Flightless Angels

GOLidascope
Use this idea (Lady Ada Rules) to make a “kalidascope” whose insides are an array of LEDs running Conway’s Game of Life Algorithm

This is the most attractive of the ginger bread shapes. His name is Daniel DeFormed and he says “AAAAAAAAAAAAA TO LIVE IS TO SUFFER WHY DID YOU CREATE ME WHHHHHYYYYYY”. The brown parts are the cooking spray. Guess I’ll stick to sheets.

Daniel was the lucky one.

Attention wives

If your husband asks to borrow your highly prized and favorite gingerbread man baking tray and confidently assures you that, since only foodstuffs are involved, that no possible harm could befall it, DO NOT BELIEVE HIM. This stuff sticks to Teflon like it’s Velcro.

I’m not sure how far I’m going to go with this but I’ve been very interested in quadrocopters for a while. Coincidentally I also have some busted up cheapo rc helis which might make a minimally functional quad. I’ve decoded th infrared protocol already and I’ll post shortly.

Same recipe as before except using tapioca starch – 1 part glycerine, 3 parts starch, 2 parts white vinegar and 14 parts water. I expect to get some wizened old gingerbread crones but you never know. They might be good for Halloween. Now I think of it you could cover a woolly mitten in this stuff and when it dried it might look like a gnarly old hand. Or cover a rose in it…that might be cool in a Nightmare Before Christmas kind of way.

This is a really cool link. You can make biodegradable plastic out of household ingredients. There’s also a way to make it out of potato starch but this looks easier. Just wish I had a laser cutter…

Make your own biodegradable plastic

Update: I made some. It’s pretty cool but and it tastes like vinegar.

Our family was at the Liberty Science Center a few weeks ago and they were setting AirZookas. These are “air cannons”; they shoot a ball of air at a target/person/butterfly and hilarity ensues with a healthy running start. I must say that they are very accurate, but expensive, so I made one.

DIY Air Cannon

* Quadracopter like this using the old RC chopper bits in the basement.
* Print flexible PCBs on paper with conductive ink (ink = silver nitrate + ascorbic acid).
* Micro X/Y table using CD laser sleds.

I did this for Halloween a couple of years ago.