Wednesday Cool Links, and Thanks for the...

Solar botics
February 27, 2013

Hello!  Today I actually have stuff to say, and this time these are the news on the Useless Box. Looks like it's time to receive thanks! Remember back in November 2012 when we decided to donate $1100 to Plan Canada from a percentage of past sales of Useless Boxes? They sent us a nice thank you card for that, and now we are onto our second donation (this time of ~$1,500), and this time it is going towards:

  • Beekeeping kit;
  • Library in a box for Haiti;
  • Ten mango trees;
  • Rainwater harvesting tanks;
  • Herd of goats.

This card is from "Desert Bus for Hope", an annual gaming telethon that raises thousands of dollars for the children's game charity Child's Play. We have sent them custom Useless Boxes which were a huge hit and brought nearly $2,000 in donations.

Thank you to everyone who noted our efforts in making the Useless - Useful, and now onto with the regular:

Cardboard Computers and Plotter by Niklas Roy
Electronics rendered mechanically - that's our kind of reverse engineering! Built out of cardboard, this plotter shows how computers work on a fundamental level: using rope, rubber bands and cardboard, this plotter renders simple vector graphics. And it looks cool too.
Raspberry Pis are now available from the NYCR vending machine
The title says it all. I can definitely see the potential in this fusion of vending machines and electronic components!
Chuck: A Flexible Wooden Bookshelf
You would think this is some sort of fancy design shenanigan that doesn't stand up to the challenge of everyday life, but check out the video, it actually can hold quite a bit of printed matter!
Hacking a Radio Controlled Spy Device for Overly Attached Girlfriend
The goal was to have a radio controlled device that would send live video and audio to someone and had the ability to plant a small GPS tracker on the undercarriage of a car. The video is a masterpiece. I want that device!
A Billboard in Peru Creates Clean Drinking Water From Air Humidity
Great idea, not sure how financially viable that is, but definitely sounds interesting, especially for a region with 98% humidity and only 0.5" of rainfall.

Aaaaand this is it for today, see you next time.

MORE POSTS

December 9, 2008
New Servo-liciousness

For far too long we've toiled under the merciless grip of the Gear Motor. But no more! For behold, there appears a trio of defiant servos to overthrow the tyrannical rule! *cough* But seriously forks, we have three new units available from Grand-Wing Servo. The 22140 GWS Modified Servo is a useful continuous rotation, full-sized unit. […]

January 4, 2012
Phones are Down

Remember that time we said we were going to close for vacation, but our website and phones would stay on duty to take your messages? Well, it looks like the phones are revolting, and demanding time off immediately. Right now we're having issues with our office system, and we're unable to take calls. Please shoot […]

December 2, 2004
Eastern Canadian Robot Games Results

Yes, the Eastern Canadian Robot Games have been over for about a month, but I still think the following is worth mentioning: The Solarbotics Sumovore won first place in beginner mini-sumo The Solarbotics ScoutWalker III won first and third in the Walker competition Our own Grant McKee won Advanced Minisumo with his own design "Ender's […]

September 28, 2004
Robothon Success!

Congrats out to Grant, for bringing his "Ender's Wraith" to first place in the advanced mini-sumo category at last weekend's Seattle Robothon. We also picked up an award for "Most Unusual Robot" with our Turbot prototypes! Additional to that, a Solarbotics Sumovore ("Oops" by Kristina Miles) won the amateur mini-sumo category!

Solarbotics Ltd Logo
Solarbotics has been operating for more than 25 years, bringing electronics know-how and supplies to both the electronics professional and hobbyist. We'll be happy to help you too!

Solarbotics, Ltd. is not responsible for misprints or errors on product prices or information. For more information, please see our Terms and Conditions.

Warning: This product contains chemicals known to the State of California to cause cancer and birth defects or other reproductive harm.
Please visit www.P65Warnings.ca.gov for more information. This item was manufactured prior to August 31, 2018.