Converting Condemned Trees into Bikes
A short film about Bill Holloway and Mauro Hernandez, of Masterworks Woodworking who “salvage condemned city trees, then build beautiful bicycles out of them.”
Drones & Vehicles
iPad Controlled RC Car
Wannes Vermeulen created an iPad app to control a modded RC car, complete with a remote point-of-view camera: I used two servo motors attached to the original remote control of the car to adjust speed and steering. These are controlled by an Arduino Uno, which gets the accelerometer data from the iPad through a socket server on my laptop. I also fitted my old Android smartphone to the car, which uses an IPCam app to stream the video to the iPad. The “camera”, the iPad and the laptop are connected to the same Wi-Fi network to share their data.
The Making of a Maker: A Tribute to the 1970 Estes Model Rocket Catalog
Make: contributor Stefan Jones reminisces about the iconic 1970 Estes model rocket catalog.
Mobile Sharpening Rig
While on a trip to Mendoza, Argentina, I came across a man sharpening scissors using a bicycle to power his grinding wheel. It’s a clever lo-tech combination.
Bounce For Glory: Peter William Wagner (video)
Peter William Wagner bounces across the fairgrounds at Maker Faire Bay Area 2011, delighting everyone whose path he crosses. The big purple eccentric-axled bike has two inflated all-terrain wheels that can also function as flotation for the aquatic parts of the annual Kinetic Grand Championship in and around Arcada, California, where this “whim-cycle” has appeared for the last six years. Even Peter’s baby granddaughter enjoys the ride.
Bicycle Wheel Animations
My friend Karen Nazor send me a link to this video of animations being created, phenakistoscope/persistence of vision-style, on bicycle wheels, using paper cut-outs in the spokes. Really nifty.
Weather Resistant Smartphone Holder
For those of you who love using your smartphone while cycling in the rain, there’s this nifty hack from North Carolina maker jalexartis. After mounting your handset using your favorite method, cut the top off a plastic bottle, then make a slit down one side to accept the mounting hardware.