With the help of “some solenoids, relays, pushbuttons, some parts of a cheap keyboard, an arduino mega and a mac mini” , the typewriter can be used to send messages online. Whatever is typed into the paper gets sent, and the replies are automatically typed into the paper, archiving the conversation in the process. Whether our daily conversations are worth documenting is another matter.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

Daniel planned on using the Stype to chat on Skype – hence the name – but in the demo video above the user is chatting with ELIZA, an early proto-chatbot. I wonder how you’ll send links, pics and videos on Stype.

[via WeWasteTime & Engadget]

It’s very impressive to see how well packed the machine is, and with the removal of the optical drive, there’s even space for a second storage drive inside. The machine appears to be easy to take apart too. That is assuming you have the correct tools for the job.

You can tell the rig sips power when you see the tiny power supply that keeps the machine running. The little mainboard is double-sided to get all the chips needed for the functionality onboard. The Intel CPU is on the bottom and several controller chips for various IO ports are on the top.

You can see a few pictures of the new Mac Mini’s insides in the gallery above, but will need to head over to iFixit to check out all the gory details.

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]

If you don’t need the coffee maker, you can opt to have your old iMac converted into a home theater device instead. Have Klaus convert it into the iMac A/V Edition and aside from the Mac Mini, JBL speakers, hard drive and optical drive add-ons, you’ll have the option to pack it with up to two iPhone/iPod Touch/iPad docks, an HDMI converter and an Xtreamer Media Player!

G4 Cube owners can also have the shiny case reborn into a housing for an Apple Pro speaker, complete with an iPod/iPhone dock. A USB sync/charging port is optional.

Klaus also has a couple of simpler but still whimsical mods for old Apple computers – one is an iMac mailbox and the other is a 31-plug power strip inside a G4 tower. Visit Klaus’ website Kiwidee for more info as well as for contact details. Price for the iMac Coffee Edition starts at €399 (appx. $570 USD), the A/V Edition starts at €249 ($350), while the SubCube speaker starts at €499 ($710). With these mods, I wouldn’t be surprised if Klaus literally added a kitchen sink on his newer projects.

His MacBook (aka “MagicBook”) replaces the standard keyboard with a touch surface that works like a giant Magic Trackpad. But with a push of the button on the top left corner, a full QWERTY keyboard is revealed, concealed beneath a glass protective layer and backlit with LEDs.

As for Lieto’s Mac Mini, he envisions a pancake-thin form factor. At just 10mm thick, it’s a hair slimmer than an iPad. This scale could only be achieved through elimination of the rarely used DVD-rom drive. And the top surface would provide a wireless sync and induction-based charging for your iPod or iPhone. The Mini would also sport glowing green edge lighting to give the system a really dramatic look when the lights go down.

Check out more images of Antonio’s design concepts in the gallery below:

While I question the idea of a keyboard without tactile feedback, the overall look of Lieto’s designs is totally slick, and I’d love to see Apple take at least a few cues from Antonio’s concepts – especially the Mac Mini charge-and-sync – I love that one.

[Thanks for the pics, Antonio!]

The new Mac mini features a beautiful slim one-piece aluminum case, and measures just 1.4″ high x 7.7″ square. I also love how Apple managed to cram the power supply inside the case, so there is no need for a power brick at all for this new mini.

The system sports either a 2.4GHz or 2.66 GHz Core 2 Duo CPU, and an upgraded NVIDIA GeForce 320M graphics processor, which Apple claims is twice as fast as the previous Mac mini’s GPU. While it does get 256MB of DDR3 SDRAM, it is shared with main system memory, though. One of the best new additions is an HDMI port with 1080p output, which makes the new Mac mini a strong contender as a media center HTPC. They’ve also added a handy SD card slot for loading photos from your digital camera.

Of course, if you want to drive a 30-inch desktop monitor, the mini DisplayPort still cranks out 2560×1600 resolution.  One of the other things that has always irked Mac Mini users is that you couldn’t upgrade your own RAM. That’s changed. Not only can you put in up to 8GB of RAM, it’s as easy as turning the bottom plate to gain access to the systems two SO-DIMM slots.

So what’s not to like? If there’s anything to haggle about, it’s the price. Apple has increased the base price for the Mac mini to $699, putting it in the same price range as many very capable Windows desktop PCS.That said, it is a Mac, and if you just must have one, it’s still the cheapest way to enter the world of Apple computers.

And if you’re looking for something more advanced, there’s even a powerhouse Snow Leopard Server edition ($999 USD), which manages to cram two 500GB, 7200 rpm hard drives inside the mini’s mini case, and includes the top-of-the-line CPU and MAC OS X Server.

You can find more information on the Mac mini over at the Apple website.

Modder Klaus Diebel of Kiwidee built this whimsical all-in-one computer using the shell of an old iMac, and loaded up with a full Mac Mini, a JBL Spot sound system, and a WMF1 single-cup coffee maker, punched through the face of the computer. Amazingly enough, the Mac Mini required NO mods at all, and the dvd slot lines up perfectly with the old iMac slot – go figure.

The only real downside to the iMac CS? The monitor no longer exists, so Klaus has to plug it into an external display if he wants to actually use the computer and enjoy his morning cup of joe. If you’re interested in having one of these for yourself, Klaus would gladly build you one if you contact him here.

Of course, I won’t be truly impressed until he can figure out a way to cram all this stuff into one of today’s svelte LCD iMacs.

[via TUAW]

Really, it’s a fusion of all the things I find wonderful in life: creative cooking, delicious apples, and an altogether different delicious Apple. I bet it sticks to the pie pan. Y’know, so can’t accidentally drop it (crash!) onto the floor.

Okay, that was lame. But this pie from Evil Mad Scientist Labs is absolutely not lame, and neither are the detailed instructions for putting it together. It might not be as fancy as some of the cakes we’ve seen, but I’ve got to give ‘em points for creativity.

[via Geek Crafts]

The guys over at Computer Choppers are now offering a custom Mac Mini anodizing service, letting you really give your computer a new look. The great thing about the anodizing process is that it’s highly scratch resistant and doesn’t chip off like paint can, plus your machine keeps that great metal look that paints often cover up.

Colors run the gamut, including such lovelies as blood red, a sapphire-like deep blue and emerald-esque dark green among others. Exotics like a hard black, graphics, custom logos and even a camouflage finish are also available for an up-charge. Prices for the service start at $199 USD, and go up from there. For more information, contact Computer Choppers here.

An image and video has been floating around the web over the last few days showing what is supposedly a new version of the Mac Mini with 5 USB ports on the back. This, undoubtedly is not that image. And before you get up on your high horses, I don’t want to hear any of those “Photoshopped” comments.

But seriously, here is the real new Mac Mini.

[via Plankhead via Boing Boing Gadgets]

Modder Charles Mangin took the guts out of his old Disk ][ enclosure and managed to find a way to squeeze the innards of a Mac Mini inside the case. The 5-1/4" drive is perfect for slot-loading DVDs. And when not loading a disk, you wouldn't ever know this was anything other than an old floppy drive.

Charles even wired up the old drive activity LED, so it looks like the floppy drive is cranking when the Mac Mini is on.

And contrary to the warning lable below, I don't think it would be a good idea to connect that video cable sticking out of the back to an Apple Disk ][ Interface Card. At best, flames would shoot out.

Kudos to Charles for a great mod! Maybe he can find a way to cram my iPhone into a Newton. Or my Macintosh IIfx into a MacBook Pro. That would be sweet.

[via MacRumors Forums]

This is my personal favorite, the LEGO Mac Mini. I wonder if you could stack a bunch of these together to form a supercomputer?

If only the real Mac Pro were this compact.

While this one might look like a fuel canister, I wouldn’t recommend pouring any gasoline into it.

And while this variant on the aluminum Mac Pro isn’t a dead ringer like the other one, it is a bit more compact, and features a nifty pop-up USB port and power switch.

You can check out the other machines in the collection and additional photos of the mods shown here over on Mac Mod Lab (in Japanese).