Slashdot Mirror


The Incredible Invisible Case

Brett Profitt writes "No, it's not entirely like the clear pc case, and it's much, much cooler than a simple windowed case, but it would still look great with a hard drive window. This, my friends, is The Invisible Case ! " Truly a labor of love. This may be the nicest case I've ever seen. To bad you can't buy them like this! Check out the details (Transparent rubber feet, fans, and hard drive window). It absorbs envy beams from miles around.

36 of 295 comments (clear)

  1. It absorbs envy beams.... by Cruciform · · Score: 5, Insightful

    and promptly converts them to EMF emissions. :)

    Wrap that rascal! Where's the shielding?

    1. Re:It absorbs envy beams.... by llamalicious · · Score: 5, Funny

      There are no EMF emissions.
      It's built with Transparent Aluminum...
      Faraday to the rescue!

  2. Damn ... by Aceticon · · Score: 3, Funny

    There's always some crazy geek or other inventing an new computer case.

    What will they come next with, an Ethernet switch on a teddy bear???

    Oh ... wait

  3. Ummm by cr@ckwhore · · Score: 4, Funny

    How is this not like the "clear PC" case?

    If you want a really invisible case, just lay your mobo and parts out on a table. Then, your PC will be +5 cool.

    --
    Skiers and Riders -- http://www.snowjournal.com
  4. Kind of like... by B00yah · · Score: 5, Funny

    The Emperor's New Clothes...Just tell everyone that you have a new machine that you modded with a clear case, clear components, and clear peripherals, and only smart people can see them :)

  5. kama ho + /.-ing by Nate+Fox · · Score: 3, Informative

    for those trying to get to it (its a bit /.ed atm), the article is split up in 16 pages. The good pictures are on page 14 and 16. So try to get through to those, rather than taking a guess:
    http://www.bit-tech.net/article/72/14
    http://www.bit-tech.net/article/72/16

    1. Re:kama ho + /.-ing by ArsonSmith · · Score: 4, Funny

      Wow!!! That case is soooo invisable my web browser cant even find the pages. it is on. and the ErrorDocument is invisable as well.

      Not Found
      The requested URL /article/72/ was not found on this server.

      Additionally, a 404 Not Found error was encountered while trying to use an ErrorDocument to handle the request.

      --
      Paying taxes to buy civilization is like paying a hooker to buy love.
  6. what would be really cool by 7-Vodka · · Score: 4, Interesting

    what would be awesome with this, is pouring some liquid CO2 smoke into the case and seeing exactly how the airflow inside the case is behaving! you could work out how to best position fans etc.

    --

    Liberty.

    1. Re:what would be really cool by fiori · · Score: 4, Informative

      That "smoke" you see with dry ice or liquid nitrogen is the water vapor in the air condensing. That would not be a good thing to have on your motherboard.

      There is such a thing as liquid carbon dioxide, but only at pressures above 5 atmospheres.

  7. it looks cool, but... by lyapunov · · Score: 4, Offtopic

    I do not think I would like the constant reminder of all the dust bunnies. I think blowing the machine out every couple of months is good.

    --

    Either give it away or get top dollar, but never sell yourself cheap.
  8. Re:images slashdotted already... by scorcherer · · Score: 5, Funny

    There's a mirror at http://127.0.0.1/../../../../../dev/null. Unfortunately the silver plating has worn off so the mirror is invisible..

    --

    --
    The Cap is nigh. Time to get a fresh new account.

  9. How serious is RF interference, anyway? by steveha · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I like putting computers together. I always try to keep the RF shielding intact. This computer has no RF shielding at all.

    How much of a problem is that, anyway? If his next-door-neighbor is an amateur radio enthusiast, will the clear computer mess up the airwaves? If he wants to watch TV, will the computer ruin the picture? Can he stop pacemakers at 50 yards or something?

    I don't have any clear idea how serious the emissions from computer hardware really are.

    steveha

    --
    lf(1): it's like ls(1) but sorts filenames by extension, tersely
    1. Re:How serious is RF interference, anyway? by jjhall · · Score: 5, Informative

      As an amateur radio operator, I can add my $.02 worth.

      In working with Packet Radio (data communications over amateur radio) I found that the emissions from my PC were way too high to use the "rubber duck" antenna on my radio, if it were in the same room. I found 2 fixes. One was to put an external antenna on my roof and use it. The other was to put a RF Choke (little black bulge on certain cables) on EVERY cable comming out of the back of the PC.

      The EMI won't affect much outside a 10-20 foot radius, but AM radios, etc... that he tries to listen to in the same room or adjacent room will be hosed.

      As far as pacemakers, etc... go, I don't have any idea.

    2. Re:How serious is RF interference, anyway? by Skuld-Chan · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Well - I for one can hear my video card on my sound card - so it can't be that good.

      Last time I saw a spectrum analyzer on a standard at style computer it had a lot of noise in it. Not to mention the switching power supplies often used have a tiny bit of noise in them too :(.

      I can actually hear my computer with most of my amatuer radio equipment (including hf) - its annoying too as I live in an apartment and I can't have external antennas.

  10. invisible case, invisible pictures by phyxeld · · Score: 3, Interesting

    When a site is immediately slashdotted, I think the editors should pull the story off the front page. There aren't likely to be any ontopic comments if nobody can see the site. If anyone posts a working mirror maybe they can move the story back to the front page.

    --
    __
    Choose mnemonic identifiers. If you can't remember what mnemonic means, you've got a problem. - Larry Wall
  11. great except for one problem by Lumpy · · Score: 4, Informative

    It will look great for about 5 minutes. and DONT take it to a lan-party.
    The type of plastic he chose is easy to polish and looks great, but scratches easier than any other plastic on the planet. Plexiglass is the worst in durability to scratches. yes you could buff out the scratches as you get them.

    I like his idea, and I would love to see someone make one out of real glass with a metallic tint so that the RFI and EMI can't freely propagate out of the case. (You could get your case vaccuum-metalized... now that would be really cool.. not clear... CHROME!

    --
    Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
  12. kinda OT: Mirrors... by DraKKon · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Since /. is charging for subscriptions... how about /. stat mirroring the "cool" sites that get the /. effect and make the "cool" site useless..

    I hate it when there's something "cool" in a message, that 1 million other people see, and you try to go to the site and you get broken images everywhere..

    Most of us use perl/perlmagick here and it wouldn't be to difficult to create a script that mirrors the site that we want, compress the hell out of the images, and have a new fangled mirror.

    Remove the mirror after an hour or two, so /. doesn't use up too much hd space..

    now THAT would be a service that would be worth the subscriptions...

    --
    "It's not like your minds are as open as the source you love..." - Me to the majority of Slashdot.
  13. That invisible case is frigging amazing! by Nathdot · · Score: 4, Funny

    I mean like whoah! the PC is ENTIRELY invisible!

    Either that or the images aren't loading because of slashdotting.

    :)

  14. Heres the pictures by gavinhall · · Score: 3, Informative

    Backup on their site

    http://www.bit-tech.net/images/article/72/dscf13 66 .jpg
    http://www.bit-tech.net/images/article/72/ds cf1367 .jpg
    http://www.bit-tech.net/images/article/72/ds cf1368 .jpg
    http://www.bit-tech.net/images/article/72/ds cf1369 .jpg
    http://www.bit-tech.net/images/article/72/ds cf1370 .jpg

  15. MY invisible case mod kit by zkosky · · Score: 3, Funny

    I should sell a case mod kit that makes a computer invisible.
    It will come with two big guys and a truck!

  16. Re:kinda OT: Mirrors... by DodgyGeezer · · Score: 3, Interesting

    It sounds something like a Google cache. I definitely think that a short-term cache would be a good idea. It could all be done through redirects: if slashdot can't open the page in a reasonable time frame, then they should serve a cached copy. I'm aware that some sites rely on hit count for ad revenue, but once it's /.ed, that becomes irrelevant. Using a cached copy when the page is over-loaded should allow them to still get hits, and allow other people to see the site.

  17. Re:Liquid CO2 ? by The+Mayor · · Score: 3, Informative

    I hate to pick nits, but there's no such thing as liquid CO2 at 1 atm of pressure. Increase pressure and you can have liquid CO2.

    --
    --Be human.
  18. nevermind modding the case! by limber · · Score: 3, Interesting

    OT, but this /. obsession with case modification -- a practice which i can't relate to -- makes me think of the classic story of Andy Ihnakto's 'anti-case-mod':

    He did the reverse -- he kept the case intact, but substituted something else more interesting for the innards. Specifically, he made an aquarium out of his old Mac 512. (no pics, but if you hunt around on google there's lots of 'em people have done)

    Who needs a fish screensaver when you can have real ones swimming around...

  19. Don't have a mirror for pics but by JPriest · · Score: 3, Informative

    just go to Google and type
    site:www.bit-tech.net case
    To see the rest of the pages on the site. Most people don't know about Googles search site feature, it's cool.

    --
    Saying Java is nice because it works on all OS's is like saying that anal sex is nice because it works on all genders.
  20. ...and attracts legislation. by fmaxwell · · Score: 5, Funny

    Where's the shielding?

    Scary scenario:

    1. Moron makes unshielded case because he thinks it looks cool.

    2. Senator next door suddenly starts getting RF interference on his television.

    3. FCC tracks it down to unshielded PC.

    4. Senator introduces "Computer RF Protection Act" which bars the sale of computer components to the public.

    5. Gateway, Dell, Compaq, HP, and Apple, seeing a way to kill off the screwdriver shops and hobbyist market, form "People Against Radio and Television Interference" (PARTI).

    6. Microsoft, in its desire to sell a new Windows license each time someone wants a new PC, joins PARTI.

    7. PARTI takes out millions of dollars worth of ads pretending to be a concerned citizens group who wants to "stop hackers from interfering with your television."

    8. PARTI passes and the only ones who can get computer components are licensed manufacturers using them in FCC-approved computers.

    Want to upgrade your RAM, hard drive, or CPU? Too bad. You will just have to buy a whole new computer, complete with Windows-du-jour, from one of the big manufacturers.

    Think about that scenario next time you see a case built to show off about $500 worth of consumer-grade computer components.

    1. Re:...and attracts legislation. by fmaxwell · · Score: 3, Insightful

      If i build a case just like that, and it causes no interference in my house, would somebody still suffer from the interference?

      Very possibly. The antenna, downlead, shielding of the receiver (TV, Radio, phone, etc.) all play into it. You might have a 49mhz phone while your neighbor has a 2.4ghz that your 1.2ghz DDR system stomps all over, for example.

      I dont' think so, but then again, I'm no expert.

      Then leave case design to experts. You having a clear PC with neon lights does not justify one of your neighbors having to replace their cordless phone or suffer through herringbone interference on their TV.

    2. Re:...and attracts legislation. by Afrosheen · · Score: 3, Funny

      Trust me, well over 99% of /. readers don't live anywhere NEAR senators.

    3. Re:...and attracts legislation. by colmore · · Score: 3, Funny

      ahhh, but you haven't seen the room i keep my invisible computer case in...

      one giant copper sphere

      that or a '57 Ford

      --
      In Capitalist America, bank robs you!
    4. Re:...and attracts legislation. by fmaxwell · · Score: 4, Insightful

      But how many Senators are living in apartment complexes watching TV on sets with rabbit ears?

      A better question is "how many Senators are living in ritzy condos using cordless phones?" How many are using cell phones? How many have 2.4ghz video distribution? How many might be have 802.11b? How many listen to FM radio? RF interference does not restrict itself to televisions.

      How many would be able to figure out what's causing interference on their TV when there must be dozens of possible causes?

      All of them. One call to the FCC from a Senator and there would be more more field strength meters and RF triangulation equipment than you've ever seen. The FCC might just send you or me a pamphlet, but they'll send a team of experts out to a Senator's home.

      A case mod that does away with shielding is rude, inconsiderate, and stupid. And, sooner or later, it may result in legislation that hurts all of us.

      This may come as a shock to you, but there is a reason that the FCC limits RF emissions.

    5. Re:...and attracts legislation. by fmaxwell · · Score: 3, Interesting

      The FCC already tracks down interference problems through their regional offices. Go to this link and get a clue. The FCC has three Regional Offices, 16 District Offices, and nine Resident Agent Offices located across the United States and each of them "Investigates and resolves interference." And they don't just do it for Senators. They do it for constituents, too, though probably with less vigor.

      Then this lone senator will pass legislation outlawing all computer parts.

      Where did you go to school? "Lone" Senators don't pass legislation. They introduce legislation and it gets discussed and voted on. How did you think legislation was introduced? By Moses on stone tablets?

      Members of Congress are there to pass laws. They are looking for laws that will be popular with voters and campaign contributers. Laws that crack down on "hackers" are something that the majority of the voting public likes. This would just be another one of those laws.

      And ham radios. And walkie-talkies. And Radio Shacks.

      Ham radios, walkie talkies, etc. are all regulated by the FCC. They operate on specific bands with specific power outputs. They can't just randomly spew interference or the FCC takes action against the manufacturer.

      Yeah, I guess you're right. Case mods are "rude."

      Yes, I am. When you indiscriminantly remove shielding intended to prevent interference, it's rude. Grow up.

  21. Google Mirror by guamman · · Score: 3, Informative

    Here is the google cached link: http://www.google.com/search?q=cache:yFtkFzNXw54C: www.bit-tech.net/article/63/4+The+Invisible+Case+b it-tech.net&hl=en

  22. Server death by pumpkin2146 · · Score: 5, Funny

    I host this.

    Firemen have been dispatched to Telehouse London to prevent this web server from burning down most of the UK internet as it's pair of P3's and pathetic little IDE disk UTTERLY FAIL to cope with the pure 30mbit/sec of joy that slashdotting creates.

  23. Can be had retail by Toodles · · Score: 5, Informative

    Too bad you can't buy them like this!

    You can purchase similar all plexi-glass cases from www.clear-viewtech.com

    --
    Toodles D. Clown
  24. My new (?) idea of /. mirroring by Shiny+Metal+S. · · Score: 5, Interesting
    Every time someone posts intelligently regarding Slashdot implementing some sort of mirror system, it always gets modded up.
    Here's what I would suggest to do, this solution would address every /. concern:

    I got email, saying that link to my site (http://site/) is going to be posted on Slashdot in half an hour. For the time of slashdotting I add this to my httpd.conf:

    Redirect /img/ http://slashdot.org/cache.pl?url=http://site/img/

    so when someone wants http://site/img/image10.jpeg, she/he would be 302 redirected to http://slashdot.org/cache.pl?url=http://site/img/i mage10.jpeg and would got this image from Slashdot cache. I could even set it up so only queries with http://slashdot.org/* Referrer header would be redirected, or alternatively, someone could just change the URIs in <a href="..."> links in the HTML if the webmaster don't have access to webserver config. But the point is that this way the cache would be served only for explicit wish of the webmaster and also only for those images which are not the ads, banners, counters, etc. if the webmaster wants so.

    It could be also used for HTML but the large images are probably the main reason of killing banwidth on sites, like in this story, with many high quality pictures of cool hardware (I suppose that there are many high quality pictures of cool hardware but I can't access it). The cache could work for, say, 6 hours and would serve only files in subdirectories of linked URIs to avoid any abuse.

    What do you think?

    --

    ~shiny
    WILL HACK FOR $$$

  25. Pardon my physics knowledge, by cide1 · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Isn't the shielding from a case due to the gaussian surface the case ( a conductor) provides?

    E*flux = Qenc;

    Farraday first expressed some fundamental concepts in words, such as electromagnetic field lines, and later capacitance (hence farads), but I believe Gauss discovered this one.

    Cide1

    --
    -- the computer doesn't want any beer, no matter how much you think it does. NEVER, EVER feed your computer beer.
  26. About time, but when...? by Myself · · Score: 4, Interesting

    They still haven't gotten to the fun part: Transparent circuit boards (copper-clad glass substrate, brittle but beautiful) and transparent chip packaging.

    Think about it! Most QFP and PGA chips have boring black plastic bodies. How hard would it be to replace them with clear plastic? Ceramic packages could probably be made at least translucent.

    Then you embed light-emitting junctions at important areas of the chip, so you can watch the whole thing brighten, dim, and change color as the computational load changes. NOPs would be faint blue, cache misses would make the prefetch unit flash red. Floating-point would cause the FPU to glow green. Imagine it! You could tell what was eating most of your timeslices just by looking at the chip. Nevermind how you'd see through the heatsink to perceive all this. ;) Oh wait, if the board's clear just watch all the action from underneath.

    Seriously though, if the whole mobo chipset were clear-encased too, you could tell the difference between RAM accesses, drive activity, interrupts, DMA storms... Ooooh.

    We already have SCSI terminators with activity indicators, am I really asking for too much?

    (Now why didn't I patent this 5 years ago when I came up with it?)