Owner: Technological View of Tommorrow URL:http://www.blogurself.com Join Date: Mon, 07 May 2007 19:46:24 -0500 Rating:0 Site Description: The rotting world of technology explained and reviewed for your reading pleasure! Site statistics:Click here
Yahoo to be taken over by Microsoft 2007-05-07 14:51:46 A year ago, the two companies were reportedly in talks about a
merger, but those conversations were dismissed as rumors and
speculation.
Well, here’s Microsoft
and Yahoo
2.0.
A pairing in the spirit of a superhero teamup could happen if the
latest chatter about Yahoo and Microsoft proves true.
Once again, a potential merger is being considered, as neither company has
made gains against Google’s search and advertising dominance.
The Wall Street Journal said last year’s talks have become this
year’s discussions.
Both Yahoo and Microsoft have been rejiggering
their online advertising products, but have not been able to eat
into Google’s lead.
“Short of a wholesale merger, Microsoft could spin its online
group into a separately-run Yahoo, in return for a Yahoo stake,”
the WSJ said. “Though a person familiar with the matter says
Microsoft would likely want to acquire Yahoo.”
That was taken from one of those annoying spam emails which i r
Ebay & Xbox 360 Issues 2007-05-07 12:55:27 I recently purchased an Xbox
360.
It was a special package comprising of a Premium console, 8 Games, DVD remote and an extra wireless controler (All items where listed as brand new) So i thought yeah what the heck and used the “Buy it now” feature, Thinking everything should be fine this guy has 25+ Positive feedback so there shouldnt be a problem.
Well 4 weeks later i received a used premium console, with 3 games and no extras… I was absolutely shattered.
During this whole process i was emailing and staying in contact with the seller about how everyting was coming along and for this to happen was just the most dissapointing thing, So i emailed him saying “what the hell” and i got this response saying how this has been an issue with a supplier and it will take over a month to fix.
So i did what any experienced Ebay member would do and reported an item “Not as described” Well.. After another 4 weeks ebay finally got back to me asking to go and Read more:Issues
Nintendo Scrambles to get back on top 2007-05-07 08:59:32 Nintendo hasnt had the best run over the last few years when it comes to Gaming consoles, When the Xbox & Playstation came out Nintendo simply got destroyed.
They just couldnt match the graphics processing and the consumers knew it, So they went for the competition.
However there Gameboy kept there share holders happy as it was doing as well as ever, with an abundance of new games and the Nintendo DS on the way, Nintendo was cruiseing along nicely. Then Dejavu seemed to happen for Nintendo, The PSP (Playstation portable) came out and they where forced to react with a cutting edge product.
As there marketshare dwindled away and people started to go “Whats a nintendo?”.
Nintendo went to work on a new gerneration of gaming which was released early this year called the Nintendo WII.
This put a “Hands on approach” on the gaming console enabling players to feel like they where actually doing what was on there screens with different controllers for different sport Read more:Nintendo
Hacking with Google Guide 2007-05-10 01:27:26 Google (http://www.google.com), can give lots of info to a hacker, to download files etc. The reason is because google has lots of options on its search engine.
Google search options.
Filetype: We can search for specific files ex. *.xls, *.doc, *.pdf, *.ps, *.ppt, *.rtf, *.db, *.mdb, *.cfg, *.pwd, *.dat , etc. usage ex.: Filetype:xls “pass”
Inurl: We can specify a word, and it will return us all urls which contains the word - usage ex.: inurl:admin
“Index of”: We can find directory listings of specific folders on servers-usage ex.: “index of” admin or index.of.admin
Site: We can find specific sites (domain names) ex. *.com, *.org, *.mi, *.gov, etc. - usage ex.: site:gov
Intitle: We can find specific urls with a specific title - usage ex.: intitle:library
Link: Allows us to check which site links to a specific site - usage ex.: link http://www.blogurself.com
Hacking
and stealing info.
By combining these options, we can get lots of infos and to steal f Read more:Google
, Guide
SATA Hard Drives 2007-05-09 15:45:38 This sounds like an ad for Gigabyte, but it’s more a backhander to other vendors. If you’re looking to build a new PC using SATA hard drives, I recommend looking for SATA data cables that lock and, at the moment, only Gigabyte provides them. I think the original SATA cable standards are bloody useless. Most basic SATA data cables fall off like a bride’s nigthie and the SATA power connector isn’t much better. If you use Western Digital hard drives, they come with the old standard four-pin Molex power connectors, which have far more grab than the SATA connectors.
This is the combination I use and it ensures I can move my desktop PCs around without dear that the data or power cables are going to fall out. So come on, other vendors: start producing locking SATA cables and, you drive manufacturers, put the four-pin Molex power sockets back so we can all rest easy.
Don’t Buy Fast Memory 2007-05-09 03:40:51 There’s plentry of noise at the moment about useing super-fast memory in your PC. As far as im concernced, it’s mostly a con. All you need is memory that matches the speed of your frontside bus (FSB) data stream. For example, an Intel Core 2 E63000 processor with its 1,066MHZ quad-pumped FSB only needs DDR2-533 memory to work optimally, necause the base clock speed for both is 266MHZ. Faster memory can make a small (No more then a couple of percent) Difference in performance, but can cost you up to four times the price of standar stuff. For example, 1GB of DDR2-533 memory on StaticICE goes for $77, while the same in DDR2-1066 sells for $315. With new DDR3 memory around the corner, the chances of your DDR2 lasting a motherboard upgrade in the future are slim, so you’re unlikely to get value from expensive memory purchase anyway. Unless, of course, you’re overclocking your PC’s processor. Read more:Memory
Keeping Anonymous online 2007-05-08 03:33:18 In todays world its all about privacy, and some people are going to alot of trouble to keep their IP Private. They’re doing this by using programs which automatically change their IP every 30 seconds, Online Proxys and other manual methods.
Now from my experience, the majority of people who use proxies are using them for the wrong reason. For example: They have been banned from a forum and want back in, Exploiting websites, Credit card fraud and alot worse. So whats my solution? A crackdown on how proxies operate and a stirct policy which hosts and ISPS must enforece. Dont get me wrong, i dont think all proxies are bad… But we need a method of making sure there not used for malicious purposes. Proxies do alot of good for people in countries like China who have restrictions on content they can view and so on, So i think its great that the people of China can now experience the World Wide Web like the rest of us. We have to make sure that proxies can be “watched over Read more:online
Overclocking 2007-05-11 04:39:06 I have to admit being a little surprised by the number of people out there still trying their hand at overclocking their PC’s. If you’re looking for a new CPU as the basis for a system you plan to overclock, Intel’s Core 2 Due e6300 looks to be, pound to pound, one of the better options. Reports are that it’s possible to get this CPU up from its 1.86GHz default clock speed up to 2.6GHz, about the same level as the E6700, which costs considerably more. X-bit Labs reports getting it to 2.94GHz (http://tinyurl.com/2gs3jx).
Of course, there are no gurantees when it comes to overclocking, but the E6300 us gaining a bit of a reputation as being an overclocker’s dream. So, if you plan to have a go, this is a relatively inexpensive chip to look at and play around with. Read more:Overclocking
Hacks to Unlock Vehicle Doors - Do they work? 2007-05-28 06:37:12
There are tons of hacks floating around the net these days that claim you can open vehicle doors using various methods. I haven’t tried any of them, and I am skeptical of most of them. I am sure that most of them use some tricks like a second person manning a second key fob, pressing it at the right moment.
The only one that seems technically feasible is the cell phone to cell phone one that has a remote person hold the key fob up to the phone as the second phone is held close to the car. Obviously the phone is meant to transmit audio and not the RF signal that the key fobs transmit. However all modern phones have a telecoil that allows the phone to interface with hearing aids. This coil might be able to pick up the RF that is transmitted by the fob when it is placed close enough.
Ok the next video has nothing to do with unlo Read more:Vehicle
, Doors
Automated Microcontroller Programmer 2007-05-27 06:15:35
ASTLAB has built an machine that automates programming microcontrollers. This could be a useful machine if you needed to make hundreds of pre-programmed microcontrollers. There is a tube of blank microcontroller chips on the right, and the programmed ones on the left. A motorized arm moves over to this tube and grabs a blank chip using a suction tool and drops it into a ZIF socket, a servo then closes the ZIF socket allowing the chip to be programmed. The arm then picks up the programmed chip and drops it into the tube of programmed chips.
It looks like the project is well documented, unfortunately I don’t understand the language and my trusty Google translator doesn’t help either. If someone wants to summarize it in English I would be appreciative.
Video after the jump.
Read more:Automated
, Microcontroller
, Programmer
The Riot Wheel 2007-05-26 09:13:24
The Riot Wheel looks like it’s straight out of Mad Max!
Video after the jump.
Name the Thing Contest - 5 2007-05-26 02:37:14
Congratulation to 56Effie and Kevin who were the winners last week.
The prize this week is a bluetooth dongle. If your computer doesn’t have bluetooth built in this dongle will allow you to do some Wiimote hacking.
This contest will run for this weekend only (May 26 - 27, 2007) . Ending time is based on central standard time. To enter, identify the item pictured above and give an example of what can be done with it. Please do not give the answer in the comments.
Send an email to contest @ hackedgadgets.com with “Name the Thing
” as the subject consisting of:
* The name of the item in the above picture
* An example of what the item pictured above can be used for
The winners will be chosen at random from all of the correct entries.
Below is a picture of the prize.
Read more:Contest
Dutchtronix AVR Oscilloscope Clock 2007-05-25 11:09:47
Dutchtronix is selling AVR Oscilloscope Clock
kits. No need to sit down for the kit price, at $35.00 this will make a great addition to any workbench!
Video after the jump.
“This AVR Oscilloscope clock is available as a kit, using all through hole components. The kit included ALL components necessary to assemble the board shown below, including a preprogrammed ATmega168 microcontroller. It does not include an oscilloscope. It also includes connectors for the Power and RS-232 headers on the board. The user can use these connectors to build the power and serial communication cables.”
Microcontroller Project Information 2007-05-24 13:39:58
Ross Smith from the University of South Australia gave an interesting microcontroller design presentation that contains some useful information for anyone that is considering using one in their next project.
“This presentation looks at how to develop your own custom microcontroller hardware from scratch. Often laptops and general purpose computers are too powerful and too large to use for simple hardware projects. Often you can perform tasks like controlling DC motors, stepper motors, switches, LCDs, LEDs, buzzers/speakers etc. efficiently and effectively using inexpensive/free microcontrollers. Other benefits such as extremely small size and ultra low power consumption are also inherent benefits of most popular microcontrollers.”
Read more:Microcontroller
, Project
Piezoelectric Lighter Accelerometer 2007-05-24 06:21:14
This Lighter Accelerometer hack by Bardlund demonstrates piezoelectric properties.
“Piezoelectricity is the ability of crystals and certain ceramic materials to generate a voltage in response to applied mechanical stress. Piezoelectricity was discovered by Pierre Curie and the word is derived from the Greek piezein, which means to squeeze or press. The piezoelectric effect is reversible in that piezoelectric crystals, when subjected to an externally applied voltage, can change shape by a small amount (for example, deformation of about 0.1% of the original dimension in lead zirconate titanate). The effect finds useful applications such as the production and detection of sound, generation of high voltages, electronic frequency generation, microbalances, and ultra fine focusing of optical assemblies.”
MIT Leonardo Robot 2007-05-23 06:57:28
What looks to be a cute bear is more that meets the eye. This MIT LeonardoRobot
packs some serious computing power.
Watch some videos of it in action, Video 1, Video 2, Video 3.
“Rather than requiring people to learn a new form of communication to interact with robots or to teach them, our research concerns developing robots that are natural for people to teach and collaborate with. In contrast to many statistical learning approaches that require hundreds or thousands of trials or labeled examples to train the system, our goal is for robots to quickly learn new skills and tasks from natural human instruction and few demonstrations. Once a task is learned, the robot should then be competent in its ability to provide assistance; understanding how to perform the task as well as how to perform it in partnership with a human. Leonardo has 61 degrees of freedom — 32 of those are in the face alone. As a result, Leonardo is capable of near-human facial expression.”
Pinewood Derby Finish Line Detector 2007-05-22 13:58:56
If you need to judge some Pinwood Derby races this Pinewood Derby Finish
Line Detector
project will give you some unbiased results. Schematics and details are provided on the site.
“A few years ago the finish line detector at my church’s AWANA Grand Prix track bit the dust. AWANA Grand Prix is the same thing as the Pinewood Derby to scouting folks. We did without for a couple years until I finally got all the pieces together for a new one. First I’ll explain the end product; then comment on my wish list for a future version. Special thanks to my coworkers Gerry Powell and David Fowler for their electrical engineering design help on this project.”
Thanks David.
Read more:Finish Line
MERLIN Robot 2007-05-22 06:10:43
At first MERLIN may look like a normal remote control car, looking closer you will notice a host of sensors bolted to the frame. These sensors allow the car to learn about its surroundings and perform things such as obstacle avoidance.
“MERLIN is controlled by 80C167 CR 16 bit-processor. The microprocessor is employed for interfacing sensor data acquisition, sensor data pre-processing, calculation of the control algorithms, and telecommunication with a remote control and monitoring station. The microcontroller, electronic circuits, motors, and sensors are supplied by a 7.2 V and 12 V NiMH batteries. Two motors on MERLIN, steering and driving dc motors, control the direction and the speed of the car. There are 3 modes of operations, path control, joystick control, and obstacle avoidance (collision avoidance)”
Read more:Robot
Robot Arm using Potentiometers and Servos 2007-05-30 05:31:12
This robot arm uses potentiometers to determine where the human arm is and then a servo controls the robot arm to match the position.
“Each joint on the master arm is a potentiometer(a variable resistor). A joystick port basically checks the resistance. By itself, this resistance means nothing, so I wrote a little routine that converts a resistance into an angle that the servos can understand.
To do this on the elbow for example, I straightened the master arm, and checked the resistance. Then I tried sending various numbers to the elbow servo until I figured out what number meant straight. I did the same for fully bent.
With these 4 numbers in hand I was able to write an equation that maps any angle on the master arm to a similar servo angle on the slave arm. I also used these numbers as hard limits on the values I sent to the slave arm.”
Read more:Robot
Parallax Propeller Chip Running Manic Miner 2007-05-29 05:46:52
Eight bit microcontrollers can get some real work done but the Parallax Propeller chip puts most microcontrollers to shame. The Parallax Propeller boasts eight - 32 bit processors on one chip! This example of ManicMiner
running on the Propeller is an example of the power this chip wields. Hook up a TV, keyboard and a handful of components and you are ready to get your game on! If you want to try it yourself Baggers has provided full code for the game.
Via: Pyrofer’s Projects (Thanks Pyrofer)
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