Maker News

Make: comes to Substack

When Make: magazine came out in 2005, I used the word “Maker” to describe our readers and it caught on. However, we didn’t create makers; we discovered them — or re-discovered them — because there have always been makers, if not known by any particular name.  Creating a quarterly print magazine (in digest size) was the starting point for Make:, a tangible and collectible thing that contains dozens of how-to projects, technology reviews and tutorials, and more. It’s always been by and...

March 6, 2026Uncategorized, 0 Comments
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Serious Play @ The Eames Ranch

Since you’re here, you know that makers don’t just consume—they create. They admire and tinker. For most makers, problems are like pancakes: Pull them apart, flip them over, and see what else they might become. An essential part of a delicious and nutritious breakfast is to PLAY with your “food.” Ferris Plock That flavor burst from Crafting Curiosity: Advancing a Legacy of Agriculture and Making at the Eames Ranch, which opened on January 22 at the Petaluma...

March 4, 2026Uncategorized0 Comments
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Cool Crowdfunding: Printer Safety, Letterpress Restoration, Retro Computing, and More

Ideally making is about giving your unique ideas form and bringing them to life in the physical world. But sometimes it ends up being about collecting more new tools instead.1 We receive so many pitches for crowdfunding projects. Since crowdfunding is a bit of a gamble, it is always hard to determine just how to write about these projects, considering that many of them may not ever deliver. Cool Crowdfunding is our way of sharing some of the...

February 27, 2026Uncategorized, , 0 Comments
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How One Illinois District Keeps Its School Maker Faire Alive

What does a decade of dedicated makerspace programming in a public school district look like? Recently, we talked with Dain Elman, the Instructional Coach for STEM, makerspace teacher, and School Maker Faire coordinator at Gurnee District 56 Schools, about an hour north of Chicago near(ish) the Western shore of Lake Michigan. Gurnee District 56 is as unique as anywhere, but has many qualities that make it emblematic of other suburban school districts across the country. Its roughly 1800 students attend...

February 11, 2026Uncategorized, 0 Comments
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It’s Always the “Season of Making” in Hammond

School City of Hammond, a school district just south of Chicago on the Illinois border, launched its first Maker-Faire to come together and celebrate the skills of students and staff. The theme was to celebrate a season of making to welcome in the holiday and winter season and provide an opportunity for the community to purchase holiday themed student-made crafts. The event provided a unique platform for students to test their entrepreneurial spirits, allowing them to market their creations, manage...

February 10, 2026Uncategorized, , , 0 Comments
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Make: Live – Inspiring Young Makers with Steph Piper

Thursday, February 12, 2026 @ 4 PM Pacific Time

Join Dale Dougherty and Steph Piper, author of the new Skill Seeker: Young Maker Edition activity and guide book, to explore how “skill trees” transform learning into a game that motivates young makers along their STEAM path. Inspire discovery in budding makers!  “Skill trees” provide essential structure and guidance for ages 8–12, key developmental years in a young maker’s life. Creative technologist Steph Piper joins Dale Dougherty to explore her...

February 9, 2026Uncategorized0 Comments
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Book Review: Make it Yourself, by NODE

Every once in a while someone comes along and creates something that should have already existed, but no one else realized it. Hacker/curator Node put together this incredible PDF encyclopedia of 1,000+ maker projects in late 2024. Each piece is rendered in beautifully minimalist linework, equalizing the presentation of builds from hundreds of creators. Although an all-encompassing tome would be impossible, the range is exceptional, covering everything from electronics to furniture to fashion. Though it’d be at home on...

February 4, 2026Uncategorized, , , 0 Comments
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Open Source Hardware Certifications for January 2026

The Open Source Hardware Association (OSHWA) runs a free program that allows creators to certify that their hardware complies with the community definition of open source hardware. Whenever you see the certification logo, you know that the certified hardware meets this standard. Currently the Certification database lists 3237 individual certifications! In December we added 38 new certifications, from haptic feedback systems to frog weather sensors and everything in between. We were happy to have new and...

February 3, 2026Uncategorized, , , , , 0 Comments
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CES 2026: Maker Highlights from the Biggest Tech Show on Earth

CES has always carried the maker spirit, but this year it felt more baked than ever. We didn’t see rows of 3D printers running as in the recent past. Instead, we saw their output (printed parts, custom enclosures, snapped-together modules) embedded in products. Same with Raspberry Pis and dev boards. They’re not being demoed. They’re doing the work. Looking back in the eighteen years I’ve attended the show, CES didn’t turn into a maker show so much as it absorbed...

January 13, 2026Uncategorized, , , , 0 Comments
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Open Source Hardware Certifications for December 2025

The Open Source Hardware Association (OSHWA) runs a free program that allows creators to certify that their hardware complies with the community definition of open source hardware.  Whenever you see the certification logo, you know that the certified hardware meets this standard.

OpenCPC

IUD US002791 Photo by OpenAeros Continuing the trend around Healthware projects joining the certification database in various forms, the OpenCPC is a scientific instrument for measuring air...

January 5, 2026Uncategorized, , , , , 0 Comments
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