Kerime B. Toksü's 2literal.com

Okay, maybe I’m still in vacation mode, but this is a totally fun project. Just think of all the other cool things you could make after this! When I was a kid, I wanted to build a machine that poured tea (don’t ask me why), but I had absolutely no idea how to even get started. Here are some ideas to get you started.  Eat ‘em up!

LINK:
- How 2.0: PB&J Mechanical Munchie Machine

AfriGadget recently posted an article about metal working in Kenya that looked at how these enterprising workers make tools out of found/discarded objects, e.g., old bike into bellows. Check it out in action:

This interested me because I’m fascinated by iron works, would love to sweat behind a mask and gloves making metal sculpture — gigantic pieces like Louise Bourgeois’ spiders. (Of course the Kenyans in the AfriGadget post are going at it bare-faced and bare-knuckled.)

It also reminded me of my dad in Turkey. Whenever he needs to fix his boat, he drives out into the countryside and visits a man who can make anything you describe to him. It’s also like my character Antigone (shameless novel promotion coming!), who builds robots out of parts she scavenges from recycle shops and junkyards.

Which is why it’s always fun to have heaps of old electronics laying around, ready to be made into the next cool gadget.

LINKS:
- A Defiant Despite (my novel)
- “Re-use in the (unofficial) Kenyan Ironworks Industry” (AfriGadget)
- Louise Bourgeois’ “Spiders” ( NYC, 2001)
- Crouching Spider-Louise Bourgeois (San Francisco, 2008)

Speaking of cell phones (“What does writer Etgar Keret have to do with bookstores and cell phones?“)… What to do when you’re waiting in line and don’t have a soul to call? Play a game with your wait-mates:

Next time you’re in Times Square, put on your game face. You may be able to challenge the weirdos around you to a videogame on MTV’s big-screen billboard. The controller? Your cell phone.

It’s the latest project from MegaPhone, a mobile gaming company founded by Jury Hahn (above). Looking to connect strangers in public places, Hahn dreamed up the idea of multiplayer cell phone games where people can interact with rivals they’re battling onscreen.

Links:
- “Making cell phone games a public spectacle”
- Jury Hahn (at MegaPhone)

Don’t know Flash? Don’t want to buy it? Can’t even draw? But you can picture it in your mind – your own squiggly cartoon running across the page. Then try Animation-ish.

Okay, it’s geared toward kids, but don’t fool yourself that you’re any better at learning new software.

Besides, if you want/need more advanced features, this app includes vector-based lines, pressure-sensitive drawing and tweening, and projects can be exported to a number of formats (e.g., swf, mov, avi). Best of all: compared to Flash, which will hammer your budget for a hefty $350, Animation-ish will only slap it for $59.95.

Link:
- Animation-ish