Laser Cutter Finalists- Master List

Or a lot of classmates. He plans to donate it to his school if he wins.

Bit of both! When I saw I was nominated, I sent an email to some of my friends from school. The Communication Design and Technology Department at Parsons is a very DIY-oriented kind of program, and a lot of my classmates post their school work up here, too, like the Wax Tag, the moss bomb, LED Bike Helmet, and many others--one of our graduates co-developed LED Throwies. After my email went out, it went viral among my "maker" friends, and their maker friends, and their maker friends...

Naturally, I was as stoked as anyone about the prospect of a laser cutter, but my fellow students and faculty are also an incredibly supportive group of people. We visit each other's shows, concerts, installations, you name it. If the prize was a hot fudge sundae and a pat on the back, they'd still vote en masse.

Props to every one of 'em! I didn't win, but I definitely felt the love.

Loved your project and it's good to hear that you're a part of such a supportive community. That's worth more than any one item, that's for sure.

or ...

>Ikea speakers is still 0 >common guys a few extra sympathy votes? :-) pleez?

I think it would be worthwhile to point out the following quote from above. "Note that this is only a part of the judging, so if you're a finalist don't stress too much over it. It's a chance for our entire community to have their voices heard." So, like it says, don't stress out about it. The signal to noise on these scores is so small (having a boyfriend increases your score by 5% compared to those without boyfriends, for instance). No reasonable statistician could possibly take the scores seriously as reliable indicators of a project's quality. If you really feel strongly about a project, a (constructive, not bashing) comment will probably be far more influential to the projects chances of winning than a vote. Of course, I've been saddened by some of the more mean spirited comments posted in this contest, so I'd personally ask that they actually "be nice", but I'm a nutcase libertarian, so do whatever you will.

Ha! That's hilarious :p That should be laser engraved on very dark sunglasses -- on the lenses of course :P

I'm reminded of Steve Wozniaks story SW: Of course. I used to use laser pointers all the time and people would come up to me and say �What are you doing with that laser pointer!� So I made up a fake ID that said I was a laser pointer security man. " The picture on the fake id was a picture of himself with a eye patch!

I tried it, but when I hard refresh, it just goes back to the previous score and says I haven't voted at all.

We've been handling this pretty well in the speed contests by only looking at the positive ratings (and only real positive ratings via IP address). If when we go through the data, we find evidence of unsportsmanlike behavior, we'll act accordingly. I know these ratings are the only things you can watch right now, but let me stress that they are only a fraction of the decision.

I noticed yesterday that some project ratings had dropped as well, which really surprised me. I too had posted links to the contest on two other web boards I visit (not that they had many views last time I checked, which is kind of a bummer) as well as posted a link on our family blog and encouraged people to join and vote- but to be fair, I directed them to the finalists master list so they can go through all the projects and rate whatever they like. At any rate, the voting is only part of the decision making process -but like you, I too feel disheartened when I see ratings suddenly drop. Heck, I gave good ratings to several of the finalists on their original instructable pages in the first place.......

I think that the negative ratings should be eliminated for voting. It just allows people to add some meanness to the proceedings. We should be promoting the good and not trying to tear others down without explanation. In the future it would be cool to see a more robust voting system. In San Francisco we sometimes have a tiered voting system. You can vote for three people where your 1st vote counts for more "points" than the 2nd and the 2nd counts for more than the 3rd. With a requirement that people vote for their top three it would force people to check out more projects. The results could also be hidden until the end.

Thanks, 5volt! I know, I was surprised too, but in retrospect, the Instructable itself wasn't put together well. If I made then instructable when I finished the project, and not 1 hr before the deadline, I think it would have come out MUCH nicer. -J

I have also had this problem. It is not logging the vote.

Good idea. Done.

The project name links to the actual project instead of the voting page, that might get confusing.

How about both in the same link. I remember the projects better than the usernames, most of the time. Eric, when does the voting close? I can't find anything in this topic. Do I need to hunt it down somewhere else? The pages take so bloody long to download......zzzzz

Voting ends this Thursday.

Thank you. And thanks for letting me play along at home. Overall the contest is a huge success. Perfect? Not much is. I hope to have something to enter next year. And you get a vacation between now and then.

thanks for the shout! :) means a lot

I started a new forum topic to discuss this over here.

Aww, curve! Thank You!

I agree that some of them are really not that innovative, and I thought that a contest like this should be judged much more on innovation than "coolness", I suppose.

I'll just have to deal with defeat... FOR NOW! Next contest , I'll work so hard that everyone's head will explode, and then I'll win XP

Thanks again =)

I started a new forum topic to discuss this over here.

Ouch! That's not very nice.

I started a new forum topic to discuss this over here.

Yah your right
Great Going Finalists, don't let these fainting daisies spoil your day!

I started a new forum topic to discuss this over here.

I started a new forum topic to discuss this over here.

I started a new forum topic to discuss this over here.

I started a new forum topic to discuss this over here.

I have an issue with projects that aren't that original - like the CNC machine and the multi touch display (both of which have links to similar projects/info in the project or comments.) It doesn't really seem like they were breaking new ground there....

I started a new forum topic to discuss this over here.

I started a new forum topic to discuss this over here.

Hey, it's alright. I made the first documentation on how to make a cotton candy machine....... EVER..... You win some, you lose some Cheers, -J

Yeah - try to find information on embedding LEDs in resin - I've only found one other reference, and there weren't instructions with it. I also included a completely new method of building up a form with a void in it without a 2-part mold. I'm not too happy either....

I've got a really neat idea for you that incorporates your instuctable- I'm sending you a message!

I agree, this contest seemed to be judged more on coolness or application than innovation. We're all unhappy, I'm sure, but to prove our superior skills, we'll just have to wipe out the competition in the next contest.

I embedded LEDs in resin (OK - just one LED) in my instructable. Doesn't that count? I was pretty specific with how to do it too... I feel VERY fortunate to have been picked as a finalist- there were so many excellent entries that I was seriously doubting my chances. Now if I'm lucky enough to actually win I do have a really great plan for the laser cutter.......

Sorry to overlook yours - I was referencing the webiverse searches I did before I started. Congrats on being a finalist!

Thanks!! Now I need to sleep.....

Which is? ;)

It was originally posted here along with some other ideas: http://www.instructables.com/forum/T11TSQRF1U9XTHW/

This the proposal I came up with according to the original rules- it should not affect your judging as it is simply what I would do with it. If you feel my instructable is worthy of merit then by all means vote for it - may the best insructable win!

It is important to me as it has to do with how I feel as a community we can have a really positive impact in the world not just by offering our instructables but by directly helping those in need and at the same time promoting ourselves and this site. I think it's a neat idea and while I'm sure there would need to be some tweaks here and there I believe the overall idea itself is sound.

My idea would be to start a laser service- with a twist.

Let's say someone posts an instructable in the laser group that requires the use of the laser for their project. I would provide that at a given cost based on the complexity of the job- let's just say $40. From that $40, 20% would go into a Paypal/bank account to be held seperately for a charity.

Now let's say that person wants duplicates for themselves to sell on eBay or wherever. I would do this at a reduced cost, say $30. This is because the setup work has already been done. Now 25% of the money goes into the charity account.

Now let's say that someone reads the original instructable and wants to create the item for themselves. It would cost them $40 but now $5 goes back to the creator of the instructable and still 20% goes into the charity account.

When the charity account reaches $500 everyone that has posted an instructable in the laser group votes on where the money goes- it can be a school, Humane Society, Habitat for Humanity, needy family, scholarship fund, etc. but it will have to be limited to a few choices during every voting session. The money is then donated in the name of Instructables.com -everyone that creates something here gets to see their projects create a direct impact on the world around them in the form of this charity donation.

The original creator of the instructable also gets $5 every time their instructable is used to create a product that they designed!

Well that's my idea- I know the rules concerning the contest have changed but I'm still going to do this anyway if I'm lucky enough to win. That's been my plan all along and I think it's something that benefits everyone and I'm sticking to it! :P

I like this too. The $5 royalty for INSTRUCTABLE designers may provide another motive for people to contribute to the site (other than fame or contest prizes, that is). I can see a group devoted to projects relying on a laser cutter, to take advantage of its particular features, and even to develop new applications. How are you with experimenting with different materials?

That's exactly the reason for doing it- if you give people the incentive to use the technology then everyone ultimately benefits from it. :) Experimenting with materials is second nature to me!

I actually really like that Idea, except shipping large pieces would be a huge hassle. Anywho, I'd like to say that you're awesome, Honus. You've been around longer than I have, and definitely deserve to win this prize.

I'm not saying seniority should have anything to do with judging, but you have already proved your devotion to this website. For all of us who have posted more than 2 or 3 Instructables, we know how much work and dedication it takes to make another, good quality, instructable.

You rock, man. You just dont rock lobster!

Thanks a lot for the kind words- it really means a lot to me! I have thought about the shipping issue. Ideally after a while I would hope I'd be able to get a basic stock supply of materials on hand to support the more popular instructables and thus save a bit on lead times and shipping costs. The other idea would be for people to get together and do group buys to save on materials, shipping and production costs. For instance, say you came up with an idea for an acrylic instructables key fob that had the logo etched into one side as well as an embedded LED to light it. And it would also need a beer opener -even though I don't drink beer I understand the importance of that. :) You, as the designer, would organize a group buy for said key fob. I (as the hopeful laser cutter guy) would supply the cut/etched acrylic parts. Then the parts would go to someone that had built a really cool homemade CNC mill to mill the recesses for the battery and LED. I'm picturing it as a two piece snap together kind of thing so the battery could easily be changed.... You could even bring in other collaberators to imbed a cool circuit in there of some kind. All of this would allow for reduced shipping cost/hassle and lower production cost. I've taken part in group buys as a manufacturer on other forums and they can work really well if the organization is solid. You generally create a production sample first and then start a sign up thread. Whan I told my wife I was a finalist she thought it would be really neat to start our own little shop in our garage, since we have the advantage that she works part time from home. That would be so cool.......

That doesn't sound half bad, man! Although, I'm only 16, so I don't drink beer.... I'm glad my words are well-appreciated. -J

16 jesus If I only had your talents at 16.

Perhaps I have talent, I don't know. There are several "counterbalances" for my "talents," IE. being terrible at english and social studies, not being able to focus on topics that don't interest me, trying to make a topic that doesn't interest me seem like a topic that does, then missing the entire point and failing... You see, it's not all about "talent," it's about the person in his/her entirety.

16 and you're making your own cotton candy machine? When I was 16 all I did was build plastic models and ride my bike (mostly because I kept crashing cars- which explains why I later became a bicycle designer.)

I'm 16 too, and I build robots age doesn't really matter

Agreed =)

Hey, even though you weren't making cotton candy machines, your lack-of cotton candy machine building led you to be the awesome person you are today!

I'm shocked to the core, I thought I would make finalist with a few others. I feel sick.

I started a new forum topic to discuss this over here.

i agree