MAKE: Blog: Eccentric Cubicle author Kaden Harris profiled in The Globe and Mail

Eccentric Cubicle author Kaden Harris profiled in The Globe and Mail

Canada's The Globe and Mail has a fantastic story up about Kaden Harris, the author of Eccentric Cubicle:

It's here, right next to the refrigerator, that Mr. Harris fabricates what he calls "antiques from a parallel universe" - wood and metal objects that draw on equal parts Jules Verne, Leonardo da Vinci and Salvador Dali, in a style called "steampunk." They take on many forms, from torsion-powered crossbows called ballistas to high-powered catapults called trebuchets and mangonels. He's built a bong from a glass lamp globe and scrapyard brass that looks as if it could've been stolen from Dr. Jekyll's laboratory. ("I have turned down ridiculous amounts of money for this," he notes.)

Zen and the art of scrapyard archeology - Link

Related:

Office Supply Trebuchet - Link

Lazyperson's Kaden Harris - Link

The Eccentric Cubicle: The Philosophy of Improvisational Fabrication - Link

From The Maker Store:

Eccentric Cubicle by Kaden Harris
Price: $29.99
Buy: Maker store - Link.
Sample chapters: - Link.

Who says office cubicles need to be dreary? In this book, author Kaden Harris (creator of Eccentric Genius) introduces aspiring and die-hard Makers to a highly entertaining parallel universe of surreal office-based projects that are sure to pique the curiosity of even the most jaded office mates.

From desktop guillotines and crossbows to mood-enhancing effects and music makers, each project presents a different set of challenges and opens new avenues of Maker lore. There's a strong emphasis on the basic mechanical theories and principles of the devices presented in the book, as well as the fabrication techniques you need to use. But this is far more than a book of project "how-tos". Eccentric Cubicle offers oblique industrial design and fabrication philosophies, countless cultural reference points, and innumerable bad puns.

This book is a dream come true for you office-bound souls who are tech DIY enthusiasts, hobbyist engineers/designers, and Makers at heart. Imagine having your cubicle sport projects such as:

A mechanical golfer Lucid dreaming induction device
USB-powered bubble blower Fog machine
A desktop guillotine
And a whole lot more

In the Eccentric Cubicle, Harris starts with classic, time-honored principals, then modernizes and augments his designs with performance enhancements and updated feature sets -- all while precariously balancing form, function, and oddness. Scavenging and repurposing materials and components at every opportunity, he challenges and inspires you to modify and adapt the projects and designs to meet your own scale, performance, and aesthetic requirements. Bring character and life to your office desktop with Eccentric Cubicle!

Related:

Comments

Oldest comments listed first.

Posted by: Jake von Slatt on January 29, 2008 at 3:23 AM

Congrats Kaden! but why does that picture make me think of TRON ? ^_^

Posted by: Kaden on January 29, 2008 at 9:54 AM

That's it!!

Yanno, we spent all day yesterday trying to figure out what meme that freakin' picture evoked.

Tron. Right.

Case closed... thanks Jake

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