
A Line in the Sand - iamflimflam1
http://robdobson.com/2017/02/a-line-in-the-sand/
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jccalhoun
I had to laugh at my own grumpyness. I saw the headline and started thinking,
"ugh, another story with a headline that doesn't explain what the story is
actually about." Turns out it does!

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paxcoder
Not quite, I think the title should contain the word "machine".

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jccalhoun
true but I was expecting it to be some post about metaphorically drawing a
line in the sand on some issue. I was surprised it was about a machine to draw
a line in the sand

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paxcoder
That's what I thought too, that's I say the word is missing.

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chinathrow
The project looks cool - but the link to the video is hard to find.

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xGQmm7FXD4](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xGQmm7FXD4)

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stevekemp
See also this (great-looking) kickstarter:

[https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1199521315/sisyphus-
the...](https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1199521315/sisyphus-the-kinetic-
art-table)

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ge96
Man it's loud haha, don't mind me, just relaxing to the sound of sand being
crushed by a metal ball.

Edit: might be quieter with more sand. Realize that was just a proof of
concept video. Also not sure if the gears can be made to be quiet.

Cool mechanical engineering, could build 3D printers and what not.

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jldugger
I'm guessing sand on plexiglass isn't super quiet =)

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Animats
This is a smaller version of one from Maker Faire 2008.[1]

[1] [http://gizmodo.com/386879/sisyphus-v-a-robot-making-a-zen-
ga...](http://gizmodo.com/386879/sisyphus-v-a-robot-making-a-zen-garden/)

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Animats
The classic computer-controlled Etch-A-Sketch was the Iconorama.[1] Large
screen display technology from 1964.

[1] [https://youtu.be/etroQFqmV1k?t=768](https://youtu.be/etroQFqmV1k?t=768)

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KON_Air
Make the plotter(?) programmable via an internets app and find a way to "reset
the sand without making everything on it shake" and I'll buy three of those.

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yakshaving_jgt
Engineering something this beautiful to spite your wife has made my evening.

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QuadrupleA
Cool project - and an upvote for having nothing to do with politics :)

