First Timers Search Results

News: Hobbyist Builds World's Tiniest Engines

Jim Moyer builds tiny engines, with as much attention to detail and craftsmanship as some of our other favorite hobbyists (check out obsessive model airplanes and teeny tiny weapons). The engine demonstrated in the first video below is supposedly the smallest V-8 engine in the world, a 1/6 scale model of the 327 cubic inch motor in a 1964 Chevrolet Corvette. More images and info at Jim's site. Previously, Obsessively Authentic LEGO V-8.

Wake-Skate: Winch Madness

Amazing footage shot of some highly skilled wakeboarders, entitled "Winch Madness". According to Wikipedia, Wakeskate winching involves "an engine, spool, rope, handle, frame, and some sort of simple transmission. The person being towed walks (or swims) away from the winch and pulls out all of the rope." When the winch lets loose, the boarder can go 15-25 mph.

News: Travis Pastrana Flies Cars

Our Thrillbilly-Tricycle-Flip hero is back, and never fails to astound. Travis Pastrana is both an X-Games gold medalist and star of MTV show Nitro Circus. The daredevil kicks ass at supercross, motocross, freestyle motocross, base jumping and rally racing.

News: Convert a Truck Into a Camera

We've featured unusual pinhole cameras before, but nothing at this grandiose scale. Presenting the world's largest mobile pinhole camera, the Cameratruck, creation of photographer Shaun Irving. The Cameratruck can take pictures approximately 3,000 times the size of a 35mm!

News: 1,000,000 Spiders Weave Rare Silk

A rare textile woven from the silk of more than one million spiders is currently on display at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. The incredible textile measures 11 by four feet, and is the largest piece of spider-woven textile in the world.

Star Wars LEGO-gasm: 4' 6" Rebel Frigate

As Gizmodo says, "4 feet 6 inches of brickgasm". Star Wars-gasm. LEGO-gasm. Perfect combination. "The Lego version of the classic Nebulon-B Class rebel frigate Redemption is 4 feet and 6 inches long. That's 172 studs long, and I'm not talking about The Hoff. It's big enough to dock one mini-Millennium Falcon and three X-Wings."

The Art of Trout Tickling: Myth or Reality?

Trout tickling is the mystical art of rubbing a trout's underbelly until it goes into a lax, trance-like state. The fish is then scooped out of the water and thrown onto land. Similar to catfish noodling, the sport is lauded for its lack of equipment or tools of any kind, as used in traditional fishing.

News: 2009's Wackiest Inventions

As 2009 comes to a close, the Telegraph presents a compilation of this past year's wackiest inventions. As always, here at WonderHowTo, we are inspired and impressed by ingenuity. The contraptions below range from utter silliness (engagement ring bra) to downright amazing (see-through concrete). Check it out.

News: Jewelry Made With Hair and Dead People

No exaggeration in today's headline, design student Anna Schwamborn has actually designed a jewelry line made from the hair and cremated ashes of dead loved ones. Human hair sure makes a nice accent to the black bone china (note the word "bone" - human ashes are mixed in).

News: Motoman, the LEGO Loving Bot

Motoman the Robot uses a 3D vision system to assemble LEGOs. "Motoman’s high resolution color cameras and object recognition make picking out and connecting LEGO pieces easy...he’s able to get the pieces with one hand while assembling the LEGOs with the other. "

News: Iraqi Insurgents Hack U.S. Drones With 26 Dollar Download

Uh oh. Somebody screwed up big this time. It has recently been reported that Iraqi insurgents have used $26 software to intercept live video feeds from U.S. drones located in Middle East conflict zones. The drone (a remotely piloted aircraft) is considered one of the U.S. military's most sophisticated weapons. Apparently not sophisticated enough, however. 

News: Lady Gaga Goes Uke

Here we are again. This time, however, it's not Britney Spears that's being uke-d, but the delightfully infamous Lady Gaga. The wicked (we-can't-help-but-look-watch-listen) Lady Gaga.

News: Smoke Bombs Make Beautiful Art

What is it about the infamous colored smoke bomb that is so deeply satisfying, so beautiful? Well, first there's an explosion (always fun), which then yields beautiful billowing clouds of saturated color. Check out artist Olaf Breuning's Smoke Bombs, 2008.

News: World's Most Badass Swing Set

My stomach is doing somersaults just watching this. Looks fun, albeit incredibly dangerous. Take it down a notch (or fifty) and build an indoor swing this winter. Previously, Deeply Trusting Female Volunteers Bod to Redneck Science: First Human Slingshot.

News: Robot Dance Off Gets Creepy

As November was coming to an end this year, the "6th Robo-One Gate in International Robot Exhibition 2009" dance competition took place. The contenders are just a little bit creepy, to say the least. Particularly exhibit A, Britney Spears wannabe,  "LOVE & JOY, Yuhi Kimura", by Doka Harumi.