Book Review and Giveaway: Make Magazine: Issue 25

** this giveaway is closed **

 Here's a little something unique! A magazine for kids AND adults! I was thrilled to be able to review this issue of Make Magazine, as I know there are some 'nerds' in the families! And as I am not hardwired/scientific based, I asked hubby to do the review!

Synopsis: Give your gadgets a brain! Previously out of reach for the do-it-yourselfer, the tiny computers called microcontrollers are now so cheap and easy to use that anyone can make their stuff smart. With a microcontroller, your gadget can sense the environment, talk to the internet or other hardware, and make things happen in the real world by controlling motors, lights, or any electronic device.

Named for a bar in Italy, Arduino is a simple controller board originally developed for artists but embraced by engineers and do-it-yourselfers. We show you how to make one and how to use it to create amazing projects like:

• The Yobot—an automatic yogurt maker
• A vintage 1930s telephone wired for Skype
• A gumball machine that recognizes your secret knock
• A reverse geocache treasure box that opens at only one spot on Earth
• Video game controllers using accelerometers or other sensors
• A high-tech gourmet Sous Vide Immersion Cooker for just $75
• A solar-powered TV remote...and much more, including projects for kids

You'll also meet the real-life MacGyvers who engineer life-or-death solutions for U.S. soldiers, and revisit the mail-order surprises of Things of Science. 

Review:

This issue of the Make technology magazine has things in it that are very simple to do, like making a cage trap, all the way up to making a model helicopter rocket (!!) in a few hours, with $5 worth of materials! Plus many other projects that you can undertake easily at home. Projects go from simple to very complicated, but all have detailed instructions, and are illustrated,so it is easy to follow along and you are guaranteed to complete what you start on, always a plus! In this issue they cover micro controllers, Skype phone conversion, Drag-n-drop arduino programming, building your own yogurt maker (AHA, there IS a kitchen item, I knew it!) and working with numerous microprocessors. If you're a techy person, you can have a lot of fun with this magazine!

About Make Magazine: 
Published as a quarterly since February 2005, MAKE is a hybrid magazine/book (known as a mook in Japan). MAKE comes from O'Reilly, the Publisher of Record for geeks and tech enthusiasts everywhere. It follows in line with the Hacks books and Hardware Hacking Projects for Geeks, but it takes a highly visual and personal approach. 

Some projects are strictly for fun, others are very practical, and still others are absolutely astounding. In addition, we keep you informed about groundbreaking new DIY technologies, like Arduino microcontrollers and 3D printing.

About O'Reilly Media, Inc: O'Reilly Media is the premier information resource for technology innovation. Since 1978, business leaders and geeks alike have relied on the company's books, conferences, and web sites to illuminate new computer technologies around the globe. The O'Reilly Radar has consistently proven reliable in predicting successful industry growth areas, leading to the widespread adoption of many emerging technologies. O'Reilly has been instrumental in putting the coolness in Geek.

Be sure to check out the Make website for more fun projects and ideas!

Giveaway:

Winner will receive this review copy of Make, Issue 25!

 Entries:

Make sure I have an email address, with your comment, 

so I can contact you,if you win! 
If I don't have a way to contact you, you will forfeit your win!

USA only

           3 day winner's rule : Winner has 3 days to acknowledge they won prize,

and confirm address, if no contact, then new winner will be picked in their place. 

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Contest will end on March 28th, at midnight. Winner will be picked by Random Number (random.org) on March 29th, and emailed. As soon as winners' info is received, I will mail their book to them at the next mail run!

Disclosure / Disclaimer: We received this magazine for review purposes, free of charge, from O'Reilly Media ! No other compensation, monetary or in kind, has been received or implied for this post. Nor was I told how to post about it.