Our go-to guy for all things R/C, Fra Fondi, of Hobby Media/Xtreme RC Cars, sent us this video for an awesome Lego NXT-controlled boat. It has an NXT Brick MCU onboard and is controlled by a mobile phone via Bluetooth. It has a range of about 50 meters in clear line of sight. A few more pics here on Brickshelf. [Thanks, Fra!]
Lego NXT R/C boat
From the pages of MAKE:
MAKE Volume 22, Remote Control Everything
Automate your world with remote control. From pet care to power outlets, from toys to telepresence, we'll show you how to add a joystick, push-button, twist-knob, or timer to just about anything. Don't forget, subscribers can always read the digital edition here. Read more | Permalink | Comments | Read more articles in LEGO | Digg this! 
One of the hands-down favorite, perennial attractions at Maker Faire is the "Diet Coke and Mentos guys," aka Fritz Grobe and Stephen Voltz, aka EepyBird. Huge crowds excitedly gather to watch explosive geysers of carbonated combustion and to be showered with plumes of sticky sugar-water (which must be so much fun to wear around the Faire for the rest of the day). Fritz and Stephen are always looking to up the ante, to see what else they can do with the combustive power of the "nucleation" that occurs when you combine the CO2 gas of soda with the unique sugar-coated surface of the Mentos (which forms "nucleation sites," nooks and crannies that cause the rapid formation of bubbles and a resulting foam that can be directed into a jet). In this video, they show off their latest wacky stunt, turning a specially-built trike, some PVC pipe, 108 2-liter bottles of soda and 648 Mentos tablets into a rocket car. On their site, they have a 3D version of the video, if you have the glasses (or want to make your own).
The Coke Zero &Mentos Rocket Car (2-D version)
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Katie Wilson @ CRAFT writes: I randomly stumbled upon New York artist Jennifer Cecere's giant Doilies while looking for images of drawn lace (oh internet, how I love you). Needless to say they are arresting and demand investigation. Made from ripstop nylon and acrylic, these delicate behemoths range in size from 4' to 20' and connote a range of associable imagery, from giant spiderwebs to dreamcatchers to snowflakes. Read more | Permalink | Comments | Read more articles in Crafts | Digg this! 
A helpful commenter on my recent VHS generational loss experiment post alerted me [Thanks, W P Tunes!] to composer Alvin Lucier's 1969 recording I Am Sitting in a Room (Wikipedia), which is one of the earliest and most significant artistic works based on generational data loss on repeated copying of electronic media. Lucier spoke a short text in a room, recorded it in that room, then played the recording back in the same room and recorded that. And did that over and over again. The quality of the piece would change depending on the acoustic properties of the room in which it was performed/recorded. You can hear a copy of the original recording here. Now, YouTuber canzona has repeated Lucier's experiment/work by uploading a video of himself speaking a variation of Lucier's original text, ripping that video from YouTube, reuploading it, and repeating that process 1,000 times. His original recording is embedded uppermost, and the 1,000th generation below that. All the intervening generations are available in canzona's channel. [via Boing Boing] Read more | Permalink | Comments | Read more articles in Video Making | Digg this! 
This week kicked off the World Science Festival, a five-day extravaganza in New York City. There's still time to catch today's and this weekend's events, including the Sunday Street Fair in Washington Square Park, where you can find Maker Faire folks at the New York Hall of Science booth. If you're in the neighborhood from 10-6 on Sunday, stop by and say hi! Read more | Permalink | Comments | Read more articles in Events | Digg this! 
I met Kent Weakley and his son Lucas at Maker Faire this year -- a couple of really nice guys who got there a day early (as Maker Faire Boosters) for a look behind the scenes. Lucas helped me put together some of my projects while Kent set out with video camera in hand to capture the sights and sounds of the Faire over the next two days. After the Faire was over I got an email from Kent:
Hi John, Here's the video from last weekend. Hope you like it. Lucas is on cloud nine still from Maker Faire. I can't help but think this is a movement that will help establish a whole new generation of creators who might not have otherwise been inspired to do so. Well we're on cloud nine enjoying your video, Kent! Thanks for sharing it. If you took video at Maker Faire, share it with us at our video submission page. For his efforts, Kent will receive a $50 gift certificate to the Maker Shed.
Subscribe to the MAKE Podcast in iTunes, download the m4v video directly, or watch it on YouTube and Vimeo. Read more | Permalink | Comments | Read more articles in MAKE Video | Digg this! 
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