A while back, a man named James Houston combined old gadgets, computer peripherals, and an array of failed hard drives to create a motorized ensemble that performed a version of Radiohead's "Nude." Now, a guy named Jed from HackLab has written code that controls the motors of a laser cutter, allowing the machine to resonate specific pitches and carry a tune of its own. In the above video, you can see the machine performing everyone's favorite Super Mario theme.
James and Jed both show that music can truly be found everywhere and in everything. I can't wait to see what other cool musical things the d.i.y. tech world will build next!
[ Via: boingboing ]
On this week's show we talked about how to make your own kick-ass web show, and one of the bits we covered was Johnny Chung Lee's $14 steadycam project. For indie filmmakers, this is an awesome project. Johnny was actually offering a $39 service to make them for you, but it looks like that's on hold for now since he's still a student.
We've known Bre Pettis for years now, and I have to say that no one epitomizes the web DIY ethic more than him. In the course of his varied career, he has been a puppeteer, a teacher, a videoblogger, a web show producer, and a television host, not to mention a founder of NYC Resistor. Phil Torrone of Make Magazine said in The Wall Street Journal that Bre was like Mr. Rogers, Mr. Wizard and Bill Nye "The Science Guy" rolled into one. That's a cool description, but I think eventually Bre will be a brand all his own.
MIX member DeadPianoPlayer asks the question "So whatcha gonna be on Halloween" on one of our MIX threads. Some very amusing responses have floated around already, including an unshaven swimmer (just insert wig in said place), and a human tornado (just pin little houses and animals on self and do a 360 turn).
So what are YOU going to be for Halloween? Join in on the discussion.
If you're anything like me, you probably haven't decided just yet. So in service to those of you out there who are struggling for ideas, here are our top 10 Internet themed costume ideas:
OK so you wanna protect yourself from RFID hackers who may try to steal all that juicy purchasing power stored on your RFID-enabled credit cards? No problem. A little aluminum foil will do the trick. Check out this DIY tutorial courtesy of i-Hacked.com.
On the show this week, we did a short segment highlighting a few web radio broadcasting tools. There are a lot of choices out there, but I like to focus on reliability and easy of use. There have been so many times that I've set up complicated applications designed for specific purposes that were potentially awesome and powerful, but turned out to the be a royal pain in the ass.
Papercraft DIY time! Tubbypaws, a blog of happy art, created a template to build your own paper ceiling cat. Print, cut, fold, glue, and tape it to your ceiling- presto, an instant feeling of eerieness. There's even a Lucifer Cat edition. If you make one, be sure to post a picture with your new friend on MIX. (sent in by Justine, thanks!)
Week in Review offers weekly hand-drawn images of the week's top news stories -- created by groups of local correspondents who gather at bars and talk about the stories that are important to them. The illustrations are informative, charming, and 100% unique. They offer a great deal of insight into the collective mindshare of participants.
Right now 4 editions are being generated from chapters around the world: Los Angeles, Cincinnati, Ireland, and Singapore. Unfortunately, those last 2 seem out of date.
Just received a message from Vance (Behold the Mundane) alerting me to these super cool Super Mario Drum Pads for Rockband! He and his friend/co-creator Jennifer toiled long and hard on these, so show some love. There are also Flickr pictures.
[Thanks Vance]
Check out this mashup of stop-motion animated Transformers toys with dialogue taken from the cartoon. Really cinematic use of the camera positioning!
[ Via: [Via Channel Frederator Blog] ]
How To: Spy Sunglasses!
Who doesn't want a pair of spy sunglasses?!? I know I always have! See, I grew up with a private investigator for a dad, who had an arsenal of spy gear handy. Never fun when you're a teenager. But now, with this DIY instructional, I can create my own spy sunglasses for under $40. Watch out, I may be watching you! heh. ;)
In the "Items of Questionable Usefulness" category, I present a gentleman who pulled a laser out of his DVD burner, installed it in a mag-lite flashlight, and created a weapon that can set fire to things and destroy balloons. DIY at its finest! :)
[ Via: Via: Core77 ]