I think my hard drive flinched in fear when I pulled up these instructions for turning a laptop into an Etch-A-Sketch. How could it not when the project is a freakin’ awesome Arduino-powered Hack-A-Sketch that you actually shake to erase.

The shake-to-erase action works because of a hidden mercury switch which detects movement and you don’t really need to worry about the hard drive since this project kinda destroys your screen. [Project Lab via Make]

[Make]

The original 1.2GHz Core 2 Solo U2200 processor (which was soldered in place) has been swapped with a 1.33GHz Core 2 Duo overclocked to 1.438GHz. And the 48GB SSD is replaced with a fast RunCore ProIV 128GB SSD. Amazingly, the battery life is said to be pretty much the same.

It’s a pretty involved mod, but it’s a hackintosh I’d definitely like to take for a spin. That 4.5-inch touchscreen doesn’t look too bad, either. [MicroPCTalk via UMPC Portal via SlashGear]

[TIFI via Boing Boing]

For sale November 30 in a limited run of 200 units, the kits run around $US125 (plus the cost of buttons, as I understand). As for the final built product, it features 16 programmable buttons and LEDs that allow you to cue your MIDI samples with all the finesse of button-mashing Shredder to death.

The only possible point of improvement would be a coin slot mandating occasional quarter-purchased continues. Or, you know, the addition of even more buttons (which is technically feasible with some modification to the kit). [djtechtools via MAKE]

Chumby Guts are available for $US139 and include everything you need to construct a Frankenstein’s monster version of the gadget. [Maker Shed]

Inductive charging, allowing you to charge a gadget just by placing it on a non-electrocuting surface, is a pretty neat parlour trick. But you’re still putting a gadget on a charger. This DIY mod, however, trades synthetic chargers for wood.

Using a hacked Powermat, this plank of wood becomes a full capable inductive charger. Why do I find this so superior to the original product? Most tables are built from wood, and this technique would allow a tabletop, with no special gimmicks on top, to charge your gadgets.

And it’s the potential for passive, seamless integration that makes inductive charging so attractive to me, not just the lack of plugs. [Instructables via CrunchGear]

“Cable Drawings” is a series of installations by artist Maisie Maud Broadhead in which pesky cords are incorporated into the very decor of one’s home.

But as Lifehacker points out, this technique need not be for the pretentious class alone. Adhesive wire clips, like those used in the lead photo, are available on the cheap. And you’ve spent years perfecting your perspective of the crudest of body parts already. [Maisie Maud Broadhead via Design Lounge via Unplggd via Lifehacker]

I mean, it’s not the kind of game that should be played at a distance, and this custom-built board doesn’t even have holes along the track. Although, I have to give the designer credit for the gumball prize — that was a nice touch. Check out the project page for full details on the build. [Marble Maze via Trossen Robotics via Hacked Gadgets]

Maximum PC’s how-to uses 3D picture synchronisation software called StereoData Maker, a non-volatile firmware update based on the Canon Hack Development Kit (CHDK).

You’ll then need to build a mounting rig and use a small enclosure (such as an Altoids tin) to build a simple USB switch remote. Free software called StereoPhoto Maker is used for post-processing. And yeah, you’ll still need a pair of red/cyan glasses. Still, it looks like fun. Full instructions at: [Maximum PC]