News and Updates from WonderHowTo: Page 184

Paul Yperman's Droid Control Ship has been two years in the making, and required a whopping 30,000 LEGO bricks to build. Says Brothers Brick,  "Paul's build differs in the surface textures of the model. He uses tiles and greebling elements in shades of gray to add realistic-looking details, which really enhances the appearance of this amazing creation."

A Japanese company called Oriental [JP] has invented an eco-friendly machine that turns office paper into toilet paper. Called the "White Goat", the machine's process is simple: feed it approximately 40 sheets of paper and thirty minutes later it deliver one perfectly constructed roll of toilet paper.

LEGO maniac Dave DeGobbi has created a small, traveling "eco-punk" city which exists on a mobile platform.

The upcoming Shell Eco-Marathon promises to unveil vehicles that will blow current fuel economy standards way out of the water. California Polytechnic State University is one of the most promising contenders, with a vehicle that gets 13 times the 230 mpg General Motors promises the Chevrolet Volt will deliver (plus, the Cal Poly car doesn't even use batteries!).

Albeit a "staged" performance, the skills appear to be real. This dude pulls off some impressive figure skating tricks, except upside down - on his head, breakdance style. I recommend watching the entire video (it builds), but to get to the real climax, skip ahead to around 1:06 or so.

One word. Awesome.

Meticulously crafted LEGO replica of a Remington .45, circa the Wild Wild West, 1858.  Created by Flickr user Arkov.

More than 1,200 students and staff from the University of Alberta set a Guinness World Record for the world's largest dodgeball game in early February. The group nearly tripled the former record of a 450-person game. Awesome aerial footage of the event below.

As Popsci says, these DIY snow vehicles show winter who's boss.

This clever stop motion film by comedy duo Rhet and Link uses 222 t-shirts and few special effects. To learn more about the process, check out the second video in the gallery below.

BBC captured jaw-dropping HD super slow motion footage of surfer Dylan Longbottom in a 12 foot monster barrel.

Innovative or downright frightening? Popsci examines five of the world's scariest science experiments-in-progress.

Another TED speaker featured today: Ukulele guru Jake Shimabukuro shares his thoughts and incredible skill in the videos below.

"Photo Grandpa" aka Fotoopa (that's photograndpa in Dutch) has created an amazing laser rig for ultra-high speed photography.

Chemical engineers at Cornell have created a small device that may one day turn troops into real life spider-men. The device would cradle in the palm of the hand, allowing troops to scale walls. It uses an adhesive inspired by the Floridian leaf beetle, an insect that "can adhere to leaves with power 100 times stronger than its own body weight".

Self proclaimed, "The Worlds Fastest Lego Mindstorms RCX Speedcubing Robot", this little guy is built entirely from LEGOs. Apparently the Cubestormer can solve any 3x3x3 Rubik's cube combination in under 12 seconds, and the last single solve in the video happens in just 4:01 seconds!

No kidding, watch below as 500,000 volts of electricity literally course over a man's body. Of course, he has a little protection: the faraday suit. The video was shot in Austin, Texas, for a German television documentary. Producer Johannes Wiebus is quoted as saying:

CNN has compiled a list of the best ten ideas presented at this year's TED conference.

Apartment Therapy posts this neat, space-saving idea for bookshelf rafters. No explicit HowTo, but pretty self-evident.

Interesting collection of works by designer Anatoly Zenkov. Zenkov's Flickr set shows several images created by "using a simple java applet to track his mouse while working, black circles are pointer stops (not clicks)".

The X-Ray Vision-aries Blog has compiled a list of YouTube's 100 Coolest Science Experiments. I particularly enjoy their introduction to the selection:

Remember the room with a rotating view?

Take a tour of the ISS (International Space Station), just posted on YouTube this week. The ISS is an international project, including the five participant space stations: American National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the Russian Federal Space Agency (RKA), the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), and the European Space Agency (ESA).

Hongkiat has compiled a collection of 30+ insane fire dancing images. Fire dancing has roots in many different ethnic cultures, influencing contemporary performance art (Cirque du Soleil, Burning Man, eroticism, and more).

Conceptual furniture project by designer Kai Linke proposes the idea of growing furniture from plant roots.

Shell out a mere two grand and you can build yourself your very own operating airplane. Back in 1928, Bernard H. Pietenpol decided everybody should have the option of personal flight. So Pietenpol drew up the plans for the Pietenpol AirCamper, and guess what? His family is still selling the plans for it.

Designer Xavier Calluaud offers a simple solution for the urban dweller with a green thumb. The "urb garden" enables those living in small spaces (without a yard) to grow food at home, or more specifically, herbs. The best part? The eco-conscious system has an integrated worm farm.

Luxirare brought you the delectable pie lollipop, AKA DIY Pie on a Stick. Now cooking blog Our Best Bites posts a tutorial on baking your own pie in a jar. Equally portable and delicious. Yum.

Hubba, hubba, Mrs. Officer!

Noupe has compiled an amazing collection of literally thousands of the highest-in-demand Photoshop tutorials, brushes, patterns, textures, actions and .PSD downloadable files.

Facebook games have become a worldwide, web-wide addiction. Just take a look at all the tutorials on WonderHowTo alone. For most of us it's just fun and games (literally), but some have an addiction that merits the attention of the (perhaps officious) Dr. Phil. In a recent episode, Trends for 2010: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, Dr. Phil takes on a mother with a serious Farmville addiction.

This video has generated half a million views and quite the comment stream on YouTube.

Below is a great video that shows a classic illusion designed and built by Jerry Andrus.  Jerry is a backyard magician and illusionist who created his own kind of special magic tricks for his entire life, up until his death in 2007.

Amazing work by artist Walee for BEAUX ARTS Magazine.

Tim Fishlock's piece entitled What Watt? showcases 1,243 suspended retired light bulbs, the center illuminated by one low-energy fluorescent bulb. Beautiful eco-friendly design.

An article in Friday's Wallstreet Journal examines a model for success that can't be ignored: the world is just goo-goo for Lady Gaga.

Clever little cinematography hack. Flickr user rtadlock mods an old kitchen timer into a panning timelapse motor controller.

An iPhone-controlled drone unveiled at the recently held CES is expected to revolutionize the world of video gaming. Called the AR.Drone (AR stands for augmented reality), this new product will literally bring video games to the streets.

Felix Baumgartner plans to leap a record 120,000 feet, breaking four world records. If all goes well, Baumgartner will set records for highest altitude freefall, longest distance freefall, highest manned balloon fight, and fastest speed freefall (he will actually break the sound of speed!).