Matt writes “This stuff looks pretty incredible. To me the finished product looks a bit like an adobe building. It should greatly increase affordable housing in areas where it would have previously been too expensive.” Grancrete is a spray-on structural cement and here’s an overview of the Grancrete rapid construction process…” Link. Anyone ever use/see this in action?
Griffin has a nice new product hack, they tapped the USB on the iPod Shuffle and it’s now both the lanyard and headphones in one – nice work “TuneBuds keep both the earbuds and shuffle handy around the wearer’s neck. Just snap TuneBuds onto the shuffle’s USB connector, and you’re up and running (or dancing). TuneBuds’ audio cable, integrated into the lanyard, keeps you free of excess cords and tangled lines.” Link.
These Stanley wristwatches from Japan have different tools built in each watch – flashlight, hex wrench, screwdriver, measuring tape, telescoping rule and a mini-vice. I’m not sure I’d wear most of these, but the one with the measuring tape looks really handy. I wonder if it could store height / width and depth quickly via some memory function. Link.
Kath Red of Red Current has collected some of the coolest, craftiest robot links (aliens included). From kits, to soft robots, even to robot fabric, you’ll definitely find something inspiring to make in whatever crafty way you choose. Link.
In MAKE 04 we featured some great kit gift ideas in the magazine, “Kits for the Holidays”. But we didn’t have room for all the kits we found, so here’s another round for elves with makers on their list. MAKE subscribers can log in and view the full article here…Link. We also have our own kit for taking high speed flash photography to capture high-speed events — A splash. Popping balloons. Breaking glass. It’s an amazing adjustable flash controller triggered by light or sound. Link.
These are pretty clever to make or buy – “4 way rubber bands…a great new way to hold boxes or books or large stacks of paper together. (Sample shown above holding a Nuclear War box together). If your game box is starting to fall apart, or if it is so stuffed with supplements things start to slip out, or if you just want to organize your books, this is for you. Package of 6 for $5. You can order small (4″), regular (8″) and large (10″).” [via] Link.
“…Skype has struck a partnership with consumer electronics chain RadioShack. Skype Starter Kit More than 3,000 RadioShack locations nationwide on Monday will begin offering the Skype Starter Kit, which includes the software that enables a customer to use Skype’s free computer-to-computer telephone service, a headset and 30 minutes of Skype’s premium service, with which a user can call a landline or cell phone, company executives said.” [via] Link. See our previous hacks and projects with Skype, like the Skype payphone here.
