I love Portal, but I have to say that I find it hard to get too terribly excited about these offshoots and remakes simply because Portal, to me, is GLaDoS–she was half the fun of the game! It’s not that I don’t love the puzzling power of the portal gun (I do; I so do) for its own sake, I’m just less entertained by a Portal experiences without one of the most compelling personalities in all the history of gaming.

Yeah, I’m a fan.

That said, even with my prejudices, this particular take on the portals looks incredible. Thanks to the color scheme and the little companion cube touches, the sparse look is utterly charming. It looks great in gameplay, too:

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

I’m struggling with this new (old?) experience of talking about the “look” of ASCII “graphics,” but it’s true! This looks good. And fun. And it’s got portals. I’ll just put Jonathan Coulton’s “Still Alive” on repeat and nerd out while I play ASCIIpOrtal, I guess.

[via IndieGames]

Modder Flauzus handmade this precicely-detailed Aperture Labs radio for his kids to bring along for some cosplay fun at the recent Otakon show.

Flauzus built the radio by creating a 3D SolidWorks model of the radio, which he used as a guide detailed construction drawings. The build was done by casting a curvy fiberglass shell over a styrofoam mold, and carving out an interior compartment for the electronics. And just like the radio in the game, it’s permanently tuned to 85.2 on the FM dial (which would only be a real station in Japan).  In lieu of an actual radio tuner  there’s a mini-MP3 player and some old Polk Audio PC speakers inside the case.

Of course, the MP3 player is loaded up with the salsa version of Still Alive that plays from the radio in the game. What? You say you don’t remember how that catchy little ditty goes? Well here ya go…

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

[via The Best Case Scenario]

Can you imagine walking behind someone with the T-virus bobbing along in their hair? I’m not sure if I’d ask ‘em to get some coffee or if I’d be forced to karate chop them into the next world in order to save this one. Probably the former. But let’s not linger on my violent tendencies, and instead look at another example: Portal hairsticks. There’s a game that’s been really popular lately with the crafters.

At $20 a pair, I can’t say these are a bad deal, but you’d also have to deal with hearing “The cake is a lie!” over and over and over….

[via RoyalTresses's Etsy store]

When the ESRB gave Portal a “T” rating, I don’t think they meant “T for Toddler”. But your tots can get this hysterical “Where Babies Come From” C-Section graphic on an infant body suit, tiny t-shirt, or a baby bib over at CafePress.

[via Hawty McBloggy]

And there’s even cake… but I don’t know, something tells me it might be a lie. It’s just a feeling I get.

With obligatory cake jokes out of the way, I have to say the fake graffiti on the inside of the cabinet is what really makes this project for me. I love little details like that in games, so seeing it represented here is awesome.

The building process was pretty extensively detailed, in case you’re interested in forging your own Weighted Companion Cube. It’s nice to have something around that will never threaten to stab you.

[via Wonderland]

I can’t decide if I would run the hell away or start high-fiving random people. Each reaction is equally likely at seeing an Aperture Science van, especially one that looks so official. Portal: the game that really sticks with you. Or follows you around, watching your every move.

[via Offworld]

Cross stitcher tracethekat made this entire set as a gift for Christmas, and in doing so, effectively rendered 95% of the world’s Christmas gifts less cool… but at least we know one person got lucky with the gifts!

Now, if you’ll excuse me, there’s science to do… and by “science,” I mean “making my own versions of these.” Black-on-white, though. I’m a purist!

[via Sprite Stitch]

Each shirt is powered by a 2190mAh Lithium-Ion battery pack, stored in a belt pack. Right.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

He already ate some of the cake and he still says it’s a lie? Okay I’m just pissed off because I haven’t played Portal yet. Stupid inside jokes.

Just in case you need a constant reminder not to walk in front of any turret buddies you happen to encounter, a friendly soul at Etsy has immortalized the signs in the form of buttons. Your life will instantly become 20% safer if you wear these buttons.

Please be advised that the buttons are $10 for the complete set. Now if only they included tiny, tinny speakers with the voice of GLaDOS.

[via Etsy]

The My Little Ponies have enjoyed a wacky resurgence in the past several years, and that’s partially due to the custom ponies fad. As the above demonstrates, pony artists change hair, repaint eyes, and customize the pony’s body as well, and as with so many other crafts, video games are a popular theme.

That said, it’s still unusual to see not one, but two new Portal ponies this week!

While the first pony sprang from a more general inspiration with the game, this second is a clear homage to the Weighted Companion Cube, which I guess makes it the Weighted Companion Pony. Of course, the first one has the infamous cake (or does it?), so it would be a clear winner if we were talking about a pony vs. pony deathmatch of custom pony goodness. But since we’re not, you can enjoy them both.

[Portal pony via Hawty McBloggy; Weighted Companion Cube pony via Wonderland]

The decorations are a real mix, from gaming icons like Mario, Link, and Mega Man, to upstarts like the Weighted Companion Cube from Portal, and they’re all made out of paper (and the sweat of effort). It’s enough to make one wary of the candy canes. Paper is not so delicious, after all.

For those brave enough to try to recreate this tree, or do a mix of your own ornaments, a number of the instructions are available on Maire’s page, and others on the cubeecraft site. Now we just need to add some of these papercraft consoles.

[Maire's deviantART page via cubeelog]

]]> http://technabob.com/blog/2008/12/22/papercraft-xmas-tree-is-a-colorful-fire-hazard/feed/ 0 http://technabob.com/blog/2008/09/09/weighted-companion-cube-subwoofer-is-no-lie/ http://technabob.com/blog/2008/09/09/weighted-companion-cube-subwoofer-is-no-lie/#comments Tue, 09 Sep 2008 11:45:38 +0000 technabob http://technabob.com/blog/?p=4124 Portal. Modder d_stilgar spent the last several months painstakingly recreating the details of the Companion Cube, carefully mounting…]]> Finally, there’s a Weighted Companion Cube mod that actually has enough heft to earn its name. This custom-built subwoofer bears a striking resemblance to that little cube that you had to euthanize the last time you played Portal.

Modder d_stilgar spent the last several months painstakingly recreating the details of the Companion Cube, carefully mounting a heavy duty subwoofer and amplifier into the cabinet.

And when the lights go down, the subwoofer glows in the dark, thanks to some cleverly integrated pink EL lighting.

D_stilgar says he’s working on a pair of matching Portal-inspired speakers, but won’t reveal what they look like yet. I’d wager that he’s working on a couple of slices of cake. But then again, that could be a lie.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

You can check out the build log over on Mods and Ends. GLaDOS would be proud.

[via Modding.ru]

I’ll freely admit I’ve never even heard Portal until about 15 minutes ago when I saw a picture of this cookie, but I did some reconnaissance and learned that in the game you get a weighted companion cube as some kind of reward. The creator of this masterpiece Jennyvier helpfully shared a picture of a real weighted companion cube alongside her copy to show her pastry prowess. (Quick question: how does she have a “real” one of these if it’s from within a video game? But I digress.)

There’s something about the art genre of representational dough and frosting video games that really drives me wild. But here’s the kicker. This cookie is made from the dough left over from making Battlestar Galactica Cylon cookies. And I thought I was a geeky girl! Clearly I’ve got a long ways to go.

[via GeekCake, a new site devoted entirely to nerdy baked goods]

Created by EmmanuelMFr of France’s Total Immersion, the illusions in the video really are reminiscent of those in the game. Using his company’s D’FUSION software, he was able to swap the images on each virtual screen surface in real time, including full 3-dimensional transformations.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

I had to watch the video several times before I really understood what was going on, but once you do, you’ll be scratching your head asking how the heck exactly they did that.

Baked by Flickr contributor Mandrake88, this cake is most definitely does exist. And when she was done cooking up the companion cake, Mandrake had some extra dough lying around and baked up a batch of yummy companion cookies.

Be warned, when you click through to Mandrake’s Flickr gallery, there’s a ridiculous NSFW “erotic” cake pictured on the same page as the cube cake. That said, I’m sure you’ll all be hastily clicking on that link.

Now all I can think of is Curb Your Enthusiasm.

Amazingly, builder Magnus Persson created this compact cube PC in just a week. The whole thing measures in at under 8×8x8 inches, fabricated from painted acrylic. Of course it has everything needed to play a round of Portal on board. It runs on a compact Via Epia EX1500G motherboard, and stays cool thanks to a CoolerMaster fan hidden on the bottom of the case.

Kudos to Magnus for an excellent casemod!

[via Bit-Tech]

I guess we just have to allow some artistic license to the creator of this handstitched wool cube.

I suppose you could take the Creative Commons licensed pattern she provided and fill yours with rocks or concrete in place of the recommended foam filling if you want the appropriate heft required for solving puzzles in the test chamber.

[via CRAFT]

Inspired by the game’s handy Weighted Companion Cube, this pendant will accompany you through the test chamber of life. Please take care of it.

Brisbane Australia artist Heather Blacklock handcrafts these little cubes from Fimo polymer clay, and says they’re perfect on a necklace or on a keychain too.

After the Fimo is baked, there will be cake.