6 Crazy DIY String Instruments
Let these six DIY instruments inspire you to build your own and explore the unique sounds that come with custom built string instruments.
weapons
The Face of Printable Firearms: A Conversation with Cody Wilson
For months, controversy has been building around 24-year-old Austinite Cody Wilson, full-time law student and part-time director of Defense Distributed, a non-profit working to develop and freely distribute designs for working 3D-printable firearms. Even before Sandy Hook, their “WikiWeapon” project was controversial, placing the group squarely at the intersection of emerging debates over the uses and abuses of both crowdfunding and 3D printing. After the tragedy, that controversy assumed a sudden, violent urgency on the national stage, and Wilson became an even hotter media commodity. He receives death threats and strangers recognize him on the street. When I catch up to him, on Jan. 16, President Obama has just unveiled the most sweeping package of gun-control proposals the U.S. has seen in decades.
Thingiverse Cracks Down on Firearm Parts
This is the lower receiver of an AR-15 rifle, printed in fused plastic filament from a digital model that was, until this week, freely available for download on Thingiverse. This component is significant because all other parts of the common rifle can be readily purchased in the open market. A person who builds a working lower receiver has, in the eyes of the state, essentially built a working AR-15.
Wooden Bear Slingshot
Etsy user Adam Gray of Hella Slingshots makes wooden slingshots like this wooden one featuring a bear’s head.
Cornell Students Create Virtual Archery Game
Inspired by the bow-and-arrow use in Legend of Zelda games, Cornell students Mohamed Abdellatif and Michael Ross created a Virtual Archery game as their Cornell University ECE 4760 Final Project.
3D-Printed Gun Fires Real Bullets
The folks over at Defense Distributed, the home of the Wiki Weapon Project, have successfully fired an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle with a 3D-printed lower receiver. They were able to fire off only six rounds before the part failed, but some would consider that a pretty decent outcome considering it’s composed of printed plastic. Now, the entire gun is not printed–just the lower receiver (the regulated part), but it’s a good first step. Regardless of you stance on gun control (or conceptual lack thereof), this project is worth keeping an eye on.
“Kuratas” Mecha Does Not Have Chicken Legs
In fact, it barely has legs at all, designer Kogoro Kurata having wisely opted for wheeled instead of walking locomotion for his extremely impressive first attempt at de-fictionalizing the ubiquitous giant fighting robot of Japanese pop culture. His project site at Suidobashi Heavy Industries has been up for more than a year, and includes an impressive “build to order” system that lets you specify factory options for your fighting machine ranging from various weapons systems, to upgraded armor, to genuine leather seats and custom paint jobs. The price is updated in real time, as you go, and the whole thing even wraps up with a buy-it-now button.
