This Mini sure does drive…no pun intended. It’s a USB Flash Drive built into a Hot Wheels model of a Mini Cooper. I saw some various mods using USB drives, such as a PEZ and Lego drives. I think I remember reading something about someone who made a drive fit into a Hot Wheels car, but I don’t remember where. I saw this Mini sitting on my shelf, and figured, hey, I’m never gonna use it for anything anyways, so I might as well put it to use. Link.
Here’s how you can get your Mac on the Internet using your GSM cell phone (T-Mobile, etc). If you have a CDMA cell phone (e.g. Verizon Wireless, Sprint PCS), see instead How To Use Your CDMA Cell Phone as a USB Modem in Mac OS X. The instructions on this page assume you’re using Bluetooth to connect your phone to your computer. Link.
Once we were in the air and received our username and passwords to access the Wi-Fi network on the plane, I quickly tested all the applications I could. Skype: called another Skype user, and called using Skype out to a real phone number. It worked perfectly. AIM/iChat: had two full-screen video conference sessions for 10 minutes or so each. IRC: logged in to irc.freenode.net #joiito. Email, SSH, telnet, web browse SSL (banking), also brought a card that does passive mode and sniffed a bit with KisMac. Streamed video from my home via ORB Networks. Plugged in an Airport Express too :-]
Here’s the video I shot with Tim Vinopal, Director, Service Delivery Engineering from Connexion, Boeing’s Wi-fi service for aircraft. I was on their experimental test plane, an interesting glimpse of the future of communications in-flight. The video is really noisy (we were in the engineering section, sorry about that) but you can hear some/most of it. CLICK HERE TO VIEW VIDEO (QuickTime .MOV). Also, photos here.
Amazing past and present mods: the latest are Battlefield 2 cases. 35 year-old German architect Oliver König aka Butterkneter enters the fray with a series of cases with a Battlefield 2 theme. But before we check them out, let’s look at Oliver’s modding portfolio to date… Link.
The Multifunctional Platform in Mali integrates basic infrastructure elements into a prefabricated, modular package that reduces cost and increases reliability and efficiency while remaining simple and relatively portable. The basic design criteria are that they be: (i) low cost to build and operate; (ii) mature, simple, reliable technology; (iii) all spare parts locally available; (iv) quickly replicated and expanded; and, (v) cost minimization through costs sharing of common components and systems; (vi) simple to operate, maintain and repair by local artisans. Link.
Google Moon is Google’s commemorative site for the anniversary of the first manned Moon landing — an interactive, zoomable map of the moon’s surface with waypoints set for the six Apollo landing sites. Nice Easter-egg if you zoom all the way, too. [via] [via] Link. Also, moon parties!
