Pelitier-based cooling/heating backpack

[max weisel] recently created a peltier-based cooling/heating system that fits into a backpack. the system uses two peltier units, each running at 91.2 watts, with computer heat sinks mounted on one side of the unit to dissipate the excessive amounts of heat generated. while he was originally trying to build a cooling backpack, the use of the peltier units meant that the cool side would become warm when the direction of current was switched, meaning that the backpack could become a heating backpack with the flip of a switch. in order to power the two peltier units, he uses two 12v motorcycle batteries, weighing in at around 5 pounds each. while this backpack might be a little heavy for your back, it looks promising for anyone who needs to keep things cool (or warm) on the go.

The History of Computing as Told by Pixelated Dancing Scientists (and Jim Guthrie)

For most, the history of computing is a dry,boring,and fairly complex subject(unless you're a geek).But Canadian animators Superbrothers teamed up with singer-songwriter and this awesome dude named Jim Guthrie to create this amazing music video that'll prove you wrong. The story: two heavily-pixelated scientists have a dance battle that echoes the transition from primitive '60s computers to today's cloud computing. The video is after the jump.

DOT MATRIX REVOLUTION* from superbrothers on Vimeo.

OpenMoko Is Now Available

The open source touch-screen phone, OpenMoko, is now on sale. Click here for the link.

WTF is a Rifftlet?

That's what went through my mind when I found rifflet.com. It's an new website that calls itself the "home for unfinished songs". he idea is that it's like Twitter, except for music. Users upload snippets of their own work, for the sole purpose for it to be used in collaboration with others. So, what is a rifflet? It's what ever you want it to be. I personally think that it's a novel idea.

I wish I had this.....

Albert Einstein once said “The only reason for time is so that
everything doesn’t happen at once.” Tell that to designer John
Pszeniczny, he thinks time could use a turbo boost and has designed the
fastest watch on Earth dubbed “F1/Carbon GMT”. Inspired by the F1 race
car world and constructed of carbon fiber, Swarovski crystals, rubber
and metal, this timepiece has 18 identical rubies and tells the time in
everyone of the 18 cities on the 2008 F1 circuit. With a built in lap timer function and a stopwatch, time will seem to stand still as it races by at relative speed…which is 42. He also made the watch in the second picture, which, might I add, is made from
crystal, stainless steel and a Spessartite Garnet.


[Yanko Design]

Not for people with neck problems

The arduino platform
has been the basis for a lot of bizarre gadgetry over the years, and
the audio ping pong project by Mike McCracken certainly stands up to
the best of them. The game is essentially the classic Pong with one
major difference—instead of using your hands and eyes, the game is
controlled with audio cues and head movements.

When the headphones are on, the player hears a sound (the ball) that
seems to be getting closer. In order to return "the ball" you tilt your
head to one side or the other depending on which side the movement is
heard. The challenge is to center the sound and return the volley. As
the contest progresses, the speed increases until you miss the ball or
you break your neck—whichever comes first. As you lie twitching on the
ground, a buzzer and a light from the machine will mock your defeat. To
discover just how stupid all of this makes you look, check out the
video below.

Audio Ping Pong from loneconspirator on Vimeo.

I'm back....with Indie Games.

I'm back. Sorry for the delay in between posts. I was busy. But on to better things.



I spent the time to go ahead and look up a decent indie game, and here it is.

1. Echoes

Oh wonderful flashy colors, where have you been?
Echoes is an interesting take on the old favorite Asteroids, where you shoot larger and larger pieces of rock, as well as other objects.
It pushes you into looking at the trippy colors, which, I don't seem to mind.Its amazing colors is what drew me to it in the first place.
One of the interesting things about this game is the fact that you can put your own music in there. Personally, I put in some Bloc Party. But that's me.