Author(s): Weldon Owen

Popular Science

There's a new movement afoot--a whole generation of makers and tech-savvy innovators who excel at making wild and fascinating projects using electronics and found materials. In The Book of Hacks, you get a collection of these amazing ideas from the DIY masters at Popular Science magazine--from a theremin you can make for under $15 to a motorized skateboard, from an epic potato gun to a Roomba that waters your plants. It's never been a better time to be a geek. Four comprehensive chapters help readers create megafun games and toys for the amusement of all; trick out their home with improvised gadgets; upgrade basic electronics and tools like a pro; and build wild and zany vehicles. Contents: Geek Toys Build a Pocket Theremin - Tear Up the Dance Floor in an LED Suit - Disguise Your Beer Can - Shoot Fireballs with a Rocket-Shaped Launcher - Program a Drink-Slinging Droid-Start Up a Lego(t) Pinball Machine - Make a Mini Toothbrush Robot Home Improvements Turn Your Roomba into a Robot - Make a Customizable Doormat - Put Together a Low-Budget Luxury Shower - Set Up a DIY Smoker - Organize Loose Cables Foil Wi-Fi Thieves - Make the Lazy Man's Lawn Mower Tech Upgrades Rig a Smartphone Projector - Retrofit a Vintage Radio - Assemble an eBook Reader Case - Repurpose an Old Computer for Any Room in the House Hack Your Cable Box - RFID-Proof Your Wallet Things That Go Trick Out a Motorized Skateboard - Run Your Car on Trash - Soar in a Personal Blimp - Convert an Old Bike into an All-Star Cruiser - Supercharge a Paper Plane - Speed Off on a Jet Kayak