HackSpace #46

Science is the pursuit of knowledge, and there are lots of different bits of knowledge that a scientist can pursue. Some scientists sit in laboratories and run experiments. In these lab-based experiments, they can control the variables and really dive into the mechanisms of how different things work. While this is valuable knowledge, it’s also missing a bit of the messiness of the real world. Lab-based experiments don’t always sync with what happens in the wider environment. The problem with running experiments in the real world is that it’s big and diverse. Getting meaningful results means getting lots of data. That’s where we, as makers, can come in. We can take measurements, set up apparatus, and generally check on the little bit of the world that we’re in. Fortunately, there…

hsmag.cc/ConcreteKB Twisting our wrists into awkward shapes to access key combinations is torture on the carpal bones. So why not use a macro keyboard for your most commonly used commands? We’ve looked at a few in these pages, but this is the first one we’ve seen to feature concrete, which we can only imagine gives the build a weighty, solid feel. Couple that with clicky mechanical key switches and you’ve got a device that should last forever.…

hsmag.cc/Dreamer This is a doodle on a PCB, by serial creator of beautiful things, Saar Drimer. Unlike most of his other creations, this doesn’t do anything – it just looks nice. Saar’s process begins with pen and ink doodles, which he scans, modifies, and imports into PCB software.…

hsmag.cc/PomTimer Millions of time-poor, attention-poor individuals can attest to the Pomodoro time management technique. You set a timer, say for 25 minutes, and work your socks off on one task at a time. Then for five minutes, you do something else – put the kettle on, play with the dog, anything that isn’t work. When that time’s up, it’s time to get down to another 25 minutes of uninterrupted concentration. It’s a technique that works, especially for home workers who have difficulty setting boundaries, or who are assailed by Skype, email, Slack, IRC, Twitter, Facebook, and all the other annoying means of communication that flesh is heir to. This build is a fresh implementation of a Pomodoro timer, using an Arduino Nano 33 IoT, a dual seven-segment display, and two…

In the UK, we can take water samples in nature pretty safely. But in Australia, where everything wants to kill you, there could be a crocodile hiding in every puddle. That’s why, if you want to monitor water quality down under, you need a remote-control boat. This one, built by Electrosync, features built-in water sampling and can carry up to 5 kg of water or other sensing equipment.…

These spoons, carved by materials scientist Anna Ploszajski, are composed of a polymer of lignin, cellulose, and hemicellulose, a substance with flexibility and high tensile strength. It’s a good thermal insulator, carbon-neutral, and infinitely renewable. We jest, of course, but tech doesn’t always have to be hightech. There’s a load of good science involved in why we choose to make things the way we do. Take a look at page 52 for a deeper dive into this. Or, for a more practical investigation, why not carve your own spoon?…