Hackett is an artist; the founder and director of Brooklyn’s maker combine, the Madagascar Institute; occasional television presenter; adjunct professor at New York University; and contributing editor to Popular Science. Hackett likes his coffee strong and his physics Newtonian, and he is a firm believer in “build it, then measure it.”

Founded in 1872, Popular Science is the world’s largest science and technology magazine, with 6.7 million readers. Each month, the magazine reports on the intersection of science and everyday life, and its popular Manual column offers tons of fascinating DIY tech projects for both beginning tinkerers and pro builders alike. Popular Science is one of the oldest continuously published magazines in the United States, and is published in five languages and nine countries. The magazine’s Web site, popsci.com, has been readers’ first stop for up-to-the-minute science news since the site first went live in 1996.