Be Excellent To Each Other

So come on. Who likes to fiddle with things more than the weird bloke in a rain mac?

For years I have loved ripping things to bits, and sometimes doing weird shit with them. Sometimes they even went back together

I've got a couple on the go at the moment, both are restorative and very eco friendly (pics and infos soon).

Thismorning I remembered one of my fave ever small projects, this one - http://shiny.testbox.net/mac/

Sadly the case got destroyed in a move to Ohio and it ended up stripped and in the bin I never did finish the updates or take any pics of the completed project.. I've always liked case modding (not the kind where you stick on a few neons and some fans) but like totally custom mods. It's just as much fun as doing cars tbh.

I'm gonna start something in the new year - we have a work IRC server, but I'm always not noticing updates and thusly missing vital info. So, I'm going to rig up some sort of LED-USB-alerty thing, stick it by my monitor so that it blinks and flashes and is annoying whenever I have any unread messages.

Well, you'll not get a lot of talking out of him, but Grim... is the man for this topic:

http://www.mattbuildsatomcat.co.uk

Can you not just configure whatever client you're using to blink in the toolbar when you have a new message?

Hush you. Yes, you can, and I have. But a blinky LED what-not would be cooler. I might get a toy robot and use the LEDs as it's eyes.

Sounds like fun. The only thing I didn't end up doing to the radiomactive was it's final uber awesome thinger..

I wanted to get a red police style spinning light, and wire it to a thermometer that sat on the CPU. Then I was going to overclock the prescott core to buggery and use the spinning light to kick in when things got too hot.

They even did smallish ones at radioshack but alas, my car took over after that.

I did get the inside done though, it had green neons and red EL wire IDE cables and was generally alot tidier inside. I'll have to see if I have pics anywhere.

In that case you should create a life-sized model of Kenneth Williams who, upon receiving a message, leans over and nasally reads it to you in a suggestive manner.

Fucking amateurs.

I've had this really nagging idea over the past couple of days. It's as mad as a box of frogs and a clown who dips his bollocks in the custard.

Take one empty bottle that kinda looks like a Nuka Cola bottle. (plastic kiddies). I've got a lucozade bottle sitting here, will probably do.

Drill two holes in the bottom of the bottle and epoxy (araldite) the tips of two blue LEDS into the bottle (making sure that plastic bonds to plastic and wires are clear on the underside).

Spray paint the twist off cap silver and black to make it look like a pop off cap.

Print one logo that you draw in photoshop for a bottle of Nuka Cola. Apply to empty lucozade bottle with pretty silver and black painted cap.

Build a small stand from wood with bezelled edges.

Glue bottle to stand, making a relief for the bottom of the LEDs and run the wires out of the bottom of the stand discretely.

Fill bottle with water (making sure you did the first parts properly and have air tested it to make sure its safe)

Turn on blue leds and turn out the lights.

Hey presto, one authentic looking glow in the dark bottle of Nuka Cola Quantum.

Yes, I'm crazy.

Hmm...

I'd probably get a simple small mauve lava lamp 'rocket', and replace the glass jar section with a real glass coke bottle. You wouldn't be able to move it about freely, as it would just be a coke bottle shaped mauve lava lamp, but it would do the job.