Corey Tamas is a communications consultant, a father, and professional musician in Ottawa, Ontario. More by Corey Tamas
There’s little else as annoying as trying see your phone's screen while your big sausage fingers block the view because you have to tap everywhere. A Cambridge, Massachusetts company called 3dim feels your pain, and has won MIT’s prestigious Robert P. Goldberg award of $100,000 to create the first gesture control and 3D sensing camera for mobile devices.
3dim claims the interface, which will read facial expressions as well as a wide range of hand or body gestures, could make touch screens “obsolete.” The company is confident that the broader range of “natural” input options will allow a touch-free method of interaction that won't require you to obscure your screen with your fingers or styluses.
Elizabeth Fish is a freelance writer who happens to run a hyperlocal news website in Lincoln, UK. She also covers all things geeky for TechHive. More by Elizabeth Fish
Ben Kokes
If you're looking for a unique ring for the geeky—or even non-geeky—girl in your life, check out Ben Kokes's LED engagement ring.
The titanium band, codenamed Project Longhaul, contains an LED and a copper coil. The LED can light up the ring's gemstones, but it only lights up when it’s close to a magnetic field.
Elizabeth Fish is a freelance writer who happens to run a hyperlocal news website in Lincoln, UK. She also covers all things geeky for TechHive. More by Elizabeth Fish
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With Memorial Day and the traditional start of summer just around the corner, you’re probably daydreaming about that giant rack of meat you’re going to throw on your trusty grill this weekend (don’t forget the vegetarian options, too!). But before you dust off that barbecue, consider using one of those old computer towers for your cookout.
No, really! Imgur user Jc8Ic gutted an old Power Mac G5 and transformed it into a backyard barbecue grill. He started by turning a G5 tower on its side and removing the side panel. After removing the machine's innards, the intrepid replaced the Power Mac's side panel with an aluminum grate, and attached and a wooden base beneath the case in order to keep it off the table.
Albert is a former PCWorld intern and GeekTech writer, who now works as a Macworld intern. Albert likes to help out in the lab, and in his free time likes to dabble in web development. Check him out on Dribbble, or see some of his work on CodePen. More by Albert Filice
MakieMakies figurines are fully posable and customizable, clothing too.
Making custom designs with 3D printing is nothing new—in fact, it's right with the spirit of the technology. However we aren't all superb designers, and it can be challenging—or even impossible—to design something that you're happy with. So if you've been thinking about 3D printing a custom action figure, you might want to check out Makie, by MakieLab first.
MakieLab is a London-based toys and games company that's dedicated to creating "future-smashing" toys. What exactly that is, I'm not sure. The company's creations feature a rare level of customizability and detail in both the models and their clothing, not to mention realistic glossy eyes, a design choice some might deem creepy, but that I prefer to think of as awesome.
Elizabeth Fish is a freelance writer who happens to run a hyperlocal news website in Lincoln, UK. She also covers all things geeky for TechHive. More by Elizabeth Fish
When it comes to feelings and facial expressions, many of us can associate a certain color with the mood. For instance, we typically associate blue with sadness(as in, "feeling blue"), red with anger, and green with jealousy. What if you could use these color associations to tell others to leave you alone?
Vittorio Cuclo built a Mood Lamp that does just that out of an RGB Ikea lamp and an Arduino Duemilanove microcontroller. Vittorio’s project works by mapping your facial expressions to a number of markers via a webcam, matches it to a color, and then displays it on the lamp. Essentially, you’re communicating your emotional state to the room through the lamp.
Ben Kokes
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