31 replies to this topic

[jwasko]

Well, according to Uber (or someone, anyway), we had to write a 600-1000 word essay. The editors/whatevers of Make would then consider if Nerf was good enough to put in their magazine
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However, I just actually looked at the submission guidelines. It seems to me that the type of article that an NIC article would be written as is:

"And we also have 600- to 1,000-word articles about groups, companies, clubs, and technologies relating to DIY projects."

We could also do a "DIY" (A NF mod?) or "Major Project" (think: one of Forsaken's big mods, or a homemade)
[see more about the guidelines here]

Note there's also a link to email the assistant editor on that page.

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Then I went to the actual submission form. First, I saw these choices:

"-This is my project and I'd like to write about it for MAKE,
-This is a cool project; it's not mine, but I'd like to write about it for MAKE,
-I'm just sending you a link to a cool project"

I'm not sure which to choose.

At the bottom is a box to "describe the project in a paragraph or two."

There are also boxes for URLs to photos and full project pages.
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So, taking all that into consideration, I think that:

1. First, we only have to write a short essay (maybe 100 words = 2 paragraphs?) in order to get them to consider us. We can discuss what to include, then submit it.

2.We should decide what links to give them. Obviously, NH, NHQ, Boltsniper.com, and the Wiki will be good general sites. However, it may be appreciated to link to a few specific writeups(simple and complicated, mods and homemades)

3. In the case that we get accepted, we (I think) will then be responsible for putting together the article ourselves.

Edited by jwasko, 11 January 2008 - 03:42 PM.

[precisionnerfer]

I'm sorry guys, I just had to add something to this.
It's not complete, but, you will catch my style when you are done with the first part, and I haven't edited it, but you can tell by the part below if the finished product could be acceptable or not.

NERF Mods
[the future of your inner child]
Have you ever seen a foam dart blaster? You know, one of those things that you put a little foam dart in, pump it or prime it, and then shoot about 20 feet? Those are great fun for kids and in the office cubicles.

But yet, it gets kind of lame when you try to fire more then 20 feet, doesn't it. Now days, if you are seen with one of those things, you are pointed to airsoft or paintball, being convinced in one way or another that they are more “Real,” or, “Manly” Wouldn't it be great to avoid that encounter and surprise your friends with something different all together?

Enter Nerf modifications. Turn that little pea shooter in the basement into to a beast. Rock your office wars with a real Nerf gun. Unleash the power that you created on your kids, with your kids, or at your cocky coworkers. Individuals from rapidly growing websites such as Nerfhaven.com and Nerfhq.com have put a new spin on the word, Nerf. Learn how to make fully automatic, 40 shot Kaunas with your own two hands. Craft and form a blaster that can accurately shoot 150 + feet pointed level. Paint a beautiful camo, flame, black, or completely custom blaster that will make your opponents either die laughing or freeze in fear when they look down the barrel. Oh, and all without blasting your wallet, like some other, “manly” hobbies I could name. The Web's Nerfing community, [NIC] is a colorful and helpful bunch that can get you started on your road to gloy.

Before we get to far ahead, lets cover some of the basics:
Nerf blaster normally fire small, foam darts made by Hasbro. Now, thanks to a guy named Stefan, we can fire a form of dart called, [you guessed it] a Stefan. Stefans are foam backer rod, basically cut down to two inches and then weighted and glued over via hot glue. By putting in a weight, [normally a BB or small fishing weight] we give it more power upon being shot. By covering the top with a hot glue dome, we make it aerodynamic, not to mention leaving a sting when it hits. As long as one wears proper eye protection, however, no injuries will come from a properly modified blaster.
The blaster itself? Well, that's the really fun part. Modifications to the inside of a blaster can vary from merely removing pieces in the barrel to help the air flow, all the way to gutting out the whole shell and sticking the internals of a new gun inside.
Most blasters are powered by a small spring-operated piston. These are commonly known as “Springers” On springers, one would most often replace the spring inside the piston with a stronger one, giving the plunger head more power as it pushes the air from the piston into the barrel, and to the dart. Also, there is a small o-ring around the plunger head, which can be replaced, modified, or re-enforced with electric tape or another o-ring.
There are other blasters that are powered by an air-operated piston....

[Ubermensch]

Does anyone know how many words their essays had?

[Rambo]

I think jwasko, or someone appointed themself word count liason. Most of them were posted after the fact, skim through the thread, I'm sure you'll see the counts.

[Ubermensch]

...well, then lets keep working on this. I'm currently writing an essay, but it isn't done yet.

[Rambo]

To be honest, I kind of lost interest. With classes just starting, I doubt I'll have time and motivation strike me simultaneously now. Good luck to the rest of you, though.

[Forsaken angel24]

Hey Rambo empty your pm box. I need to get in touch with you.