Latest stories
Benjamin Franklin made a musical instrument out of glassware
The glass armonica is played by touching rotating glass bowls with wet fingers. Franklin’s 1761 invention turned the sound of a glass into an instrument for melodies and chords.
Latest stories
Cyworld returns with memories of our old minihompies
Cyworld announced plans for a mobile beta as early as late November. Old accounts and ilchon friend connections would come first, with photographs and diaries restored in stages through the full service.
Akari: a paper light that folds into a flat box
Akari’s paper shades are made over bamboo ribs on wooden molds. Once the paper has dried and the mold is removed, the shade can fold flat for packing.
Daphne Oram made music from lines drawn on film
Oramics translated drawn shapes into electronic sound. Daphne Oram developed the experimental instrument with engineers, using film strips to control musical parameters.
How 36 café chairs fit into one box
Thonet’s No. 14 chair, now known as the 214, uses bent solid wood and screw-fastened parts. Its construction made the familiar café chair practical to ship in pieces.
Furoshiki: a cloth for wrapping lunch boxes and bottles
Fold and knot a square of cloth to wrap a bottle, box, or lunch. Furoshiki can be opened, washed as its fabric allows, and used again.
Shuttle Chef keeps a whole cooking pot warm
Put a heated pot inside an insulated container and let retained heat continue the cooking. Shuttle Chef separates time on the stove from time spent cooking under insulation.
Ribose and glucose discovered on an asteroid
Researchers identified ribose, a sugar used in RNA, and glucose in samples from Bennu. Finding these molecules is different from finding life.
How discarded plastic becomes material for something new
Precious Plastic shares designs for shredders and molding equipment. Turning waste into new material takes sorting, preparation, and several stages of work.