Archive for August 13th, 2009
Desktop Factory hits the dead pool
13, Aug 2009Goodbye, Desktop Factory, we hardly knew ye. This company was supposed to offer a sub-$5,000 desktop 3D printer. Alas, they are no more and they’ve sold their IP and assets to an unnamed buyer.
But a funny thing happened as we launched our effort to sell Desktop Factory. We found interested parties who do understand [...]
- In: Tek Oh!
- Tags: 3d printing, Desktop Factory, Headline, prototyping
Make your own Ball and Cage
13, Aug 2009Welcome to CrunchGear’s old-timey corner of fun. First, read this for a bit of charming reminiscence:
When I was a kid growing up on a farm, most boys carried a knife to school and usually sharpened their own pencils. Getting a nice smooth point on a pencil was a matter of pride for most of us. [...]
- In: Tek Oh!
- Tags: ball and cage, diy, Fun, Headline
I bet you thought iFixit only tore apart Apple products and high-profile electronics. Not so! The Starbucks Barista is in fact not a barista but a machine that makes espresso. You could argue that’s what real baristas are as well, but we can talk about that another time. The Barista espresso machine is a good representative of the home-espresso machine world, and it isn’t some cheap piece of garbage, either. It’s got lots of real metal in there and… are those molex connectors?
WiSpi EX30: Watch everybody, all the time
13, Aug 2009The guys at Brickhouse security are now selling the WiSpy EX30, a wireless camera that transmits to a handheld screen and has a built-in DVR and night IR night vision.
The device records right onto SD and also notifies you when something steps into the frame. The device costs $169.95 sans memory card and transmits [...]
There are RPGs for the TI-83?
13, Aug 2009
Mother of God. I used to have a TI-83 for calculus classes, but all I ever had on it was DrugWar and a little racing game that was as hard as nails. Come to think of it, how did I even get those on there? They must have been copied, device to device, all the way from the originals. We didn’t have the benefit of the internet at the time (at least, not as it is today).
But who knew there were full-fledged RPGs on the thing? I guess that, considering a large amount of high-school and college students are required to buy these things, it’s actually a pretty popular platform. There have to be 20 or 30 million of them out there at the least!
- In: Tek Oh!
- Tags: CrunchArcade, Headline, video, Videos
iTunes 9 wish lists list wishes
13, Aug 2009
Ahhh, Apple. Their followers are always fanatical, spending days dreaming away when and what the next product announcement will be. I bet Dell and HP wish they had this kind of following. Since September is typically when Apple announces their new products, the webs are all abuzz with people guessing what new shiny thing will be coming out. Some are even writing wish lists, but of course like an abusive parent, Apple will snub them and ignore their cries for attention.
MAKE calls it an XY table, and I can sort of work out what that means. It’s like a giant Etch-A-Sketch, but it doesn’t sketch or etch. It just kind of moves around on a… is that a skateboard? And why does the contraption sound like the beginning of that one Air song off of Premieres Symptomes? I must be dreaming. Get it together, man!
Stylish ceramic speakers: expensive but very cool
13, Aug 2009
These speakers are pretty crazy looking, but apparently they sound quite good due to the acoustic qualities of porcelain-enclosed cork. The raw design is eye-catching but a little busy, although the toaster-esque volume control looks totally awesome. You’re not going to pick them up at your local electronics store, though; they’re being custom made and are likely going to cost at least $400.
J.D Power and Associates just issued Volume 2 of their Wireless Customer Care report, which runs from January to June of 2009.
It’s a big three-way tie this time around, with T-Mobile, Alltel, and Verizon all taking a victory lap. AT&T follows behind with an “About Average” (3/5) rating, while Sprint stumbles with a paltry 2/5.
Autobahn using only effects pedals and guitars
13, Aug 2009Are you the operator on your pocket calculator? Electro-Harmonix has a new Effectology video out showing how to recreate Kraftwerk’s Autobahn with some pedals and an electric guitar. There are lots of loops and lots of great guitar work.