Friday Fresh: Make Your Own Electroluminescent Ink & More

Turkey's been consumed, you've awakened from the food coma, and you've escaped the madness of Black Friday. Isn't it about time you tackle a new project? We've got some great new projects for you to help illuminate the darkness of winter. 

Make your own electroluminescent (EL) ink with glow powder

Electroluminescence refers to materials that react when electricity passes through them. Most of the time, people use them for backlighting or information displays. We think you could be much more imaginative with it. Since electroluminescent (EL) ink can be pretty expensive, Jerri Ellsworth shows you a way to make your own, cheaply, at home, with glow powder.

Make your own light organs (analog & digital)

We love MAKE projects. They're always interesting, and original. In these videos, Collin shows you how you can build your own light organs. When you generate music or sounds, you'll be rocking to your own light show. You can do it one of two ways - create an analog one, or a brighter digital one with high-powered LED lights. Bring on the Pink Floyd!

Set up a motion capture camera with Microsoft Kinect

Looks like the Microsoft Kinect has sparked movements across the nation! As one of the hottest new add-ons for game consoles this season, hackers are taking it apart and doing things with it that Microsoft never dreamed of. In this video, you'll learn how to use your Kinect to set up tracking of objects on a plane, and use it for motion capture.