Nov 16

LEGO Pop-up Building Makes Eyeballs Pop out of Their Sockets

Posted in: Today's Chili

Every time I think I’ve seen every possible LEGO contraption you could build, somebody comes along and makes something I’ve never imagined. This time, we’ve got a giant folding LEGO structure that works like a pop-up book.

lego pop up building

It wasn’t enough for Japanese LEGO fanatic Talapz to simply create an architectural model of the Todai-ji Buddhist temple. Nope. He had to show off and make one that could actually fold up. Here, check it out:

Pretty nifty, eh? It turns out this isn’t the first folding LEGO building Talapz has made – back in 2009 he built another, though the 2012 model and folding mechanism is even more impressive.

Stick around to the end of the first video to see exactly how he built it.

[via Kotaku via Nerd Approved]


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Nov 04

Dock Card: The Flat-Pack iPhone Dock

Posted in: Today's Chili

I’ve seen what seems like a million-and-one iPhone docks over the years – some good, some bad, and some just plain weird, but most of them have one thing in common – they aren’t particularly portable. Stycom’s Dock Card doesn’t have this problem.

iphone dock card 1

At just 2.1″(w) x 3.3″(d) x 0.2″(h), this compact dock can easily fold down and fit in your pocket. When opened up, it can work in either landscape or portrait mode, and has a pop-up 30-pin dock connector. That little red part is a short cable which can be connected to your iPhone’s wall charger or your computer’s USB port.

iphone dock card 2

It’s even got a little drawer with enough room to store an SD card, a spare SIM and a SIM removal tool. Pretty nifty, eh?

iphone dock card 3

They’re available in three colors: white with red accents, red with white accents, and black with silver accents.

iphone dock card 4

So what’s not to like? Well I can only come up with one thing – there’s no 8-pin Lightning connector version (yet), so those of us with the iPhone 5 or the latest iPod Touch are out of luck for now. But if you happen to have an iPhone 3/3GS/4/4S or an earlier iPod Touch, head on over to Amazon, where you can buy the Stycom Dock Card for $29.99(USD).


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Oct 22

Folding@Home packs up on PlayStation 3: over 100 million computation hours added to research

Posted in: Today's Chili

FoldingHome packs up on PlayStation 3

Squared away in the PlayStation 3‘s latest software update post, Sony announced that the Folding@Home service will be retired starting next month, alongside the console’s 4.30 update. The project, which tied into Stanford University’s work on protein folding and research into the causes of a diseases like Alzheimer’s, pulled in over 15 million PlayStation owners since it started in 2007. In fact, according to Stanford’s client statistics, PS3 users offered the second greatest contribution after Windows devices, adding more than 100 million computation hours to the research project — and well, we did our bit.

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Folding@Home packs up on PlayStation 3: over 100 million computation hours added to research originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 22 Oct 2012 05:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Oct 16

Cardboard bicycle ‘close to mass production’: tough, green and just $20

Posted in: Today's Chili

DNP Carboard bicycle close to mass production, holds potential to change personal transportation

Cardboard never ceases to amaze. Having been deployed in gramophones, stereos and even digital cameras, one inventor now believes it can be used to make the ideal bicycle. Izhar Gafni, from Israel, spent 18 months just folding the material every-which-way in order to discover a strong enough design, and now he claims his technique is almost ready for mass production. His maintenance-free bike uses a “secret” mix of organic materials to make it waterproof and fireproof, and is then lacquered to give it a friendlier appearance. It’s expected to cost a mere $20 and weigh about 20 lbs (9 kg) — that’s 65 percent lighter than an average metal ride. In fact, this bicycle doesn’t use any metal parts at all — the solid tires are made of reconstituted rubber and a car timing belt is used instead of a chain. It lacks the swank of a Faraday Porteur, perhaps, but then you could buy 175 of these for the same money. Want proof that it actually works? The bike’s not-so-featherweight inventor takes it for a spin after the break.

[Image credit: Reuters / Baz Ratner]

Continue reading Cardboard bicycle ‘close to mass production’: tough, green and just $20

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Cardboard bicycle ‘close to mass production’: tough, green and just $20 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 16 Oct 2012 12:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jul 21

Folding Travel Guitars Know When to Hold ‘Em Know When to Fold ‘Em

Posted in: Today's Chili

Traveling with a guitar is always a pain in the butt. Anything as oddly shaped as a guitar is a pain to haul around with you. If only you could fold your guitar between gigs. Well, with this particular instrument, you can.

Folding Travel Guitars
These folding travel guitars come from California-based company Voyage-Air. While not as compact as the Ministar guitar, these ones look like traditional guitars once assembled. They are designed to fold forward at the base of the neck and that makes them much easier to carry around. They come in acoustic and electric versions and yes they include their own specially designed carrying cases.

Of course, this kind of guitar isn’t cheap. Voyage- Air Guitars range from $399(USD) for an entry-level model to $1,700(USD) for the Premier edition. A foldable solid-body electric sells for about $750(USD). Not cheap, but if portability is important to you, it will be well worth it.

[via Laughing Squid via Like Cool]


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