Category: Life technologies
Upgrade your childhood
“For those who don’t know technology — everything is a miracle”
the most creative editor in the most creative place on Earth
You’ve come across a children’s toy. It seems like everything’s fine with it, but something’s still not right. Take, for example, a construction set: you can build a house from it, but the house will never put itself back into the box. A karaoke microphone with pre-recorded melodies will just repeat them in a loop, leaving you with no hope of updating your singing repertoire. And a Rubik’s Cube? Even if you manage to solve it in two hours, it probably won’t thank you with fanfare. Pinball just keeps beating the ball out of bounds, and that funny plumber wearing blue overalls seems to deliberately get stuck in pixelated time.
There’s a solution: write to the creators of these toys and accuse them of lacking imagination. Of course, they’re waiting for your message.
And what if they reply? You could spend your whole life searching for a toy that meets all your parameters, but why waste your life on that? You could invent some game items yourself, but let’s be honest — the last invention, sticking your finger in a yawning cat’s mouth, didn’t turn out well. The penultimate one was turning two pairs of old glasses into a telescope to watch cockroaches — even less practical.
You can also modify what you already have — fun, with songs and jokes. The main idea is simple: any toy is a blank slate that can be turned into real wonder-tech or just amusing gadgets using your hands, a soldering iron, screwdriver, imagination, and a pinch of technology. Or both at once — we’ll tell you how.
If you believed in yourself enough to make a fan,
take a closer look: maybe there’s a treasure hidden inside.
Carefully disassemble it and put the parts into a box:
Switch and propeller, all power supply components, motor.
Connect a thermistor that measures temperature
And changes current strength when heated.
Then switch on your imagination: at what temperature
Will the fan come alive and cool you down so your troubles fly away?
Connect the thermistor to the power supply
(Just positive +).
Then run its other end
Through a resistor directly to the transistor’s base
While giggling.
Let your neighbors be amazed!
And connect the collector of the transistor
Neatly to the motor’s negative terminal (-).
Drop the emitter straight into the ground —
Let it rest there; meanwhile, connect the motor more reliably.
In this case when it gets hot outside, this setup will make your fan run
And give you that refreshing breeze without any extra hints.
If you want something simpler — save on batteries:
Take solar panels from garden lamps or gnomes.
Replace batteries in the air-blowing device with this panel
(Use a diode so current doesn’t escape).
Your propeller will spin all blades at once —
Free and powered by sunlight. Now you’re ventilated!
And if there’s not enough wind?
Don’t rush to bother your pocket fan that you keep for important occasions.
Attach a small motor with blades (even from a broken toy)
Next to the existing one.
Connect both motors in parallel to one button
And power them from parallel sources.
Position them so they work together
And blow only forward.
Protect yourself from hot days with double defence —
But don’t overdo it! Be careful — or you’ll fly away!
And if you’re a fan of peeking
At the show happening in the window opposite,
A telescope will help you see all the details.
You can even look through the children’s telescope, although
It’s not really designed for star-gazing or for observing adult, sultry scenes.
Spin it gently in your hands, check out the lens size,
Adjust or not adjust the focus.
Every curious person knows that the power of a telescope is
In making sure it provides good viewing at night.
We can easily fix this with an LED strip:
Attach it near the eyepiece area.
Turn it off when you spot spying eyes;
Add an on/off switch and don’t forget batteries.
And if someone asks you to confirm the entire filming,
You can easily provide it. What’s the camera for?
You can carefully take the system or even an external module
From an old phone—just make sure it can record.
Secure whatever you’ve snatched from the phone
At the eyepiece with a tight rubber band from some green bills.
You can also use electrical tape, as long as the camera
Stays attached to the telescope. Are you an engineer or what?
Now you’ll be able to film clouds, the moon, stars—
And all the blondes who don’t like closing their windows at night.
And then again, why reveal your secrets right away?
Maybe you’re not a detective at all, but just an ordinary diver?
“Telescope? Why would I need that? I’m more interested in terrestrial things—
Fish and the seabed—and I look through a periscope.”
Gather up those plastic tube scraps you’ve made,
Make a couple of cylinders out of cardboard from pantyhose packaging.
Then stick round mirrors into these cylinders—
They’ll help you see more, but be sure to set the angle
Exactly at 45°.
Once you connect them to the tube, your visibility will improve immediately—
You’ll be able to observe both the sky and the bottom of the sea.
And if you decide to solve a Rubik’s Cube quickly,
There’s no need to rush—no matter what anyone says.
Look into three dimensions—you’ll see the truth right away:
All hinges, faces, blocks, and the central mechanism.
And what are you hesitating for? Thought it couldn’t be easier?
An engineering puzzle isn’t that simple to solve.
Start with simple movements you know well—pull gently with precise jerks, move and rotate
That angular mechanism. Use your nail and screwdriver—
Reach the axis that spins petals
On its center with cubes.
Then put on gloves and begin your magical acts:
Connect servomotors to each face of the cube.
Let Arduino or Raspberry control everything—
Don’t rely on yourself; they’ll do better.
Program them with algorithms: CFOP—that’s a solid method
And a solution built right into the cube itself.
Make Cross its core, place pieces in F2L so the frame fills up,
Then OLL so the top layer lands where
It should—on this structure you just set up.
PLL will arrange patterns, beautifully align everything,
And build a complete cube—culminating in a final move.
Send all this data into microchips and your computer obediently.
Let your cube assemble itself
In different configurations and faces according to your commands—
And even sing a song!
You can also define your own solution:
Right-left, left-right, center-center, front-back.
Then you can craft a body: instead of a black square,
Make it look like a dinosaur, a hat, a skull, a comb—
Even field flowers. Your 3D printer is your support:
Imagine freely, generate ideas—do whatever you want.
Don’t forget about rotation around its axis!
Who told you that a Rubik’s Cube can only have colors?
Make one with scents, sounds, fur—add those too!
Let others struggle with algorithms; you don’t need that—
You’ve discovered what “zen” really means.
If you’re a fan of the Dendy, we congratulate you,
because you’ve got a long-lasting field for probing.
The first thing to do is understand how it works.
We’ll give you a hint: cartridges, controllers, chips.
Each game on the device is a special set of data
That the console reads, processes,
And transforms into images.
Feel like an engineer on the spot—
Download a dump simulator and load it into your computer.
Nothing is easier than creating a digital image of the game,
Changing the course of events—whether they’re storylines or gameplay.
You can even add secret Easter eggs to the screen,
Include various characters,
Or increase the number of new features and options.
Dreamed about it? Well then, let’s get started.
Bring a top-tier flasher or programmer,
Connect it to your console, and quietly
Record everything you see on the screen. Ask the microchips to
Tell you some gossip. Then turn on your computer,
Upload all this data, and modify whatever you want
In your gaming consoles.
Invite friends over for coffee
And challenge them to games you’ve created yourself.
They should bring money too.
Or just start programming right away! What makes you worse than teenagers
Who craft scenarios for gaming consoles?
Use applications that contain the word “Pixel”—
You can draw art in them in just five minutes.
Then switch to Assembly language and write line-by-line code:
Where your console hero should jump.
If you don’t know Assembly,
Use an emulator or a workshop SDK.
Record your game onto a cartridge, show off your creativity—
Let others evaluate your game and award you a medal.
And if an old pixel with its flickering irritates you,
Modify it using HDMI.
Change the video output to a modern,
High-quality one; connect another adapter and convert the signal.
FPGA will help reconfigure everything inside,
And you’ll see the picture in HD quality instantly.
The new pixel will be smooth, and your console
Might even brew coffee or sweep the floor while playing with you!
Wow, look at what you’ve set your sights on—a battery-powered radio!
Well then, brother, the challenge is accepted; we’ll set everything up right now.
Come closer to me, take out that old receiver,
Remove the moths from it, and I’ll teach you a thing or two.
Hurry up, don’t be stingy—unpack the equipment
And get ready to be the first transistor man in the neighborhood
To turn those buttons and levers.
The device is simple: an amplifier and a speaker,
Plus a receiver that catches waves from all over.
It has an antenna that boosts any signal
And a coil with current for magnetic amplitudes.
Inside the radio, there’s a membrane that vibrates the stale air
So that electrical signals turn into clear sound.
We won’t open up the device because only a clever physicist
Can mess with or change what’s inside the radio’s throat.
But we’ll add a module so you can tune it
To your mood or style—so your radio plays your music.
Grab a Bluetooth audio receiver; it’s better to choose a compact one—
They say they’re available online in electronics stores.
Connect it immediately to the amplifier and speaker
Instead of the old antenna or parallel to it.
And what are you hesitating for? I told you—you’re not a physicist.
Alright, I’ll explain more simply because I like you so much.
Now connect the Bluetooth module’s power from batteries
Or from a separate source marked 5V.
Connect the Bluetooth module’s audio output to the input
Of the amplifier for songs—that could be through the speaker contact
Or a line-in; look around—you might find it.
Now turn on your phone’s system;
It’s connected via Bluetooth to the transistor side.
Kiss your wrist if you want, even loudly croak—
Then the “Dandelion” band will be playing on your radio.
And now, listen to this secret: all old radios have
A hidden little wheel.
If you turn it for long enough, frequencies change—
Here you get hit with rap, there with pop music.
Turn it more often—you might hear something;
After all, waves are everywhere—even in women’s showers.
Sooner or later, if you build an antenna out of aluminum foil,
You might start receiving signals from space.
You can even embed a cable if you’re against an antenna—
But then there will be interference or external noise.
What do aliens shout at you? You’ll learn that easily
If you put all their chatter directly into SDR (Software Defined Radio).
Alright, I’ll give some more life hacks since things are spinning now—
Physicists are like that—they just need to give some tips.
If your Bluetooth module refuses
To connect directly, connect a mixer or preamplifier
Between it and your transmitter.
The radio might look at you sideways—that’s okay.
Build a mixer and preamp using operational amplifiers.
Look online for inexpensive modules—
They run on batteries and have simple connectors.
Add LEDs or control via buttons with Arduino;
Let the transistor be stylish in sharp leather pants.
Whoa-whoa-whoa! Take it easy!
What are you planning to build from this constructor?
What have you brought me now? Lego or a wooden construction set?
Well then, bring a metal one! No need to deprive it.
First, assemble whatever you want—a tap, a cat figure, a car—
Otherwise what will we animate in our free time?
Attach an electric motor, connect it to a power supply—
Make sure it spins, and your toy will come alive.
Oh, you don’t know how to solder? Strange—that’s an important skill!
Then take springs, paper clips, threads or glue.
Not interested yet? I see your toy’s
Just rolling on the parquet floor, it has scared the turtle away,
And is trying to get into trash.
Program its behavior:
Connect a controller via a powerful motor driver
Or a special port.
Hook up an external sensor—
Let it react when touched or afraid of voices—
Respond to light. Now run your program
On Arduino: write commands like
“Follow the line, rascal,” and “Use the light sensor;
If it signals light—turn right immediately,”
“Go get mail and newspapers.”
That’ll make things more fun! Doubt? Try it!
Change motor speed: make your robot stand still
Or start on command; do some jig-dance;
Then jump up high. Swap sensors—
Your robot will be amazed: who rules today—
The voice command or ultrasound?
Where will you find so many spare parts? Search through all shelves—
You might find an old printer or broken mouse—
And take their motors. You can even grab a vibro motor—
I don’t know where exactly to find one; come up with something yourself.
There’s also cheaper controllers than Arduino:
ESP8266 and ESP32 boards—
You can replace them easily—and they come with Wi-Fi
Which is definitely an advantage; if you ask nicely,
They might even fly into space!
There are free environments like Tinkercad Circuits or mBlock—
Visual coding platforms that make programming easier
And more straightforward.
These are some solutions at your disposal.
If you understand how devices work now—that means you’re a Creator!
And beyond that—it’s all in your hands: soldering iron and screwdriver are at your side;
Imagination and hands are ready—you’ll be both tailor and blacksmith with them.
The micro world makes particles dance to the melody of probability.
Thank you!
