Use code "dogdays" at the MakerShed for 20% off

The Maker Shed, Make and Craft magazines' online store, sells lots of great books and kits, like this solar powered Theremin (list price $15.99). If you use the code "dogdays" you'll get 20% off everything in the Shed.

It's hot here in Sebastopol. So hot, that the PG&E substation across the street blew a transformer and knocked out our power yesterday afternoon. So.... Under the category of anything is a good excuse for a promotion, we'll do the "dog days" promotion now through midnight Sunday, August 31. Visit MakerShed and enter "dogdays" as the promotional code and get 20% off everything in your shopping cart. Offer expires midnight PST this Sunday (9/1).

Use code "dogdays" at the MakerShed for 20% off

[#1 posted by WA , August 29, 2008 1:41 PM]

While this might be an interesting sale, the choice of a product to feature here is unfortunate. Unless I am completely mistaken, describing this device as a theremin is extremely misleading and could be seen as being dishonest and false advertising.

The Matryomin mentioned earlier at least could be claimed to be a theremin, as it has the heterodyned high frequency circuits that are fundamental to the instrument, and only lacks volume control, making the differences somewhat akin to those between a clavichord and a piano. This is more like comparing a flutophone to a clarinet; it can't even be played in the same way as a theremin.

[#2 posted by angrydroid , August 30, 2008 1:49 PM]

At first I was puzzling over how someone got a Donkey Kong emulator into an Altoids box... then I realized it was a solar cell I was looking at. Silly me...

[#3 posted by Takuan , August 30, 2008 2:59 PM]

hmmm;
"How the solar powered theremin operates:

The device functions best on bright sunny cloudless days. By simply flipping open the lid and letting the light hit the solar panel the theremin will generate a high musical note. In order to play a tune you can either cast a shadow over the panel with your hand (this allows you to play with an action very similar to the original theremin) or you can tilt and angle the theremin in relation to the sun to vary the note. With practice you can pick out notes very precisely and in optimal weather the device will generate tones over several octaves so it is possible to play real music on the thing unlike some low cost conventional theremin kits which can generate little more than squeaks and squawks."

any first handers out there?

[#4 posted by Takuan , August 30, 2008 3:05 PM]

if it can play this I'm happy:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CQCe_N9no0s&feature=related

ah, we were so young and so full of hope...