Jake writes “I make kerosene lamps from old electrical lamp parts. Much of the hardware in today’s electric lamps is actually descended from the days of kerosene and gas, the ubiquitous 3/8″ threaded rod for instance. It’s amazing how genuinely useful a good kerosene lamp is, it’s oh so easy to imagine a steampunk future where Mr. Edison’s electric light never came to be!” Link.
Interesting device built from a Sherline 5400 tabletop milling machine…information on a a portable, battery powered, electromechanical projectile launcher the author designed and built. It is a type of “centrifugal” launcher powered by a DC motor. The launcher fires primarily plastic spheres (or steel with some modifications) semi- or full- automatically that is more powerful than a typical airsoft gun. No compressed air or any other energy source besides the battery pack is needed to power the launcher, so it is capable of sustained full automatic fire. The device is called a “PEST”, or Portable Electromechanical Slug Thrower for short. *grin* The PEST has the following specifications… Link.
Here’s a “MAKE from the future” project, once we learn how to train the wasps that is. Scientists say they can train wasps to detect hidden explosives, plant diseases, illegal drugs, cancer and even buried bodies. The team developed a ventilated PVC pipe which holds a small cartridge containing five wasps. The wasps were trained to detect a chemical produced by toxic fungi that infect corn and peanut crops. The wasps could be trained to detect explosives, human diseases and hidden bodies. [via] Link.
Make proto author David sent me a link to this interesting new service “Etchamac.com custom laser etches PowerBooks and iPods. A full PowerBook case (top or bottom) runs $200 while iPods are around $40. Pretty slick.” I think in the future the tattoo artist and their shops will add nice laser cutters to their businesses. You’ll go in with your ibook/powerbook/ipod/laptop thingie and either choose a design, or bring in your own. Perhaps they’ll even pierce that USB port too. [via] Link.
This is an article by Charles Leadbeater from last year, I wanted to post it up since there are a lot of interesting discussions about the pro-am world and user created content. From astronomy to computing, networks of amateurs are displacing the pros and spawning some of the greatest innovations. Passionate amateurs, empowered by technology and linked to one another, are reshaping business, politics, science, and culture. Link to Fast Company story. And here’s a 70 page PDF if you’re interested in more.
MAKE Flickr photo pool member Kalanda has a photo set of the DIY video projector he made from an old overhead projector and a LCD screen. It’s a pretty low tech creation, but the results appear pretty good. The design also includes two little PC fans to keep the LCD cool while it is running. Link. Bonus link: There’s also another LCD projector project on the photo pool too here.
Here’s a simple HOW TO on adding a LED to an Apple keyboard. Arkku writes “I opened up the keyboard (three screws in the bottom), located the +5v and ground leads (red and black wire in my keyboard) and soldered a 3.3v/30mA 5mm bright blue LED to them, with a 68ohm resistor. To make the light reach the clear base of the keyboard, I also made a small hole in the white plastic that touches the clear acrylic at the bottom of the keyboard and taped the LED in that hole with electrical tape.” Link.
