Zoetrope - first test

We decided to try and make a simple zoetrope that can be viewed with a strobing light.  Inspired by a post over at Make Magazine's Blog that used pipe cleaners, we set out to make our own version.

Here's the lazy susan and cut wood

Chalie sands it smooth

Finished platform and drawing the animated panels

When we got it all put together, the plan was to use an LED flashlight with a strobe setting.  The timing didn't work out, and we need to rethink things a little.  Maybe (someday) we will re-make the zoetrope into a proper version with the slit windows that you look through.  Until then, here is a movie of the finished project...

The Willis Tower in Lego

After our recent trip to Chicago, and a visit to the SkyDeck of the Willis tower, little Charlie decided to re-create the skyscraper in Lego (with some help from Dad).  Here's how it turned out...

It had to be multiple colors due to a shortage of single color bricks.

He brought this creation to school for their form of show and tell.  The format is to bring something hidden in a paint can, and the student has to prepare and write three clues for the classmates to try and guess what it is.  Charlie had to forgo the paint can, and bring the tower in a large bag.  Here is the list of his clues...

1. It is in Chicago
2. It is tall
3. You can stand out in a glass window

Nobody was able to guess, and it was a big hit.  Some wrong guesses were the Eiffel Tower (Charlie told them that was in Paris) and the Statue of Liberty (Charlie told them that was in New York).  He knows his stuff.

Here's a view from the glass ledge...

The New Blog

I hope this will be a space to post projects and ideas.  I don't have anything new at the moment to put up here, so here is a photo of my super 8 digitizing rig.

The picture was captured with a cheap Nikon digital camera, and the audio was captured with the netbook.  Later they were re-combined with video editing software.  Final result looked like this...

I dream of building a single frame capture rig, but that is a project for another day.