Computers & Mobile

The latest DIY ideas, techniques and tools for digital gadgetry, open code, smart hacks, and more. Processing power to the people!

Soda Bottle “Cylinder Clock” Does a Lot, With a Little

Soda Bottle “Cylinder Clock” Does a Lot, With a Little

Sure, the world’s full of unusual clocks, both analog and digital, but this unusual design from Instructables user duckcrazy caught my eye for the many clever ways in which it makes the most of some common materials. The case is made from carefully-chosen 2-liter soda bottles, and the clock itself from a pair of CDs, a couple of print-and-fold paper cylinders, and an inexpensive analog clock movement. It’s an entry in Instructables currently-ongoing Clocks Challenge.

David Pogue’s iPhone Brain Dump at World Maker Faire New York

David Pogue’s iPhone Brain Dump at World Maker Faire New York

This man really belongs on Broadway, but he’s coming to Queens for World Maker Faire on Saturday, and will be doing David Pogue’s iPhone Brain Dump on the Main Stage at 4pm. In this half hour, he’ll dazzle you with the coolest apps, share some undocumented tips and tricks, look back at the iPhone’s unlikely origins, and look forward to the future of mobile phones and applications.

Mapbag: Josh Billions (video)

Mapbag: Josh Billions (video)

Josh Billions demonstrates the Mapbag at Maker Faire Bay Area 2011. It is a bicycle messenger bag with a ring of vibrating motors sewn into its strap, whose positions correspond to compass points. This soft circuit project uses a Lilypad in conjunction with the gps feature in an Iphone, allowing the user to set a destination and be given constant haptic feedback through the fabric in order to stay on course and in the right direction. This acts as an exploratory wayfinding tool – a fun and useful alternative to a standard turn-by-turn map.