Backyard Imagineering

By way of BoingBoing, I came across this interesting web site, just in time for Halloween. They have a whole section on "Backyard Imagineering", or rather, replicating cool special effects from Disney World at home.

One more advanced discussions details ways to make your own "jumping fountain". Another, how to make the cool Haunted Mansion "ghost" effects that appear on the ride.

I found myself reading project after project full of great ideas. They're well written too. For example, the "how to decorate your cube like a tiki bar" was pretty much "no duh", except that including the step to...

Get rid of non-essential stuff Eliminate all non-essential work-related clutter from your cube. File excess paper. Put away corporate awards, coffee cups, paperweights, etc. Take old memos and calendars featuring kittens off your bulletin board.

...makes all the difference for an impressing execution, and something you might not have consciously thought of.

Backyard Imagineering