The 1st SteamCon was a huge success.  I had sent Omega7Red’s own infamous Captain Jamison Dao of the HRMAS Prometheus to the SteamCon event.  However, he failed to report back.  Apparently, he was killed in a duel, most violently.  (hit the more to read on)

Captain Jamison Dao, being the adventurer, scoundrel, pre-emptive salvage operator, purveyor of fine goods and worldly wonders, that he was; well, he was given to drink.  The man simply could not handle the combination of Brandy, Cigars, and fine Women.  I received numerous reports that a man matching Dao’s description was seen at the SteamCon.  This person was clearly intoxicated to the point of barely being able to walk without the aid of his servants, bragging how he single-handedly won the Tunisian War, and putting his hands upon the ladies there about in an unsavory and sometimes unnatural fashion.

One of these ladies was indeed a former lover that he had failed to recognize.  Upon her scorn and realizing his error, he unjustly spoke ill of the woman’s aesthetic qualities and questionable breeding.  Naturally, her gentlemen came to her defense and challenged Dao to a duel.  Dao accepted and in a manner most unlike a gentlemen immediately drew his sword.  His opponent, being sober and more intelligent in disposition, drew a gun and dispatched Dao.

Mind you, this was no ordinary gun.  These are after all crazy people with way too much time on there hands.  The weapon bragged of gears, valves, aether energy, and radioactive elements.  Poor Dao was not only killed, he was ripped apart at the atomic level and converted into a puff of red smoke and blue ash.  To add insult to injury, the opponent’s canine companion relieved itself upon Dao’s ashes.

I hope the reports are not true that Dao is dead.  I intend to go to SteamCon II and look for him.  Perhaps he is  just on another one of his adventures, and has forgotten me.

It’s also functional.  You can create your own nervous habit of spinning the counter-rotating rings on your finger.  Or, if you’re like me, you can give them “the finger” with style.

 The Gear Ring from Kinekt has functional gears in the middle that allow the bezel to rotate. And that’s pretty much it. No lasers or anything. They’re available in US sizes 9-12 for $165, and may need to be oiled from time to time. Not unlike the Tin Man! Who, fun fact: is not a robot. Don’t get me wrong, I’d still crush his ass on my face like an empty beer can, he just isn’t a robot. No laughing, Lion, you’re next.

Via Geekologie

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

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.

Just look at all this stuff, and this isn’t even the half of it.

For example, this is a 1949 Motorola 7-inch B&W television.  It works and gets a picture.  I’m really tempted to get it and hook it up to my Xbox 360.  Why?  To watch old Abbott & Costello movies on Zune.

This is for the REAL audiophile.  Forget spending hundreds of thousands of dollars in high-tech overblown gold-plated imitations.  Get the authentic and original sound quality you were meant to hear.

Look at that multi-meter.  After all, if you’re going to have vintage home entertainment, you might as well have vintage test equipment to service them.  Besides, this thing is probably more accurate than most modern solid-state meters.

Everything is original.  I saw the inside of some of these; and yeah, it’s 50-years old.  Re-solding old point-to-point connections, replacing bad tubes, removing rust, and re-finishing wood is not an easy task.  The prices are reasonable (actually a steal), and the owner usually sells out by Christmas.  Even if you’re on a budget, there are individual vacuum tubes for display on your knick-knack shelf.  So, if you find yourself in Arizona, come visit the Vintage Radio Shack in Chino Valley.

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

Via: GIZMODO

Via: Yanko

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.

Neverwas Haul, a self-propelled 3-story Victorian House, made from 75% recycled equipment and materials, returns with new interiors, operating system, and collections from its travels around the world (i.e., oddities of the Jules Verne era including a Camera Obscura, described below). The Haul measures 24 feet long by 24 feet high and 12 feet wide and is built on the base of a 5 th wheel travel trailer.

A cooperative effort of a number of artists, photographers and lens makers, the Camera Obscura is installed in the turret of the Haul. With the support of a trained technician, the public sees many a spectacular view. A camera obscura is a series of lenses creating an image that is projected onto a concave screen table (sketch included below) [not on this site]. The size of the unit is approximately 12 feet tall by 3 feet wide and is made from hand-made glass lenses, recycled brass fittings and antique ironwork.

Check out the Site for full details: neverwashaul.com

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.