Category Archives: Electronics
Ghostbusters Nightlight
Earlier today Gizmodo featured these cool Avengers-themed nightlights. They look great, fully earning their “wall art” nickname. Better yet they run on batteries, so you can place them anywhere on the wall (instead of plugging into a power outlet, which is often the norm for a nightlight). Unfortunately there is no indication as to whether they have light sensors, so I’m gonna guess that they have a manual switch. Still, I am tempted to grab one!
And that brings me to the design seen above. A nightlight based on the Ghostbusters sign seen in the films, in the exact same vein as those neat Avengers nightlights.
This is not a new idea, there are a few products currently available that cater to this niche. Unfortunately they miss the mark in terms of price or design. You can get this one for north of $300, which is silly. Or you can import this one from Japan, which looks nothing like the sign seen in the film.
I believe Ghostbusters fans want something cool and affordable, and I think following the template set by the Avengers nightlights is the way to go. As long as it A) looks like a replica of the sign from the film, and B) hangs on the wall exactly like the sign did on the Firehouse. A light sensor would also be welcome.
Here’s hoping we get something like this one day. For other Ghostbusters posts please click here.
LED T-Shirt Designs
A few years ago I scoffed at the idea of embedding LED lights into a T-shirt. Tacky was the word that came to mind. But then Tony Stark made it look cool, so now you can buy T-Shirts that mimic the appearance of an Arc Reactor beneath the surface of the shirt.
I believe that approach can be applied to a few other designs. Seen above are a few examples:
1. The Incredibles. I thought it would be fun to include the “homing beacon” light seen in the film. Ideally it would only go off once per hour, which would be great for battery life. If it were also feasible I’d have it link up with your phone via Bluetooth, so the light would blink when you got a call or text.
2. Razer Electronics. Okay I’m a bit of a Razer fanboy. I dig their use of ambient LEDs throughout their PC peripherals and laptops. Their logo was the first thing that came to mind when I saw the Arc Reactor t-shirt.
3. The Tardis. The single light on top of the Tardis would make this an ideal candidate for an LED tee. Sound effects are a possibility.
That’s it for pictured designs. A few other designs that could apply (on the basis of using a single LED light): The Autobot Matrix of Leadership, NHL ’94 goal light, R2D2, T-800 (single red eye), and Cyclops from the X-Men. Anything else you’d like to see?
If you like these please check out the full-zip hoodies I designed a while back. I also have a designs available for purchase.
Geeky Flash Drives Part 4: TRON Data Disc
So here are two designs for USB Flash drives based on the TRON Data Disc (TRON Legacy version): the one on the left is a small replica of the disc, with a USB connector that slides out; the one on the right is a more typical USB stick design.
The disc-shaped one is a fun design, but would be more problematic to engineer as an actual product, not to mention a bit cumbersome to use. However I believe it would look cool when plugged into your laptop or computer.
The basic USB stick version is an achievable design both in form and function. The casing is clear plastic, so it would look like the embedded data disc is floating in air.
Both designs feature LED lights which would illuminate when the flash drive is plugged-in. I suppose you could include an on-board battery to make either of these light up on command.
It makes too much sense for a TRON data disc to be used to transfer data! Hopefully something like this becomes a reality one day.
Shark Laser Pointer
This is another instance of when I was shopping for a particular item only to discover it did not exist. Much to my surprise shark-themed laser pointers aren’t available. Now I only have one simple request; and that is to have laser pointers that look like sharks with frickin’ laser beams attached to their heads!
To be clear this would be for a small handheld laser pointer used for highlighting stuff on the chalkboard or terrorizing your pet cat (and NOT for pointing at flying aircraft). This gadget would fit onto your keychain, and would be operated with a push button. To make it friendly for placing in your pocket I’d make all the fins (or the whole body) out of a flexible rubber.
Another way to go is to have a normal laser pointer that can attach to a plastic toy shark. It would be a decorative item for the desk.
Relevant scene for the youngsters who might not get the joke. Can you believe the film is 16 years old??
A Collection Of Jurassic Park Ideas
With Jurassic Park 3D hitting theaters this Friday, I thought I’d revisit a few posts inspired by the film over the past 3 years this blog has been in existence. In no particular order:
1. Jurassic Park 3D Glasses. I was so sure this would be a thing I vowed to watch the Twilight films if it didn’t happen. A man of my word, I will… oh, they’re not on Netflix? Oh man what a bummer. But seriously I’d want a pair of these, 3D or no.
2. Jurassic Park Blu-Ray Case. This design put my blog on the map, so feel free to assign blame here. If I ever got rich I would 3D-print this sucker.
3. Jurassic Park Fence Bed. Featuring a doomed plush goat (like so many of my other posts)! I’m pretty sure there was an IKEA bed with a similar frame, but I can’t seem to find it anymore.
4. Jurassic Park Watch. I made this for my Watch This series, and I still love this design 2 years later. You’ll note as we go back in time, the pictures as smaller. For some reason I was cool with a blog width of 445 pixels back in the day.
5. Jurassic Park Hockey Jersey. This one migrated to my other blog, but it was a hit when I posted it here in the fall of 2011. The design was inspired by the gas-powered jeeps from the film.
6. Wallpapers! You can find a ‘Fences’ screen here, and a rather juvenile Yoshi-themed one here.
And that’s it for now, please stay tuned for more Jurassic Park designs in the future! Enjoy the film’s re-release and remember: it’s in IMAX for only one week.
What I’d Like To See For The Oculus Rift Headset
The highly-anticipated Oculus Rift VR headset will be released this spring, allowing gamers to enjoy virtual reality – something that seemed around the corner in the early 90′s! With many developers pledging support for games old and new, and its attractive price point of $300, you’d be hard-pressed to find any fault with this device. Read the rest of this entry
The Greatest iPhone Camera Attachment Ever
This attachment would let you film and photograph your own Naked Gun intros. Greatest attachment ever. Take THAT, Will.i.am!
It would work in both landscape and portrait mode. A siren sound effect would be gravy (though I’m sure many would prefer to add it in post-production).
Yes this is a pretty silly idea, but if anything I try to make this blog interesting — even if it’s for my own amusement.
