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Archive: Technology
November 10, 2009
Biomedical Lab Uses Shrinky Dinks Instead of $100K Diagnostic Chips
Michelle Khine's lab at UC Irvine couldn't afford the $100K equipment to make microfluidic chips, a sheet of material with tiny channels used for certain diagnostic tests, so she made her own with Shrinky Dinks. From the MIT Technology Review:
Racking her brain for a quick-and-dirty way to make microfluidic devices, Khine remembered her favorite childhood toy: Shrinky Dinks, large sheets of thin plastic that can be colored with paint or ink and then shrunk in a hot oven. "I thought if I could print out the [designs] at a certain resolution and then make them shrink, I could make channels the right size for microfluidics," she says.
To test her idea, she whipped up a channel design in AutoCAD, printed it out on Shrinky Dink material using a laser printer, and stuck the result in a toaster oven. As the plastic shrank, the ink particles on its surface clumped together, forming tiny ridges. That was exactly the effect Khine wanted. When she poured a flexible polymer known as PDMS onto the surface of the cooled Shrinky Dink, the ink ridges created tiny channels in the surface of the polymer as it hardened. She pulled the PDMS away from the Shrinky Dink mold, and voilà: a finished microfluidic device that cost less than a fast-food meal.
[via BoingBoing]
Posted by Becky Stern |
Nov 10, 2009 09:00 AM
Technology |
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September 30, 2009
Robot sorts pancakes
Who is eating all these pancakes?! PT @ MAKE writes:
Wow! This robot sorts over 400 pancakes per minute. Right around 1:15 it gets amazing, it seems like it's sped up, but they need to slow it down in the video to show it off!
Computer vision, robots, and pancakes; I don't think this morning could get any better.
Posted by Becky Stern |
Sep 30, 2009 07:00 AM
Food, Technology |
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September 29, 2009
How-To: Solar Handbag
You can convert any bag into a solar charger for your gadgets, via ReadyMade.
Posted by Becky Stern |
Sep 29, 2009 04:00 PM
Tech Accessories, Technology |
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September 25, 2009
Open Source Embroidery in San Francisco
I'm proud to announce the opening of Open Source Embroidery, an exhibition at the San Francisco Museum of Craft and Folk Art on October 2. It's a great show with lots of crafts intersecting technology, including my LilyPad Embroidery piece. The show has traveled all the way from Sweden and looks truly fabulous. You can check out pictures of what the exhibition looked like at the Bildmuseet in Umeå, or stop by in person when the show opens in SF; I highly recommend it!
October 2, 2009 through January 24, 2010
Museum of Craft and Folk Art
51 Yerba Buena Lane
San Francisco, CA 94103
(@ Mission between Third & Fourth)
More:
Posted by Becky Stern |
Sep 25, 2009 07:00 AM
Arts & Design, Events, Fiber Art, Technology |
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September 24, 2009
Spider Silk Weaving
Talk about extreme craft! This gorgeous textile is an 11-foot-long weaving made from spider silk, specifically the golden orb spider of Madagascar. The story of how it was made is fascinating and well worth reading (a few tidbits: the saffron color is the undyed color of the spider silk, the threads have five times the strength of steel by weight, and it took more than one million spiders to make the cloth). The weaving will be on display in the American Museum of Natural History for the next six months, so if you're on the east coast, you should go look! Check out the New York Times article for more details on the history of humans using spider silk and how this particular piece was made. It's an amazing account that lives at the intersection of tradition and technology, science and art, craft and craziness.
Posted by Arwen O'Reilly Griffith |
Sep 24, 2009 05:00 PM
Fabric, Fiber Art, Technology |
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September 23, 2009
Ask CRAFT: Downloading our PDFs
If you have a question for Ask CRAFT, shoot me an email at becky@craftzine.com, or drop us a note on Twitter! We'd love to answer your crafty questions on any topic: technique, projects, crafty culture, or anything else! Each week the answers are here; include your name, where you're from, and your website or blog if you have one!
Many of you write us with problems downloading our PDF patterns. We realize this can be very frustrating, and we're here to help!
So, you see a cool pattern and you want it for your very own. So you click the "download PDF pattern" link, but something goes wrong. We've heard it all, from "nothing happens," to "the download fails," to "I can't find where it put the file." Never fear. Here's the sure-fire method for getting those pretty patterns in front of your eyeballs:
- Right-click (or control-click on a Mac if you've only got one button) on the link.
- Select "Save Target As..." or "Save Link As..." or "Save As..." (will depend on what browser you're using).
- A dialog box will show up to ask you where on your computer to save the file. Pick a place, any place, and click "Save."
- The file will download, but may or may not automatically open when complete, depending on your browser settings. If if doesn't open by it self, go find it where you saved it to, and double click it to open it in your PDF viewer.
You're going to make sure you have a PDF viewer installed on your computer in order to open the pattern. These days, they all come with something capable of opening PDFs, possibly Acrobat Reader (which is free if you don't have it already).
A note on browsers: We know from our analytics software that most of you use Firefox already, but there's still a large portion of you using something else. We highly recommend downloading (free, open source, safe, totally rad) Firefox and using it to browse Craftzine. It handles downloads gracefully, so you can click click click to your hearts content without worrying about a stalled download or failed file launch.
We hope this helps you enjoy our free pattern podcasts!
What do you do to view our patterns? And what browser/PDF viewer configuration are you using? Share with us in the comments!
Posted by Becky Stern |
Sep 23, 2009 09:00 AM
Ask CRAFT, Technology |
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September 21, 2009
Floppy Mirror
Here's a way to let your inner geek shine: affix a mirror to the label portion of one of those old floppy disks you've got hanging around, and never again ask "is there something in my teeth?" Via EMSL.
Posted by Becky Stern |
Sep 21, 2009 01:00 PM
Refashion, Technology |
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September 10, 2009
Social Knitworking
Hilary Grant and Stefan Agamanolis have been developing conversational patterns into knitwear for their project, "Social Knitworking" at the distance lab in Scotland. I can't wait to see how the project develps! Via Fashioning Technology.
Posted by Becky Stern |
Sep 10, 2009 09:00 AM
Arts & Design, Knitting, Technology |
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August 28, 2009
Lego Yarn Ball Winder
This fascinating Lego yarn ball winder works its magic in Portland's Twisted yarn shop. Twisted owners, Shannon and Emily, share how the Lego yarn ball winder came to be.
The ball winder was born out of boredom and concern. A good friend of Emily's is an out-of-work engineer, and he was in the shop, visiting us one day. We were winding a ball of yarn for a customer the old-fashioned way, and he was appalled - why were we expending so much energy to wind a ball of yarn!? So, he took an old winder home with him, and a month or so later, came into the shop with Mr. Roboto, version 1.0. We have since had an upgrade, and we absolutely love it!
He sent some technical info about the ball winder:The Lego apparatus serves to electrically crank a Royal brand manual winder. Two 9V Lego motors, fed by an AC/DC power supply, drive the crank. On/Off and winding speed are controlled through a power button and potentiometer housed in an electronics project box. The entire assembly is mounted to an acrylic cutting board via zip-ties.
Our customers, as you can imagine, absolutely love it.
Love it, indeed! I can't wait to get back up to Portland and visit Twisted to see it in action! Thanks, Lee!
Related:
Lego Yarn Ball Winder
Posted by Rachel Hobson |
Aug 28, 2009 09:00 AM
Technology, Yarn |
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August 24, 2009
Conductive Knit Mittens
For those of you looking for more ways of taking the leap using conductive threads, check out Fionnuala Murphy's conductive mittens prototype where she knit conductive thread patches and attached them to her mittens. [ via Fashioning Technology ]
Posted by Natalie Zee Drieu |
Aug 24, 2009 10:00 AM
Fashion Tech, Knitting, Technology |
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August 14, 2009
Geographic Jewelry
Earth Brooch Silver is a piece of jewelry made from a custom-selected piece of topography, 3D printed in wax and then cast in silver. Via Core77.
Posted by Becky Stern |
Aug 14, 2009 04:00 PM
Jewelry, Technology |
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How-To: Electric Cigar Box Guitar
This week's Weekend Project on MAKE is this funky-cool electric cigar box guitar. Most of the construction is very crafty, and there's only a little soldering involved! You could always make it just acoustic, too. Check out the video and PDF instructions.
Posted by Becky Stern |
Aug 14, 2009 09:00 AM
Homemade, Technology |
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August 7, 2009
Book Excerpt: Digital Textile Design by Melanie Bowles and Ceri Isaac
Last week I reviewed a new primer for design, Digital Textile Design, written by Melanie Bowles and Ceri Isaac (Laurence King Publishers). This week we have an excerpt to share: a tutorial on making custom plaid. Plaid is on everything in fashion right now. It's the print that unites grunge rock and school girls. And depending on the colors and line weights, it can be as unique as a thumbprint. Any crafter can learn to use Adobe Illustrator, and, with Bowles and Isaac's tutorial, create their own personal version of the classic and versatile printed plaid. The instructions for building the print are simple, and include images of the tools directly from the program.
Download the PDF to start working on a plaid. If you create one, share it in the CRAFT Flickr pool! And please visit Melanie Bowles' new blog, makeitdigital.
Posted by Brookelynn |
Aug 7, 2009 01:00 PM
Books and Magazines, Design, Technology |
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July 28, 2009
New Wearable Electronics Resource Site
One of my favorite soft circuit mavens, Hannah Perner-Wilson, has teamed up with Mika Satomi to bring you a new site called How to Get What You Want, a container site for all the totally rad projects they've been cranking out recently. Bookmark their site for your reference, I know I just did. I love that the graphic is made up of a bunch of soft circuit techniques. Via Fashioning Technology.
More soft circuits and fashion tech on CRAFT:
Posted by Becky Stern |
Jul 28, 2009 03:59 PM
Fashion Tech, Soft Circuits, Technology |
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July 27, 2009
Open Softwear Free E-Book
Gareth @ MAKE points us to an awesome new resource for soft circuits and other electronic wearables called Open Softwear, produced by folks associated with K3, the Malmö University School of Arts and Communication in Sweden. I'm digging the simple illustrations and easy-to-follow examples. Downlowd the free PDF to get started.
More:
- CRAFT Video: LilyPad Arduino 101
- CRAFT Video: LilyPad Arduino Bike Patch
- TV-B-Gone Hoodie and Zipper Switch
- Electronic Embroidery/Sewing Kit
In the Maker Shed:
Posted by Becky Stern |
Jul 27, 2009 09:00 AM
Fashion Tech, Soft Circuits, Technology |
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July 10, 2009
Esoteric Programming Language For Embroidery
Japanese artists' Daito Manabe and Motoi Ishibashi have created an "esoteric" programming language called Pa++ern that translates input from visitors to their exhibit or from virtual visitors through Twitter and turns them in to graphics that can be embroidered on t-shirts.
Visitors to the gallery enjoy the movement and sounds of this highly used but rarely seen machines and can choose to operate them or witness how they are controlled by virtual visitors using twitter to send their Pa++ern program; an esoteric experience in itself.
Their Pa++ern program will be on display at the Beams Gallery in Tokyo, Japan.
[ via Today and Tomorrow ]
Posted by Rachel Hobson |
Jul 10, 2009 07:00 AM
Arts & Design, Hand Embroidery, Japanese Crafts, Technology |
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July 1, 2009
Circuit Board Latch Hook Rug
I'm so in love with this circuit board latch hook rug from Red Tarts, I'm not sure what more to say other than ... wow.
Posted by Rachel Hobson |
Jul 1, 2009 07:00 AM
Arts & Design, Technology, Yarn |
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June 15, 2009
Felt iPhone Wallpaper
iPhone-owning Little Big Planet fans rejoice, this felt Earth wallpaper is for you. Via BBG.
Posted by Becky Stern |
Jun 15, 2009 09:00 AM
Tech Accessories, Technology |
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Needlework brings together programmers, crafters
Nice story about the Open Source Embroidery exhibition and movement over on Wired.com:
The movement brings together knitters, embroiderers and quilters who see parallels between the way they create their crafts and how open source software creators share their ideas. At the BildMuseet (art museum) at Umeå University in Sweden, an exhibition — also called Open Source Embroidery — showcases artworks that use embroidery and code as a tool for participatory production and distribution.
“The idea of collaboration has been made cool by open source software,” says Carpenter, the curator of the exhibition. “But artists have been working like this for a long time.”
Even the differences between needlework crafts and open source software are alike, she says. Embroidery is largely dominated by women, while software is created mostly by men, she says. In embroidery, tiny stitches come together to create a pattern visible on the front of the fabric, while its system is revealed on the back. It’s similar to how software is created.
The arguments about open source vs. free software can also be applied to embroidery, says Carpenter, where artists struggle with questions around borrowing and modifying patterns. “The Open Source Embroidery project simply attempts to provide a social and practical way of discussing these issues and trying out the practice,” says Carpenter.
There's also a nice shoutout to MAKE and CRAFT in the article, too!
Posted by Becky Stern |
Jun 15, 2009 09:00 AM
Design, Needlearts, Technology |
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May 27, 2009
Finger Painting with the iPhone
Take a look at this June 1, 2009 cover of The New Yorker and you'd never know that the artwork was created digitally on an iPhone. Artist Jorge Colombo created this piece with nothing but his fingers and the Brushes app on his iPhone.
From The New Yorker site:
"I got a phone in the beginning of February, and I immediately got the program so I could entertain myself," says Colombo, who first published his drawings in The New Yorker in 1994. Colombo has been drawing since he was seven, but he discovered an advantage of digital drawing on a nighttime drive to Vermont. "Before, unless I had a flashlight or a miner's hat, I could not draw in the dark." (When the sun is up, it's a bit harder, "because of the glare on the phone," he says.) It also allows him to draw without being noticed; most pedestrians assume he's checking his e-mail.
Watch this video below to see how he composed the cover.
[ via iPhone J.D. ]
Posted by Natalie Zee Drieu |
May 27, 2009 08:00 AM
Design, Gadgets, Technology |
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