Here’s a how to on making a head mounted camera from a Neuros MPEG4 Recorder…“The AdventureCAM project started because we needed a way to hike and shoot video footage at the same time. We are constantly reworking this setup, but the basic configuration is pretty much the same (digital storage, remote camera, remote trigger, backpack). Our most recent update to this setup is to replace the tape-based DV Camcorder with a solid state recording mechanism.” [via] Link. I found a Tony Hawk low res camera on sale for $30 at Gamespot in Seattle, it’s not freat quality but I took it apart for a project, worked ok…
Paul writes – “Educator and inventor Arvind Gupta makes fun and educational toys from trash — a spinning top out of a film can top and a pen, a cute animal from a mango seed, a train set from batteries. More that are indescribable by the written word, but clearly elegant and fun.”Link.
DIY live has some good tips on fixing that old NES “I took apart my nintendo, and found the 72 pin connector. I took my smallest flat head screw-driver and pried every pin up a little. Over time, they had lost their springiness (I don’t know if that is a word, but it describes what I am talking about). This is a pretty good fix. It may not be the best, but it works. Another thing to help out is to clean the pins of your old cartridge. You can take a wooden pencil with the red eraser, and rub it on the pins of the cartridge. Make sure you get all of the eraser off of the cartridge.” Thanks Star! Link.
A few folks emailed about this, so here’s one I spotted – “This is a small wireless sensor platform providing a bluetooth SPP link to three axes of accelerometer data. The accelerometers are sampled by a PIC microcontroller (onboard ADC) at roughly 100Hz (rate can be changed via firmware). Data from the ADC conversion is sent to a remote computer using the PIC’s UART in conjunction with a drop-in bluetooth serial part. Even with two dual-axis accelerometers onboard there are up to 17 free I/O lines and two additional ADC channels depending on the device configuration. Three sockets provide access to all PIC signals. Over-the-air programming allows for easy firmware updates and rapid prototyping without the need to have a PIC programmer or special cable. Schematics, parts lists, and firmware sources are available online.” Link.
Remember our review of Mologogo? A DIY cheap GPS tracking service, you can get a cheap $60 pre-paid boost mobile phone, register on the site, download a Java app and you’re pretty much done. Well, more fun – you can now take your tracking and add them to Google Earth to fly around in 3D to see where you were with your phone. [via] Link.
It looks like lending out video games at libraries works, this is very encouraging I think…John Scalzo writes – “It has been one year since the “Great Video Game Experiment” was started at the public library where I work. And in those twelve months I’d have to say it has gone as good as anyone could have hoped. In the end, the numbers don’t lie, and a success is all this experiment can be called.” [via] Link.
Using some plastic and a toaster you can make your own PSP stand, JavaMoose writes “I decided to make a simple little stand for the PSP. Handy when watching videos, and it lets me have it connected to external speakers and the charger – while on the stand. It is very simple to make, and only cost me about 20 minutes and 25 cents worth of plastic.” [via] Link.