Author Archives: Jonathan Berisford

Nissan Skyline Moist Tissue Box Looks Fast & Furious

Posted on by


Styled after the late-90’s R-34 Nissan Skyline GT-R, this moist tissue holder is hands down the fastest-looking tissue box I’ve ever seen. Hopefully, it’s not so fast I can’t grab a tissue, though, or I will have to wipe my hands on my shirt.

An officially Nissan licensed product, the mini Skyline is available with Sonic Silver, Bayside Blue, and Black Pearl exterior paint and costs ¥6,600 (~$47) from Camshop.jp before shipping from Japan. So, it’s not exactly the cheapest tissue box. But can you really put a price on a tissue box that looks ready to speed off your coffee table and crash onto the floor?

The car measures a respectable 29cm x 11cm x 8cm (11.5″ x 4.5″ x 3″) and fits most standard-size boxes of moist tissues. The only thing that would make it better is if it produced engine revving or tire squealing noises whenever you pulled a tissue from it. They really should have made that a factory option.

[via TechEBlog]

1,499 Drones Recreate Gigantic Nutcracker Ballet, Set World Records

Posted on by

Orchestrated by drone show performance company Sky Elements, a recent recreation of characters from The Nutcracker ballet successfully set two new Guinness World Records. The show used 1,499 choreographed drones flying above the Birdville Fine Arts and Athletic Complex in North Richland Hills, Texas, to achieve the feat, and it must have been a sight to behold in real life. At least there’s a video for those of us who live behind computer screens.

The first record was for the largest aerial display of a fictional character using drones, awarded for a giant Nutcracker stretching 700 feet into the night sky. The second was for the largest aerial image formed by drones, for an absolutely massive picture of a Christmas tree in front of a window with snow falling behind it. Maybe it’s true what they say after all: everything IS bigger in Texas.

Will the records get beaten in the coming year? Almost certainly. As a matter of fact, if I had an army of drones, I would beat them myself. But I don’t even have a single drone, so their records are probably safe from me, provided 2,000 drones don’t fall off the back of a truck in front of my house.

[via TechEBlog]

Man Constructs Stunning Rubber Band Firing Wooden Minigun

Posted on by

The brainchild of Youtuber GenericWoodworking, this electric-powered wooden minigun shoots rubber bands and sets off cap gun caps as it fires them for extra loud sound effects. It probably goes without saying, but this man will not be allowed to participate in my next rubber band gunfight. Finger guns only!

Since the gun is electric-powered, it’s not entirely wooden and uses parts from a lawn trimmer and belt sander for its drive mechanisms. Its maker did try to make everything he possibly could out of wood, though, including some of the gun’s larger gears.

The minigun took over 300 hours to construct, and the man behind Generic Woodworking suffered numerous setbacks. Me? If I hit a single setback, I abandon the entire project. Sure, that’s led me to never actually finish any project, but think of all the hours and aggravation I’ve saved myself.


[via TheAwesomer]

The Sizes Of Popular Sci-Fi Spacecraft Compared To New York City

Posted on by

Created by Youtube channel MetaBallStudios, this is a 3D visualization of what various spacecraft from popular sci-fi franchises would look like as viewed by a person standing in Jersey City and facing lower Manhattan. I’ve stood right in that exact same spot before. Granted, there weren’t any spaceships hovering in the sky, but I was eating one of the best street hot dogs I’ve ever tasted.

You get a glimpse of the Star Wars X-Wing, E.T. Ship, D77H-TCI Pelican from Halo, Martian’s Spaceship (Mars! Attacks), Moon Rocket (Tintin), USSC Discovery One (2001: A Space Odyssey), Space Battleship Yamato, Mothership (Close Encounters of the Third Kind), USCSS Covenant (Alien Covenant), Battlestar Galactica, Destiny Ascension (Mass Effect), Avatar (EVE Online), City Destroyer (Independence Day), High Charity (Halo), and more.

Honestly, I expected the Borg Cube to be even more giant. I’m not sure exactly how big I imagined they were, but definitely larger than 3km square. I mean Death Stars were about 160km in diameter — they would dwarf Borg Cubes! Or at least they would if they didn’t keep getting blown up by the rebels.

[via TechEBlog]

AI Powered Robot Completes Marble Labyrinth In Near Record Time

Posted on by

CyberRunner is a Labyrinth marble game modified to be played by autonomous AI, using two motors as hands, a camera for eyes, and a computer for its brain. It does not have a sense of humor though, and clearly became frustrated when I kept replacing its marble with a piece of chewed gum.

After six hours of model-based reinforcement learning, the robot was able to complete the full maze in just 14.69 seconds — within a second of the human world record. That’s impressive… and with only 6 hours of practice! Imagine what it could do with a full week.

During the robot’s learning, it found several shortcuts it could take to bypass part of the maze, but the humans behind the project stepped in to force the robot to follow the whole path. Me? I always try to jump the ball straight from start to finish in one violent leap.

[via TechEBlog]

Former Toy Designer Constructs a Giant Furby: XL Sized Creepy

Posted on by

Tasked with making a toy for Makers’ Secret Santa gift exchange recipient Look Ma No Computer, former toy designer James Bruton decided to construct a giant-sized version of a Furby. The XL Furby features a regular-sized version living inside its chest and has a moving body and eyes that run on a loop, as well as 16 different sound effects, hopefully none of which are, “I’m coming to get you.”

When the Furby’s motion detector is activated, it performs a different series of moves and sound effects, so its actions appear random. That’s great news because the last thing I’d want is a predictable giant Furby in my living room. I like to be kept on my toes.

The fact that people like James have the ability to imagine a giant-size Furby and then actually successfully design and build one never ceases to amaze me. I’m great at imagining things, but turning that idea into an actual physical manifestation is the tricky part. And by tricky, I mean next to impossible, especially if electronics are involved.

3-Minute Cup Noodles Timer Is Powered by the Noodles’ Weight

Posted on by

Because trying to count to 180 myself requires patience I don’t have, KARAKURI constructed a 3D printed 3-minute Cup Noodles timer that is powered by the weight of the meal, slowly lowering the cup to the table’s surface over the course of three minutes. That’s ingenious. Me? I usually lose track of counting after a minute and eat my noodles extra al dente.

The video includes the original 3D computer design from which it was made, as well as all the 3D printed pieces being carefully assembled. Careful assembly – that’s important, especially when you’re dealing with such small, fragile pieces. You can’t just smack everything with a hammer and expect it to work. Or at least that’s what my watchmaking mentor told me after several unsuccessful repair attempts.

I haven’t been eating nearly as many Cup Noodles as I used to because I’m trying to watch my sodium intake, but I basically lived on them in college. And after college. Really, right up until my doctor said I needed to watch my sodium intake a few weeks ago.

Crysher Ripple 30+ MPH Electric Snowboard Can Shred Uphill

Posted on by

The Crusher Ripple is a newly released all-electric snowboard that can hit speeds up to 31 MPH and has a 9 to 12-mile range. The $2,199 board uses a large treaded tire in the rear to grip the snow, allowing a rider to travel both in the flats and up to 20% graded hills. That’s fantastic news because going uphill is the worst. My calves burn just thinking about trudging up a mountain. Or even a slight hill.

The Ripple is powered by a 3,000-watt motor and features an independent suspension, allowing riders to customize the board to current snow conditions. Me? I like my shocks stiff, so every rock I run over in my car feels like I just jumped a curb.

I never even considered the possibility of flat-ground snowboarding like cross-country skiing, yet here we are. Plus, it looks like it requires far less physical effort than cross-country skiing, which is definitely a plus in my book. I mean, there’s a reason the NordicTrack in the corner of my bedroom is basically a dusty clothes rack now.

[via TechEBlog]

Cactus Plunger and Toilet Bowl Brush: Howdy Do, Partner?

Posted on by

Because a wild west themed bathroom is only as good as its plunger and toilet brush set, ALLOBUB is selling this cactus duo on Amazon (affiliate link) to really tie your desert-inspired baño together. I love it. Now I just need a toilet paper holder that looks like a revolver and a sign above it for the OK Corral, and my guest bathroom will be complete.

The cactus plunger and toilet bowl brush are the same size as the commonly used non-cactus version, the plunger features an extendable flange for tough plunging jobs, and the brush’s head can be screwed off and replaced with a new one if the need arises. That’s a nice feature because I do plan on keeping these for life.

I’ve always been more of a seashore-themed bathroom kind of guy, but I must admit the Wild West is a tempting theme. Cowboys, horses, saloons – the possibilities are practically limitless. As far as I can see, the only problem with a Wild West-themed bathroom is convincing my wife it’s a good idea. That sounds like an uphill battle, and possibly straight up.

[via DudeIWantThat]

Pac-Man Ghosts Of Christmas Past Ugly Christmas Sweater

Posted on by

An officially licensed piece of Bandai Namco merchandise, the Ghosts Of Christmas Past Ugly Christmas Sweater, available from Merchoid, features everybody’s favorite dot-munching giant yellow mouth Pac-Man, as well as ghosts Blinky (red), Pinky (pink), Inky (cyan), and Clyde (orange). They call it an ugly Christmas sweater, but that’s really doing it a disservice because there’s nothing ugly about it. It’s absolute beauty in its purest form.

Available in sizes XS – XXXXL, the woven sweater is 100% acrylic and includes a level in the shape of a Christmas tree, as well as some snowflakes (including Pac-Man eating some on the sleeves), and WAKA WAKA WAKA around the shoulders and elbows. I still can’t get over somebody actually calling this ugly. Do they even have eyes?

Just to be clear, if you wear this to a Christmas party and win the ugly sweater contest it was strictly due to the nostalgia the sweater evokes and not because it’s ugly. Because it’s not. It belongs in a museum right next to the Cross of Coronado that Indiana Jones is always after.