Sure, slap a tube on it, and watch the SteamPunkers and audiophiles line up with pockets full of green vomit in disgust.  This is the X-Tube, a USB/headphone amp made to look like a vacuum tube, promising high-quality DTS sound.  But there’s a problem.

That problem is “marketing”.  First, calling it the X-Tube was really stupid.  Go Google X-Tube and you’ll come up with a laundry list of porn sites.  Porn + Marketing = Win Fail (in this case).  Second, the fake tube gimmick is so overdone; the various communities that are into valves prefer real and fully functional ones.  Third, according to the DVICE blog I saw this at, there’s strong evidence to suggest that the DTS slapped on the plastic tube is a lie.  Lie + Marketing = Total Fail.  Last, is why?  Almost all modern computers, especially laptops, have built-in headphone amplifiers.

Via: DVICE

Having been exiled to California for the last 4 years, I returned home to Arizona and was quite surprised to find a significant change to my local friendly neighborhood Radio Shack.  This one is a Vintage Radio Shack.

Not just the usual collection of soldering tools, batteries, and home electronics; this one features a wide and varied array of restored and reconditioned vintage electronics.  The owner has a serious hobby, and is constantly working to bring yesterday’s glory back to life.

Read more »

Just how did they keep time before the invention of gears and springs?  You may be thinking sundials and hour-glasses, but you’d be wrong.  Here’s a video on how it was actually done.

This is just plain cool, no matter who you are. I can only imagine the amount of video editing involved. It’s quite the insane project, but it puts a smile on the face.  Of course, the real question is: Who would buy this?  And does it have to be an old man?  Can we have one with Strippers?

Via: GEEK

Finally, something I would actually buy.  Much as I love MP3 players, they’re all too damn tiny.  These MintCube MP3 players are only 2-in x 2-in x 2in; small enough to be portable, but big enough to use on my desk.  The VU meter is cool, as long as it’s actually a real dBm meter.

Via: GIZMODO

I’m not sure it’s real, but it’s a cool concept.  The design is based on a 1954 TV, and some other old fashioned elements.  I’m just glad it runs Windows 7.

Via: Yanko

Most impressive…  Steve Wozniak, Apple’s co-founder and an impressive engineer, has made himself a functional and practical Nixie-tube watch.  I don’t know why I have such a hard-on for Nixie’s, but it’s certainly more impressive than the steampunk toiletthat came across my desk recently.  Seriously, some of you steampunk’ers have too much in common with pot-heads; instead of trying to make a bong out of everything, you try to make everything into a vacuum-tube, like this Model 420 Pneumatiform Infumationizer.

Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak shows us that a nixie tube watch is probably a better idea in theory than it is in practice. It’s so bulky. Sure looks like a lot of trouble he has to go through just to change the time zone. Never mind that, if they could just make these things a whole lot smaller, we’d really be lusting after one.

via: DVICE

BTW, pot-heads suck.  Read my Official Position on 420.

I ran across this recently, but I can’t tell if it’s real. It looks like a really good 3D rendering. Plus, the surface mount components on the PCB kind of ruin the valve tech feel.  Now, take this case and make it a “ship in a bottle”, that would be awesome.  Anyways, it’s interesting, but not as cool as the Nixie Clock with GPS Accurracy that I recently posted.

BTW, I encourage you to subscribe to the RSS feed so that you can now when there are new posts.  If you don’t know how to use RSS feeds, figure it out; it’s the only way to keep up with your favorite blogs.  Sorry I’ve been out for a while. I had to move from California back to Arizona. California can fall off into the ocean, and I hope it does and takes Florida with it.

There’s a lot of buzz on the popular, tech blogs about the new T-2 amplifier from Neuhaus Labs.  It’s built on vacuum tubes and hand-wound transformers.  I’ve got about 14 years in the Pro Audio and Video manufacturing industries, so naturally I was very curious to look at the T-2.  Short answer:  It’s a WIN!  Here’s my opinion.

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America’s entire science-fiction history in full of stories warning of a dystopian future where books are outlawed, art is destroyed, and the punishment for reading poetry is death.  Who ever though that having “electronics books” was a good idea?  Not me, and here’s the proof:

Talk about irony. In an Orwellian moment, owners of Amazon’s Kindle discovered that their recently purchased copies of George Orwell’s 1984 and Animal Farm had been deleted by Amazon. Apparently, a third-party retailer who specializes in selling public-domain books used Amazon’s self-service platform to sell copies of two Orwell titles. Unfortunately, those books aren’t public domain in the U.S.A. Read more »

Greeting Professor…

This is cool no matter who you are.  A nice chess set with vacuum tubes that apparently light up when they are placed into the sockets on the board.  Very nice.  However, a close look at the photos, and it appears that LED’s are doing the actual illumination.  Well, I guess 20kV of filament voltage would burn the fingers.

This wonderful vacuum tube chess set, by maker Paul Fryer, actually has electricity running inside the board so that the tubes can draw power and glow as you move them from square to square. It is called, somewhat appropriately, Chess Set for Tesla, and Paul actually made seven sets last year.

From: WIRED