The Best of MAKE

Edited by Mark Frauenfelder
First Edition  October 2007 
Pages: 384
ISBN 10: 0-596-51428-X | ISBN 13: 9780596514280
(Average of 4 Customer Reviews)

Book description

After two years, MAKE has become one of most celebrated new magazines to hit the newsstands, and certainly one of the hottest reads. If you're just catching on to the MAKE phenomenon and wonder what you've missed, this book contains the best DIY projects from the magazine's first ten volumes -- a surefire collection of fun and challenging activities going back to MAKE's launch in early 2005.
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Featured customer reviews

75 great projects!,  February 06 2008
Submitted by Anonymous Reader   [Respond | View]

The Best of MAKE: Technology on Your Time is a must have for any weekend DIY-project enthusiast. I've only had the book for three hours, but I already have at least two projects in plans for the upcoming two weeks. Make (www.makezine.com ) is the first magazine devoted entirely to DIY technology projects. It unites, inspires and informs a growing community of resourceful people who undertake amazing projects in their backyards, basements, and garages. So, if you missed it at the newsstand, here's your chance to look at the best 75 projects discussed in the magazine in the past 2 years.
There are 9 chapters in the book, covering electronics, microcontrollers, toys and games, robots, music, flight projects, photography and video, and engines. Don't get alarmed, the majority of projects are not as complex as you think, and the instructions are very clear. The projects are also very well illustrated, and you'll find them easy to follow. The book will guide you from start to finish, and in case if you're lost, each project has a list of reference URLs for more information, instructions, supplies sources, etc.
Personally, I will be working on the Rocket-Launched Camcorder project. Here is the link, if you have doubts about the book: http://cachefly.oreilly.com/make/07/test-helmet2-header.mp4
Kudos to O'Reilly for another great product!


Tinkerers Rejoice,  February 01 2008
Submitted by R. B. Von Haden   [Respond | View]

A friend told me about Make a few years ago and this book really delivers on what he described. Fun projects across the spectrum from home made robotics to a cat feeder constructed from a VCR (assuming you can set the clock).


The step by step instructions are great with pictures to highlight the important details.


And even better, these are not just instructions that tell you how to build the project, but what the design issues are so that you understand why it works that can help you build other similar projects.


If you like to tinker and want to know what to do with that old VCR you have sitting in the basement, then you will definitely get a kick out of this book.


MacGyverific!,  January 08 2008
Submitted by James Botaitis   [Respond | View]

The Best of Make is a worthwhile introduction to the DIY world as presented in the pages of MAKE Magazine. It is perfect for someone who likes to build things and experiment and is also ideal if any of the projects covered in detail specifically appeal to you. For an accomplished tinkerer, this book would make great leisure reading and perhaps inspire a few new projects. Several projects in the book also provide some excellent parent & child guidance for an afternoon or three of bonding while building. Try to avoid bonding to each other with the Krazy glue however.

This compendium touches on a variety of projects to appeal to a wide audience. There are simple projects using basic supplies from any dollar store or recycle bin, to advanced projects that require some skill with tools, and perhaps a spare robot.

If MacGyver published a how-to guide, MAKE Magazine would be it. If you have an ounce of curiosity you can’t help but love the whole DIY movement of the 21st century. It is just fabulous that you can find illustrated and high quality instructions to build and do almost anything you want. At the same time some ingenious people have come up with some mighty unique ideas as well. Who knew you could make an automated cat feeder form an old VCR!? The Best of Make contains an assortment of 75 projects and of those provided in detail, the instructions are clear and straightforward. As with most MAKE projects the parts and tools list to get your rolling is A1. Subsequent pictures and written instructions are to the point and largely non-technical.

I made the Jam Jar Jet myself over the holidays. I saw it recently demonstrated on some show on the Discovery Channel and thought it would be a small challenge. The instructions were perfect and it all went as planned. After a minor delay in acquiring the actual fuel I was able to enjoy the low rumble and blue flame of my own miniature after-burner in a jar. (note: It can take multiple attempts to get it to ignite the first time but once I had success, repeats were a breeze.) Fire it up in a darkened room for the best view!

The publisher states that 'this book contains the best DIY projects from the magazine's first ten volumes' and as I said earlier it is indeed a wide assortment. In practical terms for readers hoping to get total guidance on 75 actual projects, it does cast its net too far. Having a project (The Blimp) that requires 2 balloons, some tape and a couple straws in the same book as one that requires you to hack a $200 Roomba robot might be pushing the boundaries a bit. Especially since the Roomba Hacks page is not much more than a list of URL's, an almost total cop-out in terms of useful content.

However, this type of disappointment on the project detail is an exception. Only a handful of the 75 projects in the book are little more than teasers. Indeed many of the pages aren’t there to guide you on a specific project but to whet the appetite. The primer on microcontroller programming accomplishes quite a lot in only 7 pages.

MAKE is from O'Reilly Media, a trustworthy stalwart of useful geek publishing. Despite the shortcomings of a few of the listed projects The Best of MAKE is an overall winner.

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Media reviews

"The great thing about the book is that even if you aren't going to do one project in it, it still makes for great reading and viewing, since nuggets of knowledge are included just about everywhere. Now I know the technical deal with LEDs, for instance, what they are exactly and what they're capable of...This is an unexpectedly transformative book — and the only one I can name that offers practical advice on how to create a board game."
-- John E. Mitchell, North Adams Transcript

"If you're at all into off-beat hacks, strange contraptions, and unusual conversation pieces, you'll find plenty to consider in The Best of MAKE. If you're already adept with electronics and soldering irons, there's not much in there that you won't be able to do. And if this is your first foray into that world, you can afford to make plenty of mistakes, as most of the projects use cast-off items you can find in your local junk yard or thrift shop. Either way, you'll have fun and learn a few things in the process. "
-- Thomas Duff, Duffbert's Random Musings

"Hobbyists and gadgeteers will marvel at this compendium of 75 of the most incredible do-it-yourself projects taken from the pages of MAKE magazine. The full-color book is chock full of clear photos and illustrations keyed to concise step-by-step instructions."
-- Michael Kleper, The Kleper Report

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"This is an unexpectedly transformative book — and the only one I can name that offers practical advice on how to create a board game."
--John E. Mitchell, North Adams Transcript