Phillip Torrone
Latest
Adafruit unveils Lego Ladyada's Workshop, vote for it to become a reality
If 10,000 of you go and vote at Lego Cuusoo, we could soon have a Ladyada Lego Workshop. The concept, whipped up by Limor Fried and Phillip Torrone, was a direct response to the borderline offensive Lego Friends set that was marketed to young girls last year. The seemingly unnecessary line of pastel-hued bricks inspired Fried to hire renowned Lego artist Bruce Lowell to help create a set of blocks that told girls it was ok to aspire to more than good hair and gossipy friends. Ladyada's Workshop is an ABS celebration of hacking, tinkering, strong women and all things DIY. Now all that needs to happen is that enough of you head on over to the Cuusoo site when the set goes up for vote. Hit up the source link for more images of what could wind up being the very first Lego product based on a company that sells DIY electronics kits.
Adafruit's Circuit Playground app deciphers resistor codes, helps you remember Ohm's Law
If the names Phillip Torrone, Limor Fried and Collin Cunningham don't ring a bell then you probably need to hand over your geek badge. If, on the other hand, those names immediately make you sit up and pay attention, you maybe excited to hear the trio have just released the first Adafruit-branded app for iOS. Circuit Playground is a reference app for makers, hackers and tinkerers that helps you decipher resistor and capacitor values; calculate resistance, current or voltage; convert decimal, hexadecimal and binary values; and store PDF data sheets for ICs. The app is $2.99, but it comes with a $3 credit at the Adafruit shop, so it's kinda-sorta free. It's available for iPad and iPhone only, but an Android version is in the works. If you're an impatient Google fan, they suggest you check out ElectroDroid which performs many of the same functions and we can confirm is awesome. Check out the video after the break and hit up the source link to get Circuit Playground now.
Engadget alum wants to laser-etch your gadgets
We're big fans of laser-etched gadgetry, and heck, we're big fans of former Engadget editor Phil Torrone, too. That's why when we heard that the two were finally coming together for fun and profit, well, we were pretty much overjoyed. According to CNET, Torrone and Limor Fried, a former fellow at the tech-focused art studio Eyebeam R&D, have joined forces to create Adafruit, a new open-source laser-etching company in New York. (It's open-source in that PT is giving away the business plan for free to all comers). For $30, they'll do up your iPod or cellphone real nice, and for $100 they'll put your laptop under the laser. Torrone said that while the service is currently limited to the Big Apple for now, he plans on expanding to San Francisco and other locations next year. And yes, that tarsier-engraved PowerBook is PT's very own machine.
Sony's PRS-500 e-book reader in the wild
Speaking of the future, we always thought that by the 21st century we'd all have digital pads to read stuff on, instead of these old-fashioned analog "books." Well, that's what Sony's betting on with its PRS-500, anyway, which has just been spotted in the wild for the first time -- in the hands of none other than Phillip Torrone of MAKE magazine (and Engadget) fame. We'd previously reported that this $350-ish e-book reader was going to be delayed (again), but that somehow it would be shipping in time for "the holidays." Given Sony's other problems of late, though, we wouldn't be surprised if the company was referring to our next summer holiday. Remember, regular ol' books may be low-tech, but at least they don't explode. Keep reading for another snap, and then head over to MAKE for the full lowdown...
Real-life Frogger (or: Roomba hacking is fun)
MAKE: Blogger (and one time Joystiq contributor) Phillip Torrone and Limor Fried (creator of the awesome Pac-Man LED bike wheels) teamed up recently at the SXSW conference in Austin to use a Roomba robotic vacuum to play a real-life game of Frogger! Armed with only a Bluetooth-enabled Roomba, a green t-shirt, and the alcoholic consumption necessary to devise such a brilliant idea, they managed the little "frog" across four lanes of traffic ten times before falling under the wheels of a Toyota 4-Runner. Afterwards Torrone said, "We had a lot to drink before we got here but there's nothing to sober you up like steering a robot through traffic." Ah, truer words were never spoken... not ever. [Thanks, redLlama]
