Jenga pistol - shoot blocks!

Clever woodworking project @ woodgears.ca, a Jenga pistol! Matthias writes -

The game of Jenga was possibly designed to be a more contemplative and strategic game. But sliding those blocks out carefully without knocking over the stack is just entirely too fiddly a task to perform. I figured it would be much more fun to just be able to shoot the blocks out with some sort of pistol.

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URL: http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2009/08/jenga_pistol_-_shoot_blocks.html?CMP=OTC-0D6B48984890

Vitamin reminder dock

Jessica Floeh made this vitamin reminder dock as her final project in Yury Gitman's "making wireless toys" class at Parsons in NYC. It is red when you need to take your vitamin, and turns green when you remove the container from the dock. Slowly, over 24 hours, it changes back to red. It also has customizable sound messages.

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URL: http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2009/08/vitamin_reminder_dock.html?CMP=OTC-0D6B48984890

Who You Gonna Call? Who? [Image Cache]

If Jayzeus appears in your house, you better have a Proton Pack, wand, and trap ready. Or you can invite him for drinks, and He'll multiply your caipirinhas for free, all night long. [The Chive]

URL: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/uOn4AaqX_2Y/who-you-gonna-call-who

Smart Master/Slave Power Strip for your PC [mod] (self shutdown but zero standby)

Off should be off. And usability should be good.
To make it short: We did not find the right product out there, so we ended up modding one.

We bought some "Energy Saver" power strips from Zweibrueder. The devices are
very solid and not very expensive. They feature an external switch and n...

By: elha2

URL: http://www.instructables.com/id/Smart-MasterSlave-Power-Strip-for-your-PC-mod-/

Humanthesizer - live dancing synth

Conductive body paint and Arduinos... Nilay @ Engadget writes -

And you thought conductive paint was boring. Say hello to the Humanthesizer, a joint creation between electronic musician Calvin Harris, Sony Music UK, and Bare conductive body ink, which turned 15 bikini-clad ladies into a giant Arduino-powered synth capable of playing Harris's track "Ready For The Weekend" though Max/MSP and Ableton Live. Each patch is triggered by one of the girls closing a circuit with her hands or feet -- you can see the "wires" painted on their arms and legs if you look closely -- and the final performance bounces right along in that blurry space between dancing and playing.

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URL: http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2009/08/humanthesizer_-_live_dancing_synth.html?CMP=OTC-0D6B48984890

Clever Furniture System Uses Tension Straps Instead of Screws and Nails to Hold Parts Together [Design]

Shared by Rob
Clever stuff!

Anyone that's ever tried to move their Ikea furniture knows it sucks, because particle board pieces full of nails and screws aren't meant to handle that. However, this Ratchet Furniture set only uses tension straps to hold everything in place.

Dezeen says the Ratchet Furniture project was designed by Harry Hansson, as part of a graduate project for the Ravensbourne College of Design and Communication. Hansson himself cited the frequent relocation of young adults as an inspiration behind his design.

By running straps through critical points in the furniture and cinching it down, the furniture requires no screws, nails, glue or any other part, making assembly and disassembly a breeze. And in the case of the bookshelf, the ratchet adds a grimy industrial feel to the furniture, which I happen to love. [Dezeen]

GALLERY




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URL: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/5EdkaMwZPgc/clever-furniture-system-uses-tension-straps-instead-of-screws-and-nails-to-hold-parts-together