The latest DIY ideas, techniques and tools for digital gadgetry, open code, smart hacks, and more. Processing power to the people!
If you’ve ever used a tablet in the kitchen, you know there’s a uniquely optimum viewing angle that’s just right for you. And you’re likely going to want to get it out of the cooking area, yet still keep it viewable, right? You’re set if you have one of those cookbook stands to prop it up against, but if you don’t, you might want to check out the Steelie Mobile Device Holder from makers Frank Vogel and Paul Turner.
Congrats to Maker Shed Product Development Sensei Marc de Vinck (and his adorable cat) for the coverage of his Kitty Twitty twittering cat toy in the UK’s Daily Mail.
We have covered these spherical ice molds before. I have used one, myself, and they work pretty well. A chunk of ice is sandwiched between two halves of a metal mold, and fast conduction of heat away from the ice, through the metal, causes it to melt wherever the mold makes contact. The mold halves slide on rods to maintain their alignment, and gravity does the rest. With a mold that starts at room temperature, it only takes a few minutes to make a nice shiny ice sphere.
Don’t you just hate it when your smartphone runs out of juice? If you’re like me, you’re probably not far from an open USB port, so you’re set if you’re the type that always carries around a spare cord. But that rarely happens, right? Not if makers Lucky, Nate, and Mark have anything to do about it. Their Cord-On-Board case for the iPhone 4 takes care of the need to always carry around a cord because it keeps one handy inside its durable PVC shell.
I love video projectors, and have used one instead of a traditional TV for almost 6 years now. The only serious drawback, in my experience, is the expense of the bulbs, and I expect that it will not be very long before full-color laser diode projector technology overcomes it. Red, green, and blue laser diodes are already accessible; the trick seems to be in scanning the beams in an economical and reliable way.
Looking like something out of a Dr. Seuss story, the Trumstand from Pleiades System Design passively amplifies an iPhone’s built-in speaker using a large horn attached to a machined base.
Not only is the Electronic Drum Machine T-Shirt a playable piece of clothing, but it has 63 different sounds that can be mixed, matched, and looped into the complex beat of your choosing. It comes with a mini amplifier that clips onto your pants and even goes up to 11.
