This is an induction heater, an electromagnetic thingamajig that can make metal to levitate and—with enough power—melt. In this case, the metal is a 2.6-gram piece of aluminum that reaches a temperature of 2192 F (1200 C) before the machine is turned off.
     |
There are bunches of cases out there for the iPad that add a physical keyboard to make it more efficient to use when typing a lot. A new case has turned up on Kickstarter that turns the iPad Air into a laptop.
The CruxEncore case is designed to leave the camera and all controls of the tablet open and accessible. The case also leaves the speakers uncovered so the sound for videos and movies isn’t blocked. It’s got a durable hinge mechanism which allows you to adjust the iPad Air to any angle, without worrying about the display flopping over on itself.
It’s made from sturdy aircraft grade 6063 aluminum and polycarbonate. The aluminum is then anodized in multiple colors including silver, black, and white.
Power for the Bluetooth 4.0 keyboard comes from a 360 mAh battery that is good for a month of use per charge. The keys are raised and are claimed to mimic the typing feel on a MacBook. A pledge of $89(USD) or more will get you one of the cases with shipping estimated in May 2014.
Hide your mushrooms, buds and leaves in these Super Mario Bros.-themed boxes. They’re special editions of a trick safe called the Magic Billet Box, which has a lid that can only be opened a certain way.
Each anodized aluminum box has two lids. Anyone can take the outer lid out, but you have know the trick to remove the inner lid and finally open the box.
Here’s a demo of the boxes by inventor Eric Krusenstjerna.
Punch your browser and head to Magic Billet Box to order. Each box measures about 2″ on each side and costs $100 (USD) each. You can also get a three-piece set – two brick blocks and one coin block – for $240.
[via DudeIWantThat]
Crushing cans with your bare hands or stepping on them with your full body weight or shooting them with a bb gun are all fun ways to destroy an aluminum can. What might be most fun is letting it crush itself. How? Magical pressure.
| |
I’ve heard of people trying to build a better mousetrap. I’ve never heard of anyone trying to build a better pencil sharpener. That is exactly Matt Marrocco hoping to do with his Kickstarter campaign. The project aims to produce electric and manual pencil sharpeners, going by the name IDRAW.
Everything about these sharpeners is designed to give you a perfect point for artwork and sketching. Each one is made from aircraft grade 6061 T6 aluminum and injection molded plastic. The electric pencil sharpener gets power from an internal USB rechargeable battery, while the manual version of course gets its power from your hand.
The device will be offered in satin silver, tactical black, and a limited edition gold anodized finish. A pledge of $25(USD) or more gets you a manual sharpener. A pledge of $65 or more gets you an electric sharpener in basic silver.
And for those of you who think that’s too much to spend on a pencil sharpener, this ought to put it in perspective:
I’m a big fan of the whole 3D printing phenomenon, and really excited about the rapid development and growth of the technology. While most 3D printers work on the same principal – a moving print head that melts plastic – the Vader printer will be able to print using metal.
Scott and Zackery Vader (yes, that’s their actual last name) have developed the Vader – a liquid metal based 3D printer. This printer actually prints directly with molten metal, similarly to 3D printers that output plastic. Its thermal chamber melts down aluminum, then extrudes the hot metal onto a moving, magnetized printing bed. One interesting differentiator is that the Vaders say they’ll be able to build a version with a multi-nozzle print head, similar to those which work on ink jet printers. This could substantially decrease print times.
There are print methods that can use metal today, but most of them involve printing a wax mold, then pouring molten metal into the cast. There are also laser sintering techniques which fuse metal powder into a shape. As far as I know, the Vader is the first 3D printer to print directly with molten aluminum. This method allows for 100% metal density, as well as parts with hollow areas inside.
At this point, the team has an early prototype, which has all of the components – except the all-critical print head, but they say they’re confident in their invention. They intend on completing R&D of the liquid metal jet process and a working prototype by the end of the year. After this, they expect to produce a small business version, priced “between $10,000 and $50,000″ and down the road they hope to release a prosumer grade Vader printer for under $10,000.
[via Tom’s Guide and Inhabitat]
If you drew a Venn diagram of gamers and coffee drinkers, I think you’d find there’s a pretty large intersection between the two groups. So what better way to store your coffee machine pods but in a game of Donkey Kong?
Capsulekong is a wall-mountable storage solution for Nespresso drink pods, and was inspired by the classic 1980s video game. But this time, instead of barrels, Kong is rolling coffee pods at Jumpman as he tries to rescue Pauline at the top of the girders. As you load it up, the pods roll downhill – and every time you remove one, the whole thing sorta snakes down towards Jumpman.
As an added bonus, this thing doesn’t look cheap. In fact, it’s made from anodized aluminum, and looks awesome. It holds exactly 50 drink pods when full, and can even hold the double-barrel shots. However, it won’t hold any flaming ones. If you’re wondering if Capsulekong will fit on your wall, it measures about 17.3″ high x 14.2″ wide x .31″ deep.
So put on your red overalls, get out your mallet and start pounding your way over to Hologramer to pick up your Capsulekong for $170(USD) today. Yes, I know that it doesn’t work with other brands of coffee pods, but I don’t care. This is enough reason for me to toss out my Tassimo and pick up a Nespresso machine instead.
[via Man of Many]
An aluminum case good enough for U.S. Presidents, ready to carry a week’s worth of undies and a few spy novels.
| |
In ancient Greek lore, "arkhe" is the concept of origin and the forces underlying life. Standard philosophical themes to think about in a hair salon, right? Moriyuki Ochiai Architects designed this salon, ArKhe, in Chiba, Japan to channel water and remind people of the flow of life.
| |
If you find yourself lying in bed trying to read emails or get some work done, you know it can be tricky to hold your laptop in the right position if you want to lie down. Now, thanks to this gadget, you can use your laptop while lying flat on your back.
It’s unclear how the stand holds onto your laptop when lying upside-down, but the image above suggests that you might need a bungee or rubber band of some sort to hold it in place. There’s definitely a lip that holds the front edge in place.
In addition to the configuration shown above, Uncaged Ergonomics‘ highly-adjustable WorkEZ Executive stand can be used in a wide variety of positions, as a standing desk or even as a tray table in bed. The aluminum stand can hold items up to 22 inches-wide, and can stand up to 2 feet-tall. it’s also got ventilation holes built into the bottom to help keep your computer cool.
Best of all, the WorkEZ Executive laptop stand sells for just $65(USD). It’s available over on Amazon, where it’s available in black, blue, silver or even pink.
[via CRNCHY]
This is site is run by Sascha Endlicher, M.A., during ungodly late night hours. Wanna know more about him? Connect via Social Media by jumping to about.me/sascha.endlicher.
