Search results (tags) for: "electronic"

Guest Curator: Geeky Gifts for Guys With Josh Catone

2009-12-17T16:00:00-05:00

Josh Catone is the features editor at Mashable, one of the web's largest tech blogs, where he manages all of the site's features and posts from guest contributors. Prior to joining Mashable, Josh was the Lead Writer at ReadWriteWeb and the Lead Blogger at SitePoint. A good portion of his paycheck goes to feed his Etsy addiction or to support local artisans at the Providence Open Market (which runs throughout the summer in his home city of Providence, Rhode Island). He very rarely leaves home without his beard.

It's tough being a nerdy guy, but even tougher buying gifts for one. There are a ton of great items on Etsy to appeal to the computer dork in all of us, but a lot of them are aimed at the geek girls in our lives. From Pacman rings to earrings made from RAM, there's a lot out there for geeky girls, but what about the tech dudes in your life? This guide is full of gifts that any gadget-loving male would be thrilled to find under the tree (or menorah) this year.

Strappy. a leather macbook case by FULLGIVE

Your laptop is your faithful companion — it's always there for you (unless the hard drive dies, more on that later), and it does whatever you need it to do without question, so of course it deserves a dapper case. The Strappy is one of the nicest laptop cases I've ever come across. With this stylish bag slung over your shoulder everyone will assume you're some hotshot startup founder (bonus points if you actually are). By fullgive, $207.

9-pc Emoticons Magnets

Magnetic poetry is a lot of fun, but who needs all those words? Internet geeks long ago learned you can express pretty much any feeling with just a few pieces of punctuation, cleverly arranged to form emoticons. Mymimi's emoticon magnets set has just about everything you'll need to express your mood (without all of the unnecessary language). $15.

Rock Dock - Nintendo Controller iPhone/iPod Dock

The iPod/iPhone is slowly becoming this generation's gaming device of choice, so what better way to charge it than in the cradle of the choice game playing machine of yesteryear? GeekUnique's Nintendo Controller iPod/iPhone Dock merges two of my favorite pieces of hardware to reach a rare level of meta geekery. $39.99.

Esc Geek Chic Pillow

Sitting in front of the computer all day can be murder on your back. One thing that could certainly help is this super chic Esc key pillow. It's perfect for a little back support, and might even come in handy when you try to "escape" work for a few hours to catch a quick nap. By diffractionfiber, $22.

Padded iPhone, iPod Touch Sleeve with Pocket - Black White Weaving

The iPhone presents a dilemma for male Etsy shoppers. On the one hand, you don't want to scratch up your phone's case (and these things are made of a material with the approximate scratch resistance of a stick of butter), but on the other hand, most of the iPhone cases for sale are decidedly girly. thameowdesigns has you covered with a very masculine black and white tweed iPhone/iPod case. $22.99.

RECYCLED CIRCUIT BOARD Geekery LARGE CLIPBOARD LC6

Try to cast your mind back to the last time you had to write on real paper and you'll remember one of the tricky things about it — it's thin and hard to write on unless there is a hard surface behind it. Enter: the clipboard! If you must use paper, there's no better backing than a recycled circuit board clipbard. By DebbyAremDesigns, $24.50.

Rainbow Ribbon Cable belt

Decidedly less masculine is this rainbow ribbon cable belt. Made from recycled 1 1/4" conductor ribbon cable, this stylish piece instantly adds some geek cred to your outfit and goes with anything (that's how rainbow works, right?). By digiBling, $14.

Clock made from a Computer hard drive

I was initially supposed to submit this post last week, but shortly after I started writing it, my hard drive decided it was time to completely stop working. That got me thinking — what sorts of things could one do with a busted hard drive? The answer, according to pixelthis, is to turn those useless hunks of metal into beautiful clocks. This one would be at home on any man's desk. $33.

QWERTY ) Bifold Wallet

At the end of a long work week it's always nice to spend a relaxing evening out on the town. Show off your inner geek by sporting a QWERTY bi-fold wallet. The heavy canvas wallet has a standard keyboard printed right on the front. By QuietDoing, $28.

Recycled FLOPPY DISK made into a Geek Gear Notebook ORANGE

Sometimes even hardcore nerds need to go analog. The recycled floppy disk notebooks from heavensentcrafts are a great way to inject some digital flavor into old school tasks like writing on pieces of dead trees. They're also a great stocking stuffer. $6.

Circuit board coasters set of 4 recycled geek chic

One thing you definitely don't want next to your pricey electronic equipment is a sweating drink. The geekiest way to keep your computer (and table) safe from the pool of condensation around your ice cold glass of cola is to use one of these handy recycled circuit board coasters. By MissMotleys, $14.

Personalized Laptop Computer Key Cufflinks

I'm a blogger, so most of the time that means sitting around in my PJs and staring at a computer screen. However, on those occasions when I am forced out of the house to socialize with other fleshy beings, I want to look my best. Capitolagirl's custom computer key cufflinks are a way to look downright spiffy while still keeping that familiar connection to your keyboard. $22.50.

2 GB FLASH DRIVE / Qombee Blue

When I was younger, my brother and I used to play a game in which we'd smash together two matchbox cars. The car that didn't flip over was the winner. We called the game "Crack Up." Why? Because we were 7, and that's what 7-year-old boys do with their matchbox cars.This has to explain why I am so drawn to the die cast car USB drives from dhhdesign. $25.

Question Mark Block Nintendo Mario

Remember those question mark blocks in the old NES Super Mario games? You'd whack poor Mario's head into them not knowing what you were going to get — maybe you'd grow bigger, or throw fireballs, or become invincible — you just knew it was going to be worth the headache. I'm not sure what the purpose of a real life question mark block is, but isn't it worth buying for a chance at that elusive 1-Up Mushroom? By lostmitten, $12.

Looking for past Guest Curators? Check out our archive!

Etsy Finds: Nerdology

2009-12-05T09:24:00-05:00

While I have never been been what you'd call "proficient" with technology, I have an appreciation for machines and the cool stuff that can be done with them. In 2nd grade, I found myself interested in music, and bought my first record player at a yard sale. From there, I found microphones and tape recorders at thrift stores, and stole my father's office dictaphone. It was during my "sculpture years" that circuit boards, retired cameras, old monitors and any analog machine that made a noise could be found in my dorm room. Still, every time I walk by a discarded machine on the street, I think, "But it has such potential!" Far better than wishful thinking, today's Etsy Finds collection is chock-full of amazing handmade electronic instruments, robot-inspired art, vintage electronics, gadget cozies and playful gifts for the techie in your life.

Be sure to check out Etsy's Gift Guides for Geek Chic and The Tech Lover to get more holiday gift ideas. Also, imagination abounds in the not-to-be-missed Geekery and Music Categories.

Zen Hammock For Your Gadgets

By lafemmemonkita, $18.

Vintage Polaroid Swinger Camera

From opendoorstudio, $19.50.

Mini Homemade Noise Maker

By SymetriColour, $58.

Vintage AM Radio (Free Shipping)

From thevint, $27.

Vintage Radio Police Scanner

From LovelyVintageEtc, $56.

Follow with Hashtag Necklace

By PunkyJane, $35.

Set Of Wooden Origami Speakers

By jwhitney100, $290.

1980 Yearbook Portrait

By BeesAndTrees, $12.

Dual Phone/Pod Docking Station

By woodtec, $119.

Vintage Electro Voice Microphone

By vintageguy1, $120.

Snowman Ornament (Vacuum Tube)

By lunaclaydesign, $10.

Scuba Cat T-shirt

By hamburgerpanda, $24.

Red Lobster Audio Speakers

By ikymagoo, $275.

Vintage Transistor Panapet Radio

From PotKettleBlack, $48.

Computer Hard Drive Clock

By pixelthis, $33.

Usb Port Vinyl Decal For laptop

By VinylOnTheGo, $9.

Wood Grain Stereo Headphones

By antibromide, $47.

Cassette Tape Phone Cozy

By yummypocket, $23.

9ft Instrument Cable

By cordinated, $37.50.

Vintage Portable Record Player

From allunique, $139.95.

Less Than Three Ring (unisex)

By metalsmitten, $45.

Apollo Laptop Sleeve (custom size)

By brokesy, $85.

Mr. Mustache Skull Mouse Pad

By inhope, $14.

Mirror and Acrylic Cufflinks

By crimsonking, $16.

Melamine Robot Bowl

By LittleKorboose, $10.

Custom Wooden Guitar Pedal Board

By ThreeDogMoon, $160.

20's Bell and Howell 16mm Camera

From SlothArt, $105.

Oscar Box Art Robot Print

By johnwgolden, $80.

Vintage Light Bulbs

From CoolVintage, $8.50.

Light Controlled Sound Instrument

By rarebeasts, $119.

Recycled License Plates Buckle

By vintageinretrospect, $29.

Geek is the New Cool Necklace

By Morphologica, $25.

4GB USB Flash Drive Casemod

By NifNaks, $59.

Felt Gadget Case with Retro Owl

By NORMandLOU, $14.

80's Clear Phone

From dreamingofvintage, $18.

Forever Analog Zine

By vickeh, $4.

Tin Type Robot 55

By reclaim2fame, $119.

Analog vs. Digital Graphic Tee

By snowconecollective, $20.

HELL YEAH Holga , 3.5 Inch Mirror

By kateblack, $7.50.

Vintage TV Knob Brooch

By ScienceKitty, $12.50.

Candy Dispenser USB Flash Drive

By dhhdesign, $25.

Birdy Pocket in Berry Red

By AnOptimisticCynic, $9.

Roundly Stud Earrings

By PeriwinkleDzyns, $7.50.

Techie Nightlight

By angeladt, $9.

Vintage His and Hers Key Storage

From tippleandsnack, $12.99.

Mix Tape - 1 Inch Pinback Button

By Buttonhead, $1.50.

Tube boost/overdrive Pedal

By BelieveInKarma, $175.

Analog Drum Synthesizer

By synthmonger, $75.

Looking for more Etsy Finds? Try these links:

Gift Guides | Guest Curators | Trends | Gift Ideas

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Burning Man Packing List

2009-08-21T14:20:00-05:00

Furry leg warmers in late summer? EL wire pasties? DIY dust masks? Oh yes, it's that time again. From August 31 to September 7, your neighbors are forgoing Labor Day in the Hamptons or cook-outs with the family, and instead, they are caravanning out to the Nevada desert with rebar, hula hoops, and tutus in tow.

My excursion to Burning Man last year opened my dust-covered eyes to an attitude about art and community that overcomes ego, commerce, and greed. This year's theme is Evolution, and if the 50,000+ Burners who congregate to erect monumental sculptures, light their musical instruments on fire, cook bacon for strangers, and paint their unicycles gold are any indication of the future for humankind — Darwin, be blessed!

Are you trekking out to Burning Man this year? Don't forget stamps to send letters from the Black Rock City post office, psychedelic spandex to make your own go-go outfits, and salty snacks for when you're feeling dehydrated. Here's a packing list to get you started on your journey "home."

Black Thai satin CABARET VEST

By TimjanDesign, $114.

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0g - Black and White Blended Cyclones

By SomaticGlass, $50.

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Red roses - LED light-up flower garland

By bluemoonkatherine, $45.

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Circus Dust Mask Set

By dirtybirdyvintage, $25.

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Metal Cage Visors

By brooksbot75, $10.

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Double Sahara Hip-Bag

By rubyzaar, $210.

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black leather Dr. martens combat boots

From womyn, $98.

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Transitional Curly dreads custom order

By Dollyxdecay, $150.

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Five Lens Steampunk Goggles

By steampunk22, $125.

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Hippy In Wonderland Postcard

By sasiko, $2.98.

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REVERSIBLE Leg Warmers and Apron Dress

By deconrestruct, $90.

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Atomic Pickles 1 Quart

By ThePantryGreenBay, $6.50.

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LEOPARD Spandex Lycra Fabric

From diysewrad, $3.50.

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Punk Rock Bikini Summer TOP Shirt

By CrudeThings, $25.

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Black and White Striped Skull Pasties

By gothfoxdesigns, $15.

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Black Vintage Malco Modes Petticoat, Small

From cheesecakevintage, $50.

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Cruiser Bike Seat Cover

By BeatriceHoliday, $34.99.

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Patches McFeather Duster

By BubblesAndFrown, $13.45.

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SALE 'Alice' Corset and Bat Choker S

By Forgefashion, $75.

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green led earrings

By Aula46, $40.

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Army Green Insulated Canteen and Bag

From TheLovelys, $9.50.

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POPPY LONGSTOCKINGS RAINBOW BRITE

By poppyswickedgarden, $14.

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Blonde Ears

By mspresto, $35.

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Condom Holder - Punch of Aqua

By BehaveLittles, $5.50.

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Flame Note Cards

By whisperhandmade, $12.

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Devil girl SPIKE SKIRT pvc gothic

By melissae, $100.

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Black lace gloves, armwarmers

By estylissimo, $15.

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MOD Fabric Stretch Knit

From SelvedgeShop, $12.

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Collapsible Travel Hula Hoop

By HappyLoveHoops, $25.

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Flaming Thor Helmet - Fire Hat II

By megaplow, $450.

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COUTURE POMPOM HAT AVANT GARDE

By couvert, $75.

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Playa dust mask in purple leather

By TomBanwell, $49.

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Unique Parasol -- Blacklight LEDs

By RuffDreams, $350.

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Party Survival Shoulder Holster

By lelulaserlight, $19.

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Itty Bitty Teeny Tiny Little Green TuTu

By mtcoffinz, $25.

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Spiked Elegance - Electric Red Feather Earrings

By intrinsicimagination, $16.

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What are you bringing to Burning Man this year? Leave it in the comments!

Items Tagged "Burning Man" | Steampunk and Noir Gift Guide | Past Burning Man Posts

Keep it Weird: Theremin Pumpkin Has Me Excited for Halloween

2009-08-21T10:30:00-05:00

This just in: The Geekery Category is infiltrating the wholesome handmade pumpkin patch and seeding weirdness. SymetriColour has mystically transformed this benign plastic toy into a creepy electronic jack-o-lantern with flashing eyes and creaking theremin sounds, sure to scare away those pesky trick-or-treaters. Halloween for audio-hackers never looked (and sounded) so good.

I don't know about you, but I'm totally excited for Halloween on Etsy. It's time for creepy cute — my favorite! Post me some links to strange Halloween items in the comments below.

Keep it Weird, Etsy! | Halloween Preview Guide

Do You Make Videos or Animation? Hurry Up and Submit to the Handmade Moment Video Contest!
Deadline August 31 — More Info & Celeb Judges

How-Tuesday: Nightlife Necklace with Diana Eng

2009-06-30T14:30:00-05:00

Welcome to another How-Tuesday. This week's project, "NightLife Necklace," is a fun LED jewelry project from our friend Diana Eng's new book, Fashion Geek. Etsy members receive 10% off their purchase from North Light Books. (Use promotional code: ETSY10 at checkout.)

Diana has been on the cover of ID magazine (check out the inflatable dress!), a contestant on Project Runway, a winner of Yahoo! Hackday, and is a founding member of NYC Resistor.

How did you get your start as a designer?
My grandmother taught me to sew when I was eight. I started sewing little skirts and stuffed animals for myself, and one of my favorite make-believe games was dress shop.

What got you into working with technology as a medium?
I always liked math, science, and computer programming. In fact, in grade school I was a big science fair nerd. One day I just thought it would be neat to combine my two interests, technology and fashion.

Other than your book, can you name some references for getting started learning how to use and work with electronics?
For electronics I constantly reference Forrest Mims' Getting Started in Electronics book. It really taught me a lot about how electronics work.

There are some great tutorials on Instructables for using conductive thread.

Can you name any designers that you find really inspiring that work with both fashion/design and technology/geekery?
Issey Miyake was the designer I first learned of who experimented with new technology and fashion. Though he never dabbled in electronics, he did work with computer programmers for his APOC project. Hussein Chalayan currently does runway fashion with electronics and collaborates with geeky folk such as Moritz Waldemeyer.

What else inspires you to design the types of things that you typically design?
I am fascinated by science and always find myself looking into things out of curiosity (such as biomimetics or ferrofluid). These curiosities inspire my designs.

Outside of the latest "technology" in fabrics and materials that outdoor apparel companies boast about using, does experimental technology/electronics have a place in high fashion or the future of clothing design?
Yes, I think that experimental tech/electronics have a place in creating different aesthetic effects. There are certainly new looks that can only be created with electronics. A lot of designers are looking to bring new looks to customers through technology. For example, Prada created a special oil slick looking two toned leather through new technology a few seasons back. Versace reinvented Versus as an R&D department.

Do you think of fashion as an art form? Do you think of technology as an artform?
I think that couture fashion is an art form. The materials used to create couture are so precious and the techniques are so difficult that couture pieces are one of a kind works of art.

I think that technology is a new medium for creating art. Artists will still need to know how to draw or sculpt, but they will be using technology as the new medium to create their art. Maybe one day there will be fashion created with technology that is so expensive and so difficult to make that only a one of a kind peice can be created.

And now for Diana's How-Tuesday project! The Nightlife Necklace uses LEDs as luminescent gemstones to create a necklace that glimmers at night. Perhaps this is something that people will think about in future tech couture.

Download the PDF of this project from Diana's book. (This file may take a while to load.)

Materials Needed:

Tools for the Job:

1-6 small LED's (size 3mm or T1)
Photoresistor
6 pony beads to fit LED's
1 large bead to fit photoresistor
Chain, approximately 14" or 36cm in length
4 jump rings
4 ribbon crimp ends
Lobster claw clasp
Conductive thread
Coin cell battery (CR2032)
Battery holder (BS7)
Electrical solder
1/2 yard x 1" or 46cm x 3cm ribbon

1 set of alligator clip jumper wires
Fine-grit sandpaper
Needle-nose pliers
Wire cutter
Soldering iron
Craft and fabric glue
Rotary tool (optional)
Domed abrasive point or drill bit (optional)
Sewing needle
Scissors

Note: Use six or fewer LEDs in your design. The battery is strong enough to power six LEDs, but more than six lights will result in lights that won’t be very bright.

Step 1: Test Fit	Step 2: Sand Beads
Test to make sure each LED will fit snugly in a pony bead. I used white LEDs and white beads, but feel free to add color and mix it up.	Use fine-grit sandpaper to sand the outside edges of the pony beads and the large bead to create a matte finish.

Step 3: Insert Photoresistor

Insert the photoresistor into the large bead. If necessary, use the rotary tool and a drill bit or domed abrasive point to widen the opening so the photoresistor will fit. Use a wire cutter to trim ½" (1cm) off 1 of the leads on the photoresistor. Use needle-nose pliers to create a loop on the end of
this lead.

Step 4: Create, Design, and Add LED's

Create a design with the pony beads. Insert an LED into each pony bead. Use a wire cutter to cut ½" (1cm) off the short lead of 1 of the LEDs. (For this design, I chose the middle LED on the left, as shown in the photo at left.) Use needle-nose pliers to then create a loop in this shortened lead.

Step 5: Solder LED Leads and Photoresistor

Bend all of the LED leads so that each short lead is touching another short lead and each long lead is touching at least one other long lead. (Make sure no short lead is touching a long lead) Trim the leads with wire cutters if needed. Use a soldering iron to solder the leads where they touch. Test each connection after you solder it. Add the photoresistor bead and solder the long photoresistor lead to the long lead of the closest LED.

Step 6: Attatch Chain and Add Conductive Thread

Cut 2 lengths of chain to the desired length (I cut mine to 7" [18cm] each) using wire cutters. Cut 2 lengths of conductive thread, each of which is double the length from the LEDs to the chain’s clasp (in this case about 14" [36cm] each). Tie a knot with 1 length of conductive thread onto the LED lead loop you created in step 4. Secure the knot with a dab of fabric glue, and cut the excess short thread. Test the connection. Attach 1 jump ring to the chain and then to the loop. Thread a sewing needle with the long strand of tied conductive thread, and use the needle to feed the conductive thread through each of the chain’s links. Repeat with the second length of conductive thread (threading it through the second chain) and the photoresistor loop you created in step 3.

Step 7: Fold Ribbon

Use scissors to cut a length of ribbon that when attached to the ends of the necklace will be long enough for you to slide the necklace over your head (I cut mine to 18" [46cm]). Trim the ends at a 45-degree angle to prevent the ribbon from fraying. At 3" (8cm) from 1 end, fold in the sides of the ribbon toward the middle. Fold the ribbon on itself and attach a ribbon crimp end. Make sure a bit of the fold sticks out at the edges of the crimp; you will use this later. Repeat at the other end of the ribbon.

Step 8: Attatch Ribbon

Use needle-nose pliers to open 2 jump rings and insert 1 in the loop of each ribbon crimp end. Attach 1 end of each chain onto each jump ring. Insert the needle with the thread from the photoresistor through the fold of ribbon that sticks out of the edge of the ribbon crimp end on that side of the necklace.

Step 9: Attatch Battery Holder

Continuing with the thread from the photoresistor, sew the conductive thread around the positive contact of the battery holder (BS7), being careful to not sew on the extra portion of ribbon that folds over (this portion will cover the battery holder). Repeat the sewing instructions in step 8 with the conductive thread from the LED loop. Sew the conductive thread from the LED loop across the edge of the ribbon to the battery holder. Use this thread to sew around the negative contact of the battery holder. Knot the thread and cut the excess. Attach a lobster claw clasp to the jump ring on one of the crimps.

To wear the necklace, place the ribbon over your head, as shown on page 44, or for a more elegant look, clasp the chains together and let the ribbon loop in the back.

Note: Put the battery in the holder to turn the necklace on; take the battery out to turn the necklace off.

More crafty project downloads can be found in our How-Tuesday series on the Etsy blog! And did you know that you can buy Supplies on Etsy?

Handmade Music Night March 19 @ 3rd Ward in Brooklyn

2009-03-17T18:17:00-05:00

We're back with the fourth monthly Handmade Music Night at Brooklyn's 3rd Ward. This month's amazing line-up brings us:

Noise Toy Workshop with Loud Objects / Tristan Perich: Learn how this cheap kit can make glitchy sounds like Bzzzzrrrreeeeepehkhkhkhhhhhhhk! Workshop + kits — Make one for free, $10 suggested donation to take it home!
Force Fields: Pulsantes is a pulsating musical sequencer software with interconnected rings and force fields generating rhythms, created by Spanish artist Jaime Munarriz. (Jaime can’t be there, so Peter Kern will be bringing his work!)
Nintendo Instruments and Organic Musical Chemistry: glitchDS is a free cellular autamaton-based musical sequencer, ported from Nintendo DS to PC/Mac - this and other sound toys by Bret Truchan.
Artificial Musical Realities: jReality is a Java library for creating real-time interactive audiovisual apps in 3D, with fully three-dimensional sound and visuals, motion tracking, stereo projection, and more, created by Peter Brinkmann.
Wireless Sound Objects by Eric Beug are the equivalent of a wire-free modular synthesizer, for improvisation, performance, and education.
Free Business Card Kits for exploring basic sound circuitry from PAiA didn’t ship in time for last month’s event, but they’re here now — get your free kit while they last, then draw your own sound controllers with pencils!

Handmade Music Night is presented by Etsy, Create Digital Music, XLR8R, and Make Magazine, and is hosted by artists’ facility and happening location 3rd Ward.

7:30pm, Thursday, March 19, 2009 - FREE!
3rd Ward is located at 195 Morgan Ave., at the corner of Stagg St., in East Williamsburg, Brooklyn.
(Near the Grand St L train) Directions can be found here

RSVP: handmade@3rdward.com

See more from previous Handmade Music Nights!

Guest Curators: Sarah Rara and Luke Fischbeck of Lucky Dragons

2009-03-02T17:36:00-05:00

Luke Fischbeck and Sarah Rara (aka birdsofpreyLA) are Los Angeles-based artists working collaboratively in sound and performance as Lucky Dragons, drawing and design as Sumi Ink Club, and an open field of other ideas as Glaciers of Nice.

Our aesthetic plays with ways of connecting high and low technology as a means towards fostering creative social equality — as well as the mystical power of everyday people, places, and things.

Plain Triple Leather Sandals

Sarah: This beautiful pair of handmade leather sandals is an amazing reminder that handmade items are best when they go beyond decoration and ornamentation and comprise the simple things we use everyday, thereby truly replacing factory made goods. I love the idea of walking around Elysian Park in Los Angeles wearing these handmade shoes — true fantasy summer. By sandali, $40.

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Cocobolo Magic Wand, Pagan, Wicca

Luke: Magic wands! The level of attention to specific qualities associated with the material is unparalleled. "This wood tends to lead toward adventure." By gildedquill, $38.

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Bargello Trip Around the World

Sarah: As someone who is frequently on the road, I love to come home to my own bed, piled with an array of colorful handmade quilts. The visual allusions to DNA, pixelation, and outer space imagery that come together in this quilt are truly mind-blowing. What could be better than curling up to read under this techno-color quilt aptly named "Trip Around the World"? I am deeply envious of anyone with a quilt like this. By Quiltsbybarb, $350.

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Barnes-Lewis Atmospheric Disturbance Detector.Mod 7 accessory for S.T. Amp

Luke: Homemade meteorological sensor, for entertainment purposes only. By SoreThroatGuitarAmps, $26.95.

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Hickory Bark Wood Bowl 180

Sarah: The best thing about this bowl is that it involves the story of a wood-turner helping out his neighbor by clearing out wood from a sick and dying hickory tree. I appreciate handmade things crafted from the materials around us that recycle instead of depleting resources, such as this bowl created from a local neighborly exchange. Wonderful! By Hendywood, $40.

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Cold Gold 10 Foot Basic Contact Microphone

Luke: We use contact microphones all the time for recording and building simple instruments. They're inexpensive and great for amplifying everything from the floorboards to vocal cords... These glittery gold ones are perfect! By ColdGold, $32.

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God Can Spiritual Prayer Box AA tool

Sarah: Write down something you have no control over and put it in the God Can, and then you don't have to worry about it anymore. According to the description, it is "the essence of our faith and our relationship with God," but I think it also speaks volumes about our relationship with objects: what we expect from them and what we project onto them, and the powers we attribute to them, especially if they are handmade. By gammyssmidgeons, $11.95.

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2 Pounds Crispy Fake Fried Vegan Chicken Vegetarian Eco Friendly Food Spicy Hot Blend

Luke: Vegan fried chicken! i'm a little scared about buying food over the internet but this looks delicious. By pitseel, $20.

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Dark Desert Sage Soap

Luke: Handmade objects with a connection to a specific place or time are especially powerful. Desert plants are especially fragrant. This desert soap wins twice! By AuntNancysSoap, $5.50.

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Medium Wool Christmas Socks - Timber with Brick and Olive

Sarah: I love these socks. They are made in San Francisco using an old turn-of-the-century knitting machine. I feel relieved just looking at these socks — a better way of life. By SFMichael, $25.

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Handmade Music Night February 19 @ 3rd Ward in Brooklyn

2009-02-13T18:23:00-05:00

Once again, the handmade odyssey continues with this month's Handmade Music Night. Last month we had a terrific time thanks to many amazing projects and so much free beer. The February fun picks up where January left off, except we're not out of beer anymore, and yup – it's still free.

Peter from Create Digital Music writes:

It’s time again for Handmade Music, the party - musical performance - science fair geek-out for musicians and the musi-curious. We’ve got an amazing lineup this month if you happen to be in the New York area. We’ll have some usual raucous racket noise-making time, but also a full live performance from a DIY gamelan ensemble. (I’ll see if I can set up a live stream, too.) And if you have a hardware or software project you’d like to show off, check out our call for works. Remember - it doesn’t have to be done / entirely working; this is a chance to get some feedback from fellow makers. We’re all learning.

Event Details:

Presented by createdigitalmusic.com with our friends at music trend-setters XLR8R.com, DIY bible makezine.com, handmade marketplace Etsy.com, and artists’ facility 3rd Ward

7:30pm, Thursday, February 19, 2009

3rd Ward is located at 195 Morgan Ave., at the corner of Stagg St., in East Williamsburg, Brooklyn. (Near the Grand St L train) Directions

RSVP: handmade@3rdward.com

Sponsored by Pabst Blue Ribbon, with free beer while it lasts!

This Month:

Handmade Music 2/19 features special guest Electric Junkyard Gamelan. Composer/founder Terry Dame and ensemble members will demonstrate the self-created instruments, and will provide a unique live performance. Terry Dame’s Electric Junkyard Gamelan

Also in February, a free hands-on! Learn the basics of musical electronics without any previous experience, without even picking up a soldering iron. Using the PAiA ribbon controller kit, which you can assemble on a business card with a graphite pencil as your only tool. You’ll make a simple sound-making circuit that you can apply to many other projects. Come early while the PAiA kits still last. Learn musical electronics without soldering provided through the generosity and ingenuity of PAiA Electronics

Newcomers to music and electronics alike welcome, as always! (And you too can make a ribbon controller kit!)

Call for Works:
Got a project you want to show off? We’d love to have you bring it round for the show-and-tell / racket-making portion of the evening. View our Call for Works!

Check out this ASMO + speak & spell bent beat to put you in the mood...

...And so much more!! See more from previous Handmade Music Nights!

Handmade Music Night January 15th @ 3rd Ward in Brooklyn

2009-01-14T18:45:00-05:00

For folks in Brooklyn and surrounding areas: Handmade Music Night is upon us once again! Handmade Music Night is tomorrow, Thursday January 15th, 2009 from 7:30 - 10:30 PM EST at 3rd Ward in Brooklyn. (map) This FREE monthly event spectacular falls on every third Thursday from tomorrow night into the DIY future, with several interesting developments in the works. It's presented by Etsy.com, CDM, MAKEzine, 3rd Ward, and new on the roster this month, XLR8R magazine.

Another new change is the introduction of our proud sponsor, Pabst Blue Ribbon, who will be providing FREE PBR to all instrument makers and attendees of the event. I've been informed this is one of those "while it lasts" sort of things, so be sure to arrive early to receive your very own commemorative fist and gut filler.

As usual, prepare to be amazed by the cabinet of curiosities that Handmade Music Night promises to deliver this month, featuring:

A duel of gestural interfaces between Mouse & the Billionaire aka M Bethancourt and Brian Kerr
Rucyl Mills Wearable Leather-and-Snakeskin Controllers
Prepared NES performed by Notendo, aka Jeff Donaldson
Also Richie Brown's "Mannequins as Instruments" (Warning: Mature Subject Matter in the video below)

This month will also feature a pre-screening of co-organizer Make Magazine's new public television series: Make: Television.

...And so much more!! See more from Previous Handmade Music Nights!

Handmade Music Night, Plus Other Fun Events

2008-12-09T11:33:00-05:00

Handmade Music Night: December 11th 2008 from 7:30pm - 10:30pm at 3rd Ward. Save the date to your google calendar.

Handmade Music Night returns with a fabulous new home at Brooklyn's own 3rd Ward. Presented by Etsy, CDM, and Make Magazine, Handmade Music Night will feature crafters, makers, and designers of all sorts of homebrew musical instruments and sound oddities alike.

Part party, part mixer, part Science Fair, and part performance, this is an informal chance for geeksters and the geek-curious to come together, relax, and discover new sounds. The evening is a gathering of inventors of circuit-bent toys, custom software and patches, interactive digital & visual instruments, custom electronics, electricity-powered noisemakers, DIY robots and new acoustic instruments. And it’s open to everyone from hard-core hackers & newcomers to music lovers who want to learn about the DIY music scene. -Peter Kirn, Create Digital Music

Here's a video from one of the Handmade Music Nights of old

Create Digital Music Night at ETSY LABS from Etsy.

Got a project to bring? Just fill out the RSVP at the bottom of the CDM post! Got a work in progress? That's okay too — bring it along and show it off! Or RSVP to Handmade Music Night on Facebook!

Just want to mingle with some makers and discover new things? Drop on by! Don't have a project but wish that you did? Join Michael Una before the event for a workshop and learn how to build your own optical theremin synthesizer as seen in this video:

Beep-it from Michael Una on Vimeo.

WORKSHOP BONUS - for the cost of parts! (only $10!!)
Michael Una will demonstrate his optical theremin synthesizer Beep-it and conduct a workshop wherein attendees will build their own optical theremin. The basics of analog synthesis will be discussed. No skill level is required- all tools and parts will be provided by the participation fee.

You MUST RSVP for the workshop + pay the parts fee by Wed 12/10 at:
http://beepit.eventbrite.com/

Directions To 3rd Ward:

195 Morgan Ave., at the corner of Stagg St., in East Williamsburg, Brooklyn. MAP

Take the L line to the Grand Street stop. Head South on Bushwick Ave. (towards the school) one long block and make a left on Stagg Street. 3rd ward is located three blocks down Stagg Street on the corner of Morgan Ave. (also accessible from Montrose or Morgan Ave. L stops)

Can't make it to the event in person? Join us as we broadcast the evening's activities in the Treehouse room of the Virtual Labs at 8PM.

And this is just because I couldn't resist:

On Friday December 12, 2008, the worlds of geekdom and craftlandia converge at the New Museum — "Craft Hackers"! It's part of the New Silent Series of panel discussions organized by Rhizome.

"Craft Hackers is a panel discussion among artists who use crafting techniques to explore high-tech culture and the relationship between needlework and computer programming. Panelists include Cat Mazza, who translates moving images into stills knit in yarn; Christy Matson, who uses Jacquard Looms (some of the earliest computers) to knit landscape images from computer games; Ben Fino-Radin, whose witty needlepoint sculptures translate the World Wide Web into yarn and plastic, one pixel at a time; and Cody Trepte, whose embroidery of retired computer punch cards rekindles an old-fashioned love affair with the hand of the artist."

7:30pm $6 Members, $8 General Public.

The BUST Holiday Craftacular makes its way round the world to New York City this Sunday, December 14, 2008. Doors open at 10am and close at 7:30pm. The event promises to spread before you a million gift options, so prepare yourselves. The show will be at the Metropolitan Pavilion at 125 West 18th St, New York, NY.

UNIQUE Los Angeles, December 13 & 14, 11am-7pm

"Designed to foster and support the creative community, while also stimulating the local economy, the show’s mandate is to bring over 200 independent vendors to the masses, all under one roof."

Besides clothing, accessories, jewelry, ceramics, plush toys... and so much more, be sure to check out activities for the whole family including the Etsy DIY Lab with free make-and-take gift tags and the Cali Cafe.

Missoula Made Fair, Missoula, Montana, December 14, 11am-7pm

"The holiday MADE fair will include nibbles, cider, libations, and festive holiday cheer. There will be live entertainment throughout the day. This event is family and hipster friendly."

Atomic Holiday Bazaar, Sarasota, Florida, December 14, 12pm-6pm

"Sarasota's first and only untraditional uber-cool craft show featuring affordable, DIY edgy craft for the terminally hip. Shop 70+ vendors of handmade DIY amusing craft and a smidge of art."

For more events check out our events calendar. Want to receive email updates? Join our Etsy Labs mailing list. Will we see you at Handmade Music Night on Thursday — face to face or in the Virtual Labs? Let us know in the comments or RSVP on Facebook.

Fresh Shops: Aula46

2008-08-28T15:41:00-05:00

What can I say, I'm a sucker for electronic geekery. I'm also a sucker for Pounce, which is how I discovered today's Fresh Shop. First of all, the moment I see resistors in a listing image, the seller becomes a contender. Perhaps it's a weakness of mine, but I like to think of the ability to spot dorktacular oddities as a good thing. Aula46 joins Etsy this month from Alba, Italy and by doing so, brings a collection of jewelry made from active components.

Jewelry made from electronics is gaining momentum as of late and is beginning to bear a variety of styles. My guess is this trend stems from the fact that the cost of the components is relatively low, the potential for upcycling all the electronic waste that accrues in the world is high, the components come in all shapes, sizes and colors, and that most components have axial leads or some other metal part which can easily be bent into useful shapes for jewelry.

My personal favorite of Aula46's available work is this rib cage necklace. While the ribcage necklace seems to be a popular trend in meta-wares, this piece deviates into a more pattern oriented little wonder.

Or this pendant—love that blue capacitor.

Or how about these off-square earrings? I love the light blue 5-Band Axial leads in the center.

The Ladder necklace. Is this a pun? I love puns. (Check out the definition of a resistor ladder.)

Here's a little interview we did with this Fresh Shop.

Can you tell us a little about the people behind Aula46?
My name is Eva, I'm 21 years old, and I'm a full-time student in my third year at the Academy of Fine Arts of Milan, where I study sculpture. Aula46 is the name of the place where I create—my second home—and is one of the rooms in the Academy. I'm the person behind this page; I create the pieces and follow the shop's progressions.

What inspires you as a creative person?
My intent here, and in my life, is to share with other people the fruits of my ideas, finding more and different ways of expression as I proceed. These jewelry pieces are the elaboration of other art works I have done over these years at the Academy. The idea is to create a series of small sculptures, each unique and individual, to keep near one's self every day.

The electronic parts I use in my jewelry are called resistenze in Italian, and they are pieces used for electronic circuits in many, many objects of our everyday lives. Electric circuits create paths, and by thier nature they permit the passage of energy and contribute to the function of something bigger, different. This is one of the concepts I try to develop in my work.

Nature, with its uncontrolled beauty, is of great inspiration to me, and I always try to enhance the materials I use. What I try to do is explore the material as it is, to learn its peculiarities and characteristics and play with them.

How do you like Etsy so far? What are your favorite features of the site?
What I love most is the possibility it gives people to explore and share with others, freely and independently.
I find Etsy to be a place in which to learn new ways to live everyday life, and I love the variety of people, ideas and creations it offers.

Anything else you'd like to add is also welcome!
I must mention my good friend larimeloom. She is also a native of Alba who helps me with English and the set-up of my Etsy shop, as she has been here much longer.

Looking for more Etsy newbies? Check out our previous Fresh Shops coverage!

Legal Info for Artists: Electronic Copyright Registration Now Available

2008-08-05T14:17:00-05:00

Dear Sellers,

I am happy to report that the U.S. Copyright Office is now accepting electronic filing of copyright registrations. Previously, I reported that the Copyright Office was conducting a beta test of this system. Advantages of Electronic Copyright Office (eCO) system include:

• Lower filing fee of $35 for a basic claim (for online filings only)
• Fastest processing time
• Online status tracking
• Secure payment by credit or debit card, electronic check, or Copyright Office deposit account

The U.S. Copyright Office's website has a great tutorial to help get you started. I have registered some of my work using the old school paper system (my personal favorite) and I tried out the beta test of the web-based registration system (save yourself a headache and turn off your pop up blocker), but I have yet to try out the eCO system. If you get a chance try out the eCO, please let me know what you think!

Check out SarahSays' past Legal Info for Artists posts here!

Handmade Kids How-To: Firefly LED Baby Booties

2008-07-25T15:32:00-05:00

Craft Zine and Michael Miller Fabrics recently sponsored CRAFT’s Michael Miller Baby Bootie Contest, with the many entries posted in a Flickr group. We were so charmed by these Firefly LED baby booties that we asked the creators to give us a how-to for the project.

Special thanks go out to Craft's Natalie Zee Drieu who coordinated this post. She is expecting a baby girl and has shared her favorites in the related items below!

But first, a safety disclaimer:
Babies should wear LED booties with adult supervision only, as small electronic components can be a choking hazard if removed from the booties. You can also glue the LEDs to the fabric for extra hold or use surface mount LED beads and sandwich them between the surface and liner fabrics.

Materials:
denim
yellow cotton
felt
cotton thread
conductive thread
elastic
yellow ribbon
2 yellow LEDs
2 CR2016 (or CR2032) batteries
scissors
needles
paper
pen
contact glue

Pattern:
Click here to download the PDF Pattern for the LED Booties.

How-To:

1. Download the bootie pattern. Measure the baby’s foot size and reduce or enlarge pattern to fit accordingly. By sewing the two paper pattern pieces together you'll get a more or less fair view of the booties final dimension. This can take a few attempts, but it is actually a crucial step, so take your time with measurements.

2. Cut the denim pieces after tracing the pattern into the denim's wrong side. You can leave a mark that will help you distinguish the left from the right bootie once the pieces are all cut. Then, cover the entire outside edges with blanket stitches to prevent the denim from fraying.

3. Sew the two pieces of each bootie together with the wrong side of the denim. You can mark an even margin with a pen to help guide you.

4. Cut a small strip of yellow cotton and tack it to the bootie's denim edges. Cut it on diagonal direction, as the fabric will stretch in the bias direction.

5. Sew the yellow edge to the denim (try to make the stitches as invisible as possible) and then remove the temporary stitches. Fold the rest of the cotton in. You can also sew it to the denim from inside to make sure it will stay in place.

6. Cut a little piece of elastic and sew it very well to the inner part of the booty. The denim is great for this because the inner stitches won't be visible from the outside.

7. The firefly wings are basically a double bow (without the loose ends) made with ribbon. Just sew it together with a few stitches and it is now ready to be sewed to the bootie.

8. After sewing the wings to the bootie (on the right side of the bootie), use the same thread to make the embroidery. It's really simple, so you probably don't need to trace a drawing first. Just try to make them more or less symmetrical in the two booties.

9. Cut a large stripe of yellow cotton, enough to cover the inner side of the bootie. After tacking it to the denim, sew it with some invisible stitches leaving the front part still to be sewed.

10. The LED (short for light emitting diode) is a semiconductor that emits light when a current flows through. The plus of the battery must be connected to the anode (usually the long leg) and the minus to the cathode (usually the short leg). This makes it clear which way to wire the LED.

LEDs also have what is called a maximum voltage, and you should not apply more voltage to the LED than this value. We've used a 3V battery (CR2016 1,6 mm thick), and since most yellow LEDs have a forward voltage around 1.2V to 2.2V, we needed some resistance to reduce it, so we've used conductive thread.

11. Put the LED in place and stick the pins inside.

12. From the inner side of the bootie, curve the LED's edges with a pair of pliers.

13. Now sew the curved edges to the denim with the conductive thread. Make sure you use a different thread for each of the edges and that they don't touch each other (this would short-circuit the battery). One foot (20 cm) of conductive thread sewed along the base of the bootie is enough. You can pass them through the bootie's sides.

14. With one of the conductive threads, sew a few stitches (cross stitches, for example) on the back part of the bootie sole. This will work as a "pad."

15. Cut a little square of yellow cotton to prepare a little pocket for the battery. To make sure the battery stays in place, make the pocket as small as possible. Sew all of the edges to the denim, leaving a small entry for the battery, like a buttonhole. Make another "pad" with the other conductive thread on top of the pocket.

The battery should be placed between the "pad" on the battery pocket and the other "pad" on the base of the bootie, in order to make good contact. Just be careful and make sure both wires only meet at the LED when the battery is in place. If you mixed up the polarities, there's no harm to the LED; just flip the battery over and it should light up.

16. Cut an insole from the felt using a pattern like the one used to cut the denim, but a bit smaller. Then cover it with the yellow cotton and sew it together. This insole will cover the battery pocket. Glue the half front part of the insole to the bootie. You will need to leave the back half part unglued so you can easily remove or replace the battery.

17. The final result! These aren't everyday booties, of course, so you might save them to be used on a special occasion. With the battery on, the LED will be lit for around two hours. You can even replace the LED with a small bead.

About the creators: Ana Pires and João Silva were born in the seventies in Oporto, Portugal and they're currently living in The Hague, The Netherlands. They're very keen on arts and crafts, though professionally they've chosen other areas. Ana is an accountant and she enjoys painting, knitting, embroidering and sewing. João is an engineer and his hobbies include building computers and robots, gardening and biking to work every day.

The items below are curated by Craft's Natalie Zee Drieu who is expecting a baby girl!

Handmade Kids Series | Special Kids Showcase | Baby Gift Guide | Children Gift Guide

Handmade Music Night 2008.07.08

2008-07-08T11:22:00-05:00

Handmade Music Night at the Etsy Labs is back on Tuesday July, 8th 2008! Brought to you by the usual suspects Etsy, Make Magazine, and Create Digital Music, this mid-summer Handmade Music Night is bound to be a #1 stunner! Here's a video about making your own instruments that features a past iteration of this event:

TUESDAY, TUESDAY, TUESDAY: artists, crafters, makers, musicians, and hackers unite to bedazzle you with chiptune gaming systems for music, strange alternative MIDI controllers and sound-mangling custom software, repurposed vintage synthesizer chips made famous by the Commodore 64, digital visuals, a musical Nintendo Wii balance board, wireless sensing controllers, and much much more! Come on down and check out this F-R-E-E community event, right here in Brooklyn at the Etsy Labs space.

If you have an awesome instrument that you made and would like to share, feel free to bring it on down and share in the community fun, if not just bring yourself and enjoy the festivities!

Handmade Music Night
7/8/08 - 7pm
Etsy Labs
325 Gold St., 3rd floor
Brooklyn, NY

Map

See our past coverage of these musical evenings.

Also, if you are in the Brooklyn area and want to learn to make your own guitar, be sure to sign up soon for this class taught by Ranjit of Handmade Music Night.

Handmade Music Night Featured on Current TV

2008-05-16T12:01:00-05:00

Current TV visited Etsy, Make Magazine, and CreateDigitalMusic's Handmade Music Night at the Etsy Labs this spring. It's an experience of wonder and geekery! Their video has been posted...Perhaps it will make it to their TV channel if you give it some love on their site!

Here are some more posts about Handmade Music Night.

Hey! Log into Current.com to give us a thumbs up on this page!

Etsy Finds: Recycled Circuit Board Key Chain

2008-04-19T14:07:00-05:00

Hey all you lovers out there in the webbed world of intergalactic communication, this is Jakob aka vonmilan. I am new to Etsy and this is my first Storque article, so go easy on me.

My Etsy name is vonmilan and I am the new receptionist/office-manager/office-geologist. I found this super cool recycled keychain by DebbyAremDesigns that looks like something between the cyborg-future and the Dark-Ages-past, kind of like what those kids in "Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome" carry around — records attached to their Gandolf-staffs. But check it out for yourself!

Here's my About Us photo (video and the rest coming soon):

Need a daily fix of Etsy Finds? Sign up for the Etsy Finds e-mail! Conveniently delivered to your inbox on the daily!

EGCG | Trashion | EcoEtsy | Environmentally Friendly Gift Guides | Earth Tones Series

Etsy Finds: Electronic Fashion

2008-04-07T11:59:00-05:00

I heart electronics. I love it opening up old broken electronics and computers and looking at the little city made of electrical components.

In her profile componentgirl says, "I was originally inspired to create beauty from electronic components by a dead CD player. I kept thinking that instead of throwing it in the landfill, I might be able to create art from the parts. I pictured the board in my mind and all the small parts cried out jewelry to me."

If you have an affinity for electronics like I do, you're going to love her work. She incorporates electronic components into her jewelry and they are beautiful. I found her by doing a search for electronics in the search field at the top of the page: sometimes it works out just to put words you like in that little box and see what happens!

Need a daily fix of Etsy Finds? Sign up for the Etsy Finds e-mail! Conveniently delivered to your inbox on the daily!

Etsy Find: Analogue Ring

2007-12-13T04:15:00-05:00

This ring — which doubles as a working * microphone * — is so awesome! It is truly one of the "man-made miracles." Maker AnalogueAesthetics expertly combines modern jewelry with recording gizmo in one tiny finger-sporting package.

Great gift for so many people that love gadgets and for people that like to rock out!

Etsy in the Press: New York Times Geekery

2007-11-15T05:45:00-05:00

Etsy was mentioned in a New York Times article today, November 15, 2007. Read the piece, Tinkering at Home, Selling on the Web, at this link.

"Etsy (www.etsy.com) is a popular e-commerce site for people to sell their wares. Alongside more traditional items, it offers a scattering of tech-oriented accessories, including handmade iPod cases and charms for cellphones like those favored by Japanese schoolgirls."

Our good friends Phil Torrone of MAKE zine and Limor Fried of adafruit.com, are prominently featured in the article. We'll see them tonight for Handmade Music Night at the Etsy Labs, wherein NYC geeks share their hacker musical finery.

Handmade Music Night- Thursday 11/15 8:00pm

2007-11-14T09:57:00-05:00

Handmade Music Night is back!

The semi-regular evening of DIY musical oddities brought to you by Etsy, Create Digital Music, and Make Magazine, will mercilessly descend upon yet another peaceful Brooklyn evening. Expect an informal, free party + show and tell + science fair featuring self-made electronic musical projects.

Already confirmed for the lineup:

The MIDI Pick, a pressure-sensitive DIY digital guitar pick by Roy Vanegas
Mystery musical controllers from Eric Singer, the mind behind the world-infamous LEMUR, an educational outlet in Brooklyn and collective of musical robot/electronics-creating artists
Theremin-playing robots and possibly other surprises from series favorite Ranjit Bhatnagar. (See the Theremin robots in action, covering Gnarls Barkley. If we’re really lucky, Ranjit will bring his students. Students, if you’re listening, we’d love to have you there!
David Brynjar Franzson with a generative piece using custom software built in Max/MSP

Also, CDM's Peter Kirn will have a new iteration of his video/gesture-controlled musical creation, which allows users to virtually navigate musical structures via a webcam/DV cam.

Please join us!

Thursday, November 15, 8PM. Etsy Labs. 325 Gold St. 6th Floor. Brooklyn. See you!

Etsy Finds: FluteTronic

2007-11-05T01:46:00-05:00

As a wanna-be musician, I'm always on the lookout for new-fangled ways to make unusual sounds. This electronic flute, the FluteTronic, by rarebeasts caught my eye as I was taking my daily jaunt through Etsy listings. You play it like a normal flute, but the noise that comes out is something akin to a heavy-metal tune by the band Air. Perfect for someone who has no idea how to really play a woodwind, but wants to lay down some radical sounds. Flute-style.

A Moment with the Monome

2007-10-19T14:32:00-05:00

I recently visited Brian Crabtree and Kelli Cain at their loft in Philadelphia. Located within earshot of the rattling El train, their home also doubles as the laboratory for their unique digital creation, the Monome. Part looping station, part scientific gadget, the Monome is a simple white square filled with several rows of buttons that can be programmed for a myriad of sounds, samples and functions. "People have used it as a drum machine, sequencer, as an egg timer..." said Crabtree. The open-source software can be used and altered by anyone.

Crabtree and Cain assemble most of the Monomes at their loft, a daunting process that involves countless hours of wiring and soldering. A new Monome, the 256, was about to be released to the public when we visited. Crabtree assembled one for us on the spot. Click the video below to watch several performances and some of the other creations Crabtree and Cain cooked up including silk-screened shipping boxes, felt electronics, and a mud oven for cooking homemade pizza!

Watch more Etsy Videos!

Electronic Press Kit

2007-10-02T15:12:00-05:00

We here at Etsy have decided to upgrade our bulky, paper-ridden press kit with a sleek new EPK, or Electronic Press Kit.

An EPK is a standard press kit in digital form. Instead of sending an environmentally inconsiderate stack of documents to our press and media contacts, the new EPK will consist of only one DVD, which can be reused or recycled in a number of ways.

Included on our EPK will be our press clippings, information about Etsy and its members, interviews and B-roll footage for television, and the Pièce de résistance, our beautiful new video about Etsy.

Last month, we teamed up with the talented people at Chop Wood Carry Water to help us make this tear-jerking look at Etsy. A special thanks to Etsy sellers kateblack, dewonapetal (yes, we are fixing the typo in her username that is in the video), kartdesign, our very own, reconstructionist, 1aeon, and sweetestpea (who will appear elsewhere in the EPK).

Without further ado, I present you with "Etsy: The Handmade’s Tale."

Etsy in the Press: Craving Handmade Protectives

2007-10-02T14:56:00-05:00

Crave, a popular blog for technology and gadgets, has posted an article on the "Best Etsy shops for decking out your tech."

Congrats to iPodcrafts, tinymeat, QuietDoing, WorkingClassHeroes, and janinekingdesigns for representing Etsy.

"Have you found a secret Etsy tech gem?" Crave asks. "Leave a comment."

Handmade Music Night Has Returned!

2007-09-24T12:20:00-05:00

HANDMADE MUSIC NIGHT: Thursday, 9/27 at 8PM

Handmade Music is an evening of original creations for music making, open to the creative minds of the New York area. It's equal parts party, show-and-tell, performance, and science fair, open to whatever oddball software and hardware people want to bring, complete or not. Some come with projects, others just to hear and see unusual new instruments, from software to game systems to homemade electronic instruments. Each installment brings plenty of surprises, but appearances confirmed for this one include:

* A featured performance by Richard Lainhart, a renowned electronic improviser and innovator.

* Seven-foot tall "Suburbanite" aka "60 Switches of Fury", a music controller by Eric Johnson.

* The Monome, a minimalist open-source hardware controller with grids of buttons.

* A fluid musical instrument controller entirely by webcam, by Peter Kirn.

* Lots of other things that may just appear.

Handmade Music Night is a convergence of the music community/blog CreateDigitalMusic.com, the kings and queens of all things DIY at Make Magazine and the Etsy Labs.

It's all happening at Brooklyn's community workshop, Etsy Labs, on Thursday, September 27th, at 8 PM.

We are located at:

325 Gold Street, 6th Fl.

Brooklyn, NY 11201

Take the A/C/F to Jay St. or B/M/Q/R to DeKalb.

See you there!

MAKE zine: Kit It Out!

2007-09-03T20:00:00-05:00

While there are certain folks who consider themselves "crafters" and others who would call themselves "techies" — I really consider all of them makers. Anyone who works with their hands, has boundless curiosity and wishes to bend technology in ways they see fit spans across multiple groups of creators. What's interesting is the intersections between normally separated groups — at our magazines (MAKE and CRAFT) we see a lot of projects combining electronics and what would be considered a "traditional" craft, like sewing. A few examples...

In MAKE 09 we have a great article on how to work with carbon fiber — originally used in aerospace, carbon fiber is extremely strong, but extremely light. So what would you do with it? Make your own iPod case with it, of course. Makers can form, lay up and cure their own high-performance composites. Making advanced materials and then using patterns (like the iPod pattern we supply) is becoming more common. Heck, you can even make kevlar using this tutorial! I fully expect to see a series of handmade artsy carbon fiber iPod cases on Etsy very soon — before Etsy there really wasn't a place where Makers could put their goods out there for exactly the right buyers.

========

In our premiere issue of CRAFT we featured twenty three projects with a "twist" — embroider your skateboard, light up your clothing, knit your own boots, stitch a robot...My favorite piece is The Electric Tank Top by Leah Buechley. It uses silver-coated thread and a microprocessor to make programmable LED clothing.

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We (MAKE) are pleased to have a place on ETSY (make.etsy.com) where we can showcase our homemade projects (like the carbon fiber iPod cases, LED shirts ad more). I'm hoping to see a lot of projects we've covered in our pages made and remade and then showcased on Etsy for everyone to enjoy.

As we roll through 2007 with a place on Etsy for more "techie" goods I think there's something else we'll see — kits, and lots of them. You see, in the early 1900's and up until maybe the 70's, DIY (do-it-yourself) electronics were pretty much the only way a lot of projects were created. Millions of people built their own radios, and later kit companies came along and created a wide variety of electronic kits mostly aimed at the hobbyist. While kits have always been around somewhere, their popularity fell off the map some time in the 1980's.

Low cost goods from overseas, decreasing free time and the smaller number of people with the skills to solder or build really made it difficult for a lot of us to get excited about the prospects of new kits coming out.

However, something has changed in the last two to three years. People have started taking things apart and figuring out how they work, voiding warranties or simply exploring something that was broken. (Since everything breaks more now.) Also, the internet really took off — and I don't mean connectivity, but blogs, RSS and easy-to-publish sites where information about all this stuff was cataloged. As more and more people started tinkering, it became clear that building electronics again just might be something folks would consider fun — a newly re-discovered hobby.

For me, the best example is the MintyBoost USB charger kit we carry at MAKE — it's an extremely simple kit to build, but it's powerful, literally — it's better than any other iPod charger out there (it uses power more efficiently than every single iPod 9V battery charger) and you build it inside an Altoids tin, which we all have laying around somewhere.

Here's a video we created that shows you how to make one (along with how to make your own MP3 player, too!)

Building an iPod charger certainly isn't like making your own FM radio or robot. It's really unclear where all of this making is going, and whether we're in a renaissance of "making things" again. However, I'm sure this is how something like that would begin!

- Phillip Torrone, Senior Editor, MAKE

Some words from maker Etsy sellers:

GeekGear:

"Many of the ideas that inspire me come from Instructables, Makezine, Gizmodo, Hackaday.com and the new Hakzine.com...I think that part of the reason that my Etsy store has been somewhat successful is because there are not many 'tech' sellers and my items tend to be unique (I hope)...Most of the items I sell are given as gifts to husbands and boy friends."

blinkybug:

"I do periodically browse the 'Geekery' category and drop people a line if I like their stuff. I also meet a lot of like-minded people through various communities in the San Francisco area, e.g., Dorkbot, the SFMicrocontrollers group, the Burning Man crowd, etc."

MAKE & Etsy How-To: Hungry like the Wolf for Handmade Projects

2007-05-14T20:00:00-05:00

People, you must check out this How-to video from MAKE. You may be frightened…But you will also be charmed.

Matt collaborated with Bre here at the Labs (MAKE shares space with us at our Brooklyn office). They did a special screen printing project wherein they embedded audio, light and, well, magic into a custom t-shirt design.