Gabe Molnar of 1AEON says his designs often come from his dreams. The fantastical imagery includes lions, dragons, skulls and owls. Working non-stop in his small kitchen in Brooklyn, this Hungarian-born artist is driven to be the best at whatever he does and to push the boundaries. But his passion and ambition hasn t made Gabe lose sight of his humble beginnings. We were very inspired to meet the maker behind 1AEON and hear his story. MP4 | Youtube | Blip.tv | Subscribe in iTunes I love this video. This shoot really came together magically. Shooting at Coney Island was surreal. Watch our other Handmade Video Portraits and make sure to subscribe to our Youtube Channel and Subscribe in iTunes. If you re interested in all things Hungarian, check out this post on traditional and contemporary Hungarian crafts.

Sarah Lane shows off how to use a new .zip in your dock.

Dr. Kiki makes a homemade cantenna, an antenna made out of a can. Moujan reports back from the ultimate DIY event, MakerFaire 2008, and Heather goes beekeeping in the Fringe.

So you ve got your camera and you re shooting some special footage. How can you make it sound good? MP4 | Youtube | Blip.tv | Subscribe in iTunes If you keep your subject within arm s length, you can use the onboard (built in) mic to get passable audio. If you re recording to tape, you ll get some tape sound, but it s likely that it will be usable audio. Photograpy cameras in movie mode sometimes have decent audio. Test what you ve got and see how it sounds! If your camera has audio monitoring levels, you ll want to watch those as you record, too. Improving your audio is as easy as getting a microphone. Even a $10 computer condenser microphone will improve your audio. A small mic gets closer to the subject and that s always good. As far as sources for audio options, I shop at B ve got another spot you like to shop, leave a note in the comments. Here s the breakdown of some of the microphones we use for the Storque. Lavaliers: Here on the Etsy Media Awesome Team, we use a wired Audio Technica Pro 70 and a wireless Sony mic and they both work well. They are XLR, so if your camera doesn t have an XLR input you re going to have to get a converter cord or a Beachtek adapter. XLR is a way of hooking up mics that gives better quality sound than 1/8 inch jacks. Shotgun: We use two Sennheissers. One is tiny and one is big. They both work great. (The price I quoted for the big Sennheiser in the video is wrong. It s more like $450. If you need a cheaper shotgun, I ve shot with the Azden, and it s fine, too.) To learn more about shotgun mics, check out this article. Although it s not in this video, if you re looking for a basic old-skool handheld mic, I ve had a good experience with this Shure. If you ve got a mic you re happy with, make sure to leave a note in the comments! For more videos about making videos, keep reading our Getting Started in Video series!

This week's CRAFT Video Podcast comes courtesy of the fine folks at Skates.com where Luanne Teoh and Richard Humphrey show us how to build a pair of roller skates as featured in our current issue of CRAFT: 07! Download the MP4 Video or HD Version | Subscribe to CRAFT in iTunes To celebrate the new shoe issue of CRAFT Magazine vol 7, Skates.com is giving our CRAFT readers a 15% discount from now until June 6, 2008. The coupon code is CRAFT07. If you'd like a pair of custom skates built for you, just send Skates.com the shoes of your choice or choose the boots you'd like. Note: The 15% only applies to the our Custom Skates/Build Your Own category. The 15% is taken of the price of the product before tax and shipping. From the pages of CRAFT Magazine, volume 07: "Roll Baby Roll!" by Luanne Teoh Richard Humphrey, pgs 62-65. Subscribers can read the article in our Digital Edition. Subscribe to CRAFT Magazine and save 42% off the cover price. One year brings you 4 quarterly issues for just $34.95 / year (U.S.). [Read More] [Comments]

Check out all the fun and excitement at this year's Maker Faire in San Mateo, California. People from all over the world came to experience this amazing event. Take a look at some of the highlights and make plans to attend the next Maker Faire. To download Maker Faire 2008 MP4 click here or subscribe in iTunes. [Read More] [Comments]

Flash CS3 Interactive Video Techniques

Enjoy our video discussion on how we like the newest polymer clay by Polyform, Studio by Sculpey!

You ve got a video camera what next? The basic idea is to put something in front of the camera and push the red button, but there s a lot more. This video is just a few tips and tricks to get you on your way. The main thing is to just start making videos and then each one will get better and better. If you re going to go handheld, you can improve your stability by holding your elbows in. A tripod will keep the camera steady. If possible have the camera at eyeline or above because people just look more beautiful from above. You don t need to see up my nose. Jump cuts are when you see lots of cuts without a change in camera position. I use these a lot. It also helps to plan some things out. I make a bullet list of things that I want to make sure I say. When working with other people, I find it s easier to ask them to talk about a list of topics rather than memorize things. Don t be afraid to shoot it again and again and again. A few people called in today and I m going to respond to their questions in future videos. If you ve got tips for shooting video, leave a note in the comments or leave me a voicemail at 917-720-4197 and I might post your message in a future post! MP4 Link

The Handyguys discuss how to evaluate whether finishing your basement is a job for the DIYer. They also discuss a new site for finding and reviewing contractors. Episode #1 in the Basement Finishing Series There are many projects to do around the house but sometimes the handy guy can bite off more then he (or she) can chew. The Handyguys discuss the basic issues to consider when determining whether a new projected should be contracted out or performed yourself. Some of the topics discussed include: How Long will it take? weeks, months, years to never finish How much will it cost? A little to a lot When to bring in a subcontractor DIY satisfaction Do you have the right tools and skills? Even if you have the ability to do the job, there are a lot of issues to consider before doing it yourself. In addition to carpentry skills, you need time, patience, lots of tools and a good back to finish your basement. If you are lacking in any of these categories, you may want to consider hiring a contractor for the job. The Handyguys then discuss an article from remodelingmagazine.com. Its their annual cost vs. value report. Some of the data is excerpted below. 2007 National Averages Project Job Cost Resale Value Cost Recouped Basement Remodel $59,435 $44,661 75.1% © 2007 Hanley Wood, LLC. Reproduced by permission. Complete city data from the Remodeling 2007 Cost vs. Value Report can be downloaded for free at costvalue.remodelingmagazine.com. The Handyguys then discuss how to find a good contractor. Turn to your neighbors was Paul s suggestion. But what if you do not have a neighbor or friend who has had their basement finished? What then?It was agreed that just hitting the yellow pages may not be a good route. You need some good, objective advice. You can get that advice at www.homestars.com. This website is designed to help you review and research contractors that are in your local area. Check it out it may save you a lot hassle in the future. Check it out! Lastly - So, you are going to go through with it or you have already finished your basement.  The Handyguys will be continuing to talk about finishing your basement over the next few weeks. If you have finished your basement yourself and would like to chat with the Handyguys on the air about your experience just let us know. If you are in the middle of a project and would like to dialog on the air about where you are in the process we would be open to that as well. email us@handyguyspodcast.com or use the contact tab on the website.

Geothermal energy is a rapidly-growing industry. While US geothermal electric capacity stands at only 2544 MWe, there are over 2500 MWe of conventional geothermal projects currently being developed in the United States, and that number could more than double by 2015. Despite this growth, conventional geothermal energy is limited in its ability to scale due to its dependence on the presence of a natural hydrothermal resource to exploit. Engineered Geothermal Systems (EGS) are artificially created geothermal systems made by hydraulically stimulating a rock formation to create a network of interconnected wells and then circulating fluid through the system. Since EGS can theoretically be developed wherever there is a high temperature rock formation, the resource base is huge. EGS holds the potential for large scale, baseload, renewable energy. However, the technology is still in the early stages of development and deployment. For EGS to achieve significant scale, there must be advancement in technologies such as drilling and reservoir stimulation, in addition to demonstration projects and consistent policy support. Since the first EGS fields will be developed on the edges of conventional hydrothermal fields and will utilize many of the same technologies as conventional geothermal plants, conventional geothermal development is critical to the future of EGS as it establishes the infrastructure, industry and knowledge base needed to harness the EGS resource. Geothermal energy has the potential to play a significant role in the US energy mix, but could also remain a relatively unknown bit player if not properly developed. This panel will highlight some of the recent developments in unlocking the potential of the EGS resource while discussing key challenges and opportunities going forward.

An entrepreneurial, dot-com approach is often proposed as being capable of solving the many issues, particularly greenhouse-gas emissions, demand growth, and supply limitations, facing the energy sector. However, the dot-com and the clean-tech environments are quite different. While the internet boom created a new industry in a vacuum, clean technologies must compete against the largest industry in the world, and must do so at the low costs associated with today's energy choices. The challenge in the energy sector is to provide scalable energy that is cheap, available in abundance and has minimal environmental implications. Today, much research and innovation is focused on marginal improvements in the existing industry. However, a need exists for disruptive changes to address these challenges facing society. This panel will discuss the innovation-to-commercialization process in energy, the fundamental differences for entrepreneurs in energy compared to other industries, the need for scale, and the requirement for disruptive technologies. The success strategy for startups, research labs, and existing industry will be compared. Further, the session will explore the innovation and entrepreneurship solutions to the challenges, and whether enough is being done to fill the innovation-to-commercialization pipeline.

Jim Rogers is chairman of the board, president and chief executive officer of Duke Energy. He was named chairman in January 2007, following the separation of Duke Energy s natural gas businesses into a new publicly traded company, Spectra Energy. Rogers has more than 18 years of experience as a chief executive officer in the electric utility industry. He was named president and chief executive officer of Duke Energy following the merger of Duke Energy and Cinergy in April 2006. Before the merger, Rogers served as Cinergy s chairman and chief executive officer for more than 11 years. Prior to the formation of Cinergy, he joined PSI Energy in 1988 as the company s chairman, president and chief executive officer. He served as executive vice president of interstate pipelines for the Enron Gas Pipeline Group before joining PSI. Before joining the Enron Corp., Rogers was a partner in the Washington, D.C., office of Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld. Before joining that firm, Rogers was deputy general counsel for litigation and enforcement for the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). Previously, Rogers served as assistant to the chief trial counsel at FERC, as a law clerk for the Supreme Court of Kentucky, and as assistant attorney general for the Commonwealth of Kentucky, where he acted as intervener on behalf of state consumers in gas, electric and telephone rate cases. He was a reporter for the Lexington (Kentucky) Herald-Leader from 1967 to 1970. In the course of his career, Rogers has served more than 40 cumulative years on the boards of Fortune 500 companies. He is currently a director of Fifth Third Bancorp and Cigna Corporation. He has served as a director of Duke Realty Corporation, Cinergy Corporation, PSI Energy, Bankers Life Holding Corporation, Irkutskenergo AO (a Russian utility) and Indiana National Bank.

End-use efficiency, or "doing more with less", is an important strategy to help meet the challenges posed by an ever-increasing demand for energy services. While improving efficiency has been on the national agenda for some time -- especially following the oil price shocks of the 1970s -- significant opportunities still remain. Furthermore, within some areas, including lighting and HVAC, the costs of upgrading to more efficient technologies can, in some cases, be recuperated within a few years. There are significant barriers that have prevented the widespread adoption of demonstrated efficiency improvement strategies. Barriers include policy distortions, lack of transparency in energy usage and pricing, information gaps, agency issues, financial constraints, and other market inefficiencies. This panel will explore these barriers and will discuss innovative policy, technology, and business approaches to overcoming them, in order to more fully exploit end-use energy efficiency as a resource.

Today I m on Blip on Blip which is Blip.tv s video program about the creative folks who publish videos there. We were going to shoot it in a white room, but decided instead to keep it fresh and show you NYC! Thanks to Justin for the interview and Bill for the awesome shooting and editing! MP4 Link

Science, Advocacy, and MediaPanelists: Naomi Oreskes, Andrew Revkin, Kerry Emanuel, Kevin ConradModerator: Boyce RensbergerThursday, April 10, 2008

Thursday, April 10, 2008

Connecting Petrochemicals to Human Health and the EnvironmentPanelists: Laura Amos, Theo Colborn, Michael Dorsey, Catharine ClabbyModerator: Kim FortunFriday, April 11, 2008

Friday, April 11, 2008

Politics of Risk, Knowledge and Environmental HealthPanelists: Devra Davis, Cheryl Johnson, Jason CorburnModerator: Pete SpottsFriday, April 11, 2008

Restoration and Remediation as Solutions?Panelists: Brian Donahue, Jarid Manos, Kathryn Morgan, Jae Rhim LeeModerator: Dale JoachimFriday, April 11, 2008

Friday, April 11, 2008

Opening Remarks: Susan Hockfield, MIT President Morning Keynote: John Doerr, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers

MIT civil and environmental engineering team practices their steel bridge construction sequence on the MIT Student Center steps on May 5, 2008. MoreVideographer: Stephen Rudolph