How To: Things to Do on WonderHowTo (03/14 - 03/20)

WonderHowTo is made up of niche communities called Worlds. If you've yet to join one (or create your own), get a taste below of what's going on in the community. Check in every Wednesday for a roundup of new activities and projects.

Thanks to all of our active moderators and contributors from this past week: Christopher Voute, Cerek Tunca, JT Newsome, Leinad 0716, and K. Met. If you want to see your name listed here, then STOP LURKING and join in!

WonderHowTo is a community effort, and the site belongs to all of you. So, the more knowledge we can pool together, the more we can learn from each other. Join in. Write a tutorial. Post to a World. We're a curious bunch, and we want to see what you've got to share!

Below, this week's highlights: A super secret book safe, a cheap stun gun from an old disposable camera, instant weight gain in Photoshop, semiconductor lasers, handheld fireballs, and more!

Challenges and Workshops

• WTFoto Weekly Challenge — In the days of the American frontier, hobos banded together, forming a set of symbols—a code that allowed them to communicate silently with one another across time and space. Now, college brothers the world over need your help developing their own set of symbols—the Bro Code (some Photoshop skills required). What crazy symbols can you come up with? Post your submissions to WTFoto's community corkboard by Monday, March 19th, 11:59 PM (PST). More details here.

• Minecraft World's Weekly Workshop — Have a luxury boat that needs docked near your luxury oceanside mansion? Then you need a luxury automatic boat dock! Hop on the official WonderHowTo server this weekend with Kendra as she shows you how to wire up redstone to recreate her auto boat dock below. Be there Saturday, March 17th at 12 PM (PST). More details here. If you still haven't joined the server, see how to get whitelisted.

• Minecraft World's Weekly Challenge — In the land of Minecraft, there's nothing more puzzling than a puzzle. So, see if you can build the most puzzling labyrinth possible. Make it from whatever you want—just make it a doozy. A-maze us. Join the server and start creating now, then post your maze to Minecraft World's community corkboard for a chance to snag some server perks. More info here.

• Astronomical Observing News — Stay current on what's going on in the skies above with Cerek Tunca's weekly Astronomy World feature, AON. This week, you're in for a rare treat; the start of the vernal equinox is near! Click here for a full rundown of the stargazing events for March 14th through March 20th. And join the World to share your astrophilic knowledge.

• Weekend Homework — Hackers around the world need your help! Check out this week's homework for your assignments. Know how to write a dox script? Can you social engineer your way in (or out) of anything? Got the scoop on the best hardware for fresh computer builds? Share your knowledge! Simply message Null Byte admin Allen Freeman or post your article directly to Null Byte's community corkboard.

How-To Projects

• We've all got a few valuables we'd like to keep out of sight, but where do we hide them? If you've got nosy roommates, the answer is simple—old books. Yumi of Secret Tips from the Yumiverse shows you how to turn an old book into a secret safe for all of your precious possessions. Click to enlarge, or click through to view.

• Beer is not only good for getting wasted, but also for cooking! It works with practically anything, providing a rich, earthy flavor any brewskie-loving belly would die for. If you're worried about getting drunk, don't, because most of the alcohol evaporates in the cooking process. Click to enlarge, or click through to view.

• Are you a mad scientist? Then join William Finucane in the new Mad Science World for some amazingly evil science experiments. This past week, Will went all pyromaniac on us with fiery projects on a blinding sunbeam from lithium, handheld fireballs, and a hydrogen-based ball of fire made from foil and toilet cleaner. He also showed us how to make a cheap stun gun from a disposable camera and a Magneto-style glove for electromagnetic super powers. Wow. What crazy projects will he come up with next? Stay tuned.

• Christopher Voute from Fear of Lightning continued his informative series on electromagnetic weapons with his third article on lasers—specifically, semiconductor lasers. Make sure to follow Chris in the Fear of Lightning World to catch future projects. Stop by the forum if you've got questions on anything electrically minded.

• Kendra's been heating up the Minecraft World with tons of great build tutorials. Missed last week's interior design workshop? Check out the top ten tips for taking your Minecraft interior design skills to the next level. Contact Kendra if you're interested in co-instructing a future workshop or taking on a topic of your own. Also, see her how-to articles on building a chicken egg and automatic sugarcane farm.

• Allen has been busy in Null Byte, with articles ranging from preventing dox attacks, to spying on your friend's network traffic, to understanding the difference between TCP/IP and the OSI model. He's also shown us what's going on in some hack logs and how to seed torrents anonymously. Check out the Null Byte blog for more!

• JT Newsome shared some ways to protect yourself from social-engineered hacks and prying eyes. Two really simple tips to remember? Don't let people look over your shoulders and be super careful of what you trash. Keep an eye on the Invisible Computer World for more. If you've got a request for a future article, hit up the forum.

• Need some help with WTFoto's Bro Code Challenge? James gives a hilarious in-depth guide to making realistic chalk symbols in Photoshop. Do you also need some help plumping up your beautiful ex? He's got the Photoshopping skills laid out perfectly for you in his latest tutorial. Stay tuned to WTFoto for more rib-tickling, insightful Photoshop tips.

• Were there too many shenanigans for your taste this past week? Well, it's time to get all cutesy on you with K. Met's easy DIY paper flowers. Made from old book pages, it's the perfect gift for your bibliophile. Well, just don't cut up their favorite book or anything, lest you be scorned a biblioclast.

I Made It

• There's still a ton of building going on in the Minecraft server. Way too much to cover here, but over the past week, here's what's been shown off in the Minecraft World's community corkboard. Want to get in on the action? Join the server.

Also, don't forget to start building your amazing mazes for the Minecraft challenge this week. As you can see above, silverbug12 has already managed to finish her labyrinth, so what are you waiting for?

Got Something to Share?

If you've got a relevant How-To, a source of inspiration, or a finished project, post it to the corkboard in one of the applicable Worlds above. If your project is unrelated to these areas, you can publish a How-To article directly on WonderHowTo, or you can start your own World if you've got the passion—or just post directly to the WonderHowTo company corkboard.

Got a question? Comment below or email jmeyers@wonderhowto.com.