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.
The people who put out Make magazine are well aware that you could use the information in it to break the law, void your warranty, violate a user agreement, fry a circuit, blow a fuse or poke an eye out. “Technology, the laws, and limitations imposed by manufacturers and content owners are constantly changing,” an editor’s note warns. “Thus, some of the projects described may not work, may be inconsistent with current laws or user agreements or may damage or adversely affect some equipment. Your safety is your own responsibility, including proper use of equipment and safety gear, and determining whether you have adequate skill and experience.” Link.
Video of the video the CVS disposable video camera produces…took the camcorder to be “developed” at my neighborhood CVS and got the DVD back in an hour. The results were passable, given what I was expecting. The actual resolution of the camera is difficult to discern; it’s probably close to CIF (320×240); the MPEG-2 of the DVD has the smaller video scaled up by about 150%, with a black border around the frame. Link. Bonus link, here’s one of the first reviews.
A little update since the last time this was floating around….I was looking at the front grid on the computer one day, and it struck me that 3 mm LED’s would fit perfectly into the front grid holes. My first thought was to have my name in shining diodes on it, so I measured and drew up a blue print in Illustrator. After thinking a while I came to the conclusion that a clock would be cool. Said and done. I bought a clock radio, took it apart, and figured out how it worked. Link.
