Ultralights have sometimes been described as the “motorcycles of the air,” which the new Flite Bike really is, combining a Honda Reflex motorcycle with a Buckeye powered parachute. You buy the bike, and then get them to install the kit. Thanks Doug. Link.
Sean writes “The three finalists from our DIY Eco-Tech Contest were nothing short of impressive. Now, we want to know which entry you thought was the creme de la creme. Before you decide, make sure to visit (or revisit) each of the finalist’s entries. The finalists: A solar-powered hydrofoil, a solar-powered bubble machine and a solar-powered FM transmitter/headphone combo. Go vote for your favorite DIY eco-tech!”… Link.
Todd Oldham has a new show on HGTV called “Hand Made Modern” my pal Eric told me about – looks very MAKE friendly, so I’m going to MythTV it and check it out. Runs every night, all next week. Link.
If Peter Wallace’s recent experience with hotel access cards is an indicator, leaving your electronic hotel room key behind when you check out could leave you open to identity theft... [via] Link. In MAKE volume 01 we showed how you can build your own card reader.
Switchfoot’s new album Nothing Is Sound shipped from Sony with copy protection software on the CD, much to the dismay of thousands of iPod-wielding fans. The band posted a response on their official forum apologizing for the protection and detailing ways to circumvent the protection and rip their songs to PC. Switchfoot linked to open-source program CDex’s download page with instructions on disabling the autorunning protection and ripping the files to MP3. Many of Switchfoot’s fans have been upset by the copy protection measures, and it’s nice to know the artists seem to care about the issue. [via] Link.
Follow up on the solar powered scooter – With Don approaching 1,000 solar-powered miles (he has 932 and counting), Don’s scooter seems to still be going strong. In fact, it has been five months since Don last had to charge it. In those five months, Don has been driving his scooter almost every day going around 11 miles on the average day. By occasionally giving his scooter a day off, he is able to make sure that his scooter always has a charge. Link.
The site plans to get permission and/or make custom versions, but for now no more NYC maps for the iPod – the New York MTA has ordered me to remove the official maps from the site. I am hoping to acquire a license from their marketing department to offer the maps here. In the meantime, I hope you can all wait. Thanks. If worse comes to worse, I’ll make up a custom set of maps and offer them here. . Link.
