WELCOME
 Well friends, it's that time of year again, "the most wonderful time of the year," if we're to believe the lyrics of the song. And it can be, it should be. Think about it. We get time off from work, we get to be with family and friends, we get to play in the snow (if we live in or travel to such climes), and we get to feast, make merry, and exchange gifts, tokens of our love and appreciation for each other.
So, what's not to like? How about the endless shopping, the feeling of obligation to have presents for everyone, and to go to parties you'd rather skip, the pressure to be jolly when you may not feel that way. A lot of it comes down to those two words: obligation and pressure. This year, why not try something different? Skip a lot of the physical shopping. Buy online. Take the time to make some (or all) of the gifts yourself. Make something small, but meaningful, that you can make in multiples (handmade cards, ornaments, some electronic doodads) to give to many of the recipients on your list and spend more time and/or money on the people you're truly
inspired to give to or make for. 
If you give people gifts that you've made yourself, or gifts that are things they can make, even if they're modest items, your recipients will find much more meaning in them. If you give something you've made, you're not just giving an object, you're giving a part of yourself, you're giving your time and attention. And there's nothing that will put you deeper into the true holiday spirit than making things for people. I mean, we've adopted Halloween as the maker's holiday, but Christmas is a holiday that actually features a workshop and legions of cherry-faced, joyful makers in its mythology! So get in on the elvish good times and MAKE STUFF!
In this, our holiday edition of the newsletter, we have links to our MAKE and CRAFT gift guides, filled with ideas for gifts you can make or give to makers and crafters, great Maker Shed deals and magazine subscription offers, and some other holiday goodies. If you do decide to make gifts this year, we'd love to know what you made and how it went. Email me links to your Flickr images and tell us how your recipients responded.
back to top Cool Kits in the Maker Shed
The Maker Shed has all sorts of great kits and building sets for kids of all ages. OLLO kits use a unique building system of plates and rivets to make a variety of different robots, creatures, and structures. Many of these models are even motorized! Makes a great gift for any industrious builder, modeler, or casual prototyper. Check out all of the Shed kits here.
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The Maker's Dictionary explores the world of DIY through its technical terms, jargon, and slang. We cover emerging terms you might hear floating around (but don't really know the meaning of), the tried and true argot of various technical disciplines (that all makers can benefit from knowing), and fun slang that helps paint a picture of DIY subcultures. If you have any terms or slang you want to share, send them to gareth@makezine.com. --Gareth
Obtainium -- An essential class of matter characterized by its means of acquisition (usually free and frequently, with somewhat shady implications). May include materials found through dumpster diving, "liberation," found objects, donations, or, rarely, repurposed existing items. [Definition sent to us by Steve Roberts, the "high-tech nomad."]
Santa Claus Machine -- Term given to early custom 3D printing operations, such as Ponoko. Such a machine allows you to create nearly anything you can think of. The next issue of MAKE, Volume 21, is dedicated to 3D printing and desktop manufacturing, i.e. Santa Claus machines. We also did a holiday gift guide around the concept.
Sprue -- In the casting process, the channel through which the casting material flows. Although modelers refer to all of the resulting plastic frame as "sprue," in injection molding, there are actually three terms used: the gate, the point(s) at which the molten plastic enters the mold; the runners, the outside areas of the frame; and the sprue, the smaller channels that feed material to the actual molded parts. But most people use the term to refer to all the plastic frame material that is cut away to free the molded parts.
Spudger -- A general-purpose wiring/electronics tool, basically a nylon or wooden stick, frequently with a hook on one end, used for grabbing wires, prying parts or plastic cases open, setting DIP switches, and other common electronics and telecom functions.
[Erratum: In the last Maker's Dictionary column, I included the term "pulse-width modulation (PWM)." The definition implied that PWM was only used to control the speed of motors. Lenore Edman, of EMS Labs, pointed out that it can be used in any application where partial power is needed, such as for dimming LEDs. I knew that! I have even used it in this way! Thanks for the catch, Lenore.]
back to top You WANT This!
We haven't actually yet tried The Piranha
, the flat, stainless steel multi-tool, but we love the concept! It's cut from a single piece of heat-treated, corrosion-resistant S30V Stainless Steel with a built-in neoprene double-ended driver bit holder. The bit slots into that six-sided hole in the upper right, perpendicular to the main tool body. Besides the flat head and Phillips drivers, tools on The Piranha include open and box wrenches (9/16, 1/2, 7/16, 3/8, 5/16, 1/4), a bottle opener, nail puller, scraper, and pry ends. At $49, it's a tidge pricey, but it's from a small Seattle-area start-up, so you're supporting small business. It's only available for pre-orders currently (shipping later this month), but all U.S./Canada pre-orders get free shipping.
back to top A Project in Seconds
Sydney, at Alpha One Labs, made this jerry-rigged third hand for soldering by using a C-clamp for the sturdy base, coat hanger wire for the arms, and alligator clips for the "hands." Doesn't get any easier than this.
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