Create Your Own Sun Jar: Lifehacker Edition

Inspired by a tutorial we posted last year, we decided to make our own DIY sun jars. The trendy summer time lighting accessory retails for $30+ but we were able to make ours for around $10 each. The sun jars proved to be our most popular non-computer DIY of the entire year and readers shared their own creations with us.

The First-Timer's Guide to Building a Computer from Scratch

Building your own computer is a great way to get exactly what you want, the way you want it, without being constrained by the limits and high-prices of mass produced computers. We showed you how to build a computer from start to finish and have fun doing it.

Turn a Sharpie into a Liquid Fueled Rocket

What's standing between you and some office mayhem? Certainly not a lack of Sharpie markers and keyboard dusting spray. Combine the two with this fun DIY project and you've got one of the most awesome pieces of office-machinery we've ever featured.

Properly Erase Your Physical Media

You need to be properly erasing your physical media: all the time, every time. Our guide will show you how to get the job done and done right whether you use software to scrub your disks or you send them to the great data mine in the sky with a 21-gun salute.

Turn an Old Laptop into a Wall-Mounted Computer

Why settle for a digital picture frame when, in the same wall space, you could mount an entirely functional computer/slideshow player/TV tuner? One Lifehacker reader turned an old laptop into a super-charged digital frame.

$8 DIY Aluminum Laptop Stand

We've always been keen on DIY laptop stands, but reader Aaron Kravitz—inspired by an attractive $50 stand—went above and beyond, creating one of the most attractive DIY laptop stands we've featured to date.

Build an IKEA NAS On the Cheap

If the Hive Five on best home server software got you excited about setting up a home server but you're not keen on another unsightly PC in your home, check out this DIY IKEA NAS.

Build a DIY Portable Air Conditioner

We've shown you how to make an air conditioner (even for as low as $30), but what if you wanted something you can put in your car and take with you? While it's no substitute for a fully-charged and factory-fresh AC system, it'll keep you cool.

Turn a Bookshelf into a Secret Passage

Who hasn't dreamed of having a mystery-story-style secret passageway? While a trick bookshelf is pretty awesome in itself, this secret passage hides a home office with clever style. One industrious Lifehacker reader and his girlfriend had grown tired of seeing their office from their living space, so they hid it behind a wall of books.

Wire Your House with Ethernet Cable

You've ripped a movie on your laptop, and now want it on that fancy new home theater PC next to your TV. If you've got the time, wiring your house with Cat-5e cable could make transfer times a distant memory.

Rain Gutters as Cable Management Tools

We're all about creative cable management here at Lifehacker, so we were instantly drawn to reader Seandavid010's rain-gutter cable management setup. He was awesome enough to send detailed photos and step by step instructions to help other readers recreate his setup.

Build Your Own DTV Antenna

The lights went out on analog television this year and we were there with a guide to help you build a great DIY antenna for boosting your reception and getting that crisp digital picture you crave.

DIY Laptop Rack Hack Turns Your Monitor into an iMac

Lifehacker reader Matt Lumpkin saw our monitor stand from door stoppers post and thought we might like his laptop rack hack as another space-saving desktop solution for laptop-lovers. He was right.

Build Your Own Pizza Oven

Suppose you were inspired by the cheap DIY home pizza oven—but weren't so sure your home insurance would cover oven modifications. It's time to build a safer, more eye-pleasing oven, and we've got a thorough guide.

Crack a Master Combination Padlock Redux

Two years ago we highlighted how to crack a Master combination padlock for those of you who may have lost the combination to your bulletproof lock; now designer Mark Campos has turned the tried-and-true instructions into an easier-to-follow visual guide.

DIY Invisible Floating Bookshelves

We've covered the invisible floating bookshelf once or twice before, but if you liked the idea but weren't keen on ruining a book in the process, weblog May December Home's got you covered.

DIY Inverted Bookshelf

Instead of storing your books upright on top of the shelf, the inverted bookshelf holds all of your books in place using elastic webbing so you can hang them below the shelf—all the while allowing you to still take them out and put them back on as needed.

Build an Under-the-Cabinet Kitchen PC from an Old Laptop

Inspired by our guide to giving an old laptop new life with cheap or free projects, Lifehacker reader Brian turned his aging Dell laptop into an incredible under-the-cabinet kitchen PC.

Turn Storage Containers into Self Watering Tomato Planters

If you'd like to have delicious home-grown tomatoes but lack a garden to grow them in, you'll definitely want to check out this ingenious and inexpensive self-watering system.

Deter Thieves by Uglifying Your Camera

A few years ago, blogger Jimmie Rodgers's camera was stolen while volunteering in an impoverished Brazilian community, so he did what any sane person would do: He bought a new camera and made it ugly. With his uglified camera, Rodgers was able to snap pictures freely during the rest of his trip without worrying too much that his ostensibly crappy camera would end up stolen.

DIY TV or Monitor Stand from Door Stoppers

Nothing adds space to a desk or home theater setup like a simple monitor or TV stand, and weblog IKEA Hacker details how to build your own stand on-the-cheap with a few inexpensive items from IKEA.

Repurpose Your Analog Television

You don't need to run out and buy a new TV because of the DTV switchover. If you did anyways, Make Magazine has put together quite a guide to giving old TVs new life.

Use Ping-Pong Balls to Create Diffused Party Lights

If you need some cheap and novel ambient lighting for your next party, you're only a box of ping-pong balls and a string of lights away from solving your lighting worries.

Build a Custom-Made BoxeeBox

DeviceGuru blogger Rick Lehrbaum, inspired by the cheaper set-top boxes, made his own higher-powered "BoxeeBox" for the free, open-source media center. He posted all the parts, the how-to details, and lots of pictures.

Build a Sturdy Cardboard Laptop Stand

You already shelled out your hard earned cash for a swanky laptop, why drop more cash on an overpriced laptop stand? Cardboard alone can do the trick, as detailed in this step-by-step tutorial.

Install Snow Leopard on Your Hackintosh PC, No Hacking Required

Earlier this year we put together a wildly popular guide to building a Hackintosh with Snow Leopard, start to finish, and then followed it up with an even easier guide to install Snow Leopard on your Hackintosh PC, no hacking required. Computers + DIY is all sorts of geeky fun waiting to happen.

Have a favorite DIY from 2009 that wasn't highlighted here? Sound off in the comments with a link to your favorite project. Want to see more popular DIY guides courtesy of the ghost of Lifehacker past? Check out our huge DIY guide roundup from 2008.

There are some decent offerings in there, including a 40-inch Samsung 1080p LCD for $609 and a Panasonic 50-inch 1080p plasma for $1095 (Buy.com). Check out HDGuru for all of the details—and you had better hurry. There was another 50-inch 1080p plasma from Panasonic going for a ridiculous $711 on the list, but that deal seems to already have expired. [HDGuru]

You will learn important lessons like: sizing your TV to optimize resolution, whether to choose LCD vs plasma vs LED and why you don't need to spend money on a 240 Hz TV. So, make sure to check out the following link before you shop. [HDGuru]

BTW, if you hate the gallery format as much as the Grinch hated Christmas, click here.

Dyson Air Multiplier: Normal fans are fine for normal people who are home a few hours a day, but a full-time house-dweller needs a full-time fan. This is how you can justify $300 on a fan that's a gift. Because it's not just a fan, it's a statement: A statement that says your loved one may be too cheap to use air conditioning, but not too cheap to afford a Dyson. [Review; Dyson]

Sonos ZonePlayer S5: Anyone who values his time at home knows he needs music in every room. Every room. And The Sonos S5 is the first really self-contained unit that the music-streaming company has put out. It's easy enough to rig together your own setup of laptops, wireless streamers and speakers, but if you want to do it cleanly and do it elegantly, and if the recipient doesn't know anything about technology, Sonos is the way to go. Just be prepared to spend $400. [Hands on; Sonos]

Aquapeudics Shower: Total fantasy, but fantasy in the way that you can actually save up $4300 and purchase one for your own home. Yeah, it's a gift for yourself. Bathing is still important for people that don't go outdoors, and the Aquapeudics combines a multi-headed shower with a hot tub with an acupuncture massage with a foot massage with an alien probing station. [Shower; Aquapeudics]

Honeywell Touchscreen Thermostat: Just because someone's adverse to going outside doesn't mean they like walking up and down stairs in order to adjust the temperature. Get one of these, including the touchscreen remote, so they can carry the controls with them at all times. It even helps make sure the temperature is correct where they are instead of where the thermostat is. Is this person this adverse to moving around that you can justify $400 on this? Yes, yes they are. [Review]

Roomba 400 Professional Series: There are no janitors for your home to clean up after your mess. A Roomba is the next best thing. If you can find it on sale you can get it for all of $100 (or less!), but it is the ugly red model. Who cares, you're not the one looking at it. [iRobot]

Nikon Action 7x35 Binoculars: Just because your gift recipient is inside doesn't mean he doesn't want to see what's happening outside. In fact, he's probably very interested in keeping track of what his neighbors are up to. The Nikon Action 7x35 was named best budget binoculars by Consumer Search, and it's only $60. [Amazon]

Toto Washlet: There's an obvious upside to being able to use a personal bathroom all day. But the downsides are that your friend goes through toilet paper incredibly fast, and gets stuck with whatever comfort level they have on their best toilet. The Toto Washlet solves both problems. Depending on the model, it'll run you somewhere between $500 and $1000.

But everyone in Japan uses a Toto for a reason, because washing the ass before wiping cuts down on toilet paper usage by 80% (ballpark figure). And constantly heated seats is something nobody can turn down. [Toto]

Anything On This List: You know what agoraphobe means, right? They don't like going outside, so don't make them leave their house with any of the outdoors gifts on that list. [This list]

All Giz Wants is our annual round-up of favorite gift ideas, including amazing attainable objects and a few far-out fantasies. We'll be popping guides catered to different interests several times per day for the next week, so keep checking back.

Version 1.3 of Home, as previously detailed, will add universal game launching from within the service. No need to stop doing the Running Man just to start up a Resistance 2 fragfest, as any title can be launched from Home as of tomorrow.

Of course, there's more to it than that, including new items, emotes and clothing categories. Plus, Home residents will be able to preview wearable items and furniture in real time. And soon you'll be able to eat shrink cakes and take pictures with an in-Home camera! Truly, we have finally jacked into the Matrix.

PlayStation Home v1.3 Coming Thursday + New Central Plaza, Neptune Suite and More! [PlayStation.blog]

One of the most important additions is the ability to do "bare metal recovery" on a Mac from Time Machine. This means you can completely restore your Mac from the network backup using the disc recovery utility that's bundled in. Also upgraded is the ability to do administration on a Mac.

There is also an included video conversion feature, which handles unprotected DVDs, as well as increased power (the 490 has a 2.2GHz Celeron and the 495 has a 2.5GHz Dual Core Pentium) and a "better" user interface. The ability to stream media from your iPhone or iPod Touch via a free app is included as well. And, of course, you get the standard Windows Home Server functions that we love using on a daily basis.

Preorders start today, but there's no solid word on a ship date.

And some games, like Street Fighter IV, Resistance 2, MotorStorm, and Far Cry 2 will include another level of Home integration, bringing along some multiplayer options.

Other Home improvements include clothing and furniture previewing (try before you buy), portable objects (like bubble machines) and an in-Home first or third-person camera (take a shot of that pretty girl you see so that you can dry hump her later rather than in the square).

So...any PS3ers in the audience use Home lately? I loaded it 2 weeks ago, but it was completely by accident. [PlayStation Blog via Kotaku]

* Note: The lead shot was provided by Sony. And even in its marketing veneer, the inhabitants of Home look completely miserable.

Reading this retrospective, I'm both surprised and unsurprised at how innovative and well-designed the Dustbuster is. It was rechargeable, wall-mountable, used a high-tech (for the time) design based on a familiar product (the dustpan), had an immediately catchy name and was instantly indispensable for every suburban family in the country. I remember sitting on the carpet and playing with it, which is certainly not something I was likely to do with a damn cleaning product, and the product's name quickly became both a universal noun and verb ("Oh yeah, I Dustbusted the stairs yesterday."). It definitely wasn't the most powerful vacuum cleaner on the market (any modern Dyson would clean its clock) and the filter had a tendency to jam, but for sheer utility, style and "I want that gadget!" appeal, the Dustbuster was and maybe even still is the tops.

The Dustbuster is, I'm comfortable saying, the gadget nerd's cleaning tool. It's portable, battery-powered, cute, and versatile, and has definitely made our lives better. Cleaner, at least. [Popular Mechanics]

Gizmodo '79 is a week-long celebration of gadgets and geekdom 30 years ago, as the analog age gave way to the digital, and most of our favorite toys were just being born.

Loaded with a variety of multicolored LEDs, you can change the hue of the luminotherapy bed with the touch of a remote. The resulting colors, such as pink, blue and green will make your lover glow with all the vibrancy of a Star Trek Original Series alien babe. Well, that, or they'll give you night terrors of being stuck on a Cylon base ship (before they got all lovey hippie on the humans) or a painfully hipster sushi joint. [phillipe boulet via Unplggd]

Much like the offering from DirecTV, U-Verse subscribers can browse through channels and set recordings to their home DVR. You can also search with filters and even look up shows by your favorite actors. Seriously, these apps are great for TV buffs, and since it's free there is no excuse not to check it out. [iTunes]

New iPhone and iPod touch Application From AT&T Lets Customers Schedule U-verse TV DVR Recordings On The Go

DALLAS, June 25, 2009 - AT&T U-verseSM TV customers can now use a free application from the Apple App Store to make scheduling and managing recordings on their DVR even easier when they're away from home. The U-verse TV Mobile Remote Access App for iPhone and iPod touch lets customers record their content from virtually anywhere and is another example of U-verse TV applications and DVR enhancements that have been rolled out to customers at no extra charge.

"This is the perfect example of how AT&T is bringing services together to deliver a better experience for customers," said Jeff Weber, vice president of video services for AT&T Mobility and Consumer Markets. "With AT&T U-verse, you get DVR capabilities you can't find from any other provider, and this app gives users the freedom to schedule their DVR from their iPhone or iPod touch."

The app allows users to easily search U-verse TV program listings from the full program guide, view descriptions of selected programs, schedule program or series recordings, manage or edit scheduled recordings, and delete stored DVR content.

The Mobile Remote Access App is available for free from Apple's App Store on iPhone and iPod touch or at www.itunes.com/appstore/.

The launch of the new U-verse TV Mobile Remote Access App follows several DVR enhancements that are currently being rolled out to U-verse TV customers, including an exclusive new Total Home DVR feature that allows customers to schedule and delete recordings from any U-verse receiver in the home - all from a single DVR.

AT&T U-verse was one of the first providers to introduce Web Remote Access to the DVR in November 2006, and it brought three-screen DVR access to all U-verse TV customers with Mobile Remote Access to the DVR in April 2007. In 2008, AT&T launched AT&T U-verse Total Home DVR, allowing all U-verse DVR customers to watch standard and High Definition recorded shows from a single DVR on any connected TV in the home.

U-verse TV customers can also enjoy several other integrated applications, including personalized, on-screen weather, sports, traffic and stock information via AT&T U-bar; local and national weather forecasts with Weather On Demand; the ability to view personal photos on your TV that you have uploaded to flickr.com; and more.

AT&T U-verse customers enjoy quadruple-play integration, enhanced features and greater value, all made possible by IP technology. AT&T U-verse TV ranked "Highest in Residential Television Service Satisfaction in the North Central, South, and West Regions," according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2008 Residential Television Service Provider Satisfaction StudySM.

The best part of this the Panthera Leo mower isn't the electric-powered design, or the recyclable materials it's made of. No, it's the LCD monitor and sensors, which work together to tell you what speed and height you should mow at, plus inform you when you're on too steep a hill or about to hit an object. And the mower lasts two hours on a single charge.

Jalopnik says Husqvarna plans to put something similar into production within five years (basically, forever). But seriously, I would have driven this thing to school every day if I had one. Trust me. Oh, and check out more pics over at [Jalopnik].

There are more detailed shots below, in the gallery, but do not blame me if you vomit.

From Wikipedia:

A meat grinder or meat mincer is a kitchen appliance for grinding, fine mincing or mixing raw or cooked meat, fish, vegetables or similar food. It replaces tools like the mincing knife, for example, which has been used to produce minced meat, filling etc. The producer puts the minced food into a funnel, which is placed on the top of the grinder. From there the material goes on a horizontal screw conveyor. This screw conveyor, that can be powered by a hand wheel or an electric motor, squashes and partially mixes the food. At the end of the screw conveyor there is a knife installed directly in front of the fixed hole plate. At this opening the minced meat comes out of the machine. The fineness of the meat depends on the size of the holes of the plate.

Four out of Five Gizmodo editors didn't have the stomach to post this. I can't say I blame them.

[where else?]

Kamen himself calls his house a "cross between a technology museum of old stuff and Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory." Accurate only if Willy Wonka wore a jean suit. But, both are pretty admirable people, so it's a fair comparison.

Also cool are the sports facilities (tennis courts, basketball hoops, a friggin' softball field), plus a steam engine. All befitting an impressive man who was nevertheless able to put me to sleep at my own graduation. [WMUR - Thanks Eq!]