With nearly 3 million YouTube subscribers, Kevin Kohler, aka The Backyard Scientist, knows a thing or two about holding people’s attention. Whether it’s pouring molten aluminum into a watermelon (and subsequently pulling out the odd-shaped sculpture) or creating a giant human-sized mousetrap (sorry again, watermelons) the mad scientist seamlessly blends science with entertainment—a sort of Bill Nye for the YouTube generation. More recently, Kohler created the mother of all super soakers: a molten metal squirt gun. “This baby can hold 500ml of any liquid up to 600 degrees Fahrenheit (limited by Teflon tapes’ melting point),” Kohler explains. “For this project, I’m using molten pewter which has a melting point of…

Last year, Lenovo showcased a lot of new tech at their Lenovo Tech World Expo in San Francisco. Some recent releases, like the Lenovo Moto Z and PHAB2 Pro were cool in their own right, but what really stole the show was the foldable technology shown in their working phone and tablet prototypes. Codenamed the CPlus and the Folio respectively, both gadgets have the flexibility of a yoga instructor and the adaptability of Arnold Schwarzenegger in Predator. First off is the CPlus, which doubles as a smartphone and a smartwatch. Simply roll up the phone backwards like you would a newspaper and wrap it around your wrist! Though the prototype showcased…

MyStemKits announced an international expansion of its 3D printing kits and curriculum, which could eventually lead to breakthroughs in 3D print use worldwide. MyStemKits is a US-based organization that provides educational packages for students and teachers to learn about 3D design and print in the classroom. We’ve written about them previously when they launched larger quantities of kits to their academic audiences. They explain the service here: We are a team of educators, innovators, parents, and technology specialists dedicated to making affordable, quality education available for all. And we’re doing it using some of the most cutting-edge technology available. We’re redefining 3D printing and giving it a clear use and purpose…

The folks over at Vectary are at it again spreading more love on their free browser-based 3d modeling app! They’ve recently added four great plugins which I’m excited to give a try. So what are the juicy bits now made available to us? Here’s the lineup; Google Fonts, Shapeways portal integration, MyMiniFactory import/export, and Noun Project icons. For those of you not up on Vectary check out our previous posts. Also, here’s a graphic describing the tools and platform. Vectary 3D Modeling App Plugins Without further ado let’s have a look at what each plugin has to offer. First Google Fonts. GF’s along with Project Noun are top of the…

Featuring the world’s first back-illuminated 35 millimeter full-frame CMOS image sensor, Sony’s α7R II mirrorless camera holds a pretty significant torch next to some of the older players in the camera game. And at $2,900 for just the camera body, it’s priced that way, too. But before the α7R II ever captures an image, it begins as a restrained exercise in building an object by hand from hundreds of sensitive parts. Or as Sony executive Kenji Tanaka puts it, “(the assemblies) combine compactness and performance in a way that has a certain beauty.” In this short documentary from NYC photographer Michael Rubenstein—himself a user of the Sony α7R II—we get…

When it comes to side projects, hours become days, days become weeks, and weeks can often become months or years. But what if getting a minimum viable product created could happen on a Saturday…assuming you aren’t building a flying car? Many successful entrepreneurs have been touting the benefits of the 1-Day MVP—a one-day, all-out sprint to go from fresh idea to app or hardware prototype. Sure, some projects may take a little more energy and time than others, but having the process and infrastructure in place to successfully glide ideas along is what counts the most. Which is exactly the premise behind the 1-Day MVP 2.0 online training course; one…