This gal from Los Angeles, California impressed me with her sewing skills, if only because the only time I tried making a dress in high school Home Ec, it was an utter disaster! Seriously, this high school teacher married to a scientist rocks!

She got hold of some Star Wars sheets, of which there is no shortage of, I assume. She then proceeded to get her hands and imagination busy and created this wonderful DIY retro Star Wars dress. Male or female will certainly stop to take a second look at this.

DIY Star Wars Dress

By the way, the sheets that she used for this dress are not your ordinary sheets. They were a gift from a friend: original 1977 Star Wars sheets! Okay, I can hear some of you shouting – what a way to treat vintage sheets! Then again, if you look at the result, I suppose that it is a forgivable act.

This is the back of the DIY retro Star Wars dress, and you can see that some thought was put into how the design of the sheets would come out with the dress. I think it’s perfect how she was able to put C3PO into each of the straps.

DIY Star Wars Dress Back

I have a feeling that you want to see that skirt spread in all its glory. Well, here it is. Feast your eyes on the print.

DIY Star Wars Dress 2

Guess how much this cost to make? About $6 in materials!

Doesn’t this make you want to try your hand at making your own DIY retro Star Wars dress – or any other similar idea? As I have no skill at all when it comes to sewing, I suggest you visit Cation Designs for the details instead.

Jamie Regan got in touch with us to see if we would be interested in his creation: a DIY NES PC. According to him, he built this baby because he has too much time on his hands, the lucky guy. I think that even luckier is the fact that he had the creativity, skills, and patience to tinker with the device to come up with a something “new”.

NES PC

It is not that surprising that Jamie was able to pull this off as he is a qualified electrician. Still, he says, the whole project took a lot of time and effort. Go through this post and see if you agree with him that this is the best NES PC mod ever built.

NES PC Inside

Those are the innards of the device. Jamie says he wanted to keep things “as discrete as possible” so he lined the area around the disk drive with metal to achieve a neater appearance. Naturally, he also built in USB ports – two of them.

NES PC USB Ports

If you want more USB ports, you can always purchase a cheap USB hub.

I suppose those were the easy parts, as Jamie shares that the most difficult thing was to create the back panel. As you can imagine, he had to cut out space for all the inputs needed in the back panel. He still did a pretty good job in spite of the challenge.

NES PC Back Panel

Here are some of the things that Jamie used to create his DIY NES PC:

• ASRock A330GC Mini Itx Motherboard
• Mini ITX PC DC-DC Power Supply Board 120W PSU 12V
• Samsung SN-208BB 8x DVD-RW
• RAM SATA Laptop Drive
• Seagate Momentus 7200.3 SATA 3Gb/s 160-GB Hard Drive
• 1 GB Ram DDR2 ( 2x 512MBs )

If you want to make one yourself, and you need some help, get in touch with Jamie via email: jamie_regan1@hotmail.com. And if you want to make an offer for the DIY NES PC, you can also ask him about that!

Stormtrooper snowflake

Who doesn’t love to make paper snowflakes? Here’s a do-it-yourself project you can pass on to the kids — and feel good about, because it passes on your geekiness, too!

Matters of Grey came up with ten creative designs for cutting out paper snowflakes that incorporate Star Wars characters like Darth Vader, Boba Fett, Yoda, R2-D2, and more. The really ingenious ones are the snowflakes with Empire characters, because they have the Imperial logo in the center.

The website provides downloadable PDFs you can print out and use as templates for cutting out your own Star Wars snowflakes. They recommend using an Exacto Knife to cut them, since the designs are rather intricate. Personally, I’d love to see an Emperor snowflake added to the mix, or maybe a Millennium Falcon design. A Death Star design seems like a no-brainer, too.

A few more of their designs are shown below, but hit the Matters of Grey website to see them all and download the patterns.

Boba Fett snowflake

Darth Vader snowflake

Yoda snowflake

Cable boxes, cell phone chargers, television sets, gaming consoles, computers and laptop stations, speakers – all of these things create a tangle of wires that are an eyesore.

But you can declutter your house using recycled objects that are likely just laying around. Look at these six creative and fun ways that people have been able to reduce their unsightly wire tangles around the home.

1. DIY Headphones Organizer

This person made an awesome owl wrap for their iPhone earbuds using a piece of wood and a laser cutter. This could be done in any standard woodworking class, and any material would suffice. Notice the way it wraps and then settles, nice and clean. It is an immediate fix to the evils of daily headphone untangling that we all know and dread.

2. Long Cord Toliet Paper Roll

Can you imagine a simpler idea for cords? This one was done using a toilet paper roll, but it could also be done with a paper towel roll. That would keep multiple cords bunched together and in place, without tangling all over the place.

3. Cable CD Spindles

This is one I have been using for years. Now that everything has moved to flash drives and external hard drives, CDs are less popular. But the plastic cases the spindles come in are useful for a number of things, this being one of them.

4. Fork and Cream Sauce Cable Organizers

An adorable idea, this is as much a decorative choice as it is a functional one. The plastic fork has been used to twist the cord like spaghetti, and the “plate” allows it to stand so as to be easily removed when the cord is needed. It would only work for thinner cords, such as for media players and mobile phones, however.

5. Credit Card Organizers

I rather like this idea. You take a credit card or old store/gift card and drill holes at different areas with space between each. Then thread the cords through to keep them separate from each other – simple but useful and free.

6. Binder Clip Cord Holders

This is my favorite cable-sorting idea. They took a simple binder clip and put it on the edge of the desk. Then they looped the cables through each, letting it keep them separated. This would have unlimited potential and be very cheap to do.

There are plenty of ways you can use average household items to declutter your office, living room or bedroom. What are some of your own ideas? Let us know in the comments section.

Annie is a geeky blogger for Life Insurance Finder, the free resource of free Life Insurance Calculators and other finance-related tools.

Redditor Massenus has found the perfect solution for his dead Nintendo by making a lunch box out of it. Who carries around a lunch box these days? I don’t really know, but if I worked at a “real” office and had to bring my lunch with me everyday, I would not mind using this cool Nintendo lunch box! (By the way, if you have lots of Nintendo Games, try this cool boys’ “toy” made with the cartridges.)

Nintendo Lunch Box

So what happened here? Massenus says that some of the connection pins had corroded and the console just stopped working. Whatever the reason for the death of his beloved Nintendo, I think the result of his creativity is worth it. This Nintendo lunch box can hold a sandwich.

Nintendo Lunch Box

But wait, there’s more! This baby can really hold a good amount of goodies that will keep that hungry belly full.

Nintendo Lunchbox

Here’s how Massenus came up with this:

1. Unscrew everything.
2. Dremel off the screw mounts inside the case (leave the ones around the edges.)
3. A few pieces of duct tape form a hinge in the back.
4. Front and center are two plastic cylinders used for screws (One top, one bottom.) Trim one down the width of two magnets. Glue magnets to cylinders.
5. Cut controller cord an inch or two over comfortable handle length.
6. Plug in one side. (Add some superglue for stability.)
7. Strip and thread the other side through where the red light was.
8. Glue the wires down on the inside.
9. Dremel two small holes in the sides of the controller.
10. Unscrew controller, reassemble as shown centered on handle.

As he said, it was painfully easy. I think the death of the console was more painful than the transformation to lunch box. Painful or not, I think that this is an awesome way to recycle the iconic gadget that the NES is. What do you think? What would you do with a dead console?

555 Chip

Does that black rectangle ring any bells? Truth be told, I used to have a love-hate relationship with this chip. Back in the day – when I still had the misguided notion that I would thrive as an electronics engineer – I would spend hours and hours with this little black chip. On a good day, whatever circuit we were working on would do what it was supposed to do. On more days than we wanted, though, Murphy was our companion and even this most basic of chips would not work as it is supposed to.

The 555 Integrated Circuit is definitely a familiar item to electronic enthusiasts/professionals and DIY-ers (I think I am neither now). It was designed in 1970 and was released in 1971. The chip is used in various applications as a timer, a pulse generator, and an oscillator. There are many different variations of the 555 chip, but the standard one contains more than 20 transistors, 2 diodes, and 15 resistors on the silicon chip.

Now I won’t bore you with the technical details that I barely remember myself (only the fond/not-so-fond memories remain with me), but here is something that I am pretty sure you will find cool – a footstool modeled after the 555 chip. Mind you, it’s not a simple 555-look alike. The makers of the 555 footstool took great pains to ensure that the piece of furniture has the real look of the chip. They even examined some datasheets before making an attempt to create the furniture version of the chip.

Armed with some plywood, a CNC router, wood glue, dowel rods, a sanding disk, paint, and I suppose, a host of other things that DIY-ers always have handy, the guys started out with some slabs like these.

555 Wood Slabs

And ended up with something that will take you (if you’re like me, that is) back to those good old days of long sleepless nights so that you can have a working circuit to show your professor. The 555 footstool is 12.5 inches long and a little more than 8.5 inches high, and more importantly, it is supposed to be sturdy enough to support your weary feet.

555 Footstool

Needless to say, I want one! For more photos and a more detailed description, pay the Evil Mad Scientist a visit.

Employee of a technology company or not, Wang XiaoKang deserves two thumbs up for his work. Heck, I’d give him three thumbs if I had three! He built this armor within 3 months and spent 3,000 yuan – that’s about USD460. When he started his project – for the sheer love of Iron Man – he had no previous DIY experience. All he had to work on was the result of his research online and watching the movie (on Blu-ray) every day. (Now maybe I have an excuse to watch Iron Man every single day!)

His research led to sketches and “samples”.

And pretty soon, other parts of the armor were being built. Being true to Tony Stark’s style, Wang XiaoKang did the tests on the suit himself.

He had to switch designs mid-project, though, due to some “technical” difficulties. From these:

He finally ended up with a wearable, authentic-looking armor. Now if Tony Stark himself wouldn’t be proud of that, I don’t know what to say!

For someone who had no experience with fiddling around the workshop to engage in DIY, Wang XiaoKang did a pretty awesome job with the suit. And he had an even more brilliant idea – to actually wear the suit to the office. Yup, that photo up there was taken as he was walking around the ZTE campus in Shanghai. While all the other “cool” people applauded him, the poor security guard had to do his job and be a party pooper – he asked Wang XiaoKang to remove the suit!

I don’t know about you, but this guy is on my watchlist now. It seems that he has got the DIY fever and is going back to the workshop to finish his original Mark III project. Now that is worth looking forward to! In the meantime, here’s some more of this Iron Man goodness.

Via M.I.C Gadget

I found this R2D2 barbecue in a forum, and not much can be said about it, really. It looks awesome, and I bet it took a good deal of work to make it look like it does.


Oh, yes, this R2D2 BBQ does work – with or without the Force, as long as it has got gas.

Now can you one up this guy and come up with a BBQ of your own following another Star Wars character style?

Alas, the news was apparently bogus. While that particular Mumbai-based company has indeed closed shop, one can still find typewriters made by other companies. In fact, a quick search on Google will tell you where to get one of those old machines!

If you are not among those who got needlessly worried that not a single typewriter would be produced anymore, simply because you have a unit or two sitting unused somewhere in the house, then you’d be delighted to know that there is something that you can do with that relic of a machine.

Jack Zylkin. Remember that name, for it will go down in history as the guy who made a conversion kit that allows users to connect the good old typewriter to a computer or even an iPad. With the kit, you can connect a typewriter via the USB and pound away on the keys to your heart’s content!

Isn’t that a beauty? Dubbed the Sunburst Royal Deluxe, this setup really catches one’s eye. You can use the typewriter as you would a “normal” computer keyboard. Even better, if you feel like typing directly on paper, it will still work!

The Remington has been part of writing history, and you can continue to use one with your modern device.

Looking at the pictures and reading the descriptions of the setups, one does not have to worry about the wiring. It looks like Zylkin has done an excellent job with connections. It does come at a price, though. Depending on the specs, you can get a USB Typewriter from $699. The more expensive ones come at $899. If you are feeling “inventor-y”, you can buy the DIY kit for $74.

The project,”FaceAccess : A Portable Face Recognition System,” is a portable face recognition system which cost the two students only $28.77 worth of materials to create.

According to Harding and Jubinski:

“We created a standalone face recognition system for access control. Users enroll in the system with the push of a button and can then log in with a different button. Face recognition uses an eigenface method. Initial testing indicates an 88% successful login rate with no false positives.”

“There are currently commercially available systems for face recognition, but they are bulky, expensive, and proprietary. Our goal was to create a portable low-cost system. Our design consists of an Atmel ATmega644 8-bit microcontroller, a C3088 camera module with an OmniVision OV6620 CMOS image sensor, Atmel’s AT45DB321D Serial Dataflash, a Varitronix MDLS16264 LCD module for output, a 9-volt battery, and a small wooden structure for chin support.”

Essentially the system, for those that don’t understand the technical aspects of the above (hand raised), works when FaceAccess is connected to a computer.  The computer learns the pattern-recognition system, after which it can retain the profiles of new users, and delete old users.   As a stand-alone system, FaceAccess can recognize up to 20 enrolled users.

For a more detailed explanation of the system and all that went into developing it, the creators have posted all information on FaceAccess here.

Would you attempt to create your own FaceAccess system or purchase one if made commercially available?  If so, what would you use the device for?

Make

Take this favorite of mine.

Without a doubt, this Iron Man helmet takes home the prize. Here’s how the helmet was made.

He also has a Bumblebee Helmet.

But I like this Optimus Prime Helmet more.

He has other helmets that are just as geeky and cool as those three above, and they are showcased in action in the video below. It is pretty long, but do check it out as the helmets are worth it. The only one I am not sure about is the Hello Kitty Helmet, but I guess it does have something going for it.

These helmets are fully functional and they even have lights, speakers, and mics. The thing is that tigerpause444 says they do NOT meet the standards of the Department of Transportation. That didn’t stop these guys from having a blast, though. And I love the Safety Disclaimer:

Please be aware that these helmets do not meet DOT (Department of Transportation) specifications. They are not intended for use on any motorized vehicles. They are not designed to be a safety helmet and will not protect your head on impact. If you are injured, permanently disabled, or receive a ticket while wearing this helmet, tigerpause444 is not liable.

They all look pretty safe in this video, though.

So which helmet do you like best?

A guy named Patrick Priebe put his DIY talent to good use and created a homemade pulse laser gun. This is not science fiction, folks. It may be homemade, but it works! Here’s the dish on the gun:

• It has a small pulse laser head.
• Small it may be, but it has lots of energy – a 1kW pulse of coherent infrared light.
• It is 320 mm long and weighs in at about 2 pounds.
• The casing is made of brass and aluminum, while the center plate is made of plexi.
• This baby can shoot through plastic and thin metal, as well as styrofoam.  I can only imagine what it can do to human flesh!
• It took Patrick 70 hours to complete the gun, which is all handmade.

Here is a video showcasing the gun in action.

Needless to say, this thing is NOT a toy. You wouldn’t want to give the pulse laser gun as a gift to a little boy (or girl, for that matter). However, if you are a responsible adult who can handle such a weapon – it is a weapon – then you can get in touch with Patrick. He says that he is making one soon for sale. Of course, you will have to be patient as it seems that he is already inundated with requests!

As for me, I can’t help but think that the gun will soon catch the attention of regulators and that they might just do something about it in the near future.

If you tend to buy ready-brewed coffee at Starbucks, buy ready-ground beans for use at home, or (shock) drink instant coffee, you might wonder what all the fuss is about.

However, if you take the trouble to roast your own beans, you might actually need some way to cool them down afterwards (they continue roasting for as long as they’re hot, apparently).

Well, EMS now uses two hot-air popcorn makers. One roasts the beans and the other has been modified to cool them down afterwards. I’m sure you can get dedicated machines to do all this, but what would be the fun in that?

The great thing is that hot-air popcorn makers aren’t really good at making popcorn (oil and pan method makes proper though slightly less healthy popcorn) but they sound as if they’re great at cooking up coffee beans!

You see what we’ll do for a decent cup of coffee?

You can read up on the whole process, but basically the idea is to blow up fonts to large point sizes, print and then cut them out of some kind of material (MDF, cork, plywood, etc.)

It’s great for showing off fonts in really big sizes, though, as with using old CDs for coasters, having holes underneath the glass or mug might not be a good thing.

Having said that, I think the at sign works really well, closely followed by the hash and the asterisk.

They’re definitely a bit sexier (can we use that word in relation to drinks coasters? Too late, I have) than the RSS coasters, cool though they are. The mousepad coasters don’t even come close.

Constructed from some simple bits of LEGO, servo motor, LEDs and simple microchip, the Rovin’ Pumpkin isn’t exactly a hit on the dance floor, but with its glowing green eyes and sneaky little movements, it could scare a few trick or treaters this weekend.

Via

Show off your pics of your selfmade glam cars in the comments. We promise you that we will won’t mock you!

Self-assembly required, it features a 20-key keypad, single 7-segment LED, seven individual LEDs, and comes with seven bits of software built in: an organ (basic tone generator), sound hit game, whack-a-mole, tennis, a timer, music player and morse code generator.

Here’s a cool knol on programming the Gakken GMC-4 microcomputer, and below is a video demoing a little of what it can do.

If you want to get your hands on the GMC4, it’s bundled with volume 24 of Gakken’s “Otona no Kagaku” Magazine.

Via

I love this marriage of concepts and materials — parts of an analog clock fused with original Atari 2600 video game cartridges.

Sadly, if you’re after the game itself you’ll be disappointed to hear that the innards have been removed to make way for the clock mechanism.

Plenty of titles on offer including Ms Pac Man, Pole Position, ET, Donkey Kong, Demons to Diamonds, Swordquest Earthworld, Casino and Asteroids. $20 each.

“CantAffordEmCrafts” will also try to help with requests if you have your own cartridge, though not all of them are easy to fit.

Via

That still doesn’t mean I fully understand why anyone would want a QWERTY keyboard – a pink, flexible, half-functional silicone keyboard – split across their lap, unless they want to do a spot of text editing on their PDA via it while on the move or… well, perhaps it’s an invitation for strangers to touch you in a slightly inappropriate way.

Anyway, Thingiverse has instructions on making these pants. Go to it, oh strange one.

Via

He says that there’s no actual Apple hardware inside the iMac G4 Junior at present. Much of the base is simply a weight because the photo frame is quite heavy.

Cool idea anyway. Check out a couple more pictures here then head over to his blog for more.

Charles and Marie have released customizable message tape. The tape comes in the form of LCD digits and you can black out the dots to display any message you want.

At $15 for 50m of tape this seems a great accessory to customize package for a present. From Charles and Marie.

On another note we are now posting many gadgets entries in the forums. Quick & dirty posts of cool new gadgets, accesories we discover. Recently we added the Rubik’s salt&pepper mill, the Rubik’s card reader, Tetris furniture, Skull bread and laser etched dollars. We hope to geekify FG more in the near future and post less about gadgets.

Visit our forums now or grab the forum feed.

More at English Russia.

If your home is nerd haven and full of geeky gadgets, you might also be interested in this sexy DIY hard drive clock which you can also purchase from Etsy for $32.

Recycling a hard drive and creating a unique and geeky clock is double WIN and certainly belongs in our Dept. of Awesomeness.

More pictures in Ziv’s post at Prestone.