“Early users of Microsoft’s Xbox 360 are coming up with innovative ways to fix some of the first reported glitches plaguing the new videogame console. One of the fixes involves dangling the unit’s power supply in midair with string…Other 360 owners joined in, saying that once they cooled down overheated power units — by using fans or in one case, a half-filled bottle of frozen water — their consoles stopped crashing.” [via] Link.
These Stanley wristwatches from Japan have different tools built in each watch – flashlight, hex wrench, screwdriver, measuring tape, telescoping rule and a mini-vice. I’m not sure I’d wear most of these, but the one with the measuring tape looks really handy. I wonder if it could store height / width and depth quickly via some memory function. Link.
Might be a good DIY project…“This is the first laser-guided regulation-sized pool cue. When activated, the harmless visible laser provides a precise guide for lining up the perfect shot with pinpoint accuracy. The touch sensor on/off switch features both manual and automatic shut-off to preserve battery life. The set includes a 58″ two-piece cue with a secure microfiber grip and an aluminum joint and ferrule…” [via] Link.
Here’s a great (and simple) instructable on protecting the LCD on any type of device that needs it – like an iPod, digital camera, etc. Using clear tape as a cheap and disposable screen protector, you can save some coin and your screen. Link.
Good NYT article on the changing face of the toy business – “Having failed to beat the electronics industry, the ailing toy business will join it in a big way in the year-end holiday shopping season, offering just about everything from cellphones for 6-year-olds (LeapFrog) to video projectors for 8-year-olds (Hasbro) in an effort to hold on to children who are casting aside Lego and GI Joe to play with their parents’ gadgets.” Link.
This is a really clever clock, you pop it on a wall or whiteboard, add a marker and it marks out time on the wall, I think this would be a fun project to build. From the site – “Are you the sort of person who projects to those around you an affinity for temporal illustrations? If so everlab’s 1 HOUR CIRCLE is just the thing for you. Simply adhere to the wall, or set on a sheet of paper, and the 1 HOUR CIRCLE will be ready to fulfil its obligation.” [via] Link.
Jake writes “I am going home for Thanksgiving. The bus ride there will take at least 11 hours, and I hope to use my trusty (Dell PDA) X50v for entertainment along the way. Obviously the standard battery will only last a fraction of that and I do not know if the bus will have any sort of power terminals available to me. My solution was to build a battery-powered charger, which would normally present little challenge. Being several hundred miles away from my workshop full of tools and scavanged parts, however, made this a little more fun Well, here it is, in all it’s hackey glory.” Link.
