Jonathan writes “For those who do not want to spend $650 on an Aeron ergonomic chair, I have created instructions for making your own using common household items” Link. It may not look very good, but I admire the effort and it seems like a good use for an old phonebook.
The annual Ig Nobels were awarded last week, and amongst then, some very funny winners a familiar one won! Economics — Gauri Nanda of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, for inventing an alarm clock that runs away and hides (featured in MAKE volume 03). Link.
Jeffrey writes “Whew! After a couple of late nights, we present to you the DoubleSpace Kitchenette, a combination kitchen and armchair. Yes, you heard right. When college students or SoHo residents run out of space (as they are wont to do…) this is the perfect thing to reduce your material lifestyle. Also doubles as a seat warmer. Just kidding”. Link.
Julian writes “I am a traveler a tinkerer and a trouble maker, all things that require having the right gear at the right time for perfect execution of the adventure, but I hate carrying too much stuff with with me but having tools available at a moment’s notice allows for quick action and seizing otherwise missed opportunities. So what is a boy to do? Welcome the TTTk, the kit I built to provide access to a variety of tools and supplies at a moment’s notice. I constrained myself to an Altoids tin to make sure it was small enough for a pocket or bag with little inconvenience. The supplies render many McGuiver like solutions in the field but they are better then nothing.” Link. It’s all of course in an Altoids tin.
DIY GPS tracking with “disposable” phones – Mod a GPS enabled Nextel and fauxjack yourself…or your car, or your kid, or a big dog, or an elephant. We really, really want to track an elephant. Mologogo is a free service that will track a “friends” GPS enabled cell phone from another phone(gps not required) or on the web. It currently works on pretty much any Nextel phone with Java and GPS – even a $60 no-contract Boost Mobile phone. Link. My dog might be getting another GPS.
Mister Jalopy writes “Anybody that has started a car on a cold day knows there is significant moisture in auto exhaust. What a brilliant hack to capture ” – Keeping an army provisioned in the desert is a ballet of logistics, particularly when it comes to supplying two vital liquids: diesel fuel and water. Now, using technologies developed for the space program, the U.S. Army is conducting an experiment that could convert the exhaust pipes of military vehicles into water fountains. Later this month, United Technologies Corp.’s Hamilton Sundstrand unit will deliver two military Humvees to the Army for three months of testing at the Aberdeen Proving Ground outside Baltimore. Link.
Cynthia Bruyns is a DJ and computer scientist, and she’s developed a way to model the sound of struck percussion accurately in 3D using the Mac, along with some other wild projects (MIDI control of parametric surfaces, tele-immersion, virtual interactive mesh cutting, networked UIs for remote collaboration). Thanks Peter! Link.
