Earlier this year I had a dream. Last night at the Crash Space (Los Angeles hackerspace) weekly meeting, that dream became a reality, thanks in part to the dedication and follow through of Matt Pinner. Go team.
Sparkles: The Soldering My Little Pony Unicorn
Watch the incredible sales video for Rockwell Automation's Retroencabulator
This 1997 pitch for Rockwell Automation's Retroencabulator makes me feel like an idiot for not already owning one. The technology improves upon a 1944 machine called the turboencabulator: The original machine had a base plate of prefabulated amulite, surmounted by a malleable logarithmic casing in such a way that the two main spurving bearings were… READ THE REST
Lou Ottens, inventor of the cassette tape, RIP
Lou Ottens, who in 1963 invented the cassette tape while an engineer at Philips, has died. He was 94. I'm glad that he lived to see the cassette resurgence of recent years. From NPR: The cassette tape was Ottens' answer to the large reel-to-reel tapes that provided high-quality sound but were seen as too clunky… READ THE REST
Parler wanted Donald Trump, who demanded an ownership stake, which didn't happen
A scoop from Buzzfeed News: "Parler wanted Donald Trump on its site. Trump's company wanted an ownership stake. Here's the exclusive story of their negotiation." Parler is the chat app founded in 2018 by former college roommates John Matze and Jared Thomson, and Rebekah Mercer, the right-wing political donor and daughter of hedge fund magnate… READ THE REST
With the MowRo robot lawn mower, you'll never have to cut the grass yourself ever again
Considering the explosion of robotic vacuum cleaners in recent years, is it really much of a surprise that now your front yard is getting into the act as well? If you can set a robo vac on standby to automatically start spinning around your house and gobbling up dirt and grime, it makes sense that the… READ THE REST
Safeguard your sensitive data with GhostVolt's encryption software
Worrying about data breaches isn't just for the Amazons and Facebooks of the world. Oh sure, you should be concerned if you're one of the 533 million who had info exposed in the latest Facebook breach. But a bigger worry is what happens if customer information, details that you're responsible for, somehow get exposed to… READ THE REST
Save an extra $22 on this handmade Japanese forged kitchen knife set
There are plenty of top-notch quality knives and knife sets crafted all over the world, from Germany, France, and the heart of Europe, to plenty of premium craftsmen in the U.S. But there's definitely something about a finely honed blade made from Japanese steel that still absolutely stops knife shoppers dead in their tracks. For… READ THE REST