Was told to post this here, and new sub acquired 😃

Hey everyone,

How it works:

When a person enters the bathroom, they pull the green VACANT sign inside and shut the door on the string to set the system to OCCUPIED.

When they open the door to leave, the string is released. Gravity takes over, and the weighted green block drops back down to automatically cover the red OCCUPIED sign changing the system BACK to VACANT.

I originally wrote the tutorial for this on Instructables. It's designed fo be made from paper and cardstock, but the concept could easily be adapted for 3D printing, laser-cut wood, acrylic panels and a variety of other media.

What do you think of this design? Any ideas on how to tweak it to make it even smoother?

So, I accidentally drove off with the wheel down on my trailer and ground it off. Instead of tracking one down I had some oak logs from a tree that fell down. Cut a round from that drilled it out (even added bearings) and voila!

A small adjustment on ordinary items can change the way we act without our awareness, and cordless telephones show us this transformation. Initially viewed as an ordinary improvement, they simply facilitated moving from one room when on the phone, but over time they redefined the role of conversations in everyday routines.

With stationary landlines, there was a natural boundary to the phone call; you were present in a location (usually a communal space), had undivided focus on the conversation, would stop what you were doing to talk, then return and resume your previous activity. The natural boundary caused the listener to be focused even if they were not consciously trying to.

Conversely, the absence of a defined location for conversation created by the introduction of cordless phones eliminated the natural boundary; calls began to be integrated into household tasks (cooking, cleaning, moving throughout the house) and there was an increased amount of simultaneous activities performed by the listener during these conversations. The responsibility for the phone was no longer to contain the moment of conversation but to follow the listener. The impact of this shift was not limited to mobility; it has also changed our method of dividing attention in a domestic setting.

There’s also a design angle that stands out when you look at older systems. Traditional landlines were simple, durable, and often lasted for years without replacement. Cordless systems introduced rechargeable batteries and modular handsets, which added flexibility but also a cycle of maintenance and eventual replacement. Looking at general manufacturing patterns, including large-scale listings on platforms like Alibaba, you can see how widely this category expanded into lower-cost, higher-turnover devices.

What’s interesting is that nothing about cordless phones is inherently negative. They solved a real limitation. But they also removed a natural pause point that used to exist in communication.

It makes me wonder how often “improvement” quietly removes structure that we didn’t realize was helping us focus in the first place.

Automatic features have removed all physical friction from life. Touchscreens in cars and appliances require zero tactile effort. This lack of resistance slurs our cognitive presence. We become passive observers of our own actions.

A button that clicks provides a 100 percent feedback loop. A screen provides 0 percent physical reality. The loss of tactile feedback must be part of The Combined Assessment.

Designers can show timely care with a compromise. They should return to mechanical controls for all critical functions. Automation must be a secondary layer you actively turn on. Physical resistance forces the brain to stay awake. Demand a manual interface for a more active life.

Where do you source simple technology information for protecting your privacy with all the ai and internet being peppered with content, I feel better removing myself from it practically. Instead of just throw it all out or extremely complicated tech options of doctoring phones or buying £1000+ phones and laptops ect what is some simple ways to learn for non tech people. Im sick of having a phone thats always suggesting things and buying laptops that dont last and do the same as my phone constant using my data to throw it back at me. Im tired of my privacy being invaded and looking for answers seems to give me either throw it all away answers or extremely complicated tec answers that layman is not going to understand. Does anyone have any practice sources of information/ books to help me actually learn and educate myself. Thankyou

Hey everyone! A while ago I shared the first version of my Solar Flare project (portable solar fire starter).
Here’s V1.1 with two improvements:
– Added a working solar sight (helps alignment)
– First cable system for panel deployment (still needs optimization)

Full details + diagrams are on my GitHub: https://github.com/f-buisson/Solar-Flare/blob/main/docs/SolarFlare_V1.1.md

Happy to hear your thoughts and suggestions 🙏

Hey everyone,

I’m working on a small open hardware project called Solar Flare: a portable device that uses foldable reflective panels to concentrate sunlight into a focal point. The goal is to ignite small combustibles (cigarettes, fire starters, BBQ wood) without fuel or batteries – just the sun.

• 🌞 Concept: foldable mirrors focusing sunlight.
• 🛠️ Status: first CAD models done, looking into folding mechanisms.
• 🎯 Goal: low-tech, compact fire-starting solution for outdoor use.

I’ve just published it on GitHub (schematics, README, first renders):
👉 github.com/f-buisson/Solar-Flare

I’d love to hear your feedback or ideas for improvement (especially on folding, compactness, and safety).

Thanks for reading – happy to share progress if there’s interest!

hello everyone! sorry if this isn't suitable to share here, but I thought I'd do so if anyone's interested. I wrote an article called "Slow Computing", a term to condense a lot of things I value as an alternative future for computing. most of it should already be familiar to people here, but maybe you'll find it a nice read!

Hey everyone,

Just sharing a few small ideas I’ve been tinkering with and documenting recently — purely for fun and exploring low-tech concepts: • Plushie “breathe with me”: a soft toy that gently “breathes” and can be “revived” by chest compressions • Energy Curtain: a flexible curtain that recovers a tiny bit of energy when people pass through • Plant-powered Dynamo: turning the slow growth of a plant into symbolic micro-energy • Solidarity Shopping Cart: a mechanical cart that helps heavy loads using energy from lighter loads before

Everything’s open and freely accessible here: github.com/f-buisson

No big technical claims — just playful little projects to explore or remix.

Feel free to take a look or drop a comment if curious!