Author Archives: Jonathan Berisford

Microsoft Released a Windows XP Bliss Wallpaper Christmas Sweater

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Inspired by Bliss (originally titled Bucolic Green Hills), the default wallpaper for Windows XP operating systems, Microsoft is selling this Windows Ugly Sweater: Bliss Edition for just $70. The knit soft-wear is constructed of 55% cotton, 45% acrylic, and is 100% eye candy. I can’t believe they’re even calling it ugly; it’s absolutely beautiful.

Am I going to show up for an ugly Christmas sweater party in one? Unfortunately not, because they’ve already sold out of most sizes. They say the early bird gets the worm, and I am by no means an early bird. I am an owl. Just without the wisdom. I do bite Tootsie Roll Tootsie Pops though.

‘Bliss’, captured by photographer Charles O’Rear in the wine country of California in 1996 and purchased by Microsoft in 2000, is thought to be the most viewed photograph in the world, being viewed by billions of people. And now you can own it on a sweater a lot of young people won’t even recognize! They’re missing out though, XP was probably my favorite operating system of all time.

[via TechEBlog]

Smart Workshop Organization System with Inventory Tracking

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In an effort to better organize all his electronic bits, freelance prototyper, YouTuber, and cyborg Zack Freedman is building a smart organization system for his workshop that can track inventory, tell you where a certain piece is, and light up its bin with the help of over 8,500 LEDs. Hey, the more lights, the merrier, that’s what I always say.

Zack uses the modular Gridfinity system as the backbone of his project, which is a system of open-source, free-to-3D print organizer blocks that all slot into a 42mm grid. He then adds lights and sensors to each storage block he creates, adding its contents to a database so he can track inventory and search for which bin a particular part is in.

The video follows Zach constructing a single long smart bin, but he plans to build a bunch of them, then make a vertical carousel system to maximize storage space, allowing him to call upon the specific piece he needs, and the carousel presenting him with the correct bin and lighting up the compartment needed. The future of organization, everybody! Wait till The Container Store hears about this!