Gadgety News

I play in a variety of bands and projects with an equally ecclectic range of styles.  I could be playing out-and-out pop one day and then a few days later playing Drum and Bass and then covering an Iron Maiden set.

It would be great to have the choice of set-ups, necks and pickups for each gig.

That range of choice has come to fruition; not only for 6-stringers but there’s even a bass option.

Ziv has created a hardware platform called Zoybar for making your own stringed instruments.

Using a few easily-interchangeable parts, you can make anything from a long-necked six-string with custom double pickups to a bass with integrated Kaospad! YAY!

It’s essentially what others might do with pieces of random instruments, but the attachment method for the bits in a Zoybar setup is standard so that they’re swappable, individually upgradeable and so on, without any soldering or drilling to be done.  This is great news for me as my Yamaha RBX (now named the cricket bat) was put through lots of agony with different pick-ups and eventually got de-fretted…it worked but wasn’t pretty.  Don’t think the Ford Escort Yellow helped either.

The set looks damned sweet and will get people that are afraid to ruin customise their instruments via parts-bins a chance to tweak.

For one thing, it can help you with this Zoybar contest, in which you submit a video of your own unique instrument.

Zoybar will be selling kits starting in January.

I’d like to present this article as a HUGE hint at what I want for Christmas

Via CrunchGear

I’ve been pretty lucky. I’ve only had to share my house or flat once with someone other than my partner at the time - and then that was with another bassplayer in a West London penthouse.

I did say I was lucky

(Big shout out to Johnny Mac!)

Others I know have not been so blessed; forced to share a house or appartment with half-a-dozen other people whether at University or when they moved to the big city.

One source of contention, other than cleaning duties, is fridge space.

Thankfully the annual Electrolux Design Lab has birthed this modular fridge, designed to keep each student’s bread, beer and red bull completely separate.

With the Flatshare Fridge everyone gets there own very separate compartment that still has a tall section for bottles and a smaller side for veg (students eat veg?).

This design also negates having to share fridge space with Stinky Kev or with the person that just loves Toulouse sausages.

When you manage to get someone to live in the space under the stairs or if you decide to sublet the living room you can just add another unit on top for them as well.

I think this should be fitted as standard in any flat/house share!

Genius!

Electrolux Design Lab

If you like making your sound system to look like an art installation or need a splash of colour in your neutrally decorated apartment you need to check these out.

Smart Technology have released some modular speakers that connect to your iPod/iPhone.

You can decide how you place them, whether you’re a stacker or a spreader the choice is yours.

They come in a range of funky colours and cost $129 for the 3 piece set from PBTeen

As an update to my piece about the funky Modu modular mobile phone - click the link to Crave’s hands on vid and see this mini marvel in action!

Nice.

Meet Modu!

There has been a great deal of deliberation as to what Modu was going to be - and now I’ve found out the answer I feel slightly silly.

Modu is a Modular Mobile - the clue was there all along - spose that’s the reason why I’m a muso and not a detective!

The idea is that the actual handset can be slipped into “modu jackets” which will let the owners completely change the look of their handset without having to replace it.

The other half of the deal is slinging the Modu into different modu-enabled consumer electronics, or “modu mates”.  I’m talking car stereos, photo frames, DAPs, and whatever else you can dream up. 

It is pretty exciting as Blaupunkt, Universal Music, and SanDisk are already onboard, the Q4 launch should be a big deal!!