No, it’s not a comic-book sound effect! Igaaks are a modern version of traditional Inuit snow goggles (Wikipedia), lovingly handcrafted by Paul Celmer of Raleigh/Durham, North Carolina, in a range of contemporary materials and finishes. Like their arctic forebears, Igaaks help prevent snow-blindness and improve the focus of distant objects, whether you’re at the pole or on the playa.
Although best known today for the eponymous Bunsen burner, German chemist Robert Wilhelm Eberhard Bunsen (Wikipedia), born on this date in 1811, had a foundational role in many areas of modern chemistry. He discovered the use of iron oxide hydrate as a precipitating agent for arsenic, which even today has applications in treating contaminated groundwater. His experiments with arsenic cost him an eye (by an explosion of pyrophoric tetramethyldiarsine) and almost cost him his life, by poisoning. He invented the Bunsen cell, an early electrochemical “battery” that improved upon existing designs by replacing precious metallic platinum with common carbon in the cathode. He used his new cell, among other things, to isolate pure magnesium for the first time, by electrolysis. With Kirchoff, he was instrumental in the development of flame-emission spectroscopy, and used the technique, for which his famous burner was developed, to discover two then-unknown elements–cesium and rubidium. He was, even among the acerbic European academic chemists of his day, widely regarded for his kindness, even temperament, and good character. He died in 1899, aged 88.
Shing Yin Khor is a sculptor and illustrator inspired by monsters, tentacles, mediocre science fiction movies, bikes, Dungeons and Dragons, and really adorable cats. Educated as a theatrical scenic designer and prop maker, and employed in the technology field, [I] now synthesize my eclectic skill set into accessible and affordable art ranging from desktop monster sculptures to walk-in spacepods installed at Burning Man.
When you buy a p8tch, you get a velcro-backed waterproof patch, in one of several cool designs, bearing a unique QR code. You also get a unique password that lets you log in to the system’s website at p8t.ch and specify what URL you want your patch to redirect to. You can stick it on anything and direct folks who scan it wherever you want, and when you want to use it for something else, instead of having to generate a whole new code, you can just change the re-direct URL online. A clever product concept and an awesome inexpensive gift.
I first blogged about Brian H.’s classic NES “harmonicarts” two weeks ago. Since that time, I am pleased as punch to announce, Brian has opened a store selling them in our very own Makers Market. Right now he’s got Top Gun and WWF Wrestlemania versions available, both in the key of C major.
Bored with those die-cut plywood dinosaur kits? Try building one with tweezers! Maybe in a bottle, like a model ship, for added challenge? Seller Everything Tiny wants to send you one of these awesome little stegosaurus model kits in a mint tin:
Kat and Jim run Sonodrome from Tynesmouth, UK, on the northeast Channel coast. Besides the hardware featured here and in the Makers Market, they also write and distribute music software, including a digital effects rack designed for their Posc kit.
