Launched in 1982, the Commodore 64 home computer DOMINATED the '80s ... and now it's back! Jeremy Williams reviews the $80 C64 Mini, which plugs into any modern TV via HDMI and allows you to play your favorite classic video games.
You cannot undertake any DIY project without the right tools, and one of the most vital is the venerable screwdriver. There are plenty of fancy driver sets out there, but you've still got to twist your wrist to do the work. The Wowstick is even fancier because it does the twisting for you. This is a super-compact electric screwdriver currently cleaning up on Kickstarter that looks like a pen and comes with up to 56 different bits.
The Wowstick has an aluminum unibody design with two buttons around where your thumb would rest on a pen. These buttons rotate the bit clockwise and counter-clockwise. The body is 16mm in diameter and weighs about 50 grams. There's also a cap that covers the bit attachment when not in use. At the opposite end, you have a microUSB port for charging. Points for not using a DC barrel or proprietary connector, but a more modern Type-C plug would have been better.
There are SO many drill bits to choose from. Here are the ones Sean Charlesworth uses the most, and how he uses them. (And no, this isn't a sponsored video.)
On our Halloween episode of Still Untitled, Adam Savage and Will Smith welcomed UCSF's Joe DeRisi, a biochemist specializing in molecular biology, parasitology, genomics, virology, and computational biology. His stories were so horrifying and amazing, we've isolated one here for your reading pleasure.
Joe DeRisi: So ... can I tell a story?
Adam Savage: Please.
Joe DeRisi: So this all started with a 74-year-old woman here in San Francisco who came to the Chinese hospital with what looked like a UTI infection. She had a little altered mental status. They gave her a Z-Pak and sent her on her way. But then a couple days later she has complete blindness in one eye, but no wound, just vision stopped in one eye.
Adam Savage: Wow.
Joe DeRisi: So she went to St. Mary's. They got a look at her there, and they thought, "Okay, well, we don't understand what's going." They did an MRI. "Okay, it may be strokes, and you're of that age; it could be something to do with that." But she had a weird cough too. Anytime there's a weird cough ... and she emigrated from China like 12 years ago or something, so they said, "Go to the general, get a TB exam just in case." A couple days later her family wheels her into the general, and she's comatose. They actually wheel her in comatose.
Linear switches are a bit of an acquired taste, but the proliferation of gaming-oriented boards has acquainted many users with switches like the MX Red and MX Black. Despite not having a clicking mechanism, linears tend to produce a racket because it's easy to bottom them out on each press. A few silent linears exist to combat this, and keyboard enthusiasts are about to have a new silent linear option from Zeal PC -- it's called a Helio, and you can pre-order some now.
Helios are part of the Zeal V2 revamp, which includes new Zealios and Zilent switches as well. Those switches have different tactile bumps, but the Helio is an entirely new design based on the Tealio linear switches. They're the silent counterpart to Tealios like Zilents are the silent alternative to Zealios.
Bill brings two castings of his channel's Makonde dagger prop, a design he comissioned to celebrate Punished Props surpassing 250K subscribers this summer. We paint the dagger with two different approaches to show off the sculptural detail.
Sean's latest shop tip is a path to learning some of the nuances of injection molding for manufacturing using Protolabs' design aids. These parts samples help you learn about materials, surface finishes, and other design elements that go into injection molding--they're great learning tools!