Congratulations to Katie Howell for her colorful triptych, Christmas Colors, the winning shot of our Phone Snap Holiday Challenge! We hope that everybody had a wonderful holiday weekend full of great company, food and lots of resulting cell phone photos to share! Many thanks ...more
Last week I reviewed Kinotopic, the iPhone app that lets you easily create cinemagraphs. While I loved the result, I found the app hugely flawed. Kinotopic forced you to use a Facebook log-in, and didn't store the finished video on your phone itself. Instead, you had to visit ...more
Video games are one of the best non-medical things that have ever happened to sick children. They are stimulating, entertaining and require very little physical strength to play, which makes them perfect for those suffering physical maladies. In 2003, the ambitious and creati ...more
Want to know how to patent an idea, but you just don't know how to go about doing it? It doesn't take a lot of money to get a provisional patent. The real thing you want to know is the process of taking an idea that you have all the way up to getting it patent. I will take you ...more
Polymer clay is an exciting arts & crafts medium. Actually, "clay" is a misnomer; it contains no true clay, but rather consists of tiny particles of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) combined with plasticizer, which is what makes it malleable like clay. What makes it so "exciting? Wel ...more
Nope, this isn't a flash game version of SCRABBLE. There's already one of those (and a multitude of imitations) for the Apple iPhone, iPod, and Facebook. This is an electronic game, and it's not a "handheld" game like the SCRABBLE Pocket Pogo Touch Screen Game (pictured right) ...more
Create and edit favorites with the Faves Gallery widget on your myTouch 4G! This clip will teach you everything you'll need to know to shoot high-quality, high-definition video. Whether you're the proud owner of a T-Mobile myTouch 4G Google Android smartphone or are merely toy ...more
In this tutorial, we learn how to make a silicone mold of a toy figurine. First, roll out clay and press the bottom of the figurine into the center. Next, use a plastic bottle to create the mold box. Cut the bottom off of the bottle, then press the bottle into the clay to make ...more
Make a creative and fun felted cuff bracelet! This could be a difficult task for beginners, but overall it's an easy craft. You'll need a needle felting machine for this though, which means you might have to hunt one down or improvise. Watch and learn how to use the needle fel ...more
It's not easy being a cat. After all, sleeping twelve hours a day really takes its toll on your body after a while. Give your cat a break from her difficult day shift by crafting one of these adorable felted cat chew toys. Felting is a process that requires patience (as well ...more
The cheeky pin up girl makeup look will probably never go out of style, with it's sexy cherry hued pout, neutral but liquid lined eyes, and blushing cheeks. After all, the most notable pin ups like Bettie Paige and Marilyn Monroe are considered some of the most beautiful women ...more
Creating a collage is a great way to show you and others the fun times you may have had during a trip, event, or just a random point in life. Making a collage is sweet and simple. Any item can be used, whether it be a rock, picture, card, ticket, toy, etc. So in this tutorial, ...more
Playdough is a fun toy for any age, but it can get expensive, and even though the package says it is non-toxic, how do you know exactly what is in it? If you feel more comfortable with more control over the toys your little one will inevitably put in their mouth, why not make ...more
The holidays will be here before you know it! Get a head start right here on Threadbanger with guest John Murphy from Stupid Creatures. Learn how to put together your own stuffed aniumal/plushie/stupid creature for your friends and family while saving a buck or two this holida ...more
It's time to discover how fun art and drawing is! Learn how to draw the anime and manga character Kon from Bleach. Drawing is a way of creating and expressing ourselves, and therefore the result is always beautiful. Drawingnow.com brings you step-by-step drawing tutorials on ...more
WonderHowTo is a how-to website made up of niche communities called Worlds, with topics ranging from Minecraft to science experiments to Scrabble and everything in-between. Check in every Wednesday evening for a roundup of user-run activities and how-to projects from the most ...more
WonderHowTo is made up niche communities called Worlds. If you've yet to join one (or create your own), get a taste below of what's going on in the community. Check in every Wednesday for a roundup of new activities and projects. This week: A nostalgia-themed cell phone photo ...more
There are seemingly endless photography apps for the iPhone—it is perhaps one of the most popular arenas for application developers. We've covered a few in Giveaway Tuesdays, but nothing comprehensive. We would be remiss to omit the two most popular frontrunners—Hipstamatic ( ...more
Sometimes an iDevice is best used for idle, pointless fun. Today's segment of Making Art on Your iOS Deviceis a mixed bag of time-wasting cool effects and random, but useful art-making tools. Below, 10 apps for creating anything from erratic hand-shaken digital effects to your ...more
Google+ is the most exciting new social network to come around this decade, and the only product with a chance of challenging the monopolies we know as Facebook and Twitter. As an Internet addict, I've joined every major social network there is - from Friendster (who?) to MySp ...more
We've all had photos taken of us that we hate. Celebrities, on the other hand, have the fortune of having their photo retouched to perfection. But what happens when the person doing that retouching suffers a stroke? Beyoncé It Ain't So! Apparently, Beyoncé wasn't white enoug ...more
Silhouette photography is a wonderful way to add a hint of mystery and drama to your shots. For this week's Phone Snap Challenge, we want you to try creating some silhouette photography of your own. Post your image to the corkboard by Monday, January 9th at 11:59 pm PST for a ...more
There are many impressive accomplishments in Minecraft, too many to name in fact. Sprawling builds, complex machines, and massive servers are the hallmark of Minecraft and things keep getting bigger and better. No one doubts the epic scale Minecraft has reached, but every once ...more
It's more addictive than Angry Birds, perhaps as relaxing as transcendental meditation, and satisfyingly simpler than GarageBand. It's Otomata, a newly programmed generative sequencer designed by Batuhan Bozkurt, a Turkish sound artist, computer programmer, and performer. But ...more
Below are a number of balloon artist related books that I have collected over the years. If you do not see a book that you own listed here, please feel free to let me know about it as I would love to add it to my collection. Additionally, I would be more than happy to share in ...more
Ever been warned that sitting too close to the TV might damage your eyesight? It won't. That probably won't stop this electronic View-Master from giving your poor mother a heart attack, however. Tuttle of Hacker Consortium writes, "[The toy has] 2 Colby 1.5 inch digital key ...more
Centerfold Hope Dworaczyk Will Jump Off Page Via AP CHICAGO — Playboy readers who can only imagine what it would look like if a centerfold jumped right off the page are getting new specs to help them see into Hef's world. The magazine's June edition hits newsstands Friday e ...more
Felt food is a great substitute for unsafe toys for children. A real life mom gives tips in this video on how to create great felt food that her children absolutely love playing with! The instructions are easy: Use wool or wool-blend felt instead of craft felt; it feels nicer. ...more
Arcade gaming just got about a million times cooler. VirtuSphere offers an interface that captures the players movements in 360 degrees, and then translates these movements into a video game. Rumors of the technology first emerged back in 2006, but the real life application ha ...more
An iPhone-controlled drone unveiled at the recently held CES is expected to revolutionize the world of video gaming. Called the AR.Drone (AR stands for augmented reality), this new product will literally bring video games to the streets. Via Daily Mail, "The flying saucer-li ...more
Hmm... wondering what to do with a lazy Sunday afternoon? Why not build a volcano that can erupt? Have fun and make a mess, all in the name of science! You Will Need: • 6 c. flour • 2 c. salt • 1 c. water • Small plastic bottle • Baking sheet • Acrylic paint • Paint br ...more
I have an absolutely wonderful time making projects and writing articles for all of you mad scientists! Today, I will bring you behind the scenes for a look at the workbench, tools, and software that make the Mad Science World possible. Above is my beautiful workbench! My who ...more
My JO was watching The Simpsons on FOX the other day, like she wholeheartedly does every evening, and I joined her, much like I always do— though I must admit, I'm not as obsessed with the cartoon family as much as she is. Just like she isn't as obsessed with SCRABBLE as I am. ...more
Graffiti— do you have the guts to get out there and tag some property? There's a whole lot more than just spray paint involved. To be great, you'll need things like a sketchbook, pencils, pens, markers, spray can tips, latex gloves, legal (or illegal) wall, and most importantl ...more
Four years ago Mind Candy was a pretty small game company. They were best known for their revolutionary but short lived ARG Perplex City, and had no other successful franchises to fall back on when that ended. Their plan to save it? Start a free online social game for children ...more
The game has undergone many transitions over the years, since its days as LEXIKO (1931) to its briefness as CRISS CROSS WORDS to its current and amalgamated, renowned brand of SCRABBLE. There has been many editions of the word board game along that historic metamorphosis, and ...more
Self-storage may not be a new industry, but it is one that is rapidly reshaping its operations to suit a progressively more modernized customer base. In order to stay competitive with your self-storage facility, you'll need to keep an open mind, embrace current marketing trend ...more
It's Monday, which means once again, it's time to highlight some of the recent community submissions posted to the Math Craft corkboard. In this post, we'll also make a flexagon, which is a type of transformable object. Rachel Mansur of Giveaway Tuesdays posted several pictur ...more
The holiday season is here, and if you didn't already pick up a SCRABBLE set during Black Friday or Cyber Monday, then you still have time to buy the perfect gift for your lexical-minded friend. There's sure to be deals out there over the next couple of weeks, you just need to ...more
A CNC router machine is probably the most useful tool a hobbyist can own, but the price for a CNC machine on the market is way more than the average hobbyist is willing to spend. You can build your own CNC with very basic tools, little knowledge of machinery, mechanics, or ele ...more
In this video clip series, our expert, Brian Nowasky, will demonstrate a variety of shapes, animals and toys made with balloons. Follow along at home as he explains the basic techniques for creating balloon art and helps you learn, step by step, how to re-create his exciting c ...more
This is a quick and easy arts and crafts project to make yourself a new toy. All you need are two sheets of paper, folded properly, to create a toy gun for your next game of cops and robbers.
A quick tip that can be used to create solid joints and fill gaps in scale models. Learn how to easily fix flaws in model toy cars with basic household items.
Our expert, Laura Nessen, shows you how to create a holding tank for your hamster. Learn the right kind of hamster bedding to buy. Also, Laura gives you tips for finding accessories and toys for your hamster. So, take some time, and learn how to make your hamster as comfortabl ...more
In this video series, our expert will teach you how to make cat toys for your pets. You will learn how to create a variety of cat toys from household items like balls of paper, tin foil, strings or socks. An excellent idea for a homemade Christmas gift. Part 1 of 15 - How to M ...more
If you made a resolution for 2020 to get healthier, it's essential to concentrate on your mental health just as much as you do on physical fitness. Running and exercising is great, but a sound mind is integral to a healthy and balanced life, and you can improve your emotional ...more
Pachinko originated in Japan as large casino machines that were similar to video slot machines. Players gambled on them for prizes. They were then adapted and became popular in the US as handheld kids' toys made of cardboard, a couple of BBs, some plastic and a rubber band. N ...more
On Monday, toy maker Merge virtually blasted its way into CES 2018 with a new tech-meets-toys innovation in the form of an augmented reality gun controller for use with smartphone-powered first-person shooter apps. The 6DoF Blaster (6DoF refers to "six degrees of freedom"), a ...more
Disney Chairman and CEO Bob Iger has out and out rejected Virtual Reality (VR) as a component of any Disney Theme park. While Knott's Berry Farm, why-hasn't-this-chain-shut-down-yet Sea World (seriously, RIP Tillikum), and Six Flags have all invested in VR to help spice up the ...more
As people experiment with mixed reality software, we're seeing applications that cover the entire spectrum of human interest. Anything that can exist in the physical world has a place in the holographic one. And just as we enjoy building various contraptions with real parts, a ...more
Walking, talking, life-size holograms aren't just for staging Hatsune Miku concerts and reviving Tupac, Michael Jackson, and other fallen stars. Holographic technology company VNTANA hacked the Microsoft Kinect to simplify the creation of life-size, 3D projections. For exampl ...more
Creating awesomely messy slops of DIY slime and curdled fake blood isn't something new—we even have guides on making Dr. Seuss-friendly Oobleck and the radioactive green ooze that created my childhood favorite Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (minus the radioactive part, of course ...more
While the heyday of the Slinky may have been a few decades ago, I still think it's one of the coolest toys to ever go to market. Not to mention it probably has the best commercial ever created. Video: . If you still have an old Slinky lying around, you can make this pretty coo ...more
I have never been the most artistic person in the world, but never overlook a great piece of work when I see one. With George Lucas selling the Star Wars franchise to Disney for more money than I could make in ten lifetimes, it's safe to say the franchise has a lot of fans. S ...more
Christmas trees, once decorated and brightly lit, are the penultimate holiday decoration, but authentic pines lose their brilliance fast without any nourishment. Plus, they are major fire hazards without regular hydration. But watering one requires a lot of sliding around on t ...more
More redneck fun. Bob Moravitz plus family and friends have created an 8 hour event of propelling vehicles off cliffs. Held yearly, admission is free but donations are encouraged (to cover insurance costs). "“The idea was inspired last year by boredom and a strong desire to d ...more
How much screen time is too much for a child? Should you let your children have a smartphone or tablet? What age is appropriate to introduce them to technology? These are just a few tough questions parents face. Research has shown that kids age 8-12 spend up to six hours a da ...more
Fresh off of shipping version 2019.1 in April, Unity has already dropped the beta of 2019.2, and it has a bunch of new AR Foundation toys to test. Among the new capabilities supported by Unity's cross-platform mobile AR framework include face tracking and 2D image tracking, m ...more
It's been a long time coming, but Tamagotchi has finally ditched its iconic toy egg and arrived as a mobile game. The new iteration is called My Tamagotchi Forever, and though it's currently only available in Canada, you can actually download the game anywhere and care for you ...more
After closing its 2017 financial books on a high note, Snap, Inc. is planning to ride the momentum of its augmented reality products into the new year. That's the main takeaway following the company's 2017 earnings conference call, which was held on Tuesday. While the company ...more