RSSArchives: January 2008
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January 29, 2008
Say hello to Marc, our newest MAKE contributor
Everyone please give a warm welcome to Marc! He will be contributing daily to the MAKE blog. Marc is a product designer, a sculptor and he started his own product design company creating everything from candy to CNC mills.
Keep an eye out for his current Arduino controlled sculptures in our Make Flickr pool, and if you have something interesting to share, you should post it there too! - Link
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
Jan 29, 2008 02:00 PM
Announcements |
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| Comments (3)
Instructables LED contest
LED Throwies were published here on Instructables.com on Feb. 14, 2006 by Q-Branch of the GRL.This simple, elegant project spawned a minor LED revolution: from Instructables like the LED Throwie Floatie, Talkie, Rat, and motion-sensor to the weird mash-up of art and advertising in the Boston Mooninite scare, it's clear that anyone can make something fun with LEDs -- including you.
So, in honor of the upcoming two-year anniversary of the throwie, we're holding an LED-based speed contest we're calling Get the LED Out!
You have three weeks to publish the coolest Instructable featuring LEDs of any kind. That's right -- any project using LEDs will be eligible, so be creative! We've got lots of LED Instructables to get you inspired, and even some help for beginners.Need more incentive?
The fantastic ladyada of Adafruit Industries has donated some of her great TV-B-Gone Kits for the winners! Check out her store for more kits and inspiration.Since this is a short contest we're letting the audience judge!
Find the entries here and rate your favorite projects so we know what you like. Vote for as few or as many as you like - it's up to you. Only positive votes will count in this contest! We're not including ballot stuffing or negative votes, so please exercise good sportsmanship.We'll judge based on the standings at noon PST on Thursday, February 14, 2008 so everyone will have time to check out and vote on even the latest entries. Results will be posted shortly thereafter.
How to Enter the Get the LED Out! Speed Challenge - Link
Posted by Gareth Branwyn |
Jan 29, 2008 01:00 PM
Announcements, Electronics, Instructables |
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AAA powered Arduino
MAKE Flickr Pool member Funax made an Arduino-compatible board powered by a single AAA battery.
A step-up converter is used to boost the battery's 1.5V output to 5V and meet Arduino's minimum power requirements. Keep in mind - this circuit would considerably reduce current supplied to the board and therefore limit its ability to power external components.
AAArduino on Flickr- Link
Learn more about DC-DC converters on Jaycar.com - Link
Related:
Uduino - Low cost Arduino development boardLink
Arduino @ MAKE - Link
Posted by Collin Cunningham |
Jan 29, 2008 12:30 PM
Arduino, DIY Projects |
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Emery Blagdon's healing machines
Intriguing art/inventions by Emery Blagdon - using various wood, metals, salts, and his own brand of medical science:
Blagdon, who died in 1986 at 78, made "healing machines": ornate thickets of wire, aluminum-foil stips and wood scraps that he also called "my pretties." He was 48 when he began making these peculiar constructions, which grew to fill an 800-square-foot shed. Living in isolation, Blagdon devoted the rest of his life to his "machines." He believed they generated electromagnetic energy that could help cure arthritis and other ailments of people who stood near them.
Cavin-Morris Gallery - Link
(Flash site: click contemporary->Self Taught->Emery Blagden)
Related:
MAKE Vol 9: Fringe - Link
Posted by Collin Cunningham |
Jan 29, 2008 12:00 PM
Arts |
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"Light Energy" furniture and more
Bizarrely awesome LED furniture from Light Energy Studio! These pieces appear to have been pulled out of an alternate future envisioned in the early 1990's.
Light Energy's design efforts aren't limited to furniture - be sure to check out their light paintings (complete with remote control) as well.
Light Energy Studios -[via]Link
Related:
LED Dining table - Link
Posted by Collin Cunningham |
Jan 29, 2008 11:30 AM
Arts |
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Should owning a Geiger counter require permission?
Rich writes about a proposal which would require permission to own a Geiger counter in NYC (pictured here the USB one I used to measure radiation on a plane). Post your thoughts in the comments. Rich writes -
So I find this attempt by the City of New York to regulate sensors to be fascinating. It is hard to read the article, and especially a couple of the comments, without feeling like we are living in the movie Brazil.village voice > news > Runnin' Scared: NYPD Seeks an Air Monitor Crackdown for New Yorkers by Chris Thompson - Link.There is probably a huge history of bans on the ability to observe reality, and I just don't read enough history, but this seems like an attempt to exert a new level of control.
Various bans on publishing data, for example the EPA chemical hazards databases, are related. As are bans on radio scanners and RADAR detectors, but both of those seem like a different kind of thing than regulating the ability to observe objective reality.
It also comes at near the last possible moment (if not too late already) when sensors could be regulated before they become (even more totally) ubiquitous.
Having a 'Warranty Voider' t-shirt in my closet and knife in my pocket makes me think of this proposed regulation in a different way. It makes me want a Social Contract Voider.
The article refers to the mostly hypothetical cases of people monitoring schools and their environment for toxins. I know that is a popular theme when we spin our tales of the coming sensor web utopia, and I've seen a few projects in that area, but it would be great to draw more attention to people powered sensor networks.
There really is an amorphous They who don't want us to know what is going on in our local environment. I'd love to see the radicalization of personal sensor nets.
Having this data fits in with the other puzzle pieces I've been working on for a while now, with a geoweb and maps to tell stories, and my recent Gigapan work. And the attempts to limit this data also fit in with experiences I've been having where people somehow feel they have a right to stop me from taking pictures.
Taking a picture is a radical act. Making a map is a radical act. Taking a sensor reading is a radical act. And putting them together to tell a story is the most radical of radical acts.
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
Jan 29, 2008 11:00 AM
Culture jamming |
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Radio control switch from junk
This is a great way to recycle those old cordless phones into something really useful and in only 5 relatively easy steps.
Here we are going to make a simple radio controlled device using supplies from your local dumpster. This project should cost less than a dollar to make. If you spend more than a dollar on this project, you need to dig more.
How to make a radio control switch - Link
Related Link:
- How to make a wireless switch - Link
Posted by Marc de Vinck |
Jan 29, 2008 11:00 AM
DIY Projects, Electronics |
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| Comments (3)
Weird sound generator kits
Synth designer Ray Wilson is now selling kits for his "Weird Sound Generator Reborn" standalone instrument module. It's a quick build and makes for some very cool noises. There's even professional-grade front panels available for use on the enclosure.
Ray's site is a great resource for learning about synthesizers and electronics in general. His circuits are well documented with a welcome sense of humor.
Weird Sound Generator kits - Link
Music from Outer Space - Link
Related:
Synthesizer DIY pages of René Schmitz - Link
Synthesizers @ MAKE - Link
Super-simple DIY synth plans - Link
Posted by Collin Cunningham |
Jan 29, 2008 10:00 AM
DIY Projects, Electronics, Kits, Music |
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| Comments (0)
Sonic Body
If you don't already know, I love the Arduino, and Sonic Body has a great interactive sculpture made with one of these cool little microcontrollers.
The Sonic Body is an audio-installation that uses interactive technology to create an orchestra of the human body. Developed as collaboration between four interdisciplinary artists and a heart surgeon, the installation brings together art and medical-science to reveal the unheard sounds of the body.
The video is interesting, but I am sure it is no substitute for entering the environment and seeing it in person. Unfortunately, according to the web site, it was on view at the Blank Gallery through November 2007. Let's hope it makes a trip to the US in the future. - Link [Via]
Related:
Posted by Marc de Vinck |
Jan 29, 2008 09:00 AM
Arduino |
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HOW TO - Guitar Hero auto-whammy
Some may call it cheating but many more will call it "Sweeeeeeet"!
Take your game to the next level by modding a Guitar Hero controller with a 555 timer circuit - making inhumanly fast whammy attacks finally a reality. Ryan posted a great how-to (in between solos):
HOWTO Hack Your Guitar Hero Whammy Bar - Link
Related:
Left handed Guitar hero mod & more mods! - Link
More 555 timer projects - Link
Posted by Collin Cunningham |
Jan 29, 2008 08:45 AM
DIY Projects, Electronics, Gaming |
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| Comments (6)
Pink superbright LEDs
The Evil Mad Science shop has 10 mm diffused pink superbright LEDs just in time for Valentine's Day project because: "What better way to say "I love you," than with the gift of doped semiconductors exhibiting radiative recombination properties?"
10 mm superbright diffused PINK LEDs! - Link
Posted by Gareth Branwyn |
Jan 29, 2008 08:00 AM
Electronics |
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| Comments (8)
Lovesick Larry
Everyone say say hi to Lovesick Larry. He's a sympathy doll made by Flickr user "brooklyn sunset":
We were inspired by Bre's Sympathy Doll project in his Weekend Projects podcast. We got out our 40 yr old Singer sewing machine and used my grandpa's old Pendleton robe for sentimental value and we now have Lovesick Larry.
Truly heartwarming - makes us appreciate red flannel a whole lot more.
Lovesick Larry on Flickr -Link
Related:
Make a Sympathy Doll - Weekend Projects PDFcast - Link
Posted by Collin Cunningham |
Jan 29, 2008 07:40 AM
Crafts, DIY Projects, Weekend Projects |
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| Comments (1)
Solar camping light stays lit for over 2 days on one charge
This solar camping light project can operate for 55 hours before needing to be recharged and was built from parts found at local electronics retailers. Pretty nice, I wish the laptop I'm using to write this post had that kind of energy efficiency. Plus it comes with a nice how-to at the link below.
A solar camping light - [via] Link
Posted by Jonah Brucker-Cohen |
Jan 29, 2008 07:35 AM
Electronics |
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Kisos 3D vase
Amazing 3D vase (they're selling it on eBay too) -
The "kisos" is a limited edition flower vase. The intricate organic forms enhance the beauty of the flowers that are held inside the vase. In the lower part can hold water. This is our first time selling our design on eBay soKisos 3D vase - [via] Link.It was designed by UMAMY design group (www.umamy.com) a well renowned design firm.
The unique design of the vase can only be created using as 3d printer (each layer was printed separately one on top of the other) and was built using a computer generated file.
This purchase is direct from the designers who designed it and is a limited edition; the file will be destroyed after the 50th production.
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
Jan 29, 2008 07:30 AM
Arts, Made On Earth |
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| Comments (1)
Bottled stories
I love these "Bottled stories" Michael writes -
Everybody needs a hobby and this is mine. I'll write a short-short story, print it out, and place it in a bottle. This particular bottle once contained Knappogue Castle Irish whiskey, one of the great tipples of the world. It may even (I forget) be the bottle that I brought back from my first trip overseas in 1982, back when each bottle was individually numbered by hand.Flogging Babel: Bottled Stories - [via] Link.After the story is placed in the bottle, I sign and date the glass with a diamond-tipped pen. Then I cork the bottle and Marianne covers the top with sealing wax. After writing a letter of provenance, I destroy every copy, physical or electronic, other than the one inside the bottle. It is now, in the original, unspoiled sense of the word, unique.
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
Jan 29, 2008 07:00 AM
Arts |
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| Comments (4)
3D graffiti lets you literally run through a tag
The "Tagged in Motion" project connects up physical space to live graffiti tagging to build a bridge between real graffiti art and its virtual depiction. Co-created by graffiti artist, DAIM, the video shows the artist tagging while tracked by three cameras and equipped with a Bluetooth controller that allows him to change colors and strokes that relays this information to a computer in his backpack that renders its path as sprayed strokes in physical space. All of this is seen in real-time through wearing a head mounted display. Pretty nice idea and cool run through at the end of the video.
Free Graffitti (Tagged in Motion) - Link
Posted by Jonah Brucker-Cohen |
Jan 29, 2008 07:00 AM
Arts |
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| Comments (2)
I Eat Beats - Edible music interface
Kyle writes -
Skittle-based beat sequencer, a tangible and edible music interface. This is a prototype developed over the course of two evenings, with a webcam and Processing.I Eat Beats - Edible music interface - [via] Link.The webcam is mounted using cardboard/wood above the screen, and Skittles are placed on the screen -- a cheap responsive surface (when a circle is active, it turns green).
Future directions may include: more sensor types (e.g., a slider for tempo control), note-sequencing mode, and assigning the different colors to different rhythms or instruments (purple as bassline, or yellow as "every other measure").
There is a cut in the middle where it transitions from solo improvisation to three people interacting simultaneously. Any out-of-sync audio/video is due to my frazzled camera.
One of the other big problems: people like to eat Skittles.
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
Jan 29, 2008 06:00 AM
Electronics, Music |
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| Comments (2)
Make3D --- convert your images to 3d
Stanford's 3D tool where you can upload your own 2D image and make it 3D (site seems to be getting hammered at the moment)-
Make3D converts your single picture into a 3-D model. It takes a two-dimensional image and creates a three-dimensional "fly around" model, giving the viewers access to the scene's depth and a range of points of view.Make3D --- convert your images to 3d - [via] Link.It uses powerful machine learning techniques (more details here), to learn the relation between small image patches and their depth and orientation. This allows it to model 3-d structures such as slopes of mountains or branches of trees.
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
Jan 29, 2008 05:00 AM
DIY Projects, Imaging, Online |
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| Comments (1)
Bristle Bot from PS2 controller motor
Here's a monster version of the bristle bot, one made from a PS2 controller - Link.
Related:
HOW TO - Make a Bristlebot a tiny directional vibrobot ... - Link.
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
Jan 29, 2008 04:00 AM
DIY Projects, Robotics |
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Make your own plasma globe
OK, maybe rolling your own vacuum tubes was a bit difficult? Why not start out by trying to make your own plasma globe? It uses an off the shelf 250 mL flask, saving you the difficult glass blowing parts. This isn't a step by step like instructables, but it is a great starting point with a bunch of useful information. It would be a great addition to your Jacobs Ladder- Link
Related Links:
- Make your own vacuum tubes - Link
More Jacob's Ladder links:
Posted by Marc de Vinck |
Jan 29, 2008 12:00 AM
DIY Projects, Electronics, Science |
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| Comments (1)
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MAKE @ The NYC Toy Fair 2008 - Covering DIY!HOW TO - Build the arms of assistance.
MADE in Japan - Part I.
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Current Podcast
AHAB High Altitude Ballooning - Best of Weekend Projects
mp4|mov|hd|3gp|3g2|itunes This week on Best of Weekend Projects, we look back at part two of the AHAB (High Altitude Balloon Adventure). In this epic Bre & Co. travel to Eastern Washington to launch a GPS and camera enabled balloon...
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