So I don't want to go too far down the "funny warning signs" rabbit hole (you could get a whole blog out of that, I think), but a commenter on last Tuesday's "Big Scary Laser" post linked to this design, of hers, to be mounted on robot power tools. I get a huge kick out of the giant menacing robot with the buzz-saw hand. [Thanks, Jennifer Elaan!]
I don't think I've ever seen as unique a Lego creation as this "eco punk" mobile town, created by Dave DeGobbi. (Click for a bigger pic!)
Crawler town roams the barren wastes of a post steam-punk world after cataclysmic climate change do to excessive coal use. Several such cities exist but Crawler town is the most popular due to the Aero 500 hydrogen fuel cell Air races that are held. Many people travel the wastes to Crawler town for vacation and to enjoy rare luxuries like Pizza, fresh vegetables and Beer. Travelling the wastes in search of minerals and aquifers ( vital for survival) the mobility of the city keeps it away from the vicious sand storms of the wastes.
To celebrate the anime "Sora no Otoshimono," which depicted hundreds of girl's panties flying like birds, the Japanese company Questioners has produced a series of rubber-band powered Panty Ornithopters. On march 6th these flying pants will be liberated in the skyes of Akihabara during the model rocketry event "Sorafes" (translated "Sky Festival").
Among the organizers of the event there is an amateur group of aspiring web-livecasters called NKH and Nicotech, an open Internet community of Sunday engineers
I am utterly speechless (and anybody who knows me will understand the rarity of such an occurrence).
Steve Cooley designed a pretty deluxe hardware interface for controlling music software, better known as the Beatseqr. Since it's based on an Arduino Mega, the device can of course be reprogrammed to make use of onboard faders and LED buttons in a variety of ways. Beatseqr sends data out in the form hi-res OSC messages, which can be converted in software down to MIDI. Source code for the project is available on github and prebuilt versions of the hardware are now for sale on Maker's Market.
Matt sez, "With that rocks-for-brains reporter in Boston trying to link campus shooter Amy Bishop's crimes to Dungeons & Dragons, I thought I'd take an opportunity to look at the good D&D has done for several writers I know. This is that article. By the way, I've been a D&D player for almost thirty years now, and have been a happier, more productive person for it."
And Cory adds:
I haven't played since my early 20s (late teens?) but D&D was an enormously positive influence on my life and imagination.
And I would add: Me too! D&D helped me as a writer, storyteller, project organizer, and was also one of my entrees into making. When I started with D&D, my friends and I were too poor for miniatures, so we made our own from clay, and our dungeons and scenery were constructed out of paper, cardboard, and foam. I got my first Dremel tool to help me make gaming components. And it was my first heavy, multi-application use for my first computers (writing scenarios, player handouts, drawing maps, keeping character databases, and hanging out on D&D BBSes).
Not to mention, as someone who has dyslexia, it helped me with my number/math skills and in seeing the utility of applying math to something that was hugely fun and creative.
Australian reader Ian Ross sent in pictures of his awesome workbench, which packs some interesting gear like nixie-tube test equipment.
It is the disorganised chaos of over 30 years of collecting discarded electronic devices. Some of the test instruments use lovely Nixie tubes and I also have a flat screen telly so I can escape to my sanctuary at night. The main workbench light is a surplus dental exam light which is excellent for working with small devices.
The MintyBoost Parts bundle from the Maker Shed includes everything you need to make the RuntyBoost version of the MintyBoost! We include the MintyBoost kit 2.0, our Make Project tin, and even the AA batteries. Yes, the batteries are included too! All you need to do is some simple soldering, and a few minor mods of the project tin, and you will have a great portable charger.
Features
(1) MintyBoost USB Charger Kit v2.0
(1) Make Project Tin - Measures 3-3/4" long, 2-3/8" wide, 3/4" deep
If you have the Make: Electronics book, or just thinking of getting a copy - tonight I will be assisting Ladyada (Limor Fried) with Adafruit's weekly "Ask an engineer" LIVE video chat... Here are the details...
Tonight, Saturday 2/20/2010 - 10pm ET - "Ask an Engineer" - our weekly LIVE video chat! What is "Ask an engineer"? From the electronics enthusiast to the professional community - "Ask an Engineer" has a little bit of everything for everyone. If you're a beginner, or an seasoned engineer - stop in and see what we're up to! We have demos of projects and products we're working on, we answer you engineering and electronics questions and we have a trivia question + give away each week. This week we'll go through some of chapters of "Make: Electronics by Charles Platt" The book is geared towards ultimate-beginners and teaches electronics starting from basic core of analog to some digital to microcontrollers. You'll learn tools, prototyping soldering techniques, transistors, 555's, etc. while completing useful projects. A nice and tidy intro! This book is a good accompaniment to learning microcontrollers/Arduino in that it fills the necessary electronics theory and background.
Chat starts at 10pm ET (Saturday night 10pm ET 2/20/2010) on the dot (here and here)...
Wandering through the MAKE Flickr pool the other day, I saw what appeared to be custom-made game controlling guitars. Taking a closer look, I saw that they were actually using Scratch Sensor Board controllers. The Scratch Board is a neat device with four inputs for custom built sensors. On the board itself are a potentiometer, light sensor, sound sensor and a push button. Your program can look for user generated input on each of these, which can change your program or game based on the sensor input.
Chris, whose photostream the picture was in told me a bit about the project:
I'm enjoying SF based Kiriko Moth's work. You might remember seeing her work from the bee post :) I think Crabfu should hang out with Kiriko and maybe that robot octopus.
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