Make: Flatsun Simulates Burning Solar Activity

From Make  http://blog.makezine.com/2013/01/17/flatsun-simulates-burning-solar-activity/
"It’s about a bilion times smaller than our actual closest star (140 cm, the artist made sure to make this exact), but Rafael Lozano-Hemmer has managed to recreate its glowing visuals in his art piece, Flatsun.
To do so, he designed and built a custom array of 60,000 red and yellow LEDs. They are controlled by a computer running eight processors, and a video camera detects the number of people in the room then alters Flatsun’s activity based on that. If the room is crowded, the toiling flames increase in intensity. If the place empties out, Flatsun calms down.
To make the visual action of Flatsun properly mimic the sun, Rafael employed the fluid dynamic algorithms Navier Stokes, fractal flames, reaction diffusion, and Perlin noise"

Make: How-To: Guitar or Bass Headless Conversion

I have had a hankering for a small headless bass for some time, but they are really expensive even second hand, so when  I saw this article on converting a conventional bass to headless I was intrigued.
I am not sure that I share the same sense of aesthetics as the author,  except I agree that it looks much better in natural finish that painted, but what he has done is fascinating and most certainly worth a look.
For full details got to Make blog http://blog.makezine.com/2013/01/10/how-to-guitar-or-bass-headless-conversion/
[Via Make]

Recreating the sounds of the BBC Radiophonic Workshop using the Web Audio API

The BBC Radiophic workshop was without doubt one of the cradles of electronic music in this country during the 1960s and are remembered by many as the studio that brought us the original Dr Who theme tune.
It started as an almost academic exercise in making music from custom built electronic devices. Some of these were built from scratch and others put together using modified existing kit.
There is plenty of information on the web about these pioneers, notably Tristram Carey and Dapheny Oram, and the equipment that they used, but the BBC have just gone one better.
Using the newly defined Web Audio API they have created working demos of how they created their sound sound effects, used tape loops, a ring modulator (Dalek Voice) and their own unique wobbulator.
Click here  to find out more and try them for yourself.

Next Generation of Lego MIndstorm due this year.

Announcing LEGO MINDSTORMS EV3

04/01/2013

Coming Fall 2013: LEGO MINDSTORMS EV3
Create and command robots that do what you want.

With LEGO MINDSTORMS EV3 you can turn your LEGO creations into live robots that follow your every command. The new LEGO MINDSTORMS EV3 set includes everything you need – motors, sensors, programmable brick, 550+ LEGO Technic elements, remote control – to create and command robots of even your wildest imagination, including 5 cool robot characters. Download the 3D building instructions and the app to command your robot via your smart device. Then program your robots to walk, talk, move and do whatever you want them to do to via the intuitive software program, the programmable brick or your smart device.

Updates:
- Watch a video of the EV3 in action!
- Download an 8-page brochure describing LEGO MINDSTORMS EV3 from here

If you can think it, LEGO MINDSTORMS EV3 lets you create it.

Copied from http://mindstorms.lego.com/en-us/News/ReadMore/Default.aspx?id=476243

Youtube: Compressorhead Ace of Spades

I just love this, a heavy metal band made literally from heavy metal and playing Ace of Spades. I am not sure why some people on Youtube think that this is a fake, there is nothing here that would be difficult to do, its just a lot of hard work and imagination. I love it :-)