I made a Portal turret for my Halloween pumpkin! I was trying to think of things to carve: vampire Android? R2-D2? Zoidberg? Then I thought: I could do a character from Portal 2! I was going to carve something like GLaDOS or Wheatley, but then I realized that a portal turret would be perfect:
To make the glowing red eye, I punched a small hole in the pumpkin, taped an LED to a battery, and pushed the LED from the center of the pumpkin through the small hole. I thought about doing an actual red laser, but 1) I don’t want to blind any kids walking by my pumpkin, and 2) laser beams aren’t visible unless there’s fog or smoke or something for the beam to hit.
To make the side “gun” sections of the pumpkin, I had a small dowel rod lying around, so I just cut two small stakes from the dowel rod and jammed them into the pumpkin sides. It’s a bit rickety, but it works. For the video, I played some turret sound effects and moved my red laser over the pumpkin as if another turret was locking onto it.
I didn’t want to take long to carve my pumpkin. I finished it in maybe an hour, but check out this really elaborate pumpkin that someone else did. And it turns out that they work at Google too!
I like how my pumpkin came out overall:
Happy Halloween, and I hope you’re getting creative with your pumpkin carving!
{ 36 comments… read them below or add one }
Cool, but a bit scary
That’s genius! It should deploy when kids try to take more than one piece of candy
Halloween Pumpkin are not that cool here in Denmark
Very cool pumpkin. Well done.
So Matt, are you going to be Rick Astley again this year for Halloween? :.)
I can’t wait the next update on Halloween when flying will be involved
Happy Halloween!
I think I am close to being the only person on the planet that thinks Halloween – All Saints Evening – has been hijacked and used by unsavory people to train innocent kids as demanding, forceful, future vandals that terrorize people in the streets. They are attired in costumes that hide their identity and are in fact designed to intimidate regular folk in their own homes.
They are willingly taught by parents that it is alright to travel around their neighborhood demanding favors, sweets – which we all know to be extremely bad for youngsters teeth. If their demands are not satisfied they are then obliged to provide a Trick. In the future this turns into hand over your wallet/purse or you will be beaten until and inch of of life. Oh and do not forget to smile as you hand over your wallet/purse as you were part of the training that appears to have been absorbed and put into practice.
Well done everyone, pat yourselves on the back. Civilization is collapsing due to the training that we provide.
Hi Matt,
Very cool pumpkin.
Happy Halloween too.
Matt
Looking forward to carving a pumkin with my son, especially as we grew the pumpkin ourselves this year.
Simon
“Don’t shoot, it’s me!”
Happy Halloween!
Chuck Rowland:
Beats Christmas, where we’re taught to give people we can barely stand presents that require no thought whatsoever out of moral obligation. Just to make sure we don’t forget, we have Gregg Easterbrook’s Unified Field Theory of Creep.
A 2-ounce chocolate bar is a lot less expensive as well.
Matt, your idea: Genius.
Your pumpkin carving skills: Sub par.
Thanks for the laugh.
Oh Matt, your recent Panda Update was far more scary than any pumpkin you could carve!
Your Halloween Pumpkin is really very coooooooool
Quality piece of carving there Matt. Like your style. You’re just missing the eyes!
Matt,
Why didn’t you carve a really scary pumkin, like one with a Panda head:-)
Morris
Some kids knocked at my door tonight and asked “trick or treat?” It was too much pressure I had to phone my psychiatrist. I asked what was the trick?, and they said we’re do something evil like a panda update. These were hi-tech kids. They had iPads instead of face masks. I was then struck by the thought “do ghosts believe in people”. The iPad kids awoke me from my trance… “trick or treat?”. Bribery seemed the easier option but instead of treats I uploaded a picture of matts pumpkin to there hooded ipads…
Good Job Matt except you carved it out sideways DOHHH!
Nice one – tried pumpkin carving for the first time this year (its not so polpular over here) and got good results. what I especially like about your pumpkin is that you use a LED for lighting it. I ran into trouble when I put a small candle inside it smoked the whole area around the house as the cap cought fire. Much to learn over here.
That is actually awesome
Hey that’s cool
Great Pumpkin!
That is fantastic, Matt! I rarely am able to achieve something that is little more than a pumpkin with two holes in it! Happy Halloween!
This looks brilliant Matt, very creative! i have been doing alot of SEO work for companies with a Halloween themes and i will have to show this to them.
Happy Halloween
That’s wicked! Pretty bright LED, How did you get the sound?
Nice work, We don’t have very many pumpkins here in Ireland. Haloween or not!
Couldn’t of done It better myself!! I might have to steal this design
Very cool Matt I love it… Why did you not make it say Google…
When are you in Toronto?
Cheers,
Baruch
@AJ Wilcox and maybe incorporate one of those usb contolled rocket shooters into the side pods.
Good job!
My hint is to use the seeds as bullets,
Luca
Matt what’s wrong with you , I thought you are more creative than what you did . Happy Halloween from London.
Nice Matt…seems you have some fun.
Cheers!
Hey pretty good Matt. Good to see the spirit of Halloween is still alive around the Googleplex. Maybe today’s search engine results will either be a trick or a tweak. (ok that’s not a very good pun but having howling fun regardless …) Happy Halloween!
Very innovative! thanks for sharing….
Hi Matt, awesome job on the pumpkin man. loved the video too. Happy Halloween to you.
Ultrageeky Matt and Happy Halloween
Hi Matt
An easy, a modern take on one of your old (2009!) Halloween costume ideas:
gizmodo.com/5854649/best-costume-use-two-ipads-to-create-an-awesome-gaping-hole-in-your-gut
vs.
mattcutts.com/blog/hole-in-body-costume/
How the world has moved on in only two years …
awww , cool , i like it so much ‼
.
Happy Halloween