2005 CTR Results, Congratulations to all on a great ride!
Great Catches!
The T.J. Hooper likes the picture window. And the sun we haven't seen all winter. So much so, she didn't even mind the pesky camera. I suggested we name the next cat Jane Doe. Carrie's having none of it.
Apropos of Rob Sarvis's recent interest in the great Walter Hill, I was surprised and amused to come across this graffito on my walk home, tucked away in an alley off Fourth Avenue. "Warriors, come out to play!"
"No nation was ever oppressed ruined or enslaved by the prodigality of individuals; all nations have suffered some of these evils from the prodigality of governments." John Taylor of Caroline, Arator (1818).
For those interested, I've finally compiled a (relatively complete) list of my published articles on film and art, which you can view here. It's rather longer than I'd expected, actually. For perversity's sake, I've done the entire thing in Bluebook format.
A toy mirror that makes a cascading tone sound, bent with a 2M pot and a 1M resistor. I added body contacts as well, and recased it in an old camembert container. You can hear a sample here.
A Scientific Toys Talk & Learn Numbers bent with a 1M pot, body contacts, and a wacky switch that sets it haywire. One of my more successful, to date. Carrie likes this one especially. Listen to a sample here.
Here's another version of the toy cellphone bend a couple posts back. The only technical difference is that I bypassed the resistor entirely. I think it's an improvement, because it increases the range. I think substituting brass acorn nuts for chrome changed the responsiveness. This one really likes you to lick your fingers. I also put in an led snipped from a toy I busted trying to bend it. I note that it flashes a lot brighter when the speaker is off. You can hear a sample here.
After circuit bending, I'm spending most of my time on cigar box guitars. Another fixation introduced by the oddly addictive Make Magazine, they come in assorted flavors. This is my third. The body is a nice, large, cedar cigar box. I stripped most of the paper from inside, then notched both ends for the neck. It's a 3 foot oak 3x1, as recommended. I cut a notch in the head and stuck in steel-string acoustic tuners. The tail is a little piece of brass, the bridge and nut are brass screws. I also glued in a piezo buzzer from Radioshack for a pickup. It works great. But I'm planning to make more, with proper frets. And maybe slightly lower action. Smaller screws, I guess...
Here's a closeup of the body. I used a 1/2" spade for the soundholes. I'm not a whiz with the drill, hence the messy results.
