Amazing Teen with Autism Finds Her Voice

As if being a teenager isn’t hard enough already, what with hormones, puberty, rapid growth, and wild emotions, adding non-verbal autism into the mix makes life that much harder. But 16-year-old Carly Fleischmann has found her voice through a computer keyboard, and now she blogs about life with autism, spreading awareness and writing about becoming an internet celebrity. Click to watch Carly’s inspiring story. LINK, Via: Youtube

Animusic Fiber Bundles

Animusic Fiber Bundles 1080P. LINK: Youtube

Sculptures using computer circuit boards

Cuba based artist Steven Rodrig created these works of art with PBCs, Printed Computer Boards. He uses recycled PCBs or asks his friends for any spare computer parts. Whats really awesome about this artist is he has never been trained! LINK

Steve Jobs' 2005 Stanford Commencement Address

Drawing from some of the most pivotal points in his life, Steve Jobs, chief executive officer and co-founder of Apple Computer and of Pixar Animation Studios, urged graduates to pursue their dreams and see the opportunities in life's setbacks -- including death itself -- at the university's 114th Commencement on June 12, 2005. LINK: Youtube

Superb Computer-in-Piano Case Mod

Typically case mods come in the form of super-hero or gaming themes, but occasionally, we get these bizarre (yet awesome) types. For example, this all-wood classical piano which was converted into a multi-screen workstation.

The mod’s background story is pretty interesting in itself. The modder salvaged a termite-ridden, non-functional piano and refinished it into a PC case (the infested wood was removed and replaced). Flex ply was used for some parts and leatherette was used for touching up the upholstery. Custom mounts were put in for the displays (a 20-inch and two 24-inch monitors). LINK

10 Awesome Vintage Video Games You Can Play Online

There's something about an old video game that does a body good. The 16-color graphics, the 8-bit sound - something about it conjures memories of simpler times, when joysticks seemed larger because our hands were still small, and a dollar seemed like a heck of a lot more money than it does right now.

Here are ten computer and arcade games we all know and love that you can now play online and free of charge. If you're of a certain age, you probably played these games. Or they might have been on your very first video game console. LINK: The Presurfer

Victorian Apple iMac

“A true work of Art that had many hours to construct. Hand painted faux marble finish base cover. A rare opportunity for an awesome setup. Just slip on your computer (installs in seconds) and you will have one beautiful hand built wood desktop. Prefect for the home, office or business.” w/ photos. LINK

The Senster - Robotic Sculpture from the late 1960's

Today and Tomorrow has some photos and a video of a cool robotic sculpture from the late 1960s, designed by Edward Ihnatowicz. Senster would be right at home at Maker Faire!

The Senster was a robotic sculpture developed by Edward Ihnatowicz in the late 60’s. It was commisioned by Philips and part of their permanent showplace, the Evoluon, in Eindhoven between 1970 and 1974. It was the first robotic sculpture to be controlled by a computer and could react to the behaviour of the visitors with its sound and movement sensors. The computer used to control The Senster was a Philips P9201 and had only 8K of core memory. Now, almost 40 years later, every interaction student could make something like this and fit the logic in a small box. But this is still an amazing project.

The Senster (Via: Mt. Holly Mayor's Office,Via: Boingboing, Via: Youtube)



Edward Ihnatowicz was a Cybernetic Sculptor active in the UK in the late 1960's and early 1970's. His ground-breaking sculptures explored the interaction between his robotic works and the audience, and reached their height with The Senster, a large (15 feet long), hydraulic robot commissioned by the electronics giant, Philips, in Eindhoven in 1970. The sculpture used sound and movement sensors to react to the behaviour of the visitors. It was one of the first computer controlled interactive robotic works of art.

Electronically Modified Didgeridoo Kyle Evans

(YouTube Link)

Kyle Evans created a electric didgeridoo that can be performed wirelessly through a bluetooth transmission to his computer:

I created this instrument to experiment in the combination of the organic sound qualities of a didgeridoo with the advanced signal processing capabilities of modern computer programming and sound synthesis. This custom built didgeridoo features externally mounted modules that allow the performer to process and manipulate the sound of the instrument in real time. All control data is transmitted wirelessly via blue tooth and is controlling several audio processes created in a custom-built software environment.

You can view complete schematics for the instrument and videos of live performances at Evans’ blog.

Via: Make | Evans’ blog about the project |Via: Neatorama

Exercising Outside - How I Play Sports

"Sometimes your greatest joy comes from getting off the computer and exercising outside every once in awhile." LINK: Youtube

Future Designer laptop - ROLLTOP //Diploma Thesis//

The device of the flexible display allows a new concept in notebook design growing out of the traditional bookformed laptop into unfurling and convolving portable computer.
By virtue of the OLED-Display technology and a multi touch screen the utility of a laptop computer with its weight of a mini-notebook and screen size of 13 inch easily transforms into the graphics tablet, which with its 17-inch flat screen can be also used as a primary monitor.
On top of everything else all computer utilities from power supply through the holding belt to an interactive pen are integrated in Rolltop. This is really an all-in-one gadget.
Support by Schlagheck-Design. LINK: Youtube

Building a brain inside a supercomputer

Blue Brain is an IBM computer built to simulate a human brain. It's powered by 2,000 microchips, each acting as a single neuron, that enable it to execute 22.8 trillion operations per second. Based at the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, the project launched in 2005 to much controversy and skepticism. Modeling the complexity of the brain in a computer is considered a holy grail to some, and hubris to others. The Blue Brain Project isn't an attempt to build an artificial intelligence, although it could someday inform such an effort. That's because the scientists are hoping to use the machine to understand physiology, brain chemistry, and even intelligence and consciousness. The project's stated goal? "To reverse engineer the brain." Here's Markam talking at TEDGlobal this year: LINK

Coffee PC = Computer + Coffeemaker

Tim Quax of ByteMods combined a PC with a coffeemaker to make this Coffee PC case mod. Best of all, the coffeemaker is controlled by software:

The relay gets it’s power from a molex connector on the power supply; a small amount however, just enough to not flip the relay. Second connection to the relay is a cable to the COM port on the PC. Thirdly, the relay is hooked up to the power cable to the PSU that powers the coffee maker. I wrote a script in Visual Basic Scripting, that uses a module to enable the COM port on the PC. The power on the COM connection is enough to flip over the relay, thus giving the coffee maker it’s much needed power, which makes the coffee maker do it’s thing. The script enables the PC to make coffee with the push of a button!

Link, Via: Neatorama

Pedal-Powered Computer

The One Laptop Per Child project (OLPC) hopes to distribute a simple but useful laptop computer to impoverished children in developing nations at a very low cost per unit. One recurring problem in the project has been power supply. So the Afghan IT company Paiwastoon has developed this prototype pedalling machine that allows the user to crank electricity into the computer.

Link, Via: CrunchGear | Paiwastoon, Via: Neatorama

SICK*****! Child Porn Found On Computer Taken In For Repairs

An East Chicago man who took his computer in for repairs has been charged with possession of child pornography.

Bryan S. Johnson, 47, of the 4000 block of Butternut Street, had about 1,000 photos of children having sex and engaging in sexual activity with adults, records state.

Johnson dropped off his computer May 1 at Computer Bay Store in Schererville, Ind. A technician working on the computer discovered a folder called "had sex with a 12-year-old."

Nothing that appeared to be child pornography was inside the folder, but police then confiscated the hard drive as evidence, obtained a search warrant and discovered the questionable files.

The charge is punishable by a maximum three-year sentence. LINK

A three year sentence to me isn't long enough, beware out there parents on what may be crawling the web.

How To Play Drums On Your Computer Keyboard

The Drum Keyboard by Ron Winter is one of the easiest way I have ever encountered to mess around with the drums without having to leave your computer desk. You can either use the interactive keyboard, clicking on the different colorful keys and letter for the various sounds. In addition, your can also play the drums by using you personal keyboard and pressing the keys as shown in the colorful chart.

For other ways you can play a musical instrument Online, check out how your can play guitar through your computer and also a plugin that lets you play piano with your keyboard. LINK

Guitar Computer

Seems like you can put a computer in anything. Have a look at this Guitar Computer.
LINK

Wall-E Computer is More Adorable Than Your Computer

Jonathan Berg's Wall-E computer.

LINK: Youtube

This is a plexiglass custom case built to look like Wall-e. He features Intel's Atom 330 processor on a mini- ITX board. He has bluetooth, wireless-N, a 250GB hard drive, web cam in his left eye, 7 inch touch screen, logitech usb speakers as his arms, an itech laser keyboard, and a bluetooth microphone for use with speech recognition. LINK

Pen Style Personal Computer

Look closely and guess what they could be… Are they pens with cameras? No, much better than that:


A possible next step in personal computer technology, this is an experimental product called the P-ISM, described by NEC designers as a “Pen-style Personal Networking Gadget Package.” (By the way, “pismo” means a written letter in Russian… are these Japanese scientists secretly studying Russian language?) A prototype of the system, which cost a reported $30,000 to build, was unveiled at ITU Telecom World in 2003.



The concept is outlined as follows on the NEC Design Web site:
“P-ISM is a “pen-computer” package including five functions: a pen-style cellular phone with a handwriting data input, virtual keyboard, a very small projector, camera scanner, and personal ID key with cashless pass function. P-ISMs are connected with one another through short-range wireless technology. The whole set is also connected to the Internet through the cellular phone function. This personal gadget in a minimalist pen style enables the ultimate ubiquitous computing.”
LINK