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A cloud chamber is used for detecting particles of ionizing radiation. It is an airtight, super cooled, supersaturated environment. Today we will show you how to build this device in he luxury of your own home with simple materials. Question: If a cop uses IR to check your speed, couldn’t you just use a simple remote control to jam his signal? Answer: Short answer…no. The first and most practical reason is that remote controls are relatively weak and they don’t have a great range.[via] Cloud Chamber, Radar jamming.

Before I could get MythTV running, I needed a computer. By temperament and experience, I am a software hacker. If something fails, you reinstall and start over. With hardware, though, you are stuck with your mistake until you pay money to correct it. After a great deal of research, I decided on the following parts… Link.

It was a game enthusiast who first conceived of the Ergodex DX1 Input System, a USB input device by Ergodex, designed for users to place programmable keys anywhere on its 11-inch x 9-inch “DX1 Pad.” The concept is simple: You begin with 25 DX1 keys, place as many of them on the DX1 Pad in any layout you wish, and use the included software to assign functions to each one. Link.

I like mashing buttons, but this looks interesting. A novel calculator interface makes solving tricky sums easy, as users can simply write them onto a screen and then watch the answer appear. The device could easily be incorporated into stylus-controlled handheld computer and its inventors say it reduces the number of errors that users make. Link.

The Animaris Rhinoceros Transport is a type of animal with a steel skeleton and a polyester skin. It looks as if there is a thick layer of sand coating the animal. It weighes 2. tons, but can be set into motion by one person. It stands 4.70 meters tall. Because of its height it catches enough wind to start moving. I hope they publish the plans one day. [via] Link.

Lineriders cars have been designed by Philip Worthington and William Denniss to follow lines that people draw on the surface with pens, speeding up and slowing down according to a visual annotation language. The toy car is equipped with sensors that allow it to follow the lines. the track can be annotated with symbols that are understood optically by the car, telling it to alter it’s driving pattern (eg. speeding up for a jump, slowing down or preparing for an oncoming obstacle or sharp turn). Link.

Could personal video recorder (PVR) software be the “killer app” that launches Linux into millions of living rooms? A growing number of Linux-based PVR products are giving couch potatoes new choices–and new freedom–even as proprietary PVR vendors continue to impose rules limiting where, when, and how viewers use their products. Link.