Here’s an excellent “open” hardware project for controlling lighting/effects systems – you can build your own, buy an assembled kit or improve the design and modify source code – “This DMX USB interface is based on the FTDI 232BM chip, it’s a USB to serial converter. Using a simple application on a PC you can send and receive DMX512.” Thanks Ladyada! Link.
Meet the Cubatron, it’s not Castro on a light cycle, it’s the world’s largest true 3D color graphics display. Assuierupe has a very cool Flickr photo set “The coolness of this display hack is difficult to convey via static images, but check out the project page for a couple of videos of the device in action. The device was built by Mark Lottor for Burning Man, and now takes up a corner of his Menlo Park living room.” Link to photos. Project page.
Ray and Cape write “We thought it’d be sweet to make shot glasses out of ice. There are some bars in Europe and Australia which are made completely out of ice and kept below freezing, we didn’t go that far but these are pretty cool (no pun intended), check it out. We used Dixie cups. They come in several different sizes. You will need two different sizes, we used 9 oz and 3 oz cups…” Link.
Interesting article from the NYTimes about Cafepress (you can make your own shirts with their service) – “Many people used to make their own clothes and build their own furniture. The Industrial Revolution, with technological innovations like power looms and power lathes, and now today’s far-flung supply chains, made it easier and more practical to buy ready-made apparel and housewares. Lately, however, mass production has been cast not so much as the best thing that ever happened to consumers but as an annoyance, even a problem. It stands in the way of our individuality. What can save us?”… Link.
Escher’s “Relativity” in LEGO! “…our fourth Escher picture rendered in LEGO. Once again, no camera tricks, but the picture has to be taken from exactly the right place, and boy did we get tired of trying to find where that place was. The whole thing took five or six evenings spread over two or three weeks. Most of the last evening was taken up with setting up the lighting the way we wanted it and trying to get the camera position just right…” Thanks Techhat! Link.
Mizuta Tasogare and Kato Jado do some intricate fancy artwork by carving pencils. Their amazing techniques create some fascinating subjects such as “Chained pencil” and my favorite “Winter’s Big Triangle”. Number two pencils will never be the same. Link.
Feria Urbana, is an urban crafts fair featuring artists and designers from the Bay Area. Recently the Make team went to check out the event and all the cool crafty goods. There were lots of great handmade items from knitted scaves, silkscreened t-shirts, tons of jewelry, and paper goods as well. The event happens again next weekend, December 17-18 at The Canvas Gallery in San Francisco. Photos. Link.
