Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 6-10 of 16
 Fantastic guide to cool projects February 19, 2005
Claude (Sacramento)
16 out of 22 found this review helpful
I've been waiting for this magazine all my life. Finally, it's here. There are enough ideas in here to keep me busy for the next several months, and even if I don't plan on building everything in it, it's a lot of fun just reading about how other people are making stuff.
It's more like a paperback book than a magazine, and there are very few ads in it, which means there's lot of room for plenty of do it yourself projects.
Restoring Dignity and Nobility to the term March 14, 2005
Tony Bradley (Houston, TX)
13 out of 17 found this review helpful
O'Reilly Publishing has been on an almost solo crusade it seems to elevate the word "hacker" to its former dignity and nobility.
The media has co-opted the term and used it for any variety of malicious computer programmer or Internet malcontent. I myself am guilty of "mis-using" the term and have even written that the hacker purists should just get used to it (see What Is In A Name?.
But, the roots of hacking are more benign. Hacking is about being clever, not malicious. Pure hackers set out to be ingenious, not notorious. The O'Reilly Hacks series of books is devoted to this interpretation of hacking and now true hackers who just want to know how things work under the hood and tinker with them to create new inventions of their own have a magazine to help them.
The beginning contains a lot of newsy sort of tid bits that describe various hacking projects or hacker tales, but don't include the complete details. For example, there are a few photos and a brief rundown of the home monorail system Kim Pederson built in his backyard. Five years, $4,000 (USD), and 300 feet of track later his monorail glides around his backyard with ease.
The middle section provides a handful of full-fledged projects, complete with an inventory of the materials and tools necessary, full details for how to construct it and illustrations to guide you.
If you are interested in hacking and learning how to convert and modify gadgets and gizmos to do your bidding, check out this magazine. If you have done some of your own hacking projects already, contact the editor to see about publishing it in an upcoming edition of Make.
(...)
I'll give them credit... September 13, 2005
R. D. MCCRACKEN (Mid-Michigan)
10 out of 14 found this review helpful
I have to say that I was a bit disappointed with the first two issues... entertained, but not enthralled. Nevertheless, this mag has tons of potential. I expect some near-misses when a truly creative endeavor steps outside "the formula."
Happily, THEY'VE COME INTO THEIR OWN with issue three! (That is, after they replaced my USPS-mangled copy. For the record, they did so QUICKLY).
This mag is produced by the O'Reilly empire of geekytechnohack books which are well regarded in the tech trenches. The unique and exciting concept here is harnessing the largely computer-based hacking ethos and challenging its exclusively "virtual" focus. SAFETY WARNING: pale, overcaffeinated hackers MUST use sunscreen when they step outside for a fresh look at the non-virtual world!
This is not the cheapest subscription on the shelf (and for only four issues/yr), but these mags are STUFFED with content, and will keep you busy for weeks of casual reading.
I personally believe the quarterly format makes sense. These are not the kind of topics I want to see in a large/slim format "throwaway" package. I expect these magazines to stay on the shelf for future reference. To that end, the editors would do well to create a cumulative topic index in each issue. (Consumer Reports is a familiar example).
Overall, highly recommended!
For Anyone Who Thinks Outside the Box November 20, 2005
Debra A. Shinkewicz
10 out of 12 found this review helpful
'Build a Light-Seeking Robot from an Old (Computer) Mouse' on the cover of V2 was the hook that drew me in. Now I find myself seriously considering the purchase of a soldering iron...
I have been a longtime subscriber to Scientific American and many years ago they ran a column called 'The Amateur Scientist' which discussed the physics behind everyday occurrences and offered many hands-on projects to explore the world of light, radiation, physics, etc. Now we have Make. Don't misunderstand me - this is not a science magazine, but it is an exploring and thinking magazine. Make will appeal to anyone who has ever hesitated to throw out old electronics or appliances because maybe there were parts they could reuse, or who ever took something apart out of curiosity to see what was inside. There are other perks as well - I found the 'Toolbox' section of the mag to be a great starting point for stocking stuffers.
Make magazine recaptures that 'knowledge for it's own sake' feeling. Each issue provides you with detailed and well-illustrated articles showing how people can adapt existing technology and products to new and different uses, or just make the existing product better.
With 3 jaded house cats, Mousey the Junkbot could be just what we need to shake things up around here.
No true geek should be without a subscription May 13, 2006
SirWired (Raleigh, NC United States)
10 out of 11 found this review helpful
This fine magazine is a cross between WIRED, American Woodworker, Popular Mechanics and Scientific American. Each issue features four very detailed DIY projects, along with short descriptions and general guides to a few others. Combined with the DIY info, there is the usual mix of opinion articles, political commentary, news summaries, letters, articles about crazy DIY-folk, etc.
The four "core" DIY projects in each issue include step-by-step instructions, full parts lists and extensive photos (or screenshots). All parts lists also include sources, which is important in an age where the parts department of Radio Shack just isn't what it used to be.
The projects featured in each issue are usually funky, weird, stuff that only a tiny fraction of the readers will actually build. As another reviewer said, most of the projects are simply not that useful. However, just because the projects aren't exactly useful doesn't mean they aren't cool. Will I ever build a timed cat feeder powered by a castoff VCR and a recycled hand-crank meat grinder? No. Do I think that the idea of recycling the motors and control circuits to do such a thing is neat? Of course, and any "real" geek would agree.
Most electronic projects assume basic soldering skills (an introduction to soldering is available in Vol 1), and most computer projects natrually involve more skill than just booting the machine.
Outside of the "core" projects in each issue, the "DIY" section features a bunch of abbreviated project summaries, with the expectation you will have to scrounge some of your own parts, and be able to read a schematic diagram. A geeky friend could probably help you out with those if you are in over your head.
Yes, this magazine is expensive. $34.95/yr for four issues sounds like a lot. However, the ads are far less intrusive than they would be in a cheaper magazine, the articles better written, and to make it suitable for use in an actual workshop, it is printed on sturdy bond paper and bound with a cardstock cover.
As with any magazine, some issues and some articles are better than others, but on the whole, the quality of the magazine is quite high.
Many have said that most of the tutorials in the magazine can be found on the web in various forms, scattered about. That is completely true. Nevertheless, it is convenient to have the information in a fairly well-tested magazine that has the added advantage of being on paper.
In summary, if the sort of topics covered in MAKE interest you, I know of no other magazine on the market that is better.
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