Technology
Windows Application With Wine + X11 Works
By adapting the Wine compatibility layer for Windows, some enterprising developers have developed a method to run Windows programs under OS X for Intel. While porting Wine to OSx86 requires some serious tweaking (which still results in some unstable programs), work such as this opens a wide range of possibilities for the future. Since future versions of OS X will be built on the same Intel processors that Windows programs use, will we one day be able to use Windows apps as if they were native to OS X? [via] Link.
HOW TO run Darwin on Xbox
Darwin is the base of Mac OS X, comprising the kernel “xnu”, the system libraries and the UNIX tools. Darwin does not include the Mac OS X GUI, and the future x86 version of Mac OS X will only run on Apple branded hardware. …at least the current builds of Mac OS X for x86 need SSE2 and SSE3 support of the CPU – the Xbox CPU has neither. And of course, OS X wouldn’t run with only 64 MB of RAM, and very slowly with only 128 MB. But here’s how to run Darwin on an Xbox… Link.
Google Talk – Debian users…
Google talk for Debian folks…my prefered client CenterICQ [centericq.org] wouldn’t connect to Google’s servers. It turned out that the client decided to ignore the server setting if a login was specified as user@domain. I’ve made a patch, which remedies this error. After applying this patch the client will honour the choice of server eventhough user@domain is specified as a login. I’ve sent the patch to the CenterICQ author and the maintainer of the Debian GNU/Linux [debian.org] package (read the update) Link.
HOW TO conference call with Google Talk
Open up a copy of google talk on all computers with which you wish to conference. After one copy is opened make a new shortcut for google talk but at the end of it add /nomutex. If you installed it to the default folder then your shortcut should read “C:Program FilesGoogleGoogle Talkgoogletalk.exe” /nomutex. Open 2 instances of the software on every user’s computer. After this start a chain: User 1 should connect on one instance to user 2. User 2 will connect on his second instance to user 3. User 3 will connect using his second instance back to user 1. With this chain everyone is connected to everyone. [via] Link. Or install Skype.
HOW TO make a desktop Line Following Robot
Cute project – Recently many kind of robot contests have being opened and some interesting reports of the challenge are found on the web. The Line Following is a kind of the robot contests to vie running speed on the line. I build a tiny line following robot which can run on the desk, moving the key board aside will do. It is for only a personal toy reduced its size less than one fifth compared to typical line following robots, not in formura. Link.
Computerized Etch A Sketch
Older project, but I really like this one- I pulled the knobs off of an Etch A Sketch and attached it to two stepper motors which in turn are attached to the parallel port of a computer. This gives one the ability to control the plotter’s movements with a standard mouse or analog joystick (more intuitive interfaces than the knobs). Having a computer in the loop also allows one to record what movements are done, so one can edit them and play them back. This robotic device is also capable of erasing the Etch A Sketch by flipping the whole contraption upside down and tilting it back and forth. The assembly has been carefully counterbalanced so that it only takes a tiny motor to flip it. A pair of mercury switches let the computer know which way is up, so that the board can be rotated to the correct positions. Link.
