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[Jeremy McCreary]

According to a story on NPR today, fidget spinners have become the latest craze to sweep the US. In fact, chartered cargo jets are converging on Toys "R" Us as I write to stock the shelves with as many fidget spinners as the big-box toy seller can get its hands on. Really.

So I decided to get in on the act, but with a twist: At speed, the orange and lime colors of my spinner appear to blend to a rich yellow via the magic of additive color mixing and the flicker fusion threshold illusion.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jv5mzUZhawM



Details in video description and on blog page.

[ta0]

The NPR story can be listened or read here: Fidget spinner emerges as must have toy of the year
Wow! We have known for a while about fidget spinners, thanks to the EDC tops, but I never thought they were going to become such a fad!  Almost tops, so that speaks well about a future spintop fad 

Those Lego's are always handy! I would add some weight on the outside to make it spin longer.

PS: There are software filters that average several frames on video to blend them. I researched it a couple of years ago but I would have to look into it again because now I cannot remember the specifics.

[jmadrigal]

I had to drop my daughter off this morning at 4am for an orchestra trip to Disneyland. As I was waiting for the bus to arrive I noticed a group of boys with flashlights playing with their fidget spinners. I guess this is a thing

[Dick Stohr]

Check out www.dhgate.com/store/category/toys-gifts/14774152-c102.html

The price is good but the minimum pieces requirement is pretty high for most models.

[Jeremy McCreary]

Those Lego's are always handy! I would add some weight on the outside to make it spin longer.

Yes, that's what those peripheral black balls were supposed to do. In retrospect, there are better ways to add peripheral mass while actually increasing clearance around the spinner. The clearance issue turns out to pose some interesting constraints on fidget spinner design.

Stay tuned for v. 2.

PS: There are software filters that average several frames on video to blend them. I researched it a couple of years ago but I would have to look into it again because now I cannot remember the specifics.

I could use one of those filters. I should check to see if my (crude) video editor has a post-processing feature like that.

[Jeremy McCreary]

I had to drop my daughter off this morning at 4am for an orchestra trip to Disneyland. As I was waiting for the bus to arrive I noticed a group of boys with flashlights playing with their fidget spinners. I guess this is a thing

Fidget spinners were pretty much off my radar prior to the NPR story I mentioned. Now it looks like Toys "R" Us has noticed the same thing you did. The executive they interviewed said they were pulling out all the stops to get these things on the shelves in large numbers ASAP.

[Jeremy McCreary]

Check out www.dhgate.com/store/category/toys-gifts/14774152-c102.html

The price is good but the minimum pieces requirement is pretty high for most models.

Interesting assortment. Guessing that the spinners Toys "R" Us plans to sell will be a lot like these.

[the Earl of Whirl]

http://www.ta0.com/forum/index.php/topic,4871.msg51497.html#msg51497

[mailman]

I was intrigued by fidget spinners, after seeing kids playing with them.  I saw some for sale at the RIT Juggle-In, but thought they were too expensive.

Then, recently, I stumbled on some for sale at the supermarket, of all places.  I liked the price, and bought one.

They are....addictive.  I must admit to being hooked on mine.  I don't know many tricks with it, but that's okay.

The unexpected bonus?  I found out that mine glows in the dark! How cool is that?!

[studio42]

These are fun devices. I have a couple already. I'm picking up some more this weekend and maybe some for my kids as well. I like the fact I can cram a bunch into a small space and hand them out and entertain a lot of kids quickly and easily.

The biggest problem is you want a plastic that isn't super rigid. Most of them are under pressure/tension due to the bearings being pressure mounted and they'll break easily.  You want to play with them first to find what you like BEFORE you commit to buying one(or a dozen).

Personally, I like my spin tops better, but these spinners take up a lot less space to store and almost no space to play. They require almost no skill, mostly a hand big enough to hold it.

I know where I go to buy this stuff. I'm going there tomorrow. I get a special discount so I can spend big if I want to and walk away "bigger". I also need some fidget cubes too.