Tools

This is one of my new favorite google map hacks – Why not take A9 Local images and insert them into Google Maps search results? (A9 Local images are storefront snapshots – taken by Amazon’s A9.com – of 15 major US Cities) How does it work? Greasemonkey lets me inject script into any page (viewed in Firefox), and the script I injected is set up to fetch an Address Search from A9.com, looking for a corresponding image. If an image is found, it’s displayed in the “Info Balloon” on Google Maps Link.

This experiment uses a custom XSLT to convert GeoURL’s site-specific “near” information in RSS format to create a Google Earth KML file. You can create a static list (a snapshot based on the current sites indexed by GeoURL) or a Google Earth network link, which can be refreshed from within the application to get an up-to-date listing. Link. Handy for some our past HOW TOs.

MAKE Flickr group pool member Broken Toaster posted some photos of a USB-powered Fluorescent Light project. It looks like it is made from an old broken USB drive, wired up, then placed in some type of project enclosure. Link.

The principles of its operation are simple: The fan creates an air flow which is cooled by contact with the 4 bottles full of ice. In this way, the temperature of the air flow is reduced to a more tolerable level. The more bottles the better… You must closely watch it unless you want a swimming pool on your carpet or floors. [via] Link.

Fun with meltable metals….Field’s Metal melts at 144 degrees F. Perfect for easy toymaking or prototyping. Better yet, break off the end of a spoon, and use a drop of Fields Metal to solder it back together. When your friend uses the spoon to stir his coffee and sees the end fall off, perhaps he will decide to cut back on the caffeine. Thanks flyboy! Link.