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A little more than a year ago we wrote a piece on the upcoming release of a device which we thought would make a huge impact on the state of natural user interfaces for the general market. The Leap Motion controller went on sale at Best Buy at the end of July 2013. Unfortunately for Leap Motion the controller was not useful for anything other than the most primitive of interactions, and even then, its effectiveness was highly questionable.

We thought about writing an article on the Leap Motion controller at the time, but held off because there were already a slew of reviews (MIT Tech Review, Gizmodo, Amazon, etc) on its disappointing performance. We had nothing new to add and did not feel the need to pile on. So was the Leap Motion gadget DOA? Far from it.

The problem back then with the Leap Motion was not with the controller. The hardware was ready. The issue was the software released with the device, while stable, was clearly in the alpha state in terms of functionality. It showed the device's tantalizing potential, but even if one was willing to put up with its... [more] - Leap Motion FirstThoughts

The UNITRON inverted microscope is pretty cool in and of itself. When paired with the EXO Labs Camera (ELC), this vintage instrument went from old-school analog to high-tech digital, and from cool to awesome.

What is even better is that the transformation happened in a trice because the EXO Labs Camera is as easy to set up as it is to use. The ELC's adapter lens is sized to fit into a standard eyepiece socket. All we had to do was take off the eyepiece, insert the camera, and we were... [more]- EXO Labs On UNITRON

Microscopes and telescopes are amazing devices because they can "transport" us to other worlds at the speed of light. This is why we constantly scour Craigslist for vintage optical instruments. We like retro optical-tech as it is typically very well-made, (usually) still functional, and (some) can be had for pennies on the dollar. Of course, it helps to stick with well-known names like Zeiss, Leica, Nikon, and the like. However, every once in a while we happen upon a piece with a name we do not recognize, but has a deal so good that we cannot not pass it up. This was exactly the case with the Unitron MiC3-616 inverted biological microscope we scored a couple of weeks ago.

This beauty was a little grimy when we got our hands on it. While in desperate need of a good cleaning (it, not us), the optics (eyepiece, objective lenses, condenser, etc) had no scratches, mold, or moisture-related issues. The mechanicals (gears, turret, knobs) were definitely a little stiff, but they all moved without any grinding...an excellent sign. Best of all, the electricals (lamp, switches, wiring, etc) were complete and functional, which is great because... [more]- Vintage Inverted Microscope

After our recent post on the EXO camera stand, we started getting comments and suggestions on geology gear. That took us by surprise as we didn't realize that RainyDayScience readers were also avid rock collectors. As we had stated on several occasions, while we do have a rather extensive and well cataloged rock collection, we are not rock collectors. Our collection is from from AMEP. However, after reading some of the emails on fluorescent rocks, we found ourselves intrigued by the topic of fluorescent minerals. As we do have fifteen samples which are suppose to glow under the appropriate lighting conditions, we decided to take a look at the phenomenon of "glow-in-the-dark" rocks.

Our first task was to do some research and acquire a good UV light source. Our search soon pointed us to Ultraviolet Tools in TX. They are one of the world's leading ultraviolet lighting manufacturers and have a large selection of... [more]- Glow In The Dark Rocks

We don't collect rocks, but we do have a large rock collection, and a rather well-organized one at that. Here are some of the boxes from the collection. They are categorized by criteria such as hardness, crystalline structure, florescence, etc. How we came to have such a collection is a story for another day. Suffice to say, having the collection is an excellent excuse to justify our desire to review gear for looking at rocks...and other things :-)

There are many tools one can use to examine features of geological samples. Old-school magnifying glasses work pretty well: no batteries needed; very portable. Of course, the ability to... [more]- EXO Labs: Camera Stand

As most readers know, we love to take our gear out into the wild. When we first saw the Exo Labs' Focus camera kit, we recognized that it was a very cool piece of tech. We also realized that the Focus was primarily designed for indoor/lab use. Of course, that is not how we roll. We started looking at options on how to take the "show on the road." Today, we want to show how we configured an S3 watertight case to protect the Exo Labs Focus camera and its various accessories for when we do take it out and about.

S3 is a maker of rugged, watertight cases for a variety of applications. We took a FirstLook of their cases last Spring as part of the write-up on X100S accessories. For this project, we needed a case large enough to house the following:

• Focus camera module w/cable
• Three lenses (microscope, telescope, variable-focus)
• Two adapter rings
• AC power adapter
• Calibration card
• GorillaPod
• Camera mount

The size which appears to fit our needs best is their T6500 model. The case is about 12"x9"x6", weighs a little less than 5lbs, and is made from high-impact ABS. It should have enough room for... [more]- EXO Labs: Focus Custom Case

We posted a FirstLook of the Exo Labs' Focus camera kit for the iPad last November. Exo Labs conceived the camera to "... engage students and inspire the next generation of scientists... (by connecting to) iPads and microscopes." Judging by the success stories in the education space, they are certainly making great headway. However, we think they may have tapped into something more.

After the FirstLook posts, comments and questions from RainyDayScience readers were expected, but we were somewhat surprised by the number of inquiries from our general audience. The most-asked question regarding the Exo Labs Focus was about its stand-alone capabilities. Apparently, there is a sizable population interested in using the camera for... [more]- EXO Labs: Pad Microscope/Telescope camera FirstUse