Remember the decision from a few weeks ago where a judge didn’t think they had jurisdiction to decide on the fate of jailbreaker George Hotz, aka Geohot? Well, Sony has finally seen their day in court and has managed to win a restraining order against Geohot.

We all know that once you put something on the internet it lives forever; the restraining order against Hotz only prevents him circulating the jailbreak. Sony would have to go after every single person who has the keys up to have any chance of stopping the spread of their keys. They can’t be that stupid, can they? Of course not.

Sony also released firmware version 3.56 today. Will the new firmware bring us new goodies? Not a chance. The purpose of the upgrade is to put a stop to all of the jailbreaking that has been running wild. We have confirmed that the update does indeed prevent jailbreaking, the question that remains is will it do so for good. After all, we do remember the cat and mouse game that went on for years with the PSP modding community.

Sony 1 – Geohot 0 originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2011/01/27. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

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This is one small computer, actually it looks more like a memory card reader than a computer. Don’t be fooled by it’s incredibly small size, this thing is more powerful that my netbook. CompuLab’s TrimSlice packs one hell-of-a punch for such a small unit.

The unit comes in a solid metal case that can take some abuse, doesn’t need a fan to keep it cool and uses only 3 watts of power. CompuLab will be gearing this unit to the HTPC market and hasn’t announced an OS for it yet, but I’m sure the modding community will jump all over this once it’s released. This would be great for a small server connected to your TV running something like XBMC or a MythTV frontend.

No official pricing has been announced yet, but CompuLab is aiming for a sub-tablet price and it should be shipping sometime in April.

[Link to TrimSlice]

Tiny Computer Looks More Like A Card Reader originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2011/01/25. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

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Apple’s AirPlay is a great technology. It lets you stream music and video wirelessly to Apple products like iPods, iPhones and to the Apple TV. It also can be used to stream to Apple approved hardware like speaker docks, AV receivers and stereo systems. The problem with it, like most Apple technology, if your not on the “Apple approved” list your SOL.

The thought of AirPlay being supported in open source software is unheard of, until now. The Totem media player, which installs by default on most Linux distributions, now has an unofficial plugin that will let you stream media via AirPlay.

Instructions

Clone the git repository

git clone http://git.sukimashita.com/totem-plugin-airplay.git

Move the files you just cloned (make sure you create the appropriate directories if needed)

mv * ~/.local/share/totem/plugins/airplay

That’s it. Start up Totem, enable the plugin and start to enjoy streaming media from any other AirPlay capable device. Now that the open source world has nailed down the AirPlay standard, it shouldn’t be too long before we start to see it supported in things like XBMC or Android.

[Link to Totem AirPlay Plugin]

AirPlay On Linux originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2011/01/22. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

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The second generation Apple TV suddenly looks a lot better as a home theater PC. XBMC, the open-source media center software that is the driving force behind projects like Boxee and Plex has just launched for jailbroken second generation Apple TVs.

The Apple TV iOS port uses Apple’s “VideoToolBox” private acceleration API. This gives XBMC access to the built-in hardware video acceleration included in Apple’s A4 chip, allowing for non-Apple approved HD video playback. You heard me correct, full 1080p video playback on the tiny $99 box. Video playback isn’t the only thing you get, most of the core apps that are in the Desktop or Xbox versions are there as well.

Since the second generation Apple TV runs iOS, developers didn’t stop there. They added an iPhone and iPod touch port which can be installed on jailbroken devices via Cydia. Not a remote application, a full blown XBMC system on your iPhone or iPad. The iPad version tends to be less frustrating to use than the iPhone version, but I’m sure they will work on that.

I hope Apple can see the benefit of XBMC on their devices, it would be an instant hit if it ever hits the App store.

[Link to XBMC for iOS]

XBMC Launches On Apple TV 2 & iOS originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2011/01/21. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

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If you spend any time in hotel rooms then already you know how vauable a resource and outlet can be. If you don’t carry a power bar around with you your gadgets have to compete for the one or two outlets that may be free in your room. Nothing is more annoying that swapping around plugs just to make sure you charge up all of your gadgets.

FlipIt is a brilliant design to help you with just that. The idea it quite simple, a normal plug slips through the slots in the FlipIt, allowing both cords to be connected at the same time and using up only one outlet.

Currently they only offer a USB charging device, but hopefully we will see universal AC cords with this brilliant design at the end so we can charge our laptops or other devices.

For $15 you really can’t go wrong, head on over to their site to order one.

FlipIt – Never Hog An Outlet Again originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2011/01/21. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

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In a bit of a shocker, Eric Schmidt announced today that he would be stepping down from his CEO role at Google.

Why would someone at the helm of such a super power decide to step down? Simple, Larry and Sergei have grown up and are ready to lead Google. The company is as strong as ever. The stock price is up 32% in the last three months, the search end of the business is as strong as ever and in Q4 of 2010 the company made $8.4 billion in revenue.

Larry Page was once CEO, before Schmidt. In 2001, three years before going public Schmidt was named to the post. Wall Street dislikes young CEOSs and being only 29 at the time, Page wasn’t thought to be ready to lead Google. Schmidt was the perfect choice, a former computer scientist who made a name for himself while at Java, and was to later be CEO of Novell. During his his decade long tenure, Schmidt ran the company with Larry and Sergei at his side, never making a single decision with out them.

So now the Schmidt is gone and we may possibly never see Jobs back at Apple, will the two companies kiss and make up? You never know. One other possibility is Steve Jobs and Eric Schmidt getting together to start a new company. I know it’s a far stretch and I’m hoping that Job’s medical LOA isn’t anything serious, but together, no matter what they did, would be awesome.

Eric Schmidt Stepping Down As Google CEO originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2011/01/20. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

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Android by it’s nature is an open source platform, a platform that is open to anyone and any changes as long as they comply with the Apache 2.0 license. So why have manufacturers like Motorola and HTC spent so much time fighting against people modding or creating their own ROMs? That might be a question that will go unanswered for a while, but today a rep from Motorola spoke out publicly and quite harshly against a custom ROM user on YouTube – leading Motorola to apologize to the Android community by way of their Facebook page.

Motorola has taken some heat from the Android community for including locked bootloaders on their devices. Today, a modder voiced his displeasure with Motorola’s policy via a comment to a YouTube video on Motorola’s channel, somebody using Motorola’s account wrote:

if you want to do custom roms, then buy elsewhere, we’ll continue with our strategy that is working thanks.

If you have ever spent any time reading YouTube comments then you would know that a comment like that wouldn’t be well received. A number of anti-Motorola discussions started to pop-up like weeds today all over the Internet in response to the YouTube comment which lead Motorola to apologize to the community via their Facebook page.

We apologize for the feedback we provided regarding our bootloader policy. The response does not reflect the views of Motorola.

We are working closely with our partners to offer a bootloader solution that will enable developers to use our devices as a development platform while still protecting our users’ interests. More detailed information will follow as we get closer to availability.

A Tiger’s stripes never change and neither will Motorola’s. I’m sure we will never see them “enable developers to use our devices as a development platform” or see “More detailed information”. I stand behind the fact that companies who use open source software in a commercial product should allow it to be open and free, not locked down.

Motorola Tells Modders To Go Elsewhere originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2011/01/19. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

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If you have been holding back placing a pre-order for Nintendo’s upcoming 3DS then you will be happy to know that Nintendo has finally announced that the upcoming 3DS will be hitting North American shelves on March 27th and will run you $249.99.

The unit will be available in Aqua Blue and Cosmo Black and by June there should be about 30 titles for the unit including an updated version of PilotWings, Nintendogs+Cats, a new Kid Icarus and of course a 3D version of the Nintendo mainstay Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.

$249.99 For The 3DS Starting March 27th originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2011/01/19. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

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Balmer let the world know during CES that Microsoft would be releasing an SDK for their popular Xbox 360 add-on the Kinect. Sources say that Microsoft may be preparing the release of the SDK sooner than they anticipated, in just a few months. “Sources familiar with the plans” told WinRumors that an official SDK and drivers are being prepped for a beta release “in the coming months,” potentially arriving with an upcoming XNA update dubbed the “Community Technical Preview.”

Ever since the release of the Kinect, hackers have been having a field day with it. Unofficial USB drivers for the Windows environment have already been developed and there are countless hacks out there from X-Ray vision to controlling World of Warcraft.

Now that Microsoft has acknowledged the popularity of the product and will be officially releasing the SDK maybe we might see another revolution in PC gaming, one that could rival the early 90′s.

Official Kinect SDK Coming Soon originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2011/01/19. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

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Engineers at the University of Michigan have put together a prototype device that can be powered and communicate via the audio jack on an iPhone. Currently if you want to create an accessory that is to be used with the 30 pin connector on the iPhone you must pay a licensing fee to Apple as well as a percentage of the profit made on said device. Using the audio jack for accessories will save money as there will be no need for licensing or proprietary hardware.

The parts used to build the device cost a total of $2.34 (in bulk), and the audio port can deliver several milliwatts at 3 V and offers bidirectional communications at a data rate of 8.8 kbaud. You won’t be able to run any data-hungry applications, but this should be more than enough to transfer text or a remote signal. The developers envision small, low-powered sensors for thing like element detection or moisture sensors. Check out the video of a prototype ECG sensor for the HiJack.

[Link to HiJack]

HiJack: Cheap iPhone Accessories originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2011/01/16. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

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The guys over at fireCore have just released Seas0nPass, an application that will jailbreak your second generation AppleTV. Seas0nPass requires you to tether your AppleTV briefly during boot in order to preform the jailbreak by loading custom IPSW files onto your AppleTV.

fireCore is a name that is synonymous with AppleTV hackers. The group also released aTV Flash, unlocking software for the first generation AppleTV that added additional functionality like XBMC and a browser.

Seas0nPass is open source and free and only works on the second generation AppleTV, so don’t try using it on your iPad or iPhone. It currently only works with OS X 10.6 or later and a Windows version is currently under development.

Remember, jailbreaking an Apple device can lead to rendering your device useless if you don’t know what your doing. By the looks of it over at fireCore’s website most people seem to agree that jailbreaking the second generation AppleTV is riskery than other Apple devices. If your okay with the risk you can grab Seas0nPass here.

Seas0nPass: 2nd Gen Apple TV Jailbreak originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2011/01/13. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

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We have showed you in the past how you can build your own MAME arcade cabinet, but if you are lacking space for a monster arcade machine this mini MAME cabinet would be perfect for you.

Modder Ed had an old netbook lying around and decided to slap this together as a Christmas gift for some family members. Using an Asus eeepc 901, some Happ Controls buttons and a joystick, and an iPac 2 Player controller Ed drafted up some plans and started cutting.

The mini cab runs Maximus Arcade which an awesome front-end for multiple game emulators, not just MAME. It makes running a cab a snap; it installs on Windows and does everything for you including auto starting and hiding the Windows interface.

Check out the video of the mini MAME cabinet in action. I don’t have the space for a full size cab in my house with all the kids toys but I defiantly have space for this.

DIY: Mini MAME Cabinet originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2011/01/09. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

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In our next installment of Distros That Don’t Suck we will be looking at open source HTPC software. Sure you can load up VLC or even use Windows Media player, but having a dedicated solution with a UI that is made for a TV is a lot easier and pleasing. I’ve left the PVR-centric software like MythTV and Freevo off the list since their main purpose is to act as a PVR. I’ll be reviewing open source PVR software by itself at a later date.

XBMC – The Xbox Media Center Project started as homebrew software for the original Xbox gaming system and has since been ported to Linux, Windows, OSX, AppleTV and even as a standalone Linux based LiveCD/LiveUSB image. It offers a clean UI, intuitive interface and can play just about anything you throw at it. It offers a plugin system with a huge repository of community plugins to enhance the experience. It’s real easy to setup and it’s configuration is portable across operating systems. If you have an old Xbox laying around this makes a great HTPC that is powerful and best of all cheap.

MediaPortal – This is a Windows based HTPC software so technically it’s not 100% open source since it requires Windows and doesn’t offer a Linux port. If offers everything you would expect in HTPC software; Video streaming, DVD playback, Internet Radio, Picture Gallery and it’s own plugin system. You will need a compatible TV Tuner card to enjoy PVR features and to watch TV but it’s not needed to run the software. If you are a Windows fan and are looking for an alternate to Windows Media Center this is as close as you can get without the cost.

Element – Element is an open source HTPC system that comes pre-loaded with XBMC and the ability to play back just about any media locally or over the Internet. Element also has it’s own framework for offering add-on modules that allow you to play content from services like Hulu, Cooliris, Boxee, Clicker, Amazon on Demand and Youtube. They have adapted the UI’s of popular open source software like Firefox and Pidgin so that it fits the TV experience better than their native desktop versions. They also offer an Android app that allows you to use your Android phone as a remote control; definitely a neat idea for the times you can’t find the remote anywhere.

GeeXboX – A Gentoo based fully functional media center that can be run from LiveCD, LiveUSB, or be installed on a hard drive. GeeXbox is a very lean distro that doesn’t require a lot of processing power so it’s perfect for older hardware. It uses Enna as it’s primary media center application to play your music, videos or look at your pictures. This is the perfect distro for the no-frills experience when you just want to play your media and aren’t looking for any additional functionality.

Open Source HTPC’s That Don’t Suck originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2011/01/06. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

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Adding a ring flash to your DSLR is a real nice way off adding a soft glow to your portrait images. Problem is that professional ring flashes can cost you a lot of money.

DIYPhotography.com has a simple solution if you want to play around with a ring flash but aren’t ready to commit the money to buying one, a cheap DIY papercraft ring flash that can be customized to any camera. Just plug in your camera and flash specs into the ring flash template creator, print out the pdf, then put it all together with come cutting and glue. A great way to get started.

DIY: FlashRing originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2011/01/05. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

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Sure, you can control modern day video equipment like you Slingbox or satellite receiver via the web, but what if you have some old school gear that can only accept commands via good old fashioned Infa-Red? Instructables hacker nmcclana has put together a small embedded web server that transmits IR signals (Video after the break).

The Web Clicker, as it’s called, uses a Propeller Platform USB and E-Net Module and can play back any recorded IR command via an AJAX web interface. The unit is small, sleek and uses next to no power. You can purchase most of the componets pre-built or you can live on the wild side and download the PCB designs and etch the boards yourself.

This can be used to control anything that accepts and IR signal, not just a TV or DVR. You could add IR modules to just about anything these days so this project would be great for home automation.

[Link to Instructables]

Control Your TV From Your Phone originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2011/01/02. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

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Looks like Microsoft is “pulling an Apple”; barring an emulator of the classic 8-bit video gaming system NES. Matt Bettcher has put some hard working into getting this emulator to work (video of it running after the break) and Microsoft has just shut him down.

Matt is looking to drum up community support in hopes of changing Microsoft’s mind, and in the meantime he will be releasing his project into the open source world. Come one Microsoft, every device with a screen and an input device should have an NES emulator.

Windows Phone 7 NES Emulator Barred originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2011/01/02. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

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Don’t have a snowblower? Need some exercise? The pedal powered snow plow might just be what the doctor ordered. Custom built by Craig, this three wheel bike with a wooden plow is perfect for scraping up that light covering of snow.

The custom 3-wheel bike with sidecar was made years ago, a replica of a bike my childhood friend had. Last winter I added a snow plow accessory. Up to 1 inch of snow doesn’t make it worthwhile to fire up my big 8HP snowthrower. And shoveling my 90′ long driveway by hand can be too much. So my bike plow makes it easy to make a few runs up and down the driveway to make 2 or 3 piles that can then be easily hand shoveled off to the side. A lever pulls up or lets down the plow with a rope and pulley. Pulling the lever all the way back cantilevers the rope and pivot point so it locks in place. The plow blade is hinged with a bungee cord, so hitting a discrepancy in the road allows the blade to flop and give like a real plow. The bike can turn on a dime so raising the plow and returning up the adjacent path is quick and easy. I can do ‘reverse’ by pushing down on the front wheel with my foot to roll it backwards.Totally useless with larger snow falls, but the light ones make snow removal fun. (yes, my neighbors do think I’m odd)

A wonderful way to get the job done without pumping exhaust from a snow blower into the environment.

Pedal Powered Snow Plow originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2010/12/31. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

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Speaking at the Chaos Computer Club on Tuesday, a pair of researchers demonstrated a method of eavesdropping on encrypted GSM calls and text messages by using a few cheap pay-as-you-go cellphones and a variety of open source software.

The ability to listen in on cellphone calls has been available to law enforcement agencies for a while, but even if the average person could they would have to invest in about $50,000 of hardware to do so, until now. The modern day phreaking takes advantage of security flaws in the GSM network and puts the power within the reach of almost any tech-savvy user.

By using custom firmware that they built in a few cheap Motorola cellphones, they created a bunch of cell phone "sniffers" that send real time raw cell network data back to a computer via a USB connection. By sending a target phone an SMS, they were able to determine what random network ID number belonged to the target.

All that was left was to decrypt the raw information they captured. This was easily accomplished with the use of a 2 GB rainbow table.

I’m sure with time, the software and firmware that was used in the demonstration will make it’s way into the average Joe’s hands and we will all be doomed. It’s not really modern day phreaking, back then all of us were just curious. There is no other use for this besides grabbing peoples personal communications.

Eavesdropping On GSM originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2010/12/31. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

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Following our list of Linux Distros That Don’t Suck, More Linux Distros That Don’t Suck and Even More Distros That Don’t Suck, we are going to start to narrow our lists to a specific role.

In this installment of our “Distros That Don’t Suck” we are featuring routers/firewalls. Sure you can use your default DLink or Linksys hardware router to preform these tasks but why not bring it to the next level with much more control and features like VPN and bridging?

NOTE: The contained list includes projects that are 100% free and open and don’t charge for additional components or functionality. There are plenty of projects that offer a lite or free version of their solution but charge you for more advanced features.

pfSense – pfSense is a FreeBSD based stateful packet filtering firewall with a whole slew of features. Besides your basic NAT/Firewall capabilites, pfSense offers packages that can enhance it’s feature set like a transparent virus proxy for web surfing and Snort for sniffing packets. pfSense also comes with PPTP, IpSec and Open VPN support baked in and support for OpenBSD’s CARP hardware failover which allows you to have two boxes configured as a failover group. I’m been using pfSense for a few years now and love it. It’s an enterprise grade product with an easy consumer interface. Definitely my favorite.

m0n0wall – Another FreeBSD based stateful packet filtering firewall which is what pfSense is based on. It’s pretty much has the same feature set as pfSense with a few minor exceptions. It’s really stable and is one of the older distros in the firewall/router game. m0n0wall will run on pretty low end hardware and offers an embedded option so you can run it on embedded hardware like an ALIX board. A great option if you want something you can set and forget.

IPCop – Originally a fork of the SmoothWall project, IPCop is a Linux based stateful firewall built on the netfilter framework. IPCop offers a simple update mechanism to install updates and offers many addons that add additional functionality like QoS and virus checking. Geared toward the home or SOHO user, IPCop offers a highly configurable firewall/router that can run on almost and hardware you have laying around.

DD-Wrt – If you don’t have a spare computer laying around to power your router/firewall and would like to take advantage of a hardware WLAN you already own then DD-Wrt is right up your alley. A fork of OpenWRT, DD-WRT is a Linux based alternative firmware suitable for a long list of WLAN routers. If your hardware router is supported a simple firmware upgrade to DD-WRT will add a lot of the same functionality to your hardware that most of the distros in this list offer. A great way to mod existing hardware to squeeze every last bit of performance out of the unit. May I suggest the Linksys WRT-54G-L.

Zeroshell – Zeroshell aims to provide an easy to install and maintain Linux based firewall distribution. Zeroshell is powerful enough for an enterprise load but surprisingly easy to configure with complete set of options like VPN, QoS and VLAN support. Based on Linux and available as a LiveCD or Compact Flash image, Zeroshell falls into the “easy and powerful” category. Great for someone who doesn’t want to screw around too much and just wants something that works.

I’m sure I have missed other great projects that offer a firewall or routing. If you know of a distro that should be in our list let us know in the comments.

Open Source Firewall/Routers That Don’t Suck originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2010/12/30. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

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Have you looked at the qlocktwo word clock yet? It’s a sleek time piece that displays the time using words. The only problem with it is that it costs well over $1000, not really an affordable way to tell time.

scottbez1 put together an affordable version of the qlocktwo by using an Arduino and a whole bunch of LED’s. The whole thing should cost you just under $70 and the full build plan is up on Instrctables.

Inspired by drj113′s great instructable on making a word clock , I wanted to make my own. After seeing the (extremely overpriced) commercial “qlocktwo” word clock, I decided to borrow its smooth glossy black design while basing the innards of my clock on drj113′s design.

[Link to Sleek word clock]

DIY: Word Clock originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2010/12/29. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

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Why tech.nocr.at?

Founded in 2007, tech.nocr.at has quickly become one of the top blogs for tech news, hardware hacking, and obscure gadgets.  Our audience includes early adopters, gadget lovers, entrepreneurs, influencers, marketing, PR and advertising agencies. tech.nocr.at is also popular with bloggers, Twitter and Facebook users, an increasingly influential demographic.

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Advertising originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2010/09/09. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

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Although this is still a concept, this holy power bar might just work when you need a prayer to keep your gadgets from being fried by power surges. With a full 12 outlets, this will be perfect for oversized power bricks and adapters, it’s the catholic way!

If these actually make it to production, I’m sure the various archdiocese’s across the world will be lining up to buy them. You know that every church will want one to power their circa 1970′s PA system. It’s the holy way to power your sermon.

I’m going to stop making all sorts of jokes about this or I very well might be the way who gets hit by lightening.

Holy Surge originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2010/09/03. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

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Privacy originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2010/09/03. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

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As someone who grew up in the 80′s there is nothing more I love than some good old 80′s cartoons like G.I. Joe and Transformers. As an older fellow I also have a great appreciation for modern geeky art like steampunk creations. What happens when I find someone who mashed the two together? I run out and try to purchase it.

The Encline Design team did just that, created a very detailed steampunk version of the famous Autobots leader Optimus Prime, best of all is the fact it transformers into a steam engine.

The paint scheme looks awesome; while still maintaining Optimus’s Red and Blue, they managed to add just the amount of buff to it to make it realistic to the steampunk style.

Make sure to check out their site for some more picture and some other great steampunk designs.

Steampunk Optimus Prime originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2010/09/01. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

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Here’s an awesome idea. Let’s take some homemade Play-Doh, change the recipe around a bit and make it conductive. You could make all sorts of cool circuits, like say wrap some of it around a cell phone to act as an insulator and then try to bring it on a plane. As someone who once shut down a major airport with a home made battery powered usb charger I don’t recommend bringing the cell phone wrapped Play-Doh experiment on a plane.

Squish Circuits, as they are refereed to, were developed at the University of St. Thomas by undergrads Samuel Johnson and AnnMarie Thomas and essentially are nothing more than homemade Play-Doh recipes that make the Doh either conductive or insulate.

With a small battery pack and something else that can use that power like a small motor or an LED you could make tons of fun circuits.

You can find both the conductive and insulating recipes here.

Homemade Conductive Play-Doh originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2010/08/31. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

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A 19 year old modder decided to take his love for Iron Man to new levels. He decided to take his 360, add some gold and red paint, add a custom arc reactor on the side of the case that mimics the ring on the front of the box and add some spit and shine. Voila, an Iron Man looking Xbox 360.

I wonder if his custom arc reactor RRoD’s as well. Check out the video below to see the unit in action.

Iron Man 360 Mod originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2010/08/29. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

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I’m not about to open the debate about expensive audio cables. There are definitely two camps when it comes to expensive cables; One run by Monster Cable and the other run by everyone else and these $8450 speaker cables prove which side is right!

These baby’s are made of “Solid PSS Silver” and feature “Dual Star-Quad Geometry”. WTF is that? Ohh, I know, it’s bullshit talk so that people with way too much money can be fooled into buying these. They are currently on sale at Amazon for $6800, maybe you should run out and buy two! Check out the following comment from a satisfied user on Amazon:

If there is one cable I would whole-heartedly trust to my Chimera-hunting needs, this would be the cable. No other cable has the tensile strength to properly and efficiently garrote a lycanthrope, asphyxiate an Esquilax or even gag a mermaid. Last week, using my trusty AudioQuest K2 (retrofitted with lead weights, bright orange latex paint and a generous coating of crushed glass stolen from the window of an abandoned church at midnight), I managed to snuff 3 golden unicorns in swift succession!

Pros: Quickly tears through scales, fur, bone, and adamantium with ease
Coils and uncoils from hip holster (optional) quickly and quietly
For a product fabricated from 1,000 Onyx Dragon fetuses, the price is unbelievably reasonable!

Cons: Shipping from the R’lyeh took far too long
Doesn’t come in 10′ lengths (which would be perfect for hydra, cerberii and other multi-headed creatures)
After every use, I can feel 6 ounces of my soul slipping from my core into the ether. But this may be due to the fact that I prefer to work without gloves. YMMV.

Overall, I would recommend that any hunter buy one, nay, two, of these immediately, and experience the difference that upgrading to the K2 will make in your next quest!

If you want one you can get it here, otherwise, I’ll sell you a version that’s just as good for a mere $4000

$8450 Speaker Cables originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2010/08/26. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

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If you are a true satellite TV junkie and absolutely must have it everywhere you go then the VuQube is for you. I must warn you, it isn’t cheap.

This isn’t like you average folding dish that move RV and truckers use, this unit provides you with a signal even while your moving. The unit is also small and compact and can pretty much guarantee you a decent signal. The unit is compatible with pretty much any circular LNB provider like Dish Network, Express VU, and DirectTV.

So if you just can’t live without you DirectTV be prepared to spend $1699 getting it.

[Link to VuQube]

VuQube Portable Dish originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2010/08/26. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

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Since it’s initial release the TV-B-Gone has quickly become a fan favorite spawning many a clone. Now you can build your own tiny TV-B-Gone with about $3.50 in parts.

Instructable user Dark Sponge built this TV-B-Gone clone thats about the size of a quarter. With the click of a button you will be able to turn off any TV in sight.

Take a peek at his write up on Instructables and if you aren’t up for the challenge you can always pick up the commercial version here and have fun the next time you are in the bar.

$3.50 DIY TV-B-Gone originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2010/08/23. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

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Projector technology has really come a long way from the days of lugging 30 lbs projectors around. In recent years we have seen the advent of some really small units but nothing that was ever affordable, until now.

Claimed as “the world’s smallest LCOS pico projector” the P1 Jr comes with it’s own battery, external AV connectors so you can hook up a DVD player or iPhone and it has an SD card slot so that you can use it’s built in mp4 player to watch some video.

With it’s 10 lumen LED light source you are only going to be using this thing in a very dark room, but for $119 you really can’t ask for much.

[ AAXA Technologies P1 Jr Pico Projector ]

Affordable P1 Jr Pico Projector originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2010/08/19. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

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The iPhone has quickly become more than your average smart phone, it really is a computer in your pocket. So why not use it as one?

The guys over at HackADay have a great write up on setting your iPhone up as a penetration testing tool with all the goodies like Aircrack-ng and Ettercap.

The first step is to jailbreak your device and setup OpenSSH so that you can tunnel in for the rest of the setup. From there the rest of the setup is just acquiring build tools and compiling pentesting programs

Head on over to HackADay for the write up

iPhone For Pen Testing originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2010/08/19. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

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During the recent QuakeCon festivities id released something that should make the modding community super happy; source code. People can now access the source to Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory and Return to Castle Wolfenstein via id’s FTP.

The code is being release under the GNU license which allows for both free and commercial use as long as credit goes to id and no one tries to claim it as their own.

I wonder how quickly we will see some awesome game modded off the source.

RTCW Open Sourced originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2010/08/19. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

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During the recent QuakeCon festivities id released something that should make the modding community super happy; source code. People can now access the source to Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory and Return to Castle Wolfenstein via id’s FTP.

The code is being release under the GNU license which allows for both free and commercial use as long as credit goes to id and no one tries to claim it as their own.

I wonder how quickly we will see some awesome game modded off the source.

RTCW Open Sourced originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2010/08/19. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

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How scary is it to know that something as simple as a USB stick can pull data from your iPhone (with some limitations). You really don’t need to be super scared just yet since the iPhone Spy Stick will only run under Windows and will only work with iPhones running iOS 3.2.1 and earlier, but the company claims it will have an iPhone 4 version sometime in October.

How it works is simple, you pull the stick and iPhone into a machine and run the included software. You can grab deleted texts, calendar events, pics, and contact info. You can also grab locations tracked via GPS, voice memos, recent map searches and your web history.

The supplier boasts that it “Looks like an ordinary USB flash drive – no one will suspect that it’s a professional grade forensics tool.” Maybe some one should tell them about the “iPhone Spy Stick” logo that’s on it.

If you want one it will cost you $199

iPhone Spy Stick originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2010/08/19. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

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As a father of a small child I know all to well who Thomas the Train is. My little guy has a really cool train table with 100′s of trains (I step on the stupid things all the time). Although I do enjoy the morals that the show teaches my child, I often wonder what ever happened to the awesome violent cartoons of my childhood. Show’s G.I., Joe, Thundercat’s and Voltron?

Well, now you can mix the two and enjoy play time with your kids.

This awesome Chinese knockoff brings the joy of Thomas and mashes it with the awesomeness of Voltron. I’m sure if you head on down to your local Chinatown you’ll be able to pick one up.

Transforming Thomas originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2010/08/18. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

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Master modder Marcelo Souza of São Paulo, Brazil has built one cool tabletop arcade machine emulator. This isn’t your average mame cabinet. Marcelo has added custom optical sensors to catch coin inserts and built the unit off of a Arduino board. Check out the video of the unit in action.

If you know how to read Portuguese you can head on over to Marcelo’s site and read up on how he built it. Looks like Marco will also be selling kits for those of you who might want to build your own!

Mini Arcade Machine originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2010/08/17. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

© tech.nocr.at 2010 | Permalink | 2 Comments | Read more in Gaming | Explore more in: 2010, ac, arcade cabinet, arduino, bra, cabinet, cat, ds, ea, emulator, Gaming, ical, id, loa, Mac, machine, mame, mini, mod, modder, os, rc, tablet, tech.nocr.at, tor, ui, video | Add to del.icio.us | Stumble it | Reddit

As a male who owns a home with a lot of grass there is nothing more I hate then cutting the grass on a hot sweltering day. Since my son is only three and he can barely reach the mowers handle I’m SOL with getting him to do it.

Maybe I should build this awesome radio controller Arduino powered lawnmower? I can just sit in a lawn chair and drink a beer while the Lawnbot 400 does all the heavy lifting for me. I would quickly become the envy of all the males who live on my street. Check out the video of it in action after the break.

This instructable will show you how to make your Arduino into an R/C interface that you can use for just about anything requiring remote control. I will also show you how I built an R/C lawnmower using my Arduino, a cheap R/C transmitter and receiver pair, and a couple of electric-wheelchair motors from Ebay. I have used this interface to control anything from basic LED’s to Bipolar stepper motors, mini-robots, lifeless R/C cars from the thrift store, and even a 100lb lawnmower (all with appropriate motor controllers). It is very flexible and easy to change and very simple to set up.

[Link to Lawnbot build tutorial]

Arduino Powered RC Lawnmower originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2010/03/18. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

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Let’s face it, terestrial radio is all but dead. Who wants to wade through all the commercials and limited avalability of the FM or AM dial? I listen to internet radio all the time, when at work at my desk and even on my iPhone when in my car and this little baby while now complete my internet radio experience.

The Grace Allegro Wi-Fi internet radio can run for about 8 hours on six AA batteries and streams over 16,000 radio stations from the likes of Pandora, Sirius and Live365. Is has built in 802.11b/g/n support and even has an iPhone remote control app so you can change stations without walking up to the unit.

You also get MP3/WMA/Real Audio/WAV/AAC/AIFF codec support, alarm functions, built-in speaker, 4-line display, standard remote control.

The unit will cost you $170 and is available right now from Grace Digital Audio

Allegro Portable Internet Radio originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2010/02/25. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

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Nintendo fans rejoice, you too will be able to cash in on the DSi LL on March 28th of this year. The fuller DSi comes at you with a larger 4.2-inch screen and a full-size pen stylus as compared to the is original brother.

Nintendo has also added support for eBooks. Although you will be able to flip the unit sideways and use it in a traditional book format you won’t be able to read those book unless you plugin a special DS cartridge.

The new DSI LL will hit store shelves on March 28th for $190. The eBook system will come at a later date with a 100 Classic Books title shipping around June 15th.

Nintendo DSi LL Here On March 28th originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2010/02/24. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

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Nintendo fans rejoice, you too will be able to cash in on the DSi LL on March 28th of this year. The fuller DSi comes at you with a larger 4.2-inch screen and a full-size pen stylus as compared to the is original brother.

Nintendo has also added support for eBooks. Although you will be able to flip the unit sideways and use it in a traditional book format you won’t be able to read those book unless you plugin a special DS cartridge.

The new DSI LL will hit store shelves on March 28th for $190. The eBook system will come at a later date with a 100 Classic Books title shipping around June 15th.

Nintendo DSi LL Here On March 28th originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2010/02/24. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

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You’ve gone out and seen Avatar and now your ready to summon your inner Cameron and shoot the next blockbuster 3D movie but you just can’t seem to come up with the millions of dollars needed to purchase the camera gear you would need, fear now more because you too can now create a super-duper 3D film for under $300 (how was my infomercial pitch there?).

Some great weekend hackers have put together a shopping list of materials needed to pull this off.

• A couple Kodak Zx1 Digital Camcorders
• L-Shaped bracket
• Some nylon washers, wingnuts and screws
• A basic tripod

I’m sure you could use other cameras and adjust the bracket to suit, but the concept is pretty simple. They have a full write up on how the pulled it off including all the editing that is needed to produce the stereo image. Check out the video after the break of some home made 3D footage.

Roll Your Own 3D Video For Under $300 originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2010/02/22. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

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Ever been caught with a dead cellphone and no source of juice anywhere to power that puppy up? Come on now, you know you have. Well, Sharp is ready to settle that problem once and for all.

By dropping your conventional backlit LCD and using a passive matrix LCD screen the SH6230C will use a lot less power than a conventional phone. The passive matrix screen can display the time and SMS/e-mail all the while using an incredibly small amount of power. Don’t count on too many features either. Besides offering your standard dumb phone features the only extra bell you get is a 5-megapixel camera, but if you spend a lot of time outdoors this phone should never leave you high and dry dead.

The phone will run on GSM networks and is set to make it’s debut in China sometime this month with a $500 price tag.

Solar Powered Cellphone originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2010/02/21. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

© tech.nocr.at 2010 | Permalink | One Comment | Read more in Gadgets | Explore more in: 2010, ac, camera, cell phone, cellphone, cellular, dead, display, door, dry, ds, ea, gsm, id, lcd, loa, mail, make, matrix, mobile, nda, network, pen, phone, power, rc, ring, sharp, small, sms, solar, tag, tech.nocr.at, time, ui | Add to del.icio.us | Stumble it | Reddit

Time Machine is a great built-in feature in OS X. When Apple first announced that they would be offering the ability to backup and restore your files and system with the ease of use that we have come to know and love from Apple I was ecstatic. Then I found out that you had to have a physical drive connected to your machine to utilize it, or you’d have to purchase an expensive Apple made NAS product (Time Capsule) to use it without a physical drive connected to the machine.

Many hacks have been released that allow you to use any NAS drive as a Time Machine drive. All you really need to do is some shell code and create a sparse image, but now someone has taken all of the dirty work away from you and released a simple AppleScript that will get you up and running with any headache’s.

[Link to Time Machine NAS AppleScript]

Turn Any NAS Drive Into A Time Machine Drive originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2009/11/13. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

© tech.nocr.at 2009 | Permalink | One Comment | Read more in Mac | Explore more in: ac, apple, applescript, backup, drive, ds, ea, expensive, genius, hack, hacks, ical, ir, loa, Mac, machine, nas, os, os x, pen, rc, ring, rip, rod, tech.nocr.at, time, time capsule, time machine, tor, ui | Add to del.icio.us | Stumble it | Reddit

People build all sorts of cool things with Arduino. Take the Twittering Doorbell or the Bedazzler but how about something as simple and useful as a clock? And an eye catching one at that!

The clock build requires a few simple materials; a laser printer, some LED’s and a few connectors. The instructions are super easy to understand and the only artistic skill you will need is knowing how to use a stencil (as you can see from the picture above).

Being an Arduino project, you will also get the source code from the project website to get you clock going. Along with the code you’ll also get a detailed PDF schematic and a template for the stencil. With the holiday season right around the corner, making a few of these and giving them to your geeky friends might just be the perfect gift idea.

[Link to Instructables]

DIY: Cool Arduino Clock originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2009/11/12. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

© tech.nocr.at 2009 | Permalink | One Comment | Read more in Hacking And Security | Explore more in: arduino, bedazzler, cat, clock, connector, dazzler, diy, door, doorbell, ds, ea, id, instructable, ir, laser, led, loa, lock, pdf, picture, printer, rc, ring, tech.nocr.at, tor, twitter, ui | Add to del.icio.us | Stumble it | Reddit

You might be wondering why you would spend $250 on a flashlight, especially since you can pick up a cheap one at a dollar store for, well, a dollar. There are two reasons you would do so. One would be because you are filthy rich and really don’t care how much you spend and Two, hmmmm, well you decide for yourself.

• The mPower Emergency Illuminator was designed by the Porsche Design Studio (so far not worth the $250).
• It comes with what the company calls “groundbreaking battery technology”. The unit has dual battery barrel’s. One barrel holds you run-of-the-mill batteries and the other holds the “mPower Reserve Battery” that has a minimum shelf life of 20 years from activation. The user chooses when and where to active it. (still can’t see why I would pay $250)
• A built in USB port for charging other gadgets (Maybe. Actually, nope. Still not worth it)

So as you can see, you’ll have to be filthy rich to justify this purchase, or just an idiot.

[Via DVICE]

mPower Illuminator: A $250 Flashlight originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2009/11/12. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

© tech.nocr.at 2009 | Permalink | 2 Comments | Read more in Gadgets | Explore more in: ac, batteries, battery, car, charging, cheap, design, ds, ea, emergency, flash, flashlight, id, light, loa, mini, os, pen, power, rc, rich, ring, sucker, tech.nocr.at, technology, tor, ui, usb | Add to del.icio.us | Stumble it | Reddit

Fear not hackintosh faithful; according to Gizmodo, the hacker who is the driving force behind netbook hackintosh builds says that the kernel will be fixed for the Atom processors. “It’ll just take a few weeks.”

If you might have slipped with your netbook and upgraded to 10.6.2, you can still downgrade your kernel to get you back up and running again.

[Via Gizmodo]

Hackintosh Atom Fix In The Works originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2009/11/12. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

© tech.nocr.at 2009 | Permalink | Comments | Read more in Tech News | Explore more in: 10.6.2, ac, atom, book, ds, ea, fix, hack, hackintosh, loa, mod, netbook, os, proc, rc, tech.nocr.at, ui | Add to del.icio.us | Stumble it | Reddit

Miss the good old Analog TV days? If so, you can build you very own low-power analog television transmitter and join the underground. I’m not too sure on the legality of it, but now that all the networks (at least in the US) have vacated the analog spectrum you might not be harassed.

Tired of the blocky, JPEG-like resolution of digital television? Do you long for the days of RF modulation and regulated-yet-unregulated content? Do you simply have the desire to toss your converter box out the window and make use of those rabbit ear antennae that are just lying around? If so, then you might be interested in becoming a savior of analog television! This Instructable will show you how to create your own fully-fledged low-power analog television channel, with any video source(including your computer) as a source of content.

We created one that went live the minute analog tv went dead. We’re still the only analog station in NYC, but please join us in making more!!

[Link to Instructables via Make]

DIY: Pirate TV Station originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2009/11/12. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

© tech.nocr.at 2009 | Permalink | One Comment | Read more in Hacking And Security | Explore more in: ac, antenna, avi, cat, computer, convert, dead, diy, ds, ea, id, instructable, ir, led, live, loa, lock, make, mit, mod, network, os, pirate tv, power, rc, tech.nocr.at, ui, video, wind | Add to del.icio.us | Stumble it | Reddit

With the iTunes app store pushing over 100,000 choices it’s easy to see how someone can easily be overwhelmed. If you’re like me you need some clarity amongst the sea of choices. Thankfully there is an app to help you out.

Thanks to the wisdom of crowds, Chorus gives you recommendations from people you know who have already tried the app. Since it’s a crowd sourcing based solution, something like this needs to catch on with millions of users in order to be bullet proof.

The concept and idea is great and I really hope it catches on since something needs to be done to help with the sea of choices that we now have.

[Link to Chorus]

App Store Overwhelming? Try Chorus originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2009/11/12. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

© tech.nocr.at 2009 | Permalink | Comments | Read more in Mac | Explore more in: app store, bullet, cat, crowd, ds, ea, id, itunes, loa, Mac, nda, nes, rc, tech.nocr.at, tor | Add to del.icio.us | Stumble it | Reddit

I know my wife would love to have me hang up this Enterprise chandelier in our dining room. She would love it so much that it would easily be grounds for her to divorce me. On the other hand, if your already single and your a hardcore trekie then this $189 USS Enterprise chandelier might just be perfect for your residence.

[Link to Enterprise Chandelier]

Enterprise Chandelier, For The Geeky originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2009/11/12. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

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The guys behind MacHeist are at it again. This time they are offering $154 in apps for free. Yes I said for free as in speech and beer.

I’m not sure how the developers or the guys at MacHeist are making any money from this since it’s all free, maybe they are building up their mailing list or creating some hype for the next bundle they release. Who knows, but what we do you is you get the following 6 apps for free:

1. ShoveBox
2. WriteRoom
3. Twitterrific
4. TinyGrab
5. Hordes of Orcs
6. Mariner Write (only unlock after 500,000 people)

All you have to do is head on over to MacHeist.com, login or signup, and you’ll get your six free apps. The offer is only valid for the next 6 days, so hurry your ass over.

[Link to MacHeist nanoBundle]

MacHeist Nano Bundle: $154 In Apps 4 Free originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2009/11/06. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

© tech.nocr.at 2009 | Permalink | Comments | Read more in Mac | Explore more in: ac, apps, beer, bundle, ds, ea, follow, horder of orcs, id, ir, loa, lock, Mac, macheist, mail, mariner write, nano, rc, ring, shovebox, tech.nocr.at, time, tiny, tinygrab, twitter, twitterrific, ui, unlock, writer, writeroom | Add to del.icio.us | Stumble it | Reddit

Every wanted to build you very own auto tracking sentry gun? No? Me either, but now that I take a look at it I do want to build one. Not one that fires bullets or anything, but one that would have a water gun on it to keep people out of my office.

If you’re like me and wanted to make one of these you would probably ran into the same issues I have. So to help all you poor suckers out the software we developed is open source and freely available on the website. The only reservation we have is that you make it a point not to hurt anyone or anything, we take no responsibility for anything.

The point of making it open source is to encourage joint development of the software and hardware possibilities.

If you follow the instructions properly you will end up with exactly what you wanted. After collecting all the hardware you will probably spend a long weekend putting it together. It doesn’t take a genius but it helps to be able to solder and do some basic handcrafts.

You can head on over to his website where he has detailed instruction on building one and all the software you will need to make it work.

DIY: Auto Tracking Sentry Gun originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2009/11/06. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

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We have all heard about how fuel cell technology will revolutionize the world of power since they are instantly recharged with a small shot of methanol. Toshiba finally releases a practical fuel cell charger for real world geek use; a gadget charger.

Toshiab’s Dynario charger uses as little as 50 ml of methanol to recharge itself in about 20 seconds. This really is the first stab for them at consumer commercial fuel cell chargers and they have only created 3000 units that they plan to sell for $328, plus another $34 for 5 cartridges.

This is still a far cry from being affordable for common use, but it is a first step in easing power issues for all of us geeks.

[Link to Toshiba's Dynario]

Fuel Cell Charger originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2009/11/04. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

© tech.nocr.at 2009 | Permalink | Comments | Read more in Gadgets | Explore more in: ac, battery, car, cart, charger, commercial, ds, ea, evo, fuel cell, geeks, ical, id, ir, loa, os, power, rc, small, tech.nocr.at, technology, toshiba | Add to del.icio.us | Stumble it | Reddit

Seriously, why has no other company come up with the idea of creating sexy looking batteries? We have gradients on every web 2.0 website out there, why not some colour on our batteries too?

Well first off, most devices that use batteries keep them hidden so nobody will ever see the flashy looking skin to your powercell and secondly, does it really matter? DC power is DC power. It’s doesn’t matter if it comes from a black and copper Duracell or a Volta.

[Link to Volta Battery Packaging]

Batteries For The Web 2.0 Generation originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2009/11/03. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

© tech.nocr.at 2009 | Permalink | Comments | Read more in Gadgets | Explore more in: ac, batteries, battery, ds, ea, flash, id, ir, loa, os, power, rc, skin, tech.nocr.at, volta, web 2.0 | Add to del.icio.us | Stumble it | Reddit

I’m always up for a good practical joke, especially the kind that involves electronics and can drive people mad. Get your soldering guns out kids, this is a good one.

The Annoying Beeping Thing is a simple circuit board that is powered by a single 9-volt battery and outputs a high-pitched whining sound through a tiny speaker or piezo buzzer.

As you can see from the pictures above it’s hidden inside of a transformed but this thing is so tiny that you can practically hide it anywhere. Make sure you don’t let the joke run on too long as it might really get on someone’s nerve who might not think it’s all that funny. Check out the video after the break of it’s construction and to hear it in action.

[Via Make]

Build An Annoying Beeping Thing originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2009/11/02. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

© tech.nocr.at 2009 | Permalink | Comments | Read more in Hacking And Security | Explore more in: ac, battery, beep, buzz, circuit, drive, ds, ea, electronics, funny, gun, ical, id, ir, irc, joke, loa, make, picture, power, rc, ring, sound, tech.nocr.at, tiny, tron, ui, video | Add to del.icio.us | Stumble it | Reddit

In case you missed anything last week; we have everything from Metallica on your iPhone right through to a $1200 Mouse. Enjoy

In Case You Missed It: Week 43 Round Up originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2009/11/01. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

© tech.nocr.at 2009 | Permalink | Comments | Read more in Tech News | Explore more in: 3d, ac, alarm, alarm clock, apps, arm, audio, camera, car, cart, case, cat, clock, comb, control, diy, ds, dsi, ea, gag, Gaming, guitar, hack, hacking, id, iphone, ir, kde, laser, led, loa, lock, Mac, metal, metallica, mouse, n-gage, nes, nintendo, nintendo ds, nintendo dsi, nokia, os, phaser, phone, radio, rc, remote, remote control, rip, roundup, security, shirt, snes, soccer, sucker, tap, tap tap revenge, tech.nocr.at, tesla, tissue, tron, ui, video, water, weekly, xbmc | Add to del.icio.us | Stumble it | Reddit

You knew it was bound to happen. With the iPhone already having apps to control everything from your iTunes to a remote computer you knew that someone would come up with an app to control a car.

The Spirit of Berlin team have developed an iPhone app that remotely controls a minivan. They developed the app for the 2007 Darpa Urban Challenge, so the likelihood of you getting the app from the app store is slim to none.

The iPhone connects with the driving circuitry via WiFi and offers a button for gas and brake as well as a wheel to turn the vehicle. The camera mounted on the front of the minivan transmits video to the iPhone in real-time.

In the video below you can see the operator in the camera’s view on the iPhone. It seems that the top speed of the van is limited (thank God!). This is every big kids dream, a real live RC of an actual car, problem is that this can be extremely dangerous. Plus, WiFi? I hope that their is some sort of kill switch if the van goes out of range or else there can be some serious consequences. Check out the video after the break.

[Link to iPhone RC]

Use Your iPhone To Control Your Car originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2009/10/31. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

© tech.nocr.at 2009 | Permalink | One Comment | Read more in Hacking And Security | Explore more in: ac, app store, apps, avi, bra, camera, car, circuit, computer, control, ds, ea, id, iphone, iphone 3g, iphone 3gs, ir, irc, itunes, live, loa, mini, mit, nes, pen, phone, rc, remote, remote control, slim, speed, switch, tech.nocr.at, time, tor, ui, vehicle, video, wifi | Add to del.icio.us | Stumble it | Reddit

You might want to sit down before you read this. Nokia has announced that they will be stopping all support for it’s plagued portable gaming platform, the N-Gage. Yes, I know, you might be saying “Dude, didn’t Nokia stop supporting this thing like years ago?”.

The move really isn’t a huge shock, the platform has been begging to be put out of it’s misery for a few years now. Although Nokia has officially announced that no further games will be published for the unit, it also said that it will continue to sell currently available games in the Ovi Store until September 2010.

Although purchased games will alway continue to work on the unit, any of the connected community features will also cease in 2010.

On a side note, anyone wanna buy a slightly used N-Gage? Cheap.

Nokia Kills The N-Gage – Are You Shocked? originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2009/10/31. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

© tech.nocr.at 2009 | Permalink | One Comment | Read more in Gaming | Explore more in: 2010, cheap, ds, ea, gag, game, games, Gaming, id, light, loa, n-gage, nokia, portable, rc, tech.nocr.at, tor | Add to del.icio.us | Stumble it | Reddit

Yes, you read it right, a remote controlled tissue box. You never know when you might need to blow your nose and feel way to lazy to get up and get the tissue box that’s like 2 feet away. Actually, now that I come to think of it, how many people actually keep their tissue boxes on the floor? I mean wouldn’t this thing need to be rugged if you say, keep your tissue box on a end table or on the coffee table? I’m just asking here.

If you do keep your tissue box on the floor and are interested in purchasing this remote controlled unit it costs $25, it has a maximum range of 8m and it’s 250x65x123mm so make sure your kleenex box fits inside. Oh yeah, and it’s only available in Japan.

Remote Controlled Tissue Box originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2009/10/30. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

© tech.nocr.at 2009 | Permalink | 2 Comments | Read more in Gadgets | Explore more in: 3m, ac, coffee, coffee table, control, ds, ea, id, ir, japan, kleenex, led, loa, make, os, rc, remote, remote control, skin, tech.nocr.at, tissue | Add to del.icio.us | Stumble it | Reddit

Why would you crush your empty pop or beer cans with your foot or even your head when you could lug out a device that’s 30x the size of the can and probably use more electricity than the actual cost of the can? Because you can, that’s why.

By using a high voltage source and some large capacitors you can build your very own electromagnetic can crushing machine. Just remember that this is extremely dangerous. You are talking about an insane amount of electricity that’s flowing here and it will definitely kill you if something goes wrong. If you choose to not heed our warning and want more info on the project then you can visit Bob Davis’s blog, the creator of the device.

Crush Your Cans With Electricity originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2009/10/29. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

© tech.nocr.at 2009 | Permalink | One Comment | Read more in Hacking And Security | Explore more in: ac, avi, beer, blog, ds, ea, electricty, loa, Mac, machine, magnet, os, pop cans, rc, tag, tech.nocr.at, tor, ui, volta, wrong | Add to del.icio.us | Stumble it | Reddit

So I went to the Metallica concert the other night here in Toronto (it’s my 15th time seeing them live. Yes, if you are asking, I am a fan!) and decided that maybe I was having an early mid-life crisis and wanted to walk down the path of my early life as a dedicated hardcore Metallica fan. As a dedicated fan I scoured the band’s website to catch up on the happenings with the metal legends and stumbled upon their iPhone app, TapTap Revenge: Metallica.

Tapulous, the company famous for it’s addictive line of TapTap games has worked with the band to release a Metallica themed version of it’s TapTap Revenge games aptly called: TapTap Revenge: Metallica. The dedicated version of the game allows users to poke through 10 tracks of some of the bands most famous songs like “Enter Sandman” and “One”.

The game gives you the option to play in a fast-paced arcade mode where you are challenged with bombs and other objects. Career Mode allows you to work your way through the track list and there is even a Bluetooth battle mode that allows you to challenge other players via Bluetooth.

I’ll be honest, if your not a hardcore Metallica fan you might not enjoy this, but if you consider yourself a member of the Metal Militia then what are you waiting for? It’s only $4.99, it’s worth it if not for the music alone.

[Link to TapTap Revenge: Metallica]

Tap Tap Revenge Metallica For The iPhone originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2009/10/29. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

© tech.nocr.at 2009 | Permalink | Comments | Read more in Mac | Explore more in: ac, avi, band, bluetooth, car, cat, ds, ea, fast, game, games, id, iphone, iphone 3g, iphone 3gs, ipod touch, ir, led, live, loa, Mac, metal, metallica, mid, mod, music, nes, os, pen, phone, rc, skin, tap, tap tap revenge, tech.nocr.at, time, tor | Add to del.icio.us | Stumble it | Reddit

Don’t get me wrong, a good solid mouse it a must, especially if your a hardcore gamer, but $1200? I don’t think so. The ID Mouse from Intelligent design looks great and I’m sure it’s comfortable (at $1200 no wonder they won’t send us a review unit), but the last thing I want to do is spend more money on a mouse than I did on the whole fracking computer.

I’d be afraid to actually use this thing. It would sit behind glass, just for show. Plus, look at that finish, imagine all of the finger prints and smudges that would hold. Hey, if you have more money than you know what to do with go nuts, not me, this coming from the same guy who purchased his wife a $900 purse from Coach.

[Link to ID Mouse]

Sucker Alert: $1200 Mouse originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2009/10/27. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

© tech.nocr.at 2009 | Permalink | 2 Comments | Read more in Gadgets | Explore more in: ac, computer, design, ds, ea, finger, game, gamer, id, intel, loa, mouse, pen, prints, raid, rc, ripoff, sucker, tech.nocr.at, wrong | Add to del.icio.us | Stumble it | Reddit

A crafty Instructables user has written up a how-to on creating Tesla’s Spirit Radio, it even creeped out Tesla himself. The Spirit Radio uses a simple crystal radio circuit that us connected to a line-in jack of a computer to generate spooky sounds from all kinds of electromagnetic sources.

“My first observations positively terrified me as there was present in them something mysterious, not to say supernatural, and I was alone in my laboratory at night.” – Nikola Tesla 1901

“The sounds I am listening to every night at first appear to be human voices conversing back and forth in a language I cannot understand. I find it difficult to imagine that I am actually hearing real voices from people not of this planet. There must be a more simple explanation that has so far eluded me.” – Nikola Tesla 1918

Check out the video and decide for yourself if it’s science or supernatural. Halloween is around the corner, this will make an awesome party toy.

[Link to Spirt Radio How-To]

DIY: Tesla “Spooky Spirit” Radio originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2009/10/27. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

© tech.nocr.at 2009 | Permalink | Comments | Read more in Hacking And Security | Explore more in: ac, circuit, computer, diy, ds, ea, id, instructable, ir, irc, jack, loa, magnet, make, os, radio, rc, ring, sound, spirit radio, tech.nocr.at, tesla, tor, ui, video | Add to del.icio.us | Stumble it | Reddit

Since you can’t walk into to your favorite weapons store and pick up a phaser just yet, hacker Luke decided to build his own. He picked up a toy phaser from Amazon for about $20 ripped out the internals only choosing to reuse the trigger, top switch and battery pack.

The phaser contains two laser diodes which were pulled from a 6x BD-R burner. I sure hope that the burner was broken since purchasing a unit just for the sake of pulling the diodes out to put in a toy gun is very expensive. The two diodes are mounted on a swiveling carriage which can be turned 180 degrees to switch between the diodes. A boost driver is used to bump up the 3v that the batteries provide to 7v to drive the diodes.

Although you won’t be killing Kingons with this unit it does make one cool looking toy. Remember, don’t go firing it in peoples eyes, that will hurt. Check out the video after the break.

Phaser Boasts 300mW Laser originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2009/10/26. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

© tech.nocr.at 2009 | Permalink | One Comment | Read more in Hacking And Security | Explore more in: ac, amazon, batteries, battery, boost, bump, car, drive, ds, ea, expensive, gun, hack, id, ir, laser, led, loa, make, os, pen, phaser, rc, ring, rip, switch, tech.nocr.at, tor, ui, video, weapons | Add to del.icio.us | Stumble it | Reddit

In case you missed anything this past week, we have everything from cooling with mineral oil to video editing on your iPhone. Enjoy.

Gadgets

Asus Keyboard PC

Gaming

Cool Your Xbox With Mineral Oil
PS3 Smashing Into A TV At 80 KMH
Open Source DS Bluetooth Adapter
Black Wii For The Brits
Rock Band For iPhone Now Available

Hacking and Security

Remote Control That’s Impossible To Lose
DIY: Build A Solar Power Station
PS3 Laptop
Hard Drive Lock Pick

Mac

Dead: ZFS For The Mac
Rebel EFI: A Thorn In Apples Side
ReelDirector: Video Editing For Your iPhone

Tech News

Project Eagle Claw: Taking Out The Scammers
Skype And Chrome Go Portable
Microsoft’s App Lab
Windows 7: Will You Upgrade?
B&N Nook Officially Released
Super Fast Robot Hands

In Case You Missed It: Week 42 Round Up originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2009/10/25. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

© tech.nocr.at 2009 | Permalink | Comments | Read more in Tech News | Explore more in: ac, amp, apple, asus, band, bluetooth, case, chrome, control, dead, diy, drive, ds, ea, editing, fast, Gaming, hack, hacking, hard drive, id, iphone, ir, key, keyboard, laptop, loa, lock, Mac, microsoft, mineral oil, nook, open, open source, os, pc, pen, phone, portable, power, ps3, rc, rebel efi, remote, remote control, robot, rock, rock band, roundup, rss, scammer, security, skype, smash, solar, tech.nocr.at, tor, ui, video, weekly, wii, wind, windows, windows 7, xbox, zfs | Add to del.icio.us | Stumble it | Reddit

The guys over at PortableApps.com have been turning out great portable apps for years now. Apps that you can easily put on a USB flash drive and run from any machine. All of the software that they offer is open source, until now that is.

PortableApps has decided to add a handful of closed source apps like Skype and Chrome to their list of offerings. Project lead John T. Haller offered a number of reasons for the move, ending with “it’s the right thing to do. Keeping an open platform and allowing all software to compete on a level playing field just makes sense.”

Besides fan favorites Chrome and Skype, Free Commander, SpyDLLRemover and 2x Terminal were added. IcoFX, XMPlay and a few others are expected soon.

[link to PortableApps.com]

Skype And Chrome Go Portable originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2009/10/23. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

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If you own an iPhone 3GS then you know how nice it is to be able to trim video clips right on your phone. At the very least that should get you a somewhat semi-professional video that doesn’t have a lot of fluff at the beginning or end of your clip. What if you wanted to do more? What if you wanted to do a transition or add a title? You were forced to use a computer to do your editing. Well with the release of ReelDirector you will now be able to all that and more right from your iPhone 3GS.

Final Cut Pro or Express it’s not, but it does give you some nice control and some nice editing features. Think of it as a stripped down version of iMovie. You won’t be recording and editing an award winning piece with this app, but you will be able to clean up and add some effects to those short clips before you post them on you tube.

[Link to ReelDirector]

ReelDirector: Video Editing For Your iPhone originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2009/10/22. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

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What happens when you throw a Sony PS3 into a 46-inch Bravia KDL46X 3100 LCD TV? Total destruction. What purpose does throwing a gaming unit at a TV at 80 Km/h? Well I really don’t think it has anything to do with scientific research. Could it be a viral marketing video for Sony Australia’s new “buy a Bravia get a PS3″ campaign? I think so Sony, I see right through you.

Sit back and enjoy the video after the break. It sure beats smashing your Wii-mote into your TV.

PS3 Smashing Into A TV At 80 KMH originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2009/10/22. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

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With Windows 7 officially released, will you be getting up early to purchase your copy?

It has been a long time coming (I really don’t count Vista as a usable operating system), a stable a somewhat decent OS from Microsoft. Let’s be honest, the form and function of the new OS from the boys at Redmond is no big secret. Reviews and betas of Windows 7 have been around since January of this year, hell, I’ve been running it on my HP laptop for the past few months, but the question is will the general public bite? Will they head out in mass to grab their copies and upgrade their systems?

Let’s take a quick look at your options. If you purchase a new machine instead of upgrading your current computer you’ll get away with a free copy, that’s your best bet. If you decide to not go down that route you’ll be dishing out on the high end, $319 for the Ultimate edition and not that much more less for any of the other usable versions of Windows 7. I think they have completely missed the boat again. With Apple selling a single complete version of Snow Leopard for $29 how can anyone justify paying over $300 for an operating system?

It’s not a big secret that I’m not a big fan of Microsoft, but I will give them credit. Windows 7 has a lot of the look and feel of Vista with the stability of a 2000 or XP. They tried to bring their UI into the 21st century with Vista and it failed miserably. It ran sluggish and had it’s issues, but this time I think they have a winner. Welcome back to the game Microsoft, you can now join the usability ranks of OS X, Gnome and KDE.

What will you do? You gonna run out and pick up your copy of Windows 7 today? Let us know in the comments.

Windows 7: Will You Upgrade? originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2009/10/22. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

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Gordan Savicic and Gottfried Haider of DSbrut have just released their open source bluetooth adapter for the Nintendo DS. The adapter will allow the DS to interface to other bluetooth devices like GPS units and keyboards. This should really open up the homebrew scene.

Almost two years in the making, we’re happy to finally release our DS Bluetooth adapter. The tiny Slot-1 cartridge allows you to hook up the Nintendo DS wirelessly with other devices such as GPS-receivers, robots and so forth. Today we’re making all materials of the project openly available, including the schematics and a GPL-licensed software library for the Nintendo DS, because we believe in open hardware design and want to encourage collaboration in the hardware hacking community.

In our design, we use a tiny ATmega168 microcontroller to make the Nintendo DS speak to the RN-41 Bluetooth SMD module by Roving Networks. Using this piece of hardware the Nintendo DS can scan its neighbourhood and establish connections to other Bluetooth devices (supporting SPP). The module can also be remotely connected to, allowing for a range of interesting applications. We also developed a software library for the Nintendo DS, making it easy to use this new Bluetooth interface.

[Link to Open Source Bluetooth DS Adapter]

Open Source DS Bluetooth Adapter originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2009/10/20. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

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Rumour has it that Apple is working on a radio app for the iPhone and the Touch. The app will be similar to what they developed for the iPod Nano. That includes the ability to pause like streams and to fast forward when you decide to resume.

Radio apps for the iPhone are nothing new. Wunder Radio is probably the one single app I use the most. It gives you the ability to listen to 10,000+ radio stations from around the world. I’m sure Apple will build in some sort of revenue model into this. Something like the ability to click on a song your listening to and it will then give you the option to purchase it from the iTunes store.

Apple Working On Radio App originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2009/10/16. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

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Why would you want that sleek modern looking iPod or Archos portable media player when you can have this 1970′s styled Q10 from MyRacer? Just look at that volume knob that sticks out, just like your parents old record player.

Don’t let the retro look fool you. This old school media player supports all the major formats you would expect like divx, xvid, mp3, aac and even wmv. It comes with 4GB of internal storage and a 3-inch touchscreen.

No idea on pricing yet but expect to pay 2009 dollars for this one.

70′s PMP originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2009/10/13. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

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Google CEO Eric Schmidt has already announced the arrival of Google’s web browser Chrome for the Mac in a couple of months, but if you can’t wait that long you can run a surprisingly stable early version of the fast browser right now. This isn’t even considered a beta yet so don’t start to cry if you run into any bugs.

Just a friendly warning. Although the early release seems pretty stable there are some things that still aren’t working properly or are lacking like certain privacy features. I wouldn’t go using this to do any online banking but if you want to use a browser that is super fast for general browsing it’s good enough.

You can also grab the nightly builds of Chromium which is the open source part of Chrome.

[Link to dev release of Google Chrome for the Mac]

Use Chrome On Your Mac Now originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2009/10/13. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

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I grew up playing 8 bit games. Gaming systems like the NES and good old fashion arcade games really allowed you to separate the men from the boys, not these fancy games the kids now-a-days have.

When I stumbled across the Gemei X760+ I was elated and over joyed. Come on now, it starts with an X and has a + in the name. Once I found out that it also has a whole bunch of emulators that played such classics from the NES, SNES, Genesis, GB GBA and arcade classics I was sold. Then I stumbled across the fact that you can also play video and mp3′s and you could even pump it all out to a TV via it’s TV out port, well, I wanted 2 of them. All this joy for only $81. Go get yours now.

Gemei X760+ Multi Platform Portable Gaming System

Gemei X760+ Portable 8 Bit Gaming originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2009/10/08. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

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Yep, you heard me correctly, a nuclear battery. Researchers at the University of Missouri have created super tiny nuclear power sources that can be used as batteries. Dead gadgets and XBox 360 controllers will soon be a thing of the past.

The secret to these tiny power plants is the use of new liquid semiconductors instead of solid ones. Don’t think you can run out and pick a set up at Radio Shack just yet. The current focus is on powering nano electromechanical systems not your digital camera. Which in my opinion might be a good idea. We have all heard of cell phone and laptop batteries exploding, imagine if something goes wrong with one of these. You’ll have a lot more to worry about than burn wounds.

Nuclear Battery In Your Pocket originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2009/10/08. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

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If you have been holding out on buying that new 1080p HD TV because you know that 4K TVs are only around the corner then your wait is over. It will definitely cost you though, around $76,000 to be exact.

This Sony 4K 56-inch TV sports a 3840×2160 resolution. Thats 4 times the size of full resolution HD TV. You could div up your screen into quads and still watch 4 HD streams at the same time. It might just be cheaper to purchase 4 HD TVs to be honest with you.

Like the title says only $76,000 and this could be yours, a bit pricy but just think of all the AV cred you’d build up with one of these in your Mom’s basement.

4K TV Only $76,000 originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2009/10/07. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

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The Pirate Bay was forced to move outside of Sweden this past Friday. Their first move was to the Ukraine but that ended up being short lived and now have found a new residence inside of a Nuclear Bunker.

The CyberBunker is a former military nuclear warfare bunker located in The Netherlands. The bunker was built by NATO in the 1950′s as a place for people to survive a nuclear war (I’m sure it was for the politicians and not the common folk). Once the threat of nuclear war went away so did the need to keep it running. It was sold to it’s current owners and is now used as a web hosting data center.

CyberBunker is fully equipped with EMP shielding and has an air filtration system that will keep out any Nuclear, Biological or Chemical agents.

The Pirate Bay Relocates To A Nuclear Bunker originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2009/10/07. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

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A crafty Instructables users has figured out that by using a pair of spining hard drives you can create the same gyroscopic effect that the pros use to keep their cameras nice and steady. A camera stabilizer is perfect for taking those steady shots when your conditions might be less than favorable for doing so, like driving in a car or running (think paparazzi).

Although I wouldn’t say this is a beginners project, it’s not too hard to pull off and your materials list can probably already be found around your house.

• Needed: 2 discarded harddisks (HDs)
• Some old discarded computer, or parts
• The part in the old computer which holds floppies en HDs at a 90 degree angle…
• A wooden box or plywood etc..
• A hand grip
• One or two strips of aluminum
• A camera screw
• 3 or 4 car USB phone chargers
• A 12 V power source (lead acid cell, a discarded NiCd cell, or (rechargeable) batteries)
• Some rubber washers and a piece of inner tire
• Contact glue

A little bit of soldering experience, some free time and $50 in parts you too can build yourself this image stabilizer. Just remember, if you plan a career change and decide to become a paparazzi, everyone else around you will give you some weird looks if you run around with this thing.

[Link to Gyro Image Stabilizer]

DIY Image Stabilizer originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2009/10/07. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

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No, this isn’t the original Bedazzler stud rhinestone machine but an open source non-lethal weapon. Modeled after The Dazzler (a $1 million sea-sick flashlight), the Bedazzler can be built for under $250 and will easily cause nausea, dizziness, headaches, flash-blindness, eye pain and vomiting. Based on that don’t be an idiot and point it at people, use it in self defense situations only.

This is a great Arduino project for all of you out there who really love blinking LEDs. All of the schematics and PCB files are up on Instructables

Mad props to ladyada for the deisgn.

Bedazzler – DIY Non-Lethal Weapon originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2009/10/05. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

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