Most approaches to capturing 3D models of real-world objects involve multiple cameras that are rarely cheap, and are sometimes tricky to calibrate. The University of Glasgow has developed a method that ditches those cameras altogether. Its system has four single-pixel sensors stitching together a 3D image based on the reflected intensity of light patterns cast by a projector. Reducing the pixel count lowers the cost per sensor to just a few dollars, and extends the sensitivity as far as terahertz wavelengths. Real-world products are still a long way off, but the university sees its invention as useful for cancer detection and other noble pursuits. Us? We’d probably just waste it on creating uncanny facsimiles of ourselves.

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Stitcher just announced a new car mode for the iPhone version of its radio and podcasting app, bringing a simplified interface that works in both portrait and landscape positions. Accessible by tapping the Stitcher logo at the top of the screen, car mode offers a pared-down version of the app’s standard UI, with bigger buttons and only the essential audio controls. It’s nowhere near as flashy as Stitcher’s BMW integration, mind you, but the point is to keep your eyes on the road and off your iPhone’s screen. The app gets a few other updates this time around: a front page with top headlines, one-tap access to shows and podcasts you’re searching for and improved playback when you’re picking up in the middle of a show. Head to the source link below to give the app a spin, and drive safely!

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There are plenty of wonderful things about train travel: the leg room, the scenery, the lack of security pat-downs. The WiFi, on the other hand, has long been the slowest thing about Amtrak. The company announced today that it’s finally doing something about its frustratingly sluggish service, upgrading wireless on select trains, including the Acela express between Boston and Washington DC and a few California lines like the Capitol Corridor, Pacific Surfliner and San Joaquin. Travelers to other destinations will have to wait a bit longer for quicker load times — Amtrak has promised that the rest of its WiFi-equipped trains will be upgraded by “late summer.”

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With much of its information obscured it’s hard to say what Google has planned for this new device revealed by its FCC filing, but the model number at least indicates someone has a sense of humor. Called an “H840 device” and rocking the model number H2G2-42 (Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy – 42, the ultimate answer to the question of life, the universe and everything) it has WiFi of the 802.11 b/g/n varieties, but that’s all we know for sure. The natural question is whether this is a proper revamp of / follow up to the failed Nexus Q project, particularly with its appearance coming so closely after the unveiling of its Google Play Music All Access subscription. Of course, Google has no shortage of mysterious device projects in store, we’re hopeful this one will reveal all of its secrets soon.

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Even though we don’t yet know what the PlayStation 4 looks like or how much it will cost, one of the many details revealed at Sony’s February event was that games will be playable even as they download. Now it turns out we won’t have to wait for the new hardware to experience that feature on a console — Steam, for example, does this on PCs with some games — as The Last of Us leaders Bruce Straley and Neil Druckman told Game Informer the PS3 game will be available as a download the same day it arrives on discs, and is playable once the transfer is 50 percent complete. There’s no word whether other developers will have access to the “magic” Naughty Dog worked out with Sony to make it happen, but as least there will be as little delay as possible before you begin exploring its post-apocalyptic landscape June 14th.

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Cool Tools is giving away a copy of the book, Getting Started with Arduino* to one person who signs up for the Cool Tools Newsletter between now and Thursday, May 23 at 10pm PT. (Current newsletter subscribers are automatically included in the running.)

From the publisher’s description:

Arduino is the open-source electronics prototyping platform that’s taken the design and hobbyist world by storm. This thorough introduction, updated for Arduino 1.0, gives you lots of ideas for projects and helps you work with them right away. From getting organized to putting the final touches on your prototype, all the information you need is here!

Inside, you’ll learn about:

Interaction design and physical computing
The Arduino hardware and software development environment
Basics of electricity and electronics
Prototyping on a solderless breadboard
Drawing a schematic diagram
Getting started with Arduino is a snap. To use the introductory examples in this guide, all you need an Arduino Uno or earlier model, along with USB A-B cable and an LED. The easy-to-use Arduino development environment is free to download.

Join hundreds of thousands of hobbyists who have discovered this incredible (and educational) platform. Written by the co-founder of the Arduino project, Getting Started with Arduino gets you in on all the fun!

We’ll pick one newsletter subscriber at random to receive the giveaway. We hold giveaways every Friday, so if you aren’t selected this time, try again next week.

(* I am an editor at Make, a magazine that is owned by the company that published Getting Started with Arduino).

Article source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/CoolTools/~3/Mlel-m4bRY8/12156

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The Jimi Wallet is a minimalist hard-shell plastic case design. It’s the perfect antidote to the “Costanza Wallet” syndrome my dad had, because it forces you to discard all but what you really need.

The Jimi has room for exactly three pieces of plastic, a security access card, and a money clip that holds 5-6 bills. That’s it.

The Jimi pops open with a bit of pressure applied to a few dimples. You can do it easily with one hand without looking.

I have owned several Jimis over the last decade. The build quality is excellent. Realistically, I find that I get three years of daily use out of one before the plastic joint starts to fray. I am okay with this, because it gives me the opportunity to get a new color.

I’ve got nothing against slim leather or cloth wallets, but the Jimi is what works for me. It was the wallet equivalent of coming in from the cold. I can say with no exaggeration that I get a minimum of one compliment a week on it when I pull it out in stores or restaurants. People see it an intuitively get that it’s an evolution.

Article source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/CoolTools/~3/xtQbzTJ9l7w/11790

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Welcome to Maker Faire Education Day!

I have just returned with a group of tired, but happy kids from Maker Faire Education Day, decked out in pipe-cleaner accessories, holding LED light wands and clutching their pint-sized schwag bags. I’m sitting in my classroom, taking time to sit back and observe the students in my biweekly afterschool 3D printing club.  We have one Makerbot, currently running a 20 minute print job, yet nine kids are keeping themselves busy with very little teacher oversight: two are working on the Google site they created to document our work, another pair is troubleshooting our Printrbot, another set has downloaded and is printing out a replacement part, another kid is blogging the whole process, and two others are exploring AutoCAD (free for educators and students!). They have very little structure, and none have specific instructions or textual support for what they are working on.  Yet, there is little frustration in the room and a lot of engagement.  They are relying on each other (and Google) to propose solutions to problems, test their ideas, celebrate their successes, learn from their failures, and design new projects.  It’s an educator’s dream, really.

Students playing with MaKey MaKey at Maker Faire.

This looks very different from “regular school.” While I recognize that these students are part of small group who choose to participate in an extracurricular activity, I’ve seen the magic of making in my classroom before.

I decided to sit down with this group of kids, some of whom joined me on the field trip today and many of whom plan to attend this weekend’s Faire, and asked, “What’s so great about Maker Faire?”  Here’s what they told me.

Maker Faire has “no rules.”

There is no set procedure.  There often is no easy solution; and the answer certainly is not in the back of the book. They tell me that “school always tells you what to do” but at Maker Faire kids just get to explore. The goal is not to get the one “right” answer. They like the idea of having to troubleshoot and figure it out themselves, especially when they are not penalized for getting it “wrong.”  It takes the pressure off and makes learning fun.

“Maker Faire is hands-on learning. It is really creative and there are not always particular guidelines. You get to really stretch your imagination.” (Emma, 7th grade)

“There are so many different things, and you get to choose – choose what you get to learn, and how long you have to stay there. You can take breaks when you need them, and stay longer when you are interested.” (Louisa, 6th grade)

Maker Faire is creative

My students love to explore.  They are excited about the possibilities of having ideas and making them real.  It is not unusual to see one of my students retrieve his or her print from the 3D printer only to literally jump with joy over seeing their digital designs come to physical fruition. School is so often input-driven and it is exciting to watch what the kids can output using their own imaginations.

Making breeds collaboration.

“At the Maker Faire, anything you could ever think about is there.  It has the feeling of ‘anything is possible’ – like driving cupcakes, how awesome is that?  I like that not everything there has a use yet – they are not all making products to make money; they are sometimes just making projects ‘cuz they’re cool.” (Adam, 8th grade)

Maker Faire is collaborative

I enjoy seeing my young makers collaborate, often in groups that span multiple grade levels. Sometimes I just eavesdrop, listening to students propose and discard ideas, as well as refining each other’s ideas in a way that might not be possible working individually. I enjoy seeing kids brainstorm together to find resources and come up with ways of finding experts for advice and guidance.

Even better, as people visit my classroom, students in my 3D printing club often draw in other teachers, friends, student alumni, parents, grandparents, or siblings into what they are working on. Maker Faire is similarly multi-age fantastic, with kids and adults working side-by-side, often on a level playing field as they explore and learn together.

“Everyone gets to really work hands-on with the stuff as opposed to just reading about how it works . You get to see how it works.” (Louisa, 6th grade)

Maker Faire is fun!

Of course, the biggest draw is that making is fun.  The kids excitedly recount makers from last year that they hope to see again this year – the light-up giraffe, the Lego car and, of course, all the 3D printers!

“There is something for everybody!” (Lucy, 7th grade)

We wrapped up our discussion by brainstorming ways we might allow for more making in our school next year. One idea was that, during our occasional all-school study halls, we might offer students the option to participate in maker activities instead. Although the kids were quick to caution me that “there would not be a lot of people choosing studying, for the record.”

Christine Mytko is the Upper School Science and Technology Teacher at Black Pine Circle School in Berkeley, Calif. She has a particular affinity for fish mummies, 3D printers, improv comedy, stomp rockets, and wikis.

Article source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/makezineonline/~3/L6IiH2Eus2A/

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One of my favorite things about Maker Faire is all the new product announcements. This year Arduino is launching their robotics platform, and I was fortunate enough to get my hands on one a little early. Check out the unboxing video below, and if you like it as much as I do, don’t forget to pick  one up from the Maker Shed at Maker Faire.

Arduino Robot brings you into the world of robotics. Designed with Complubot, the 4-times world champions in Robocup Junior robotics soccer, the robot allows for endless hours of experimentation and play. It is a self-contained platform allowing you to build interactive machines to explore the world. You can use it as it is, modify its software and even add your own hardware on top of it. You can learn as you go: the Arduino Robot is perfect for the novice but also for those looking for their next challenge.

I’d be really surprised if these lasted very long on the shelves in the Maker Shed, so you might want to head over early and pick one up before they are all gone.

Article source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/makezineonline/~3/Hc9ephML46A/

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Today I took a walk around and spotted a slew of creatively kludged together bicycles that will soon become mobile this weekend at Maker Faire Bay Area. The designs range from artful and refined to cobbled and hacked. Take a look at just a handful of the fantastic vehicular powerhouses that will be roaming around San Mateo this weekend.

Article source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/makezineonline/~3/4l8GlthnR9w/

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At Maker Faire Bay Area 2013 longtime Make pal Kent Barnes kindly opened his everyday carry case and showed me what’s inside. It’s a highly personalized collection of tools, including a flashlight, X-Acto knife, drivers, laser pointer, and lock pick tools.

What’s in your everyday carry?

Article source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/makezineonline/~3/WytinfezNag/

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Space Palette is a fun instrument that combines visual and musical outputs. It works by waving your hands inside the holes of a wooden frame that looks a bit like an Atomic Age television screen of some sort. The movements are captured using a Kinect. Depending on the location and depth of your hand, different sounds and projected swirling and multicolored visuals are generated. San Jose maker Tim Thompson says that his favorite thing when watching others use the Space Palette is when a non-musician realizes they can make music so simply, without any training.

The interface is quite compelling. I myself had the urge to go up and try to “paint” in the empty holes with my  hands. Tim is set up here at Maker Faire Bay Area this year (May 18 19), in Fiesta Hall, so be sure to stop by, say hello, and try out the Space Palette.

Article source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/makezineonline/~3/dUw8oSwYFPU/

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