Steampunk lightbulb terrarium
From Etsy seller SteamedGlass. The one pictured has already sold. [via Boing Boing]
Made On Earth
Custom branding irons clip onto lighter
I branded myself, about 8 years ago, with a cookie cutter and a blowtorch. The first time my dad saw it, he asked if someone had held me down and mutilated me in some kind of gangland reprisal. Dad thinks my life is a lot more exciting than it actually is.
Anyhoo, Cory just boinged this link to the Shapeways blog, wherein is described a nifty little 3D-printed metal branding iron they’ve developed, which clicks onto a standard disposable butane lighter and is fully customizable with your own logo/gang sign/frat house letters. Click the iron in place, flick the Bic for 30 seconds, and you’re ready to burn some skin!
If you don’t enjoy the smell of your own curdled flesh, this could be a great tool for hallmarking those little handmade wooden widgets you sell on Etsy, or whatever.
[via Boing Boing]
Steve Irvine’s ceramic cameras
We blogged about one of Steve’s cameras back in 2007. Looks like he’s completed at least one more since then, and there’s a group of four presented on his website. Really beautiful work.
Universal doorknob opening robot for the disabled
Interesting article over on New Scientist about Erin Rapacki’s design for a “low-cost” robot that can be used by the wheelchair-bound to grip, turn, and push or pull on most kinds of doorknobs. Maybe my sense of how much this sort of thing should cost is way off, but $2000 still seems pricey to me, although I guess at the prototype stage it’s pretty impressive. [via Popular Science]
USB pet rock
Wish I’d thought of this gag first. The USB pet rock from ThinkGeek has all the functionality of the original pet rock, but is USB compatible.
Jonathan Wolfe’s puzzle acorns
My buddy Jon makes these awesome little puzzle boxes from acorns. There are four shown in the video: one pair consisting of a smaller hinged acorn that nests, matryoshka-style, inside a larger one with a wire spring latch; a larger, locking nut that is opened by removing a small pin; and, finally, a large hinged version that is unlatched by knocking it against a surface from a certain angle.
Stained glass d20s
From Flickr user Bloodthirsty Vegetarians, who also produce an eponymous podcast. [via Neatorama]