October 2008
42 posts
Giant Lego man appears on beach →
It is not known where the giant Lego figure came from…
E-mail error ends up on road sign →
The English is clear enough to lorry drivers - but the Welsh reads “I am not in the office at the moment. Please send any work to be translated.”
HexBug Brain Transplant →
The Hexbug is a very cleverly designed, tiny toy robot bug… (via Hack A Day)
WatchSecondLight - Uploaded by engadget.
WatchThe 3D view from YARB indoor blimp on Vimeo (via Vimeo)
LilyPad Arduino XBee mashup ready for prime-time →
The inevitable mashup of the LilyPad Arduino and the XBee radio is in its final stages…
Time to Leave the Laptop Behind →
For more mobile workers, phones increasingly give them much of what they need - with a lot less hassle…
WatchFesto’s AirJelly on Vimeo (via Vimeo)
Introducing the InputShield →
The InputShield is a shield for the Arduino that gives it a joystick and two buttons (A and B)…
WatchAir Art on Vimeo (via Vimeo)
Simple Solar Circuits →
How to get started adding solar power to your small electronics projects…
Build It. Share It. Profit. Can Open Source... →
Check this out,” Massimo Banzi says. The burly, bearded engineer wanders over to inspect a chipmaking robot—a “pick and place” machine the size of a pizza oven. It hums with activity, grabbing teensy electronic parts and stabbing them into position on a circuit board like a hyperactive chicken pecking for seeds. We’re standing in a one-room fabrication factory used by...
WatchiPhone Application Generator Demo on Vimeo (via Vimeo)
Planter will find the sun for its plants →
This chair-like robot consists of a planter with robotic legs and some circuitry to detect sunlight levels in the room. When the robot find the brightest, spot it scurries on its legs over in that direction in order to give the plant the mos exposure.
WatchTwo Costa Rican engineering students have invented a coffee-maker which can be used by astronauts in space.
SunEater V →
This photovore is based on SunEater_IV and uses a single 74HC14 to do all his “thinking.” Two “tiny pager motors” (found here) provide the muscle. Together with the SMT components, they allow SunEater_V to fit in a 3.5cm x 2.7cm x 2.5cm block, with just his wheels and feelers sticking out. He weighs less than 14 grams.
USB floppy disk brings back memory from the past →
Thomas O’Connor’s “USB Floppy Drive” is a nice reimagination of technology from the not-so-distant past. We’ve seen a lot of these imaginative USB drives and hopefully we’ll see a kit soon that will let you easily create your own design.
Getting Started with Arduino →
SquidBee →
SquidBee is an Open Hardware and Source wireless sensor device. The goal of SquidBee is getting an “open mote” to create Wireless Sensor Networks…
Controlling a Nokia 6100 Display with an Atmel-AVR →
How to connect a Nokia LCD to a AVR-Controller. he Display (which is used in Nokia 6100, 7210, 6610, 7250 and 6220) has a resolution of 132×132 pixel @4096 Colors. The visible area is about 3cm x 3cm in size.
Writing Your First iPhone Application →
Let Bill Dudney, an experienced iPhone developer, show you how to write your first iPhone application in these screencasts. Building iPhone applications is a visual process, and screencasts are a great way to shoulder-surf with an expert. You’ll learn his workflow, his development techniques, and the tricks of the trade.
Integrated GPS on my Mini 9 →
Tom Beauchamp writes, “So, I wanted to add a GPS receiver to my Mini 9, but I didn’t want to have to use a dongle or other external device. I figured that a netbook really ought to just have it built in, so that’s what I decided to do…”.
Oyster card hack published →
Details of the much-discussed Oyster card hack have been published and released at a security conference that’s being held in Spain…
The cheapest dual trace scope in the galaxy →
This submini USB scope is based on a Atmel Tiny45 CPU and cost less than 5€ with a homemade PCB.
Balls 17 - Experimental rocketry launch contest →
BALLS 17, the premiere experimental rocketry launch contest, was held Sept 26, 27, 28 in Black Rock, Nevada. This is the extreme rocketry event where experimental rocketeers push the envelope of size, staging/clustering, altitude, home-made components and motors, and cutting-edge rocket tech.
ReleShield for Arduino →
How to build an Arduino Relay shield…
Hidden USB Storage →
If you’re like me, you may or may not have secret files plotting world domination and other devious deeds. These files obviously need to be hidden from the prying eyes of sisters, FBI agents, grandparents, etc. We are going to convert a phone jack in the wall into a secret USB memory device.
Hacking the Esquire cover e-ink screen with the... →
Last month, Esquire magazine published a cover that contained an E-ink screen. I was really looking forward to it, actually…
code_swarm →
An experiment in organic software visualization.
Programming Arduino Wirelessly →
The Arduino system offers an easy and open-source method for programming microcontrollers. Normally this means using a serial cable or USB cable attached directly to the microcontroller project. But what if your project is floating in a weather balloon, glued to the bottom of a swimming pool or baked into a loaf of bread? It would be great to upload code changes wirelessly, and even greater if...
Wireless Communication with XBee Radios
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Here is a practical example how to use a XBee module with PIC18F452 to remotely control a led connected to the port of the recieving module…
Google’s Gears: Not Just For Offline Accessibility... →
There’s a common misconception that Google’s “next-gen” web platform called Gears only (or even primarily) enables offline capabilities for web applications. The truth of the matter is that Google’s ambitions are far greater, and the browser extension’s capabilities are more multifarious, than this reputation suggests.
Virtual planes fly in real skies →
Two stunt planes have raced a computer-generated aircraft over Spain. The pilots and a gamer manoeuvred through images of hoops. Up in the real skies, the pilots swooped around their opponent’s virtual plane, which they watched on screens. On the ground, gamer Ernest Artigas could see the real planes in relation to his supposed position…
Backgrounder →
Backgrounder is a Mobile Substrate-based extension to iPhone/iPod Touch’s SpringBoard application launcher that allows applications to run in the background (applications are normally terminated upon…
The Internet of Things →
“The Internet of Things” by Rob van Kranenburg - A critique of ambient technology and RFID. Report prepared for the Institute of Network Cultures with contributions by Sean Dodson.
Apple Drops iPhone NDA →
Apple has dropped the NDA covering the iPhone SDK. Developers will now be able to discuss how they develop for the iPhone. This was one of the biggest complaints developers (and technical publishers) had about developing for the platform.
OSCON moves to San Jose →
The official word is out, OSCON 2009 will be moving from Portland, Oregon to San Jose, California…
