RasterWeb!
When you want to see things happen where you are, and they aren’t happening, or they aren’t happening fast enough… I think you have two choices:
1. Go to where things are happening, and try to join in with the people making things happen, and be a part of the things that are happening.
2. Make things happen.*
* Option #2 may require you to work your ass off. Don’t let that stop you.
After my first repair job with sugru, I remembered that I had this letter opener that was in need of repair. My wife had given it to me after she got sick of seeing me open letters with our kitchen knives. It’s a great looking letter opener, and the tape I had on it was not doing it justice.
I still had a package of black sugru, so I cut it open and fashioned a ring around the cracked part of the handle. I tried to get it smooth, as this repair was a lot more cosmetic than the last one. (And no, I didn’t have any white sugru!)
Note that it’s really hard to get sugru smooth. This is better than my previous attempt, but I can still see my finger prints in the sugru. Maybe I need to wear some rubber gloves.
My main complaints about sugru? I wish it were easier to get, and that it lasted longer. I’ve still got a bunch of packets and now I’m starting to feel pressured to use them before they expire. It would be great if the local hardware store carried sugru so I could just go pick up a packet when I need one… of course they’d still have to deal with the expiration problem, which is something most things in the hardware store (besides the candy!) probably don’t have an issue with. I still think it’s doable, as sugru is pretty darn cheap, so even if it cost double what it does online, it’d be a good deal.
Besides the availability and expiration issue, sugru is pretty darn cool. :)
The Clampette is a small clamp that can hold a small camera. It’s made by the High Sierra Manufacturing Company, and it’s about $12.
It’s a handy little device to have in your camera bag. It’s small, and it’s lightweight, so while it’s easy to carry around, it’s not going to hold that Nikon D3x very steadily. But what it will do is let you mount a small camera (point & shoot still camera, small video camera, or anything else that had a standard tripod mount screw hole) onto things. In the photo you can see how I made a really simple hi hat by just clamping it onto some scrap wood I nailed together.
There’s a few options, like the right-angle head, and the bike-handle bar mount, but besides that… it’s very uncomplicated.
I love the simplicity of the Clampette… it may be partly due to the fact that I made one about 14 years ago with a c-clamp and the tripod from a toy telescope. Mine did not work as well, by the way…
And speaking of simplicity, how can you not love the web site? It’s the epitome of simplicity! And in the footer? This document was last Modified on May 11 ,2004 at 4:25:35 P.M. Pure Awesome!
I remember hearing about sugru last year, and looking through some of the ways people have used it, and thought I should get some of this magical substance to play with. What is sugru? Well, it’s a magical material that cures at room temperature, is self-adhesive, waterproof, flexible, and dishwasher-proof. See the blog for more info.
One thing that’s been broken in our house for a while is the electric griddle. I’ve had it for a long time, and it still works, and I’m a fan of repairing rather than replacing things, as it helps save money, as well as the planet. We’ve been using the griddle for years, but have always been annoyed at the cracked edge piece.
I ended up drilling a few small holes and twisting up some wire to bind the broken pieces together. Wire worked great for this. I didn’t want to mess around with trying to fit a small piece of metal, or any sort of screws in place. But the wire isn’t exactly pretty… and it’s got those pointy ends.
sugru to the rescue… I took the black sugru and molded it around the top of the crack, covering the wire. It’s still not the prettiest thing in the world, but it’s a big improvement.
My only complaint about sugru is that it has a shelf life of about 6 months, but then again… once you start using it, you start to see all the little things around the house that sugru could make better, so chances are, I’ll have used it all up 6 months from now anyway. :)
In thinking about how I love to make and create things, be it art, music, electronic things, software, blog posts, cookies, photographs, accessories…. I think about why I want to make and create things, and I think it has to do with a few things.
I’m Cheap. I’ll be the first to admit I don’t like spending money. My regular purchases tend to be things like food, gas, and rent. I pay the bills and I while I do pay for the tools I need to do my work (whether that work is “work-work” or “make/create-work”) I really don’t like to frivolously spend money on things, especially if I think I can make it myself. I prefer baking many of the foods that I eat over buying packaged food. I like knowing what’s in my food, and try to avoid certain things, so this helps a lot.
I’m DIY. I’m not sure how much the Do-It-Yourself label has been diluted (or perhaps spread is a better word) in the past 20 years or so, but 20 years ago I was printing my own zines, and stickers, and patches and t-shirts, and starting my own bands, and booking our tours, and booking shows for other bands, and putting out our own music (all of which was much harder to do without the World Wide Web) and for me, it feels good to do things myself. I see so many services online nowadays that provide things I can do myself, so I do them myself. There’s all this talk about outsourcing everything and putting it all in the cloud, but I often like to do it myself and be in control of things a bit more. I fear we’re creating a generation of people who expect “someone else” to do everything for them.
I’m a Legacy. My dad, and his dad, were both what we now call “makers.” They were both experienced woodworkers who build their own furniture, and could repair things, and had great collections of tools and knew how to use them. To this day, when I visit my mom’s house, I love the fact that the end tables were built by my dad. I’m a terrible woodworker in comparison, but I’ve taken to making other things, and when I do make something out of wood, I tend to paint it black to make it look cool, and to cover up my poor craftsmanship. When I make things, I sort of feel this connection to my family, who also made things.
I’m Fun. Who in the hell would ever think a pair of servos and a puppet would get such attention? Much of my making and creating things is done in the name of fun. Getting an idea and being able to execute it, to me, is a formula for a good time. If others enjoy it, it’s that much better… but I’m fine with being selfish and saying that it’s enjoyment in making and creating things that keeps me doing it.
I’m Cool. OK, I’m probably not cool, but what is cool is that it inspires people, like… my kids. (They might be the only people left who think I’m cool.) My daughter made me a cake and I’m still floored by how awesome it was. Knowing that they see me make things, and in turn want to make things, is top notch. I love it… I don’t even care if I’m not cool anymore.
So my plea to you, dear reader, is to Make and Create… Do Something! Don’t just be a passive consumer, buying a pre-packaged life, figure out what it is that you can bring into this world. If you’ve got ideas, take action on them, make them a reality, don’t be afraid of failing because failing is just what you do before you succeed.