Month: January 2006

New Skype for Mac OS X

SkypeSkype 1.4 for Mac is now out – new features look pretty useful – “Call forwarding and call auto-answer, Fast call set-up – drag and drop contacts to add them to chats and calls, Self-expression – users can now broadcast their mood along with their online presence through emoticons, Auto-pause/auto-resume iTunes for in-bound and out-bound voice calls, Notifications – Skype notifies users of new messages and when users come on- and off-line, along with an overview of available Skype services, The Mac OS X version is now available in Japanese.” Link.

Build Your Own Projector Mount…

Build Your Own Projector Mount…

ProjectorHandy how-to from Gadgetopia “Being on a budget, we got two things for our business: the smallest conference room we could reasonably get away with, and the cheapest decent projector we could find. This means that the projector is pretty big, and takes up an entire end of the conference table. I needed a way to mount it to the ceiling, but projector mounts run between $100-$200. They typically come in two types: Spidery-Articulated-Aluminum-Dealie and Pole-With-A-Mounting-Plate. One of the Pole-With-A-Mounting-Plate products I found on the net claimed, “mates with any 1 1/2 inch pipe” in its description. That sent me to Home Depot, and I came up with this rig for about $40. Read on for a rough how-to.” Thanks Star. Link.

HOW TO – Sandals from an old auto tire

HOW TO – Sandals from an old auto tire

8523D873Ea0A25553F82Fc50.SmallFun Instructable on making a pair of sandals from old tires Cthoyes writes – “Ok, to be fair, I originally saw this here and thought I would see how it goes. That website has good instructions but not many photos. So, I thought I would try it and take photos. But anyway, you need a pattern first. Trace your foot and then trace about 1/2 inch around that for the sole. You’re also going to need to mark the tabs. You can flip the same pattern over for the other shoe providing you are not horribly asymmetrical…” Link.

Transcoding video for iPods and PSPs on TiVo…

Transcoding video for iPods and PSPs on TiVo…

599895Big news for TiVo owners with iPods and PSPs – “You can setup the desktop to automatically transcode transfers to one of three formats – Windows Media Library, Sony PSP, or Apple iPod. At least in the first release you cannot transcode shows that have already been transferred. And you can only select one format for the desktop, so you can’t transcode transfers for both a PSP and an iPod, or put some shows into one format and other shows into another. But, again, I suspect most users will be OK with these restrictions, and TiVo says they may add these capabilities in subsequent releases. Advanced users still have other options.” [via] Link.

Essential Retro…

Essential Retro…

EsseJames from Retrothing has an excellent new book! “Many brilliant old machines are hidden away in attics and garages throughout the world – forgotten movie cameras lie on dusty shelves beside obsolete computers and clever mechanical toys, all crying out to be rediscovered and brought back to life. The wonderful contraptions on these pages will capture your imagination and encourage you to explore the world of classic technology…” Link.

1-Second Music for the Leap Second…

Clock-1Peter writes with the results from the call for one second music in celebration of the extra second we get in 2006 – “Composers, piano tuners, producers, sound designers, and stand-up comics (and many Make readers) have responded to CDM’s call for one-second music to honor the leap second added to atomic clocks this year. The results are astounding miniature compositions, which I’ve assembled into a full song for download. Happy New Year!” Link.