IFM founder and CEO Maggie Orth, moderated the panel on Extreme Fashion at Siggraph 2005. In her presentation she described her tufted creations, showing images from the Cooper-Hewitt Museum, where her work is included in the Extreme Textiles exhibition. The pom-poms are essentially soft switches, made entirely out of fuzzy textile. They are UL rated and ready for market! [via] Link.
Solar-powered Wi-Fi networks. Lumin’s first-generation product is the LightWave AP-1000 solar-powered access point, which comes in two models, single and dual. The Pearl Street deployment utilizes four dual units, each of which is located out of sight on a well-chosen rooftop, and features two hinged solar panels. Link.
MAKE will be on Computer America Tonight LIVE 8pm to 9pm tonight 8/9- tune in (info on the site). Carried live for two hours each weeknight over the Business TalkRadio Network, Computer America is the only radio talk show dedicated to computers and technology in nightly national syndication. Link.
Well, it’s my birthday today, and despite my request for no presents, I did get a couple of MAKE-like goodies. Here is a spent shotgun shell turned into one of those flower vases with the suction cups. Photo here and here (with flower). I wonder what it shot.
Another great CVS camera hack HOW TO…When I first saw the CVS disposable camera, I knew that it would be hacked soon. I also knew that as soon as it was, I would have to buy one, and I knew exactly what I wanted it for: Mountain biking. Here are directions for building a helmet mount for the CVS one-time-use camcorder. Includes photos and a 10 minute trail riding video. Link.
“Digiscoping”, based on methods of marrying your digital camera to a conventional optical device, is an off-the-shelf solution for TreeHugger closeups of birds, concerts, and sporting events. The better way is to adapt a decent digital camera, which you may already have and spent a lot of time learning to link to your computer, to fit with a decent spotting scope. Link and Link.
Digital microscopy systems can cost thousands of dollars but a very useful model can be assembled by using one decent compound microscope and consumer products that cost less than $150. Many hopitals and universities have retired micorscopes that can be adapted to this task. The plans found here show how to modify a commonly found microscope. Thanks Dan! Link.
