READER INPUT
Robomowers, web telegraphy, idea sharing, and MAKE saves the day.
Your “Lawnbot” cover article by J.D. Warren (Volume 22) got me so fired up that I just had to build one of my own! I took some different paths, using an off-the-shelf motor controller and a battery-powered mower that I can switch on and off remotely, through an Arduino-compatible board.
Not only does my “Robomower” keep my lawn looking the best it ever has, but it stops traffic! The best part: one out of every three or four passersby asks, “Do you ever read MAKE magazine?”
This has been one of my most fun and rewarding summer projects ever (see my build log and video at makezine.com/go/robomower). From my comfy lawn chair, my glass is raised high to you and J.D.!
—Michael Zenner, Portland, Ore.
It’s great that Saul Griffith’s mailbox is overflowing with ideas from generous makers (Volume 23, “Smiley Face Technologies”) but wouldn’t it be even better to share these ideas online with the rest of us? I’ll even make the website! That would be the ultimate Smiley Face Technology.
—Joey Mornin, Berkman Center for
Internet & Society at Harvard, Cambridge, Mass.
I thoroughly enjoyed Volume 23, except for one little point in “Remaking History.” Telegraph sounders are intentionally constructed to give a different sound on closing and on opening; the relative time between “tik” and “tok” signifies the complete dot or dash. This one’s a nice relay but not a true sounder.
That said, Bill Gurstelle’s a good technical writer and MAKE is a good book. I not only derive the pleasure of learning from it (I’ve been back to Volume 23’s “Primer: Programmable Logic Controllers” about five times) but as a journalism professor who teaches freelance writing, I use MAKE as an example.
By the way, a great number of us connect on the web with our antique telegraph equipment — I often have MorseKOB software (morsekob.org) running in the background, with a vintage U.S. Army Signal Corps “bug” key and an old Menominee sounder hooked up to my computer.
—Charles A. Hays, Ph.D.
aka WB7PJR/VE7 aka “CH” on the wire
Thompson Rivers University, Kamloops, B.C.
Thank you for instantly confirming the usefulness of my new subscription. The “iPhone Screen Repair” how-to (Volume 22) was spot-on and saved me hours of waiting in line for an iPhone 4!
—Adam Velez, San Juan Capistrano, Calif.
I’m a charter subscriber, and unfortunately, a flooded basement recently destroyed my Volumes 01 to 05. When I visited the MAKE Digital Edition, I was so pleased to see they were now available as downloadable PDFs — it came close to a teary-eyed moment. Now I can read them (again), and being able to print out those project pages is wonderful!
—Clark Kielian, North Brunswick, N.J.
