Creative Cyclone

Dumpster Diving: Earlham College

2009-05-13T06:29:00.000-07:00

Back in the "Pepsi Points" and "Marlboro Miles" days, one of my friends and I would go around to all the dumpsters in town and collect as many points as we could find. We ended up getting some pretty sweet gear, but enjoyed the hunt more than anything.

This past weekend, my buddy Nathan, my dad, and I revived this pastime and dove into the dumpsters outside the dorms of Earlham college here in Richmond, IN. It's insane how much "good" stuff was being thrown away......

These were the people that kicked us out on the second day for "safety reasons." That was not the dumpster we were sifting through though. Ours was about 4 times as big as this one.

Circuit Bent: The Art of Hand Made Music

2009-05-09T06:54:00.001-07:00

Interactive Art: The Sponge Piano

2009-05-09T06:45:00.000-07:00

"Brass" Knuckled Handle Bars

2009-05-07T18:55:00.000-07:00

Despite the fact that this may be illegal and rather dangerous, the cool factor is heavy.

Via: velospace

Check your E-mail with the Smart Faucet.

2009-05-06T21:06:00.000-07:00

Brazilian news source WISH (translated from Portuguese with Google) reports on a faucet from iHouse that can recognize the user via face detection and then adjust itself accordingly. The built-in touchscreen allows the user to check the weather, calendar appointments and email!

I mean who doesn't want to check there email while bent over the sink? Does this mean I can stop taking my laptop into the shower? What about when I'm on the toilet, I'm not sure I'll be able to read that tiny screen from afar. I guess I'll have to move the sink closer to the comode

Like Honey? Make your own (sort of) with the Bee Box.

2009-05-06T20:57:00.000-07:00

Tokyo Company Develops Light-Emitting Ink - Scrapbooking Revolution?

2009-05-06T05:25:00.000-07:00

My mom loves to scrapbook, and I love cool stuff. I appreciate the creativity, dedication involved in gluing pieces of paper and photos to larger sheets of paper for the preservation of our family's life. However, you won't catch me in a scrapbooking costume, surrounded by giggly women, in the basement of some secluded dungeon, like the cult of the sugar plum fairy. But, that may some day change because there are HUGE opportunities to make money and have fun while doing it.

For example, the New Scientist reported yesterday that, "A team at Dai Nippon Printing in Tokyo, Japan, has used a conventional screen-printing technique to deposit a thin layer of the ink, a luminescent gel, onto a surface. The gel consists of a ruthenium compound that emits a bright light when a voltage is applied to it, along with an electrolyte and silica nanoparticles." Currently, "the ink is only able to emit reddish hues when activated, although the researchers are working on other metal compounds that emit green and blue light." This technology is also being developed to be applied using a standard ink-jet printer.

Applying this to the scrap booking scene would turn simple scrappbooks into an interactive expierience. What other applications can you think of? Please share my clicking the comment link below. Anyone should be able to comment withought signing in now.

Tata Nano Bookings Exceed Supply - WSJ.com

2009-05-05T10:07:00.000-07:00

Via: (Wall Street Journal)

"Tata Motors said it has received bookings from more than 203,000 customers totaling about $503 million for its Nano minicar, which with a basic price of about $2,500 has been called the world's cheapest car."(Photo Source: Daniel Gasienica)

Chocolate-Powered 150MPH Race Car

2009-05-05T09:59:00.001-07:00

Via: (FoxNews.com)

"The World First Racing team from Warwick University says the car is 95 percent biodegradable and mostly conforms to the regulations of the international Formula 3 racing series." The car can run on any type of biodesiel, but "designers chose chocolate as the basis of the renewable fuel."

KFC: FREE Grilled Chicken!

2009-05-05T08:54:00.000-07:00

(Note: It is highly recommended, that you install coupons.com printer before you click the following link.)

Through a printable coupon, KFC is giving away a 2-Piece Kentucky Grilled Chicken Meal including with 2 sides and one biscuit. Note, you will need to install Coupons.com printer before you will be able to print the coupon.
Courtousy of slickdeals.net

Demand for Swine Flu Masks Leads to Increased Share Prices for Manufacturers

2009-05-04T05:04:00.000-07:00

Bloomberg News (5/2, Wolf) reported, "3M Co. and Kimberly-Clark Corp. are among the few manufacturers that make respiratory masks sophisticated enough to ward off swine flu, exacerbating a shortage at retailers." According to federal health officials, "only masks rated N95 or above, which can filter at least 95 percent of airborne particles, are effective at blocking the H1N1 virus," and "require sophisticated manufacturing techniques because they contain a filter often made of carbon." Yet, health officials warn "no mask or respirator can completely halt the contagion." Meanwhile, "with few manufacturers and high demand," 3M shares "rose 28 cents to $57.88 at 4 p.m. in New York Stock Exchange composite trading," while "Kimberly-Clark added 61 cents to $49.75."

Build Your Own Rapid Prototyping Machine

2009-05-03T05:15:00.000-07:00

www.dustinwise.com

Rapid prototyping is usually an additive manufacturing process. Most of the technologies boil down to heating a polymer and depositing it on some type of surface in layers. We have several of these machines at Purdue, but the cost makes them impractical for the hobbyist, home schools, and high schools.

One solution: Build your own. Thankfully Makerbot.com has developed a kit for less than $800. What!?! $800!! Consider a commercial unit can cost anywhere from $10,000 to $250,000.

See the first 1:50 of this video for an explanation and the machine in action. (Note: They refer to it as a 3d-printer, but technically this is not true....no time to explain.)

Video:

The Maker Revolution @ Microsoft Startup Labs from Boston Cyberarts on Vimeo.

Buy your own at:
http://store.makerbot.com/cupcake-cnc/cupcake-cnc-basic.html

Banksy: World's Greatest Graffiti Artist?

2009-05-02T12:19:00.000-07:00

www.dustinwise.com

I've been curious about art since elementary school, but have taken a liking to graffiti in particular. One of my favorite artists, and in my opinion the best, is the elusive "Banksy."
Banksy is a ingeniously creative and talented street artist based out of Bristol, England. His works are so good that city counsel meetings are held to determine if it should be removed. Despite his methods technically being illegal, most of the paintings are not only accepted, but often preserved by city workers. (Source) In addition to being simply amazing, he manages to complete nearly every piece without being seen.

Some of his works:(Source: eddiedangerous)

(Source: Richard Cocks)

(Source: Infrogmation)

And for my favorite:

(Source: Leeks)

Charging Ahead: The Case for Plug-in Hybrids

2009-05-01T18:21:00.000-07:00

www.dustinwise.com

Curiously Inspirational Work work from Stéphane Halleux

2009-05-01T07:54:00.000-07:00

www.dustinwise.com

Through Makezine's Blog: Stéphane Halleux

"There's a growing roster of found-object artists working in what I call mechanical animism, an aesthetic world where the margins between the born and the made have become leaky and distinctions between humans, animals, and machines are fluid and ambiguous. One of the true masters of this genre is Belgian artist Stéphane Halleux. We've fawned all over Stephane's work here before, and with a new website and a bunch of new pieces on display there, we get to ogle all over again. I love the whimsy and humor in his work, the macabre undercurrents, and the incredible craftsmanship of the sculpture themselves. Look at the close-up images on the site and you'll be amazed at the quality of the work and the crazy detail that goes into every piece. With so many people doing this type of 21st century folk art, using similar materials of junk, found objects, antique appliances, and dead media artifacts, Stéphane's work stands out and has a charm about it that's truly unique, and I find, extremely inspiring.

Stephane Halleux"

Source: Makezine.com

Chrysler LLC. Files for Bankruptcy

2009-05-01T04:26:00.000-07:00

www.dustinwise.com

The AP (5/1, Krisher, Manning) reports Chrysler LLC, "the nation's third-largest automaker filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection Thursday with an ambitious plan to emerge in as little as 30 days as a leaner, more nimble company." The company's "first hearing in a New York courtroom Friday morning may offer the first clue as to whether a quick, 'surgical' bankruptcy is actually possible." On Friday morning, bankruptcy court Judge Arthur Gonzalez "is scheduled to hear the case's first motions, which typically will allow the company to continue paying workers and basic utility costs as it restructures." Eventually, Gonzalez will "have to sort out the key issue that made bankruptcy necessary: the creditors that hold $6.9 billion of Chrysler's debt."

Swine Flu Masks

2009-04-30T05:49:00.000-07:00

Decorated Swine Flu Masks in Mexico. I guess if you have to cover your face, be creative.

Check it out here:
Mexican Swine Flue Masks

Forbes: America's Most Polluted Cities

2009-04-30T05:40:00.000-07:00

"The annual report--State of the Air 2009--found that six in 10 Americans live in counties where ozone or particle pollution has reached dangerous levels. Both types of pollution can be deadly and have been linked to worsening respiratory conditions like asthma, emphysema and bronchitis, and there is evidence that particle pollution increases risk of heart attacks and strokes."

Check the rest of the story out here:
America's Most Polluted Cities

Inside a Russian Nuclear Powerplant

2009-04-30T05:34:00.000-07:00

"One Russian blogger has paid a visit to the modern Russian nuclear plant. Normally it is forbidden to take photos there, but they have made an exception for him. So now we have a rare chance to see what’s inside of the Russian most modern power plant.

This power plant is situated near Smolensk city. Its power generation potential is 3 Megawatt and it was build for 8 years, from 1982 to 1990. There were planned to be four nuclear reactors, but because of the panic after the Chernobyl accident the forth block has not been completed, so there are three of them for now.

Let’s go inside."

Check out the pictures here:
Russian Nuclear Photo Shoot