Made By Monkeys

An EMF headache in the air

February 8, 2010

Posted by Alun Williams - Electronics Weekly.com on February 8, 2010 4:30 PM
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I can't believe someone makes... LED cake cutting guides

February 5, 2010

Back to good old-fashioned 'electronic landfill'¹. Or am I being harsh? Do you fancy buying an LED-cake-cutter-guide?

That's the use of LEDs to help cut cakes, not a guide to cutting LED-cakes... Anyway, it plays music, too.

This innovative use of light emitting diode technology will set you back $38 from Amazon.com (not available on the .co.uk site, at time of writing).

Continue reading "I can't believe someone makes... LED cake cutting guides" »

Tags:

• LED

Posted by Alun Williams - Electronics Weekly.com on February 5, 2010 8:42 AM
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Home-brewed electric screwdriver

February 4, 2010

Another contender for a Made By Students category, maybe? It makes me shudder to imagine it in action...

How not to do it yourself.

Thanks again to There, I Fixed It.com!

Continue reading "Home-brewed electric screwdriver" »

Tags:

• Made by Students
• screwdriver

Posted by Alun Williams - Electronics Weekly.com on February 4, 2010 1:25 PM
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Most Read in February - The Made By Monkeys popularity stakes

February 2, 2010

Another month has flown by, and it's time again to take stock of what your peer's have been reading, as we round up the Made By Monkeys popularity stakes for January.

We cover a wide range, beginning with Lithium-Ion Batteries and patent laws and finishing with something that never stops...

As usual, to keep suspense at a maximum, let's do it in reverse order:

10. What's Wrong With Lithium-Ion Batteries?

9. US Patent Law: Made by Monkeys?

8. Battery Eater Has a Open Circuit

Continue reading "Most Read in February - The Made By Monkeys popularity stakes" »

Posted by Alun Williams - Electronics Weekly.com on February 2, 2010 8:45 AM
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Impossible objects #16: Piano stairs

January 25, 2010

Posted by Alun Williams - Electronics Weekly.com on January 25, 2010 3:46 PM
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I can't believe someone makes... More (food-based) USB nonsense

January 21, 2010

What is the connection between Universal Serial Bus-based devices and... food and drink?

I don't know, but it is easy to bite off more than you can chew with this one, as there's a feast of choice ... [Enough. We get the theme - Ed.]

How about beginning with a bento box, as Sushi lovers so often do?... Though not usually in small, plastic form, for storing files (available from USBGeek for 17 online dollars).

Continue reading "I can't believe someone makes... More (food-based) USB nonsense" »

Tags:

• USB

Posted by Alun Williams - Electronics Weekly.com on January 21, 2010 3:56 PM
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Galvanic corrosion stills Whirlpool washine machine

January 20, 2010

See also: Dishwasher Rack Succumbs to Corrosion

Peter D'Aloisio sent in this example of a six-year-old Whirlpool Duet front-loading washing machine with a serious case of galvanic corrosion, which sort of begs the question: What period of problem-free performance can one reasonably expect out of an appliance these days, even if its under warranty?

My mother had the same washing machine for the first thirty years of my life, and though it didn't have the sorts of bells and whistles you get on today's machines, it was perfectly serviceable and ran problem-free for three decades. She finally junked it for a new model that came in a color she liked better than white.

Continue reading "Galvanic corrosion stills Whirlpool washine machine" »

Tags:

• Corrosion
• washing machine

Posted by Alun Williams - Electronics Weekly.com on January 20, 2010 12:01 PM
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Let the latest Made By Monkeys posts come to you, with RSS

January 13, 2010

The best way to get the very latest Made By Monkeys posts as soon as they are published? RSS!

And it's not just Made By Monkeys. Check out all the RSS feeds that are available for Electronics Weekly content. The feed for Latest News, for example, can be found here.


There are 12 Electronics Weekly feeds you can tap into:
News
Jobs
Products

Continue reading "Let the latest Made By Monkeys posts come to you, with RSS" »

Tags:

• RSS

Posted by Alun Williams - Electronics Weekly.com on January 13, 2010 1:01 PM
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I can't believe someone makes... YouTube microwaves

January 11, 2010

Just because you can, doesn't mean you should... I can't believe someone really needs to catch up on the latest "viral video" while cooking an egg.

It's not a typical scenario in my kitchen. I'd rather watch the food through the panel...

Cast Oven are apparently the people behind the consumer gadget that should be placed next to the Internet toaster and the Wi-Fi Fridge.

Continue reading "I can't believe someone makes... YouTube microwaves" »

Tags:

• microwave
• YouTube

Posted by Alun Williams - Electronics Weekly.com on January 11, 2010 2:45 PM
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Impossible Objects #15: The clock that draws the time

January 8, 2010

Posted by Alun Williams - Electronics Weekly.com on January 8, 2010 3:47 PM
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The (latch) spring eternally breaking

January 6, 2010

Wolfhard Homma has a nagging problem that just won't go away: the patio door lock on his  house.  He writes:

"The door is locked in place by a metal knob in the jamb over which the movable slotted latch in the door slides. This pinnacle of American engineering suffers from two problems: First, bad material selection or insufficient dimensioning causes the spring holding the latch in its upper position to break. Often.

Continue reading "The (latch) spring eternally breaking" »

Tags:

• door lock
• latch spring

Posted by Alun Williams - Electronics Weekly.com on January 6, 2010 3:05 PM
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Sign up for the Made By Monkeys newsletter

Don't forget that you can sign up for the Made By Monkeys newsletter to ensure you receive the latest and greatest posts, straight to your inbox!

Signing up only takes a second - simply edit your account settings to check the 'Made by Monkeys' box - and then you can sit back and we do the rest.

The mail is sent fortnightly, on alternating Wednesdays, at around 11.00am GMT. Don't miss out!

Posted by Alun Williams - Electronics Weekly.com on January 6, 2010 2:19 PM
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Most Read in 2009 - The Made By Monkeys popularity stakes

January 1, 2010

Not just how swiftly the months pass, but how swiftly the years pass! Let's take stock of what your peers have been reading, and use the power of HitBox to look at the most popular Made By Monkeys posts of 2009.

A series newly introduced in 2009 seems to have gone down well - the Impossible Objects. But which ones were the most read?

Taking it in reverse order:

10. I can't believe someone makes... Faceless watches

9. Impossible objects #5: Street Power

8. I can't believe someone makes... Klingon keyboards

Continue reading "Most Read in 2009 - The Made By Monkeys popularity stakes" »

Posted by Alun Williams - Electronics Weekly.com on January 1, 2010 8:00 AM
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I can't believe someone makes... R2-D2 Christmas lights

December 15, 2009

I can't believe someone makes R2-D2 Christmas lights! Don't they know that Astromech Droids^[1] should only be used for "repairs and navigational computing"?!

Christmas always brings with it a whole heap of electronic junk, so we have been really spoiled for choice for this series. I'm going to sit on some classics until the New Year, however, as this one is at least seasonal!

Continue reading "I can't believe someone makes... R2-D2 Christmas lights" »

Tags:

• Christmas Lights
• R2-D2
• Star Wars

Posted by Alun Williams - Electronics Weekly.com on December 15, 2009 8:17 AM
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Recall Corner: Packard Bell laptop battery

December 14, 2009

Following the Nokia and IBM chargers and adaptors, the power theme continues with our latest Recall Corner...

Packard Bell has announced a voluntary safety recall of the battery contained in certain of its Easynote laptops, due to potentially defective battery cells.

Continue reading "Recall Corner: Packard Bell laptop battery" »

Tags:

• Battery
• Packard Bell
• recall corner

Posted by Alun Williams - Electronics Weekly.com on December 14, 2009 3:10 PM
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The problematic case of Lex Luthor and Kryptonite Locks

December 11, 2009

Thanks to reader JD for a submission to Made By Monkeys - please do keep them coming.

This is one to handle carefully, as it is about the apparent fallibility of a lock design... However, the thieves already know about this because it has long been out in the public domain. Check out this Wired article from 2004 - Twist a Pen, Open a Lock

The products in question are Kryptonite Locks. "Perhaps Lex Luthor had a hand in it...," says JD. The locks "use an axial pin tumbler, a common cylindrical design used in a wide variety of products," states Wired.

Continue reading "The problematic case of Lex Luthor and Kryptonite Locks" »

Tags:

• Kryptonite

Posted by Alun Williams - Electronics Weekly.com on December 11, 2009 4:38 PM
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I can't believe someone makes... 12V Heated Pizza Takeaway Bags

December 8, 2009

Thanks to reader Mike Read for proposing this one for our I can't believe... series. Keep 'em coming.

There's a bit of a Pizza theme emerging on Made By Monkeys, what with ovens, and cutters. And now we have heated bags...

Of course, while it conjures up images of Pizza lovers who will go that extra mile - on foot if necessary - to keep their pizzas warm, it must be aimed at the retail market (though this is Maplins we are talking about).

Continue reading "I can't believe someone makes... 12V Heated Pizza Takeaway Bags" »

Tags:

• pizza bag

Posted by Alun Williams - Electronics Weekly.com on December 8, 2009 11:49 AM
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You Wanted What Capacitor Rating?

December 7, 2009

Posted by Alun Williams - Electronics Weekly.com on December 7, 2009 11:56 AM
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How to Submit Lousy Designs to Made by Monkeys

December 6, 2009

 Show us the Best of the Worst! If you've had a recent run-in with a cheaply-made, inferior product, tell us about it and you could win a limited edition, high-quality, well-engineered Made by Monkeys tshirt!

Just email us at webmaster@electronicsweekly.com a photo or video of the defective product, with any witty observations you care to make -- keep it short, simple, and fun. View a good example of what we mean.

We also welcome suggestions on news stories and topics you think merit a closer look by our jaundiced eye. And we'd be delighted to have you to weigh in on anything we present here, particularly when we touch on your particular areas of engineering expertise. Use our handy comments button at the bottom of each blog entry.

Posted by Alun Williams - Electronics Weekly.com on December 6, 2009 8:05 AM
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Most Read in November - The Made By Monkeys popularity stakes

December 1, 2009

How swiftly the months pass! It's time again to take stock of what your peer's have been reading as we round up the Made By Monkeys popularity stakes for November.

We cover a wide range, beginning with the Little Corporal - Napoleon - and finishing with a little light in the hand...

As before, to keep suspense at a maximum, let's do it in reverse order:

10. Did Tin Pest Cause Napoleon to Experience a Wardrobe Malfunction?

9. What's Wrong With Lithium-Ion Batteries?

8. Recall corner: Nokia chargers

Continue reading "Most Read in November - The Made By Monkeys popularity stakes" »

Posted by Alun Williams - Electronics Weekly.com on December 1, 2009 10:03 AM
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