Etherealicers Challenge Coin

[Etherealicer]

So first sketches up. MT.O is all emoticons for me , so I let myself getting inspired by them

What do we use coins for:

• scratching off the cover on a lottery ticket
• screwing on/off battery covers

This sketch is a despicable rip-off (and probably would cause some copyright infractions).
Caplifter mouth, "hairs" for scratching and 4mm, 1/4" for eyes


So more serious. First idea was to have the coin built of seven hexagons of various thickness to get kinda various Screwdriver Thickness. But I found that concept to complicated and not giving a nice shape. Remember I wanted an Emoticon


Some refining. I didn't put any thought about dimensions/size into it.
Its a skull, a duck or a platypus with scratching / prying teeth and 4mm / 1/4" eyes.


Any Input is welcome

[Grant Lamontagne]

Looks like:



I love it! 

I like the skull idea as well, but be careful as that motif has been done extensively before.









Great idea, but I wonder how best to come up with something original with it?

Def

[Etherealicer]

Looks like:
(Image removed from quote.)

Thats why I called it a "despicable rip-off"

I like the skull idea as well, but be careful as that motif has been done extensively before.
Great idea, but I wonder how best to come up with something original with it?

Def

I know. I plan on going towards a friendlier look, I also think mine looks more like a duck than a skull.

[Grant Lamontagne]

That's ok, I like ducks too. 

Def

[ducttapetech]

I like them!
The the MTO for the skull teeth. That is really cool!

that's us mobile

[kkokkolis]

It's going to be a very interesting contest!

[Etherealicer]

First, this one is roughly to scale.

The idea is to have a slit in the coin where you glue in a small USB stick
Dimensions 20 x 12.3 x 3* mm (* could be as thin as 2mm, this is based on one I found on the website of a local dealer)
Probably get 4GB - 8GB, that is a very useful size without being too pricey. I reckon those should be available at about 6 - 10 USD.

[Cogito]

Make one with my avatar as inspiration   Everybody will love it

[enki_ck]

The Micro SD reader idea is great. You can get a metal one for cheap and everyone can insert their own card the size they want. I carry one of those readers in my coin purse and it comes in handy quite a bit.

Not sure about gluing it in though. Some other attachment method would be better. The bonus of these is that they can be swapped out.

[Etherealicer]

The Micro SD reader idea is great. You can get a metal one for cheap and everyone can insert their own card the size they want. I carry one of those readers in my coin purse and it comes in handy quite a bit.

Not sure about gluing it in though. Some other attachment method would be better. The bonus of these is that they can be swapped out.

Glue:
The idea behind this is simple. when you glue in a USB-drive the slot does not have to be that precise. If you want it as a cap / sleeve it needs to be rather precise, so everything stays in place.

The original idea was actually a standard USB female to USB mirco-B male, this would allow to plug your USB stick into your mobile phone (and its timeless). However I'm a bit at loss how to implement it. Micro SD reader is another good idea. Both have the drawback that they are primarily geared towards non-Apple-Smartphones. I will play with the idea some more but I think there will be some sort of USB / computery thingy to my design.

I was thinking about a USB-stick like this: DX

[hugh_h]

I wish not every MT/SAK had a cap-lifter and a bottle-opener
31 Ways to Open a Beer Bottle Without a Bottle Opener
3 Ways to Open a Can Without a Can Opener
4 Ways to Open a Wine Bottle Without a Corkscrew

With that handy link to bottle-opening techniques, every SAK and MT with a blade or scredriver *does* have a "bottle opener," even if it doesn't have a Bottle Opener.

Thanks! The napkin and sheet-of-paper methods are also cool.
http://www.urlesque.com/2010/09/20/open-beer-bottle-without-bottle-opener/

[Cogito]

I wish not every MT/SAK had a cap-lifter and a bottle-opener
31 Ways to Open a Beer Bottle Without a Bottle Opener
3 Ways to Open a Can Without a Can Opener
4 Ways to Open a Wine Bottle Without a Corkscrew

With that handy link to bottle-opening techniques, every SAK and MT with a blade or scredriver *does* have a "bottle opener," even if it doesn't have a Bottle Opener.

Thanks! The napkin and sheet-of-paper methods are also cool.
http://www.urlesque.com/2010/09/20/open-beer-bottle-without-bottle-opener/

I have to say that those techniques don't work on all bottles.  Some bottle caps are really tight so not even a regular bottle opener can get them.

[PTRSAK]

these are about the most "minimalist" usb sticks around.

[Etherealicer]

these are about the most "minimalist" usb sticks around.

(Image removed from quote.)

Thanks, that was, what I was looking for.

Now I have to check the available colors 

[Tofty]

I like the USB stick coin idea, just got to hope that Verbatim sticks to the same dimensions for a while yet, so that the stick could still be replaced when 100GB versions cost $10.

I wouldn't worry too much about the minion tool having issues with copyright; looking at all the printable minion figures on 3D printing websites, along with the likelihood that the studio itself had a hand in making printable models available on Shapeways, during the second film's launch, i suspect they are a lot more open to the new kinds of guerrilla marketing, free publicity and brand awareness, than any copyright infringement the tool design might make.

[Etherealicer]

I like the USB stick coin idea, just got to hope that Verbatim sticks to the same dimensions for a while yet, so that the stick could still be replaced when 100GB versions cost $10.

I wouldn't worry too much about the minion tool having issues with copyright; looking at all the printable minion figures on 3D printing websites, along with the likelihood that the studio itself had a hand in making printable models available on Shapeways, during the second film's launch, i suspect they are a lot more open to the new kinds of guerrilla marketing, free publicity and brand awareness, than any copyright infringement the tool design might make.

Thanks for your input.

I'm not worried about the "stick-size". The primary dimensions are given by the USB-plug, so there will always be a brand that makes them to that shape. And since even in central Europe lots of companies still use Windows XP, I doubt that this plug will become replaced by the Mini/Micro/v3 version soon.

I liked the shape and looks of the minion. However, there are two problems with it:
1) Its a smurfing cap-lifter
2) I don't want people to say: "Cool, you have a Minion USB-drive", I want them to say "WTF is MTO?"

[Tofty]

I wouldn't worry too much about the minion tool having issues with copyright; looking at all the printable minion figures on 3D printing websites, along with the likelihood that the studio itself had a hand in making printable models available on Shapeways, during the second film's launch, i suspect they are a lot more open to the new kinds of guerrilla marketing, free publicity and brand awareness, than any copyright infringement the tool design might make.

Scratch everything i said above, about minions, i did some digging and it turns out i'm completely wrong.
Definitely go with the other design.

[kkokkolis]

Make some figure yourself. A ghost? A pig? An eye (bloated out like our eyes when they see a new shiny multitool)? A SAK (rounded like it would appear in comics)? Think of something without copyrights.

[kkokkolis]

Packman?

[Etherealicer]

So I'm pretty swarmed and therefore not much of an update.
@Verbatim Mem Stick
- Up to 32GB
- Quick check on Amazon I saw the 8GB for below 10$, the 32GB I can get for less than 30USD here in Switzerland.

Design
First of I had an other idea with a instead to use a head use a plier-head , with a 4mm HEX-hole and a PH1 tip.


Going with the original idea. the Verbatime stick is longer than the one I originally have seen, so to maintain proportions I had to increase the coin-size.
Tools: Memory stick, 4mm and 1/4" Hex holes, pry-"bar"
Dimensions: Coin diameter 5cm, thickness at least 3mm (the Memory stick is 2mm).
Texture: All striped parts are rough, while the clear parts are smooth.
Personally, I think its overloaded.

[enki_ck]

I like both of those very much.

The plier head coin would be awesome.

[kkokkolis]

It gets better and better. Make it blunt nose in order to preserve our pockets from piercing.

[Grant Lamontagne]

From a theoretical standpoint I like the technological direction this is taking.  From a longevity standpoint I really don't trust tech.  It wasn't that long ago that people thought a 128mb flash drive would hold all the files they could ever want to take with them.

I also remember getting a "great deal" on a 256mb SD card for only $140.   

That's just me though- I like the concept of including tech into tools, but the reality is that I just don't trust it.

Def

[enki_ck]

From a theoretical standpoint I like the technological direction this is taking.  From a longevity standpoint I really don't trust tech.  It wasn't that long ago that people thought a 128mb flash drive would hold all the files they could ever want to take with them.

I also remember getting a "great deal" on a 256mb SD card for only $140.   

That's just me though- I like the concept of including tech into tools, but the reality is that I just don't trust it.

Def

That's why I suggested the microSD/Transflash card reader.

[Grant Lamontagne]

And I was agreeing with that.  While it may have been a bit of a failure for CRKT, I am still proud to have provided that bit of insight for the Flux design. 

Def

[Cogito]

The revenge of Kryder's law

[Etherealicer]

From a theoretical standpoint I like the technological direction this is taking.  From a longevity standpoint I really don't trust tech.  It wasn't that long ago that people thought a 128mb flash drive would hold all the files they could ever want to take with them.

I also remember getting a "great deal" on a 256mb SD card for only $140.   

That's just me though- I like the concept of including tech into tools, but the reality is that I just don't trust it.

Def

That's why I suggested the microSD/Transflash card reader.

Actually the USB-slot has been around for a long time, and the 4GB stick I bought years ago (I guesstimate about 8 years) still serves me well. MicroSD and other Memory cards are changing much faster.
That said I agree that Tech and long-longevity do not mix so well. However, this is already the second MTO Challenge Coin and probably not the last, since no one is going to carry a wallet full of challenge coins we can assume that its time in a wallet is limited and in the near future a 32GB mem stick will still be very useful. As a collectors item its the theoretical capabilities not the practical ones that count.

Personally I think this might be the most useful tool you can pack in such a small package that is not over-redundant (we don't need more cap-lifters)

[Etherealicer]

Final Design, this is it, this is the contestant!

The head is where the heart iS



Description
Plierhead with slot to insert Memory Stick. The slot measures 20 x 12 x 2 mm (plus whatever your experience tells you in order to have fit in). The USB-Stick intended to fit in the slot is from Verbatim.

Features
- 4mm hex hole
- Grooves on the side to improve Grip.
- No sharp edges, so it feels comfortable in pockets.

Inscription / Decoration:
MTO 2014, some lines to emphasis the plierhead-shape.
Preferably the material would be metal, as it represents MT.O best.

[Etherealicer]

Designer Notes

Why a Memory Stick
I wanted something different, we don't need more pocket tools with bottle openers.
And while it is true that electronics and tools don't mix too well. In that case it will work out because the MT.O coin is part collectible, so even if its outdated it will still be a collectible. Also I've had my 4 gig Stick for years, its still enough.

Form Follows Function
The idea for the coin is to represent this forum and while a plier-head might not represent SAKs too well, the plier-head does represent our love for tools. I didn't find a motto which I could see everybody here rally behind so I kept it simple too "MTO 2014".

[derekmac]

Oh I really like that, and it's something that I'd use and carry.


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