geekLabs

Project Fridge Top Sliding Tray

2009-01-12T22:50:00.000-08:00

before

objective:
we have an extremely small kitchen, thus, every storage space is crucial. but the use of the cupboards above the fridge is often a nuisance to access because of all the clutter on top of the fridge. we'd have to be shift or remove cereal boxes to simply open the cupboard door. of course a sliding door for this cupboard would've been ideal, but apparently the engineer behind this show wasn't the brightest of the bunch (uhh...that was me). so, instead of a sliding door, how about a sliding tray that all the cereal boxes can sit on instead! cereals can slide, doors can swing! it'll be a jazzin' world.

challenges/procedure:
purchase two cabinet sliding rails from homedepot for about $6.50 each. screw them on plywood 'footing', then place another wood plank 'tray' on top, and screw that to the rails. uhh....that's pretty much it.
i didn't want to screw anything down to the fridge...but it didn't take long to come up with the solution of "wedging" this assembly in place, as further described in the next section.
features:
using two wood blocks, i wedged them into place at the back end of the plywood footings against the underside of the cupboard. this definitely gave everything a snug fit, and best of all, this whole assembly is removable in a cinch!

after

conclusion:

all "top fridge" clutter slides out of the range of the swinging cupboard doors. now we can finally easily get to that coffee maker that we never use!
project 'fridge top sliding tray' : PASS!

project oil compartment

2008-07-14T23:34:00.000-07:00

objective:
i love my '69 vintage vespa! but it's annoying when you have to measure and mix oil when you feul up. so i decided to premeasure all my oil into small containers. but they sure get tossed around to that far fetched corner of the compartment bin. so, i decided to make an organizer out of the best thing in life....beer.

challenges/procedure:
cut a six pack cardboard bottle package down to size. and...well, that's it.

features:
holds not only oil containers, but also a tire gauge, a multi-tool, and other small gadgets

conclusion:
a six pack to stay in shape!
project oil compartment: pass!

project espresso pods

2008-07-13T21:36:00.000-07:00

the pods

objective:

this one's a request from Jyllian and Isaac for their espresso machine (brand name remains unnamed). she showed me these nice plastic disposable pods that contains the grains. you pop the entire pod into the machine, water goes through it and does the espresso stuff, then the machine tosses the pod in its trash bin. granted it's good espresso, but what a waste for a one-timer! surely this is not the most environmentally friendly thing....so we seek to make it reusable.

snip, grind, and pry
the bottom of one pod can be made to be the lid for the other

challenges/procedure:
there seemed to be two types of pods, one with a filter paper glued to the top (let's call it type 'a'), and the other with a plastic mesh welded to the top of the container (let's call this type 'b'). so for type 'a', simply tear off the filter paper, and make a lid from the bottom of another pod. this will require sabatoging that second pod just for its bottom. type 'b' can be dismantled by snipping and grinding down the weld that holds everything together. you'll be able to pry it apart with a sharp edge.

features:
a reusable pod saves plastic, saves the earth, and ok, you got me, saves money (me cheap!)

conclusion:
keeps me wide awake, wanting to know if it'll work!
project espresso pods: pending!

Project Pro-Filed!!!

2008-06-06T08:32:00.000-07:00

click for video!

objective:

i was recently recognized for my voluntary work with engineers without borders (ewb) - cambodia project on a pbs kid's show, called design squad, which features working engineers giving insight on what they do on a daily basis. matt sisul and i had our 3 minutes to tell them about what we do!

challenges/procedure:
believe it or not, smiling is NOT EASY! but the film crew (jyllian gunther, adam kahan, and isaac miller) was a fun bunch, and we managed to stage through.

film crew and equipment

matt, me, isaac, jyllian, adam

(all photos by mulaohu)

conclusion:
i smiled, and got pro-filed.
project pro-filed: pass!

project paint roller scraper

2008-05-17T22:55:00.000-07:00

objective:
if you ever painted with a roller, you'll know how much of a pain cleaning it can be, especially when it's still soaked with the paint itself. feeling yellow?, no worries, why not try to scrap all that excess paint off with something commonly found while you're painting (or in your home)!

scraping it down

challenges/procedure:
unravel the metal paint bucket handle (or use a metal coat hanger), and bend it to the shape shown. start from the top of the roller, and scrape downwards into the bucket, lightly squeezing your way down. enjoy the bead of paint oooozing out.

features:
small, free, and you can make about 2 of them with one coat hanger!
add it to your painting kit!

conclusion:
wet roller got scraped dry!
project paint roller scraper: pass!

(all photos by rotciv)

project corona bottle tiki torch

2007-05-24T00:24:00.000-07:00

objective:

so i decided to ornate my backyard with some tiki torches, and these puppies cost a whopping $2.50 each! bloody pricey for a canister of oil held in some bamboo sticks. heck, where i come from, bamboo is plentiful and free. hmm...technically, i'm from jersey, but that's besides the point! i need canisters, and i drink plenty of corona's. why not convert these into tiki torches?

procedure/challenges:

the bottle's cap is pretty thin, and using a phillips screwdriver with one hammer blow will pretty much do a good job piercing right through it. for the wick, i used a 1/4" cotton rope, and thread it through the hole in the cap. fill the bottle up with tiki oil, and you're pretty much set!

features:

to aid in the capillary action, i filled the bottle halfway with sand and glass beads, but river rock pebbles, or anything else, would pretty much work.

conclusion:

ahh...corona! the "light" beer...

project corona bottle tiki torch, passed!

project kap

2007-04-05T22:05:00.000-07:00

objective:
i’ve been wanting to do this for over a year! KAP (kite aerial photography) was first told to me by my geekmate joe davis, who is now exploring the realms of RAP (rocket aerial photography).
the idea isn’t original, and i quickly realized there is a small community of dedicated contributors to the kap technology.
as for the cambodia project, i wanted to capture some images of overall views of the basin, the embankment, and even some images that may tell me something i don’t already know.

challenges/procedures:
weight is constantly an issue. just think, your camera alone is already heavy, then work backwards from there. i purchased aluminum flat plates from home depot, all the servo equipment from servocity, and a nice kite from coastal kites. as for gears, i tore apart an old unused printer sitting under my workstation for years.
the toughest challenge i found was the rotating bearings at the connections. after scratching my head for days…and days…and days, i came up with a nut/screw system. basically, rather than sticking the screw through a carefully drilled hole which creates high rotational friction, have it thread through its own nut which is then epoxied to the frame. the tolerance is low, and friction is kept at a minimal…and oil regularly. to reinforce all ‘nut’ joints, i used a fiber sheet mixed w/ the clay epoxy for added strength. if it were to break, it’ll break at these nut joints. finally, for “arms and legs” to protect against impact, i threaded bent steel hangers through small holes drilled in the framework.

features:
i originally intended to make a mount to just have the camera shoot straight down, but with a little more added effort, a rotating jig will better serve the unpredictable direction of the winds. this one can rotate 270 degrees, and tilt 180 degrees. the range of the transmitter/receiver is 2000 ft, although my kite’s string is only 1000’.

conclusion:
at times, kap’ing can be frustrating and laborious, especially in low winds, and especially when trying to utilize it for more scientific purposes. but the wow factor in photos and the fun factor in flying a kite both exceed the negative factors exponentially!
project kap: pass!
see the ewb blog!
see a bunch of aerial photos!

references:
-flickr contributors
-http://arch.ced.berkeley.edu/kap/

project peep hole fish-eye lens

2007-04-05T21:24:00.000-07:00

objective:
i wanted to take some aerial shots with my kap unit using a fisheye lens, and with the help of other geeks out there, i applied their knowledge. for 8 bucks, you just can’t go wrong!

challenges/procedures:
the only challenge was making an adapter to fit snugly into the lens of my camera (canon elph). measuring the diameter of my camera’s lens, and the diameter of the peep hole viewer, the best adapter i found was this pvc 1” x ¾” reducing coupler i purchased at home depot for $0.39. for a snug fit, i partially lined the inside of the pvc coupler w/ cushioning, the one used to stop windy drafts around leaky windows.

features:

takes nearly a 180 degree shot. check out the 'with' and 'without' shots of my living room.

conclusion:
a great fish eye for a bird’s eye view.

project peep hole fish-eye lens: pass!

project guitar hook

2007-04-05T21:04:00.000-07:00

objective:
it was a gift for tubugurl who needed to make some room in her apartment by hanging up her guitars. not until recently, when she purchased a new acoustic guitar, did i get the push to finally complete this simple project.

challenges/procedures:
last summer, while all of us were camping at the delaware water gap, i found this nice big wooden stick useful for stirring up the fire, and later on, a good roof support for my car to carry some extra baggage. the stick was a memento piece sitting pretty in the corner of my hallway since then. until recently, i chopped a piece of it into two halves, and made it into the base for these guitar hooks. using my good saw table, i sliced lengthwise a 4” piece of the wood, then screwed in a garage hook purchased from home depot for about $0.60 each. screws with anchors rated for 200 lbs vertical, and 150 lbs pull out would complete the assembly.

features:
it's a nice au natural look. it's also a nice conversation piece, "that wood came from the campgrounds where wiL made a fool of himself dancing like an Indian"

conclusion:
tubugurl was hooked on the hooks.

project guitar hook: pass!

geek spotting: project fish mask

2007-04-04T01:16:00.000-07:00

objective:

this is awesome! this person spotted my previous post on the fish mask, and decided to make one for his own halloween costume. that's fantastic!

challenges/procedures:

N/A

features:

N/A

conclusion:

yay, i made a friend!

project cambodia field tools

2006-12-24T21:39:00.000-08:00

objective:
so, we're in cambodia at the water dam site, and we need to collect some technical information. we're talking about soil sampling, soil properties, and surveying.

challenges/procedure:
it's not that we didn't have the equipments, they were just expensive. it's not that they didn't have the equipments, it was just never available for our use. we needed simple soil sieves and we needed simple surveying scope and meter rods. so we made best of what we gathered at the local hardware store.

tripod mounted compass and scope:
taking three sticks and binding one end with a rubberband or tie, i made myself a natural tripod. place a compass on top, or mount my camera's mini-tripod on it, i can have the ability to move and adjust more freely. the compass was used to measuring bearing angles, the scope to eye a straight line down the field and stake out over 450 meters of stakes, and the level (never really helped) was to make sure i was looking reasonably horizontal.

soil sieves:
a #10 sieve is nothing but a screen with 2mm openings. fair enough, buy this big wooden screen used for sieving rice grains from other debris would just do. a #40 sieve is 0.425mm. say roughtly 1/2 a millimeter. manage to find just that with the red sieve, most likely originally intended as a baking measuring utensil. now, a #200 sieve (0.075mm) is a little more tricky to emulate. so tricky, in fact, it was not possible to fabricate accurately at all, so i insisted on buying it. cost a whopping $120, but well worth its use.

soil permeability test:
###

auger extension rod:
###

summary:
knee deep in dirt...and data. gathered so much information, it'll keep us busy for months.
project cambodia field tools: PASS!

project cambodia water dam

2006-10-06T00:43:00.000-07:00

objective:
recently, i got involved with a group called engineers without borders, a non-profit organization partnered with developing communities worldwide in improving their quality of life by implementing sustainable engineering projects.
i found myself on the design team of a fast-paced project on reconstructing a water dam in the balang communes near siemreab, cambodia.

challenges/procedure:
the project is to reconstruct an earthen levee that was destroyed by a flood six years ago, disabling nearby villages of a resevoir that once provided them with water for their rice crops during the dry season.
features:
the reconstructed dam will be a concrete weir (a dam with water gates). the dam will benefit over 18,000 villagers by supplying enough water storage and irrigation for rice crop harvest year round.

fundraising event:
for starters, i'm running a fundraising event!
info as follows:
where: underground
613 2nd ave btw. 33rd+34th st.
new york, ny 10016
when: oct. 12
time: 6pm - midnight
donation: $10 students/$15 others
includes free first drinks
*(all donations are tax deductable and will be matched
by the pb foundation)

summary:
this task is gonna take more than one geek!
project cambodia water dam: pending!

updated summary:
fundraising for the cambodia water dam was a great success! we had over 85 people pack the bar. with their support and a generous match by the pb foundation, we raised over $3000. thank you all for you support!
project cambodia water dam fundraiser: pass!

video by humantranslation
more info on the cambodia water project
more info on engineers without borders nyc chapter
map of the venue underground

photo courtesy of devittj

for more photos

project chopstick capo

2006-09-27T23:10:00.000-07:00

objective:
it was jam session with tubugurl, and i didn’t have a capo for my guitar. i had to hit 2 steps up, and as an amateur guitarist, i thought it was brilliant to simply tune every strings 2 steps up. well, guess what? that last "E" string simply snapped! well, luckily we had another set of strings to replace. and this time, i wasn’t about to snap the strings again. so i decided to make a capo!

challenges/procedure:
who said take-out food is bad for you? well, it probably is, but the good thing are those disposable chopsticks! combine that up with some rubberbands and you’re good to go! break the chopstick in half, bar them across your fret, and tie them down at their ends with rubberbands! simple is as simple goes. now if only learning the guitar was as simple.

features:
well, it’s disposable. it got us thru jam session that one late night when any guitar stores wouldn’t be open.

summary:
chopstick capo picked the right strings, and they sure weren’t noodles!
project chopstick capo: pass!

photos originally uploaded by tubugurl

project headcam

2006-08-27T23:21:00.000-07:00

objective:
refer to my original headcam posting on may 4, 06!!!
i tell you, there are others out there!
check this guy out!

challenges/procedure: n/a

features: n/a

summary:
using your head wisely. good job!!!

project handlebar camera mount

2006-08-14T22:55:00.000-07:00

objective:
the conceptual idea came to me when i first did the new york bike tour in ’02. imagine, thousands of other bikers approximately 3’ all around you. funny things seem to happen when you ride with one hand….
*flashback*
trying to take a picture of joe davis while on the queensboro bridge who seems to be panning in and out of my viewfinder…avoiding mister ‘cut-me-off’…impulsively and instinctively squeezing the left hand brakes to avoid mister ‘cut me off’...quickly realizing left hand brakes ‘equals’ front wheel stoppage...flying over the handle bars with camera still in hand…hitting the pavement and seeing parts of the camera dissembling and scattering elsewhere….
*end flashback*
so, yea, the conceptual idea came to me when i first did the new york bike tour in ’02.

challenges/procedure:
i had intended on making the mount out of a water bottle cap or the like, then strapping it down to the handlebars, but this was just a preliminary conceptual test. while on a trip in acadia national park, i had my travel size tripod (easily purchased for around $10). duct tape this to the handlebars and you’re set. can’t beat that for simplicity.

features:
i can take photos and videos while riding. i set the self-timer on for 10 seconds, then steer my handlebars to the object of interest. the ball joint of this tripod makes redirecting the camera’s position quick and easy.

summary:
i’m no longer the fall guy. now that's picture perfect.
project handlebar camera mount: pass!

check out jennie speeding down the hill

caodesign

2006-06-26T02:02:00.000-07:00

caodesign,
originally uploaded by wolfiebites.

project light sculpture

2006-06-26T01:29:00.000-07:00

objective: refer to may 4, 06 posting!

wah! i had thought of something just like this! they beat me to it, and a very nice job indeed. i was in the tribeca grand hotel waiting to go into their club when, at the corner of my eye, noticed this nice light sculpture glowing at me! never mind the hot chicks checking me out (why you laugh?), but i was too busy checking out this light sculpture. c’mon, i had wanted to do something just like this! this one had thin platforms along with boxed in lights projecting out from a main stem. this is so much nicer, and perhaps more easy to build, than the one i had imagined up.

challenges/procedure: n/a

features:
i noticed the low wattage lights in each box gave a very subtle glow to each platform.

summary:
i'm so jealous! this is awesome!

project bike rack

2006-06-15T23:38:00.000-07:00

the show off

objective:
it was my first nyc bike tour in 2002, and joe, nuno, and i decided to take upon the 42 miles route through all the boroughs of nyc. but we also wanted to just bring one car with all of our bikes. joe had a bike rack that holds 2. not good enough. so i decided to make a bike rack that’ll hold not 2, not 3, but 4! i figured, since my car is a 4 seater, then my bike rack should be a 4 seater too! other spare tire mounts easily costs over $100. take a wild guess as to how much i'd like to spend? (hint = $0).

challenges/procedure:
do it in 1 night! then mount it, then test it, then haul my @ss (with the bikes) to nuno’s place in staten island at a decent time of the night so as we can wake up the next morning at 6am to start the expedition.
i had it all thought out, how i wanted it to look, where it’ll mount to, etc. luckily, there were plenty of left over steel in the concrete lab from a recent bridge building competition. the main body of the bike rack will mount tightly to the spare wheel. the part that juts out and actually holds the bikes will be removable. hence, it’ll need a connection. hence, it’ll take time to do connections. other connections are the clamping seats made out of steel angles that actually clamps and holds down the bikes. connections! they’re great, but they cost a lot, in time, and in money! i spent 80% of the time with these detailed connections!
once all parts were cut, drilled, temporarily laid out and clamped down, i went to town with the welding. oh, the fumes just get me high. (if you know me, it’ll explain a lot of things….alot).

features:
it can hold up to 4 bikes, though, i’ve really only went up to 3. and that was only once! i decided recently to cut off the last two, and just make it a 2 seater. the long jutting arm makes it a head hitting hazard. in fact, it has happened. (that’ll further explain a lot of things also). and poor jennie hit her head pretty hard just recently also.
most connections features nuts and bolts of 1 size so that you don’t have to use too many tools.

summary:
it served it’s job of carrying the 3 bikes for that one day. i’ve used it often since, but only for up to 2 bikes. so i’m going to cut it down. also, during mounting and clamping down the bikes, i need to use tools to screw down the nuts, washer, and lock washers. too many parts! i gotta use wing nuts or something. things could be a lot simpler.
project bike rack: to be further improved!

project leg lamp

2006-06-12T23:14:00.000-07:00

objective:
it was xmas ’04, and we had all just came back from copake the week prior. My friends and I participate in a secret santa gift exchange. I was the santa to Vicki. Not really knowing what she would want, but having a hunch that a leg lamp would totally be a great idea being that we all had just watched “a christmas story” while we were up at copake, ny, I decided to make one.

challenges:
there was a challenge around every bend. The first and foremost was trying to get a 5” stiletto…and I only needed one. I sent out mass emails to all my friends, but not trying to say much cos I didn’t want to give anything away. I only received harsh replies in return, accusing me of being wrong. Then, I decided to hit up some vintage shops all around manhattan. One owner in the village gave me a funny look when I asked him, “sir, would you happen to have any 5” stilettos?” After a small smirk with a flirting eye, he replies, “at home I might.” Hmmm…yea, thanks, but no thanks.
My second challenge was to get a leg, and hopefully not look like I have some sick fetish. This actually was not hard at all, since I work in the heart of the fashion district, things like this are a norm. I walked in the store, said I want that leg, and they had them all in stock. It just felt a little funny carrying it back to work. I had it double bagged.
I had 5 days to do it, and a tight budget, which I pretty much blew away on the leg alone. So everything from this point on was to salvage any junk in my basement, and also $1 stores.

procedures:
got all the leg wear at $1 stores. Reached deep into the feminine side of me and got tanned shade leggings, and also fish net stockings. What a turn on!
Salvaged old lamps in my basement and tore them apart for parts. I was able to salvage a pedestal, some wire, and all of the hardware. I also purchased a 3-way switch from a hardware store.
A cookie can served as the base pedestal and housed all the wires and the on/off switch.
The lamp shade was probably the next costliest thing, but was less than $10. I just couldn’t find anything that looked “gypsy” enough anywhere, so I had to just splurge.
I never found a 5” stiletto, so I just scraped the footwear altogether.
Heck, I’m running out of time!!!
Ok, so, run the wire through the leg, drill a hole thru the feet, run it thru that and into the cookie can. Wire it to the 3-way switch. Spray the cookie can, sprinkle with glitter for some flamboyant effects. Place the bulb inside the leg. Another one on top of the leg. Place the lamp shade holder, then finally, the lamp shade atop all.

features:
the most awesome feature is the 3-way switch. Click once for the leg to turn on. Click again for that to turn off, and the lamp shade to turn on. Click again, then both turns on. Awesome, eh?

summary:
the reveal says it all. It was our xmas dinner where the gifts were to be exchanged. We were in a restaurant, and when my gift was revealed, heads were turned to our table. We plugged it in, and the first switch brought on a wave of “oooh”. the 2nd switch had the crowd going, “ahhhh”. Then the 3rd switch just exploded into a mixture of laughs and applause. Vicki was happy. The table was happy. And the crowd well entertained.
Project leg lamp: pass!

psychedelic fans

2006-06-12T22:13:00.000-07:00

psychedelic fans

objective:
it was a killer summer, and we needed fans. i had these two in storage, thus, it had a thick layer of dust everywhere. since i was going to take them apart anyways, i did what i always wanted to do to its insides....paint them!

challenges/procedure:
not hard at all. twirl lightly, and spray. if you twirl too strong (which i did of course) then the paint will just blow back at you.

features:
when turned on, you really only see the thicker bands of color, so it wasn't really worth getting all detailed on it.

summary:
cool fans cooled me down!
project psychedelic fans: pass!

project fish mask

2006-05-14T20:17:00.000-07:00

FREUDIAN SLIPPERS SIBERIA BAR

objective:
my first attempt at costume making for jennie's first directing play w/ the brooklyn playwrights group . there’s a fish theme to the play, and one of the characters serves a conniving and deceiving role. so, i thought, what better fish than the angler fish! a deceiving monstrous fish that lures its prey towards itself with a mesmerizing luminescence attached to the end of its ‘antenna’. the fish is black, you see, thus, disguising itself in the murky waters. and the prey only draws so curious to this dim speckle, until it gets too close and snap, it’s dinner poo poo platter!

challenges/procedure:
ok, the 4 nights crunch time was definitely a challenge! but, with some instructions on how to make a paper mache mask, we pulled through. using a balloon as a template and sketching board, layout a thin layer of newspaper strips dipped in a water/flour mix. several layers later, voila! after drying, whip out several spray cans and let your imagination run wild like picasso! top off with a blob of styrofoam to make the eyes and you’ve given some definition and character to your fish. jennie made two masks, whereas i focused on my baby, the angler fish mask.

features:
ok, so i went beyond picasso, and geek einstein kicked in. i thought i wired the mask up with some lights! after all, it is the signature ingredient to this monstrous beast! and heck, if i’m gonna give him a lit angler, why not light up his eyes as well!
i took 3 x-mas light bulbs from jennie’s x-mas decoration kit, hooked it up to two aa battery pack, and ran wires up and down, through the nose, through the eyes, and all around the internals to get this thing lit. look at this thing, isn’t it just one ugly motherf#$@#. oh, and you’ll like this. the “on-off” switch was merely two small binder clips. you clip one over the other, thus closing the circuit, and you got yourself light! edison should’ve been there to see it.

summary:
no encore per say, but it sure was an audience pleaser, a director pleaser, a cast member pleaser….and heck, i’m pleased.
project fish mask: pass!

project futon roof rack

2006-05-14T20:15:00.000-07:00

vic on roof rack

objective:
ever thought about throwing a bed rack on top of your car? boy, i’ve always dreamed of doing so! no, i kid you. but i did desperately needed a roof rack for my car, as my car isn’t exactly mansion size per say. it’s a suzuki sidekick and i love this puppy. i’ve deemed it the “blackmobile”. but it doesn’t have much of a trunk, nor cargo space. and every time i do road trips with my friends, we are jammed in there with luggages, backpacks, purses, and manbags on our laps! additionally, when ski season comes around, forget about it. the inefficient diagnol placement of the snowboards take up the entire back seat!

challenges/procedure:
think about it for a minute, it’s a soft top. that took me awhile to think about how to go about placing anything on the roof at all! i’ve done several searches, and calmini has one that permantly attaches with brackets screwed into the car, spanning from the main roll bar, hovering over the top, then down and screwed into the rear chasis. it never touches the canvas at all. the bad thing is, though, it costs over $350. forget that.
after thinking about it for awhile, it became rather simple. instead of having the main bars span transversely (from door to door) like most cars’ roof rack do, i’ll have it span longitudinally. i thought of having it rest on the windshield’s roll bar and the main middle roll bar. the rear roll bar is hardly a support at all, but it can take some load. it’ll mainly be held back by the tensile stretch of the canvas itself. it’s main function is to just hold up and shape the canvas at the rear. so i must be conscious to place all of the load towards the front of the car, rather than the back.
a few years ago, while walking pass a pile of trash, there beholds a futon rack. perfect for what i needed, having two main bars going longitudinally. as for tying it down, i’ll run two straps of nylon straps on a ratchet set placed near the front and middle support. that thing shouldn’t go anywhere.

features:
for the bearing pad, i cut up some styrofoam pipe insulators and wrapped it around the rack where it’ll make contact to the car. i purchased a bunch of bungee cords of various colors and sizes. i also purchased a cargo roof canvas bag from target for about $30. and i just had to order from coleman a ski rack clamp, which i installed near the rear of the rack. this was about $60 or so. so i pretty much supped this thing up.

summary:
i get nervous with the added roof weight, and drive much more cautiously around curves, as this car is very susceptible to roll-overs. but despite that, i can have good long road trips with a car fully loaded with friends rather than cargo. and for ski trips, it’s fully loaded inside and out. all the backpacks and ski gear stays on top, and all the silly chit chat gossips and mock ups stay inside. i enjoy it!
project futon roof rack: pass!

project bike bbq

2006-05-14T20:13:00.000-07:00

Wiener-Mobile,
originally uploaded by tam!

objective:
this was the summer when mark and i decided to build a smoker. we got as far as making up several sketches, but never building one due to limited tools. and yea, we just got lazy. but, as i was doing some research on smokers, i crossed many different and interesting designs by stores and enthusiasts everywhere. inspired by one of those smoker set on those vintage carriages, i decided to slap a bbq grill on a bike instead.

challenges/procedure:
i already had the bike. it was sitting in my basement for years. and no, it wasn’t mine. i swear!
the bbq grill i found chucked away by my neighbor. i decided to give it a new home. it was pretty banged up and rusted, so i gave it an unbanging job by hammering out all the dents. hosed the sucker down to blast away all the cob webs and loose rust. then sprayed on a new coat of black heat resistant paint.
my main worry was making the grill stable enough to hold mega pounds of precious manly beef and hot hot hot charcoal without spilling over. i removed the seat, but kept the pole that was attached to the seat. the grill would sit on this pole and the bike’s original rear rack. it was very unstable, especially when the lid was open, shifting weight more towards the back. several hose clamps cinched it down to the bike’s rack, but the bike itself was rather unstable as it only stood upright with the rear wheel center stand. so i attached a longer rod that’ll widen the center stand and allow the bike itself to be more stable.

features:
the brakes actually keep the bike from moving. i clamped down the front wheel brakes with a zip tie or the like. the bell still works, and it’ll be rung when the food’s done. and the front basket holds all the grilling tools.

summary:
the reveal was on my first bbq at my place. over 50 people showed up, and all expressed quite delight to not only the food (thank you jennie) but to also where the food grilled off from! a crowd pleaser indeed!
project bike bbq: pass!

project headset winder

2006-05-14T20:12:00.000-07:00

headset winder

objective:
ever get your handsfree cell phone headset all tangled up in your bag or your pocket or your glove compartment? i do. and i can’t make meets end between the ear piece, or the plug in piece, and when i finally figure it out, i’ve gotten a cord that’s full of knots and only half the length it should be! if only i can wind this cord into a small compartment to store neatly away. eureka!

challenges/procedure:
make a winder out of a 35mm film container and a bic pen. the black soft container is easy to work with. drill a hole at the top, and two on the sides, then, with a regular scissor, cut down from the top to the holes on the side. this is where the wire will thread through. screw in a screw (about ¾” long) through the base to act as a pivot. cut to length the end of your bic pen and drill a hole through the middle. again, cut lengthwise down to the hole to allow the wire to feed through (this part may be difficult, i used a little dremel). once all done, feed the wire through the pen, then the container, then insert the pen into the pivot and close the cap. wind like you’ve never wound before!

features:
small, lightweight, and, uh…, free? to unwind, simply hold at both ends and pull. i wish i can come up with some spring loaded pivot to automatically reel it back in, but for now, i’m content to just wind it back myself.

summary:
i always know where it is, and where it is is always tangled free! i give it 4 bars on full reception and battery!
project headset winder: pass!

project satelite dish bird bath

2006-05-14T20:11:00.000-07:00

objective:
i wasn’t too fond to begin with when my neighbor decided to put up a satellite dish in my backyard’s “air-right-of-way” several years ago. even though it’s installed “onto” his building, it’s still rather encroaching and i’m sure there’s a city code about it. in any case, not until recently, i noticed that the apartment which the cable fed into was vacant. so i helped myself to my heart’s desire and remove this eye sore. as i took it down, i thought it’d be a shame to just discard it, as i felt that this was a good steel structure. well, the pack-rat in me couldn’t see it go, so i bent it back and forth, and all of a sudden it hit me, i could make a bird bath out of it!

challenges/procedure:
i removed most of the miscellaneous doohickey that i didn’t think i needed, i.e. the cable wires and all that signal retrievers. since i had a 1” copper tube laying around (also from a recent ‘pack-rat’ incidence several weeks earlier), i decided to put it to good use and cut about 3’ of it. i started hammering the poor thing like a madman into the ground with my buddy sledgehammer, which i’ve nicknamed “ong khai” after my dad. he always comes in handy! slide the satellite post over it, adjust the angle for optimal water holding capability (uh…that would be…flat!), fill it up with water and you got yourself a bath! so now, i’ve built Rome. i can only hope the “people” will come!

features:
well, it holds water. and as an extra touch, i did purchase a little bird feeder which i’ve attached to it.

summary:
it did take a few days, actually, a week, as i neared a feeling of disappointment when, to my joyful delight, i noticed for the first time a pair of birdies swooping down to this new playground of theirs. they pecked innocently at the water, glanced back and forth in that rigidly quick “high on caffeine” movement, then just flew away. that just made my day.
project satellite dish bird bath: pass!

project coffee table

2006-05-14T20:10:00.000-07:00

objective:
so it was christmas '05! and along with that comes the stress of what to get for jennie. usually, when it comes to gifts, i’m financially bound, but creatively, i’m free to explore. and by financially bound, i just really mean i’m cheap. and since jennie always needed a coffee table for her living room, and since a decent coffee table runs around $75 or up, and since i’m cheap, i’m gonna make one! i mean, how hard can it be to slap a few slabs of wood and post together! duct tape holds everything!

challenges/procedure:
after sitting in jennie’s living room long enough to ‘feel’ out a decent size, i sketched up a rough design on cadd. i’m sure jennie has wondered every now and then why i sit in her living room alone, mumbling dimensions to myself, and putting my hand out in the air to weigh out an imaginary height for the table. she didn’t really have much of a clue that i was building this anytime soon, and definitely not for xmas. so it’s all a surprise you see, along with me jumping out of that cake in a bunny suit. hmm, i should’ve stopped at hello.
moving along…..two 2’x4’x3/4” ply taken right of the shelf of home depot. four mail box posts (4”x4”) cut at 15” height, and don’t rely on that home depot guy to do it exact. at least that one dude in jersey city was either high or buzzed…or just dumb. you can’t really tell what it really is here. and iterating several times to him that “it’s a coffee table that you’re making, and that you would prefer it not to wobble” didn’t seem to help much. i tell you, it must be in our water?!
Again, moving along…after screwing everything together and giving it a good sanding, I continued on with 2 layers of stain, and finished off with 2-3 layers of polyurethane.

features:
i tell you, wright was talking to me. no i’m not schizophrenic, but i did hear voices. with the help of my friend, mr. saw table, i was able to make some linear groove details on the table surface. the idea was sketched out since cadd, but to see it come together helped me create it more progressively. it’s symbolic of a “ribbon” wrapped around a gift, get it? and at that very corner was where i actually did place a big red bow tie.
in addition, the “double deck” table allows for storage of magazines and other stuff you usually want to take off the surface, say a remote control, etc.

summary:
the reveal had jennie by surprise. i unveiled it in front of her house, topped with a big red bow tie, and a dozen of roses in hand. Forget the Lexus, this was a December to remember!
project coffee table: pass!

project light sculpture

2006-05-04T18:10:00.000-07:00

objective:
i wanted a modern looking design for a light sculpture by my bedside. i just sketched something up on cadd and ended up with something like this.
the intent was to simply make it out of regular "off the shelf" timber from Home Depot or the like. The main post is a regular "mail box" 4"x4" post, whereas the bays would just be 3/4" ply.

It's a little Frank Lloyd Wright, and a little Calatrava I suppose, not that I'm claiming I intended on doing anything like it. On each board, i wanted something linear engraved on them, perhaps like a groove linear design or something. Wright would totally do something like that! And Calatrava would just kick this whole thing over and tilt it 45 degrees, precariously holding it back with nearly invisible thin wires.

features:
the idea was to somehow run the electrical wire up in the main post, and feeding them out to each bay. how i was to drill a long tunneled hole up the entire length of the post was a challenge. i definitely didn't want to section up the post at all, that would just not look nice to me, unless i spent alot of time and effort to putty each joint to making it look seamless! on the underside of each bay is where the light will be installed. the thinner the light, the better! it'll cast a soft and subtle light to the bay below it, which may shelve photo frames, or other things worth displaying....maybe even an alarm clock for all that matters. then, i wanted something like a step switch, where you just step with your feet to turn it on/off.

summary:
project light sculpture: pending!

project headcam

2006-05-04T16:54:00.000-07:00

objective:
how about slapping your camcorder to your head?
the idea came to me when i wanted to make videos of me and my friends riding down the slopes on our snowboards.

challenges/procedure:
on my regular bike/rollerblade helmet, i looped a nylon strap through the holes and around the camera and cinched it in place.
the problem was, it was a bit "top heavy", and after wearing it for a few minutes during a testing phase within the comfort of my home, i felt a little bit dizzy from all the head weight. And that's just from walking around in my house, nevermind being on the slopes with this thing.

features:
i had wanted to put some cushioning around it, plus, somehow make it waterproof. but after a brief trial period at home, i just scraped the whole idea altogether.

summary:
Project headcam, failed!

where it all begins

2006-05-02T15:46:00.000-07:00

wow, this is the begginning of it all! after much encouragments from my friends, i'll start a collection of photos of all the itty bitty knick knacks that i spend so much of my time doing.

some ideas were just big flops, and some were a great crowd pleaser. Make a comment and vote on it; "yay" or "nay" ?

so here it goes fellas, let's see where this will take us... i'm so excited!