ConsciousFlesh useless projects is a site for (mainly) retro-tech projects such as nixie tube clocks, Tesla coils, Jacob’s ladders, tabletop ballista, and steampunk casemods. Seen above are a Jacob’s ladder, a wood- and brass-cased thumbdrive, a wooden computer casemod with a vacuum tube power indicator, a USB switch with a nixie selection indicator, and a brass gyroscope built around a motor from a laser printer. Lots of other projects on the site too.
Gareth Branwyn is a freelancer writer and the former Editorial Director of Maker Media. He is the author or editor of a dozen books on technology, DIY, and geek culture, including the first book about the web (Mosaic Quick Tour) and the Absolute Beginner's Guide to Building Robots. He is currently working on a best-of collection of his writing, called Borg Like Me.
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This guy’s work is the kind of thing that gives steampunk a good name. Clean work, excellent attention to detail. Check out the ratchet mechanism on his ballista for a good example.