Rescue some walkmen from Marin

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Max writes in:

My former employer who does audio tours is emptying out their warehouse and is throwing out a couple hundred walkmans. They are already in a dumpster by their office and will probably be picked up sometime tomorrow. I send you this information in the hopes you know someone close to Marin (Sausalito) who might have interest enough to dig them out and save them from the landfill for mello-tronic projects and the like.

They’re located out at Fort Cronkhite in the Marin Headlands.

More:

Austin Art Outside call for participation

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Here’s a great opportunity to get involved in Austin at Art Outside:

Hushed galleries. White walls. “Inside” voices. That’s one way to experience art. But Art Outside 2009 is looking to change that. If you are a visual artist, performer, musician, dancer, comic, filmmaker, crafter, fashion designer, or a creative spirit of any sort – we are looking for you to participate this October 9-11th.

One of Texas’ most anticipated annual art events, Art Outside is a three-day experience for art lovers, families, DIY junkies and avid concert-goers. You’ll perform or display your work in the environs of Apache Pass, located just East of Austin and centered between Houston, Dallas, and San Antonio. With over 100+ participants across all media, it’s also an opportunity to meet and network with artists from all over the country, from under-the-radar newcomers to today’s art icons.

Just some of this year’s participants include carnivalian collective Art of Such N’ Such, fresh off their 2009 Bonnaroo performance, eco-chic fashion designer Rene Geneva, recently named Best Local Fashion Designer at the Austin Fashion Awards, blues/vintage rock outfit The Golden Animals, Fort Knox Five, Freq Nasty, DIY workshops by The WonderCraft, Comedy by Reggie Watts and Adira Amram, food by Ararat and Happy Vegan Baker and many more. *visit website for full line-up/line-up is subject to change.

We look forward to reviewing your wild, wonderful creations. With a tradition of showcasing groundbreaking talent on breathtaking grounds, Art Outside has hosted artists and art appreciators since 2004. Founded at Austin Enchanted Forest, Art Outside began as a small gathering of creative souls, and expanded into a destination event for visitors near and far. We pay homage to the Enchanted Forest as we spread our wings over a new landscape, Apache Pass, where we can host more art than ever before. An inspiring expanse of beautiful central Texas landscape, Apache Pass will offer music performance areas, a cantilevered stage, artist tents, camping grounds for full-weekend participants, food and drink vendors. A limited amount of advance 3-day passes are now available for purchase on the website. To learn more, please visit Art Outside-www.artoutside.org.  

Can 'Unscientific America' be science literate?


Can ‘Unscientific America’ Be Science Literate? @ NPR

Is the rift closing between scientists and the general public? Sheril Kirshenbaum, co-author of Unscientific America, discusses the challenges of communicating about science and engineering, what scientists can do to help, and why science literacy is especially important today.

I listen to podcasts while I ship packages (kits) the above audio just happen to be on today – and oddly enough here were tons of orders for schools and “back to school” type group buys. It’s likely a grassroots style movement that we’re all seeing in the MAKE world, but I’m more encouraged than discouraged lately.

Weekend Project: Mini Fume Extractor


Candy tin fume absorber helps keep your air clean and your lungs healthy.
Thanks go to Marc de Vinck for the original article in MAKE, Volume 19.
To download The Mini Fume Extractor click here or subscribe in iTunes.
Check out the complete Mini Fume Extractor article in MAKE, Volume 19
and you can see that in our Digital Edition.

Birthday cannon

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Happy birthday, here’s your cannon… @ Dailymail

Mike Daugherty asked his 11-year-old son Logan what he wanted for his birthday. The boy said, “I want a cannon.” Dad didn’t scoff at Logan’s request by saying, “How about a hippopotamus instead,” as a Christmas song from another era lamented. No, Daugherty is not that kind of guy. He granted his son’s wish and built him a Civil War-era cannon not a model, the real deal. The howitzer fires and rivals anything seen at Civil War reenactments across the country. He said it took him about two weeks to build and is worth about $6,000. “It looks like something right out of the battle at Gettysburg,” Daugherty said. The cast iron and steel 4-inch gun barrel is 36 inches long. It is mounted on a wooden gun carriage with two 36- inch diameter wheels. The cannon weighs about 700 pounds, so it is not something Logan will be able to carry to school in his backpack.

I-Swarm, real micro-sized robots!


These tiny I-Swarm (Intelligent Small-World Autonomous Robots for Micro-manipulation) robots are incredibly neat! They move by using a piezoelectric transducer to vibrate across a surface in a manner similar to a bristlebot, only controllable. Because they are vibrating at audible frequencies, they also produce pleasant sounds as they move about. Someone should choreograph a tiny performance for them! [via hizook]