What can you make with a dead computer? A meat slicer? A funky endtable?
A funny hat? We want to know and we’ll be launching a new contest to see
what you can make with old computer parts on February 1. This contest
will help promote Randy’s new book, so enter something awesome!
Start looking arou…
By: fungus amungus
Sonny wants to make a big impression so he’s striking his best pose and hoping to get noticed. He’s an eight year old Staffie boy with a friendly nature and he’s great with children. Please consider letting him be your canine companion.
Boxee has great things on the way — some we can’t tell you about yet — but here’s one we can: video on demand in the form of the Boxee Payment Platform, bringing one-click payment for shows that will hopefully be worth your money.
Until now, Boxee has existed as a Mac, Linux and PC software interface that makes it a lot easier to use a computer in your home theater. Soon, they’ll add a cool-looking Boxee box that eschews a computer altogether. Starting this summer, the Boxee Payment Platform will make it easy to buy all kinds of content, including TV shows and movies.
The best news? Boxee will only take a 30% cut, making the videos cost less than most other contentmongers. Sure, it’s more expensive than free, but hopefully making up for that cost will be high quality files and timely delivery.
Via CrunchGear
The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday said it would not help stop the spread of invasive Asian carp by ordering the closure of locks between Chicago-area waterways and Lake Michigan. A suit from Michigan and four other states, plus Ontario, had requested closing the locks to block Asian carp from entering Lake Michigan and damaging its ecosystem, as they have done elsewhere in the country. [More]
Next week we’ll be starting a Valentine’s Day Contest. Think of
something sweet to make for someone else and win something sweet and
chocolatey from Cocoa Puro or Socola Chocolates! So put on your
thinking caps and get into the romantic spirit! As with all our
contests, entries must be published …
By: fungus amungus
What we know: Apple is holding an event next Wednesday in San Francisco, most likely to announce a new tablet computer.
What we don’t know: Why we’d want such a device. After looking at all the possible features said tablet might have, and what we typically like to do with large, portable screens, we’ve come up with a few options.
Continue reading to vote in our poll on what exactly you’d like to do with an Apple tablet.
The latest weapon in the war on waste: the Rethink, a hanger that’s not actually a hanger until you start recycling. Conceived by designer Xuan Yu, it’s basically a hook with two holes that hold empty bottles. Once you’ve polished off a couple of Sprites, screw the bottles into the holes and you’ve got a deliciously convenient place to hang your shirt — without the awful flatness of a wire hanger. For that heavy fur coat, may I recommend seeking out some of those 3L Cokes from the ’80s?
At $8 each, the Rethink won’t save you any money, but saving the planet is the prevailing idea, I suppose.
more valuable than printer ink. The thing is so tastefully designed, it looks like it survived wind tunnel testing.
Via Yanko Design
Tyler’s story is a sad one – he has missed out for such a long time, on living a normal doggie life. He really wants to be a happy dog, but just needs to be shown how. His new people will know as soon as they read his story that they are the ones to turn his life around – if that is you, then please come forward asap..
Porsche will not build hybrid versions of the 911 and Boxster, according to CEO Michael Macht.
While the company will make a hybrid Cayenne, they have no interest in altering their sports car lineup. Enthusiasts can now breathe a sigh of relief. The Cayenne SUV and the 4-door Panamera have been a sore subject amongst Porsche purists.
Utter a few melodic syllables into your iPhone, and eight tracks later, you have a real-sounding rock and roll song. That’s the promise of Voice Band, a $3 iPhone app that bridges the gap between the pathetic pantomime of Guitar Hero/Rock Band and actually playing a real instrument.
In the video above, the guy makes it seem easy, but you might notice that he does have a modicum of musical talent. We like that, because no matter what the instrument, talent is still necessary to make music.
The neat thing here: Pure talent shines through — no pesky practicing, preparation or dues-paying required.
Via Gizmag
Just what we need: a talking scale that nags us when we wolf down dinner. Gee thanks, technology. It’s called a Mandometer, probably because rapidly devouring mass quantities of grub is a province reserved mostly for us piggish males. Womandometer? That would measure something else entirely.
This annoying gizmo weighs the food on your plate, and times you, verbally admonishing you when the eats disappear too quickly. A study of 106 fat kinds claimed the Mandometer reduced the Body Mass Index (BMI) of test subjects by 2.1% over 18 months. The device is designed to be part of a personalized clinical method of teaching you what and how to eat, if you haven’t already learned that already.
Sure, research has shown that eating fast contributes to obesity, but who decides what is too fast? When I eat faster than you? Now excuse me for 30 seconds while I scarf down this 7-course gourmet meal from my home state of NC: a six pack of beer and a road-killed ‘possum.
Mandometer, via My Digital Life
The Eolic is a foldable, portable wind-powered generator. So you just prop it up, face it towards a stiff breeze and start channeling that wind into a fully-functioning Xbox 360 during a hurricane.
It’s a pretty neat idea, although in order for it to be truly useful it’s got to generate a sizable amount of energy. And if it’s not a very windy day, the chances of that happening aren’t great. But still, it’s a clever and unique idea.
Dear EarthTalk: I’ve been following reports about President Obama’s stimulus package and what it may mean for creating green jobs. Beyond that, are there programs in place to help businesses switch to greener raw materials and/or to green up operations overall? –Diane, via e-mail
When we saw TransferJet — a very-short-range wireless tech that enables simple and quick transfers of media — in action in Japan last fall, we asked when we could get it. The answer: February 8, 2010 (or thereabouts), the date Sony intends to start selling an 8GB Memory Stick with TransferJet built in. The $100 card joins Sony’s recently announced cameras as the first products to include TransferJet.
We’re excited for the potential of this technology (even though we still love our Eye-Fi cards), though the irony of its first implementation coming in Memory Stick format — which Sony has just publicly dissed — isn’t lost on us. TransferJet is going to need a lot more support than a few cameras and one barely compatible card to get traction. We’re confident it will, though, mainly ’cause we really hate USB cables.
Sony Style, via Engadget
Caprica, the prequel series to the supremely popular Battlestar Galactica. premieres on Friday, and our friends down the hall we’re kind enough to give us some cool swag to give away to celebrate. Just follow us on Twitter and follow the instructions on this Tweet to win a 2GB USB keychain, made to resemble Daniel Graystone’s robot butler Serge. The contest ends Friday night, and we’ll announce the winner on Monday. Good luck, tweeple!
There are lots of ways to save money, even though human brains seem hard wired to waste as much of it as possible. According to a report from the American Public Transportation Association, if you live in New York City you could save almost $14,000 a year just by using public transportation.
In fact, if APTA is to be believed, Americans living in 20 of the nations largest cities could save an average of $9,242 a year if they ditched the car, and just rode public transportation. Sounds pretty good, right?
There are hundreds, perhaps even thousands, of small niche-market car makers across the globe. Some cater to the extremely wealthy, while others are more dedicated to the pursuit of performance. But as the global market shifts away from petrol and towards electric cars even these smaller shops are considering EV projects.
Take Caterham for example. Well known in racing circles, this company has essentially survived for decades by building variants on just one type of car, the Series 3 Lotus Seven. Traditionally powered by English-built Ford Kent or Cosworth engines, head honcho Ansar Ali suggested in an interview with Autocar that they maybe, possibly, could-be adding an electric variant to their lineup.
I’m giving away a one year Pro membership. Why? I won
one in the Homemade Holidays contest. I plan on continuing to
support Instructables with payments every two years. So
I want to share the love. Here’s how to get a chance at
winning. Your account must have been created on or prior t…
By: zieak
I love going fast, and I make no apologies for it.
Ok that’s a lie. Sometimes, I feel guilty about going fast, guzzling gas, drooling over 5 mile per gallon muscle cars. I know the world is in a bad way, mostly because of cars. Yet I still love them, especially fast ones, because in my opinion life is too short for a 0-60 mph time of 7 seconds or more.
Still though, the easiest way to increase fuel efficiency is to make everyone go a lot slower. Instead of pursuing billions of dollars in new technologies, if everyone would just let off the accelerator, we would save a lot of gas every year. One such way would be to (again) lower the interstate speed limit 55 mph. Yet that didn’t work too well the first time around. What if we went even further, what if new cars were capped at 200 horsepower, and had a top speed of only 60 mph?
This ain’t your grandma’s music box. The Reuge and New York Philharmonic Orchestra Music Box is a work of art, showing its music-playing guts in a beautiful violin-shaped case.
Of course, something this classy looking isn’t cheap. In fact, it’s absolutely insanely expensive, costing you a whopping $12,200. But hey, it plays Dvorak! And it’s so pretty! Surely you can justify that price for your grandma’s birthday.
Hamilton and Inches via Book of Joe
Subscribe via RSS Feed stay updated with blog articles
