I really like Firefox, mostly because you can make your own browser with all the GreaseMonkey stuff…and now check this- The Mozilla Foundation, developer of the Firefox Web browser, plans to announce Wednesday that it has created a for-profit subsidiary to pursue wider potential for the software. NYTimes story but, read Joi Ito’s post about this, it clears some things up. Link. I’m off to OSCON, I’ll find out more about this soon…
Home made, open source mp3 Player. The main goal of this project is to create an open design for a portable MP3 player, in both hardware and software. The secondary goal of this project is to make it as simple to construct, and as cheap, as possible. The design is based around the AVR Butterfly from Atmel. Photo and Link.
With the application of a knife along the seam on the side and top of the device, the use of tweezers to hold the newly-formed gap open, the use of another pair of tweezers to reach in and grab the antenna, and the replacing of the rubber insulating plug on the side of the iTrip to seal the casing back up, I was able to fully extend the antenna out the side of the iTrip at a healthy 90º angle with almost no scarring of the case. Link.
Many hobbyists are beginning to rediscover the appeal of classic microcomputers from the 70s and early 80s.
Why copy-restriction technology succeeds only in hurting the user.
“Unfortunately, Verizon Wireless cripples their phones so that you have to use their fee-based service in order to add new ringtones, or to transfer the pictures you take with the camera. The Verizon logo conceals the date display on the main screen and covers over the top portion of the background, among various other corporate silliness. Selling a device that is intentionally crippled is just plain ridiculous. Of course, the only natural thing to do in a situation like this is to hack it.” [via] Link.
The ability to climb and descend stairs is one of the unexpected behaviors of this new home-brew off-road autonomous robot platform. The robot has a custom chassis and uses standard suspension and drive components scavanged from old R/C monster trucks. [