Holy Hieroglyphics: Stunning Egyptian case mod

Posted in Cases by Conner Flynn on June 2nd, 2008

Holy Hieroglyphics: Stunning Egyptian case mod
Whether built by King Tut himself or the work of an ancient alien civilization, this is surely proof of alien intervention. The detail is just too amazing. There’s no way they could have done it. And the fact that an ancient PC case has been unearthed…

This work of art was built from nothing by Chris Kramer a.k.a “Jadragon”, and is called the EgyptMod PC. There’s some amazing detail, like hieroglyphics, fake jewels and an awesome aged look. Check out the Eye of Ra made of brass and inlaid with polished malachite and verisite. The project took over 200 hours of carving and he never once wavered and cried out for his mummy. It’s a truly inspiring creation.

Dad gives son Steampunk Clock as wedding gift

Posted in Clocks by Conner Flynn on June 1st, 2008

Dad gives son Steampunk Clock as wedding gift
Whether it’s marriage by shotgun or just a pat on the back, you can’t do much better then getting this beautiful steampunk clock as a gift. It beats the hell out of a toaster or a blender. The father spent weeks working on the clock, which is walnut with brass and other metals.

He did a pretty good job considering that the son only recently introduced him to the whole steampunk thing. Plus the guy is grade A crazy in a good way like Doc Emmett Brown. He wanted to wear a steam-punk suit to the wedding, but his wife wouldn’t let him. It’s made by Diversified Artistic Designs (D.A.D.).

Wooden nixie clock is totally tubular…dude

Posted in Clocks by Conner Flynn on May 29th, 2008

Wooden nixie clock is totally tubular…dude
I’m not going to make any wood jokes. No jokes about having your tubes tied either. I promise. We have a soft spot for these wood Nixie clocks. They just blend the modern with the old so nicely, you can’t help but fall in love with them. They just have style and they fit in anywhere you can think to put one.

You have to buy it as a kit and put it together yourself, but hey, that just gives you something to brag and be proud about when it’s finished. If you aren’t that handy and don’t think you can handle putting together it’s 115 parts, I guess you’ll just have to admire it from afar.

Wii balance board surfs Google Earth

Posted in Hacks by Conner Flynn on May 28th, 2008

Wii balance board surfs Google Earth
A group of German students have somehow managed to use the Wii Balance Board from Wii-Fit to navigate their way around Google Earth. Specifically to surf Google Earth. Talk about a creative way to use a Wii accessory.

It’s really not all that impressive, and these guys are no Silver Surfer, but I guess it’s the first step in being able to fly or surf around the world virtually. And when that day comes, it will be sweet to do this in a nerd hero costume, while playing theme music. Video below.

Steampunk usb memory is flashy

Posted in USB Flash Drives by Conner Flynn on May 23rd, 2008

Steampunk usb memory is flashy
If Flash Gordon had a laptop, this would be his preferred USB memory. It’s the creation of a crazy modder over in Russia and it’s full of retro steampunk shininess, hand crafted from polished brass and copper, with a lot of attention to detail. He got all of it just right.

Which makes me wonder why no company has yet taken advantage of the whole steampunk thing and started mass producing usb memory like this. They could move a ton of items. Geeks like me would eat it up. I shouldn’t have to rely on a modder from Russia for my usb needs, that’s all I’m saying.

Cute Munny speaker dolls

Posted in Speakers by Conner Flynn on May 21st, 2008

Cute Munny speaker dolls
At first these cute speakers appear to be mass produced and expensive, but that’s not the case. They are actually home made by a Flickr pool member, Fungus Amungus. It’s probably one of the simpler DIY projects you could undertake, since you basically just attach the speakers to the head of a Munny figure.

The important thing is that they look awesome. There really isn’t much info on the actual specs of the speakers, but I want to see the design mass produced. They have a lot of personality and almost seem to be saying, “Can you hear me now?”, while also plotting your demise.

The NES Coffee Table stores games, controls console

Posted in Furniture by Conner Flynn on May 9th, 2008

The NES Coffee Table stores games, controls console
The NES Coffee Table is one of the coolest mods we’ve seen recently. Get this, it’s not just decorative. You can actually use it as a controller during game play, and it also provides excellent space for storing away all of your gaming gear.

There’s only one problem that I can see. It’s a conversation piece for sure, but once your guests see it, that’s ALL they are going to talk about, asking a zillion questions, like “how much?” and “will you make me one?”.
Check out a video below.

DIY gamepad attachment for Sony UX UMPC

Posted in UMPC by Conner Flynn on May 7th, 2008

DIY Gamepad attachment for Sony UX UMPC
Dan Middle bought Sony’s UX UMPC and found it to be severely lacking when it came to portable gaming. He did what any of us would have done, he took things into his own hands by hacking a cheap USB gamepad. The end result is a set of controls that make available all eight buttons with a single hand, while the other hand is free to aim with the UX’s mouse controls.

The gamepad has been attached to a CF dummy card, slotting into the UX’s CF port. He did some testing and found that it’s pretty decent to use. Vista even recognizes it as a gaming peripheral. I’m not sure if this spells trouble for the PSP and DS Lite, but it’s pretty cool. Video below.

Victorian all-in-one Steampunk PC

Posted in Computer Components by Conner Flynn on April 24th, 2008

Victorian all-in-one Steampunk PC
Jake Von Slott has created a Steampunk PC design that is sure to be gold with DIY steampunk enthusiasts. He took a huge 24 inch LCD monitor and crammed an entire CPU behind it and the design still looks awesome. If you want to do it yourself, you’ll have to trim of all the excess plastic and get the monitor in a nice rectangular shape. The entire Monitor/CPU assembly sits on an ornate frame that Jake made from a shelf from the dump.

It’s all super ornate. The fan of this computer is even decorated in a neat mesh. Of course everything inside is very un-steampunk. It’s got a state-of-the-art Intel pentium-4 chipset and all the bells and whistles.

DIY uWatch: the scientific calculator wristwatch

Posted in Watches by Conner Flynn on April 18th, 2008

DIY uWatch: the scientific calculator wristwatch
It’s been a long time since I’ve seen a scientific calculator wristwatch. They haven’t been around for about 20 years or so. Dave Jones remembers them well: “Back in 1987 or so I got a Casio CFX-400 scientific calculator watch, and I wore that watch to death for 10 years until the band support on the case broke. The CFX-400 was the best, and last scientific calculator watch ever sold.”

So if you’re like Dave, and has missed the calculator watch, there’s good news. He’s revived the scientific calculator wristwatch as a DIY project. His uWatch features a roomy LCD that can display 16 characters across, two lines deep, and it can handle all your fancy RPN/Algebraic scientific needs. You’ll need at least a bit of technical know-how to pull it off, but in the end you’ll have an awesome geek wristwatch that’ll catch the eye of lady nerds.

Speaker media cabinet hides your stuff

Posted in Furniture by Conner Flynn on April 14th, 2008

Speaker media cabinet hides your stuff
If you like recycling objects and have some extra time on your hands, then this Speaker Media Cabinet might be just the thing. You can store anything you like inside, though it won’t fit a body, you’ll have to continue using the old fashioned car trunk for that.

It would be a great place to store your entertainment media, like DVDs and console games. All you need is a pair of large junked speakers, several chopping tools, the usual array of nuts and bolts, and the will to succeed.

DIY Easy Tiles concept phone

Posted in Concepts by Conner Flynn on April 10th, 2008

DIY Easy Tiles concept phone
Designer Tzu-Fu Wang has come up with the strange Easy Tiles concept phone. It’s an S60 based phone with a shell comprised of tiles. The idea is that you can customize the tiles with prints of your choice. They can be slid around like the old picture puzzle game. You can replace and update the tiles as often as you like.

The one pictured looks like a some sort of Rubik’s Cube theme. Thing is, I can’t help wondering what happens if you drop it. Does it turn into an exciting game of “let’s see how fast I can pick up dozens of small phone pieces now that I look like a dork whose phone scatters like an egg”?

Viper made with recycled keyboards

Posted in Keyboards by Conner Flynn on April 4th, 2008

Viper made with recycled keyboards
Not sure what to do with your old keyboards? Why not make an awesome, but completely harmless viper out of them. Harmless to everything but computer mice at any rate. Awesome. Totally awesome I say. The only thing better would be to use black keys and create an even larger King Cobra. Man, I would like to see one of those kids get bit. Is that wrong?

Moov makes some awesome Kid Vehicles

Posted in Toys by Conner Flynn on April 4th, 2008

Moov makes some awesome Kids Vehicles
Moov is one of the coolest kids I’ve seen in a long time. It’s a DIY 4-in-1 vehicle kit for kids between 5 and 12 from Dutch company Berg. You can build a racer, a carver, a tricycle, and a scooter. It’s like combining LEGO and Erector with the big wheel.

With the large wood and plastic pieces, it’s easy enough for a kid to build and big enough to ride it down the street. Plus, they are actually learning while they play. I wouldn’t be at all surprised to see add-ons for these very soon, that would pimp up the kid creations.

Make your own paper camera

Posted in Cameras by Conner Flynn on April 2nd, 2008

Make your own paper camera
Do you need a camera, but your budget is tight? Have paper and some free time? Corbis can help you print out and make your own camera. They’ve released some funky templates on their Web site.

All you have to do is print out a PDF file and stick it onto a card. After you’ve followed the score lines, then cut and folded accordingly, you’ll have a neat looking camera. The real trick will be finding some 35mm film, but that’s what eBay is for. You’ll have a pinhole camera that stands apart from everyone elses. How sturdy it will be is anybody’s guess. If you do this, let us know.