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FOUND Magazine
Complimentary Paper Bag
Wed, 16 Dec 2009 06:00:00 -0000
I was walking to work and walked over an empty brown paper bag with multicolored writing on the visible side. I paused to read it without bothering to pick it up, and continued on my way. After walking a few blocks I couldn't stop thinking about the sweet thoughts written on the bag (and wondering what had been inside the bag originally) and decided that it needed to be rescued.
Trick on the Big Guy
Wed, 16 Dec 2009 06:00:00 -0000
During high school renovations, the yearbook was discarding "trash," which was a treasurefest for finds such as this.
A Potion
Tue, 15 Dec 2009 06:00:00 -0000
I opened my chemistry textbook last September and out fell this note card. Maybe someone had just sniffed a whole bunch of chemicals, but it certainly looked like they had some crazy plans.
Jelousy Loves BomBom
Tue, 15 Dec 2009 06:00:00 -0000
Asking the love of her life what she did differently the last time they did the nasty.
Go With Kale
Mon, 14 Dec 2009 06:00:00 -0000
Found this on my way to the cafeteria.
Friendly Neighborhood A-Hole
Mon, 14 Dec 2009 06:00:00 -0000
I found this way back in 2006, when I was living in the Rittenhouse Sq. area of Philly. It was on the sidewalk in front of my apartment building, and I stood there looking around for any potentially hazardous spots. There were none. I also spent a lot of time trying to decipher the word before 'sidewalk' in the first line. Covered? Covened? Couonod? I know you were pissed and your ankle was probably killing you, but c'mon guy, help us out here.
MAKE Magazine
Flashback: The Sweet Sound of Particleboard
Goli Mohammadi Wed, 16 Dec 2009 18:00:00 -0800
Looking for a fun, functional, low-cost project to knock out during the holidays? Check out this clever repurposing piece from the pages of MAKE Volume 10, offered up by David Battino with help from George 'the Fat Man' Sanger. The Sweet Sound of Particleboard Beef up the tone of open-back amps with a little thrift shop help. By David Battino After transforming a record player and some plumbing parts into a spinning speaker (see MAKE, Volume 05, page 24), George "the Fat Man" Sanger is back with a new way to enhance your guitar sound. His Goodwill Amp Enhancer is a DIY version of the commercially available Enhancer, which beefs up the tone of open-back amps by redirecting the "lost" sound to the front. The nicely finished commercial versions start at $150 (soundenhancer.com), but the Fat Man built his enhancer out of a $15 computer desk he scavenged from a thrift shop. "It took just an hour or two," he reports, "and adds wonderful tone to my amp." How It Works The Sound Enhancer site details the science involved, but in general, the Fat Man explains, an open-back amp is a design compromise. "In theory, a perfect speaker box would be a speaker mounted in the middle of a wall of infinite size, because that would let the sound from the front reach your ear without having been partially cancelled by the inverse sound from the back," he says. "Mom won't let us build anything infinite anymore, not after what happened last time, so we approximate the infinite wall by putting speakers into sealed boxes, also known as infinite-baffle enclosures. "Unfortunately, infinite-baffle enclosures make it really hard for the speaker to move, so the sound is quieter. And of course, quietness is not very rock 'n' roll, is it? So designers make a lot of amps louder (and a little funny-sounding) by opening the backs. "This speaker stand bends the back sound around a corner, which makes it even less like the front sound, and then sends it out the front, where its slightly altered power is added to your already Majestic Volume in a rich and tonally pleasing way." In addition to reinforcing the sound, the Goodwill Amp Enhancer points the amp at your head, letting you hear yourself louder than, and before, your bandmates do. That helps you play better, and your bandmates don't hate you for playing too loud. MATERIALS Donor furniture with big sides (e.g., a printer stand or computer desk, ideally with casters), taller than your amp (hip height is great), and 1¼ times your amp's depth Other wood (possibly salvaged from the donor), several pieces cut so their lengths match the width of your amp minus about 1". Their widths must add up to approximately 1 amp depth plus 1 amp height. They need to be thick enough to take a ½" screw. Particleboard screws about 1½" long Saw Circular is good, but a handsaw will do. Screwdriver Caulking gun and caulk Hot glue gun and glue Weather stripping twice the amp height, twice the amp depth, and once the amp width Weather-stripping adhesive DIRECTIONS Step 1: Ready the donor. Pull the sides off the donor, place them on the floor, and lay your amp on its side in the tipped-back position you want it to sit on the stand. The back of the stand needs to rise above the opening in the back of your amp to seal it off, but it mustn't block any essential controls. The bottom-front edge of the amp will come right to the front of the stand. Step 2: Make the side panels. Mark the outline with a Sharpie, and saw along the resulting L-shaped line. Now your side panels are done, and they should look something like that one particularly odd block in the game Blockhead! Step 3: Make the floor and back wall. Make a floor and back wall for the amp by hot-gluing the other wood between the two side panels. You may need one additional narrow piece to bridge from the top of this back wall to the spot on your amp where the open back stops and the controls begin. Don't worry if you mess up; hot glue can be broken free and redone easily. Step 4: Make it permanent. Once it looks right, make it permanent by sinking some screws in from the sides. Caulk up the cracks, then glue the weather-stripping to the edges that will touch your amp. "This stand will make your amp sound so much better," the Fat Man promises. "It has to be heard to be believed." Sound comes out the back of the amp and is forced out the front of the stand. Beyond that, the shape of the barrier isn't too important. Be sure that the horizontal bit hits the amp's back above the speaker opening and below any controls. Hear the Goodwill Amp Enhancer: makezine.com/10/diymusic_amp More from the Fat Man: fatman.com About the Author: David Battino is the audio and digital music editor for O'Reilly's Digital Media site, the co-author of The Art of Digital Music, and on the Steering Committee for the Interactive Audio Special Interest Group (IASIG). He plays Mac, PC, and keyboards. With his wife, Hazuki Kataoka, he also writes, publishes, and performs Japanese kamishibai storycards. More at www.batmosphere.com. Read more | Permalink | Comments | Read more articles in Music | Digg this!
This week in Maker Events
Matt Mets Wed, 16 Dec 2009 17:00:00 -0800
Looking to take a break from tinkering on your latest project this weekend? Here are some fine maker events to check out, from The Maker Events Calendar. Wish your event was on the list? Add it to the calendar! Coming up this week: Make: Denver December Meeting Denver, CO Thursday, Dec 17, 2009, 7pm + Hacky Crafty Holidays at HackPittsburgh Pittsburgh, PA Friday, Dec 18, 2009, 7pm + BODY WORLDS 2 hosts OPERATION Game by MakePhilly & Hive76 Philadelphia, PA Saturday, Dec 19, 2009, 1pm - 3pm Coup-fourré! Roadside Skills for Non-Greasemonkeys @i3Detroit Royal Oak, MI Saturday, Dec 19, 2009, 1pm - 4pm Welding Class @Pumping Station: One Chicago, IL Saturday, Dec 19, 2009, 2pm - 4pm ComBots Cup San Mateo, CA Saturday, Dec 19, 2009 - Sunday, Dec 20, 2009, 2pm - 7pm Hackathon: Come On Feel The Noise @Pumping Station: One Chicago, IL Saturday, Dec 19, 2009, 8pm - 12am ITP Winter Show New York, NY Sunday, Dec 20, 2009, 2pm - 6pm and Monday, Dec 21, 2009, 5pm - 9pm Project Lab with Expert Included Berkeley, CA Tuesday, Dec 22, 2009, 3pm - 6pm Drop-in Arduino and Electronics classes Berkeley, CA Tuesday, Dec 22, 2009, 7pm - 9pm Start planning for: Classroom Arduino for Teachers @Willoughby and Baltic Somerville, MA Monday, Dec 28 - Wednesday, Dec 30, 2009, 10am - 4pm HamCram: Earn You Amateur Radio License in a Day San Francisco, CA Saturday, Jan 9, 2010, 8am - 5pm CMOS Music I // 1-bit chiptunes w/o programming @NYC Resistor Brooklyn, NY Saturday, Jan 9, 2010, 1pm - 4pm Using Transistors @Metrix Create:Space Seattle, WA Sunday, Jan 10, 2010, 2pm - 4:30pm Read more | Permalink | Comments | Read more articles in Events | Digg this!
Paper stars for Christmas lights
Gareth Branwyn Wed, 16 Dec 2009 16:00:00 -0800
Recently, Ben Light, of BLight Design, did a workshop at the Museum of Art and Design in NYC on turning manila envelopes into stars to decorate holiday light strings. He has the star pattern and pics (as well as pics of the event) in his Flickr sets. Building Star Light Minis Read more | Permalink | Comments | Read more articles in Crafts | Digg this!
