The latest DIY ideas, techniques and tools for digital gadgetry, open code, smart hacks, and more. Processing power to the people!
Handy tip if you want to see how TV shows on iTunes will look on your TV -before- you purchase them. Andrew writes “Unfortunatly, iTunes does not let you save the 30 second previews of music or video. While thats not really an issue with music, many people want to know how good the video looks when played on their TV or iPod. So how did I get the urls of the above videos. I used Debug iTunes Music Store.” Link.
One of my favorite web tech shows has a new episode – the $100 arcade cabinet is pretty good – “In this episode of Hak.5 Wess finishes up his sub-$100 mini arcade cabinet, Darren talks streaming audio and video, Jon dives into AJAX, and Harrison plays with metasploit. Plus the Microshaft Jackhammer 5160, special guest star Frank Linhares, guest intro by Mike Lazazzera, music by Ashley Witt, and a not-so-friendly server.” Link.
My favorite collective intelligence destination for finding lots of Maker projects is going to expand in to audio/video “Digg.com…a news site that some on the Web are touting as the next Slashdot, intends to branch out from tech stories and move into other news categories as well as media such as video and audio, said Digg.com CEO Jay Adelson.” I don’t think it’s the “next Slashdot”, it’s really the next Amazon – for electrons. Link.
Raphael writes “This simple project shows you how to make a USB powered Nokia cell phone charger. The advantage is that it weighs much less than the bulky AC adaptor, and can be used wherever you have a computer or a laptop. I use this thing all the time now!” Link.
DoctaBu” writes “Using some base code from PlasticBug’s DittyBot, I created VoxCaller, an Automator workflow that lets people send computerized voice messages to other people via e-mail. People might think they should just call the person, but I personally think that Zarvox delivers messages in a more… exciting way.” This is a lot of fun. Link.
I might make one of these myself with other bits of retro gear, it’s really clever. “These calendars showcase different classic computers on each page. It includes the Vic 20, Apple IIGS, CPC 464, TRS-80, Amiga, Atari 800XL, etc. It’s a perfect gift for any computer enthusiast or anyone who remembers those classic computers of the past.” Thanks Scotty! Link.
You can boot off a flash drive with Linux, it’s super-handy but might not be your cup of geek, so here’s a way to do the same with Windows – “All it takes is a minor error in the Windows Registry or a virus infection, and your operating system can become unbootable. But with a properly configured USB flash drive on hand, you’ll always have a compatible replacement no further away than your pocket or keychain. In addition, the flash drive can also provide a secure browser and virus scanner, and lets you take your favorite DVD burning and Office software with you wherever you may go.” Link.
