Didnt You Hear…

…Your old iPods can become speakers?

Published

on January 6, 2009

. Comments

iPod Speakers

Here’s an interesting idea for a pair of old iPods: Replace the scroll wheels with speakers to turn them into a portable stereo system.

According to Jordan, the maker of the speakers:

I was looking through a bunch of old stuff when I came across my original iPod. I had long ago scavenged it for parts, so I came up with another use for it. Although I already had the iPod speaker “shell”, I wanted to make two speakers so that it could be stereo sound. My iPod speaker shell was barely recognizable with too many scratches to count, so I ordered two front panels and two back panels.

The total cost ended up around 100 USD for everything. It was mostly the shipping prices that made it so expensive. If I had spent some more time finding cheaper prices, or finding the parts locally, the cost would have been about 60 USD.

[Voiding Warranties - iPod Speakers]

[Via: MAKE: Blog]

…Audi is putting LED bulbs in their R8 headlights?

Published

Cory O'Brien

on January 6, 2009

in Cars

. Comments

Audi R8 Headlight

When the V10 equipped Audi R8 hits the streets, it will be the first car in the world to have both high and low beam LED headlights as standard equipment. (The 2009 Cadillac Escalade Platinum will be the first vehicle in the world to offer the all-LED technology.)

You’ve probably already seen Audis driving around with LED driving lights in the grill, and LED taillights are nothing new, but this will be the first time an all-LED system is used for the headlights, and it’s supposed to use a quarter the energy of a typical halogen bulb, while providing a brighter, whiter light.

Sure, you need to put down six figures for the privilege, but at least automakers are taking steps in the right direction to utilize new technologies that are better for the environment, while being better for us in the process.

[Audi - R8]

…It’s Tuner Tuesday: Polly Motorsports Trans Am?

Published

Cory O'Brien

on January 6, 2009

in Cars

. Comments

Sure, it looks like KITT, and is probably shorter in person, but this 1987 Pontiac Trans Am is no movie star.

No, it’s more akin to the stuntman that shows up, gets the job done, and then goes home to the family without expecting any kind of star treatment.

That’s because this rather stock looking car (when the hood’s down at least) from Polly Motorsports of Norway is officially Europe’s fastest street-legal car, with a verified top speed of 252 mph on the Papenburg test track in Germany. Plus, according to the builders, it was just getting warmed up when they set that record, and they expect to see speeds in excess of 270 mph once they have a chance to stretch its legs back in the US.

Power comes from an 8.9L V8 that has been supercharged to produce 1407 horsepower, and the result (in addition to the top speed) is a 0-62 mph time of just 2.23 seconds.

A custom-made coilover suspension keeps things planted, a 9” Ford axle tries not to explode when the go pedal is pressed, and 14” brakes slow everything down once the fun is over. Other than the hood scoop though, the exterior looks rather civilized, and it’s only when you pop the hood of the best do you realize that it’s no ordinary Trans Am.

No need to worry if you see this car in your rear view mirror though, because it probably won’t be there for long.

[Polly Motorsports - Trans Am]

[Via: Autoblog]

…Stars take a lot of power to produce?

Published

Cory O'Brien

on January 5, 2009

in Science

. Comments

What does it take to create a tiny, man-made star that will trigger a thermonuclear reaction inside of a laboratory?

How about a laser that concentrates 1,000 times the electric generating power of the entire United States into one-billionth of a second.

Not impressive enough for you?

Then how about this: The resulting explosion should produce 10 times the amount of energy used to create it, or more than 10,000 times the electric generating power of the United States!

The structure that will house this experiment, which is located in the National Ignition Facility in Livermore, California, covers an area roughly the size of three football fields, and the infrared laser that will cause the explosion will travel through almost a mile of lenses, mirrors and amplifiers in order to create a beam that will be 10 billion (yes, with a b) times more powerful than a standard household light bulb.

Let’s just hope they’ve got some bright minds working on this project, because otherwise we could bite off more than we can chew with our own man-made star.

[National Ignition Facility]

[Via: Neatorama]

…Planetary Gear Calling Cards are amazing?

Published

Cory O'Brien

on January 5, 2009

in Fun

. Comments

Planetary Gear Calling Card

Thingiverse’s Phooky makes fantastic Planetary Gear Calling Cards that sure to get your digits noticed!

The cards, which feature working planetary gears, are cut from various layers of card or Bristol, and then assembled like a sandwich to form working gears that you can spin in your very own hands.

If you’d like to make your own, just head on over to the site and download, print, cut and assemble all of the necessary pieces and parts, and you’ll be spinning your way through business cards in no time.

[Thingverse - Planetary Gear Calling Cards]

[Via: Gizmodo]

…You can play Counter-Strike in the Haunted Mansion ride?

Published

Cory O'Brien

on January 5, 2009

in Games

. Comments

Counter-Strike Haunted Mansion

A Counter-Strike map-modder named NIPPER created a reproduction of Disney’s The Haunted Mansion ride inside of the game, and when I say reproduction, I don’t just mean he created a level that’s kinda/sorta like the ride with a few nice touches thrown in here and there. No, this is a 100%, practically photo-realistic reproduction of the ride that you can actually ride through, complete with narration, backstage areas, special effects and more. I don’t know how he did it, but I sure do appreciate the effort:

Plus, if you’d like to ride the ride and see the details for yourself, you can even download the map pack from the joe.to community and play through the level on your own Counter-Strike game.

[joe.to - NIPPER Maps]

[Via: Boing Boing]

…It’s Movie Monday: Bourbon?

Published

Cory O'Brien

on January 5, 2009

in Movies

. Comments

Bourbon

Bourbon is a short film by Adam Woodworth about “a couple of small time gangsters, their plan to hit it big, and how it all came crashing down”.

Bourbon Awards

It won the Best Short Film award at the 2007 Plymouth Independent Film Festival, was nominated for Best Cinematography and Best Crime Short at the 2007 Hollywood Digital Video Festival, and was an official selection at the 2007 Ruff Cutz Indie Film Conference of Boston.

Below is the film in its entirety, but be sure to visit the Bourbon site as well for more information about this great piece of cinema:

[Bourbon]

…It’s TGI Friday: I Fell In Love With The Majesty Of Colors?

Published

Cory O'Brien

on January 2, 2009

in Games

. Comments

The Majesty Of Colors

I Fell In Love With The Majesty Of Colors is a rather unique game from Gregory Weir that lets you choose between five different endings depending on what actions (or inactions) you take during the course of the game.

The controls are incredibly simple, but the point is to follow along with the story and change the outcome of what happens, not to necessarily ‘beat’ the game, so the controls are perfect for interacting with your environment and letting you enjoy each part of the story.

If you’ve got a few spare minutes, then use them to play with The Majesty and see what you can discover.

[Kongregate - I Fell In Love With The Majesty Of Colors]

[Via: Auntie Pixelante]

…Papercraft scientists and game consoles can be fun?

Published

Cory O'Brien

on January 2, 2009

in Art

. Comments

If you’ve been bitten by the papercraft bug, but can’t seem to find enough ways to feed it, then check out the Papercraft Scientists and Papercraft Game Consoles.

The Scientists feature Albert Einstein, Carl Sagan and Charles Darwin:

Papercraft Scientists

And the Game Consoles include the Commodore 64, the Atari 2600, and the Pong Arcade:

Foldskool Heroes

Each one can be made at home by printing out the pattern, cutting and folding the figure according to the instructions.

[Papercraft Scientists Via: Neatorama]

[Game Consoles Via: Gizmodo]

…X-Punx bring the X-Men to life?

Published

Cory O'Brien

on January 2, 2009

in Toys

. Comments

X-Men Papercraft

Jason Edward Harlan, AKA Harlancore, makes papercraft creations that he calls Boxpunx, and has created two different series of X-Punx, or X-Men themed papertoys that you can print, fold and create yourself.

X-Men Papercraft Samples

Characters include Spiderman, Wolverine, Cyclops, Storm, Magneto, Professor X, Invisible Girl, The Thing, Punisher, Silver Surfer and many more, and each features the characteristic elements that make every one unique.

[Harlancore - BoxPunx, X-Punx 1, X-Punx 2]

[Via: Neatorama]

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