Author: Maker Block

Blueprints for building a Dalek

You must already know by now that I am a fan of Doctor Who.  I really wanted to build one as a kid – and had even heard the BBC had long ago published and gave away designs on how to make your own.  Then, about a week ago I saw this blog post showing a form letter kid received from the BBC in the mid-eighties after inquiring about the plans.  The letter from the Doctor Who Production Office politely and patiently explains the plans, originally released in 1973, included cost projections that were out of date.  There’s a short disclaimer saying the kid should not use it for commercial purposes, etc.  And, they close with an apologetic not saying they are unable to assist with finding suppliers.

Yesterday morning another blog post went up linking to the actual plans themselves!  There’s also a link to Project Dalek – a fan site for people who share information about the Daleks they are building.

Edit: Each page of the plans are scanned and online as separate GIFs, one set as black and white and the other set as grayscale.  I’ve zipped the scans and turned each set into a separate PDF.  I’ll upload them shortly.

Zombie apocalpyse

I saw a shirt today that had three words I found very intriguing.  Zombie, apocalpyse, and homeschool.  The woman wearing the shirt was gone before I could get a good look, so I may never know.

I now fear what will happen to this child of the traditional educational school system on the day of the zombie apocalpyse.

If you’ve seen this shirt, please tell me what it says.

Yay!

[pdrpiechart data=”Yes. Ill even donate a dinosaur. Or laser.=27|Only if they promise to make him blog LESS. =4|No freaking way. I hate that guy.=2″]

As you may have heard, I have finally worn down the resolve of MakerBot Industries.  They’ve agreed to hire me to blog for them! 1  The negotiations were long and grueling, with tough concessions on both sides.

I promised to stop hanging around outside the BotCave, move back to California, and blog less.  In exchange, Bre promised to drop the restraining order.  This is really a win-win for everyone!

  1. Suckers!  I would have paid them to do it!  THANK GOD no one reads this blog… [↩]

Maybe you guys can help

My recent post about We Alone On Earth’s MakerBot woes (and some solutions!) caught the attention of some people on Twitter, including Tim freaking O’Reilly.  As in Make Magazine, Maker Faire Tim O’Reilly.

Guys, if you have any sway with MakerBot Industries, tell them to hire me to blog for them already.  :)

Poll dancing

[pdrpiechart data=”Yes. Ill even donate a dinosaur. Or laser.=25|Only if they promise to make him blog LESS. =3|No freaking way. I hate that guy.=1″]

96% of people polled want MakerBot to hire me to blog for them.  4% hate me and would rather have a sharp poke in the eye than read another word I’ve written.  Oh well, you can’t live your life without controversy.

I’m leaving this poll open until MakerBot hires me, so we should all just get used to it.  :)

Google Maps – a stalker’s best friend

It gets cold in NY at night
It gets cold in NY at night

Ah, Google, you always know how to build an online tool that straddles the line between helpful and creepy.  Streetview plus Google Maps?  You are truly mana from heaven for stalkers.1

So.  It gets kinda cold outside at night.  I forgot to bring a sleeping bag, so I’ll just crouch down into a little ball, huddled over this laptop for light and warmth. 2  That Penke truck has moved since the Google van took that picture, so there’s not much of a wind break.

You guys going to let blog for you, or what?

Could I at least get a tour of the BotCave?

  1. Not that I know anything about stalkers.  Because I don’t. [↩]
  2. A modern day hobo-caveman.  Robo-caveman?  Scrawling my dreams on the internet walls. [↩]