Door Mutes Microphone to Prevent Remote Learning Humiliation

In a kind of reverse twist on the doorbell, [TheStaticTurtle] whipped up a system to mute his computer’s microphone whenever someone opens the door to his room. He lives in France, where the government announced a strict lockdown last Friday. Like many university students around the world these days, he …read more

Continue reading Door Mutes Microphone to Prevent Remote Learning Humiliation

Day Clock Monitors Air Quality of the Great Indoors

As the world settles into this pandemic, some things are still difficult to mentally reckon, such as the day of the week. We featured a printed day clock a few months ago that used a large pointer to provide this basic psyche-grounding information. In the years since then, [Jeff Thieleke] …read more

Continue reading Day Clock Monitors Air Quality of the Great Indoors

Piston-Powered Pellet Pusher for Peckish Pets

We all have our new and interesting challenges in lockdown life. If you’ve had to relocate to ride it out, the chances are good that even your challenges have challenges. Lockdown left [Kanoah]’s sister in the lurch when it came to feeding her recently-adopted pet rat, so he came up …read more

Continue reading Piston-Powered Pellet Pusher for Peckish Pets

Nightmare Fuel Telepresence ‘Bot May Become Your Last Friend

After this pandemic thing is all said and done, historians will look back on this period from many different perspectives. The one we’re most interested in of course will concern the creativity that flourished in the petri dish of anxiety, stress, and boredom that have come as unwanted side dishes …read more

Continue reading Nightmare Fuel Telepresence ‘Bot May Become Your Last Friend

Mass Mask-Making Masterclass

Just as 3D printers around the world have been churning out face shields, the thread injectors of home sewists have been stitching up fabric masks. Over the past several weeks, [Becky Stern] has made them for friends, family, neighbors, and anyone in her community who happens upon the box of …read more

Continue reading Mass Mask-Making Masterclass

An Arduino-Free Automatic Alcohol Administrator

With all the hands-free dispenser designs cropping up out there, the maker world could potentially be headed for an Arduino shortage. We say that in jest, but it’s far too easy to use an Arduino to prototype a design and then just leave it there doing all the work, even …read more

Continue reading An Arduino-Free Automatic Alcohol Administrator

Rock Out While You Knock Out Germs

We don’t know about you, but we’re pretty tired of singing two rounds of “Happy Birthday” or counting Mississippi to 20 each time we wash our hands. It’s difficult to do it without thinking about the reason why, and that’s not good for positivity. If you’d rather have your spirits …read more

Continue reading Rock Out While You Knock Out Germs

Self-Playing Whistle While You Work From Home

In ridiculous times, it can help to play ridiculous instruments such as the slide whistle to keep your bristles in check. But since spittle is more than a little bit dangerous these days, it pays to come up with alternative ways to play away the days during lockdown life.

Thanks …read more

Continue reading Self-Playing Whistle While You Work From Home