I wonder if the bacteria could eat the dead batteries to power electronics….Scientists have long studied bacteria that can clean up toxic waste by eating it. Other bacteria have been employed to produce electricity. Now scientists have found a two-for-one deal in bacteria that will eat toxic chemicals 24/7 and make electricity to boot. Link.
Tune in to CKDU– Halifax’s only FM campus-community radio station if you’re in Canada and listen to MAKE! You can also listen live online via their website 11am PST (audio will be posted soon). We’re also going to be on “Let’s Talk Computers” 3pm Central. On both shows we’re going to talk about do-it-yourself projects, hacking, modding, and all the stuff in volumes one and two of MAKE.
Why wait until next year to get your Intel based Mac when you can make your own! Inventgeek.com converted a Mac G3 to an Intel P4 that can run Windows or Linux. It’s more of a case mod with a new micro ATX motherboard, fan, power and then some fabrication + hacking to make it all fit, but a fun project. [via] Link.
The CVS disposable video camera isn’t out in all areas but there are some folks who have started to take it apart, document it and more. It looks like it’s using a Samsung 256mb flash chip, there’s a bit about the connectors, so it’s really just a matter of weeks now until you can pick one of these up, build a cable then have a really cheap digital video camera. Here’s a forum with a lot of information starting to get posted up (and we’ll have it here too as this progresses). Link.
Why eat soup, when you can grow your own. A Japanese company is offering a seed version of the Campbell’s soup tins. The seeds come in a tin that looks exactly the same as the original one except the word “soup” is replaced by “seeds”. Inside are layers of soil, written instructions and a choice of seeds to grow miniature tomatoes, miniature pumpkins or green peas. Link.
For centuries inventors and dreamers have pushed technology beyond our wildest expectations, taking us into the air, underwater and into space. While much is heard and read about these amazing feats, less is spoken about the many inventions that didn’t quite make the evolutionary cut. The Museum of Retro Tech celebrates the many ambitious but unsuccessful inventions from the fields of Transport, Computing, Communications, and Power Generation. Link.
Here’s a preview of the Atari Flashback 2.0 system which can be hacked to play original cartridges. This will be a great source of new hardware for Atari 2600 fans. Even says it implements the entire 2600 on a single chip. If you read the entire article it looks like you could make a portable Atari out of this, make game switcher (internal / cartridge) and more. Thanks Robert!Link.
