February 2012

You are currently browsing the monthly archive for February 2012.

3D Printed Body Parts!

February 28, 2012 in Uncategorized by Kate Roger | No comments

Welcome to the world of tomorrow! Just this year, an 83 year old women with a badly infected lower jaw, was given a replacement jaw printed to fit her in a LayerWise 3D printer. According to the BBC, the jaw was made out of titanium powder that was heated with lasers and fused together layer by layer. The replacement jaw only took a handful of hours to print, and the surgery went quicker than normal, and the patient was swallowing and talking within a day. That’s right, not only is this jaw naturally more badass than a regular jaw, but the whole process was much more pleasant. Not only are we living in the future, things are more awesome than expected! Now if someone presents a successful Tricorder for the X-Prize, we will have achieve world peace, visit the stars, and money won’t be a necessity anymore, right? A girl can dream.

Live Long and Prosper.

-k

Tags: 3d printer, awesomeness, technology

The Lost Type Co-op

February 22, 2012 in Service Bureau by Stephanie Janisch | No comments

Finding a good, usable typeface is hard work. I always feel bad using an unlicensed font or one I downloaded for free. Someone worked really hard on that typeface; they should be recognized and compensated for it. Also, I hate it when you find a font you like but can’t embed it (we see this all the time at the SB). On the flip side, I am also pretty stingy, so paying top dollar for a typeface I’ll use maybe once or twice isn’t really an option.

Enter The Lost Type Co-op. Created by designers Tyler Galpin and Riley Cran.

From The Lost Type Co-op website:

“…originally [created] in a whirlwind 24 hour adventure to distribute a single typeface, Lost Type has blossomed into a full fledged foundry, distributing fonts from designers all over the world, with its unique model. Users have the opportunity to pay whatever they like for a font, you can even type in ‘$0′ for a free download. 100% of funds from these sales go directly to the designers of the fonts, respectively.”

So download some sweet fonts. Chip in what you can. Everyone wins.

Tags: awesomeness, design, Free stuff

Clap Camera

February 16, 2012 in Service Bureau by Stephanie Janisch | No comments

I love the instant gratification of using the camera on my iPhone. But usually I spend way too much time agonizing over composition, color, lighting, and any other minor detail.

Enter the CLAP camera. It isn’t much different from other digital toy cameras, but the concept and design has me smitten. And with no viewfinder or digital back, the images are more likely to be organic rather than composed.

From the Clap website:

“What distinguishes CLAP the most is its convenience. You can export image data and charge battery by just taking off its cap and connecting its built-in USB terminal to your computer. Haven’t you experienced looking for a cable? This camera got rid of such messy gears. This convenience helps you maintain your motivation to take photos…Although a lot of digital cameras exist, this camera cannot be missed. First of all, its colorful package attracts you. Then its convenience of charging the battery, easy operation and its reasonable price will exceed your expectations. This is a must-have camera even for those who already have a lot of cameras.”

Also, I love that their video is in Japanese.

As an added perk (they can’t seem to get enough of the chargeable battery):

“Plus! You can use it as a USB memory. It’s economically efficient for its chargeable battery! Various color variations! And its compact body. This is the camera that is made for “daily life.”

At $48 USD, I am hoping you use this as more than a cute memory stick. It is available from the website (all in Japanese) or from Amazon.co.jp.

The company that sells this also has this cat-shaped camera.

Tags: awesomeness, technology