Origin of Cool » Geek

Playable Tetris Pumpkin

Maria Warnes — Tue, 06 Nov 2012 18:00:27 +0000

Pumpkin carving has never been terribly geeky. Sure you can get highly detailed Doctor Who or Star Trek pumpkins but Nathan of DIY site HaHa Bird decided to use his DIY and programming skills to take pumpkin carving to the next level. It took him over a week, 126 LEDs, 265 pieces of heat-shrink tubing and 313 solder joints but the “Pumpktris” was born.

To play users simply jog the joystick/pumpkin stem to move a falling tetris piece and the LEDs show the corresponding piece on the front of the pumpkin moving in the game.

If you fancy trying it yourself or are just curious to see how Nathan created the “Pumpktris” check out his step by step guide here.

Images: HaHaBird

3 Cool Things Found Unexpectedly On Craigslist

David Lowe — Mon, 18 Jun 2012 19:00:05 +0000

Craigslist has been around for a few years now. Founder Craig Newmark struck gold by creating a simple listings website that grew fast and now has a presence all around the world. Like ebay, there are always strange and wonderful items on Craiglist and we now bring you some of the coolest (and arguably weirdest!) listings so far:

1 ). Transformers-Style Wine Rack
Display your wine collection and be the envy of all your (geeky) friends with this Transformer-style wine rack. As the seller states on Craigslist, “There are only several times in one’s life when one has the opportunity to purchase something that is RIDICULOUSLY COOL. This is one of those moments.”

The specifications:
Height: 6 feet
Weight: Approx 1,000lbs
Material contents: Used transmission parts from automobiles and motorcycles and LED lights. There are even parts on the statue that are stamped with the “Ford” logo
Bottle capacity: 32 bottles depending on size of bottle.

See here for original listing

2). Cool Collection of Airline Puke Bags
Not sure if this is cool or just plain weird but the title of this Craigslist New York listing is clear. The seller’s description reads”: “Over 75 international airline puke bags. Most airlines bags are gone. Obviously never used. Trade for a bicycle.”

Click here for original listing

3). Pinball Wall Art
This listing is pretty cool but what we liked more than the item itself was the rationale by the seller of offering $100,000 for this creation:
“You may wonder how a 50 dollar pinball machine with 40 dollars worth of lights is suddenly worth 100k, I’ll tell you, its art! And art is worth whatever someone chooses it to be worth. I arrived at 100k using this formula, $50 + $40 + thousands of hours of work. What took thousands of hours? Well to the layman’s eye it might look like I just painted it with some black spray paint. However I actually used a stipple technique which consists of making millions of small dots with a single horsehair and since the pinball machine’s original color was yellow, this took several applications to get the overall solid black appearance. Then since 1978 particle board isn’t very sturdy, I re-enforced the edges with 2×4′s I had around laying around my house. Now if you are some rich fat cat art connoisseur and think you can swoop in and offer me a paltry 10k or something i will be forced to laugh in your face! And then we can discuss where and when is a good time to meet, I can deliver in a 14,500 mile area. In the future when hanging pinball wall art is all the rage, a mere 100k would be a steal. Its like getting Picasso’s first coloring book for 10 bucks. NO LOWBALLERS. If serious and really rich, please put in the subject line “I have a briefcase full of money for you, please take it”. Thanks for looking.”

Original listing here
Thanks to Peter Freedman for the links

Star Wars Dioramas: 3D Mobile Theaters

arifranklin — Fri, 01 Jun 2012 19:00:46 +0000

You may be thinking to yourself, what possible modern creation could reinvigorate the Star Wars franchise? (I’m still dry-heaving after Kinect Star Wars!). Once you see these glorious dioramas complete with Death Star, Millennium Falcon and AT-ATs, you’ll realize that there are no boundaries for creativity in George Lucas’ universe. If there are any we’ve missed please feel free to add links in the comments. What do you think of dioramas? Have you seen any other sci-fi influenced creations?

Images: uk.kotaku.com

Cool Gift Ideas From Suck UK

David Lowe — Mon, 28 May 2012 19:00:56 +0000

We featured Suck UK recently on Origin of Cool and their biodegradable grenade shaped flower pot. The London based product design firm have lots of cool gift ideas on their website and we just received a couple of our favorites through the post here in Austin, Texas. The first product is the key that doubles up as a bottle opener. As I often joke to my friends about being the last boy scout, this subtle addition onto my keyring will make me the hero the next time there’s a six pack but no bottle opener!

The second product is a paper watch that is tear proof. You can draw any design you like on it with a biro or Sharpie which gives it extra cool points. Keep your eyes on @davidjlowe and @originofcool on twitter because if you live in Austin and see me at a coffee shop wearing this, I want you come over and draw on it! The final design will get some serious coverage on the site, plus all of our social channels!

Steve Jobs In Carbonite

David Lowe — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 15:28:56 +0000

For Star Wars fans, the Han Solo in carbonite scene at Jabba The Hut’s palace in Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi ranks as one of the most memorable. Now try to connect that with the great, late leader of Apple, Steve Jobs. Tricky hey?

Well Society6 user Burb created a connection using the medium of a mobile phone case, hoodie print and stickers. He invented a “Steve Jobs In Carbonite” tribute design! There is only one slight problem – this awesome creation was killed by Apple and can no longer be sold through the site. In the words of Burb:

“Well it was fun while it lasted. Yesterday, Society6 was issued a cease and desist from Apple’s lawyers. So I’m sorry to say that the cases and skins are no longer available. Sorry for the inconvenience. Also – I’m unemployed and looking for freelance work!”

Genius or madness? I’ll let you decide in the comments!

via thaeger and Design You Trust

Kids Build Battlestar Galactica Simulator In Garage

David Lowe — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 15:29:24 +0000

Origin of Cool: USA

I will always remember Battlestar Galactica as a 70s TV series that was more appealing than Star Trek and had much cooler bad guys than the Star Wars Stormtroopers. The Cylons were like a cross between Knight Rider and that insane Daft Punk robot helmet.

Fanboys John Boyer, Alex Jacobson, Joseph DeRose, Sam Frank and Sam DeRose have taken their love for Battlestar Galactica to the next level. They have created a Viper flight simulator that is to be unveiled this May, at Maker Faire 2012. They have fueled the project by using the increasingly hot Kickstarter – a site that crowd sources the funding needed for awesome projects like this one. So far they have raised more than double their intended goal. Their cute USP for the project – a VIP option that offers to reconstruct the Viper in a location and time of your choosing!

Sent in by Andrew Hoover
via Mashable

Coolest Pancake Designs Ever?

David Lowe — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 18:49:13 +0000

Origin of Cool: USA

Today is Fat Tuesday (also know as Mardi Gras or Shrove Tuesday if you live in England). What better way to celebrate pancakes than with this awesome food related post:

Jim Belosic started out making pancakes to impress his daughter Allie. Now he has millions of fans (including Origin of Cool!) on the internet and even Jim’s Pancakes video tutorials. He has created Ferris wheels, beehives and bridges but our favorites are his most recent designs: The AT-AT vehicle and The Millenium Falcon from Star Wars:

Thanks to Andrew Horsfall for the link
images: Jim’sPancakes.com

Star Trek Pillows For Outer Space Pillow Fights

David Lowe — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 15:41:17 +0000

Origin of Cool: USA

Star Trek was doing so well and would have probably dominated the sci-fi and geek world forever. That was until George Lucas decided that a Western set in space was going to change not only changed the way movies were made but also the way film merchandise was sold. Star Wars blew Captain Kirk and his crew away and the rest was history.

Fans of Star Trek, do not fear. These Star Trek uniform handmade pillows have been created by the team at Yellow Bug Boutique. They come in three styles: gold (for command), blue (for science), and red (for engineering). Each one measures 14″ x 14″ and is made from fleece and felt. They can be found on Etsy.

Now grab your pillows and fight!

via Technabob

World’s Largest Video Game Controller

David Lowe — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 15:01:08 +0000

Origin of Cool: England

A group of electrical engineering students have designed the largest video game controller in the world. The team from Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands based their design on the classic 1980s Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) controller. In doing so, they earned the world controller-size record.

Ben Allen was the driving force behind the project to create a fully functional joypad 30 times the size of a standard NES controller. The prototype is made from wood and PVC and will appear in Guinness’ gamers’ edition of the 2012 record book.

What game would you play if you could use this giant joypad with your friends?

Thanks to Diana Lowe
via Geek Alerts, Tech Digest, Popsci and Yahoo
Images courtesy of Miguel Gonzalez

10 Sexy Ladies of Comics

David Lowe — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 20:04:00 +0000

Origin of Cool: USA

As CGI has taken over the movie world and made many geek fantasies become a reality, it is about time we remembered where it all started. Whether it is DC, Marvel or Dark Horse comics, you cannot argue that these are the hottest illustrated girls on the planet. Included in the top 10 are obvious inclusions like Supergirl and Catwoman and less obvious choices like Kitty Pryde and Zatanna.

Which superheroine do you think is the sexiest?

via Walyou

Nintendo Collage: Find all of the characters!

David Lowe — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 23:55:00 +0000

Origin of Cool: Puerto Rico Nintendo Collage - Find all of the characters! Luis Carrasquillo has ta

Facebook Shower Curtain

David Lowe — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 21:16:00 +0000

Origin of Cool: UK

Facebook Shower Curtain

You may have heard people talking about Facebook and its suspect privacy issues. Well now the social network has penetrated the one place you never thought it could…your bathroom!

With the invention of the Facebook Shower Curtain, the memory of Alfred Hitchcock’s shower scene in Psycho has been replaced with a different horror – the need to add a status update in the shower!

The Facebook Shower curtain is available from February.

By David J Lowe

Think Different (Apple Tribute)

Julien Valat — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 17:48:00 +0000

Origin of Cool: Sweden

Think Different (Apple Tribute)

(English)
Viktor Hertz is a Swedish design artist and photographer who apparently thinks different ! This creative project is his tribute to Apple. Hopefully the famous company won’t take these images down…

(Français)
Viktor Hertz est un artiste designer et photographe suédois qui propose ici un projet créatif en l’honneur de Apple. Espérons que cela plaise à la célèbre compagnie et qu’elle ne décide pas de faire supprimer ces images…

Spotted by Cool Connoisseur Julien Valat

Batman Fan: Supehero Cool

David Lowe — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 19:11:00 +0000

Origin of Cool: USA

This awesome fan was created by The Atomic Lounge. Now all we need is a demo video!!

via Neatorama

iMac Cakes

Alan Watchorn — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 15:09:04 +0000

Origin of Cool: UK iMac Cakes Custom cake maker, Jen’s Cakery, bakes iMac cakes for charity. These