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Quest for the pirate toaster: Avast, mateys! We have a mission!

The next chapter of the long, grueling quest.

Caroline McCarthy Former Staff writer, CNET News
Caroline McCarthy, a CNET News staff writer, is a downtown Manhattanite happily addicted to social-media tools and restaurant blogs. Her pre-CNET resume includes interning at an IT security firm and brewing cappuccinos.
Caroline McCarthy
tomwet.de/photoshopped by Caroline

Back in February, when I fell head-over-heels for the German pirate toaster, I had absolutely no idea that "art toasters" would become such a phenomenon. Yesterday, GeekSugar wrote about Your Name On Toast, which is a gimmicky little service that will customize toast for you at a ridiculous fee--but I guess it is for charity. Nevertheless, it was certainly more accessible than the hacked toast printer. So I suppose it was a step in the right direction.

But now, to beat the pirate metaphor into the ground, I think I see the "x" marking the buried treasure: I've found instructions for building my own pirate toaster. Well, kind of. MAKE Magazine's blog has linked me to an Instructables demo for building a customized "art toaster" that will brand toast with an image that I cut out of aluminum foil. (See image below.) You know, I think a homebrew pirate toaster might be even more awesome than one you buy in a store. Because pirates are resourceful, y'know?

Instructables

I'm so building one next week. Who's with me!?