John Muir’s Maker Days
Naturalist John Muir was also an amazing maker who became known for his clever and artful inventions.
Retro
Free Flint Knapping Library
The flint knapping community is as generous with its time and expertise as any enthusiast group I know. Case in point, this fantastic resource from knapper Mike Lynn, who has compiled more than 340 pages…
“Da-ding!” Illuminates Video Game Nostalgia
An inspired idea grown in a makerspace can produce retro magic. That’s the message from 8bitlit collaborators Bryan and Adam. In less than two months, they’ve gone from concept through prototyping to small scale production. Their touch-sensitive Mario Brothers-themed pendant lamp is starting to sell. “Da-ding!”
Antique Crank Phone Modded as a Music Player
Simon Jansen wanted an authentic prop to go with the decor of his workshop while he rebuilds an antique Austin 7 car. He got his hands on an old bakelite generator telephone with a hand crank and decided to mod it to play music while he worked.
Working with Horn: Resources at UK’s MoDiP
That’s Museom of Design in Plastics, and their online collections are really outstanding. While there is some good online info on hornworking in the hobby community (especially the SCA), it’s mostly text with simple line art. I couldn’t find much photography of real artifacts and tools before stumbling on MoDiP’s online Nature’s plastic exhibit.
Natural Slate Electrical Panels
We’ve already had some great reader suggestions for Natural Materials month. The first that caught my eye this morning is from MAKE pal and Flickr-pool-roundup regular John Honniball, aka anachrocomputer, who directs our attention to the use of natural slate panels as insulators in vintage electrical equipment. Above, a beautiful example from the Canada Science and Technology Museum…
Math Monday: Floppy Disks
Got a bunch of old bit-rotting floppy disks gathering dust? Make this cool sphere with them.
