One of the most asked questions when I venture out to meet other Makers or folks just getting in to making things usually is – “Are there any simple how-tos that explain transistors, LEDs (Light Emitting Diode), etc..” so, here’s one I dug up from my bookmarks to check out. If you have others that we haven’t covered, post up in the comments or via our “suggest a site”. Link.
Here’s a pretty good group of paper templates you can download, print and make your own papercraft car. The site is not in english, but it’s pretty easy to figure out and best of all – it has a lot of paper cars I haven’t seen on other sites, like 5 different types of Fiats. Link.
Wonderful way to learn about computing – these ought to be on the back of cereal boxes. CARDIAC (cardboard illustrative aid to computation) illustrates the operation of a computer without actually being a computer. It is a very practical aid to understanding computers and computer programming. [via] Link. We have a ton of great Maker-like kits on Make 04 too.
Homemade ergo-monitor riser made from a half-inch thick piece of 24″ x 48″ birch plywood, some ABS plastic drain pipe (1 1/2″ diameter), and some plastic spray paint. Very simple, under $20 and might save some neck pain. Link.
The 21st century equivalent of the 18th century’s “Home Sweet Home” – a hand-stitched version of the ‘tracert’ DOS command, which is normally used to trace the specific network points that join one computer with another computer on the Internet network. the electronic tracert journey is determined by IP addresses of destinations, & how many milliseconds it takes to reach them. for those appreciating the art of data visualization stitching, see also lorenz manifold or other clothing-based examples. [via] Link.
I really like Griffin’s iPod accessories, mostly because I think they have the best hackers. The new iPod nano iTrip looks like an excellent piece of engineering, but if you look close at the screen they’re not only use the FM add-on in dock mode (screen says disconnect) – the image which is normally a blinking O with a line through it is replaced with a Griffin logo. Digging in the firmware you find these things, but they’re doing this via the dock connector. Nice hack. I hope to take one apart soon. [via] Link.
The main light source of the future will almost surely not be a bulb. It might be a table, a wall, or even a fork. An accidental discovery announced this week has taken LED lighting to a new level, suggesting it could soon offer a cheaper, longer-lasting alternative to the traditional light bulb. The miniature breakthrough adds to a growing trend that is likely to eventually make Thomas Edison’s bright invention obsolete. Thanks Rob! Link.
