By Andrew Liszewski

LEGO and wood seem to be the preferred mediums for artists who like to incorporate a technical side into their works. And in this case Kagen Schaefer has chosen wood (his preferred medium) to build this incredibly elaborate Pipe Organ Desk. In fact it’s made entirely from wood, including carved wooden screws, and represents more than 3 years of work. And besides being able to play a single octave by pushing in the various drawers, the desk can also be ‘programmed’ so that when a specific sequence of notes is played, a secret compartment will pop open.

When you push in a drawer on the desk the air is directed to one of the organ pipes at the front of the desk, sounding a note. Some of the air is also directed into a pneumatic logic board. The logic board within the desk actually keeps track of the notes played. When it picks up the correct tune it unlocks a very special secret compartment. The logic board, can be reprogrammed to pick up any tune, so at any time the song may be changed to a new tune. It is powered entirely by air, and it is made entirely from solid wood.

I’d also like to point out that the programmable logic board is also completely made of wood. There are no electronics of any kind here. And it probably goes without saying that the desk isn’t available for sale, unless you’re willing to write out a lot of zeros on a check.

(I wish there was a video of it being played too, but I can’t find one.)

[ Kagen Schaefer - The Pipe Organ Desk ] VIA [ UberReview ]

By Andrew Liszewski

Half art piece – half playable game that actually looks pretty fun, ‘Tetris analógico’, or ‘Analog Tetris’, is exactly that. A larger version of the game that launched the original Game Boy requiring you to physically position and assemble the tetromino pieces as they slide down an inclined playing surface. Pieces are fed by dealers, complete with stylish visors, and instead of clearing lines the goal is to get all of the pieces to assemble together below the yellow line. So if you leave too many holes open, or aren’t quick enough, you’re going to lose.

But besides turning Tetris into a more physical activity, I particularly like that Analog Tetris opens up more opportunities when it comes to cheating. Don’t have room for a specific piece at the moment? Throw it away or hide it in your jacket until you’ve got the space for it. Or, a large cash donation should put you in cahoots with the dealer, ensuring that the piece you need will always fall at the opportune moment. The downside? You don’t get that oddly satisfying sound effect when you clear four lines at once like in the digital version of the game.

[ codeco - Tetris analógico ] VIA [ Apartment Therapy Unplggd ]

By Andrew Liszewski

A company called ViviTouch, makers of advanced haptic feedback solutions, have teamed up with Mophie to create an add-on accessory for the iPod Touch, and presumably the iPhone 4, using their technology. Using either device’s vibrating alert doesn’t exactly provide the most realistic haptic feedback when gaming, because it’s a basic on or off scenario. But with the Pulse attached to your device, you’ll be able to feel the difference between a car’s motor, a pinball rolling on a table and even pigs falling to their death. It’s kind of like merging your iOS device with a modern gaming controller in terms of vibration feedback, but it also goes one step further with a set of more powerful stereo speakers boosting and enhancing the sound from your game or application. Currently listed as ‘Coming Soon‘…

[ Mophie Pulse & ViviTouch ] VIA [ Kotaku ]

By Andrew Liszewski

When it comes to climbing mountains, contrary to popular belief, getting back down after you’ve reached the summit can actually be more difficult than the ascent. Every step on the way down has to brake and support the entire weight of your body, which eventually takes a toll on the joints in your legs. And that’s where the inspiration for the Bergmönch (which is German for ‘Mountain Monk’) came from. It’s designed to be a collapsible scooter & backpack-in-one that can be carried hands-free up a mountain during your ascent, and ridden back down during your descent.

Now I’m going to assume this isn’t going to work on all mountains – particularly ones where climbing gear is required. But I think it’s a pretty awesome idea for hikers. Not only are you inspired to keep trekking towards the summit where you’ll enjoy an incredible view and a sense of accomplishment. But getting back down is like an exciting thrill ride! Albeit one where the price of admission is $2,150 and a few hours of hard work before you can climb aboard.

[ Bergmönch Backpack Scooter ] VIA [ Gear Patrol ]

By Andrew Liszewski

Did you ever spend hours as a kid assembling a LEGO masterpiece only to have one of your siblings come along and destroy it? Well that never would have happened if you had constructed it from these concrete building blocks which resemble, but are in no way officially licensed by, LEGO. In fact, while they might look exactly like your standard 2×4 LEGO building block, they actually appear to be just slightly larger. And I doubt they feature the cutout on the bottom allowing the pieces to stack and connect. So you’ll also need a small trowel and a cup of mortar to keep your creations together.

A set of 6 Concrete Building Blocks is available from Etsy seller studio1015, aka Tara Ketchum, an architecture grad student who fell in love with concrete, for just $8.50.

[ Etsy - Concrete Building Blocks ] VIA [ Freshome ]

By Andrew Liszewski

Until a few minutes ago I had never considered using something other than Apple’s own sleek, wireless Bluetooth keyboard with my iOS devices. But Logitech’s wireless Tablet Keyboard immediately caught my eye. Its design looks like it borrows a lot from Apple’s keyboard, which certainly isn’t a bad thing. From the bulge at the top which houses its 4xAAA batteries, to its low-profile Chiclet-style keys. It’s even got a set of double-duty media playback/number keys along the top row, and the included carrying case not only protects it when stashed away, but also serves as an adjustable stand for your iPad, iPhone or iPod Touch.

It’s even just a touch smaller than Apple’s keyboard, except when it comes to price. Logitech is asking $79.99 for theirs, which is $10 more than Apple’s. (There’s also a separate version available for Android 3.0+ tablets, though I can’t seem to discern a difference between the two.)

[ Logitech Tablet Keyboard for iPad ] VIA [ 7Gadgets ]

By David Ponce

One of the nice things about deals is that while you may miss out on one now and then, sometimes they come back. Like today. Last time we mentioned this monitor from Dell, the U3011, an impressive 30-inch IPS panel, it was getting a chunky $375 discount. Well, today it’s getting the same discount again. That means the monitor that usually sells for $1,499 is going for $1,174. Sure, that’s a lot of cash still for a monitor… but it’s a really nice one. A CNet reviewer has this to say: “Simply put, the Dell UltraSharp U3011 is the best 30-inch monitor we’ve yet seen. Not only does it deliver great performance–which is expected from most devices running at a 2,560×1,600 resolution–but it also has tons of connection options and an OSD with a surprisingly high number of calibration features.”

Here’s a quick refresher on the spec sheet:

Features 2,560 x 1,600 resolution IPS panel, 7ms grey-to-grey response time, 100,000:1 Dynamic Contrast Ratio, 7-in-1 card reader, 1 USB 2.0 upstream port, 4 USB 2.0 downstream port, capacitive-touch switches for setup and more. Accepts multiple video inputs including 2 x HDMI, DisplayPort, 2 x DVI, Component & Composite.

[ Dell Ultrasharp 30-Inch Monitor At $1,174 ] VIA [ LogicBuy ]

By Andrew Liszewski

As far as I know it’s not an official anniversary or anything. But recently there’s been a rash of retro Volkswagen Camper Van products. A few months ago you might remember this groovy VW Camper Van tent we brought you. And now it’s apparently LEGO’s turn. In the latest edition of their Collector Guide, Flickr user ‘Captain Eugene’ spotted and scanned this upcoming VW T1 Camper Van set, #10220 for those who keep track. Pricing and availability are currently unknown, and hopefully there’ll be some better, less halftoney pics of it popping up in the near future.

[ Flickr - Captain Eugene - LEGO Volkswagen T1 Camper Van ] VIA [ Hidden Garments ]

By Andrew Liszewski

Creative has just released a new compact MP3 player that looks like it has everything anyone could need – about 5 years ago. While Apple’s latest generation Nano scores novelty points with its touchscreen display, Creative’s ZEN M300 has features that are actually far more useful. It’s a simple plug and play affair, so all you need to do is connect it to your PC via USB to copy music files over. (MP3, WMA, Audible Format 4 and AAX are all supported.) And while the largest version comes with 16GB of storage, that can be further boosted by up to 32GB thanks to a microSD card slot on the side.

There’s also a built-in FM radio which is always nice to have, a microphone allowing you to use it as a voice recorder and most importantly, Bluetooth support. Which of course allows you to use the ZEN M300 with wireless headphones, or the growing selection of wireless BT speakers which are all the rage now. It’s even priced very competitively, with the smallest 4GB model being your best bet at $49 since microSD cards run about $10 for 8GB these days.

[ Creative ZEN M300 ] VIA [ The Gadgeteer ]