California residents wondering if tomorrow’s forecast will be sunny now can find out if there’s also a chance of afternoon tremors. For the first time, they can check a daily earthquake forecast on the Internet just as easily as they check the weather. I wish they’d publish the data source so we could make some “real” ambiant-orb like displays, physical projects that “shake” a map and web widgets with this. Current Forecast. Link.
There seems to be a PSP update which makes the USA units go to 1.5.1, not sure what it does- but I’m really reluctant to install this- with all the PSP firmware hacks to run home-brew games perhaps Sony is proactively making it harder to change the USA units. If you’re willing to update your unit though, hit the wireless update menu.
I always thought hotel rooms were under utilized gallery spaces for artists, local artists could hang their art and the hotel could get a commission. Artists would promote and encourage people to stay and these hotels. Perhaps someone will do that one day, but for now- it seems Secret Wall Tattoos might be the first (unwanted) entry in to the hotel art arena. Hidden wall art, roll the mouse over the gallery images to see them. Link.
Graphics Demo is a modified Commodore CBM 3032 computer. Its inner life was replaced by a mechanics. A wireframe model of a teapot, soldered out of silvered copper wire, is gimballed inside the monitor cabinet. The model is varnished with green uv-active paint and lighted by four blacklight tubes, which are installed invisible inside the cabinet. The teapot can be rotated in any direction by using the numeric keypad. During the rotation, you can hear the electric motors and feel their vibrations. [via] Link.
IGN has a blurb about DSpeak at e3. DSpeak let’s DS users make Voice-Over IP calls to other DS owners. The DS has an icon for a headset so perhaps we’ll see something soon. I’d propose a Skype/SIP/Vonage cartridge or prepaid cartridge and turn it in to a real phone. We’re getting more homebrew DS things, so who knows. Link.
Netflix for Makers! (Disclaimer: They have an ad in MAKE). Technical Video Rental is a service that rents video tapes and DVDs – just like your corner video store…but we rent the kind of videos that you can’t find on every street corner. Videos on running lathes, building target rifles, welding steel…Link.
A bunch of Japanese DIY’ers had a useless old Famicom console and decided to build their own PSP. They started by tearing the console apart…Pretty good photographic dissection and assembly. [