I build prototypes.

I find that instead of thinking about / drawing ideas I have a much easier time developing solutions if I prototype devices I'm thinking about. I think in many ways this explains why I did so well in physics labs when I was an engineering major, but so horridly in the lecture/theory classes. I need to do.

For my pumpkins I've found that the Evil Mad Scientist Snap-o-lantern article really necessitated a flatish pumpkin. (Well, at least one that was less tall than wide.) My pumpkins are round. Tiny, but almost perfect circles.

So I've been developing other means to mechanize the jaw.

Here are some of the prototypes I've worked out (click the image to see a b&w animation of them in motion):

I've been meaning to talk about this for almost 3 weeks now, but I only just now took the photo.

During the second week of our Contemporary Design class we talked about Charles and Ray Eames, going really in depth about their furniture designs, which I confess, are amazing.

After class that day, while walking to work I passed a store with a window full of...pretty much everything we'd talked about.

Unfortunately, since then they've moved some of the chairs out of the window, but you can still see them in the store:


I guess to be fair, I should point out they are a Herman Miller dealer...

Double-Taker (Snout)

Making his (Edit: well...his/their. Flong is "Golan Levin and Collaborators") second apperance in my blog Flong has done it again, with another great eye installation that follows the viewer. This time, a giant worm-eye that sits on top of a building and follows people as they come in, proving yet again that anything I can do, someone else can do a million times better. *sigh*

[via botjunkie]

[See also Opto-Isolator also by Flong]

Snap!

Last year for halloween I secretly carved portraits of all my roommates.
 
They didn't come out perfectly, but for a first attempt at pumpkin portraiture, I was pleased with the results.

This year, I was playing around with the idea of doing the same thing for my entire BFA class, but with miniature pumpkins, but honestly, I don't have the time, or the drive to. Instead what I'm making is my own version of these:


Robotic Pumpkins. Seems right up my alley. [via Evil Mad Scientist]

(Other news: I'm miserably congested. All I ask is to be able to breath again... please?)

What I'm watching right now:

Do I need to say more?

NEAT!

...god I find myself using that word a lot more now than I ever did when it was part of popular diction.

ANYWAY!
Techshop is coming to Portland! (Also: Membership is free in October at the HQ in Menlo Park...but I don't live down there anymore)

Back to Portland:


They're having an open house in a little over a week. If you're up in Portland, you should check it out, as TechShop is an excellent resource to have. You can click the image above to RSVP.(Totally for their purposes, not mine.)

I'll be there.

Part of a well balanced breakfast.

This is great! AirBed&Breakfast (which seems like a cool site in general) has released 500 boxes of Obama O's and Cap'n McCain's.

Personally I want the Obama O's, and not just because Cap'n McCain's probably tear up the roof of your mouth... but $39 for a box of cereal... yikes.

[via swissmiss because swissmiss finds all the cool stuff first.]