Open source 802.15.4 protocol stack and Arduino-compatible board
Tokyo-based wireless hacker Akiba of FreakLabs sends word of their latest project, the Freakduino-Chibi, an Arduinoid with open source 802.15.4 protocol stack and integrated radio.
Computers & Mobile
The latest DIY ideas, techniques and tools for digital gadgetry, open code, smart hacks, and more. Processing power to the people!
USB floppy disk
Charles Mangin built this USB Floppy in a weekend.
Boxee Box teardown
Our friends over at iFixit take us on a tour inside the recently released Boxee Box. This oddly shaped box manufactured by D-Link houses media player hardware that runs the popular media management software. It appears to be every bit as interesting on the inside as it does on the outside.
Top 10: Unusual scientific phenomena videos
As evidence, nothing beats one’s own senses: I’ll have to see that for myself. But some experiments are too expensive, too time-consuming, or too dangerous for most folks to reproduce on their own, and for these, well, the next best thing is video. And the tubes are rich with great footage of phenomena that have to be seen to be believed. Here’s a sampling of some of the gems we’ve covered, over the years, to get you started.
Beautiful 18th-century cometarium
This mechanical model of a comet’s orbit, based on the action of elliptical gears, is dated to 1766, and is housed at Harvard’s Putnam Gallery. From which:
This apparatus was designed to demonstrate how the speed of a comet varies in its orbit according to Kepler’s law of equal areas. The comet Benjamin Martin chose for this instrument is Halley’s Comet, which goes around the Sun every 75 1/2 years. Martin began producing cometaria before Halley’s Comet made its predicted return, and so was betting that Halley would prove correct in his theory.
Interestingly, the device turns out to be not an entirely accurate demonstration of Kepler’s second law. Physicist Martin Beech of the University of Regina has studied the history and mechanics of cometaria at great length. His clearinghouse page is an excellent source of detailed information.
New in the Maker Shed: Deep Sea Anglerfish
The Deep Sea Anglerfish from the Maker Shed has a carefully designed Blue LED “lure” protruding from its head. The LED light produces a mesmerizing blueish glow, masterfully catching the preying eye, and the electric circuitry on the back adds all the more wonder to this rare species. If Anglerfish aren’t your cup of tea, […]
The Mechanical Glory of the IBM Selectric Typewriter
A “whiffletree” is a mechanical digital-to-analog converter. Brilliant science-and-technology documentarian Bill Hammack, professor of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering at the University of Illinois, has produced this fascinating video anatomy of IBM’s classic Selectric typewriter, in which a 7-bit whiffletree is employed to convert keypresses (digital) to precisely coordinated tugs (analog) on the control cables that rotate and tilt the type ball. Doubly awesome is the fact that the video features an appendix (yes, a video appendix) which focuses exclusively on the whiffletree itself, closely illustrating its operation with a simple 2-bit case.