From traditional crafts to modern crafts, we’re covering news and interesting projects to educate you and keep you inspired. Design trends and pop culture related projects are here to inspire.
Kaden (who has an excellent Machina Arcana biz) sent along this how-to on making springs. “If you’re trying to make a spring to replace a broken one, you don’t need to know a whole lot about design. On the other hand, if you’re making a prototype of a machine, for instance, and you don’t know exactly what you want, then this page is for you. Here you’ll learn some basic data about spring design, which is what you’ll need to know to make exactly the spring you want.” Link.
This MP3 player is made from an old Nintendo controller. The buttons were rewired and are used to control the music and select the songs. If you have an old controller and a busted up MP3 player, this looks like a fun mod to attempt. [via] Link (translated page).
Giorgio write “Hi, with respect to the post you wrote about Spiral Island, well it seems that island was destroyed during the past hurricane season.” – Spiral Island was a floating artificial island in a lagoon near Puerto Aventuras, on the East coast of Mexico south of Cancun. It was built by British expatriate Richie (or “Reishee”) Sowa beginning in 1998; he filled nets with empty discarded plastic bottles to support a structure of plywood and bamboo, on which he poured sand and planted numerous plants, including mangroves. The island sported a two-story house, a solar oven, a self-composting toilet, and three beaches. He used some 250,000 bottles for the 66-by-54-foot structure. Spiral Island was destroyed by a hurricane in 2005. Mr. Sowa plans to build a stronger island in a more sheltered area. Link.
Here’s a pretty fun site that lets you generate your own warning labels with choice of graphics and text. You can make DANGER, WARNING and other types all with the familiar icons you’d expect. Fun for project and pranks. I might make a set of these and slap on products that have wacky DRM, like those Sony CDs. Link.
Shawn writes “Rhode Island artist Neil Salley makes interesting installations using his own home grown technologies for creating 360 degree-viewable holograms. Be sure to look at his TVD 360 degree TV prototype. I wish there was more on the site about the technical details- all of his inventions and pieces are refreshingly simple and low tech.” Link.
Might be a good DIY project…“This is the first laser-guided regulation-sized pool cue. When activated, the harmless visible laser provides a precise guide for lining up the perfect shot with pinpoint accuracy. The touch sensor on/off switch features both manual and automatic shut-off to preserve battery life. The set includes a 58″ two-piece cue with a secure microfiber grip and an aluminum joint and ferrule…” [via] Link.
Paper replicas of vintage Panasonic household appliances, from Panasonic’s World of Discovery. PDF models available: a 1959 automatic rice cooker, a 1931′ radio, a 1952′ TV Set, a fridge from 1954 and a washing machine made on the year after, a character from the National company and of two pop-up cards with fireworks and fish. [via] Link.
