Khan Academy has hands on projects now / general web roundup

https://www.khanacademy.org/science/projects
Hands-on projects at Khan Academy? So it begins.

In fact, there's even a "lead of applied learning" position at Khan Academy (ran across this while browsing the SXSWEDU schedule)  who is "focused on leading and supporting a variety of strategic initiatives and creating project based learning content.
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Vibrobots / brushbots: an alternative to using toothbrushes (and cutting up new ones or something) for a class is to use business cards! See howtoons: "Introducing Gami-Bots!". Pretty awesome.

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In other news, I am going to linkdump from facebook because it's hard to search through facebook posts.

There's actual less-derpy flying hexapods now:

Now they just need to write the code to make it dance... Also apparently going to be on kickstarter soon, like everyone else's projects ever.

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Additionally, there's a simulation game for making robots covering things like drivetrain tradeoffs now/soon/in-the-making! Exciting.
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/647436241/logicbots



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I discovered pinterest, or rather pinterest for hexapods:
http://pinterest.com/search/pins/?q=hexapod

2009? How did I miss this? ^^

http://pinterest.com/search/pins/?q=lasercut+mechanism

it actually walks! http://www.kineticcreatures.com/pages/modding-with-lego

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That same term, lasercut mechanism, on google pops up a BS in MechE thesis by one of my classmates, @JoshRamos
http://dspace.mit.edu/bitstream/handle/1721.1/68917/773695779.pdf?sequence=1
It's a paper about trying to make a lasercutter. Has good background information, so goes on my toread list.
According to +peter krogen on facebook,

Peter Krogen · mmm laser cutter made of legos Its a shame he didn't build it in 2012, then he could have used the new 2w 445nm diodes (which have much better beam quality) that were available a few weeks after he turned in his report.

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Additionally, discovered this on a list of startups at the ongoing San Francisco Hardware Meetups, a folding portable kayak:
http://www.orukayak.com/

origami kayak!

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Finally, I am going to be addicted to this site, I just know it. There is now a robotics StackExchange site:
robotics.stackexchange.com