Blog

Astrolabes are probably the the sini qua non of ancient instruments. They have been collected for centuries, and forgeries have been made for centuries, though genuine, working, astrolabes were made in Islamic countries up through the nineteenth century. For background information on astrolabes a number of books are available…The Astrolabe site on the Internet provides a brief essay on the astrolabe, museums having astrolabe collections, a history of the astrolabe, and finally, astrolabe links, references, and reproductions, including a “personal astrolabe” available for a fee made by that site’s creator. Thanks Chris! Link.

Some really interesting projects for UAVs you can build yourself! Robotics and autonomous agents are way more interesting to me than writing the same organization process-oriented software every day. I’ve been doing a lot of research on autonomous micro-air vehicles (MAV) and Unmaned aerial vehicles (UAV) lately and I’ve come across a few Open Source projects… Link.

This is the best case mod ever. I built the HAL9000 based on the computer in the movies 2001: A Space Odyssey and 2010: The Year We Make Contact. I had seen many computers on the web that were no more than black (or painted black) computer cases with the name HAL9000 on them. A friend of mine told me to quit my complaining and build one, so I did. Link. Bonus link, here’s a webcam version!

Justin writes “I was searching around for a way to melt some aluminum to try and cast it into molds. This is what my search turned up. Don’t get me wrong, the microwave option was cool but I doubt my parents would think the same. Keep up the great work.. And here it is, the Tin-Can foundry with charcoal briquettes. Link.

I think it might be fun to make a low cost version of one of these…this sleek little baseball from outerspace isn’t a baseball at all — it’s a sophisticated spy device that can capture video out to 25 yards, audio up to 5 yards, and is tough enough to survive a two-story drop. Say hello to the Eye Ball R1 Throwable Camera. Consumer-y version coming along too. Link.

MusicThing sums up the Russian DIY homemade DJ cassette decks nicely- DJ Aptem is a new MT hero – he’s done what I always dreamed of doing when I was little and couldn’t afford a pair of Technics. He’s built a pair varispeed tape decks, complete with ‘jog wheel’, EQ and motor off switches. He also has a nice minimal studio setup (he only uses Max/MSP). DJ Aptem, we salute you! Flickr photos here. [via] Link.

Dinner time used to be a bit more interesting it seems. A new set of deadly eating-irons added for your pleasure and delectation. Note that the barrels point backwards, towards the user, so they’re not designed for plugging your host if he makes impertinent remarks about your table manners. It is difficult to imagine a social gathering where it is appropriate to shoot off your own elbows. Link.