HackSpace #65

Games might seem frivolous, but they play an important role in society. As children, we learn how to navigate the complex world of interpersonal dynamics in the playground. We learn how to lead, how to be a part of a team, how to win, and how to lose. Games provide us with a safe space to experiment and develop. As adults, games can still provide us with a great learning experience, not least because they give us a chance to flex our ‘making’ muscles As adults, games can still provide us with a great learning experience, not least because they give us a chance to flex our ‘making’ muscles. That could be trying a new technique, investigating a new material, or working with a new tool. If things go well,…

katzcreates.com 3D printing is great for all sorts of reasons, and one oft-overlooked application is on 3D-printing moulds. This stoneware vase by Allie Katz looks like a traditional glazed, fired piece of pottery but it began life as a CAD design. Allie printed it, then turned it into a mould to remake the design in a more traditional material. Allie’s working on a video about the technique and how people can potentially create their own. Keep an eye out for it on their YouTube channel: youtube.com/@katzcreates.…

hsmag.cc/ModellbahnWerbedisplay The world of model railways is full of creativity. This is the latest idea we’re seen to come out the model railway world, perfectly executed by Christoph Ketzler. He’s used tiny screens (0.96-inch (80×160px) or 1.14-inch (135×240px)) as advertising hoardings in his model transport systems, and connected them via WLAN so that the user can upload their own PNG advertising images.…

hsmag.cc/FlipTetris We all like Tetris – there’s even a feature film coming out soon about it, so if there’s anyone out there who still hasn’t heard of it, they will soon. However, this is the first time we’ve seen Tetris implemented on a flip-dot panel. The visionary behind this work is Owen McAteer, aka Motus Art. His flip-dot Tetris is fully playable, and it makes a wonderful click-clack noise as the solenoids built into the screen make the dots flip from black to white. Like all the best stuff, you can download Owen’s code from his GitHub page.…

tiltedtwister.com Last issue, we brought you a clock with digits that slid up and down to display the time; this issue, we’ve discovered a leap forward from this, with grids of black and white squares sliding up and down over a red light source to make digits. It’s powered by an Arduino Mega that controls eight small stepper motors, and there’s a real-time clock module (DS3231) to keep track of time.…

driesdepoorter.be/shortlife Life is short! Why not buy a clock that counts down until your expected death, paralysing you with fear and indecision as you watch what’s left of your time on Earth drain away? Or you could see the countdown as a warning and use it to motivate you to get out and do the things you’ve always wanted to do. It’s up to you. When you buy the Shortlife clock, you supply your date of birth, country of residence, and sex; from that, Dries will calculate your estimated life expectancy based on data from the World Health Organization (WHO); the user just needs to add the time and date. We like the idea of this; it’s a little like having a voice on your shoulder saying, “remember you are…