubbles into magical frozen orbs

By Sarah Keartes

Person looking at mirror

Mask up without breaking out. Here’s how to prevent pandemic acne.

By Sandra Gutierrez G.

winter survival plants you can eat

13 edible plants you can still find in the winter

By Tim MacWelch/ Outdoor Life

Laptop with neon

How to stop websites from tracking you

a person holding LED lights in their hands while wearing a white sweater

Make your own light-up holiday sweater

By Barry Abrams

Volunteers gathering food off of a truck.

The best and safest ways to donate food and time this holiday season

By Sara Kiley Watson

The finished cardboard robotic hand on someone's hand

Turn a boring box into a sweet working robotic hand

By Jonathan Adolph

How to make perfect pie crust with the power of science

How to make perfect pie crust with the power of science

By Rachel Feltman

Person in a mask and disposable gloves holding a basket of groceries

A step-by-step guide to grocery shopping during a pandemic

By Amy Schellenbaum

Person shooting photo

Google Photos is better at image editing than you think

By Harry Guinness

A spearfisher hauling a striped bass through the water.

Take a stab at spearfishing with these tips

By Same Romano/ Outdoor Life

Knitting coding project

Spies once used knitting to send coded messages—and so can you

By Sandra Gutierrez G.

a person sitting at a Dell laptop in a well-lit room by some windows and a plant

Become a Windows whiz by creating your own keyboard shortcuts

a blonde woman sitting in a chair by a window in a white sweater and jeans

Keep your home warm without blasting the heat

DIY external hard drive

Rip out your computer’s guts and craft an external hard drive

By Whitson Gordon

a person walking down an aisle in a store

How to stock your pantry to endure a long, uncertain winter

By Tim MacWelch/ Outdoor Life

a person using a Windows 10 laptop

Four hidden tweaks that will speed up Windows

Woman holds a recurve bowfishing bow nocked with an arrow in one hand and a gar in the other hand while standing on a tree-lined creek bank.

Don’t have a boat? Try bowfishing.

By Natalie Krebs/ Outdoor Life

Wood filters, hot rocks, and seven other ways to purify water in the wild

Wood filters, hot rocks, and seven other ways to purify water in the wild

By Tim MacWelch/ Outdoor Life

Go full-on mad scientist by making your own Halloween candy

By John Kennedy

Chromecast Google TV

Seven pro tips for the new Chromecast with Google TV

flyfishing trout big finish

A beginner’s guide to catching trout—even in autumn

By Ted Leeson/Field & Stream

a man with headphones listening to podcasts or music

How to cave to peer pressure and start listening to podcasts

a man sitting and thinking in a room

How to decide who to vote for

By John Kennedy

Little banana and chile tarts dusted with flour or sugar

There’s a science to food pairing, and you can learn it here

By Peter Coucquyt, Bernard Lahousse, and Johan Langenbick

Dungeness Crabs

14 wild edibles you can pull right out of the ocean

By Bob Mcnally/Field & Stream

Six health conditions a smartwatch can detect before you can

A ruby-throated hummingbird that hit a glass window, held in someone's hand

How to help an injured bird

By Purbita Saha

A man holds a survival mirror to his face to reflect on his other hand.

A signal mirror could save your life in the wild—here’s how to use one

By Jim Baird/Field & Stream

canned tomatoes in jars on a marble countertop near a plant

How to can your favorite foods without dying

By Rachel Feltman

a whole fish and a knife

Stop living in fear and buy the whole fish

By Barton Seaver/Saveur

a black bear standing near a tree

Simple tips for getting black bears to leave you alone

By Alisha McDarris

a woman standing calm and happy in the sunlight

Fight election season burnout with these mental health tips

By Rachael Zisk

Person holding cassette

The best way to share playlists on every major platform

a paper fortune teller

Five classic paper toys you can make when you’re bored (whether you’re in school or not)

By John Kennedy

The best internet browsers you’ve never heard of

two people doing fondue with a bunch of food and using forks to dip potatoes in a pot of melted cheese

The scientific way to make perfectly creamy fondue

By Pat Polowsky/Saveur

a gym full of exercise equipment

You should definitely rotate your workouts

By John Kennedy

a man stretching out and warming up before exercise

There’s a better way to warm up than stretching

By John Kennedy

I voted sticker

COVID has created a shortage of poll workers. Here’s how to step in.

By Sandra Gutierrez G.

a person walking in the woods

The 10-step guide to survival in an emergency

By Tim MacWelch/ Outdoor Life

Breathe easier during wildfires with a DIY air purifier

By María Paula Rubiano A.

Android security settings you should check right now

a bearded man with glasses looking stressed and confused while using a laptop computer

Election graphics can be deceiving. Here’s how to see through their tricks.

By Sara Chodosh

cottom wrap in a medical kit

Eight ways you can use cotton in an emergency

By Tim MacWelch/ Outdoor Life

Person shopping online

AmazonBasics: A guide to the good, the bad, and the spontaneously combustible

By Harry Guinness

a person holding a white Apple iPhone in their hand

Your guide to all the security settings in iOS 14

People looking at smartphone and working out

Use TikTok to build the perfect workout

By Sandra Gutierrez G.

A man on a four-wheeler equiped with brush bumpers.

Six ways to make your ATV even more rugged

By Tyler Freel/ Outdoor Life

a hand holding pins that say "vote" on them

Why you should vote as early as possible (and how to do it)

By John Kennedy

branches tied together with paracord

This essential survival tool can save your life 10 different ways

By Tim MacWelch/ Outdoor Life

A US Army National Guard soldier does a push-up in front of a drill sergeant

Burpees are a great full-body exercise—but there are other options

By Purbita Saha

a child student using an Apple mac laptop for school work on a wooden table

How to buy a quality laptop for school without breaking the bank

By Whitson Gordon

People running marathon

Buddy up for a longer, harder workout

By Sandra Gutierrez G.

Handmade Ramen Noodles

Making homemade ramen noodles is surprisingly challenging and totally worth it

By Catherine Tillman Whalen/Saveur