Designer Robert Howsare created the decidedly low-tech Drawing Apparatus using a pair of old record players, whose platters have each been connected to a hinged wooden armature. This arm has a Sharpie on the end of it, which draws geometric patterns as the pen glides along the surface of the paper.

I’m duly impressed by the unique, Spirograph-like shapes this thing ends up drawing as the turntables go round and round. It looks like each turntable is running at a different speed in order to vary the geometry and create unique artworks with every play.

I only wonder if there would be some way to keep the needles on the records so it could play music at the same time. I’m guessing the wooden arms would quickly derail the needle. Still, it’s a pretty cool effect, and the sound it makes as it goes around drawing is kind of mesmerizing on its own.

[via Abitaire via Architizer]

From a distance, it’s difficult to tell that this was done with a Sharpie; I’ve seen paint jobs that didn’t come out so well. But doing all those little lines with a brush would be a pain. Not that I think it was a walk in a sun-dappled park with a marker or anything, but at least it probably involved less sanding.

deviantARTist Supertod indicates that this isn’t the first time he’s messed around with markers and controllers and that it takes a surprisingly long time for the design to wear off on its own. But the fact that it does come off is kinda nice, since it means you can eventually change the design!

The Pocket Shark pen ($6.99 USD) might look innocuous enough, but it’s actually made from glass-reinforced plastic and designed to act as an self-defense weapon in the event of an emergency (or if you’re just a lunatic). And while its normal day job is as a permanent marker, this is no ordinary Sharpie.

According to it’s maker Cold Steel, the Pocket Shark  “features walls that are 4 times thicker than similar markers. This means it’s built for impact and, in a self-defense emergency it can become an efficient Yawara stick for driving off an attacker. Plus, the screw-top cap will stay in place and won’t pop off like a regular marker’s cap would when you strike a percussion blow, or when obtaining joint locks or submission holds. “ Yikes.

So the next time you head down to the accounting department and complain about their bureaucratic purchasing process, you’d better pay careful attention to the pens in the hands of the CPAs. You never know.

[via The Awesomer]