Named after Yama, the Tibetan God of Death, this bizarre camera was created using a real human skull, blessed by a Tibetan Lama.

Designed and built by Wayne Martin Belger “for the study of exodus and for the research of modern incarnations of historical iconic figures”, Yama looks nothing like a photo camera, but, according to the info on Boy of Blue Industries, it actually has a film loading system, so it must take photos.

Yama is made from aluminum, titanium, copper, brass, bronze steel, silver, gold and mercury and is studded with Asian and American turquoise, 4 sapphires, 9 opals and 3 rubies (the biggest one costs $5,000). With all the digital cameras on the market today, Yama can’t target the title of best photo camera, but it stands a shot as  the world’s scariest camera.

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No need to buy a Christmas tree this year, just get yourself a Tesla coil and you’re all set for an electrifying experience.

Tesla-coil-enthusiast Peter Terren, from TeslaDownUnder.com, has posted some breathtaking photos of his 2009 Christmas tree, built using, you guessed it, a Tesla coil. This is Peter’s second Tesla Christmas tree. The one he built in 2007 has been featured on the Discovery Channel and in the Metro newspaper, but he says his newest version is even more impressive.

I have to say I’m not very familiar with Tesla coils myself, so I didn’t get all the details Peter Terren posted on his site, but I know beauty when I see it.

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With a price tag of $3.14 million, the iPhone 3GS Supreme, designed by Stuart Hughes, is the most expensive cell phone on Earth.

The exclusive gadget has a solid 22 carat gold casing that weighs 271 grams as well as considerable number of flawless diamonds. The iPhone 3GS Supreme was designed by British artist Stuart Hughes for Goldstriker International, a company that specializes in creating extravagant mobile phones.

It took ten months to complete, but the final result is more opulent than you could have ever imagined. The front side of the iPhone 3GS Supreme features 136 flawless diamonds, while the Apple logo on the back is made from 36 diamonds. The directional key of the phone is  a rare 7.1 carat diamond. It also comes in an over the top 7 kg case, made from a single block of granite.

Unfortunately you’ll never get to hold this technological treasure in your hands, as it has already been acquired by an anonymous Australian business from the gold mining industry.

via gizmag

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Not that women need to wear a dress made out of LEDs, but CuteCircuit’s Galaxy Dress is, at least, a very interesting project.

CuteCircuit, a design company that specializes in “wearable technology”, presented their work of art, a dress made from 24,000 LEDs, attached to multiple layers of chiffon and crinoline. Apparently a few iPod batteries, hidden in the crinoline,  will keep the Galaxy Dress shining for about an hour. That’s more than enough time to make an impression.

And to make sure the wearer shines even after the batteries run out, the LED dress is decorated with 4,000 Swarovski crystals. The dress itself is made from silk and the LEDs are 2×2 millimeters each. The Galaxy Dress is now a permanent exhibit at the Museum of Science and Industry, in Chicago.

Check the video at the bottom to see it in action.

Photos by J.B. Spector

via Ecouterre

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The technological masterpiece on display inside the ASUS headquarters in Peitou, Taiwan, is a tribute to Leonardo da Vinci’s work and represents the company’s pledge to support “any kind of crazy ideas”

The Techno Mona Lisa may not look as detailed as the classic painting, but there’s a good reason for that. As you probably know, ASUS is the world’s biggest motherboard manufacturer in the world and they decided to celebrate that by recreating a famous work of art using motherboard components and computer chips. I’m not sure exactly sure how many motherboards were used in the process, but it’s definitely a fine piece of geek art.

via Wired

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I’m sure Michael Jackson would actually like the over-the-top design of this Chinese cell, it’s cashing in on the dead he might have a problem with.

This limited edit Michael Jackson Phone is apparently a replica of a Vertu, plated with gold and studded with plastic diamonds (gold and fake diamonds, a deadly combo). Technical specifications and prices aren’t yet available, but if you don’t live in China, you’ll probably never hold one of this babies in your hand. We do know it comes together with a Michael Jackson live performance DVD and has an impressive number of Michael Jackson ringtones.

via Shanzai

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The Golden Buddha Phone has all the features of ordinary top-of-the-line cells, but also offers a virtual prayer room where users can pray to Buddha and various Bodhisattva.

This techno-jewel sports a piece of real jade, pearl powder lacquer and a 24 karat gold paint-job that make it the most expensive cell-phone in China, at $1,750. Although the iPhone or Blackberry seem like better choices from a technological and financial point of view, neither of them offers a virtual prayer room. That’s what makes the Golden Budha Phone stand out. Stressed-out business men and women will have the opportunity to relax by praying to Buddhist Illuminati like :  Sakyamuni, Maitreya, Bhaisajya, Amitabha, Manjusri, Samantabhadra, Kwan-yin or Ksitigarbha.

Unfortunately the Goldne Buddha Phone is compatible with GSM on only two frequencies: 900Mhz and 1800Mhz, so it won’t work in the USA, Canada or Mexico.

This must be an upgrade of the original Buddha Phone.

via Chinavasion

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Created by Solene le Goff and Christophe Gouache, out of an oak log, Log radio might just be the world’s “greenest” radio.

The Log Radio features a long, thin solar panel that charges it with energy, and if there’s no sunlight available, it also has a built-in dynamo, that will keep it running with minimum energy. The bottom left button, the one with the finger hole in it,handles the dynamo, the top left one turns the radio on and controls the volume, while the top right button is used as a tuner.

This amazing radio needs no wires or batteries and was conceived as a statement against the use of plastic and metals. Incredibly enough, 80% of the Log Radio is made of wood, while the other 20% is made up of basic radio components.

via designboom

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Charles Guan, a young student at MIT, has built a Shopping Go-Kart that reaches a top speed of 30 miles per hour.

LOLriokart, the name Guan chose for his invention, was built using an ordinary shopping cart, discarded wheels and the engine from a high-performance golf-cart. Although he could have opted for a stronger engine that would have pushed the LOLriokart to a speed of 45 mph, he decided to go with a smaller one that allows him to switch between a walking pace speed and 30 mph.

The wacky kart features a custom steering system and because all components are positioned on the wheel line, it has a low center of gravity even when he’s inside. In case something goes wrong and the brake system fails, LOLriokart also has an emergency red button that cuts all power to the engine.

it may not met all safety regulations, but for one year’s work and a budget of just $300, LOLriokart is quite something. Well done sir!

Watch the road test at the bottom.

via Popsci

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PC Case modding is really hot right now and modders are going out of their way trying to come up with the most original designs. The man behind this miniature room is definitely on the right track.

Featuring a sofa, armchairs, coffee table and even a working lamp, this miniature room seems created especially for the little guys in The Borrowers movie. And accessories like the gumball machine and the New York Times newspaper make it look like a real home. Let’s just hope he decides to keep the side panel open, or the inhabitants could melt to death.

It seems East-European modders are on a roll these days, you might remember other cool works like the Wall-e case mod or the Cooker Computer that also came from that area.

via Modding.ru

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Fans of Battle Star Galactica are going to love this. A do-it-yourself Cylon Pumpkin is the perfect Halloween accessory for any fan of the series.

All you need to make your very own Cylon jack-o-lantern is a big, fat pumpkin and the new Larson Scanner kit. I’m sure you can find your own pumpkin, as for the kit, you can buy at from Evil Mad Scientist, for just $13.  That’s pocket change for a true Battle Star Galactica fan. Actually, that’s pocket change any way you look at it.

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Talented modder creates an awesome looking PC case, inspired by the pyramid ship featured in the movie Stargate.

I’m a big fan of case mods and we’ve had a few great custom PC cases featured on Oddity Central, but I think this is the coolest one yet. Modder Gup has created a PC case replica of the pyramid starship seen in Stargate, completely from scratch.

Apart from the incredible design of the case and the cool built in lights, the Pyramid Case features a moving side panel as well as a Stargate Active Desktop. All you have to do is input the chevrons and you’re on your way to a another planet.

The Pyramid PC features a T7200 Core 2 Duo processor, Mini-Itx Crommel LV-677 motherboard, 2GB of DDR2 Ram, a 160GB hard drive, and a Gforce 9400GT graphics card. Not the most impressive specs, but with a design like that, what’s inside doesn’t even matter that much.

For more photos and details on the building process of the Pyramid PC, check out this thread on the bit-tech forums.

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Squidolin is a state of the art electric violin that not only looks amazing, but teaches you how to play it like a professional.

Created by designer Carlos R. Mendez, Squidolin is an electric violin with a very futuristic design that can save you thousands of dollars in violin lessons. Instead of paying a master to teach how to play the violin, you just connect Squidolin to a TV set and it will take you through a series of lessons that will have you playing the violin like a professional, in no time.

Connected to an amplifier, Squidolin sounds just like any other quality electric violin.

via Carlos Mendez

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Milan Karki, an 18-year-old from Nepal, may have solved the world’s increasing energy problems, by inventing a solar panel that uses human hair instead of expensive wiring.

The young Nepalese, together with 4 classmates, has been trying to come up with a way of producing cheap, renewable energy for his home village ever since he went to school in Kathmandu, but now he dreams of powering up the whole world with his invention.

Milan has discovered hair not only makes us look good, but is also light sensitive and a great energy conductor, because of the melanin it contains. So he replaced the silicon in normal solar panels with human hair and thus invented a new type of solar panel, four times cheaper than the ones on the market today.

The inventor says he has already sent out a couple of his prototypes to districts in Nepal, to be tested for feasibility, but is confident he has found an answer to his country’s energy issues. He says buying half a kilo of human hair is not only cheaper than a set of batteries, but also produces energy for much longer period of time. And anyone can replace the hair, so the solar panel doesn’t require a lot of servicing.

Photos by Tom van Cakenberge/BARCROFT MEDIA

via Daily Mail

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I knew Russian modders had some mad skills, but it seems the ones from the Czech Republic are just as good. This Cooker PC mod is proof of that.

I don’t speak Czech, so I don’t know much about the building process of the Cooker Computer, but apparently it was done last year, starting from scratch. No photos of it in action have been found yet, but I’m sure it works just fine. After all it’s all about the look, and a computer in a stove is just about as fresh and cool as modding gets.

Considering you speak Czech and want to know more about the Cooker Computer project, check Modding.cz. Maybe you could give us some more details too. I’m sure we’d all appreciate it.

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