2006-05-15

eBay of the day: Musiconics Guitorgan

eBay of the day: Musiconics Guitorgan: " In 1969, the Musiconics corporation of Waco, Texas, bought a bunch of Gibson ES-335 copies, and retro-fitted them with 6-note polyphonic organ boards, and an in-neck switching system (each fret is divided into six, with the strings making an electrical contact, I think) to make a Guitorgan. People who have them, love them: 'This is one of the strangest instruments ever made. It has a huge 'wow' factor, and despite its oddness, it is amazingly usable in most band settings. When you hear it for the first time, it is hard to believe that it was made so long ago.' Now here's ebay item #110000014204, a possibly working Guitorgan M300, 9 days to go, just $105.50 (They normally go for $800+)

2006-05-03

Hasbro Bottles Play-Doh Fragrance

Hasbro Bottles Play-Doh Fragrance: "
'For the first time, Hasbro has bottled that fresh, just-out-of-the-can, 'eau de PLAY-DOH' aroma into a limited-edition fragrance as part of a year-long celebration of the beloved modeling compound's 50th birthday. Out in time for Mother's Day, the 1-ounce, spray bottle fragrance is meant for highly-creative people, who seek a whimsical scent reminiscent of their childhood.' Buy yours at Demeter Fragrance, a company that also makes such scents as Chocolate Chip Cookie, Birthday Cake and Holy Smoke.

Japanese researchers invent completely transparent material

Japanese researchers invent completely transparent material: "Filed under: Digital Cameras, Misc. Gadgets, Networking
In a breakthrough that could benefit fields as diverse as networking, photography, astronomy, and peeping, science-types at Japan's Institute of Physical and Chemical Research have unveiled their prototype of a glass-like material that they claim to be 100% transparent. Unlike normal glass, which reflects some of the incoming light, the new so-called metamaterial --composed of a grid of gold or silver nanocoils embedded in a prism-shaped, glass-like material -- uses its unique structural properties to achieve a negative refractive index, or complete transparency. Although currently just a one-off proof-of-concept (pictured, under an electron microscope), mass-produced versions of the new material could improve fiber optic communications, contribute to better telescopes and cameras, or lead to the development of completely new optical equipment.

2006-05-01

Air Oxyride 100-AA glider takes wing

Air Oxyride 100-AA glider takes wing: "Filed under: Transportation


Panasonic's Oxyride-powered glider took to the air for the first time this weekend, with Panny's blogger declaring only that 'it flew temporarily.' While this publicity stunt/college engineering project isn't going to revolutionize transportation or aviation (despite Panasonic's tagline that the project is the work of '21st Century Wright Brothers'), we still have to give props to Panny -- and especially the team at the Tokyo Institute of Technology. The idea of building a manned glider powered by 100 AAs may have sounded impossible, but they managed to pull it off.