Oct 8 2009 Move Those Buns!: Getting People To Use The Stairs Instead Of The Escalator

This is a video made at a subway station in Stockholm that asks the question, "can we get more people to choose the stairs by making it fun to do?" And the answer, amazingly, is yes -- by converting the stairs into a giant piano a la Big. Granted in the U.S. not a single extra person would have taken the stairs and at least two women would have called the cops about a possible bomb. Still, good going, guys, but I would have just turned off the escalator.

These Piano Stairs Will Motivate Even The Laziest of You [gizmodo]

Jan 8 2009 The World's Smallest Automatic Weapon?

Allegedly this is the world's smallest automatic weapon. I'm pretty sure it's just some sort of automatic handgun with a monster drum magazine, but what do I know -- I'm just a guy who gets a boner holding a BB gun.

Youtube

Thanks to Andrew, who once brought a knife to a gunfight and stabbed everyone to death. Also, thanks to my brother, who PEW PEWs with the best of them.

Jul 14 2008 Impressive: Homemade Paintball Sentry

Some dude made a paintball sentry that automatically detects moving objects and lights them up (with paintballs, not light, silly!). It's pretty freaking impressive. Skip to 2:00 to see an impressive distraction test, 3:30 to see a kid on a trampoline getting destroyed, and then keep watching to see the thing shooting at a guy speeding by in a Jeep. The kid that made the unit hopes to sell them once he's fine-tuned the design, but claims, "My ridiculously low income is the only thing slowing me down." Tell me about it, paintball sentry maker, I'm right there with ya. My ridiculously low income is the only thing keeping me living in my parent's attic. Well, that and I've befriended the mice. Haven't I, Cheesy Weesy? You're my little mousey wousy, aren't you? Gimme kissy. OW, YOU BIT ME YOU LITTLE....uh-oh. Aw George, I can still tend the rabbits, can't I?

Some Guy Went and Built a Sentry Gun [kotaku]

Thanks to Harry and Sev, both of whom could easily dodge the paintballs with their l33t ninja skills

Jun 12 2008 Wow: Little Kids Firing Automatic Weapons

This video is old. Old as anything else that was filmed in 2005. But I hadn't seen it until now, and it's awesome. Awesome in a "holy shit, four-year olds are blowing up cars with automatic weapons" kind of way. Make sure you have the volume down on your speakers, it gets kind of loud. The video was taken during "Oklahoma Full Auto Shoot", an annual event in which kids with no motor skills destroy things with automatic weapons. Just watch it. I love how at 0:14 when the car starts rolling and the kids start firing at it, you understand just how dangerous a weapon is in the hands of a child. Now I'm not sure how many people typically die at this awesome annual event, but if I had to guess I'd say oh my God they're training these kids to be in a militia.

Toddlers shooting machine guns at cars [bbgadgets]

May 16 2008 Crazy Automatic Mario Level Set To Music

So I was unaware of this, but people hack Mario games to make them play automatically when the game starts. Like you don't need to push any buttons, Mario just starts with some momentum and he plows through the level thanks to its intricate design of bumper blocks, etc. They're pretty amazing, and I posted a couple more after the jump, but this one is particularly neat because they made the sounds match up with some techno song playing the background. The video is 11:00 long, but the first two minutes are the best. But hell, watch the whole 11:00 if you want, just don't come asking me for a life refund. I'm still trying to get two and a half years back from an ex-girlfriend.

A couple more (shorter) automatic Mario levels, without the techno, after the jump.

Continue Reading " Crazy Automatic Mario Level Set To Music "

Apr 15 2008 DIY Security System Is Awesomely Dangerous

I love DIY projects. Especially ones that involve automatic weaponry. So needless to say this one's a hit in my book. Hanif Molavizadeh, an Afghani citizen, rigged up this little security system to keep his home safe from unwelcome guests. If the system's alarm is tripped it dials Hanif's cellphone, which he then uses to talk to the intruders via speaker phone. If that's not enough, he can remotely fire a few rounds from the AK-47. Oh hell yes! During a test run Halif "forgot" to remove the live ammo, and a bullet shot through his window and ricocheted off a neighbor's place. I say "forgot" because I'm pretty confident that was just Mr. Molavizadeh's way of letting the neighbor's know not to f*** with his stuff. Now, not to fire my own assault rifle or anything, but I definitely had the idea of booby-trapping the doors in my house with guns a long time ago. Unfortunately I read a story about how that's illegal. And now I can see why -- I accidentally killed the cat-sitter.

Kalashnikov Equipped Burglar Alarm [uberreview]

Dec 6 2007 'Robot Guitar' Doesn't Need You To Tune It

Gibson's Limited Edition First Run of their 'Robot Guitar' drops tomorrow at select locations (10 per store). The guitar tunes itself. That's what it does. It's a self tuning guitar. It's got a little CPU and can tune itself with its "Powerhead Locking Tuners". I couldn't find a price on the bastard, but I didn't try very hard. Someone be a good samaritan and inform everyone of that when you find out. I for one am not really digging the idea of a self tuning guitar. I feel like tuning the damn thing is all part of becoming one with your instrument and being a musician. Can you call yourself a guitarist and not tune your guitar? Can I call myself a sex machine and not know where my penis goes?

Another picture of the robot after the strum.

Continue Reading " 'Robot Guitar' Doesn't Need You To Tune It "