Gizmodo: origami

Friday Easy Origami: Business Card Becomes iPod Earbud Winder

Wilson Rothman — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 20:30:00 EDT

Those designers at Core77 never stop. Today, one of them devised a super-simple but damn-if-it's-not-worth-it business-card hack that finally gives you a way to stash those damn white earbuds. Share your attempts in comments. [Core77]

Dollar Origami iPhone App Instructs How to Properly Fold a Bill

Christopher Mascari — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 20:20:00 EST

Ever wanted to create a dollar bill TIE Fighter? What about a shirt? Well Dollar Origami is here to help, but let me warn you it's much harder than you think...

The $1 iPhone app has 50 different dollar bill origamis to choose from and each has its own step-by-step instructions. The origamis range from animals, clothing, rings, structures, Yoda, and more. There's a few extra features like a self timer for testing your speediness and a sequence builder for creating your own origamis. But I was unable to really utilize this app to its full potential for one simple reason, I'm horrible at making origamis.

I started off pretty ambitious and jumped right into the cool looking TIE Fighter. After 15 minutes and many sighs of frustration I gave up. Here's what my Dollar Bill TIE Fighter looks like, yea I know it's pretty pathetic.

Even though the TIE Fighter killed my dreams of becoming a professional Dollar Origamist I decided to try my luck at folding a T-shirt. Well the sleeves aren't exactly perfect but I guess I did it?

[Dollar Origami]

Space Origami Kit (Pew, Pew, Blast Off, Etc)

Mark Wilson — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 14:15:00 EST

Paper cranes are alright, but they won't match our bedsheets.

The $10 Space Origami Kit features 120 pieces of square paper along with a 32-page instruction manual that will teach you how to build exciting space stuff like rockets, astronauts, lunar modules and super novas—all while disguising your childhood fantasies into an age-old, respectable art form. [The Spoon Sisters via bbGadgets]

Amazing Origami Star Trek, Star Wars Spaceships Make Good Use of Dollars

Kit Eaton — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 13:45:00 EDT

Spaceships, famous sci-fi ones from Star Trek and Star Wars, made of cunningly folded dollar bills—the Millenium Falcon takes just three dollar bills—and possessing fantastic detail. Enough said. Well, that and the fact it seems a pretty good use for dollar notes nowadays. Check out the gallery below, and more of origamist (?) Won Park's work at the DeviantArt link. [DeviantArt via Dvice]

Origami Space Shuttles Unveiled, Kids Around the World Hold Their Breath

Jesus Diaz — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 08:00:00 EDT

This has to be the dream of every kid and adult on Earth: Make a paper plane and throw it from orbit. Well, there's one lucky Japanese astronaut who is going to get nine of them, a paper space shuttle fleet which will go up to the International Space Station. Then, they will be dropped from orbit into a 250-mile, two-day flight to the ground. If you are thinking that these origami spacecrafts won't be able to resist the re-entry, think again: They can sustain Mach 7 speeds (5,300MPH) and 400-degree Farenheit temperatures.

Of course, these are no ordinary paper planes. Each of the 14 x 9-inch 1-ounce space shuttles are made with a special paper, treated with chemical products to allow it to resist such temperatures. The shuttles were tested in a hypersonic wind tunnel at the beginning of the year and, if everything goes well, they will make the trip to Kibo, the Japanese ISS module, on board the Space Shuttle Discovery in February.

Once they reach their destination, astronaut Dr. Koichi Wakata will then throw them in their voyage either by hand or using Dextre, the gigantic robotic arm on the ISS.

If they are lucky, they will reach populated areas, where they can be picked and returned to Japan's space agency. Hopefully for money, because if I got one of these from the ISS, I would keep it or sell it on eBay. [Asahi via Pink Tentacle]

Netflix Origami Folds Out the Trash

Mark Wilson — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 17:20:00 EDT

Even with Netflix's reusable mailers, the little torn-off panels begin to add up. Of course, you could just throw these away. Or if you're a bit more pretentious about it, you could recycle them and tell the whole block what a fantastic recycler you are—after all, some people just throw these things away. Or, if you're really great—and by "great" I mean freaky-obsessive compulsive—you'll fold these scraps into origami. Full instructions await those who are finished tweezing microscopic shreds of red paper from their rug while patting their heads and singing The Wheels on the Bus. [NetFlix Origami]

Origami Iron Man Has a Reasonable Handicap

Mark Wilson — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 13:00:00 EDT

A real Iron Man would be too powerful for this world. That's why origami artist Brian Chan used a bit of restraint while constructing his own super suit and utilized only one piece of paper for the fabrication. Our own Jason Chen calls it "beef jerky man." Takes one to know one, Jason! Here's a shot of just the tiny mask:

If the little Iron Man of art couldn't crush us in his itty bitty fingers, we'd go Cute Overload on his ass and scratch behind those teenie weenie wittle Iron Man cheeks. [Brian Chan via Geekologie]

Origami Experience 2.0 Ready For Download For UMPC Owners (Vista Only)

Elaine Chow — Sat, 14 Jun 2008 17:30:00 EDT

Microsoft has released its second version of the Origami Experience, making it available as a free download for Ultra-Mobile PC users with Windows Vista. The OE 2.0 software includes Picture Password, Weather, RSS functionality, an e-mail client, calender and other web features – basically what you get with Vista, but more touch screen friendly. OE 1.0 was barely used, partially because UMPCs had yet to really catch on in January 2007, but also because it made them slow down to a crawl. Hopefully, they've rectified that problem this time around. [JKontherun]

Get Creative With a Folding Origami Lamp

Sean Fallon — Sun, 25 May 2008 19:30:00 EDT

If you find yourself with some time on your hands during this long Memorial Day weekend, making your own folding origami lamp could prove to be a good time-killer while you wait for meat to cook on the BBQ. The design is as basic as it gets—all you need is a pre-scored 0.8mm sheet of stainless steel and some sort of lamp fixture. Then it is just a matter of bending the segments into an origami design that suits your tastes. As you can see from the image, the light shining through the steel makes for an unique decorative lighting solution. [Yanko Design via DVICE via The Design Blog]

Folded Paper Turns Into Hilarious Animations by Rob Ives

Charlie White — Tue, 30 Oct 2007 12:30:00 EDT

Rob Ives makes it easy to fold up pieces of paper and turn them into animated paper sculptures. His Flying Pig kits require just a bit of folding and a touch of white glue here and there, and suddenly you have yourself a "Cat Walk" model like you see here. Don't like cats? Choose from a menagerie of other $8.95 paper animations depicting animals, jokers, a creepy hand and chickens pecking in a row. There's even a guidebook that'll show you how to create your own paper engineering marvels. In the gallery on the next page, see this kitty in action, and a few more of Ives's unique inventions.

[Paper Animations]

Origami as Musical Instrument

Charlie White — Fri, 11 May 2007 09:52:45 EDT

Here's some of the real origami, and it has nothing to do with ultramobile PCs, either. This resourceful student at NYU shows us her origami musical instrument for her graduation project for the interactive telecommunications program's Spring Show 2007. Using origami folding to trigger musical samples of human voices, the hypnotic result speaks for itself. – Charlie White with video by Richard Blakeley

Origami Experience Requires a UMPC on Steroids

Louis Ramirez — Mon, 05 Feb 2007 14:46:05 EST

We were hoping that Microsoft's Origami Experience would add a dash of color to our otherwise drab UMPCs, but from the looks of this video, that doesn't seem to be the case. In fact, it looks like Origami does the opposite—slowing your UMPC down to a crawl. Granted, the interface is easy on the eyes, but the lag times are horrible (at least they are on this 1st Gen UMPC) and nothing seems to work the way it should. Check out the video for yourself. – Louis Ramirez

First Look: Vista Origami Experience Pack [TechEBlog]

Microsoft Brings Origami to UMPCs Running Vista

Louis Ramirez — Wed, 31 Jan 2007 14:12:14 EST

It's official—any of you out there running Vista on your UMPC (::crickets::) can now download the Origami Experience Pack direct from Microsoft. The pack is made up of three programs designed to make your UMPC easier to use. We've already shown you some of the screenshots in action and we have to admit, it does add a friendlier face to your UMPC experience. But you gotta upgrade to Vista first. – Louis Ramirez

Product Page [Microsoft]

$200 Origami iPod Shuffle

Travis Hudson — Thu, 21 Dec 2006 11:12:41 EST

Big Images is a ~~design~~ printing company that gave out an iPod Shuffles wrapped in two $100 bill origami boxes to all of their employee for Christmas presents. The pictures speak for themselves (click it for larger version). This could also be the most expensive Shuffle carrying case to date. Any chance you folks are hiring? – Travis Hudson

iPod Shuffles and jolly good cheer! [Big Images]

Dealzmodo: Refurbished Samsung Q1 UMPC, $750

Travis Hudson — Wed, 15 Nov 2006 14:30:34 EST

We've never really been on the whole Origami/UMPC bandwagon, but if you do happen to be on it, this deal ain't too shabby. For today only Woot.com is featuring the Samsung Q1 UMPC for $750. It is refurbished, but that is just another way of saying it has received extra care. New Q1 models retail for well over $1,100.

For a quick refresher, the Q1 is a UMPC with a 900MHz Celeron Mobile process, 512MB of ram, 40GB hard drive, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and a 7-inch touchscreen. Check out all of our coverage of the Q1 here. – Travis Hudson

Product Page [Woot]

Working Origami TV

Brian Lam — Mon, 23 Oct 2006 17:57:31 EDT

This cleverly named Sharp Pencil Quality TV is a set of the DIY variety. Although its screen is only 2-inches across, the screen resolution can be as precise as your pencils are sharp. It supports premade Video-On-Pulp scrolls for Kill Bill Volume 1, Dirty Harry, and Dr. Strangelove. Pencils and paper not included. –Brian Lam

Stane's Island Sharp Pencil Quality TV

Design: Optigami Folding Glasses

Jason Chen — Tue, 18 Jul 2006 18:39:54 EDT

This design for a pair of foldable glasses may look a little bulky, but it more than makes up for that in convenience. After you take off the glasses, the lenses fold neatly into the sides, which contract to form a hard case that you can place into your pocket. No more putting your glasses into your shirt pocket only to have them get smashed when some jerkface bumps into you on the street.

These glasses are called "Optigami", combining "optical" and "origami". Since this is just a design, there's no telling whether it'll get turned into an actual product or not. But enterprising DIY'ers could try making their own out of duct tape and chicken wire. – Jason Chen

OPTIGAMI [RKSDesign via Coolest Gadgets]

Samsung Q1 UMPC Hands-On, Part 1: The Out-of-Box Experience

Charlie White — Fri, 02 Jun 2006 15:41:45 EDT

We just got a review unit of the Samsung Q1 UMPC (Ultra-Mobile PC) via FedEx, and here are a few pics of our out-of-box-experience. We wanted to begin reviewing it right away, but of course, it's not going to let us play until the battery is charged. Until then, take a look at the beautiful packaging from Samsung, which reminded us of iPod packaging. – Charlie White

Next for Origami: "Vistagami"

Charlie White — Tue, 30 May 2006 10:04:49 EDT

It appears the Redmondians don't know when to give up, continuing to kick the overpriced and underpowered dead horse they call Origami. Now we're hearing that within the company, Microsoft is calling the next iteration of the Origami ultra-mobile PC (UMPC) platform that will run the upcoming Windows Vista operating system "Vistagami."

The graphics requirements are considerably more demanding for Microsoft Vista, so what was once overpriced (Samsung's Q1 pictured here starts at $1100) will probably now be headed for the pricing stratosphere, even with a dumbed-down version of Vista. We're thinking that if they can slim down the price of one of these "Vistagami" tablet PCs to the originally-stated $500, this might be something that could actually be useful. Fat chance. – Charlie White

Microsoft lays plans for 'Vistagami' tablets [c|net News]

Samsung Q1-SSD UMPC: Solid State but Pricey

Charlie White — Tue, 23 May 2006 13:44:00 EDT

Take a look at the Samsung Q1-SSD, this one with a 32GB solid-state flash drive. We must tell you up front that it costs $2430, far above the $500 Origami ~~fantasy~~ price point originally touted months ago.

But still. It's quiet, more durable, more efficient and faster than the Q1 with the spinning disk inside. Plus, you can play back video, still photos or audio without having to boot it up at all. Even so, we're thinking this UMPC platform is a bust, and this is just a marketing concept. For a product with a solid-state disk inside that we think more resembles the future, take a look at Samsung's other announcement of the day, the Q30 laptop.

Samsung Press Release