Wild West Weather at MAKE!
Terrie writes “The weather station we installed on the roof at O’Reilly was quite busy in recent days. Check out our December data. Average rainfall for December is usually about 6 inches. We were over 19 inches for the month, and almost 6 inches on the December 30/31 storm alone! You can view current conditions through either our Custom Report or thru our Citizen Weather Observer Program page which includes a current radar view. (If either of these pages haven’t updated recently, it usually means that the power went off and we need to restart the machine connected to our weather console).” Link.
We’re testing out an experiment on the MAKEbot (the instant message interface to MAKE Magazine) you can now search MSN and/or Yahoo over instant message with MAKEbot. So, try it out- add the MAKEbot to your buddy list (
Procure IR modules from an old VCR, Raphael writes “Some time ago, I came across the Lirc (Linux Infrared Remote Control) website and decided to build a serial port IR receiver. They had a list of suggested IR receiver modules, but I was unable to buy one, so I had to think of using something else. A IR Receiver module is usually a photodiode and a 38khz detector. Most of them have 3 pins. VCC, GND, an output pin. If a 38khz carrier is detected, the output pin will become active. Some modules are active low, and others are active high. It is sometimes required to use an inverter(eg: 7404) to get the correct signal.” 
Make is a sponsor of the Great Downwinder…“The Great Downwinder is an epic kitesurfing roadtrip which will take place every year. The aim is to celebrate the diverse range of people who are drawn together by their common passion for kitesurfing and desire for adventure. It will involve a number of riders, from all over the world, undertaking a long downwind adventure.” 
Pat writes “Since all will be watching their clocks tonight, (except in Australia where the Blogger’s Apprentice has already rung in the New Year), here’s a fitting video, we thought, of how clocks are made.” 
Here’s MAKE contributor 