Month: August 2005

The “Built From Scratch” Crystal Radio

The “Built From Scratch” Crystal Radio

Oatscoil1 The idea here it to be able to construct a crystal radio with parts fabricated right at home. This can get complicated in some areas of the radio as it is difficult to get some items needed. Also some parts of the radio are very complicated and detailed. We will attempt to simplify the parts as much as possible so we can “homebrew” or make them at home (as much as possible). Link.

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Open Source Sky Planetarium

Open Source Sky Planetarium

Screenshot7 Stellarium is an open source desktop planetarium for Linux/Unix, Windows and MacOSX. It renders the skies in realtime using OpenGL, which means the skies will look exactly like what you see with your eyes, binoculars, or a small telescope. Stellarium is very simple to use, which is one of its biggest advantages: it can easily be used by beginners. [via] Link.

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With technology, it’s easy to break the law…

With technology, it’s easy to break the law…

Usa
Interesting USAToday article- Legally, it’s been a gray week for me. I took apart and repaired a 15-year-old, Freon-filled air conditioner without an EPA permit. I destroyed a wasp’s nest with a makeshift flamethrower, using an aerosol can of cleaner “in a manner inconsistent with its labeling.” And then I went hardcore. Well, sort of… Link.

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Duck Doom Deluxe

Duck Doom Deluxe

Dddscreens Someone made their own Duck hunt mash up – called Duck Doom deluxe, all the best things about Doom and Duck hunt in one game! DUCK DOOM Deluxe – An overhaul upgrade to the original Duck Doom, featuring new difficulty levels, graphics effects, remixed music & enhanced sound, the BFG-9000, and more! Link.

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Libraries offering audiobook downloads…

Libraries offering audiobook downloads…

Story.Library.Downloads.Ap
Here’s another story about libraries offering audio files and digital files for their patrons, sounds good right? No- as usual, someone sold a DRM solution that doesn’t really work. Each week I get emails from folks all over the USA trying to figure out ways to get the files on their “non-supported device”.Link.

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Boot loader showdown: Getting to know LILO and GRUB

Images-27 Most Linux users, from the casual desktop user to the Linux system administrator, have used a utility known as a boot loader. Different variations of this utility provide varying levels of support and functionality. In many cases, the default boot loader installed with a Linux distribution is not always the best for your needs; the same can be said for the default settings of each boot loader. In this article, Laurence Bonney discusses the pros and cons of two of the more popular boot loaders — LILO and GRUB — and suggests a number of configurations to get the most from your machine. Link.

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