Physical Money: A Love Affair

This Morning I had the pleasure of seeing this article from Core77 on the planned new 100 Dollar US note.   Its full of full color images and explanations of the design and security features of the new bill.

We are in love with money.  At least in the US we are.  We love coins and cash and more than making money we love spending money.  We have people who collect rare money and people who make a living analyzing the collections and worth of those collections.  The printing and minting of currency has its own cult following that has itself spawned websites and an economy all of its own.

Click to read more ...

GeekDad does it again!

Covering a ShmooCon presentation on a disposible spy computer for under 50 bucks. (Article)

For those of you unfamiliar with spy computers or spying in general there is a long history of creating listening devices of all kinds and how you secret them into the spaces of those you wish to spy upon.  A gentleman named Brendan O'Connor details his search and build dilemma of creating a very inexpensive device out of easy to obtain parts. 

The purpose of a device such as this would be to deploy it into an area and use it to do any number of things and relay that information back via wireless so it can be captured and analyzed without the knowledge of the person you are using it on.

Why is this important?  Hardware and Software is becoming easier and easier to come by and understanding how this type of attack would be carried out is paramount to understanding how to defeat such an attack.  Who would be attacked?  In theory given the relative low cost and low need for expertise to build it....anyone is a target

The video is a bit long but Brendon is charismatic and quick behind the podium and you may just learn a few things to protect your business or your home.  You certainly will no longer look at that padded envelope or box of stale crackers quite the same way again.

Faux Molten Lava/Metal Effects

When i saw this photo I already knew what it was going to be about and I stopped to read it.  I love hearing how movie props are made. Mostly because the people who make these things are ingenious at hiding the really mundane by making it look amazing!  Yay PVC and melted plexi.....

Faux Molten Lava/Metal Effects: "

Another day, another awesome project email from Craig Smith. Craig wrote in to share with us some details about the faux molten lava effect he achieved on his recent Mustafarian Panning Droid he showed off at the Celebration IV Star Wars convention. He writes:

A lot of people who saw my lava panning droid at Celebration IV asked me how I did the molten lava cauldron. It was made with a big light reflector for the bottom. Various large diameter PVC pipes were used for the rings, outer wall, inner wall, and small pipe segments in the four notch-outs. Everything was countersunk screwed together and filled over with putty and then painted. The lava was a yellow piece of plexiglass bought from a sign company. After the circle was cut, a heat gun was used to soften areas, and with gloved hands, I pushed a chunk of concrete into it to form 3D effects. Glued in place, the plexi was then spray painted black on the high points, red along that, and the yellow was left in the low areas. Illuminated with a cool fluorescent light from underneath, it gives a very realistic glow effect.

More:
See all of Craig Smith’s projects covered on MAKE

Lego Pancake-Batter CNC

This is delightful.  Watch the video and the expression on the little girl's face.   Oh and props to both parents for building it and for the other one allowing it to be resident in the living room.

Lego Pancake-Batter CNC: "

The sheer magnificence of Miguel Valenzuela’s Lego pancake CNC is matched only by the delight of his daughters Maia and Lily “printing” their own Mickey Mouse pancakes. Love this project!