Archive for May 2013

Bumblebee, you’re doing it wrong. Or maybe he just got scared and decided to roll into a ball. This vehicular sculpture was actually made by Indonesian artist Ichwan Noor. He created this Volkswagen sphere that is 1.8 meters across out of the parts of actual Volkswagen Beetle.

We’ve seen plenty of nifty crocheted Star Wars items and I’m sure we will see more. But a real Jedi Master crafter uses a weapon like this awesome lightsaber crochet hook.

It’s time to put your Ben Heck hat on. A company called Photon Gaming is raising funds for Darkmatter, an open source DIY kit for converting an Xbox 360 console into a laptop. Photon Gaming even claims one variant of their kit will allow you to convert an Xbox One into a laptop.

Keys have evolved over the last few years, quite significantly. There are cars which no longer require keys at all, starting at the touch of a button when the key fob is nearby. These days, people like controlling all of their stuff via smartphones, and I think it wouldn’t be a bad idea to control door locks with them.

Instructables member KlockworkKevin made a generator attachment for his bicycle. Even though he mostly used scrap parts for the generator, he was able to avoid making the whole thing an eyesore by hiding it in plain sight.

A dumpster-looking personal fortress of solitude where you can play games in total privacy? Count me in. “The Box” is a custom-built personal gaming chamber for those who have no friends and want none.

Some people insist staring at the screen of their smartphone every waking hour of the day. While I personally abhor this anti-social behavior, it’s a fact of modern life. Now you can keep an eye on the screen of your phone even while you’re having a drink of your favorite beverage.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Snails are just like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. They can be found in sewers, and I bet they love pizza too. Sadly, they can’t reach their weapons. And bad guys can always track them by their slime trail.

Home decor that doubles as actual functional stuff is totally in demand these days, mostly because people are living in homes with such limited space. Another one of these items is the aptly-called “Metal Folder” by Debra Folz.

People know that smoking is bad for their health. Most of them are also aware of the fact that doing drugs might make them loopy. Yet people still smoke and use all the same. Text warnings can only do so much, so for cigarettes, some institutions pushed for manufacturers to print graphic pictures of the negative effects on the actual boxes.

If you’re a regular follower of Technabob, you know I’m a big fan of 3D printing tech. As prices come down, and speed and accuracy come up, 3D printers will become ubiquitous. While most 3D printing is done by melting plastic, did you know that you sugar can be used to make 3D prints too?

People can do some amazing things with Minecraft. What if you could re-create a movie in Minecraft right down to the expressions on the faces of the actors? Well, it would look a lot like this.

The original Nintendo Entertainment System’s controller lends itself so well to geeky reinterpretations thanks to its simple, rectangular form. And now, here’s another cool use for the iconic controller – a night light.

Minddrive is a non-profit program in Kansas City, in which students have designed an interactive car-powered by social media. This car is powered through Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

Have you heard of fiverr.com? It’s a site that provides interested users with “graphics, marketing, fun and more online services for $5.” All sorts of bizarre services are being offered on the site, from people offering to write messages for you using Indian spices to making soda tab bracelets that they’ll be happy to mail to your home.

If you drooled at the PS Vita hack we saw last year that allowed for Remote Play via PS3, check this out. Sony may have found a solution to the PS Vita’s languishing hardware sales and intrigued more Sony faithful in one fell swoop.