Made By Monkeys

Don't calculate on power

2010-03-18T08:52:19Z

Another one for the home-brewed fixes / bodges / kludges category...

Calculate the odds that this calculator actually works, with the modified on / off switch.

See it in all its glory on thereifixedit.com

Recall corner: Remote control kits for electric fireplaces

2010-03-17T14:19:59Z

Talking of remote controls - and I'm showing my ignorance here - I didn't know you could even have remotes for electric fireplaces...

Well, it seems there is a danger of burns. Not from the fireplaces, but the remotes themselves...

Dimplex has issued a voluntary recall and replacement programme "for approximately 700,000 plug-in remote control receivers included with certain Dimplex, Electraflame, Symphony, Optiflame, Electralog and Charmglow branded electric fireplaces, stoves and fireplace inserts."

I can't believe someone makes... Recursive remote controls that include the TV

2010-03-09T11:39:24Z

A TV remote control that displays other channels on itself? Wow. The decadent's decadence... watch the telly AND the remote?

And who's got the remote-remote to change the channel? This recursion could go on forever, until we run out of room in the room, or power.... Someone save us from ourselves!

Samsung 9000 Series Remote In Action from PopSci.com on Vimeo.

Noisy sprinkler controller reduces a fountain to tiny spurts

2010-03-09T10:58:45Z

When EE Dwight Bues' deluxe automatic sprinkler system went from putting out a "Bellagio Fountain" flow to a few tiny spurts, he quickly put his debug skills to work:

"Fifteen years ago when we bought our current home, it came equipped with a rather extravagant, 8-zone sprinkler system. (I say extravagant because the lot is less than a quarter acre in size!!!)

Anyway, when we were doing the walk-through, I was surprised that the owner mentioned that he always ran the sprinklers manually. This seemed like a waste to me, since the system allowed one to set up to four watering times a day, two separate watering plans, and you could select which zone would be on which watering plan. This was state-of-the-art at the time.

Silver fork and spoon iPhone stand

2010-03-08T15:48:56Z

This bit of fun caught my eye over the weekend - an iPhone stand made from a silver fork and spoon.

Trouble is, I don't know whether to file this under Made By Masters or I can't believe someone makes.... What do you think?

They will set you back $30 from ForkedUpArt - and come in different varieties - some made from spoons, some made from forks, and some both...

Most Read in February - The Made By Monkeys popularity stakes

2010-03-03T11:36:54Z

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 February.

We cover a wide range, from Apple warranties and LED cutting guides to laptop failures and electric guitars, in T-shirt form...

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

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

9. Electronic Worm Harvester

8. One in three laptops fails in three years - study

Apple warranties go up in second-hand smoke

2010-02-23T08:41:39Z

Apple warranties, how easily they are voided. The iPhone and MacBook products might be smoking hot, but don't go smoking near them... Issues of "second hand smoke", you see.

Thanks to The Consumerist for this interesting one on the non-repair of computing faults. It reports on the (2008) experiences of two readers who claim that their Applecare warranties were voided due to secondhand smoke - see Smoking Near Apple Computers Creates Biohazard, Voids Warranty

"Both readers appealed their cases up to the office of God Steve Jobs himself. Both lost," writes the site.

One in three laptops fails in three years - study

2010-02-22T14:54:14Z

There was a fair bit of interest in the report on Xbox failures we covered recently - the "red ring of death" - and here is some more interesting data about the failure rates of consumer electronic devices. Laptops, to be precise.

The US company SquareTrade has produced a report - 1 in 3 Laptops fail over 3 years - based on a sample of 30,000 randomly selected laptops and netbook computers that were purchased brand new.

Highlights of the study, according to SquareTrade, include:

Can we make that drive any steeper?

2010-02-22T14:33:23Z

To continue our new series, Don't Get The Builders In, here are a couple more examples of how-not-to...

As Chandler Bing might say - Could this drive be any steeper?

I also like the Escher-inspired staircase below. Does it go up or down? Or neither, but meeting in the middle?

I can't believe someone makes... An electric guitar T-shirt

2010-02-22T13:46:48Z

With a guitar T-shirt, you never know when inspiration will take you. Imagine strumming a little Paul Simon while sitting on a warm Californian beach, maybe, or just practising a few riffs standing in a cold bus-shelter waiting for the number 53 to Ponds End...

The Electronic Rock Guitar Shirt will set you back $29.99, and you strum away by waving a magnetic pick over the strings...

There's even a mini guitar amp speaker that clips to your belt and, inevitably, the volume control goes past ten and all the way up to 11...

Big Brother should be watching you!

2010-02-15T16:37:13Z

Good material for another series, maybe - Don't Get the Builders In!

Big Brother may be watching us, but let's hope he's not too smart... Not a lot to be seen in Sector D47...

An EMF headache in the air

2010-02-08T16:30:23Z

"EMF (electromagnetic waves) are everywhere, in your home, office, car - all electronic equipment radiate them. In addition, radio stations, cell phones, satellite communications also operate via EMF waves. Some products that generate EMF are computers, hair dryers, heating pads, microwave ovens, and cell phones, and many more. Some common symptoms of EMF exposure are headaches, fatigue, nausea, eyestrain, and overall lack of energy."

The paragraph above is posted on the Toolsforwellness.com website, which offers a plethora of products for EMF protection including pendants and watches. Plus they're stylish, too! In fact, plenty of websites offer devices to protect your home and office, your car, even your pet. Because you know if your pet hedgehog is acting a little weird, it just has to be the result of harmful EMF!

I can't believe someone makes... LED cake cutting guides

2010-02-05T08:42:20Z

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).

Home-brewed electric screwdriver

2010-02-04T13:25:59Z

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!

Most Read in January - The Made By Monkeys popularity stakes

2010-02-02T08:45:21Z

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