Laser-etched PowerBooks

December 7, 2005 5:47 AM

Laser-etched PowerBooks.
posted by nthdegx (25 comments total)

that's cute that they used a vaio to do it.
posted by rxrfrx at 6:02 AM on December 7, 2005

Next up - how to build a laser etching machine out of an old CD-ROM drive...
posted by Chunder at 6:18 AM on December 7, 2005

that's cute that they used a vaio to do it.

Yeah, well, you need a real computer to do cool things like this to one's toys.

That ought to get Metafilter jumpstarted this morning.
posted by Ryvar at 6:19 AM on December 7, 2005

The plum blossom one is really nice. I wish they'd put a little more detail into the article... it would be nice to learn more about how the laser machine works.
posted by selfnoise at 6:21 AM on December 7, 2005

The think I love most about Make, to which I have a subscritption, is that although these projects are all ostensibly DIY, they require an incredibly high level of mechanical understanding and they frequently use tools like a 20k laser etcher. Cool pcitures, though.
posted by OmieWise at 6:27 AM on December 7, 2005

I saw Phillip Torrone's model last month, and thought that it looked awesome, and considering how precious these lappies are to many different thinkers, it makes sense to ornament them, especially with results as nice as this.

Wouldn't work on my thinkpad, though, and, like a tatoo, I'd have a hell of a hard time figuring out the image I'd like etched 'forever' on it.
posted by Busithoth at 6:28 AM on December 7, 2005

I just jerked off on my PowerBook and let it dry there. That way, every time I look at the resulting stain I remember just how much I love it.
posted by you just lost the game at 6:32 AM on December 7, 2005

Busithoth... if you're keeping your laptops as long as you keep a tattoo you probably have a problem regarding obsolete technology...

and.. nice fpp...
posted by HuronBob at 6:35 AM on December 7, 2005

Why doesn't anyone do this for real? Sure a $20,000 laser cutter is pricey, but not excessively more than most professional machinery. You could probably charge a $100 a pop.
posted by smackfu at 6:43 AM on December 7, 2005

Aw man, I want one with the vi tarsier on it.
posted by Wolfdog at 6:51 AM on December 7, 2005

you just lost the game wins
posted by puke & cry at 6:51 AM on December 7, 2005 [1 favorite]

I concur with puke & cry.
posted by shoepal at 6:59 AM on December 7, 2005

can I etch my face in a similar way?

(I think the powerbook results look rad)
posted by 13twelve at 7:04 AM on December 7, 2005

When the laptop is open, isn't the Apple logo upside-down? Wouldn't you want the etching to appear right-side up when using the laptop?

Or could I be mistaken?
posted by Lord Kinbote at 7:23 AM on December 7, 2005

Lord Kinbote, the logo has been right-side-up since the introduction of the TiBook; about five years?
posted by lowlife at 7:26 AM on December 7, 2005

You are mistaken, although it was that way many moons ago.
posted by spock at 7:27 AM on December 7, 2005

Pretty cool but...does it really make sense to do this to something that was close to being obsolete 5 minutes after it came out of the box? Maybe something that is removable and could be put on the next laptop, hmmmm...
posted by MikeMc at 7:29 AM on December 7, 2005

can I etch my face in a similar way?

I can etch it for you in the manner that you just lost the game is proposing.
posted by PeterMcDermott at 7:59 AM on December 7, 2005

PeterMcDermott: Like Zorro?
posted by The Bellman at 9:06 AM on December 7, 2005

Why doesn't anyone do this for real?

Etch-a-Mac already does. iPods, too.
posted by Smart Dalek at 9:17 AM on December 7, 2005

The wave picture is actually made of bunnies!
posted by ZenMasterThis at 9:31 AM on December 7, 2005

I beat an aged hobo to death with my Powerbook... just left the teeth, blood and hair on the thing. Very impressionistic.
posted by breakfast_yeti at 9:53 AM on December 7, 2005

Like Zorro?

Indeed.

I thought that Giles Coren's Bad Sex Award was woefully undeserved as well...
posted by PeterMcDermott at 10:13 AM on December 7, 2005

$200.00 is etch-a-mac's price for a full side etching. If you were interested.
posted by smackfu at 11:12 AM on December 7, 2005

selfnoise: "...it would be nice to learn more about how the laser machine works."

I've used one of these; it's pretty simple. It's basically an old-school plotter with a CO2 laser head mounted where the pens would usually be. I'm guessing the reason they had to use a VAIO was because the drivers (basically modified plotter drivers that map pen color to beam width and power) are only available for Windows. Which is pretty typical for highly specialized stuff like this.
posted by mr_roboto at 12:27 PM on December 7, 2005