Jay Brewer writes My daughter is currently obsessed with Fireflies – and if you’ve ever seen them in person, you’ll become obsessed too….The Firefly lights have an “electronic brain” that makes Firefly Magic fireflies flash, flicker, and fade just like Mother Nature’s real fireflies and each is sealed in a waterproof case, insuring the microprocessor and electronics will last for many years. Link
Using a small Linux distro like Puppy Linux and open source emulator like QEMU,it is possible to run and stop Linux like normal windows programs. By creating virtual hard disks and using software like WinImage you can actually transfer data between Linux and Window. You can also create a virtual network between Windows and the guest OS for sharing and transferring files. And not to forget SAMBA in this context. Link.
Get a free copy of Linspire until the 6th: I downloaded it, burned the ISO, and it worked just fine off a Sony VAIO and lots of other old PCs around here. You do need to join their software service if you want to do more it seems, but overall it’s a great Linux distro to play with. So far, my favorite “live” CD to carry around is WHAX – post your favs in the comments. [via] Link.
Cool project from Michael J. Mahon – At the outset, when designing NadaNet, I envisioned that it could be used to support parallel computing on Apple II machines. To add more processors and save space, I decided that I would package several Apple //e main boards together, without keyboards or peripheral slot cards. (I didn’t disassemble the Apples myself, but found a box of Apple //e main boards being sold as an auction lot for about a dollar each!) I settled on a wooden cube about one foot on a side which I slotted to hold up to 8 main boards. For whimsical reasons, I called it an “AppleCrate”. [via] Link.
Kurt is a machine with four injection needles and Chinese ink. Attached to the upper arm it tattoos an enduring symbol on the user’s skin. Kurt is an extreme example of the human-machine interface. The intervention is aimed at rising the awareness of the close connection between the individual and the machine, in a bond as long-lasting as the drawing itself. Link.
Build your own Japanese construction equipment paper toys from SAKAI HEAVY INDUSTRIES, LTD – My fav is the Macadam Roller -which is mainly used for rolling compaction in early stage and finishing- is the machine to secure the uniform compaction and the flatness of base course, asphalt mixture, etc. Link.
Dark stairs was a problem for the cat; an easy solution would have been to install a night light. However having laser beam activated LED stair lighting is much cooler than a plug in night light any day! Videos and pictures are on the site. [