Sydney small business owner Eddy Stevens has won a four-year legal battle against Sony, with the High Court ruling that modding of PlayStation consoles is legal. The decision has far-reaching implications for consumers and the manufacturers of computer games. Mod chips allow gamers to ignore manufacturers’ regional coding systems and run cheaper games – made for markets outside Australia – on their consoles. Link.
Earlier there were some reports about the new FIRST-inspired robotics kits from Radioshack, VEX, not making it to store shelves. Well, in at least two Radioshacks in the Seattle area, I spotted them, and there are likely a lot more. Link.
“You buy it, you own it” – but not if you buy Lexmark laser cartridges – Pay attention next time you rip open a cardboard box – you may be entering into a contract without realizing it. A recent decision in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals reinforced the right of companies, in this case Lexmark International, the printer maker, to legally limit what customers can do with a patented product, given that the company spells out conditions and restrictions on a package label known as a box-top license. Link.
Nice HOW TO from Zapwizard – This guide will show how to make a separate LED to show exactly which drive in your system is active. This modification is done without warranty, I did this to three 80 conductor cables without any problems, if you screw up don’t blame me. First off this Mod only seems to work on IDE Harddrives, the two CD-Roms I connected (one Pionner DVD, and one Lite-On CD-RW) don’t even use this pin on the IDE cable. The CD-RW LED is always on, and the DVD LED is always off. Link.
Wonderful looking (and I bet sounding) hand cranked musical instruments – There is a mount for a contact microphone (piezo) on the back of each one, so it can be amplified. Each has a hand-crank in the middle, and all but the Spring Board Hand Crank have a feather-spine that acts as a plectrum that rotates when the hand-crank is cranked. As the plectrum rotates, it plucks something that vibrates and is amplified. The “something” that vibrates is in some cases a rubber band, in some wires sticking up, in one it is a metal strip, and in another one is a heavy spring. Each has a handy handle too. Link.
Clever, and good review by The Gadgeteers. LeakFrog is the small water alarm with a big job. Behind the cute smile is a brain that knows when you have a water problem. LeakFrog sits patiently day and night – ready to sound its alarm at the first sign of a leak. [
You thought Mr. Coffee was convenient? Well, make some counter space for Mr. Beer. This ingenious easy-to-use kit gives you everything you need to brew your own tasty suds. It’s the most advanced and widely acclaimed home brewing product on the market. And it’s the simplest. [
