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February 23, 2010

Apple warranties go up in second-hand smoke

Black Apple MacBook.jpgApple 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.

Continue reading "Apple warranties go up in second-hand smoke" »

February 22, 2010

Can we make that drive any steeper?

steep drives.jpgTo 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?

outside staircase.jpg




February 15, 2010

Big Brother should be watching you!

no builders big brother.jpgGood 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...

Continue reading "Big Brother should be watching you!" »

October 16, 2009

Should I Stay Or Should I Go?

doormat-anim.gifThis one doesn't quite fit the Impossible Objects category, but it's a bit of fun for a Friday afternoon.

Should I stay or should I go? This doormat could indicate either. Designed by SUCK UK, it's yours for twenty online pounds.

September 29, 2009

Home-brewed GPS holder

gps mount.jpg
Another contender for the Made By Students category, maybe. Not so much Ducking and Diving as Duct-tape and Diving.

This is another one from ThereIFixedIt - Delicious Homemade GPS Mount

A tie-wrap, some rubber bands, a cooking utensil... What else is needed for a home-brewed GPS holder? Let's just hope his bike is in better shape. View full pictures.

Previous entries from the Dont-Try-This-At-Home department:
* Hot water tap - How not to do it yourself.

September 21, 2009

Now wash your face...

sink running water.jpgOver the years I seem have become a bit of a connoisseur for how sinks can frustrate the reasonable task of wishing to wash your face.

Either the design of the taps mean they are too large or misplaced, or the design of the bowl is completely impractical. Staying in a London hotel recently, it was definitely the case of the former.

Continue reading "Now wash your face..." »

July 20, 2009

Impossible objects #11: The inside-out salt shaker

salt side out.jpgSilly, I know, but it made me laugh - the "Saltside Out" salt shaker. Thanks to Technabob for this one:
A clever handblown glass design by Jason Amendolara puts a glass void where the salt shaker would normally go, and the salt in the glass cylinder on the outside of the shaker.
You can buy these babies on Neatorama.com for $13.95.

Continue reading "Impossible objects #11: The inside-out salt shaker" »

June 23, 2009

I can't believe someone makes.... USB construction sites

usb construction site.jpgThe planet is dying, we need to conserve resources. We need to go green, and reuse and recycle. Not waste precious electricity powering pointless diversions. I can't believe someone makes a USB-pwered construction site model set....

Though, you could possibly reuse the bollards as Christmas fairy lights. And it might amuse a child, for five seconds...

Continue reading "I can't believe someone makes.... USB construction sites" »

June 18, 2009

Classic Classic

Nescafe original 2.jpgYou've heard of "better than the best", well, maybe this is "more original than the original"...

Original, now even better!

That takes special design.

April 6, 2009

Impossible objects #4: Infinite taps

looped tap.jpgTaps, eh. Come in all shapes and sizes. But you'll never find this one in the shops - another  objet introuvables from Jacques Carelman.

What's really handy, though, is when the hot and cold taps are connected to a single source. Throw in a third tap for good measure, too (for luke-warm water?). And another one?!... See below.

Continue reading "Impossible objects #4: Infinite taps" »

February 17, 2009

When is a door not a door?*

door window 2.jpg"Panda" is a good friend of the Made By Monkeys blog and he's recently sent us this one.

He asks: "Are the doors wrong or the balconies? Conflict between planners, architects and builders?" A good question, as I've seen this repeated elsewhere (for example, modern flat blocks in Sutton, Surrey).

If door's could speak, these would have an identity problem: "I am a door not a window..."

Can anyone shed light on the matter?

* When it's ajar

December 30, 2008

Man Turns Prius into a Backup Generator

Prius.jpg

After a particularly nasty ice storm knocked out power to more than 1 million in Massachusetts and New England in mid-December, one resident did, well, what any good engineer would do:
 
"When it looked like we were going to be without power for awhile, I dug out an inverter (which takes 12v DC and creates 120v AC from it) and wired it into our Prius."

According to the NYT blog post "Prius: It's Not Just a Car It;s an Emergency Generator"  the resident used his improvised power source to run his refrigerator, freezer, TV, woodstove fan and several lights.

Knowing several Patriots fans, I would assert that getting the TV going was paramount to the man's survival. But one does have to wonder about the need for a freezer during icy weather.

December 15, 2008

Solar Powered Speed Sign in a Shady Spot

solarspeeda.jpg

Last time we picked on Burton upon Trent for this leaf-shrouded parking ticket machine. Now, we turn our attention to Herriman, Utah, where Jon Titus snapped a shot of this inconveniently-located solar-powered street sign. Wonder how tall those trees get?   

Dish Detergent Label Contradicts Itself

preswasha.jpg

File this one under "mislabeled."

A Straightforward Solution to a Math Problem

 

simplicity.jpg

November 18, 2008

Three Pin Adaptor Plug No Deadly Device--But Maybe a Lethal Weapon!

plug.jpg

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nathan Herbert sends proof that he owns and uses a three pin, inline plug and has lived to tell the tale, though it's questionable as to whether he can get through airport security with it! He writes: 

"It's not quite the death trap artistic device as imagined by some people. Each of the plug-prong 'faces' is removable, and only one of the cube faces has live connection pins inside. The face opposite the live one has a standard UK socket on it. It's not bad (or lethal!) to use, just a pain to pack, as it's like packing a caltrop in your suitcase, and just as much fun to step on while jet-lagged in the night!"

Apologies to the artist who designed the HSBC advert!

November 5, 2008

When Levelers Fail

  statatwin.jpg                                                                                                       Thanks to Jon Titus another contribution to our photo gallery of cockeyed construction work -- or is someone just having fun with photoshop?

October 21, 2008

Was Matt Groening Inspired by a CDMA Plot?

Barts%20head2.jpg

Besides loads of useful stuff over at www.microwaves101.com, the authors have posted what they call a "politically incorrect"  microwave slang glossary.  While it predictably features some of the usual crude and sophmoric lab humor, there's a lot of amusing terms that will ring familiar to most engineers -- myself included.

A Simpsons fan, I'm particularly fond of Bart's Head: 

"'Bart's Head' is the colloquial term for the waveform in the frequency domain of a CDMA signal as viewed on a spectrum analyzer. When operating correctly, it looks a lot like Bart Simpson's head. Square sides, kind of choppy on the top. You might hear something like; " I looked at the Bart's head at the antenna port, and it rolls pretty sharply, I think the duplexer is tweaked" "

Is This Three Pin Adaptor for Real or Just Artistic License?

DeathPluga.jpg

 

No wonder banks are having such a tough time of it these days! Mike Meakin sent in this head-scratching HSBC advert from the Sunday Times:

"I'm fascinated by the 3 pin in-line plug - never seen one of these in my travels! What do you suppose the graphic designer thought this adaptor was supposed to do? Or am I missing something?"

 

 

Will the Real NAND Gates Please Stand Up?

NandGatesb.jpg 
 
 
NANDillogate.jpg 
 
 
 
 
 
Richard Langner's been wondering about the recent appearance of DUAL NAND gates in a local grocery store's car park. He muses:
 
"Could this space be reserved for BUS drivers?
OR maybe it was the next logical step since the store now sells computer peripherals?
Pehaps I should just ig-NOR them."
 
Or maybe Richard, it's time for that badly needed holiday!!

About Quirky Observations

This page contains an archive of all entries posted to Made By Monkeys in the Quirky Observations category. They are listed from oldest to newest.

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