Hasta La Gadget!

It is not every single day that you see an icon from the past get transformed to catch up with the times, albeit in a far more miniaturized form that would surely have confounded your ancestors – all without having to use a shrinking gun to boot. The first Mac ever, which so happens to be Apple’s iconic beige box that made its mark in many peoples’ consciousness in a memorable 1984 TV commercial, also proved to be the harbinger of GUI (Graphical User Interface) for consumers, while being the grand daddy of all all-in-one computers that seem to be all the rage these days where desktops are concerned. Here is an idea, how about remaking the original Mac in a far smaller form factor, and ensuring that it will also work as desired? This is where such a DIY project comes into play, where this Mini Mac will run with innards powered by a Raspberry Pi computer.

John Leake, a self-proclaimed Mac nerd, is the one behind this ⅓ scale Macintosh 512k (or 128k) replica, using white PVC as the building block of choice, in addition to a Raspberry Pi credit-card sized computer (motherboard), while fitting a small 3.5-inch LCD monitor – and all of this can be put together only if you have the relevant technical know how of doing so.

Apparently John Leake spent approximately a dozen hours building this particular working computer. The 3-millimeter-thick PVC was obtained from the sign shop where he works, where it was subsequently bent and carved in the manner that he wanted, and plenty of time was spent to ensure that the bezels end up looking right as rain. Of course, Leake did not rule out the possibility of using a 3D printer for future case builds. Other hardware features of this DIY Mini Mac include an HDMI out port, USB and Ethernet ports. It will boot from an SD memory card and runs Mini vMac, which happens to be an open-source Macintosh OS emulator that enables the Mac software to run without any hiccups across a range of operating systems, Linux included.

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[ Mini Mac has a Raspberry Pi heart copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

In high school, I was the girl that didn’t take home economics. I took wood shop, and still remember the day my friends and I got caught duct taping a circular saw to a railing to use as a make shift table saw. Yes, I’m lucky I still have all my fingers and both eyes, I eventually passed that class, but I never made more than a toothbrush holder. Power tools, my how the times are changing.

Check out this award winning Kickstarter project, the Handibot,  an app controlled, robotic power tool that is portable, digitally-controlled and used for cutting, drilling, carving, and many other useful and creative machining operations. This Handibot tool is actually run from a smartphone or tablet, or even a  PC and is useful for the do-it-yourselfer, or the professional for both creative and precision work.

The Handibot uses something called CNC technology, and if that term is unfamiliar to you then just think of the Handibot  as a ’3D Cutter’ that will allow you to cut, drill, and carve in wood, plastic, and aluminum with computer-controlled precision and repeatability. Ahh.. so much better than a circular saw and duct tape.

Simply purchase the job appropriate app and download it to your smartphone or tablet and input your desired settings, click the load button, thereby sending the info to your Handibot which will in turn signal you with a blinking warning light, letting you know you can squeeze the start button and let the magic begin. So let your creativity flow, and be one of the first to have a Handibot for around 2400 bucks. Head over to kickstarter.com to watch a video, learn more about this amazing tool, or snag one for yourself.
[ Handibot – the iPower Tool of the Future? copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Depending on whether you have a penchant for the Kung Fu Master or the Queen’s Guard, either way, both of them are heroes in the sight of some. We are referring to the £19.99 DIY USB Flash Drive Heroes, where you will be able to choose from a couple of the greatest warriors ever to walk the Earth – at least within their respective courtyards, of course.

It does not matter whether your choice is the Kung-Fu Master or the mighty Queens Guard, either way, both of them will be able to carry up to 8GB of information within, safeguarding it with their lives. Each of these USB flash drives will be made from tactile, water resistant silicone that boasts of multiple moving parts as well as accessories, and surely it puts the word “flash” in the DIY USB Flash Drive Heroes name! These novelty USB sticks will be different from the rest, since you will be able to retain the protective cap, while the techy section remains protected at all times in a Pez dispenser style. You will be able to build yours from the ground up if you have a penchant for all things DIY.

[ DIY USB Flash Drive Heroes copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Before there was Minecraft, there is Lego, and one cannot deny the fact that Lego has done plenty to kick start the imagination of many a young kid. The thing is, while Minecraft has more or less garnered a loyal following on the computer as well as on the Xbox 360 in addition to mobile devices like smartphones and tablets, the physical and spiritual predecessor from Denmark, Lego, is still around – and growing from strength to strength, I might add. Lego bricks have long been used in creative ways to exercise the brains of your little ones (and adults alike), so much so that entire theme parks have been built around Lego bricks. Well, the more creative minds do come up with something interesting once in a while, and here we are with this motorized Lego machine. What makes this motorized Lego machine different from the rest is that it can fold paper airplanes, followed by launching them into the air afterwards.

If that is not brilliant, I am not quite sure how else to describe it. The motorized Lego machine is the brainchild of YouTube user “Hknssn,” where this fully-automated machine has its building blocks in a couple of Lego Mindstorms NXT sets and five NXT Servo motors. Measuring 150 centimeters in length and 40 centimeters wide, this machine relies on motorized rollers to pull paper from a tray, followed by rolling it along the system where it has been folded. At the end, you will find a compressor that will help launch the folded paper planes, much to the amusement and wonder for some starry eyed kids.

According to Hknssn, the current design of his Lego device is capable of launching planes up to three meters, although he believes that with some tweaking done, it would be very possible to come up with a model that launches paper planes as far as 10 meters, which would certainly have teachers in school up in arms if every one of their students had one of these in the classroom.

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[ Lego creation launches paper planes copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Which would you prefer to be on the receiving end of? The razor sharp edge of the sword, or being tased to the ground, having jolts of electricity course through your body as though you were wrecked by Force Lightning by Emperor Palpatine? Well, come to think of it, isn’t being hit by a lightsaber somewhat a similar feeling like the Electric Stun Sword? After all, it cuts through just about anything, and is made up of pure energy? The Electric Stun Sword is actually the brainchild of a certain YouTube user known as Jonathan, where he was experimenting with a double-bladed Shock Mod Ninja Sword in order to imbue it with Taser-like functionality. Sounds as though it is one of those science fiction weapons, but it is very, very real.

Needless to say, since this is a DIY project, it will obviously lack the finesse of a particular weapon that was fashioned out from the fires of Mount Doom. I digress, Jonathan obviously does not have the advantage of an actual weapons factory that churns out precisely tuned weapons, but at the very least, the sword’s practical function works as painful as its namesake. On the Electric Stun Sword lies a utilitarian but functional “On” switch which can be activated to turn on the shock function, and since stun guns run off a power source or battery, it will require a regular wall socket plug located at the end of the grip which was specially designed to charge the weapon.

According to Jonathan, he was inspired to come up with the Taser Sword after he saw another YouTube user by the name of GreekGadgetGuru. What is the whole point of this DIY project if it was not tested in the real world? Jonathan decided to play the role of guinea pig, and had a friend of his touch him with the sword, which should be demonstration enough to avoid one of these when unsheathed.

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[ Electric Stun Sword is certainly one menacing weapon copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]