
The Incredible Invisible Case 311
Brett Profitt writes "No, it's not entirely like the clear pc case, and it's much, much cooler than a simple windowed case, but it would still look great with a hard drive window. This, my friends, is The Invisible Case ! " Truly a labor of love. This may be the
nicest case I've ever seen. To bad you can't buy them like this! Check out
the details (Transparent rubber feet, fans, and hard drive window). It absorbs
envy beams from miles around.
It absorbs envy beams.... (Score:5, Insightful)
Wrap that rascal! Where's the shielding?
Re:It absorbs envy beams.... (Score:5, Funny)
It's built with Transparent Aluminum...
Faraday to the rescue!
Pardon my physics knowledge, (Score:3, Insightful)
E*flux = Qenc;
Farraday first expressed some fundamental concepts in words, such as electromagnetic field lines, and later capacitance (hence farads), but I believe Gauss discovered this one.
Cide1
Re:Pardon my physics knowledge, (Score:2)
I should have stated:
Faraday Cage's to the rescue!
MY invisible case mod kit (Score:3, Funny)
It will come with two big guys and a truck!
Comment removed (Score:5, Funny)
Re:...and attracts legislation. (Score:3, Funny)
one giant copper sphere
that or a '57 Ford
Re:...and attracts legislation. (Score:2, Insightful)
I feel similar concerns while reading every story of this nature. A few foolish people could ruin the homebrew market for everyone. Given some the legal changes being condsidered in USA now, the outlawing of self assembled computers seems very possible...
Re:...and attracts legislation. (Score:2)
The chances of living next to a senator that uses a computer and would notice rf interference has to be non-existant.
Re: (Score:2)
Re:...and attracts legislation. (Score:2)
Uh, why invent hypothetical situations, when the SSSCA is about to make this de facto real soon now?
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:...and attracts legislation. (Score:3, Funny)
Comment removed (Score:4, Insightful)
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
Re: (Score:2)
Re:It absorbs envy beams.... (Score:2)
Re:It absorbs envy beams.... (Score:2)
This whole discussion reminds me of stuff I did as a youngster. I had one of those old '101 Electronics Projects' kits that came in a wooden case with resistors, capacitors, a speaker, etc. (kind of like this [amazon.com]). One of the experiments was an AM transmitter. I built it, played around with it, got bored, and so tried different parts in place of the original specs.
Next thing I know, my parents are shouting upstairs to me asking what the $%@#! I'm doing, as the TV screen was filled with nothing but noise. We joked about sitting outside the neighbors with it to get them to throw out their TV which we could then liberate from the trash :-)
Of course, that was designed to transmit, and when everybody was watching TVs with rabbit ears. But I imagine with a little work you could pretty easily get it to zap portable phone conversations and the like instead.
Damn ... (Score:3, Funny)
What will they come next with, an Ethernet switch on a teddy bear???
Oh
Ummm (Score:4, Funny)
If you want a really invisible case, just lay your mobo and parts out on a table. Then, your PC will be +5 cool.
Re:Ummm (Score:2, Funny)
Re:Ummm (Score:2)
Like this [slashdot.org] (the pegboard computer [drdoak.com]) or mine [www.iki.fi]?
Re:The Emperor's New Case (Score:2)
Kind of like... (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Kind of like... (Score:2)
Still waiting for this one... (Score:1, Funny)
-G
Not just the case (Score:1, Redundant)
Transparent ya, but . . . (Score:1)
And, I still like my lego case better. Maybe I should take some pictures of that . . .
kama ho + /.-ing (Score:3, Informative)
http://www.bit-tech.net/article/72/14 [bit-tech.net]
http://www.bit-tech.net/article/72/16 [bit-tech.net]
Re:kama ho + /.-ing (Score:4, Funny)
Not Found
The requested URL
Additionally, a 404 Not Found error was encountered while trying to use an ErrorDocument to handle the request.
Invisible case, or do you mean bandwidth? (Score:1, Redundant)
Forget the invisible case, that server must be using some invisible bandwidth. Only 10 comments so far when I clicked the link - 15 minutes to load the pics.
Big Deal! (Score:2, Interesting)
So what? I just leave the case off my PC most of the time, and it has the same general effect.
I wonder if it's possible to make translucent-clear printed circuit boards? I guess green is okay, and the occasional red-lacquer board you come acros is neat-looking, but I'd like to be able to look through a motherboard like looking through a frosted window...
Re:Big Deal! (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:Big Deal! (Score:2)
he was just speculating. translucent PCB *would* be pretty cool.
(I'd shell out an extra $10 or $20 for a translucent mobo.
He wasn't getting into a debate about the engineering of it.
I mean, come on, a levitating car would be cool.
what would be really cool (Score:4, Interesting)
Re:what would be really cool (Score:4, Informative)
There is such a thing as liquid carbon dioxide, but only at pressures above 5 atmospheres.
Re:Liquid CO2 ? (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Liquid CO2 ? (Score:2)
My contribution to this OT thread:
CO2 is in liquid form when kept in metal cylinders, such as CO2 fire extinguishers. When you release liquid CO2 that is kept under pressure, it cools off even further due to expansion and freezes solid (the rapidly evaporating "snow" you see coming from CO2 fire extinguishers). At ice houses, liquid CO2 is sprayed into a chamber to make this "snow", which is then packed into a pancake, then more is sprayed in and packed again a few more times until it is compressed into blocks of dry ice. But it does evaporate from solid directly to vapor. Which you can then crumble and put in a beaker of water to make fog to blow around inside your extra cool clear case.
Re:what would be really cool (Score:2)
Pretty trick... (Score:1)
I just ordered the Lian Li PC65USB (black) and am waiting for word of it's impending shipment. I'm thinking of putting LED Christmas lights inside [foreverbright.com].
it looks cool, but... (Score:4, Offtopic)
Boy, is he going to be pissed off... (Score:1)
Impressive! (Score:2)
He removed the metal case so the guts of the power supply are visible. He took the face off his DVD drive so you can see inside. Even his hard disk has been modded with a window showing the platter and the read/write head.
My favorite quotes:
"Needle files are a modder's secret weapon."
"Yes, I did polish the heads on the fasteners. Thanks for noticing."
Very impressive.
steveha
How serious is RF interference, anyway? (Score:5, Interesting)
How much of a problem is that, anyway? If his next-door-neighbor is an amateur radio enthusiast, will the clear computer mess up the airwaves? If he wants to watch TV, will the computer ruin the picture? Can he stop pacemakers at 50 yards or something?
I don't have any clear idea how serious the emissions from computer hardware really are.
steveha
Re:How serious is RF interference, anyway? (Score:5, Informative)
In working with Packet Radio (data communications over amateur radio) I found that the emissions from my PC were way too high to use the "rubber duck" antenna on my radio, if it were in the same room. I found 2 fixes. One was to put an external antenna on my roof and use it. The other was to put a RF Choke (little black bulge on certain cables) on EVERY cable comming out of the back of the PC.
The EMI won't affect much outside a 10-20 foot radius, but AM radios, etc... that he tries to listen to in the same room or adjacent room will be hosed.
As far as pacemakers, etc... go, I don't have any idea.
Re:How serious is RF interference, anyway? (Score:3, Insightful)
Last time I saw a spectrum analyzer on a standard at style computer it had a lot of noise in it. Not to mention the switching power supplies often used have a tiny bit of noise in them too
I can actually hear my computer with most of my amatuer radio equipment (including hf) - its annoying too as I live in an apartment and I can't have external antennas.
Re:How serious is RF interference, anyway? (Score:2)
Re:How serious is RF interference, anyway? (Score:2)
Okay picture this is you will.
SCSI scanner for starters.
100ft long RF cable TV cord running into the room )yess 100 foot, a lot of door jams to work around, and yes the picture quality sucks).
Incorrectly installed florescent lights.
two nice big case fans one of which has had a fin knocked off of it and now runs nice and loud.
a 36inch gateway destination monitor and one of those cheesy ev700 monitors.
(the Destination attracts moths from OUTSIDE the house, into my room, and they land on the screen and can't get back off of it! It also has grabbed papers up from the desk in front of it. . . . can we say static field?
My land line telephone has audible noise over it. That both parties in a conversation can here.
Don't forget the printer, 3.1 sound system (no place to put the 4th speaker), wireless keyboard and mouse, 11inch graphics tablet (w00t!) with one of those nifty wireless pens (works by radio waves as I recall. . . . hmm, though it has been awhile since i researched it, something about the tablet sending out minor radio waves to the pen to provide just enough power for the pen to give the tablet notice of its location.)
A TV tuner card (uh, the 100ft cable run is for something.
And oh yes, the RF cabling runs the parameter of the room and is of the cheap radio shack variety, I am sure that it is acting as a nice antenna for the entire room. In all fairness though the telephone had plenty of problems before the cable was ran though.
Ahh, I almost forgot the Cat5 running through a hole nearby, the power extension cord draped though the same hole as the CAT5 (was flipping the breaker to often, had to switch some items to another line) and the cable modem that is running. Lovely eh?
(Cat5 cable is of the maximum length of course, and the power cord is of a similar length as well.)
You want Hmm, what else now. . . . printer of course. Not a significant source of RF emissions though. ^_^ And the Destination monitor is currently off right now (power prices you know, thus using the EV700, higher refresh rate anyways, nice to have 800x600 at above 60hz.
I am SOOO going to die of cancer.
Aaaanyways. I doubt that this guy has 'real' RF emission problems.
Oh, and Dr. Kevorkian, if you ever need any patients with pace makers to have a sudden and mysterious heart failure, just send'em on over my way.
Apple will shout and claim a patent on it (Score:2)
Re:Apple will shout and claim a patent on it (Score:2)
-pmb
great except for one problem (Score:4, Informative)
The type of plastic he chose is easy to polish and looks great, but scratches easier than any other plastic on the planet. Plexiglass is the worst in durability to scratches. yes you could buff out the scratches as you get them.
I like his idea, and I would love to see someone make one out of real glass with a metallic tint so that the RFI and EMI can't freely propagate out of the case. (You could get your case vaccuum-metalized... now that would be really cool.. not clear... CHROME!
kinda OT: Mirrors... (Score:3, Interesting)
I hate it when there's something "cool" in a message, that 1 million other people see, and you try to go to the site and you get broken images everywhere..
Most of us use perl/perlmagick here and it wouldn't be to difficult to create a script that mirrors the site that we want, compress the hell out of the images, and have a new fangled mirror.
Remove the mirror after an hour or two, so
now THAT would be a service that would be worth the subscriptions...
Re:kinda OT: Mirrors... (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:kinda OT: Mirrors... (Score:2)
OTOH, some small sites are charged by their web hoster based on the amount of traffic they get.. I wonder if
Re:kinda OT: Mirrors... (Score:2)
Re:kinda OT: Mirrors... (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:kinda OT: Mirrors... (Score:2, Interesting)
My new (?) idea of /. mirroring (Score:5, Interesting)
I got email, saying that link to my site (http://site/) is going to be posted on Slashdot in half an hour. For the time of slashdotting I add this to my httpd.conf:
Redirect /img/ http://slashdot.org/cache.pl?url=http://site/img/
so when someone wants http://site/img/image10.jpeg, she/he would be 302 redirected to http://slashdot.org/cache.pl?url=http://site/img/i mage10.jpeg and would got this image from Slashdot cache.
I could even set it up so only queries
with http://slashdot.org/* Referrer header
would be redirected, or
alternatively, someone could just change
the URIs in <a href="...">
links in the HTML if the webmaster
don't have access to webserver config.
But the point is that this way the cache
would be served only for explicit wish
of the webmaster and also only for those
images which are not the ads, banners,
counters, etc. if the webmaster wants so.
It could be also used for HTML but the large images are probably the main reason of killing banwidth on sites, like in this story, with many high quality pictures of cool hardware (I suppose that there are many high quality pictures of cool hardware but I can't access it). The cache could work for, say, 6 hours and would serve only files in subdirectories of linked URIs to avoid any abuse.
What do you think?
Re:My new (?) idea of /. mirroring (Score:2)
What do I think? honestly? I think you're smart - and there ain't a whole lot of that going around.
Most site operators wouldn't have a clue how to redirect requests for images even if they did have a clue what the slashdot effect was. But I think you have a great idea that could help actual geeks with smaller sites.
It's too bad the ppl that maintain the slashcode don't read this site. huh?
Re:My new (?) idea of /. mirroring (Score:2)
Better still (Score:2)
Re:Better still (Score:2)
Re:Better still (Score:2)
All you have to do is send an e-mail, sometime before, or even as the story is breaking that says, 'if you want to have your site cached on Slashdot, please click this link.'
Then (or even previously) you have the "SlashDot spider" make a map of the site, say, 3 links deep.
No mess. No fuss. Oh well. Good ideas seldom get used.
Re:My new (?) idea of /. mirroring (Score:2)
Re:My new (?) idea of /. mirroring (Score:2)
Re:kinda OT: Mirrors... (Score:2)
Umm.. It's not that the open source community can't figure it out, it's that the SLASHDOT ADMINS can't figure it out. Or they don't want to, for whatever reason.
I'm still waiting for the non-boxy case mods (Score:2)
C'mon, where are the perfectly polished aluminum sphere PCs? When will someone put a PC inside a disco ball? How about just a pyramid? Anybody?
Oh, well, maybe I ought to try making one myself. What's the maximum distance across those micro ATX boards..hmm...and where would I get a big polished metal sphere anyway..
Re:I'm still waiting for the non-boxy case mods (Score:2)
Re:I'm still waiting for the non-boxy case mods (Score:2)
Impressive but... (Score:2)
(actually while I was writting this comment the site started to slooowwwwy load in another window;)
Next up! (Score:2, Funny)
That invisible case is frigging amazing! (Score:4, Funny)
Either that or the images aren't loading because of slashdotting.
:)
Re:That invisible case is frigging amazing! (Score:2)
Heres the pictures (Score:3, Informative)
http://www.bit-tech.net/images/article/72/dscf1
http://www.bit-tech.net/images/article/72/d
http://www.bit-tech.net/images/article/72/d
http://www.bit-tech.net/images/article/72/d
http://www.bit-tech.net/images/article/72/d
Yes, the case is invisible... (Score:2, Funny)
nevermind modding the case! (Score:3, Interesting)
He did the reverse -- he kept the case intact, but substituted something else more interesting for the innards. Specifically, he made an aquarium [jagshouse.com] out of his old Mac 512. (no pics, but if you hunt around on google there's lots of 'em people have done)
Who needs a fish screensaver when you can have real ones swimming around...
Don't have a mirror for pics but (Score:3, Informative)
site:www.bit-tech.net case
To see the rest of the pages on the site. Most people don't know about Googles search site feature, it's cool.
Google Mirror (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Google Mirror (Score:2, Informative)
google cache [google.com]
Server death (Score:5, Funny)
Firemen have been dispatched to Telehouse London to prevent this web server from burning down most of the UK internet as it's pair of P3's and pathetic little IDE disk UTTERLY FAIL to cope with the pure 30mbit/sec of joy that slashdotting creates.
Can be had retail (Score:5, Informative)
You can purchase similar all plexi-glass cases from www.clear-viewtech.com [clear-viewtech.com]
404 Not Found - Netscape (Score:2)
leather (Score:2, Insightful)
no shielding (Score:2)
I hope the Canadian equivalent of the FCC will stop this company from selling the case. Selling unshielded computer cases just is pretty irresponsible.
Re:no shielding (Score:2, Interesting)
I'm no elecrtonics expert, and I agree that in theory it could cause some serious problems, but as a neutral onlooker I haven't seen anything actually indicating that it does cause a problem. I very well may have just missed an article, and if that is the case I would appreciate someone pointing me in the right direction.
Re:no shielding (Score:2, Informative)
Re:no shielding (Score:2)
Re:no shielding (Score:2)
It's amplitude modulated signals and shortwave that are most susceptible to interference. Consumer devices don't use those much anymore, but they are still widely used by amateur radio operators, scientific equipment, and public service organizations.
Turn your radio to an AM station or try a shortwave receiver and you'll probably see a lot of interference.
Dust bunnies and interference (Score:3, Insightful)
All those fans act like an air filter inside your PC, filtering the air in your home and gradually building up debris inside the case. While for the most part harmless (in moderation and unless blocking of choking a critical fan completly), the result is nasty as many have known. Compressed air helps, but there is still a mark left on the metal.
A plastic case would require frequent cleanings with a glass cleaner/damp cloth. Pretty soon that kewl case will be showing it's ugly dirt for all to see.
There's also a question of interference, although most circuits are FCC type B, which means they must not rely on their enclosure to prevent interference. Most high frequency circuitry that can actually do some damage in widely used consumer spectrums are already shielded by the component cases themselves. And despite what people will tell you, a 200 MHz (400 MHz RDRAM) bus or ultra-fast chipset SB->NB link doesn't output enough power to cause interference to anything a foot or so away, much less longer distances.
In fact, AC motors such as those found in blenders, which are often not FCC certified cause a wide band of strong interference all over the spectrum. Next time take a look at your TV while making a milkshake. Even those with cable will notice significant interference.
Oh well. I still probably wouldn't buy the case for any serious or even everyday use as the cleaning requirement would soon render the case dirty and unattractive (much more so than your typical beige box). Still though, there isn't much of an argument of interference from the other side of the fence.
It's not really invisible... (Score:3, Funny)
Solution to interference problems? (Score:2, Interesting)
Another case mod article? (Score:2, Interesting)
After all that... (Score:2)
This reminds me of those kits you could buy that would turn the front and rear ends of your VW Beetle into a Rolls Royce.
--Blair
About time, but when...? (Score:4, Interesting)
Think about it! Most QFP and PGA chips have boring black plastic bodies. How hard would it be to replace them with clear plastic? Ceramic packages could probably be made at least translucent.
Then you embed light-emitting junctions at important areas of the chip, so you can watch the whole thing brighten, dim, and change color as the computational load changes. NOPs would be faint blue, cache misses would make the prefetch unit flash red. Floating-point would cause the FPU to glow green. Imagine it! You could tell what was eating most of your timeslices just by looking at the chip. Nevermind how you'd see through the heatsink to perceive all this.
Seriously though, if the whole mobo chipset were clear-encased too, you could tell the difference between RAM accesses, drive activity, interrupts, DMA storms... Ooooh.
We already have SCSI terminators with activity indicators, am I really asking for too much?
(Now why didn't I patent this 5 years ago when I came up with it?)
Patterns (Score:2)
well, it took some time... (Score:2)
Re:images slashdotted already... (Score:5, Funny)
Re:images slashdotted already... (Score:2)
It loads quite long, however, probably because of /. effect,
but it's very large and very invisible
indeed...
invisible case, invisible pictures (Score:3, Interesting)
Been done.. (Score:2)