Awesome Tech

We don’t recommend trying this at home, but if you pop a compact disc into a microwave oven and turn it on, it’ll put on a brief but spectacular light show. The Slow Mo Guys rigged up a macro probe lens and their high-speed cameras to capture the miniature electrical storm in amazing detail. Then they scrambled some eggs.

Whether or not you think the spatial computing tech in the Apple Vision Pro headset will take off, it’s an impressive piece of hardware. Apple gives us a rare glimpse into the modern manufacturing techniques used in crafting the device, including custom-cut and bent glass, an engineered fabric band, and a precision-machined aluminum bezel.

Research Fellow and Imagineer Lanny Smoot is only the second Disney cast member to be inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame. The first was Walt Disney. In this video, Lanny shows off a few of his incredible creations, including an amazing interactive “Holotile” floor that moves beneath your feet.

VinFast Auto didn’t just stand out at CES 2024 for its unexpected reveal of its futuristic VF Wild electric pickup truck concept. The young Vietnamese company also launched its DrgnFly electric bike just one year after its initial showcase.

This unique desk clock combines vintage tech with natural looks. At its center is an exposed circuit board with vintage IV-9 Nixie tubes. A hardwood frame complements the warm orange glow of its tubes. Its circuitry includes a DS3231 clock chip and an ESP8266 wi-fi module to maintain accurate time via the internet. It measures 4.92″ x 4.92″ x 2.12″.

FiiO is known for its high-fidelity digital audio gear. Now, they’ve gone retro with the CP13, a portable cassette player that pays tribute to the classic Sony Walkman. The silvery-blue gadget works much like cassette players of yore, only playing via wired headphones, but it has a built-in rechargeable battery. Drops spring 2024 for about $150.

Chinese sign maker Star Road Factory has perfected an infinite neon effect by sandwiching LEDs between sheets of acrylic and a mirrored backing to create an awesome infinite light effect that looks even cooler when changing perspective. They have another TikTok channel that shows off more of their work.

You only need to overtighten and break one object in a vise, and you’ll realize there’s value in a vise that can automatically adjust its grip to hold items at a set intensity level. The MakaGiC VS01 motorized vise grips items with the push of a button and holds items up to 125 mm (4.92″) wide. An add-on work light includes a magnifier for working on small parts.

Engineer James Bruton has been experimenting with designs for a unique tank with treads that twist like a Möbius strip. After an earlier design that struggled with steering, his revised tank can bend at its center to drive around corners. It’s not a particularly practical design, but it sure is cool to watch in action.

Before broadband internet was a thing, we had dial-up modems. These devices used regular phone lines to send sounds that represented data, and the beeps and squeals they made when connecting were awful. But in the talented hands of remixer Eclectic Method (aka Jonny Wilson), these sounds have a certain musicality when given a backbeat.

The Atari 400 Mini emulates all of the classic Atari 8-bit systems, including the 400, 800XL, and Atari 5200 game consoles. The modernized system has an HDMI video output and USB controller inputs. It comes with 25 games, including Berzerk, Millipede, Miner 2049er, M.U.L.E., and Star Raiders II, and you can load more via USB. An Amazon UK exclusive.

Instead of telling time, Digital Horology’s LunaKron 2.1 clock displays the current moon phase. It uses GPS data to calculate the date and which phase to show. It’s made from acrylic and fiberboard, and the photographic moon is backlit by 256 LEDs. They also make the LunaKron 1, which has backlit cutouts representing each of the moon’s eight phases.

Tech startup Rabbit turned up at CES 2024 with a pocket-size virtual assistant. Designed in collaboration with Teenage Engineering, the gadget can rapidly answer questions using AI. It has a push-to-talk button, a 2.88″ touchscreen, an analog scroll wheel, two microphones, a speaker, and a rotating camera. The demo kicks off at 6:33 in the video.

CitySheep handmakes these organizer pouches for carrying cables and other accessories. They’re crafted from natural wool felt and leather and have two pockets for headphones, chargers, mice, and more. There’s also a leather pen/pencil loop and twin magnetic closures. They also make matching laptop and iPad cases.

Zinc carbon batteries are the cheapest kind of batteries you can buy. Alkaline and lithium batteries last longer, but that doesn’t make this factory video any less fascinating. Miracle Process took their cameras inside a Chinese factory that uses an army of machines to crank out millions of zinc-carbon batteries each year. Turn on captions.

The use of artificial intelligence to generate and manipulate images has had its share of controversy, but recent technological advancements are still amazing. Two Minute Papers explores four very different ways to use AI: making still images dance, compressing video conferencing, upscaling video resolution, and making software that can identify smells.