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Here’s a free 411 service (800-free-411) instead of paying your cell carrier (92 percent of the $8 billion the carriers earn annually on directory assistance calls is profit) you get the same 411 information plus a location based audio ad. I’m going to try it and see how it goes. [
DIY Eco-Tech contest finalists…
Sean writes “The three finalists from our DIY Eco-Tech Contest were nothing short of impressive. Now, we want to know which entry you thought was the creme de la creme. Before you decide, make sure to visit (or revisit) each of the finalist’s entries. The finalists: A solar-powered hydrofoil, a solar-powered bubble machine and a solar-powered FM transmitter/headphone combo. Go vote for your favorite DIY eco-tech!”… Link.
Homebrew code coming to PSP 2.0?
Interesting development, homebrew might be coming to the PSP 2.0 soon- Set wallpaper to frame_buffer.png (without overflow.tif present in the PHOTO directory, or it will crash). Add overflow.tif to the PHOTO directory, and open into the photo viewer. Custom code to paint the screen! Or to write a homebrew app – This proof of concept has now been confirmed as a working exploit for the 2.0 firmware. Now we have to wait until some more useful code using this exploit is released… [via] Link.
Procuring lowtech sensors and actuators
Patrick writes “Low tech sensors and actuators -A cool project with details on canibalising cheap toys for sensors to use in interactive electronic projects”. MAKE’s David Pescovitz has a great article in thefeature archives with more about Usman Haque’s projects. Link.
The Atari 130XE sio2pc project
MAKE Flickr photo pool member Jepstone is emulating an Atari floppy drive with a Linux box and a fancy serial cable he made. The two Atari floppy drives are emulated on his Linux system using AtariSIO. Link.
Gameboy Micro Faceplate hacking…
Josh writes “There is a jack accessible to the faceplate (under the faceplate, above the b button) that says V-5(5 volts, I assume) on the circuit board. Nintendo is also patenting ‘smart’ faceplates. Are any Make readers up to the task of building a Gameboy Micro faceplate with LEDs embedded in it? (Hopefully with a subtle effect – nothing distracting)” Link.