Alex (who tried to convince me to race in the Gumball Rally on more than one occasion) has a great article detailing his experiences with radio scanners “When was the last time you saw a trucker pulled over for speeding? I’d always assumed that truckers tipped each other off about speed traps via CB radio. But their secret weapon is the humble radio scanner. Here’s how to pick a scanner…” Link.
“In the November 1999 issue of EPE (Everyday Practical Electronics), a small and intriguing circuit was published in the Ingenuity Unlimited section by Z. Kaparnik. It was a very small implementation of a typical transformer feedback single transistor invertor. The transformer was a standard ferrite bead with two windings wound on it and the circuit was using the high voltage pulse generated when the transistor turns off to light an LED from a single 1.5V battery. This page has two variations on the original design to use the simple circuit in a useful manner.” Link.
“This was built as an experiment to amuse secondary school pupils at “Make It In Scotland”, a careers event organised by Careers Scotland, which took place in Motherwell in February and March 2003. It uses a vacuum cleaner to suck a projectile up a long pipe. The intension is that the missile should then carry on out the end rather than being brought to a dead stop by the suction. To get the best results, both ends are blocked off with card, then the card at the back of the tube is removed quickly. The vacuum keeps the second card in place until it is knocked off by the projectile.” Link. Also see the $5 Bazooka.
Big Blue Saw is a new site that lets you create parts out of metal or plastic. You use your favorite CAD program to design a part, then upload the design to their site to get a rendered 3D image, and a quote. From the site: “Big Blue Saw is a new concept which brings together the Internet with modern computer controlled rapid manufacturing. With Big Blue Saw, takes a design you have made on your computer, then turns that design into a objects using state of the art robotic machine tools. Your parts are delivered right to your door.” Link.
Fun project for the kiddos “Geodesic domes are made of interlocking geometric shapes–often triangles. Because loads are spread over many triangles, these domes are especially strong. Often made of aluminum bars and plexiglass, they’re also light compared to ordinary domes. Geodesic domes were popularized by an American inventor named Buckminster Fuller (1895-1983). Look for the distinctive Bucky-ball shape in museums, greenhouses, alternative housing, and science centres. Vancouver’s Science World is a 47-metre tall geodesic dome made of 766 triangles.” Here’s how to make a geodesic club house… Link.
Overview of the 35mm LEGO Camera – Adrian writes “Last night I tackled the project of a 35mm version of my medium format pinhole Lego camera. It turned out to be easier than I expected. I should probably have spent the time making better instructions for the medium format version, but rest assured, those are in the works. Anyway, here are a couple highlights of this camera’s design that are different from the medium format version…” Thanks Richard! Link.
If you happen to have an Xbox 360 and a PSP you can indeed use them together. It’s pretty much what you’d expect, the PSP acts as a USB drive and the Xbox 360 can play / browse music and photos. Video isn’t supported yet, but it’s a start… [