Flash memory can be a tad unpredictable at times. I have had 4 flash drives die out on me over the last few years, and they usually die without warning. When a flash memory based device dies, the data is likely impossible to recover. Adversely on an HDD, or Hard Drive Disk, even if the disk dies out, someone will probably be able to fix it and get it back to working order—at least long enough for you to back up your data. Hard drives are a bit more forgiving. As you can guess, due to the unpr...
The noble board game has stalwartly staved off elimination in the face of more technologically advanced video games for four decades. Try as they might, video games just can't seem to surpass them as an easy-to-use diversion for large groups of seated indoor people.
Epic Games announced today that the free version of Unreal Engine 3, Unreal Development Kit or UDK, is now compatible with Mac OS X. Apple users will now have access to arguably the most powerful piece of free game development software available in almost exactly the same way as their PC counterparts, minus some small tweaks.
It's been a busy week here at Indie Games Ichiban, between attending PAX and breaking news stories about Stabyourself and Playdead Studios, that there's been relatively little time for some honest, good old-fashioned game playing. But time was made and here are two excellent indie games of varying age and platform with two very different themes.
Backtrack 5 is a Security Essentials Backtrack is a suite of tools to help with Penetration of any Network, Unix, Linux, or Microsoft Based. Backtrack 5 is good for WEP & WPA hacking and penetration testing.
Yesterday I had an order for one lonely Bubble Bath Cup Cake to be sent to California. The poor little thing may not make it. Temperatures are as high as 110 degrees and I am not sure this little cup cake will make it.
Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan's early fall 2010 L.O.V.E. sculpture has generated its fair share of upset. The Italian artist installed a marble monument of the middle finger in Milan's Piazza Affari, directly in front of the Italian stock exchange building. The 13-foot sculpture is attached to a base, bringing it to a total height of 36 feet.
UK-based artist Matthew Nicholson is a man of many talents: designer, photographer, professional free runner and papercraft engineer—and in the latter of which, he generously posts free downloadable DIY kits for your folding pleasure.
Finally, summer is just around the corner! And while there are delicious fruits and vegetables available nearly every season, summer yields some of the very best picks. Equip yourself with one or more of the tools below before your next trip to the farmers market.
Via Newsweek Tumblr. Looks like this video and billboard hijacking is the work of DesireObtainCherish, an LA-based street team. The work isn't exactly great art, but it's an amusing form of culture jamming, in which anti-consumerist activists subvert public advertisements.
With the Oscar nomination of "Exit Through the Gift Shop" and Banksys rise to global fame, street art is becoming more and more accepted into the global art establishment and mainstream culture. Shepard Faireys "Hope" poster is now one of the most recognized posters in the world, some experts saying that it will become just as unmistakably american as uncle Sams "i want you!" WWII army recruitment poster. Banksys work sells for thousands of dollars in auctions, and has fans in mainstream holl...
Last week, a waiter showed me something pretty neat. A habitual customer had made a tradition of leaving behind an impressive tip—not so much in terms of dollar amount, but in the presentation. Next to the check sat an amazing pyramidal structure, folded with multiple single dollar bills, and a tightly folded moneygami shuriken (AKA ninja star).
This may feel like a Nike ad (and I suppose technically it is an ad), but it's also a based-on-a-true-story-hollywood-motion-picture waiting to happen... This inspiring short film is part of an ad campaign series called Make THE Difference for the TMB Bank, but it's also a true story—here are the facts:
LiveOps is a web-based company that employs work-at-home employees to work as call operators. It is a top-notch call center that offers employees to take a range of different approaches to what they will be doing their time at LiveOps.
Truly spectacular and one the most breathtaking DIY endeavors to grace the front page of WonderHowTo, a recreation of Pixar's UP house was launched to an altitude of 10,000 feet in a private airfield near Los Angeles this past week. The project was executed by a team of engineers, scientists and veteran balloon pilots—(meaning, please, Do Not Try This at Home).
Who is Lara Croft? Video game character. Comic strip hero. Action figure. Actress Angelina Jolie. All wonderful, yet all fictional. If you're looking for a flesh-and-blood archetype, try XtremeJenn, a Lara Croft cosplayer who's linked her real life "hobbies" to the world's beloved Tomb Raider. Found on Unreality Mag, this picture is the real thing. No green screen, no staging. XtremeJenn does everything a badass Tomb Raider should do: skydiving, base jumping, and some serious rock climbing.
Scanner photography + sandwiches = Scanwiches (simply put: "scans of sandwiches for education and delight"). The web-famous Tumblr is the invention of Jon Chonko, a NYC-based designer at thehappycorp global.
"A major hardware update to the masterlock cracking robot. Upgraded the previously non-working latch opening mechanism to be geared down 1:25, allowing it to open the shackle. I also revamped the motor mount to be sturdier, and the base of the unit to hold the lock better and also be easier to mount parts to.
AR-media has made some great Augmented Reality software. You can check out their new AR-media™ Plugin for Autodesk® 3ds Max® OR their AR-media™ Plugin for Google™ SketchUp™. They use a marker based technology that allows you to create models in either 3ds Max or SketchUp, then export them as a ARmedia file type to be played by anyone who has the free ARmedia player.
New York based studio softlab's latest installation "(n)arcissus" is an eye-bending site specific installation currently on display at the Frankfurter Kunstverein art center in Frankfurt, Germany. The piece, made with over 1,000 mylar and vinyl laser cut panels, hangs in a stairwell, measuring 9 meters tall from the lobby ceiling.
Jonathan Guberman of Site 3 coLaboratory hackerspace in Toronto has created an Arduino-controlled mechanical typewriter that can type on its own, detect what is being typed on it, and run text-based interactive fiction games such as the classic (and to most, all but forgotten) Zork. Guberman says:
In my Country, education plays a major role in our life, it's the base to have an easier life and also to expand the knowledge further and further, however, the majority of people who are involved in the education system don't understand the real benefits behind real education.
Life-giving internal organs! Usually, they're a convenience. Not so when making a convincing see-through Portal costume, however. Happily, Ben Heck has a devised an LCD-based hack that will permit you to tunnel through your belly without discomfort. Interested in vanishing your viscera? A full video guide follows below. Previously, HowTo: Top 10 DIY Nerdtastic Halloween Costumes.
Anna the Red, the internet's resident Queen of Bento, has created an elaborate Halloween Bento Box based on video game Costume Quest: "an adorable role-playing adventure game created by Double Fine. It takes place on Halloween night, kids in costume trick-or-treating and fighting monsters to save a kidnapped sibling while collecting costumes."
Wingsuits are an invention of the Gods. Why? Because they give human beings incredible superhuman powers. First in the gallery below, a compilation of world renown daredevil Jeb Corliss' most amazing jumps. Second, Jeb's epic flight under the arms of Rio's gigantic Jesus Christ. Previously, Adrenaline Rush vs. Death: The Science of Risk.
The Farmer's airship is here on FarmVille to protect your crops!! Place it and nothing will wither for 10 days!
Crafting Co-Ops let you and your neighbors work together to grow crops for your crafting buildings! There is a job for every recipe in the Winery, Bakery and Spa. Your reward for completing one of these co-ops is 3 bushel sets which you can use to help you craft goods in your crafting building.
Shinya Kimura is an artist. And his art is the motorcycle. Though a legend in Japan for some time now, the motorcycle engineer first came into the American public eye as a contestant on Biker Build-Off, a Discovery Channel channel show featuring custom bike builders. Kimura has been accredited with originating the popular, vintage style trend of customized bike building (think Pimp My Ride meets retro Harley Davidson).
The economic mini-camper isn't a particularly new idea, but German designer Cornelius Comanns' Bufalino concept is about as sleek as I've seen them.
Berlin based artist Nils Vöelker's plastic bag installation entitled "One Hundred and Eight" features 108 plastic bags that inflate and deflate by 216 individually controllable computer cooling fans. Völker originally intended the piece to be a giant display screen, but the end result became something much more compelling. Via Wired:
Indianapolis-based motor junkie Paul Stender and his team of vehicle modders called the Indy Boys Inc have created the ultimate anti-fuel economy: a school bus outfitted with a Phantom fighter jet engine, which clocks 367 mph and burns 150 gallons of fuel in just a quarter mile. Stender says:
What do you get when you mix water-filled bowls with electrical wiring and human hands? The answer may shock you. Artists Ion Furjanic & Isaac Souweine write, "Electric Tea 1.0 is the first in a series of works that put sound where it doesn't belong. [It] uses porcelain bowls, metal orbs, speaker wire, water, and the conductive power of the human body to create a water based musical controller."
Anybody who says they don't love golden, crispy fried chicken is lying. Fried chicken is DEE-licious.
Melbourne-based graphic designer Benjamin Hammond just launched a site called One Minute Portraits, where the artist draws quick portraits in less than a minute. It works like this: email a photo of yourself, Hammond creates the portrait, and you can choose to buy the original if you like it. (OR pick up a few drawing lessons and do-it-yourself.)
I follow new brands as soon as they're available to maximize my chances of unlocking a new badge, so the majority of my friends are brands. Recently, brands like the IFC (Independent Film Channel) and The Huffington Post have been adding content in the form of a dialogue box based on the location of your latest check in "to see the world through the lenses of my favorite organizations." It was cool to read the info at first, but after getting the same info over and over I'd opt for a mute but...
In this video, we learn how to paint clay pots for gardening with Michelle Gervais. All you need is: acrylic paints, brushes, plastic paint, cup of water, paper towels, and clay pots. First, put a base coat on your pot before you place your design onto it. This is easiest done with a foam brush, and without using any water. This will dry quickly, but take a lot of paint to fully cover the entire pot. When the paint is dry, you can now start to paint on your design! You can put stripes, flower...
In this video, we learn how to use QuickBooks assistance. The assistance gives you answers to problems that you may be having with their software. This is a great way to learn the basics, like individual tasks that are on the home page. The coach was made for someone who is brand new to QuickBooks, so the information may be introductory instead of advanced. You can also go to a QuickBooks user chatroom where you can get information from other users. You can also look the information up on the...
Goodbye, point-and-click; hello, point-and-splash! This water-based touch screen by Japanese designer Taichi Inoue is more than just clever and ergonomic, it's downright summery.
What do these egg-carton lamps by American designer Victor Vetterlein have in common with Frankenstein's monster? More than you'd think! Both are green. Both have bolted necks. And both are assembled from materials most would be happy to let decompose.
Did you ever, as a know-nothing kid, push against your closed eyelids for the pleasure of the resultant light show? LCD bending takes the low-tech fun of physical retinal stimulation and updates it for the 21st century. And, as the title suggests, the end result looks very much like a sort of angelic, fractal-based fingerpainting.
