It’s like beating Kong in a barrel… Wait, that’s not how the saying goes. But you can say it now. This custom-built Donkey Kong tabletop arcade machine has been put into a barrel. Why? So you can drink and game of course.
Joel Griffin Dodd wanted a fully functional game of Donkey Kong in an old barrel so that he could have beer and cocktails on top of it. How drunk can you get? You probably shouldn’t try to jump over it, though that’s better that than smashing it with a mallet, I suppose.
It looks like a fairly straightforward build. Just put together a mini arcade system and stick it inside a barrel. Then put some glass on top of course. Not that I thought of it or was able to build one myself. Nice work, Joel.
Even with their speed limiters disabled, stock golf carts are pretty slow, much like the game of golf itself. How fast can one go? Maybe 25mph if it’s all tricked out. On the other hand, this custom made golf cart powered by a 200hp Hayabusa engine can go as fast as 100mph.
This beast was built by Chris of Spring Hill, Florida. It has a four-cylinder engine from a 1999 Hayabusa motorcycle, and has bee upgraded with a speedometer and other gauges, as well as the fan and ignition switches from the Hayabusa. There’s also a six-speed gearbox and a chain-driven rear axle. Check it out in action below:
While it meets most of the criteria for being street legal in Florida, you’re still not allowed to drive over 25mph. Oh well. Still, Chris plans to custom build more Hayabusa carts for those who like golf carts, but want to enjoy life in the fast lane.
Colin Furze has a need for speed, and he’s not afraid to get his hands dirty in order to speed up stuff that normally doesn’t go more than a few miles an hour. That’s because they’re not supposed to exceed those speeds, but hey, tell than to Colin.
If his name sounds familiar or if you feel like you’ve seen him before, then maybe you already have since he’s the guy behind the baby stroller that can go as fast as 50mph.
This time around, Colin set his sights on a plain old bicycle.
When he was done with it, the bike had been completely transformed into a jet pulse bike. And because the previous owner of the bike was his friend’s mom named Norah, that’s what the bike has been named also.
The bike is elongated for two reasons: to fit the jet and to make sure that the cyclist doesn’t get burned while he’s on it. Colin explains: “Had I binned the pedals idea, yeah, it could have been shorter, but the heat this thing chucks of is intense, and at times I’ve struggled to turn a valve of 40 centimeters away from it, so sitting on top of it would need some sort of heat shield, and I think it would start to look less bicycle like.”
Because of this, Norah was cut and stretched by almost one meter. Check out the video above to see this insanely dangerous ride in action.
When you work in an office, sending emails all day long can be tedious and boring. Sometimes, you just want to rock out and play your guitar. Well, now you can do both thanks to David Neevel’s email guitar.
Emails and memos are boring as hell. Get your typing done while shredding on your axe. Brilliant. The email guitar is a musical keyboard device that takes the boring out of the job and lets you type by hitting notes. Each guitar stroke translates into certain computer keyboard letters.
Of course Neevel had to attach several electronic components – including a MIDI translator, an Arduino, a number of relays and the USB interface from a keyboard – to the guitar to make it work and translate the feeds from the guitar to the computer. Thanks to all of the relays, it even sounds a bit like a mechanical keyboard.
I wonder what Smoke on the Water would type? It’s the only song I know how to play – and it sounds nothing like the song when I do.
Ever wanted to make your stuff light up and blink? Well the guys at BlinkyTape have got you covered.
BlnkyTape is a tube which comes in one-meter-long strips, each embedded with 60 independently controllable RGB LEDs. Each strip has a built-in controller circuit, and can be programmed and powered via a micro-USB connector.
The flexible tape can by bent, so it can be used in a wide variety of applications. In addition, it’s encased in weatherproof silicone, so you can use it outdoors too. Just be sure to protect the USB connector at the end, since it’s not sealed. Too bad you can’t daisy-chain them though – could you imagine the holiday display you could make with this stuff? Guess you could always buy one of those 24-port USB hubs.
BlinkyTape is currently raising funds for production over on Kickstarter for just a couple more days (through June 12), where you can get in on the action for as little as $60(USD).
Now this is a real low-rider. If you have ever wished you could drive your own street legal bumper car down the road, your dreams could come true. This beauty that you see here is for sale.
Just keep in mind that while it is legal to drive this on the road, it is not legal to ram the other cars. This 1984 Dodge Colt does a great impression of a bumper car. It’s on eBay right now for $1,980(USD) with the reserve not yet met. What are you waiting for?
It doesn’t appear that it would function as a bumper car, but hey, you can’t have it all.
Have you ever accidentally formed a shape or a letter while playing Tetris? Felt swell did you? As always, the Internet is here to remind you that other people are much more awesome than your are. First up is Michael Birken, who wrote a software algorithm that can draw a portrait by playing a modified version of Tetris.
As I mentioned above, Birken’s Tetris Printer algorithm needs to use a custom variant of Tetris. The game field is bigger and the algorithm also controls the sequence of pieces. But it’s still very remarkable because it actually plays by the rule of the game, i.e. if it forms a horizontal line, that line is wiped out and so on. That means it has to go through ridiculously tedious methods to accomplish the simplest of tasks.
For instance, all tetrominoes are made of four blocks. So what if it only needs to “draw” one block? Birken states, “To generate an individual square, the algorithm assembles a structure consisting of a rectangular region fully supported by a single square protruding from the bottom. When the rectangular region is completed, its rows are cleared, leaving behind the protruding square.”
You can head to Birken’s website for his full explanation and the source code of Tetris Printer. Or just play the video below and enjoy the result:
Surely such precise manipulations can only be done by machines and their cold logic. WRONG. YouTuber John Schuepbach aka Shuey187 is the human equivalent of the Tetris Printer. As in, he doesn’t know which pieces will come out. He just plays and plays and plays, taking each little opportunity the game gives him so he can impose his will on the game’s relentless chaos. In fact, he’s been doing this way before Birken ever came up with his algorithm. Here he is painstakingly drawing Mario:
This MK-4 tank computer is pretty sweet. After all, this thing is a… tank! The guy who built it must have been tanked after completing this. (Sorry.) This fully-functional PC is finished in all aluminum with aluminum strips cut out to form the treads of the tank. That is some nice detail.
The computer features an Intel Core i5 processor and Asus Motherboard, with 8GB DDR3 SDRAM and a 1.465 TB Western Digital hard drive. It also has a water cooling system to keep everything cool. It also has a 1GB Graphics card and Blu-ray drive.
The whole thing has been powder coated to make it scratch proof too. That is some really nice work. The only thing its missing is a turret. And working treads.
Stanford University alumni Josh Chan and Tarun Pondicherry invented LightUp, a modular electronics kit that’s as easy to use as LEGO blocks. The kits is designed to teach children the basics of electronics and computer programming.
LightUp simplifies the process of building an electronic circuit so that it won’t discourage children from experimenting and trying again if they don’t get the result they want. Instead of requiring children to use soldering materials or wires, the parts in a LightUp kit connect to each other using magnets. This means that they’re easy to put together and take apart. It also means that if you purchase more kits, you get more parts to mix and match.
One thing that LightUp kits have that LEGO toys don’t have is an augmented reality app. When you take a picture of a LightUp circuit on a mobile device, the app can point out if any of the parts are incorrectly connected. It can also show the flow of electricity throughout the circuit, as shown in the image above. Finally, LightUp can be programmed using Arduino code, so kids can jump right into coding if they want. I’m not sure if the kit will come with programming aids or lessons though.
Pledge at least $39 (USD) on Kickstarter to receive a LightUp kit as a reward. The reward tiers seem to have different kinds of kits assigned to them; I’m not sure if the more expensive kits will include all the items included in the cheaper ones, so choose your desired tier carefully.
A few years ago, hacksmith/Weapon H/H-man James Hobson made a great pair of Wolverine claws. They had this unique curved ends that made it look like the claws actually burst out in between his fingers. But when he saw Hack A Day’s electrified Mjolnir, Hobson was inspired to do the same.
Hobson hooked up the claws to an old transformer from an oil furnace. Here’s the result:
Hobson says that he could theoretically wear the electrified claws as long as he wore well-insulated gloves as well. Then maybe he can do this!
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