Original Air Date: 03/31/2005

CARDSTACKING, LEBOWSKI FEST, LAN PARTY

THIS JUST IN
Scott Hacks the GIMP: Our own Scott Moschella revamped the menu structure the OSX photo app GIMP to be more Photoshop-like, creating GIMPshop. Grab it while you can at Plasticbugs.com.
Video Game Trash: An arcade cabinet built out of cardboard boxes? Yes! Check out the Trashcade.

Weird Products: The Kevins took a look at a couple of camera phone gadgets meant to help you take better pics:

CameraBright! - $29.95
PhoneLens by DigiPower - $9.99


SOLAR DEATH RAY
Yes, we built our own solar-powered death ray device, and so can you! (Um, provided you don't use the machine for evil purposes and don't try to immolate something you shouldn't.) You can find full details on our inspiration, the original Solar Death Ray, at, yes, SolarDeathRay.com.
Our crack team of Staff Scientists made our own device and have created complete schematics for your building pleasure. We have PDFs of all the step-by-step schematics available here.


SARAH’S DAMN GOOD WEBSITE
Get all the information you need to know about airports around the country, with real-time tracking of planes: Airport Monitor.


REALLY COOL HOUSE OF CARDS
Bryan Berg is no ordinary cardstacker. His vast playing card creations are not only esthetically amazing, but they’re great examples of the power of repetitive geometry, which prevents the cards from bending. Using no glue, no sticks, and standard playing cards, he puts together giant card constructions. He gave us an example of their ability to hold weight by building a three-tier stack of cards—and then put four cinder blocks on top of it, with a combined weight of some 80 lbs.
cardstacker“The most (weight) I’ve ever done was in a structural laboratory—it actually held about 600 lbs per square foot,” Bryan said.

Bryan is now busy at work constructing a city skyline in our studio that will be unveiled on tomorrow’s show. In the meantime, you can see examples of his cardstacking skills at www.cardstacker.com.


LEBOWSKI FEST
When it was released in 1998, The Big Lebowski was considered to be a lesser Coen Brothers movie, at least compared to the preceeding Fargo. But over the years, its reputation has grown and it now qualifies as a true cult hit—with its own full-on festival. Lebowski Fest is a gathering of Big Lebowski fans who wear Lebowski outfits, meet Lebowski cast members, and drink lots of White Russians while bowling. Dangerous? Possibly. A genuine pop-cult phenomenon? Oh yeah. “We were really bored at a tattoo convention, so we decided to make a Lebowski festival,” said o-organizer Scott Shuffit.
Witness Lebowski Fests online at Lebowskifest.com.


THE FEED
Malaysian Car Thieves Have No Pity: Something to think about before buying a car
...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h800tG9X9sE