Kano is all-ages computer and coding kit

Kano Computer Kit
While we live in an age where technology is ever-changing, many people are being left in the dust. Computers are bought without much insight as to what’s in them, and people are hoping that sales representatives are steering them in the right direction. Everyone is taught from the top down, and is expected to figure things out on their own. There are plenty of books, classes, and programs that can walk you through what makes everything tick, but they’re not really fun, and are usually targeted to a specific age bracket.

It almost seems funny that the current generation of children know how to work technology better than their parents, but the big difference is that it wasn’t accessible to everyone when we were young. If you want to actually learn about computers, then Kano is an excellent first step. Rather than teaching you about how they work, this is a kit that will have you building one. It comes with an 8GB SD card, a DIY speaker, keyboard, custom case, Raspberry Pi Model B, HDMI and Mini USB cables, a smart power plug, and WiFi power-up.

Of course, there are manuals, but everything is presented in a way similar to storytelling. Once you get everything booted up, you’ll be able to learn about coding, and modify simple games. One full kit will cost you $99, or you can toss in $199, and get a kit for a child somewhere in the world. Seeing that this idea was prompted by a 7-year-old boy who wanted building a computer to be as easy and fun as LEGOs, I’d say this can be a great learning tool for anyone.

Available for crowdfunding through Kickstarter, found via Technabob
[ Kano is all-ages computer and coding kit copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Shooting Challenge: Your Family’s Thanksgiving Recipe

Shooting Challenge: Your Family's Thanksgiving Recipe

Every family has some dish that only they eat on Thanksgiving. Maybe it’s from the old world. Maybe it’s some amalgamation of mincemeat and lime flavored gelatin. For this week’s Shooting Challenge, I want you to share it—and the recipe.

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Astonishing picture of Earth compared to all its water and air

Astonishing picture of Earth compared to all its water and air

I’ve seen Earth compared to all its water before, but this image really gives you a perfect idea on how fragile our planet is by adding all the air in another sphere. The density of the air pictured here corresponds to its density at sea level (one atmosphere.)

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Punch Through’s new Arduino board can stay wireless forever (video)

LightBlue Cortado Arduino board

You’ll have to plug in a typical Arduino-compatible board at some point in its life, whether it’s to add code or just to supply power. Not Punch Through Design’s upcoming Cortado, however. The tiny device centers on a custom Bluetooth 4.0 LE module that both enables wireless programming (including through mobile apps) and helps the board last for more than a year on a replaceable watch battery. In fact, the Cortado will already be powered up when you get it — you can start coding before you’ve opened the shipping box. It should also be relatively flexible for its size with a built-in accelerometer and the ability to serve as an Apple iBeacon transmitter. Punch Through is crowdfunding the board with hopes of shipping its first units in May. If you’re interested, you can pledge $18 to pre-order a Cortado; there’s also a helpful promo video after the break.

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Via: Make

Source: Punch Through Design

Soft Sonic Screwdriver Blocks Drafts Under the TARDIS Door

If you are a big fan of Doctor Who, odds are you have more than a few Who themed items around your house. If it stays cold for very long in your neck of the woods, you may have one of those things you lay in front of the door to block cold air from getting in. We always called them “the draft thing” at my grandmas house.

draught blocker 620x465magnify

Apparently the British call them a “draught blocker.” Draught is how they spell draft apparently; I’m honestly surprised the word doesn’t have more instances of the letter U in its spelling. At any rate, if you need to block an annoying draft this winter, you can get this stuffed Sonic Screwdriver officially known as the Sonic Screwdriver Draught Blocker.

It’s stuffed and designed to lie geekily in front of the door. The device is up for pre-order for $44.99(USD) at Bigbadtoystore.com. The draught blocker won’t ship until March. If you live in a climate like Texas – where I reside, it will be 80 degrees by March with winter chill a distant memory. I assume it could also block hot air from getting under the door.

[via Nerd Approved]

Tuck In To The World’s Most Expensive Cupcake

Dubai has long been seen as the epitomy of extravagance and overindulgence. Why? Well. Because it’s true. And if there was ever anything to cement this city’s reputation as a haven for the world’s more financially well endowed inhabitants, it is the Goden Phoenix Cupcake, complete with the world’s most expensive chocolate – Amedei Porcelana!

Apple PrimeSense purchase to leverage 3D mapping, not motion tracking

Apple’s purchase of PrimeSense last week had all the tech industries howling. The Israel-based company’s motion tracking technology had largely informed early versions of Kinect, Microsoft’s motion-tracking and voice command interface for the Xbox 360 gaming console. Was Apple planning to use PrimeSense’s expertise in motion tracking to propel its gadgets into a new era […]

Target wants to improve your shopping by fueling Indian technology startups

Target in India

We usually associate Target more with bargain pricing than technology leadership, but the big-box retailer is about to defy those expectations with plans for a startup incubator in Bangalore, India. When it launches in January, the Target Accelerator Program will finance young tech firms specializing in content aggregation, data, mobile and search. Only one or two companies will make the cut each year, but Target hopes that their projects will improve our shopping experience. TAP is also a clever way to compete against digital-savvy retailers like Walmart, which already has an Indian footprint — Target may spot clever ideas (and buyout candidates) before they reach competitors.

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Source: TechCrunch

Ball FreshTech Auto Canner Review: Pack a Peck of Perfect Pickles

Ball FreshTech Auto Canner Review: Pack a Peck of Perfect Pickles

For as deliciously rewarding as canning your own fruits and vegetables can be, the actual canning process isn’t all candied rainbows and Martha Stewart smiles; it involves a fair amount of hard work. But why should you do the heavy lifting when this new automated canning system from Ball can do it for you?

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Band to take the stage with 3D-printed instruments

(Credit: ODD Guitars)

3D-printed electric guitars and bass guitars are nothing new for Olaf Diegel, a design engineer and professor of mechatronics at Massey University in Auckland, New Zealand. Since 2011, he has been building gorgeously intricate custom electric instruments he calls ODD guitars using Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) printing to craft the bodies.

He then adds a mahogany or maple wood core, a wooden neck, tuning pegs, a bridge, pickups, and controls for a fully playable instrument.

These guitars are available through Diegel’s Web site, and now he’s added two more to his range. The four will be played together live onstage at the EuroMold design fair in Frankfurt, Germany on December 3-6, by the “3D-printed Band” (band name subject to change).

The Hive B honeycomb bass guitar and Steampunk guitar (with moving gears in the body) will be joined by the Ladybug keyboard — a Yamaha P35 keyboard inside a 3D-printed chassis — and the Atom drum kit, a Sonor Smart Force kit with the shells replaced with 3D-printed ones.

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