Inventions – iPhone Macro Lens

Discovered 3/28/09: I’ve been wanting to get/make a macro lens for my iPhone’s camera for a while now. (A macro lens lets you take pictures of small things up close.) I actually started assembling pieces to make one sometime last month (I took apart a broken digital camera for all of it’s lenses). But while I was straightening up my apartment this evening, I came across something that would work perfectly: a credit card sized magnifier meant to be carried in a wallet. I had picked it up during my time working at the bookstore but never really used it for much. It seems to work perfectly for taking pictures of small text (sorry, no samples included) and perhaps the absolute best part is that it’s ultraportable because it can actually fit in the back of the hardshell case that I use for my iPhone. Unfortunately, I’m not including pictures of the lens because I would need the lens to take a picture of itself. But anyone looking for a similar item can probably pick one up at the local Barnes & Noble.

Entertainment – Guitar Hero: World Tour

I bought Guitar Hero: World Tour (the whole kit). I also picked up Rock Band (just the game disc) used. GHWT comes with a wired mic for the singing parts. So I got a spare windscreen and mic stand from my dad. The mic didn’t fit in the clip easily, but a little electrical tape fixed that. And the mic stand is a boom stand so it lets me sing and play drums or guitar at the same time. And the instruments fit easily in the coat closet when not in use. Good stuff.

Home Decor – Fog Machine

Put up 3/14/09: DJ gave me this old fog machine when he moved from Canton to Cleveland back in 2007. He had it from the now legendary 2005 Halloween party at his apartment. I’ve had it in a closet since he gave it to me, but with my recent purchase of Guitar Hero: World Tour it seemed time to put it up. I added an over-the-door hook to my bulletin board in the living room (with padding as a spacer) and used a bungie cord to hang the machine up.

Inventions (Catching Up) – Road Cone (Pylon) Lamp

Made Winter 2006/2007: I made this lamp from a pylon (road cone) that I found in the hallway of my college dorm during my freshman year. I had a spare light socket laying around, so I secured it through the top opening of the pylon. Then I used an additional light socket extension with a pull chain (designed to allow extra electrical plugs run when the light was turned on) so I could easily turn the lamp on and off. The lamp shade was a cheap purchase from the local Value City. The lightbulb I now use in the lamp is a compact fluorescent bulb that has a blue gel sheet wrapped around it.

Inventions – iPhone Volume Booster

Made 2/22/09: This is a volume booster for my iPhone. It is made from a plastic cup with a slot cut into it. The iPhone slides into the slot and the cup acts as an acoustic resonator for the iPhone’s built-in speaker. I attached a pencil to it for support so it could sit in the basket of a wire shelf in my bathroom. Then, I’d be able to hear music (or incoming phone calls) from my phone over the sound of the running shower water.

Inventions (Catching Up) – Megaphone Light

Made Fall/Winter 08: This is a lamp that I made. It started as a star-shaped base. But I took a megaphone that I got from Warped Tour a few years ago and cut off enough of the mouthpiece that it slid snugly over part of the lamp base. I added a 25watt yellow party bulb and now it sits in the corner of my living room.

Home Decor – Spinning Light

Put up 2/?/09: This is just a simple hook made from a wire hanger to hold a spinning party light.

Inventions (Catching Up) – Bottle Camera Tripod

Made ?? 2005: This is a camera tripod that uses a bottle as a base. It fits as a cap on the bottle and screws into the bottom of the camera. It was made with a rubberished/reusable bottle cap, a screw that fits cameras, and electrial tape to hide the seam between them.

Inventions – PSP/iPhone Slider Cradle

Made 2/22/09: This is a two-sided cradle based on the other iPhone cradle I made. It is designed to slide open to provide more space for a PSP. It has extra flaps and an extra paper clip to hold the PSP and push out the PSP’s stereo audio. (The iPhone only needs one side to push out the audio.)

Inventions (Catching Up) – iPhone Cradle

Made Fall 2008: This is a cradle for the iPhone made from an index card, a paper clip, and scotch tape. It holds the iPhone horizontally (and keeps it from falling flat) while curving the audio outward.