Things you can do with empty Altoids tins. People are spending a lot of time coming up with uses for Altoids tins. You don't have to buy the mints. Pinhole camera. Photos taken with that camera. Key for practicing Morse Code. Another one. Religious shrines. Postage assistant. Miniature luggage and furniture. Quilted. Etched and plated. Ipod speakers. Ipod case. Previously mentioned on MeFi: Ipod battery pack; survival kit. Of course, you could stash your drugs in one - but maybe you shouldn't.
posted by Kirth Gerson on May 23, 2007 - 31 comments

It's spring; build a boat, therefore.
posted by OmieWise on Apr 2, 2007 - 25 comments

Instructables for showing what you make and how to make it. Not just any DIY site, the creator Saul Griffith has an impressive pedigree. The site comes with all the things you'd expect from a new collaborative widget including Creative Commons licensing options and of course tags. From the about page: "We like to think about the physical world as something that is programmable. We like to think of objects or stuff you make as 'code'. In other words, we are approaching the physical world as something that is describable and replicable." Dive in and learn how to make a pimped out megaphone helmet, Hungarian bookshelves or canned applesauce. (via)
posted by jessamyn on Nov 18, 2005 - 14 comments

Photographing flying insects. Most of the pages are devoted to a very detailed tutorial, but pages 2, 4, 9 & 10 show the results of the various setups. Some spectacular hi-speed (bee wings frozen in mid buzz) stuff in here.
posted by jonson on Aug 19, 2005 - 31 comments

I enjoy some basic origami birds that can flap their wings as much as the next guy, but check out this how-to origami gallery of insane projects. The Sea Urchin?! The Octopus?! The Rickshaw?! I have no idea how they did half of these. [via red ferret]
posted by mathowie on Nov 11, 2004 - 15 comments

How to build yourself a Glow Discharge Panel. No, really. Woah, that's freakin' cool. UFO stuff, I think to myself. Heh. Oh.. Oh holy crap!
posted by loquacious on Aug 30, 2004 - 4 comments

How to Build Your Own Scientific Laboratory For Free: Parts One, Two, and Three. (Though I suppose if you have a bit of cash and happen to live in Boston, you can always check out the MIT Swap Meet to pick up those endless piles of oscillators or half-functioning VAX computers you almost certainly need...)
posted by kaibutsu on Aug 23, 2004 - 2 comments

USB adaptors & a Spider Skimmer = Poor Man's Wifi!
posted by X-00 on May 16, 2004 - 7 comments

Self-built science toys. Too much fun with the world around you. I'm making the Binaca cannon first thing tomorrow.
posted by skyscraper on Jul 12, 2003 - 14 comments

One jar; check. One liter formaldehyde agent; check. Thing proxy; check. Bottle and enjoy.
posted by pedantic on Feb 28, 2003 - 29 comments

Still have a Viewmaster? Then get some of these. Or have some made just for you. Or make your own. No Viewmaster? Then look here for instructions to make 3D glasses and stay to look around. Like that extra dimensions? Go here.
posted by skyscraper on Oct 22, 2001 - 15 comments

Home brew MP3 player. All we need now is for someone to make a cdr version instead of smartmedia (AIWA has one for the car).
posted by jamescblack on May 17, 2000 - 8 comments