At last … the infinite slinky
Ah yes – the long awaited solution to a sad and uniquely frustrating childhood enigma. The fine folks at StupidInventions finally teach young Slinky Jr. to walk (at least on a belt sander). I will sleep well tonight!
Toys and Games
Snoozy sloth, the breathing plushie
Justin Blinder, a student at Parsons, created this plushie doll that clings to you and snoozes, like a living critter: Snoozy the Sloth is a plush toy with a respiratory system. He sleeps while clinging onto a user, allowing them to feel both the contraction and expansion of his chest, as well exhaling of air […]
Giant net-enabled Etch A Sketch
Does this hacker ever sleep? The prolific Jeri Ellsworth is at it again. Here, she builds a 52″ Etch a Sketch with the screen from a rear-projection TV, some tent poles, screen door pulleys, some cheap Harbor Freight drill motors, a golf tee (for the stylus), and some aluminum powder. They also designed a web […]
Tabletop pinball from scrap
Seamster put his collection of scrap wood to good use in the form of the above-seen DIY pinball machine, even reusing the ball from an old computer mouse – With some parental help, this can be a kid-friendly project. Building a solid table with a functioning paddle assembly requires some basic woodworking skills, and may […]
Guitar Hero robot in action
It’s exciting to see this project progressing: first, Joe Bowers sent us his Arduino-based note visualizer (it blinked LEDs in sequence with the game’s notes). Now, he’s grafted the Guitar Hero controller’s board onto it. Joe mentioned having some difficulty sensing notes when the flame effects burst around the fret board. He’s had pretty good […]
How-To: Ratchet noise maker
Instructables user eqqman made this ratchet noisemaker, also known as a “gragger,” used in the celebtration of Purim.
Flashback: Backyard Zip Line
“You could buy a dinky, ready-made kit with a short zip line for the kids, but why not make your own industrial strength zip line that will support the heaviest of neighbors? It’s a fun project you can tackle in a weekend. You can order all the parts on the web for less than $300.” […]