Month: June 2005
iTunes 4.9 downloading podcasts now…
The next version of iTunes, 4.9 is out grabbing podcasts from site around the web, likely from testers at Apple. Logs are showing a new user agents “Agent: iTunes/4.9 (Macintosh; N; PPC)” and then the podcasts are being downloaded. This is really good news, it means we’re getting close to seeing it go live soon. If you have a podcast, check your logs! Here’s our previous coverage with photos.
Congressman Rick Boucher on the Broadcast Flag
Congressman Rick Boucher represents Virginia’s Ninth Congressional District and has some commentary on the Broadcast Flag worth checking out. If the MPAA expects Congress to ratify a rule that would limit the ability of ordinary consumers to share lawfully acquired digital broadcast television programs with one another, then it shouldn’t be surprised if Congress insists that the MPAA accept in return a restoration of the fair use rights taken from consumers through the enactment of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). In issue 02 we show ya how to make your own Boradcast Flag free system. Link.
A mother lode of cyber invention
MAKE mention in the LA Times! DIY has come a long way since the days when your uncle Jebediah devised a talking toilet seat in his garage. Nowadays, he would be posting a link to his inventions on makezine.com, the online format for the magazine Make. Make, also available in a print format, is an emporium of links to inventions and high-blown concepts that range from the useful (how to charge a “nonrechargable” dead battery or convert vegetable oil to biodiesel fuel) to the bizarre. Link.
Resurrecting This Old Amp update
MAKE amends for 02! Page 116, 3b should read: “Reconnect the capacitor, switch the meter to DC voltage, turn off the input signal, and measure across the capacitor. Ours read 74 volts (V). The voltage rating on the capacitor is 75 volts, so there is not much margin in this old amp.” The title for the “Testing current/amperage” figure should be “Testing BFC current”. The title for “Testing Voltage” should be “Testing Output Current”. Link.
Lego Electronic Lab Kit
Wow, this is one of the neatest projects I’ve seen lately- it’s a LEGO electronics lab kit. Using LEGO bricks, soldering nails, various electronic components to build an “Lego Electronic Lab Kit”. Check out all the photos on the site to see the different types of electronic-ified LEGOs and how they’re being used as all sorts of components. Link.
Build Your Own Earth Oven
Looks like a neat book. Build Your Own Earth Oven is a simple, fully-illustrated handbook for making a wood-fired, masonry-style oven out of inexpensive earthen materials (similar to adobe and cob). The book provides clear, step-by-step instructions for building and firing the oven, as well as complete directions for making sourdough bread in the best (and simplest) artisan tradition. Link.