I built a $40 theremin to annoy friends and learn circuitry fundamentals

There’s nothing spookier or more haunting than the soaring sounds of a theremin, an instrument that uses electromagnetic fields to produce various pitches when you move your hands around it. You’ve probably heard one in your favorite science fiction flick. It’s one of my favorite instruments of all time. I tend to gravitate towards the weirder things in life and the theremin is definitely one of the most bizarre instruments out there. That’s why I decided to put together a theremin on a breadboard. Not only did the high-pitched sounds annoy both my dog and husband (much to my wicked delight), but it also helped me better understand circuitry. If you’ve got little ones, this is a fantastic project to do with them. It’s easy to assemble and the price is surprisingly affordable. Read on to learn more. Like tinkering with your PC? You should pick up these 10 must-have items. Where the heck do you even get a breadboard theremin? I purchased the $39.95 Theremin Kit from MicroKits on a whim one evening. The price is reasonable, as it comes with all the bits and bobs you need. MicroKits is run by David Levi, an electrical engineer and toy designer who wants to inspire the next generation of engineers. I love finding affordable, accessible products and the small businesses that make it happen. The company also sells a tiny synthesizer that serves as a great introduction to analog sound synthesis. You can even hook the touchpad up to a couple of bananas... Continue reading at 'PC World'

[ PC World | 2023-02-24 17:00:00 UTC ]

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Dealmakers and Wanderers: New Science Fiction and Fantasy

Recent releases include “The Midnight Bargain,” “The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue” and “Piranesi.” Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2020-10-14 09:00:04 UTC ]
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The Study of Economics Could Learn a Lot From Science Fiction

Mainstream economics is suffering an identity crisis, which began with The Great Recession and has reemerged during the current pandemic. In response, a growing collection of voices has advocated looking beyond the field—in particular, to science fiction—as a way to imagine it anew. Although... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2020-10-05 08:48:01 UTC ]
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8 Science Fiction Novels by Authors of Color for the End Times

Are these the end times? Who knows! Settle into this current quasi-dystopian reality with recent books by American writers of color. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2020-10-02 10:35:59 UTC ]
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Derek B Miller’s first sci-fi novel goes to Jo Fletcher Books

Jo Fletcher Books, Quercus’ fantasy and science fiction imprint, will publish Derek B Miller’s first sci-fi novel, Radio Life. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-10-01 03:42:44 UTC ]
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Namwali Serpell will donate Clarke Prize money to those protesting Breonna Taylor’s murder.

Within an hour of hearing that she had won the Arthur C. Clarke Award, a top honor given to science fiction published in the UK, Namwali Serpell also heard the news that the police officers who killed Breonna Taylor would not be charged for her murder. “I received these two pieces of news about... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2020-09-25 18:21:12 UTC ]
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Namwali Serpell’s The Old Drift has won the 2020 Arthur C. Clarke Award.

The Arthur C. Clarke Award, named in honor of the eponymous author, is the United Kingdom’s most prestigious prize for science fiction first published in the UK. The prize comes with an award plaque and a cash prize of £2020.00. Previous winners include Yoon Ha Lee, Ahmad Saadawi, and Anne... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2020-09-23 19:55:57 UTC ]
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Spanish-speaking writers are producing ambitious science fiction and fantasy. Let these books be your introduction.

As diverse as Spanish genre fiction is, most of it is hidden from the English-language world. Thankfully, enthusiasts and small publishers are filling the void. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2020-09-21 12:00:00 UTC ]
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Man in the Maze: A Conversation with Robert Silverberg

THE LONG AND VARIED career of science fiction author Robert Silverberg can almost be viewed as a microcosm of the genre’s development over the past seven decades. Starting out in the world of fandom, Silverberg edited a popular zine in the early 1950s, then turned to professional writing during... Continue reading at Los Angeles Review of Books

[ Los Angeles Review of Books | 2020-09-18 15:00:52 UTC ]
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Explore Indigenous Futurisms With these SFF Books by Indigenous Authors

Explore Indigenous Futurisms by reading these 25 science fiction and fantasy books by Indigenous authors with Indigenous main characters! Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2020-09-18 10:38:00 UTC ]
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Let’s Stop with the Realism Versus Science Fiction and Fantasy Debate

We live in unreal times. I wake up in the middle of a global pandemic to watch a reality-TV president spout conspiracy theories while dystopian corporations enact new science fiction tech. In this chaos, I’ve found myself turning to escapist fiction. Stories that conjure a different, more... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2020-09-17 08:49:57 UTC ]
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What Brands Can Learn From NASA’s Marketing of the Apollo Missions

The fear of nuclear annihilation during the Cold War was so palpable that a common joke at the time was: "What do you want to be if you grow up?" In the late 1950s, 60% of American children suffered nightmares about it. Hollywood didn't help. During the 1950s, science fiction crossed to the dark... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2020-09-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Why this author is taking a stand against Amazon’s audiobook monopoly

Famed writer and activist Cory Doctorow is selling the audio version of his upcoming book via Kickstarter to sidestep the walled garden of Amazon-owned audiobook platform Audible. When science fiction writer and activist Cory Doctorow releases his new novel, Attack Surface, next month, you’ll be... Continue reading at Fast Company

[ Fast Company | 2020-09-12 09:00:52 UTC ]
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Truth Itself Becomes Suspicious: On Rob Brotherton’s “Bad News: Why We Fall for Fake News”

IN 1889, the science fiction writer Jules Verne and his son, Michel, envisioned that, in a thousand years, there would be a personally curated newsfeed. What’s really remarkable about that futuristic prediction, says author Rob Brotherton in his new book, Bad News: Why We Fall for Fake News, is... Continue reading at Los Angeles Review of Books

[ Los Angeles Review of Books | 2020-09-05 17:00:41 UTC ]
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Izumi Suzuki, counterculture icon and SF legend, will finally be published in English in 2021.

Izumi Suzuki, whose works of science fiction have earned her a special place in Japanese counterculture, will soon make her English-language debut with a story collection whose synopsis sounds almost unbearably cool. Verso Books will publish Terminal Boredom, a short story collection, in April... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2020-09-04 16:26:09 UTC ]
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Octavia Butler has finally made the New York Times Best Seller list.

Why aren’t there more Science Fiction Black writers? There aren’t because there aren’t. What we don’t see, we assume can’t be. What a destructive assumption. —Octavia E. Butler, in Octavia E. Butler: Telling My Stories.   A small good thing amid the unrelenting horror: This week, almost fifty... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2020-09-03 16:37:21 UTC ]
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21 Must-Read Books for 12th Graders by Authors of Color

From contemporary and historical fiction to science fiction and fantasy, including Forest of a Thousand Lanterns by Julie C. Dao, these 21 books are must-reads for 12th graders. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2020-09-03 10:33:00 UTC ]
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Netflix secures rights to Cixin Liu’s Three-Body Problem trilogy

David Benioff and D B Weiss, creators of HBO’s "Game of Thrones", are adapting Cixin Liu’s science fiction trilogy The Three-Body Problem for Netflix.  Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-09-02 17:51:43 UTC ]
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Game of Thrones creators to bring Liu Cixin’s sci-fi trilogy to Netflix

David Benioff and DB Weiss to adapt The Three-Body Problem and two sequels with Alexander WooGame of Thrones co-creators David Benioff and DB Weiss are to adapt a series of hit science fiction novels by Chinese author Liu Cixin for Netflix. Together with Alexander Woo, who has worked on... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2020-09-01 14:29:32 UTC ]
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Power and Passage: New Science Fiction and Fantasy

A story collection offers a cleareyed survey of the Black American experience, and a debut novel traverses hundreds of versions of Earth. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2020-08-27 09:00:05 UTC ]
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Soft Science Fiction: 15 Classic and Contemporary Must Read Books

Soft science fiction focuses on the social sciences, is more philosophical in approach, and explores the important social issues of our time. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2020-08-21 10:36:00 UTC ]
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