[MobileRatty] tag: mold

Vintage Synth of the Day: David Company's Clavitar

Mon, 17 Nov 2008 12:58:05 +0000

From Keyboard Magazine Presents: Vintage Synthesizers:

If it weren't for the rock-and-roll world' perverse tendency to shovel lead synthesists into the guitar-hero mold, the remote controller idea might never have gotten off the ground. Even before Moog's guitar-necked portable Liberation synthesizer, remote controllers were appearing with everything but frets and strings. Case in point: The David Company's Clavitar, surely the duck-billed platypus of keyboard phylogeny.

David Clavitar in Vintage Synthesizers [Books.Google.com via Surroundhead]

How to Make Lego Bricks You Can Actually Eat [Lego]

Mon, 10 Nov 2008 11:45:00 +0000

I have had my share of accidentally-eaten Lego pieces—specially the 1x1 bricks that I used to keep in my mouth when I was a kid—which actually explains the weird chemical components that always pop up in my blood tests. Some of them, anyway. But I digress. What is important here is that someone has actually come up with a way to mix two of the most important inventions in the History of Civilization—Lego bricks and gummy candies—into one single product that you can make at home: Lego gummy bricks. Yes, I know, they look—and probably are—as delicious as the real ones.

The concept is rather simple: Grab a Lego surface, a few Lego pieces, silicon to make a negative mold, cook the candy liquid, pour in, and let it cool down until it solidifies into transparent brick goodness, Lego logo included. Some people would say that this may encourage kids to eat actual Lego pieces. As I said, I ate a lot of myself and here I'm. Mentally perturbed, but alive. Head to Instructables for the step-by-step instructions. Alternatively, you can buy the factory-made Kellogg's Lego Fun Snacks, obviously created to teach kids that Lego bricks taste great. And kill them. [Instructables via Make]

Darth Toaster: May The (Break) Fast Be With You

Thu, 06 Nov 2008 02:24:22 +0000

The Darth Vader Toaster is pretty bogus: any real Jedi would just slice his loaf with a Light Saber and it would fall ready-toasted, needing only a quick slathering of butter and jam (blueberry for the good guys and red, red, raspberry for those on the Dark Side).

But until the Light Saber becomes a common part of the culinary toolkit (a true multi-tasker, we might add) then we'll have to settle for this junky plastic toaster, the result of pouring black beads into the mold-maker instead of the usual white. It's exactly the same as a normal thrift-store toaster, only it has the addition of a Darth Vader shaped element which appears to char the Dark Lord's visage into your breakfast bread. And we mean char -- in the picture the center section looks almost inedible.

And of course, you'll be stung on price, too. $55. For that money, we'd expect a steaming replica of a dead Tauntaun, toast popping crisply from its freshly sliced stomach. Available January 2009.

Product page [Star Wars Shop via New Launches and Nerd Approved]

Video: Crafting a sword from metal and leather and brawn

Mon, 03 Nov 2008 17:47:13 +0000

Here's a lovely video of two swordsmiths making a blade, set to some pleasant fingerpicked guitar. It's from the Mad Dwarf Workshop, an Indiana smith(y?) run by two young men who certainly don't fit the traditional mold of the pot-bellied SCA beardo blacksmiths.*

[via MAKE]

* Not that there's anything wrong with that. (Beardo.)

Cooler Light - Simple Invention

Fri, 31 Oct 2008 13:05:07 +0000

The best inventions are sometimes the simplest. Take this "Cooler Light" from Coghlan's, which works just like your refrigerator light.

A single LED light reflected through an acrylic lens, secured to the underside of the cooler lid with double side adhesive tape, shines automatically when the lid is raised. But unlike the typical refrigerator, the Cooler Light will shut off automatically after 20 seconds regardless if the lid is shut completely.

No more fumbling around in the dark for a beer at a tailgating party. Never happen to you? Me neither but I sure could see using it camping.

$8.99 at Coghlan's. While you're there, check out the "Cooler Dy' which is a simple plastic clip to keep your cooler partially open after cleaning, preventing mold and odor. $3.29 and indispensable.

Posted by Evan Category: devices
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Snowball Blaster Blasts Frozen Pain Up to 50-Feet Away

Fri, 31 Oct 2008 04:50:36 +0000

Firing your Snowball Blaster is a simple process, pack the snow into the forming chambers, pull back the slingshot firing mechanism and let rip on targets up to 50 feet away. There are three forming chambers, which make three snowballs that are said to be perfectly spherical - so I am guessing that this thing would be pretty damned accurate. [Hammacher Schlemmer via Geek Alerts]

Red Ring Of Death Appears On Pumpkin

Tue, 21 Oct 2008 05:35:41 +0000

Now this could get rather creepy when you give further thought - a Halloween pumpkin that features a non-traditional carving in the form of Microsoft's infamous Red Ring of Death. This pumpkin is definitely too cool to be left to rot once Halloween is over - perhaps it could be produced in a plastic mold instead?

Add a comment | From: Red Ring Of Death Appears On Pumpkin | Visit Ubergizmo | Good deals

$15 MP3 Player Mimics, Outperforms Vertu Phone

Tue, 21 Oct 2008 01:14:24 +0000

Q: What's the difference between the Hacha PF02 and the Vertu Signature (right)?.

A: About $10,000.

There are a few other differences. The Hacha, while clearly cast in cheap plastic from the same mold as the Vertu phone, is in fact a $15 MP3 player and not a piece of function-limited jewelry. It also plays music, which – astonishingly – the Vertu does not.

For that price, you should really expect nothing, but you get 2GB storage and an the ability to play MP3, WMA and OGG files. You load it up via USB 2.0 and it is guaranteed not to work with iTunes. Even the battery life isn't bad, at 14 hours playback time.

Today marks the symbolic end of the MP3 player market. We know that one day, standalone music players will be novelty items and all listening will be done on cellphones. This little piece of plastic tat ushers in the beginning of the end, firmly placing the MP3 player in the realm of the trade-show giveaway, to be ordered by the thousands along with USB thumbdrives and novelty pens.

Product page [PC Online via PMP Today]

Young Mad Scientist Alphablocks to Help Mold Young Minds

Mon, 20 Oct 2008 22:32:16 +0000

If you want a set of alphabet blocks for either yourself or your kids, then these could be worth a look. The laser-cut wooden blocks features some awesome artwork and interesting word choices; which go along well with that whole faux-antique aesthetic. All of the letters are included on the set of five blocks.

Full list of words after the jump.
A - Appendages
B - Bioengineering
C - Caffeine
D - Dirigible
E - experiment
F - freeze ray
G - goggles
H - henchmen
I - invention
J - jargon
K - potassium
L - Laser
M - Maniacal
N - Nanotechnology
O - Organs
P - Peasants (with Pitchforks)
Q - Quantum physics
R - Robot
S - Self-experimentation
T - Tentacles
U - Underground Lair
V - Virus
W - Wrench
X - Xray
Y - You, the Mad Scientist of Tomorrow
Z - Zombies
Price: $36 [Xylocopa via MAKE]

Gateway rolls out new FX, LX series desktop PCs

Wed, 15 Oct 2008 15:26:00 +0000

Filed under: Desktops

Gateway isn't exactly breaking the mold here, but we're guessing it'll still move quite a few of its new FX and LX series desktop PCs, which each pack some pretty high end specs for more than reasonable prices. Like others in the FX series, the new FX6710 is aimed directly at gamers, and includes a speedy Intel Core 2 Quad Q9400 processor, 6GB of RAM, a 750GB hard drive, ATI Radeon HD 4850 graphics, Creative X-Fi audio, and other suitably high-end specs, all for a $1,199. The all new LX6200 model, on the other hand, is targeted at more multimedia-minded users, though gamers will probably find quite a bit to like as well, including an AMD Phenom X4 9500 quad-core Processor, ATI Radeon HD 3200 graphics, the same 750GB hard drive, and 8GB of RAM standard, all for just $779. According to Gateway, both should be available at all the usual sources right now.

Read - Gateway FX6710
Read - Gateway LX6200

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