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Write your list and check it twice, but make sure to save a little holiday love for your local hackerspace. If yours is anything like mine, it's always missing something. A few weeks ago, I sent out a call for suggestions from hackerspace members and this is what they asked for:

Furniture, $ varies

Sitting on a stool is all well and good for soldering, but some of the best hacking that goes on in a hackerspace is done without a tool anywhere near. I'm talking about the brainstorming and collaboration that goes on at any hackerspace worthy of the name. Got an old couch or lounger gathering dust? Donate it! (Pic of Hackerspace Brussels by Pete Hindle, CC)

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Celestron 44104 Microscope, $130, Amazon

Some pieces of equipment are fairly standard at hackerspaces: 3D printers, soldering irons, lathes, welders, laser cutters... but other types of equipment are quite rare. For instance, unless you're chilling at BioCurious, you're unlikely to find a microscope at a space. Which is not to say that your average hacker wouldn't love playing around with one!

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Wow, where does the time go? The book will soon close on the first decade of the millennium, so let's take a moment and contemplate life's pace and direction. If your first read of the 21st century seemed a little humdrum, fear not! "The secret of reaping the greatest enjoyment from life," Friedrich Nietzsche famously wrote, "is to live life dangerously." True, and opportunities for doing so abound. 2011 might be the time to make a few interesting additions to your lifestyle, adding some thrills, and experiencing a few new sensations.

Here's a list of gift suggestions especially designed to provide a wide range of new and edgy (or over that edge) experiences to your more adventurous gift recipients. —William Gurstelle, Contributing Editor, MAKE magazine

Editor's Note: As the name of this guide implies, the items listed here are dangerous. All relevant cautions, required background expertise, safeties, and common sense should be applied here. The purpose of this guide is to give you some idea of what sorts of envelope-pushing products are available out there (and to have a little fun in the process), not to encourage thoughtless and reckless behavior.

Bring the Amazon home
Xingu River Black Piranha, Aquascape Online, $200 each
"They are the most ferocious fish in the world. The piranhas habitually attack things much larger than themselves. They will snap a finger off a hand incautiously trailed in the water; they mutilate swimmers and devour alive any wounded man or beast; for blood in the water excites them to madness. — Theodore Roosevelt, Through the Brazilian Wilderness, 1914.

Teddy may have overstated things a bit, but there's little doubt that piranha can be some pretty ornery fishes. However, they are often bought and sold as pets after a fashion, and so, could make an exotic and interesting gift to aquarists who:

A. Have very large fish tanks
B. Live in northern states (piranha are illegal in states without cold winters lest they escape into local lakes and reproduce
C. Have a sense of high adventure or are simply unconcerned about retaining all ten fingers

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Make a homemade rocket
Absinthe and Flamethrowers, Maker Shed, $15.95
In my book, Absinthe and Flamethrowers, you can find a great number of maker-friendly projects with just the right mix of technology, DIY, and danger. While the eponymous flamethrower project may not be everyone's cup of tea, the section on making homemade rockets out of sugar and stump remover is so McGyver-like it's hard not to get excited. Who knew what potential for science and mayhem lurked at the hardware store? Dangerous? Yeah. Irresponsible? Nope.

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The Egg-Bot CNC art robot

Welcome to "The Ultimate Open Source Hardware Gift Guide 2010." In the early days of Open Source Hardware (5-6 years ago), it was possible to collect all the projects and do one gift guide. Eventually dozens of guides were needed for the hundreds of projects. And now, there are so many projects it's not really possible for any one person, or even one site, to list them all in any timely or reasonable way. New projects are released each week, there are thousands of them, many aren't public or well known yet, this is all great news — 2010 was a great year for OSHW! Dozens of companies are making millions of dollars each, all supporting (and being supported by) the open source hardware ecosystem.

Previous OSHW guides:

• Open source hardware 2009 - The definitive guide to open source hardware projects in 2009
• Open source hardware 2008 - The definitive guide to open source hardware projects in 2008
• Open source hardware 2007 - Open Source Hardware Gift Guide
• The Open Source Gift Guide - 2006: Open source hardware, software, and more for the holidays!

With so many projects, there's really only one solution, this year, I'm just going to pick my favorite OSHW projects. These are projects and products that I think make great gifts and uphold the ideals of open source hardware, some are available from MAKE, some are not — MAKE supports OSHW, so we try to carry as much as possible. Some may need to be made and are not for sale, that's even better. Technically, if it's open source hardware if you can make every single one of these projects and even sell them! Each project is linked to the original product/project page. If MAKE sells it, that's also included.

Since I am not including every open source hardware project, be sure to post your favorites in the comments. Just keep this in mind —They all have one thing in common, they're open source hardware and this means something very specific. What's that you ask?

Open source hardware is hardware whose design is made publicly available so that anyone can study, modify, distribute, make and sell the design or hardware based on that design. The hardware's source, the design from which it is made, is available in the preferred format for making modifications to it. Ideally, open source hardware uses readily-available components and materials, standard processes, open infrastructure, unrestricted content, and open-source design tools to maximize the ability of individuals to make and use hardware. Open source hardware gives people the freedom to control their technology while sharing knowledge and encouraging commerce through the open exchange of designs.

That's what we came up with at the Open Source Hardware summit (and beyond) as an overview. There's also a detailed definition to check out, a work in progress, as it will always be. An easy way to know if something is open source hardware is to ask: Are there source/schematics/layout files? Is commercial use allowed? Although there are some subtle details, "what-ifs," and loopholes we all nerd-fight about, that's pretty much it.

Now that's out of the way, let's do this thing.

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As a fashion designer and ham radio operator, I come from a variety of backgrounds. This gift guide includes some trusty favorites, some of my most inspirational resources, and the new products that I am most excited about.

Party Flavors: Gingerbread Martini Jelly Shots, You, Price: Made with love
Part of the gift giving season is bringing the right dish to a holiday party. I love the cute treats at Jelly Shot Test Kitchen, and wintertime provides the perfect cold weather to transport jelly shots of both the alcoholic and nonalcoholic variety (I <3 the rainbow cherry jigglers, too).

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Ham Radio, Yaesu, $619.95
My favorite radio is Yaesu FT-817. It is both a nice portable radio and a good value. You can use it for HF/VHF/UHF (meaning you can use it for traditional ham radio communication on HF along with satellites and repeaters). The built-in battery makes it easy to take to the park for portable operation.

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We asked one of our favorite kid makers, Super Awesome Sylvia (and her super awesome dad, James) to put together a collection of gift ideas that were tops on Sylvia's list. Here's the video and guide they sent us. Thanks, guys! —Gareth

Subscribe to the MAKE Podcast in iTunes, download the m4v video directly, or watch it on YouTube.

Mini-Trebuchet Kit, Maker Shed, $25

Ka-chunk, kerpow! I love to play castle, but it's just no fun without your own war machine! Made of just wood and a sling, you can lay waste to your toy soldier enemies from a distance. Huzzah!

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