I want to make lots of neat little gifts to give friends for Christmas. I'd like these gifts to be useable, elegant, consumable, and grown-up (not decorative, artsy-fartsy crafty crap). My recipients are Pragmatic New Englanders, and would be irked receiving potpourri, eye pillows, embroidered towels, door-hangings, pine-cone-bird feeders, or anything of that ilk. Hence: consumables. In the past I've had past successes making figgy pudding with brandy butter and a collection of homemade ketchups, relishes, mustards, and chutneys, but this year I want to move out of the kitchen. Blow me away with millions of amazing little home-made gift suggestions. [more inside]
posted by mr. remy on Nov 6, 2009 - 29 answers

My doctor recently prescribed some Librium for awful stomach cramps. It seems that it is making all my food and drink now taste just terrible, like it's all got nutrasweet in it. I know the simple answer here is "just stop taking it", but that's really not an option. The Google is useless on this, and I really miss drinking water that tastes like water, and not water with some awful chemical in it. I guess, long question short: Is this the medication causing this or do I have a brain tumor?
posted by reverendjim on Aug 5, 2009 - 5 answers

Where, oh where, can I make money online? I have a great computer expertise! [more inside]
posted by ptsampras14 on Jul 10, 2009 - 17 answers

Real life hobby for someone who enjoys building structures in computer games? [more inside]
posted by wastelands on Jul 8, 2009 - 11 answers

How do you make friends in a small town? [more inside]
posted by WowLookStars on Jun 2, 2009 - 21 answers

How can i get rid of my white panda eyes after a skiing holiday? [more inside]
posted by freddymetz on Apr 9, 2009 - 9 answers

What sorts of vibrating reminder devices are out there? [more inside]
posted by jinatrix on Apr 1, 2009 - 3 answers

I'm a 35 yr old single male with no ties to anyone, totally alone and miserable. I need friends but I'm too untalkative and I can't change.. [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Mar 25, 2009 - 31 answers

Six reasonably talented and experienced makers-of-things, lots of tools, a few hundred dollars in supplies, lots of space, and four days. What can we build? [more inside]
posted by Ookseer on Feb 4, 2009 - 18 answers

I've made a new fabric product that I hope would sell 5000+ units. For viable efficiency I need to buy manufacturing of the product or its parts. I don't want to reveal my product idea, but let's use a SLR camera bag made in sturdy fabric as an example. My product has similar materials, size and complexity. How do I go from there? [more inside]
posted by nolnar on Jan 23, 2009 - 6 answers

What can I do with two pounds of Xanthan Gum? [more inside]
posted by woebot on Nov 6, 2008 - 7 answers

How should I prepare to eventually build a computer from parts? [more inside]
posted by crayolarabbit on Oct 29, 2008 - 24 answers

I have found someone who can build me a mobile phone out of a rotary dial telephone. But Sparkfun doesn't really have a one-stop shopping list. Help me decipher exactly what parts from this article i will need and also please recommend a good antenna I can use that will give me the best reception but also be cell-phone-tiny. [more inside]
posted by parmanparman on Sep 24, 2008 - 2 answers

Where can I find a water gun in the Boston area today? (Or, how can I make my own?) [more inside]
posted by inatizzy on Aug 15, 2008 - 9 answers

Where around socal can I meet other aspiring electronic do-it-yourselfers? [backyard imagineering] [more inside]
posted by tarthur on Jul 19, 2008 - 6 answers

Would you go crazy if you were living in the boonies and every couple of minutes some dude comes careening around your corner on an ATV or motorcycle revving up slowly and maliciously? [more inside]
posted by watercarrier on Jul 1, 2008 - 29 answers

An old rusty bike: Opportunity for cheap travel, or just junk? [more inside]
posted by Willie0248 on Jun 30, 2008 - 20 answers

Help me build a simple intervalometer! [more inside]
posted by lord_yo on May 27, 2008 - 5 answers

I am trying to decide which to (learn) to use, The Arduino or The Make Controller Kit. Which should I choose as a first buy / entry level controller? [more inside]
posted by dylanSnow on May 18, 2008 - 8 answers

Why did drinking tea + coffee make me feel very drained today? [more inside]
posted by gregb1007 on Mar 26, 2008 - 5 answers

What can I make with 2 7'x5' sheets of rubber? [more inside]
posted by crazy finger on Mar 4, 2008 - 11 answers

I'm using the 'make' utility on a Linux system. Is there a way in a Makefile to set all the intermediate files as PRECIOUS without having to list them individually?
posted by bluefly on Nov 2, 2007 - 1 answer

DIY blogs that don't require you to be a goddamn logic board-soldering wizard? [more inside]
posted by middleclasstool on Oct 16, 2007 - 7 answers

25 and No Friends, Cliques Everywhere. What Am I Supposed to Do? [more inside]
posted by MeysterR on Sep 27, 2007 - 34 answers

Dear GOD what is making that racket in the tree outside my house? [more inside]
posted by geodave on Sep 4, 2007 - 10 answers

Configured Readline with the prefix 'ur/local' on OSX. Then installed Ruby in /usr/local, but with Readline. Would like to put everything in the proper place without damaging anything, so what do I do now? [more inside]
posted by djgh on Jul 23, 2007 - 5 answers

toronto make up school? [more inside]
posted by butterball on May 18, 2007 - 3 answers

I've invented a complete imaginary world. Am I insane? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Mar 30, 2007 - 83 answers

Yet another ‘how to make friends’ post [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Dec 10, 2006 - 4 answers

What can I do with 10 pounds of white flour? Besides making a boatload of cookies, of course. As usual, there's [more inside]
posted by zippity on Dec 2, 2006 - 19 answers

Are there truly no free plans for a DIY portable disc golf basket on the Internet? How do the fold-up portables hold up over time if you actually fold them up and transport them? [more inside]
posted by dontrockwobble on Sep 16, 2006 - 2 answers

Cycle Computer to Computer conversion. I would like to run the wire from the magnetic sensor to my laptop and then handle the data programmatically. What is the best and cheapest way to do this so I can read from the port using established methods? Parallel port, USB? Cannibalize a cycle computer or build from scratch?
posted by srboisvert on Aug 23, 2006 - 16 answers

I just got a new MacBook Pro 15.4 (1.83 GHz). Everything's great, except for a hissing from the right-hand internal speaker anytime a sound plays through it. When just idle, in Word for example, there is no noise. But anytime a sound-using program is booted, iTunes or GarageBand for example, there is a continual hissing and popping noise, similar to fuzz on a television screen, that is very loud. Anytime a system sounds plays, such as the Trash sound, hissing accompanies it. The only way to make the noise stop is to plug in headphones, or external computer speakers. This hissing only occurs through the internal speakers. Does anyone know how to stop this annoying sound?
posted by luckypozzo on Jul 13, 2006 - 9 answers

[DIY-filter] Need creative ways to protect an iPod in a far away land. [more inside]
posted by trinarian on Jul 10, 2006 - 8 answers

My mother received a cute flip-flop beadwork craft as a gift and will give me a whole dollar (ooh, ahh) if I found out how to make it or found instructions that make sense. [more inside]
posted by beammeup4 on Jun 11, 2006 - 3 answers

What technology practices in your workplace really seemed to make a difference? [more inside]
posted by keep it tight on Jan 10, 2006 - 12 answers

I've been inspired by Make Magazine and Readymade magazine, unfortunately, I don't have all the how-to knowledge I'd like... [more inside]
posted by drezdn on Dec 7, 2005 - 11 answers

How do I make a fake bone? I want it to protrude from my pants leg for a costume and am trying to figure out what materials to use to quickly and easily make one. Advice?
posted by smartypanties on Oct 28, 2005 - 16 answers

Besides stripping, or selling everything one owns, what's a good way to make a lot of money quickly- without any capital? [more inside]
posted by drezdn on Dec 19, 2003 - 18 answers