Literally a USB stick

Author: Wil Harris
Published: 2nd January 2007
Comments (19) Stumble
USB memory sticks - neat.

USB memory sticks - neat.

The New York Times isn't somewhere you'll often find cool modded hardware, but today is an exception.

The Times features an article about USB drives that are, quite literally, USB sticks. Produced by a small Dutch outfit, the flash memory drives are sunk into bits of wood that are found in a local forest.

Guido Ooms, the creator of the USB stick, told the Times that “The computer stuff that is coming out right now, it is all plastic and symmetrical and aerodynamic in shape, like ‘Star Trek’ stuff... I think there’s no reason for that, really, other than that it looks like it works properly.”

We think the drives look superb, and would doubtless make a great gift for the eco-warrior amongst your friends.

Despite the high price - $99 for a 1GB stick, compared to around $25 for 'normal' 1GB stick - there have been plenty of takers, and Mr Ooms is considering outsourcing production to local prison inmates (!) to work cost effectively.

Making your own USB stick would be pretty easy - get the memory, hollow out a stick, glue it in. Simple, no? Let us know over in the forums!
Quote samkiller42 2nd January 2007, 13:52
ha ha, thats quality

Sam
Quote oddball walking 2nd January 2007, 13:55
Cool
Iv'e got a USB stick with no cover i should give it a go.
Quote Lazlow 2nd January 2007, 13:55
I'm surprised no-one has thought of this before! I may give it a go, seeing as how cheap they are now anyway...
Quote bubsterboo 2nd January 2007, 14:52
Now thats a usb stick i want!
Quote DXR_13KE 2nd January 2007, 15:46
i am making one out a small plush doll that i will integrate into my key ring.....
Quote Paradigm Shifter 2nd January 2007, 16:59
Looks cool. Might be a bit of a pain to keep in a pocket like I do my others, though. :)

Should be relatively easy to do as well - all that would be needed is a smallish USB flash drive, a stick and some PVA glue. :D
Quote jezmck 2nd January 2007, 17:52
Quote:
Originally Posted by The Article
Making your own USB stick would be pretty easy - get the memory, hollow out a stick, glue it in. Simple, no?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Paradigm Shifter
...Should be relatively easy to do as well - all that would be needed is a smallish USB flash drive, a stick and some PVA glue. :D
:|
Quote [USRF]Obiwan 2nd January 2007, 19:17
wait while your wooden floor gets eaten by termites or woodworms that are comming from the sticks. Its the area of a new spreading virus....
Quote MrBurritoMan 2nd January 2007, 21:00
well i think its kinda funny that they want to out-source it to the local prison. that's what we should be doing with our prisoners. put them to work.

when i read the little preview of the article i thought it said that they got wood to actually be used as some of the bits in the actual circuitry itself...wow i must be tired...
Quote overdosedelusion 2nd January 2007, 21:39
Quote:
Originally Posted by MrBurritoMan
well i think its kinda funny that they want to out-source it to the local prison. that's what we should be doing with our prisoners. put them to work.

Damn right. Turn prison back into a punishment. take away their TV, take away their kettles, their loo seats, and the springs in their beds, and replace them with tedious, boring tasks.

I too thought they managed to turn wood into a storage device! but it wouldn't surprise me, not after i read about Rainbow Storage it wouldn't surprise me, although the claim of 450GB per sheet is a bit over estimated =P

Still way cool looking, i like the middle one ^^
Quote Tyinsar 2nd January 2007, 21:49
Some of those shapes definitely should NOT go in a pocket plus I bet they block adjacent ports. An interesting novelty but ...
Quote Constructacon 2nd January 2007, 22:12
Did anyone else get wood when they saw those?

/hides
Quote overdosedelusion 2nd January 2007, 22:30
we'll let you have that one based on it's cheese factor :D
Quote saxman 3rd January 2007, 01:45
I have made things like this before. I got bored and had a flash drive I broke the casing on but the drive still worked fine. I used smaller more stick like pieces. rather than the large branches.
Quote Aankhen 3rd January 2007, 04:40
Great idea, but I'm not sure how those drives are eco-friendly. Plus the concerns mentioned above about how they wouldn't fit into a pocket and would probably block adjacent ports.
Quote Firehed 3rd January 2007, 04:49
Cool little novelty thing... I've got an old 16MB stick (that cost about as much as a 2GB stick does now :'( ) that I might do this with.
Quote DXR_13KE 3rd January 2007, 19:53
pendrive + chess peace.... nice....
Quote speedfreek 4th January 2007, 04:39
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tyinsar
Some of those shapes definitely should NOT go in a pocket plus I bet they block adjacent ports. An interesting novelty but ...
But you cant say it wouldnt be cool at least for a little bit.
Quote Tyinsar 4th January 2007, 06:51
It would be cool IF it had a cap made from the same piece of wood.

as for the "eco-friendly" bit: an interesting piece of marketing but I think they'd be doing more for the environment if they left the twigs in the forest.

/me grabs a bigger stick to club Constructacon. :D
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