Neat, you type in words (like MAKE) and it’ll play back the letters as morse code, musically- here’s an example (MP3). We covered SMS vs Morse code earlier this week, banner year for the dot dash! These patterns are very much like International Morse Code — a method of encoding each letter and number into short and long sounds called dots and dashes. In this activity, you can compose and play your own rhythmic patterns using International Morse Code. [via] Link.
Awhile back I made a Skype Payphone– now someone has made a more practical one that will fit on a desk nicely and can go mobile. Here’s a how-to on making a Skype phone out of an old cordless phone. I like how the author figured out which leads to tap in to [via] Link.
This is going to be really interesting- the creator of BitTorrent just launched the BitTorrent search engine. This might be a great way to find all the music and films released in to the Creative Commons from one search engine. Link.
CommonBits has an article for the folks who haven’t hopped on the Torrent train yet- BitTorrent, you hear about it a lot, and we’re starting to see a lot of independent films, shows, music and more get distributed- but getting the non-techies installing and configuring is always a good thing too (we get a lot of emails about this). Link.
Jay Leno did a text off between two text messengers and two Morse coders. Here’s a video of it (WMV). The Morse coders handily beat the young whippersnappers with time to spare. Comments from the Morse code guys here. It might be a fun phone app to make a Morse code messenger, if you kept your headset in and had an external sender, could be interesting. Perhaps a Morse code Skype device…[via Waxy].
Out here it pays to be self sufficient: the nearest town is across the Rupununi river and down a gruelling four-wheel-drive track – about three hours away in the dry season, or about three days away in the wet. There’s no telephone, no mains electricity, no anything really. Except, surprisingly, broadband internet access, in all its glory. With a satellite dish outside the house, and electricity provided by solar panels and a current inverter, DeFreitas is possibly the world’s least likely internet nerd. [via] Link.
In Dayton, Ohio on May 20, 21, & 22, 2005 the annual Dayton Hamvention at the Hara Arena is going on. If you live in the area or can travel there, it’s perhaps one of the best sources of all sorts of electronics- 500 inside exhibits and 2500 Flea market spaces. A few years back I picked up a modded Alinco radio for really cheap. Link.
