Meet Larry Bank: the performance whisperer making code faster and open source better
RAS2026-01-15T13:41:30+00:00When we met Larry Bank at Maker Faire Rome 2025, we knew immediately that he was someone our community needed to hear from. Bank is what you might call a “perpetual optimist and inventor” – someone who not only sees problems but convinces people he can solve them, then does exactly that. His specialty? Code optimization. But Bank’s contributions to the open-source community go far beyond making software run faster. He’s spent years creating libraries, tools, and solutions that...
January 15, 2026RASUncategorizedCode Optimization, Featured, Larry Bank, Maker Faire Rome, software0 Comments
1+2+3: Hanging Book Frame
RAS2026-01-13T17:00:00+00:00This project appeared in Make: Vol 94. Subscribe for more great projects. This hanging frame is an elegant way to display a favorite book, open or shut. I originally wanted a full-color e-ink display that would automatically download and cycle through a new comic strip each day, but this was easier, uses zero power, and frankly looks better on a wall. I have a Calvin and Hobbes book in mine, and turn the page every few days...
January 13, 2026RASUncategorizedbook art, DIY Projects, Furniture & Lighting, Home, Home Decor, Make94, wood working0 Comments
Behind (The Walking) Hand of a Sci-Fi Icon: Animatronics Designer Jesse Velez Gets into the Geeky Details
RAS2026-01-13T01:28:45+00:00You might consider pausing your Netflix account for a while—no spoilers, we promise. Meanwhile, in a niche corner of the internet where creators still occasionally surprise audiences with real animatronics rather than relying on CGI, Jesse Velez, an animatronics designer, reveals the process behind building one of the most impressive sci-fi props for a notoriously popular TV show from recent history. He and his team built a fully wireless, portable animatronic robot that mirrored human movements in real time, enabling...
January 13, 2026RASUncategorizedanimatronics, Costumes, Cosplay, and Props, Craft & Design, film, Maker Faire, props, robotics0 Comments
CES 2026: Maker Highlights from the Biggest Tech Show on Earth
RAS2026-01-13T00:48:19+00:00CES has always carried the maker spirit, but this year it felt more baked than ever. We didn’t see rows of 3D printers running as in the recent past. Instead, we saw their output (printed parts, custom enclosures, snapped-together modules) embedded in products. Same with Raspberry Pis and dev boards. They’re not being demoed. They’re doing the work. Looking back in the eighteen years I’ve attended the show, CES didn’t turn into a maker show so much as it absorbed...
Chicken Jockey Comes To Minecraft Dungeons Arcade & Marvel: Contest of Champions Gets Series 3 Cards
RAS2026-01-12T18:33:36+00:00Raw Thrills has announced two new series of cards for a couple of their card vending arcade games, one for Minecraft Dungeons Arcade and the other for Marvel: Contest of Champions. Neither of these cards were at IAAPA, nor hinted at – until now. Let’s see what these are all about!
The Chicken Jockey Joins Minecraft Dungeons Arcade
If it doesn’t feel like it’s been that long since Raw released Series 4 cards, that’s becauseThe Matrix-style digital rain clock for your desktop
RAS2026-01-12T17:09:04+00:00Arduino Team — January 12th, 2026 That “digital rain” falling character animation from The Matrix is absolutely iconic. If you love the way it looks, you should build this desk clock by Bob Hammell that features the visualization. This smallish desk clock shows the time, with a digital rain effect from The Matrix overlaid on top. As the characters fall across the time, they erase the digits. Then, the next minute, the digits reappear with...
EAG Expo 2026 Preview
RAS2026-01-12T01:44:13+00:00The first arcade trade show of 2026 is taking place this week, as the EAG Expo 2026 is set to get underway in London’s Excel center from the 13th. As always, we will have detailed coverage and information on this from our UK sources that are attending, but before that, we have got a small preview just before the show begins. Note that this is all what’s been previewed by the companies themselves so far (and sourced by Ted), so...
Episode #819 – George Goldner, Pt. 1 – Rama Records
RAS2026-01-11T17:27:37+00:00Air Week: January 12-18, 2026
George Goldner, Pt. 1 – Rama Records
We begin a multi-part series on record man, George Goldner. He is said to have had the “golden ear” for hit records and songwriter Jerry Leiber even complimented his talent for picking hit songs by saying that Goldner had, “the musical taste of a fourteen-year-old-girl.” Born to Jewish immigrants in 1919, Goldner’s first love was Latino dance music and he began his career by opening...January 11, 2026RASUncategorized1950s, blues, Doo Wop, instrumentals, Jump Blues, New York City, R&B, Rhythm & Blues, Uncategorized, Vocal Group0 Comments
Andamiro’s Nickelodeon Kart Racers Arcade Debuts At Super MAGFEST 2026
RAS2026-01-09T23:25:51+00:00The live music, console gaming and arcade event known as SUPER MAG Fest 2026 is underway, as it usually is at this time of year – and one major surprise is that Andamiro USA has decided to use it to show off their in-development Nickelodeon Kart Racers Arcade game. Andamiro had alluded to this being at IAAPA 2025, then changed their minds and it wasn’t there. We were assuming that it would instead debut at Amusement Expo in...
