This page contains items I have shared from my google reader subscriptions.

• Dessert Time: Yumbot Robot Cupcakes
  Published: September 3, 2010
  Source: That's Nerdalicious!
  :O

  Silicone YumBot molds give your robot cupcake hair.

  Send your food pics to tips [at] thatsnerdalicious.com.

  Product Page: ($17.99)

• Wendy's restaurants beverage-handling training songs
  Published: September 3, 2010
  Source: Boing Boing
  fucking mind blowing

  Consumerist reader SteveDave has dug up a pair of 1990s-vintage Wendy's training videos explaining how to serve beverages. They're masterpieces of shitty, squirm-worthy industrial video, especially the insincerely rapped "cold beverages" short (they should have just licensed the kick ass G Love and Special Sauce song). Looking at the Submitterator queue, I see that Cassandra found this one last week, too -- thanks, Cassandra!

  The Coolest & Hottest Wendy's Training Videos Ever

  
  
  

• Firmware hacking on Behringer midi devices
  Published: September 2, 2010
  Source: Hack a Day

  

  A new project called the Unofficial Behringer Control Development Kit lets you tweak or completely replace the firmware on the popular devices. The proof of concept demo shows a custom message scrolling on the 4-character 7-segment display but you can do with the device is only limited by how well you can code for the ARM processor inside. Development takes place using the GNU ARM toolchain but don’t worry, you don’t have to crack the case open to program the chip. The BCR2000 and BCF2000 models supported by the project both run bootloaders that allow firmware updates via midi commands. There’s even a recovery mode if you screw something up. Just make sure you have a direct midi connection for recovery, the USB port won’t work for that purpose. If you need a shove to get you started there’s a nice little example file in the repository.

  [Thanks Bjonnh]

  
  
• His name is peter :)
  Published: September 1, 2010
  Source: Fuck Yeah, Tattoos!
  
  
  

  His name is peter :)

• Woody Guthrie pencils
  Published: September 1, 2010
  Source: Boing Boing
  hey brian...
  
  These Woody Guthrie-themed pencils are emblazoned "This Machine Kills Fascists," the motto Guthrie famously inscribed upon his guitar. Not sure how they compare to Blackwings, though!

  These machines kill fascists (Thanks, Sara the Teacher!)

  • Short film with smiling giant pencil and a girl
  • Sharpie liquid pencil
  • Review of $35 Blackwing 602 pencil
  • The return of the Blackwing pencil
  • First impression of the new Blackwing pencil
  • Others weigh in on new Blackwing pencil
  • Can any pencil replace the Blackwing 602?

  
  
  

• Gunman at Discovery Channel headquarters
  Published: September 1, 2010
  Source: Boing Boing
  holy fucking shit
  

  A gunman has taken at least one hostage at Discovery Communications headquarters in Silver Spring, Maryland.

  There's no official police statements about who the gunman is or what he wants, but there's a list of demands circulating on Twitter—said to be the gunman's manifesto. (Edit: The original site is now down, I'm linking to a version one of our readers saved.) I'm not sure what the original source of this list is, yet, but I'll let you know if/when I find out. The demands are centered around a proposed new programming lineup for The Discovery Channel, pushing Malthusian ideas on population and Daniel Quinn's "My Ishmael" pages 207-212. Seriously. This would be almost funny if it weren't for the whole hostage thing.

  The Discovery Communications building is being evacuated. Here's hoping everybody makes it out safely.

  UPDATE: According to DCist, the list of demands apparently dates to 2008, and is linked to James Jay Lee, a man arrested that same year for disorderly conduct while protesting at the Discovery Communications building. No one has any idea who the gunman is at this point, so it's unknown whether this is the same guy. WUSA9 TV in Washington D.C. first tweeted the old demands as being linked to the current gunman, but it's unclear how they came to that conclusion.

  For now, let's assume they aren't linked. It's worth noting that Discovery Networks have received a lot of threats recently because of Animal Planet's Whale Wars show, which follows the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society as it attempts to deter Japanese whaling ships.

  UPDATE #2: Law enforcement officials are now saying that they believe the gunman is that 2008 protester, James Jay Lee.

  Image of gunman taken by a colleague of Discovery employee Jason Divenere That colleague is now safely out of the building.

  
  
  

• My Little Porny
  Published: September 1, 2010
  Source: Ugliest Tattoos - Funny Tattoos
  hey, that tattoo has my tattoo

  

  Submitted by: Unknown

  Hmm. This is not what I had in mind when I asked for a tattoo of a horny blonde having a bite of my sausage.

  
  

  

  
• Victorian "rather sinister" artificial arm and hand
  Published: August 31, 2010
  Source: Boing Boing
  
  This Victorian artificial arm and hand is part of the London Science Museum's collection: "Made from steel and brass, this unusual prosthetic arm articulates in a number of ways. The elbow joint can be moved by releasing a spring, whereas the top joint of the wrist allows a degree of rotation and an up-and-down motion. The fingers can also curl up and straighten out. The leather upper arm piece is used to fix the prosthesis to the remaining upper arm. The rather sinister appearance of the hand suggests the wearer may have disguised it with a glove."

  Artificial right arm, Europe, 1850-1910 (Thanks, Mista J, via Submitterator!)

  • Energy-recycling artificial foot
  • One-eyed cyborg filmmaker seeks woman who desires paintball ...
  • Furniture slider prosthetic legs for turtle
  • Prosthetic mask makers of World War I
  • Prosthetic memory hardware
  • Extrasensory prosthetic devices
  • HOWTO make a prosthetic arm from a pop bottle
  • Dean Kamen's prosthetic "Luke" arm

  
  
  

• Media.
  Published: August 30, 2010
  Source: obscurereality

  Here’s some media from this summer…

  Small montage of Trent skating various locations on the East Coast

  Make:Philly BBQ – Water Rockets.

  Meh. That’s all for now. Trent’s going back to WA on Wed. Do not want.

• RepRap Version III "Huxley"
  Published: August 30, 2010
  Source: reprap aggregation pipe
  adam, get to work.
  
  

  (Image from Erik - thanks!)
  

  
  I've moved the Mini-Mendel page on the Wiki to form a Huxley page here:
  
  http://reprap.org/wiki/Huxley
  
  This is where development of the new machine will be centred. Many people (particularly Erik) have already done a lot of work on Ed's original design.
  
  Please add to their efforts!

  
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