Watch And Learn

The Age

Thursday November 13, 2008

Dan Kaufman

AT INSTRUCTABLES (www.instructables.com), which calls itself "the world's biggest show and tell", you can learn just about everything from panning for gold to making your own prescription swimming goggles. Most entries have videos and step-by-step instructions, although some entries take the form of slideshows.

The tips at WonderHowTo (www.wonderhowto.com) show how to make a USB mini fridge, chill a beer in five minutes and win a swimsuit competition. Unlike Instructables, there's no step-by-step format to the entries, with many just having a video and an article. However, there are more categories to choose from, including one that focuses just on dating and relationships - entries here include how to French kiss and, if you master that, how to put on a condom.

ExpertVillage (www.expertvillage.com) prides itself on having videos that are made by experts in their field (or so they say) whose bios you can read. Videos on offer include guitar tips and how to wield a samurai sword.

MakeZine (www.makezine.com) focuses on the type of tech projects that would interest Back to the Future's Doc Brown, such as how to make an automatic cat feeder and a guide to building a retro MP3 player that looks like it came from the '60s (the NASA pod). It has more of a magazine feel to it than the other sites and places emphasis on building a community so users can discuss ideas.

The articles and videos on eHow (www.ehow.com) not only show all the different steps involved but often also have tips and warnings, as well as a separate box outlining what you need to attempt the project. A surprising number of categories and sub-categories are available. For example, within the wedding category there are sub-categories on topics such as wedding stationery, which in turn has sub-categories such as one on thank you notes.

VideoJug (www.videojug.com), whose slogan is "Life explained. On Film", relies solely on videos and doesn't have articles to accompany them. It does, however, have a lot of categories, including one on safety and survival (where you can find the video on how to survive a monster attack).

Howcast (www.howcast.com) has videos and articles on topics such as how to have sex in a car and how to fit in on your first day of work. Budding filmmakers don't have to come up with their own DIY tips either - they can choose a pre-written script from Howcast to shoot and get paid $US50 ($A74) if it's accepted and, if it generates 40,000 or more playbacks, a split of the ad revenue it generates.

Graspr (www.graspr.com) focuses purely on videos and provides a production tool that allows you to edit your video entry. Awide range of videos is available, from origami tips to hacking into your iPod, not to mention a video for men on how to find nice girls.

Metacafe (www.metacafe.com) doesn't market itself as a DIY site but still has a lot of instructional videos on topics such as how to make butter, create a hydrogen generator or do the moonwalk. -- DAN KAUFMAN

© 2008 The Age

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