Hack Things

Latest Posts

A photo of a factory floor with workers in blue uniforms at their workstations.

Dragon Innovation Helps Startups with Manufacturing

May 07, 2013 · 4 minutes

I met up with Herman Pang, President and co-founder of Dragon Innovation this morning at Australia Dairy Company in Hong Kong (“no connection to Australia whatsoever”, according to Herman), for the best scrambled egg breakfast in Hong Kong and a chat about…

A man with a backpack stands in a busy indoor market, gesturing towards a display case filled with tools and electronics.. Text: DESAN

Shenzhen is Like Living in a City-Sized TechShop

May 02, 2013 · 3 minutes

Being in Shenzhen is like living in a city-sized TechShop.

- Zach Hoeken Smith

Today we toured just a few of the expansive electronics markets in Huaqiangbei, Shenzhen. Our tour guide was Zach Hoeken Smith, program director for HAXLR8R and former co-founder…

A nighttime photo of a crowded street in a city, likely in Asia, with many brightly lit signs and advertisements.. Text: FJALN
on
CASIO
MISS
旺角咖喱
正宗印度咖哩
INDIA
KFC
i.t
NOW
OPEN
1/F
高 登
大華坊
政府註冊免稅、
炒龍表行
10

Impressions of China, Day 3

April 30, 2013 · 2 minutes

In the morning we took a fast ferry and crossed over into Zhongshan in mainland China, this time to visit a plastics manufacturer that makes products for some of the biggest toy companies in the world. It seems all of southern China…

The image shows multiple identical printed circuit boards, neatly arranged in clear plastic packaging. Each board has blue connectors and some integrated components.. Text: Shield

Innovate with China

April 29, 2013 · 3 minutes · 13 photos

We’re changing “Made in China” to “Innovate with China” on our labels, what do you think?

-Eric Pan of Seeed Studio on our visit Sunday

Eric Pan and his company, Seeed Studio, are showing the future of hardware development: hackers around the…

A photograph of a modern, glass-clad building under construction, with a crane visible beside it and a pool of water in the foreground.

China Trip Day 2: Impressions of Shenzhen

April 28, 2013 · 2 minutes

Today we took the train from Hong Kong through the New Territories to Shenzhen, a city of over 10 million which basically didn’t exist 30 years ago. Though both Hong Kong and Shenzhen are part of China, the border control that separates…

A photo of a Nomiku immersion circulator, a kitchen appliance used for sous vide cooking, partially unpacked from its box.. Text: nomiku

Nomiku, Making Sous Vide in China

April 27, 2013 · 2 minutes

We had lunch (a Chinese classic, pizza) with Abe Fetterman, one of the makers of the Nomiku. He and his partners came to HAXLR8R in Shenzhen last year to turn their DIY sous vide machine into a prototype for a consumer product.…

A photo depicting a table scene at a dim sum restaurant, featuring various steamed dumplings, dipping sauces, and a teapot.

We’re in China!

April 26, 2013 · 2 minutes · 7 photos

Ethan and I are in Hong Kong now, headed to Shenzhen and Zhongshan, two big factory cities just over the border from here into mainland China. Our mission: to meet entrepreneurs who’ve tapped China’s vast manufacturing prowess to bring their creative products…

A collage of images related to 3D printing, featuring a 3D printer, filament, and various printed objects like a skull and a Yoda bust.

3D Printers Get Cheaper, Better, Faster

April 23, 2013 · 2 minutes

No one seems to know what to do with a 3D printer, not even the people selling 3D printers. But that might not matter.

It turns out making a 3D printer isn’t that hard. A typical ink printer has most of the…

A collage of images showcasing various 3D printers, printed objects, and related materials.. Text: RUDER
printbot LC
DoodleCAD
B9C
ROBO 3D

See you in NYC for Inside3DPrinting

April 18, 2013 · 1 minute

The Inside 3D Printing Conference

http://www.enkelbiljetter.se/zw/sex-dating-in-lynwood-illinois free and easy online sex chatroom shop “view site”

& Expo

is taking place next week (April 22-23) in New York City and Hack Things will be there to cover the action and meet with emerging…

A small indoor garden with basil plants sits on a table, possibly near a window.  A larger potted plant is visible in the background.. Text: CLICK & GROW

Hacking the Perfect Garden with Embeddable Technology

March 31, 2013 · 1 minute

I just pledged $39 on Kickstarter towards the new Smart Herb Garden by Click & Grow. The technology is well-suited to indoor use. It centers around a special nanotech engineered soil, a computer-controlled watering system and a natural-light spectrum LED lighting system…

DUO: a DIY 3D Input Controller (Kickstarter)

March 27, 2013 · 1 minute

In the coming onslaught of new connected devices, figuring out new and unobtrusive ways to interact with users will be key. Many devices will live in the real world and will require new ways of capturing input from users. After all, the…

A photo of a Nintendo Game Boy connected to a small keyboard and some electronics.. Text: Nintendo GAME BOY

Five Fabulous Retro Device Hacks

March 25, 2013 · 2 minutes · 6 photos

Here at Hack Things we feel a certain nostalgia for old-school vintage goods — many of which seem to be getting replaced by iOS apps on a daily basis. It’s refreshing to see projects that bring new life to vintage goods. Here…

A small, copper-colored container resembling a Jerry can is shown next to a US quarter for size comparison.. Text: LIBERTY IN GOD WE TRUST 1989

Kickstarter Hardware Roundup (3/21/13)

March 22, 2013 · 1 minute

Here’s some of the more interesting hardware projects active on Kickstarter right now.

KADE – A open source arcade game controller with USB that allows personal computers, console gaming systems and DIY projects to easily add authentic retro-style arcade game controllers.

The…

A first-person perspective of someone riding a bicycle at night, seemingly using a heads-up display that projects the number 5.

Bike Speed Projector

March 21, 2013 · 1 minute

Matt Richardson has created an interactive headlight projector for bikes that can be used to create a kind of unobtrusive heads-up display for cyclists. It works by measuring the rider’s speed using some custom electronics and a Raspberry Pi and a portable…

A group of people covered in mud pose for a photo after a mud run.

Fitness tracking companies: here’s what I REALLY want

February 22, 2013 · 2 minutes

I’ve counted more than 12 “activity tracker” device companies ala Fitbit, Nike Fuel Band, Jawbone Up, Mistfit, Basis, etc. It’s great that we have so many convenient options for quantifying and comparing our activity levels. After all, even moderate amounts of activity…

A group of people are sitting around a conference table, seemingly engaged in a discussion or meeting.  One person is gesturing while speaking.

Inaugural Hack Things Meetup in Seattle

February 21, 2013 · 1 minute

Special thanks to the around 30 entrepreneurs, software, hardware and mechanical engineers, industrial designers, consultants and investors that showed up for our inaugural Hack Things Meetup today in Seattle, featuring guest speaker Jon WineBrenner (@jonwinebrenner) of OneOak Design, Inc. Also, a special…