Storing multiple PCs is always a tricky challenge, but coder Janne came up with an unusual solution for his six-core Linux cluster: popping everything into an IKEA six-drawer Helmer cabinet. This admittedly might work better in Sweden than in high-temperature Australia, but it's still a neat approach. If you've come up with another novel solution for storing your servers, let's hear about it in the comments.

A user on website Tilted Forum Project made a few DIY adjustments to a wall-mounted entertainment centre kit to build a cordless desk and charging station. The result: a lot of charging capacity, a nice, clean desk, and only one visible cord in the entire setup. You may not have access to the same materials just laying a round the house, but we think this setup offers some nice inspiration.

With Halloween just around the corner, DIY web site Instructables details how to build a killer costume with this living severed hand. All you need is some heavy gloves, a few household items, and a desire to impress on the 31st.

One DIY skill many of us don't have is the ability to tie a bowline (knot, that is). Unless you're a sailor or a Girl or Boy Scout, you've probably never heard of a bowline (pronounced "boh-lin"). But this super-useful knot creates a loop that's strong enough to put around someone's waist and pull them out of the water, or hold down heavy objects, and it's very easily undone. Hit the play button above to learn how to tie a bowline using an easy-to-remember bunny metaphor. Just recently I hung a hammock using a bowline. Any knot nerds out there put the bowline to good use in regular everyday life? Any other knots you know and love? 'Fess up in the comments.

The R-Strap, a sling for DSLR cameras that hooks into the tripod socket, makes it easy to keep a camera slung low during idle moments, then quickly bring it up for shooting without scraping your neck or twisting the strap. The Photojojo site points out two DIY R-Strap how-tos that require just a few dollars of gear and not too much hardware work to get the same effect. Best of all, you can use nearly any strap you like, so if you've always felt comfortable with your laptop tote or guitar strap, you can get the same effect while shooting. Check out the original R-Strap in a video demonstration below.

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Instructables author JFDuval had an old cell phone and a cheap headset laying around, so he decided to fuse them together to make better-quality calls on free VOIP service Skype. As you might imagine, you don't get wireless calling, and this method requires a small bit of soldering and case-opening, but the author says the call quality—and, in the case of a really cheap headset, the comfort on his ears—improved noticeably. It was also a crafty way to use some spare time and two items destined for the trash. Hit the link below for the step-by-step.

While not as grandiose as having your own secret bookshelf door, constructing a hidden USB data stash won't take a whole weekend and involve a table saw. At the DIY website Instructables there is a step by step tutorial on hiding your data behind a phone jack plate. By wiring a USB cord to the phone plate and making a USB cord with a phone jack terminal at one end, you'll be able to access your secret data stash.

Accidental music mogul Dave Brown helped launch the careers of Death Cab for Cutie, Bright Eyes and The Album Leaf, among others. These days his record label turned consulting company, Holiday Matinee, beefs up the resumes of dot-coms and other merchants of cool. I got a chance to talk to Brown about the details of his journey from music enthusiast to a record label founder. Illustration by Dave Brown.

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Noisy wine expert Gary Vaynerchuck offers a quick but smart tip for removing the foil sleeve from a bottle of wine without the tedious cover trimmers. His simple secret: Just pull it off. This may not be mind-blowing if you already knew this seemingly obvious trick, but if you didn't, it's a real time-saver.