Some people just like to watch the wool burn. A GIF excerpt from this 2016 macro video of steel wool in flames is making the viral rounds two years later. The original video is worth revisiting, so here it is... Read the rest

Joey sez, "Super Street Fire is a creation of a group at Toronto's Site3 coLaboratory hackerspace that lets two people fight 'Street Fighter II' style, with real punches and real fire. Players stand in a special ring with computer-controlled flamethrowers that simulate thrown fireballs; their punches are detected with motion-sensing gloves. They're going to Burning Man at the end of the month, and they're demonstrating their rig in Toronto this Saturday."

The flame effect heads are propane-fed devices that emit a column of fire, or fireball, high into the air. They also dynamically change the colour of the flame so it’s obvious who dealt the blow and who stood there and took it. Flame effects are expressed as two rails, each comprised of eight computer controlled flame effect heads—one rail for the right hand gestures and one for the left. As well as the two rails between the players, there is an outer ring of sixteen flame effects that are triggered by special player move combinations and also controlled by the Master of Games for crowd engagement. The game system is computer hardware and software with an Arduino microcontroller that interfaces with the flame effect head solenoids to regulate both the intensity and duration of the flame.

Site3 is one of Toronto's more amazing hackspaces, quite an achievement in a city that's blessed with an abundance of such facilities.

Super Street Fire: This Saturday in Toronto!

(Thanks, Joey!) Read the rest