The XCM Kinect X-Light kit replaces the case of your Kinect with a clear shell, and includes 1.5 meters of electroluminescent wire. You can use this wire to add custom illumination of your design inside your now see-through Kinect, and it’s available in a color of your choice.

I’m not sure if the clear case or the EL light will have any negative impact on the Kinect’s camera or infrared capabilities, but assuming it doesn’t, the X-Light looks like a pretty cool mod. If you want one, keep your eyes peeled over at Divineo, who should start taking pre-orders any day now.

Each icon is laser-cut from white acrylic, with the tiny instructional images burned out of them and then layered onto a piece of black backing acrylic. It’s made by LicketyCut, and can be ordered in either this large five-image version ($45 USD), or in single image Portal test icon pendants ($12). Each image measures appx. 1″ square.

And if that’s not enough, cake will be served just as soon as you’re done testing.

You can find all of these fun Portal jewelry items, along with other fun geek accessories over at LicketyCut’s Etsy shop.

This particular clock uses a VFD (vacuum flourescent display) like you might find on an older alarm clock or calculator, but instead of displaying boring old digits, this one tells time with an analog-style 34mm (1.33″) round clock face. This complete clock is created by the guys at Kosbo.com, and comes in a clear acrylic case that lets you see the entire circuit, both front and back.

It’s also got dual alarms built-in, and 8 adjustable brightness levels so it should work nicely as a bedside clock. They’ve even gone the extra mile to include an integrated backup battery, in case the power goes out. The clock is based on this circuit board, which can also be procured separately in case you want to make your own round-face VFD clock.

One example they posted was this cool mod somebody did, replacing the analog clock in their Mini Cooper:

Not too shabby, eh? I could see this looking good in many cars if you have the guts to rip apart your vehicle and install one. If you’re like me, you’re more likely to just pick up the fully assembled clock, which you can find over on eBay for £64.95 (~$104 USD). Keep in mind that they don’t include the 12VDC AC adapter that you’ll need to power it, but those are cheap and easy to find.

Chen retained the laptop’s screen, motherboard, hard drive, RAM as well as its power adapter, then made a frame-like case using acrylic sheets, sandwiching the screen and the motherboard together. A couple of extra tweaks here and there – drilling fan holes, relocating the power button etc. – and he had a new desktop computer.

As other Instructables members and commenters pointed out, you could also look for a similar or compatible laptop body and transfer the old laptop’s guts there. Chen also suggests using a touchscreen kit so you end up with a touchscreen computer instead. The form factor of this particular conversion makes it easy to mount the computer to a wall. Check out Instructables for the full walkthrough.

[via Hack A Day]

Created by SVJewellery over in the UK, these laser-cut acrylic earrings portray half of a test subject heading into a blue portal, and the other half popping out of the orange portal. They hang from silver-plated wires and measure about 1.77″ (45mm) in total height.

While we never actually see Chell donning a pair of these during the game, I have it on good authority that Caroline used to wear these before her brain was transferred into GLaDOS (and later into a potato). I know because Cave Johnson told me so right before he went completely off the deep end.

The Portal laser-cut earrings can be found over on SVJewellery’s Etsy shop for $19.95 (USD) a pair. Just remember, never aim an Aperture Science Handheld Portal Device at your ears, unless you want your brains to fall out.

The PolyPly is currently only a one-of-a-kind prototype, and designer Andrew Kim made the thing out of acrylic plastic and birch plywood. The case is designed to hold an iPad, iPod, iPhone and a stylus or pen. It’s an interesting device that seems simple enough to make with some time, the materials, and a router or CNC laser cutter.

It appears that the Apple gear just sort of sits in the slots routed out of the building materials, there is no method to hold the stuff in. It can be laid flat for typing as well. Interesting design but I would fear for my stuff falling out of the thing.

[via Yanko Design]

The NewerTech NuShelf is currently available in single or dual varieties. It has rear slots for SD cards and cables, so it will cut down on the clutter that everyone has on their desks. This little acrylic shelf can also be used in different ways than just under your desk – you could mount it near your home theater system if you’re using your Mac Mini there too.

The single NuShelf costs $39.95 (USD) while the double sells for $44.95 . They are both available from Newer Technology now.

[via CrunchGear]

Created by Israeli artist Ran (aka milkool), these pendants offer up chunky, pixely cursors hanging from a black metal ball-chain. They’re made from 2 layers of colored acrylic, stacked together, so they have some nice dimension too. Plus, at just $14 (USD) each, they won’t cost you much.

Currently, they’re available in either an arrow pointer or pointing hand designs, both perfect for getting people to look you in the eyes.

Of course, if you’re the type of person who makes others wait around for them, maybe you could convince Ran to make you an hourglass or a beachball version instead.

You can find these and other fun nerdy-chic pendants and accessories over at milkool’s Etsy shop.

Dotklok is Arduino-powered, and has a bright 24×16 pixel LED screen that allows you to see the time clearly behind its laser-cut acrylic face. In its random mode, the clock switches to different animations each day at midnight.

Out-of-the-box animations include percentage of the day that has passed, random dots, and a PONG clock among others. A fill list of animations can be found here.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

DOTKLOK can be purchased as a kit or fully assembled. You can find it over at Andrew O’Malley’s Etsy shop in the following configurations:

• Dotklok Red / Kit ($150)
• Dotklok Red / Assembled ($200)
• Dotklok Green / Kit ($150)
• Dotklok Green / Assembled ($200)

[via Geek Alerts]

Just like the controllers – which by the way are still available – the ornaments are made from acrylic and come in a variety of colors: red, black, white and yellow.

The video game console ornaments are available at Etsy shop Use Your Digits and come in two bundles – packs of five cost $20 (USD), while packs of ten cost $35. Unfortunately for console fanboys, you can’t order five or ten of just one console.

The XCM Cyberbot case doesn’t just look awesome, it actually lets you see your Blu-ray or DVD disc spinning when it’s switched on.

Check out the video below to see some spinny Blu-ray action.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

No word on how much the Cyberbot case will retail for, but you’ll probably be able to find one at Extreme-Mods or Totalconsole any day now.

See if you can name all the games. I’ll get you started… Pitfall, Boxing… your turn. If you’re looking for something more specific, the guys at geeknails have made these Space Invaders fingernails too.

They’ve got other pixelated nails over at their Etsy shop, but they’re all a bit more abstract than these. One thing I noticed is how they don’t have pictures of anyone actually wearing these, so I’m not sure if you’ll look cool or just tacky wearing them. Anyone wanna be a hand model?

The handmade accent lamp was created by Joe Federer of Kaanjo. Light is provided by a set of multi-color LEDs concealed inside a frosted acrylic tube. The base of the lamp is made from a solid block of maple, with three sliders sticking out of the top. These provide independent control of the red, green and blue tones of LEDs, letting you mix the light to a color and brightness of your liking. Crank it up all the way, and you’ll get a nice white light.

Each one is handmade to order, and you can specify that your lamp be made out of different types of wood, or with different heights for the acrylic light tube. The LED tube lamp is available over on Kaanjo’s Etsy shop for $225 (USD).

These whimsical acrylic on paper creations are part of Laser Bread’s 2009 mission to “Make Something Cool Every Day.”

While it was the Donkey Kong painting that initially caught my eye, I have a soft spot in my heart for Dig Dug.

And after you’re done appreciating these, be sure to check out Laser Bread’s other nifty creations over on Flickr. My personal favorite is “Cheeseburger on a Trampoline” (which is sorta, kinda like the soul brother of Burgertime).

[via GamOvr]

The unusual laptop stand helps keeps your laptop or notebook computer cool and encourages better workplace ergonomics. All while looking like a 6-legged crab. Each one is laser-cut from red or clear acrylic, and comes with rubber feet to protect both your computer and your desktop from scratch crab claws. It fits 15″, 16″ and 17″ laptops, but a 14″ version is on the way soon. (Sorry, 13″ MacBookers!)

The Monster Monster is available over at monstermonstermonster.com (go figure) for £26.99 (appx. $44 USD).

[via Design Milk via Inspire me, now!]

Created by Dave Rollins of Digits (with the help of Ponoko’s laser fabrication services), these acrylic holiday gamer ornaments are the perfect addition to any game geek’s Christmas tree, Hanukkah bush, or Secular shrub.

Each set comes with 7 ornaments, including 2-dimensional cutout versions of Wii, N64, Xbox 360, Dreamcast, NES, PS2 and Sega Genesis controllers. The ornaments each measure between 3 and 4 inches wide, so they’re a bit smaller than the real deals.

They’re available in 6 colors, including red, white, yellow, black, clear, and red-tinted acrylic, and can be found over at Digits’ Ponoko or Etsy shops for just $20 bucks a set.

Buy a bunch and cover your whole tree. I’m hoping next year that Dave will make some matching console ornaments and maybe an Atari paddle controller or two.

The Ice Tube clock ($70 USD) gets its brilliant blue display thanks to an old-school Russian-issued VFD (vacuum fluorescent display) tube. It’s set inside of a spiffy clear acrylic shell, which lets you see its internal circuitry whenever you want. Each tube has 8 glowy blue digits, as well as a dot indicator for PM and an alarm on/off indicator.

While the Ice Cube kit includes everything you need to build a standard alarm clock with day/date functionality, both hardware and software are open source, so you can mod this to do something else if you want – say display text messages or run the time backwards.

Keep in mind that the circuit generates very high voltages (up to 70 VDC), so you’ll need significant electronics, soldering and kit-building experience if you want one of these sitting on your bookshelf (and not catching your house on fire). If you’re up to the build challenge, head on over to Adafruit and place your order.

[via LadyAda]

Berman’s Coil Lamp is one of those “why didn’t I ever think of that” designs. It’s so simple and elegant in concept, but striking at the same time. You see, the Coil Lamp is simply a table lamp made from a 100-foot orange extension cord, wrapped around an acrylic frame.

When fully-assembled, the Coil Lamp is a striking addition to any room, but when you look at the raw elements of the lamp, you’ll be scratching your head saying “that’s all there is?” This is truly a case where the whole is much greater than the sum of its parts.

You can order the Coil Lamp over at Craighton Berman’s website. The D.I.Y. version (B.Y.O. extension cord) retails for $75 (USD), while a hand-coiled edition, signed and numbered by the artist sells for $150 bucks.

Nice touch there with the coiled CFL lightbulb there!

TV Armor is a simple, yet ingenious invention that keeps your LCD or Plasma TV from getting cracked, scratched, dirty or otherwise slimy by covering the screen with a thin, but durable acrylic shield. A 1/4″ thick layer of optical-grade plastic is thick enough to keep your screen from getting damaged, but won’t interfere with picture quality. Just slide the TV Armor over the top of your TV, fasten the Velcro straps, and you won’t have to worry about flying Wii-motes smashing your precious investment.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

They’re available in a variety of sizes to fit whatever screen you have, and prices range from $69 to $289 (USD), depending on screen size. You can order yours over at the TV Armor website.

Remember, your kids’ wounds will heal, plasmas and LCDs won’t.

Carnegie Mellon University grad student Chris Harrison and CS professor Scott Hudson have developed a tactile interface that lets you actually feel and press virtual buttons that emerge from a touchscreen. The prototype uses a combination of rear-projected images, infrared sensors and a layer of flexible latex from which the buttons rise and fall.

A custom cut acrylic layer behind the buttons gives them their shapes, and air is pumped into and out of the chambers behind the buttons to automatically change the button states as the images change.

The system is capable of detecting more than one simultaneous press using readily available infrared multi-touch technology, and can even figure out how hard you’re pressing on the buttons by monitoring air pressure. To see the system in action, check out this video clip:

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

While the prototype version is clearly not practical or cost-effective for real-world use, the overall concept is really cool, and I’d love to see them figure out a way to miniaturize the technology so it could be crammed into a mobile device some day.

[via Technology Review]