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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