Souped Up

Wouldn't it be fun to build your own Nintendo arcade game? Or make a USB drive out of a Lego brick? Learn how to turn a utilitarian Ikea shelf into a bookshelf window seat, make an old computer monitor into a cat bed, infuse gummy bears with vodka, or tie-dye just about anything with this collection of 128 projects for making cool things, or making already-cool things even better. You'll also find tiny catapults and a glow-in-the-dark bicycle, apple pie on a stick and a robotic arm, an Iron Man-style "arc reactor" and a weatherproof case for outdoor time-lapse photography, a rainbow-tiled bathroom and prescription swim goggles. Instructables.com is a web-based community where inventive do-it-yourselfers have contributed more than 100,000 projects and how-to guides on a wide range of topics, from gardening to home repair, from recipes to gadgets that defy categorization. Some of the very best contributions are collected in this large-format guide, illustrated with color photos and including links to each entry online.