I think the term “handmade” just about covers this, this…whatever it is. For about $US80 you to can own this freaky electronic Frankenstein that does nothing but consume sunlight and writhe around in agony.
Sure, these chess sets aren’t quite as neat as the vertical Tri-D chess in Star Trek, but by turning the game through 90 degrees and hanging it on the wall they do turn it into a sort of art masterpiece. That’d be assuming you play well—with my playing style it’d be more like a kid’s painting disaster. Still, toppling your king from the board in resignation does get an extra kind of fatal symbolism. The choice of wood is customisable, and they cost upwards of $US100. [Straightupchess via Neatorama]
It may look like one of the wilder fantasy toy cars you used to play with all those years ago, but Scythe is nothing like a toy when you look at its stats. Two steering wheels, twin-supercharged 1,005 horsepower engine, composite body handmade by Galpin Auto Sports, backwards rotating door design and a 3G-connected Shuttle PC inside. This handles realtime traffic and weather monitoring, and is voice activated for some KITT-like chatting car action. There’s even a set of flush-mounted external security cameras. OK, so that does make it sound a lot like a toy, but it’s a toy for fast-driving grown-up kids. [Jalopnik]
Ah the electric guitar… every time I eat at a Hard Rock Cafe, it’s these fabulous bits of rock paraphernalia that grab my attention. Fascinating: design, art, creativity in one gizmo. And yet at heart they’re very simple: a plain solid body, strings, and some pickups. So very simple in fact, that a guy called Ranjit is holding a DIY junk electric guitar class at Etsy Labs in Brooklyn tomorrow. Just don’t take along half a wrecked coffee table and expect to craft it into a guitar that’ll make you the next Clapton: these Etsy things have “wind your own”-style pickups and just a couple of strings. [Sign up page via Make]
View-Masters were a part of just about everyone’s childhood. For those trying to relive those days, Minnesota artist Debra Dressler has come up with these handmade clocks made with genuine vintage View-Masters. As you might suspect, “handmade” and “vintage” are usually codewords for “expensive,” and at US$145, that is pretty much the case here. However, if that is a little more money than you want to spend on a clock, you could probably build one using a newer View-Master fairly easily. [Uncommon Goods]
