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From:O'Reilly Media
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User Rating: Amazon Sales Rank:#159 |
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10 of 12 customers found the following review helpful:
 For Anyone Who Thinks Outside the Box, 2005-11-20
'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.
10 of 14 customers found the following review helpful:
I'll give them credit..., 2005-09-13
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!
13 of 17 customers found the following review helpful:
Restoring Dignity and Nobility to the term , 2005-03-14
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.
(...)
46 of 51 customers found the following review helpful:
a geeky blend of all my favorite mags, 2005-03-09
I just received the premiere issue of Make Magazine from O'Reilly yesterday. Let me just say this mag is a geek's dream come true. It's not a magazine about coding. Heck, I'm not sure if calling it a magazine is even accurate. It's more of a journal or zine (but with higher production values). A geek quarterly, if you will.
For example... the premiere issue features an article on aerial photography. Not geeky enough for you? Ok, how about aerial photography accomplished by rigging up a camera to a kite? Still not geeky enough? Throw in a homemade mechanism for triggering the shutter from the ground. The best part is, this isn't just an article full of theory. These guys DO this stuff. The article is full of pictures, plans and step by step instructions on how to make it happen.
That's not all... other How-To articles include: making a 5-in-1 network cable, making a magnetic stripe reader, XM Radio hacks, tips and tricks for your IPOD, gmail hacks, IPAQ hacks and a lot more. This puppy is just under 200 pages of D-I-Y technology.
Still not geeky enough? How about an article on how to make your own railgun, using magnets, a ruler and some steel bearings? There's also an article about hacking robotic dogs to sniff out toxic waste. This is geek goodness in all it's glory.
If you like reading 2600 (the hacker quarterly), Maximum PC and Scientific American, roll them all into one and you have Make (but without the attitude of Maximum PC and the leetspeak of 2600). I'm gonna subscribe!
104 of 108 customers found the following review helpful:
A geeky winner!, 2005-03-01
Make: Technology on Your Own Time is not a book... exactly. It's a mook, which is a hybrid of a magazine and a book. It's a magazine, but not a typical one. In my initial perusal, I think I wasn't high on it because I'm not into home projects because I don't have time.
I read it closely. Shortly, I became engaged and enjoyed reading the articles. Though I don't plan to make anything (like I'm going to put a monorail in my backyard-yes, this is a real project), the stories and the writing drew me in.
I like geeky things, but I'm not a geek in terms of building computers from scratch and hacking gadgets. These are the kinds of projects covered in the mook. The premiere issue includes the following projects: magnetic stripe card reader, camera on a kite, $14 video camera stabilizer or buy one, and a 5-in-1 network cable.
The quarterly mook has a Web site with things not covered in the print edition as well as a blog. Its design is clever with color codes on the cover and side for the major projects. The initial issue has 192 pages of quality paper and color printing to justify $8.74 an issue.
The mook has a homemade yet professional feel and has "home improvement" style fonts to add to its DIY (do-it-yourself) theme. The photos give the impression they're taken by average people and not photographers. They're good quality and complement the articles.
People who don't have time to build and like technology will find it an engrossing read thanks to the personable writing and instructions that don't make eyes glaze. Few new magazines make it past the first year or so. Make should thrive for years to come.
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