DIY Life

We've reported on Bug Labs before. They make a sort of gadget LEGO system so you can easily build stuff like a GPS-enabled alarm clock. Not useful? Ask the guy who kept missing his train stop by falling asleep!

I spoke to Bug Labs founder Peter Semmelhack about what the company is up to, and how the future of DIY is shaping up.

Lately we've been reusing some of our (BPA-free) water bottles. But drying a bottle is a drag, especially when you hand wash, as we do. So instead of paying $16 elsewhere, my wife put the chopsticks we rarely use into a toothbrush stand we were going to throw away.

Reusing water bottles and plastic sandwich bags not only saves money, but reduces waste, and might be better than recylcing. If you're concerned about BPA, check your water bottles' recycling number. A #2, #4 or #5 won't leach BPA, but a #1 and #7 will. You can use the #1 and #7 stuff as a vase for flowers.

The annual Maker Faire in the Bay Area wrapped up this past weekend, and I thought it only appropriate to mention the explosion of DIY'ers and "makers" there are out there. According to the official site, there were over 500 makers and over 65,000 attendees-- both are records for the event. I heard a few people say there were backups on the highways because of the crush of geeky, crafty, clever builders from all over.

There certainly was an impressive showing of talent, no question. From giant flaming sculptures to tiny pipecleaner robots, Maker Faire appeals to a wide range of interests. Perhaps the best aspect of the event is that it is accessible to almost anyone with a project they have built themselves. Unlike stuffy old conferences (or even glitzy ones, like E3 used to be), Maker Faire is a very hands-on, festival atmosphere.

If you want to see more, there are the flickr pics tagged with "maker faire 2008" plus read Guy Kawasaki's post. He describes it well, I think, saying "Macworld Expo meets Burning Man meets MythBusters meets Woodstock." Who wouldn't like that? More coverage from Suicide Bots, Daily DIY and BoingBoing.

Next week I'll be interviewing Bug Labs, who attended Maker Faire. If you have any questions for Bug, leave them in the comments.

Window and Glass Cleaner

I would bet that you want what I want -- streak-free cleaning for sparkling mirrors and clear-view windows. Your backyard -- and your reflection -- will never look so good!

• 1 c. water
• 1 TB vinegar
• 1 TB rubbing alcohol, or if you want to be super non-toxic, ethanol (grain alcohol)
• 3 drops lemon essential oil

Mix ingredients in a spray bottle. Shake well before using. Have you ever tried washing glass surfaces with old newspapers? I don't know why it works, but it helps with the streak-free.

Dish Soap

If you make cold-process soap, you can easily make a dish soap from coconut oil with a titch of castor oil for smaller, foamier bubbles. Use the lowest superfat you feel comfortable with, and for ease of use, mold soap into ceramic mini-loaf pans or flower pots and put one by your sink. Oh, scent with lavender and tea tree essential oils or citrus and herb essential oils. Decorative and functional, and a wonderful hostess gift, too.

I'm going to show you how to put together a very simple blogging empire for under $10. In today's market of web services, there's often little reason to actually pay for anything, especially if you want to try something out. So if you've ever hankered for a blog of your own, especially one where you can make money, stay tuned. Here are X steps to rolling your own blog (and possibly making a little money at it).

Step One: register a bona-fide domain name

I know it hurts to fork over cash, let alone on something so spurious as a name. And it certainly isn't fair that Yarn.com or Knitting.com or even Superknitting.com are all taken (as of this writing, martianknitting.com IS available). With domains going for peanuts, it isn't surprising that most of the good names are gone. So think about what brand you're trying to create, and come up with something catchy but usable. This, admittedly, is the hardest part of almost any creative endeavor. But there are tools to help!

To quickly find site names that are available, I use instantdomainsearch.com because it checks as you type. Plus, it refers you to several reputable domain sellers once you choose a name. While it won't help you come up with a name, it'll save you grief as you discover all the good names are taken.

If you need help in the creativity department, let's just say there's another blog post on that topic alone, but About.com has a serviceable piece on creating a name for your business. I find Oblique Strategies and the Creative Whack Pack good tools for brainstorming, but there are actually dozens of strategies for creative thought out there.

The point of having a genuine domain, instead of something like jimboknits.blogspot.com is that no one will remember your rather long website name! Buying a domain name simply puts your foot into cyberspace with a proper landing spot. Read on for where you get the blogging done, how you add video and pictures, and how to monetize your blog.

Who knew not sewing could be so fun? I'm heading to SXSW (the interactive festival, not the film or music parts) and needed a secondary bag for notebooks and pens. My carry-on laptop bag is too bulky for just bumming around Austin, and I don't have the budget for a newer, sleeker bag. But I did buy some new jeans, which meant the ones with holes had to go. And since I have a hard time throwing things away, I made a nifty messenger bag out of those jeans, some duct tape and a handy shoulder strap from an Eagle Creek carry-on bag.

The bag itself will hold together without tape (see the gallery). So this would work in an emergency. While the shoulder strap is a bit of a cheat, I'm sure any strap would work, including one made of rope. The key is to make sure the legs wrap over the back and then close up in front so their weight provides enough strength to hold whatever is in your bag. Just to be safe, I decided to tape mine up. This makes it sturdier, more comfortable and stylish.

Read on for the how-to (it really is easy) and check out the gallery for close-ups of each step.

The circle of life is evident when a young couple moves in to a home previously occupied by an older couple. Then it is literally out with the old (crocheted owl wall hangings and ornate door knockers) and in with the new (glossy black and white photos and doorbells). In our case, our main bathroom had tiles with yellow flowers on them. One big long line of tiles that wouldn't fit our beach theme-- so we painted them.

There are two things to learn from our experience. First, get yourself some good enamel paint, but don't expect to coat all your tiles this way (at that point it is easier to just rip them up and start over). Second, the easiest path is take one design element (our flowers) and turn it into something else (our fish). As you can see in the gallery, once we painted the flowers purple and added an eye we "remodeled" with a simple bottle of paint.

Last week I ran down the list of various iPod+Nike Sport Kit hacks or mods that'll put your transmitter pod onto your shoe. As I said in that post, I don't care to carve up my shoes, so I decided a pocket was the only "safe" choice. The construction couldn't be simpler.

What you'll need:

• Roll of duct tape (the shiny vinyl stuff)
• Rubber bands (I get the variety pack at office stores)
• A little patch of Velco hook/loop tape (used to close the flap)
• Some sort of pocket (I used a disposable foil pocket from a lens cleaner)

You can craft a pocket from plastic, paper or whatever, but I find the little foil packs used to contain wet wipes or lens cleaners work quite well-- if they hold the Nike doohickey well enough. You take the packet and cut it cleanly across the top, leaving enough room in this "pocket" to hold the transmitter.

Next, use a little tape to "coat" the pocket. I made one long strip go from front, back, up and over itself just enough to make a flap that closes the pocket. But don't put the Velcro on yet! Now you have to take two more strips of tape to make the lower loop, which is critical for keeping the thing on your foot.