Erinys writes “Here’s how to build a contact microphone. A step by step I put together years ago, but it is surprisingly still of use. Contact microphones may be used to record acoustic waves that propagate through media such as wood, sheet metal, or a block of ice. Doesn’t sound “pretty” in a classical sense, but if you’re into noise and field recordings, you’ll love what you can coax out of an old tin can with one of these attached.” Link.
Wired article about making free ringtones – “Cell-phone customers have spent more than $4 billion on ringtones taken primarily from popular hits. Now MIT’s Media Lab hopes to unleash some new creativity into this market with a ringtone composition tool to the masses for free.” Link. Get the software here.
Wired article about making free ringtones – “Cell-phone customers have spent more than $4 billion on ringtones taken primarily from popular hits. Now MIT’s Media Lab hopes to unleash some new creativity into this market with a ringtone composition tool to the masses for free.” Link. Get the software here.
Finding the technology of the future from the forgotten ideas of the past.
Bunnie Huang prototypes two kinetic glowsticks: instead of creating a single arc of light, glowsticking dancers can now create their own two-dimensional fantasias.
I am testing out a GHL-100XX 160mW+ green laser from LaserGlow.com. Laser power is measured in milliwatts, your standard red laser pointer is usually less than 5mW. This one is not only 30 times more powerful, our eyes are more sensitive to green light, so it appears even brighter. I really like using lasers for star pointing- Mark was telling me was helping his daughter with an astronomy project and needed to point out which stars in the sky were actually planets- this is where these lasers literally shine. Other uses- alignment (in day light) and doing really cool time lapse photos. With a laser like this one there are also some fun experiments- here’s a photo of the laser “burning” a hole through a red plastic cup. I’ll have some other photos soon, along with some projects. It goes without saying but I feel compelled to post this, never point a laser at people, cars, planes, robots, etc…
Remembering how my dad built an Apple II from scratch.
