The World of the "Do It Yourself or DIYer" meets the World of the Internet

Ok, at last one for the true DIYer. If you are one of those mad cap inventors who like to tweak, hack, and bend just about any technology to your own will here are some must visit sites to see.

I must admit to being one of those desperates who can find any reason for doing it myself, even if it takes a year longer and only costs 10 times more than buying the original item of the shelf.

So, if you need to know how to bend aluminium tube, whip up a batch of pesto or make a wheel chair for your dog - try here. There's more than enough ideas to keep you dreaming up cheap mad scientist projects for a long time.

Be warned however instructables.com is a huge time sink, even for the amateur "Inspector Gadgets" or tinkerers amongst us.

So how does this thing actually work? What do you need to do? Well the first step is to logon to the sites front page. It may take you a few minutes to get used to their unique screen design. First up, you will notice a group of featured projects which will change on a regular basis or rotate as you watch them. I found by reloading the page a couple of times a variety of little gems including a "pipe bed" made from everyday fittings,"throwies" LCD lights, and a bird feeder with a built-in Webcam.

Most projects usually start off with an introductory photo in the middle of the page along with some text and comments. Then you just follow the steps to create your own master piece by simply clicking on the "step" button below each instruction photo or, if you are less patient, you can click on a series of photo thumbnails at the top left of the page.

There is also a link to explore lots of other projects with a search box included at the bottom of the page. When searching for excess cables I found "CableBone" which is a wonderfully simple device for storing excess cable from your video, speakers, radio, TV whatever - that you can make for a couple of cents at the most.

How many projects are available on these sites. Are there lots of different things to do - sort of something for everyone? The projects themselves vary a lot. The Explore function lists hundreds of projects on the site. It also allows you to view the most recent projects or, if you wish, explore all the available tags.

Some of the recent projects I saw included how to build: a trailer for your bike, Paris Hilton board game, how to splice a loop into a rope, make pinball coffee table, magnetic fridge lights, CD resurfacer and a marshmallow gun.

I found myself roaming around this site for hours. That said, it seems the quality of the instructions can vary a bit. However most of the ones I reviewed were really good. The user comments do a lot for this site - they are fantastic. Users can make suggestions, ask questions, add comments - they really do add a lot of value to the projects.

Any other little gems out there for the Do It Yourself junkies? Yep, sure is, try - MAKE - it is a new hybrid magazine/book ("mook") published quarterly. MAKE brings the do-it-yourself mindset to just about all the technology in your life - maybe you'd like to do a little Kite Aerial Photography or read the hidden information stored on the magnetic stripes of your credit cards.

This is a magazine for the hard core DIYer, from the proverbial "spud gun" to "Laptop Coolers" it gives you're the right to tweak, hack, and bend until your heart's content.

While MAKE is loaded with projects that help you make the most of the technology around you - it is not free there is a charge.

Arthur Hissey
Computer Research & Technology
www.crt.net.au