So I didn't win a lifetime supply of notebooks, but I did get a few great things from the good people at Moleskine Asia. The exhibition looked awesome, taking place at several locations. My piece was shown at the City'super! Harbour City. Unfortunately, even after sending written instructions and drawings, my entry was still displayed improperly. I'm told it was eventually fixed, but for now I'll just use that as my excuse for not winning.
I picked up this 1974 Texas Instruments calculator at a thrift store in Indianapolis for under a dollar. Curious to see if it was worth anything, I did some research, and learned some interesting information about the piece.
While building the props for the original Star Wars movie, the art department frequently scavenged parts from existing technology. The seven LEDs in the Exactra's display were used in the creation of Luke's first lightsaber.
The Exactra 20 and its predecessor the Exactra 19 were the only two calculators produced with this 7 LED array. As a result, the calculators are in high demand with enthusiasts and reproduction prop builders. This one will most likely end up on E-bay soon.
I recently drove out to Illinois to work on a film my friend wrote and directed. Jill and I served as Art Department, making props and dressing sets among other things. "Harold" was one of the props I built while there to mimic an actual human body under canvas. Working with a very limited budget, I was able to put together the entire rig for under one hundred dollars. The bulk of the cost went to the purchase of a fiberglass mannequin which I used for the base. An elastic material was used throughout the interior of the body to create realistic movement.
We also got to make fake blood!
