craft

Home audio for the minimalists: 3 pedestal sound bars compared

Pedestal-style sound bars are the latest evolution in the simplification of home audio. Instead of placing a long sound bar in front of your TV, pedestal sound bars are designed to sit under your TV, for a cleaner look with considerably less clutter. It's by far the easiest way to improve on the sound of your TV with the least intrusion on your living room decor.

The trade-off is that these systems generally don't sound quite as good as traditional sound bars, largely because they lack a separate subwoofer to handle the low end. It's yet another … Read more

Print your own giant posters

Anyone who's ever shopped for a piece of art to hang behind the living room sofa knows that big art typically comes at a big price. Even if you pick up some mass-produced Ikea canvas, you still have to contend with fitting it in the car, or paying someone to deliver it to your doorstep.

If you have more time on your hands than money, there are some easy solutions for printing infinitely large posters from even the most modest printer.

The first step is the image. Whether you're going to print in black and white or full … Read more

The Boundary B404, a high-end outdoor speaker

Outdoor speakers are a little out of my area of expertise, and most of the ones I've seen at shows look like plastic rocks. Leon Speakers' Boundary B404 is definitely a big step up from those sorts of things.

The B404 sports a gorgeous solid mahogany cabinet inspired by Chris Craft's classic Thunderbird boats. Right now there's just one model in the Boundary line, the B404.… Read more

Hand-crafted audio artistry from NYC

Blackie Pagano's skills as a repair technician and designer of one-of-a-kind electronics and speakers have ensured a steady stream of happy customers. He started in New York City, relocated to LA and lived there for seven years, but now he's back in NYC. He's played guitar and bass since he was 11, been a roadie, then a live sound engineer, a recording engineer, and a studio tech; through it all, he's been just a guy who loves building stunning works of not just art, but art that also sounds great.

Pagano mostly makes his living repairing … Read more

SpaceX launches new era in space travel

We have lift-off! It's a new era for social media, space exploration and... shoes?

Update: The SpaceX rocket launch was aborted at the last minute and rescheduled for Tuesday, May 22 at 3:44 a.m. Eastern.

Facebook ended its first publicly traded day right where it began: at $38 a share. CEO Mark Zuckerberg rang in the Nasdaq opening bell virtually from the Silicon Valley campus, and later, shares began trading at around $42 each. Facebook's bankers saved the IPO, keeping shares barely above $38. From this IPO, Facebook raised $16 billion. That's almost 10 times … Read more

Crave 81: Who let the dogs out? (podcast)

This week, the Crave team reveals its favorite Super Mario Bros.-themed lighting fixture, along with a $50 solution for adding sound effects to your doorbell. Japan offers up an off-the-grid vending machine and a rice cooker that communicates with your smartphone.

Plus, Crave's most dedicated "Star Wars" fan shows off his tattoos. And in Geek News, Eric discusses (no spoilers) the controversy surrounding the Mass Effect 3 ending, and shows off the trailer for a new space horror film, "Prometheus."

Subscribe in iTunes SD Video | Subscribe in RSS SD Video … Read more

Crave 80: Ewok Fight Club (podcast)

This week, the Crave crew and Admiral Sackbar recount the myriad geeky DIY gadgets and projects recently featured on the Crave blog. Also, Donald pitches his idea for a new Ewok TV special; Marvel comics take on a new dimension; and two upcoming movies, "The Lone Ranger" and "Battleship," are the subject of a healthy Geek News debate.

Subscribe in iTunes SD Video | Subscribe in RSS SD Video … Read more

DIY Weekend: Protect your precious flowers with Ewoks

What's cute and fuzzy and ready to defend your precious flowers to the last petal? Why, an Ewok Village flower vase, of course.

For barely $10, supplies from your local arts and crafts supplies store and your own backyard or neighborhood park can help you show off your Star Wars street cred. In the final installment of our Crave series based on projects from Bonnie Burton's "The Star Wars Craft Book," a crack team of crafters fights for what's right by turning a common glass jar and some twigs into an Ewok village flower vase. … Read more

DIY Weekend: Chewbacca, the bounty-hunting tissue box

"Star Wars" in 3D is still out in theaters, but why not make some real 3D Star Wars of your own this weekend?

For barely $10 worth of supplies, you can fight off the winter blues with everybody's favorite mercenary Wookiee, Chewbacca. In the second installment of our crafts series courtesy of Bonnie Burton's "The Star Wars Craft Book," we've turned him into a tissue box cover. Raaaaaaaaaaaaaaawwwwrrn! … Read more

Crave 76: It's a trap! (podcast)

A special Valentine's Day episode of Crave featuring robots, champagne, littleBits circuit boards, and zombie chocolates. Plus, X-ray leggings, spider battle bots, hoverboards, Star Wars crafts, and a peek at the perfect date movie, "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter."

Subscribe in iTunes SD Video | Subscribe in RSS SD Video … Read more