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NES harmonicas hit eBay, three lucky gamers cheer
Remember the HarmoNESica? A brief refresher, then: it’s what happens when you’ve got a copy of Super Tecmo Bowl, a Pocket Pal harmonica, and the desire to create a unique musical instrument. But if you don’t have any of the aforementioned ingredients and just want the end result, eBay’s got you covered as usual — three HarmoNESicas have been gathering bids at the online auction house this week. Whether your pleasure be Dick Tracy, Super Mario Bros. 3 or The Legend of Zelda, there’s a harmonica to match; and if (for some reason) you want to actually play one of the games, you’ll find the ROM guts tastefully included. But before you make your bid, remember: there’s more than one way to skin an NES cartridge.
NES harmonicas hit eBay, three lucky gamers cheer originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 11 Mar 2010 08:12:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink 
GoNintendo | 
Dick Tracy, Mario 3, Zelda | Email this | Comments
Steampunk sequencer generates audio from Lego blocks
In 2007, steampunk musician Yoshi Akai wrote his master’s thesis on how to turn color into sound, and he’s been dreaming up unorthodox ways of producing music ever since. Case in point: the Lego Sequencer MR II, a contraption that uses three-dimensional Lego structures to emulate a three-channel, eight-step sequencer, where each differently colored plastic brick produces a different sound and complex combinations (including tremolo and overdrive) are possible when the blocks are stacked. Akai tells us it works using resistors embedded in each and every block, with parallel networks of resistors formed as the bricks pile up, equalling lower resistance and thus a higher frequency sound generated by the contraption. While the result certainly won’t back a techno track — Akai says he’s “building sound more than playing sound” — it looks like a good step up from the lethargic phaser noise produced by his Wireless Catcher, a lot of fun to play with, and much less expensive than hiring a team of hot models. Video after the break.
Continue reading Steampunk sequencer generates audio from Lego blocks
Steampunk sequencer generates audio from Lego blocks originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 10 Mar 2010 05:18:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink MAKE | Yoshi AKAI, Interactive Institute | Email this | Comments
Strobeshnik: probably the most awesome hard drive clock of all time
Turning aged hard drives into clocks has been a common occurrence for years now, but there’s still something magical about this rendition. Designed and crafted by Svofski, the Strobeshnik relies on the stroboscopic effect to create the illusion of a persistent numeric display. The HDD platter itself has ten digits, colon and dash marks cut all the way through it, and by carefully timing the light strobes, the illusion is perfected. Check out a video of the startup just below the break — and be patient, the payoff is spectacularly sweet.
Continue reading Strobeshnik: probably the most awesome hard drive clock of all time
Strobeshnik: probably the most awesome hard drive clock of all time originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 07 Mar 2010 22:48:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink technabob, Engadget German | Strobeshnik | Email this | Comments
Pixel Qi DIY kits will be out in Q2, ’slightly more difficult than changing a lightbulb’
We’re going to assume that Mary Lou’s bravado-filled “It’s only slightly more difficult than changing a lightbulb” is in reference to working with OLPC. In fact, in Mary Lou Jepsen’s most recent Pixel Qi blog post she makes quick reference of the fact that there will be DIY kits for replacing your own laptop screen (most likely a 10-inch module) with the sunlight-friendly, switchable magic of Pixel Qi, but she spends the rest of the post talking about how in Nigeria some schoolgirls started up a laptop hospital where they’d repair their XOs by swapping out parts or reseating cables. We doubt most of our laptops will be so resilient when it comes to ripping off the bezel and swapping in the Pixel Qi part, but we’re dying to void our warranty and find out.
Pixel Qi DIY kits will be out in Q2, ’slightly more difficult than changing a lightbulb’ originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 07 Mar 2010 08:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Yoshi Akai’s Wireless Catcher senses nearby wireless waves, makes music (video)
What’s cute, cuddly, and makes all sorts of bizarro noises when it senses wireless waves? Yoshi Akai’s Wireless Catcher, of course! This analog synth contraption is simplistic in nature and complex in design, utilizing an onboard antenna to sense WiFi signals and then alter the sounds being outputted depending on signal strength and direction. It’s not exactly the symphony that Bach forgot to write, but it’s certainly beautiful in its own nerdy way. Have a look at the video past the break, won’t you?
Continue reading Yoshi Akai’s Wireless Catcher senses nearby wireless waves, makes music (video)
Yoshi Akai’s Wireless Catcher senses nearby wireless waves, makes music (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 28 Feb 2010 04:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink Engadget German, MAKE | Yoshi AKAI | Email this | Comments
Twitter-enabled LED table lets you get your Lite-Brite on from afar
Twitter-enabled LED table lets you get your Lite-Brite on from afar originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 27 Feb 2010 05:46:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink SlashGear | Macetech, USTREAM feed | Email this | Comments
Two PowerBooks spliced into one epic snowboard (video)
We don’t know that this requires much more explanation than the title. A couple of rad dudes from the German-speaking parts of Europe have taken up tools against their old titanium PowerBooks G4s and produced the righteous bit of snow-surfing kit you see above. It was done for a competition asking for creative ways to re-utilize old gear, though judging by all the flopping and crashing that ensued in their tests, this isn’t exactly useful. See it on video after the break, and if it really catches your fancy, the PowerBook snowboard can be found on eBay, though no one has been mad enough to bid for it yet.
Continue reading Two PowerBooks spliced into one epic snowboard (video)
Two PowerBooks spliced into one epic snowboard (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 26 Feb 2010 07:53:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink Silicon Alley Insider, Gizmodo | Zweckentfremder.at | Email this | Comments
Linksys router turned into smartphone-controlled doorman (video)
Working for a large company comes with a lot of baggage, the least of which is an RFID security badge. For those small companies who can’t afford such extravagantly wireless door key solutions there’s another option: this DIY project completed by a team of developers at Sunlight Labs. It all centers around a Linksys WRT54GL, a Linux-based wireless router that, with a little firmware hackery and a bit of wiring, was tethered into the office’s door release buzzer. The team then went about allowing SSH access to the router and created Android and iPhone apps that instantly connect to the device and open the door, authenticated by a PIN and a unique ID assigned to each device. Users can also deliver their PIN via SMS or a simple phone call to open the door. Elegant, impressive, open source, and one less thing to forget on a Monday morning when groggily heading to the office.
Continue reading Linksys router turned into smartphone-controlled doorman (video)
Linksys router turned into smartphone-controlled doorman (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 25 Feb 2010 09:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink Make | Sunlight Labs Door Opener, Software | Email this | Comments
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