A long time ago you could modify a RadioShack dialer so it would play tones that simulate money was dropped into a payphone. Well, now it’s time for the old to meet the new. Here’s a How-to for doing this with an iPod- the ability to do this has been turned off on payphone for years now but it’s a fun thing reminisce about. I think the iTalk would be the best way to do this for playback if it were to work. Link.
WiFi antenna made from Pepperidge Farm Pirouette Cookie Can. This article will describe how to make a cheap, portable, high performance (15-18 db) directional antenna out of commonly available parts that can be purchased in most grocery and hardware stores. Link.
I just got our 2nd issue in the mail! A lot of folks have been emailing and IMing me about how to get started in podcasting and here it is! We have a great how-to along with tips, tricks, software to use, gear suggestions and a lot more. You can get the magazine at most books stores or by subscribing and if you want to get an idea of what’s covered in the article- here’s a video I shot for a friend of the podcasting 101 section. Link (QuickTime 3mb).
Yesterday we posted the Retropod saga with accompanying photos of what never was- an iPod case made from a Sony Walkman. But wait! Flickr member nickee has posted another version, a waterproof one! Nicolas’s simple note to me was “How to Protect your iPod Photo when you war kayaking”. Link.
Fortune has a great article about the new DIY economy. Love this part- To be fair, all this amateur energy isn’t exactly a new force. When exciting technologies emerge, Americans have always pounced and created something original. In his 1936 New Yorker article “Farewell, My Lovely,” E.B. White eulogized the Model T and the creativity it inspired in its owners: “When you bought a Ford, you figured you had a start—a vibrant, spirited framework to which could be screwed an almost limitless assortment of decorative and functional hardware… Gadget bred gadget. Lots of friends of MAKE as well as the magazine was mentioned too! Link.
Darn, my dog isn’t big enough for this- but if you have a dog over 45lb and have longed to take the pooch on a scooter ride you both enjoy- the Dog Powered Scooter might be for you. Simply harness the dog and clip them into the frame and off you go. With just a few outings pulling the scooter the dog quickly learns when to slow (by feeling the braking) and which direction to turn by again “feeling” the side pull on the harness. The two unit looks like you could cover a lot of ground. Link.
The world’s best radio, on your time- I like the sound of that! PublicRadioFeeds.com has a ton of feeds to all the public radio stations that publish their audio so you can subscribe to it. The science feeds are my favs of course- Dr. Karl, Quirks and Quarks, Talk of the Nation Science Friday, The Science Show, This week in Science and new one called Hack I am going to check out. Lots of great stuff. Link.
