Hot Electronics Posts
How To: Create a radiation detector using a digital camera and a plastic scintillator
If you're interested in creating a dosimeter using simple tools, take a look at this video. Using a digital camera, a plastic scintillator, and some tape a radiation dosimeter can be crafted allowing for radiation information to be collected with simple materials.
News: New Smart TVs Know What You're Watching, Help Serve You More Targeted Ads Online
Behavioral ad targeting companies are diving deeper into the realms of your subconscious with a new approach to serving adverts to you online—and they're using your television.
How To: Add Mic Input and Headphones Output to Samsung HMX-T10 Camcorder
This is the cheapest device to gather interviews as a small, easy-to-carry recorder. I started to use it for preproduction and film documentation after I bought it in a Polish discount shop for about 100 Euro. The only problem was very poor sound quality.
News: Copycat Apple Stores Emerge in China (Don't Let Them Fool You!)
It's no secret that Apple has retail stores in China, along with a large amount of Premium and Authorized Resellers. But a recent post by blogger BirdAbroad has caused quite a commotion in the world of all things Apple, claiming that in her home city of Kunming, there is another breed of Apple Store locations... "Un"Authorized ones.
News: Japan's Flying, Tumbling Reconnaissance Sphere Soars at 37 MPH
Flying orbs. At first, you might think of the Tall Man and his army of flying sentinel spheres, equipped with zombie brains and a mini-arsenal of saw blades, drill bits and shooting lasers. But these flying orbs weren't conceived from the evil mind of a superhuman mortician—they were designed by Fumiyuki Sato, a researcher at the Japanese Defense Ministry's Technical Research and Development Institute—for something other than deadly deeds.
News: FakeTV Keeps Burglars Away by Mimicking Television Light and Scene Changes
In the last decade, burglary rates in the United States have fluctuated little with over 2 million burglaries each year. In 2009, nearly three quarters of all burglaries were from residential properties, with over sixty percent being forcible entry. But we all know burglars don't like confrontation—they prefer breaking into apartments and houses when its owners are away. And that's why it's a must for apartment dwellers and homeowners to be on the defensive, even when they're not home.
News: Revolutionary "Light Field Camera" Lets You Focus After the Picture Is Taken
Focusing has always been a problem with photographers, and even with today's digital cameras it's not easy. The most obvious problem is trying to accurately focus on the subject before exposure. Next, you have to choose the correct aperture size in relation to the depth of field, and make sure you're using the correct exposure. Then there's lens aberrations, where a certain ray of light does not converge to a single focal point in the desired image, resulting in some light leaking away from t...
Coming Soon: Spy Video Glasses with Real Time Streaming to... Facebook?
Lady Gaga and Polaroid's upcoming Grey Label Camera Glasses can record video and snap pictures, but who really wants to show the world what they're up too on those mini LCD screens? It's nothing more than a fancy gimmick between a pop star and a failing company. Isn't the intention of camera glasses to capture things around you as they are? Drawing attention to yourself with clunky video-displaying eyewear kind of defeats the purpose, but that's why they're "fashion" glasses and not practical...
News: The World's First Teensy, Weensy 3D Printed Bikini
For the hefty price of $200 and up, you can be the proud owner of the world's first 3D printed bikini. And not just the first bikini, but reportedly the first functional and affordable item of ready-to-wear 3D printed clothing on the market. Created by Continuum Fashion, the N12 3D printed bikini is revolutionary because it addresses the technical challenge of creating flexible "textiles" with 3D printed material. The bikini is made of a material called Nylon 12, which is entirely waterproof.
How To: Make a handtrap for your DSLR out of the standard neck strap
Watch this video to learn a clever trick for turning the standard neck strap from your Canon DSLR into a hand/ shoulder strap. Carry your camera more comfortably once you've seen this video and put the knowledge you gain to use.
Tactile Communication: The Tickle-Me iPhone & Remote French Kissing
In recent years, communication has become more intimate with the advent of applications like Skype and FaceTime, but what about the longing for actual physical contact? What if you could feel a loved one's hand, or even exchange a kiss? Impossible, right?
News: New Biometric Device Steals Fingerprints from 6 Feet Away
Dactyloscopy isn’t going anywhere. Forensic science has much relied on fingerprinting as a means of identification, largely because of the massive amount of fingerprints stored in the FBI’s biometric database (IAFIS), which houses over 150,000 million prints. And thanks to the departure of messy ink-stained fingertips, biometric analysis isn’t just for solving crimes anymore.
How To: Use the Xfinity TV app to watch TV on your iPad, iPhone, or iPod Touch
Watch this video to learn how to use the Xfinity TV app from Comcast. Once you've configured the application, you'll be able to watch TV from anywhere, on an iPhone, iPod Touch, or iPad. This video will explain how to set up and use the Xfinity app.
How To: Give your mp3 player speakers by hacking a radio
Are you tired of keeping all the music on your mp3 player to yourself? Share it with the world by hooking your mp3 player up to a radio and using the speakers for output. This simple radio hack of connecting a capacitor to the potensiometer will bring you endless hours of music enjoyment.
How To: Make a quick and easy iPod stand out of a plastic fork
A few simple adjustments can turn a boring old plastic fork into a terrific iPod stand. Give your hards a break and watch videos on your iPod using this iPod stand. You'll be glad you kept those plastic forks laying around!
How To: Use a metal detector to find gold and gold nuggets
This video will show you how to use a metal detector to look for gold. There are gold nuggets in rivers and hillsides all over the United States, waiting for you to find them. With the proper equipment and a little know how, you can strike gold!
Amazing Invention of the Day: The Fastidious Icky Goo Scooper
Outstanding advancements in medicine and super creepy Androids aren't the only jaw-dropping inventions out there. Every once in a while, an incredibly random—and at first glance, seemingly useless—device comes along and strikes a chord of strangely deep satisfaction. Behold, the SWITL, a mysterious goo-scraper robot hand created by factory equipment manufacturer Furukawa Kikou: From what I can glean from a very rough Google translation, it sounds like the SWITL was developed for food producti...
News: The Stupid Orchestra
How can an orchestra be stupid, one may ask? Well, when musically measuring a toaster next to a cello, one device certainly comes across as inherently… dumber. Think 200 vintage vacuum cleaners, blenders and washing machines assembled into a whirling, ringing, humming cacophony of daily function. It's not exactly music to the ears, but a kind of robotic harmony is formed.
How To: Repair a blown subwoofer
OK, you've done it, you've blasted your DJ set just a little too loud and now your speakers are dust. Well, before you rush out and replace them, why not try repairing them on your own? That's right, with this how to video you can take the necessary steps and breath new life back into that fried speaker. You'll need a soldering iron, the appropriate gauge wire, and some time. This project isn't quick and it's not necessarily easy either, but you'll feel good when you've saved your speakers. B...
How To: Fix broken home button on iPod touch
So you want to go home eh? Just can't seem to get there? Well, if you're dealing with a broken home button on an iPod touch this can be a frustrating challenge that can leave you wanting to hurl your device across the room. Well, worry no more. This video will get you home quicker than you can click your ruby slippers together. It's easy too, and doesn't require you pulling your device apart, soldering wires or buying replcement parts. Fortunately, the problem is a software one, so fixing it ...
News: Print Yourself in 3D
Since the early genesis of the brilliant Microsoft Kinect hack, inventive applications have been popping up nonstop. One of the most fascinating projects to surface recently falls within the realm of 3D printing. "Fabricate Yourself"—a hack presented at the Tangible, Embedded and Embodied Interaction Conference in January—allows users to pose in front of an Xbox Kinect, which then converts a captured image into a 3D printable file. What does this mean exactly? Think Han Solo trapped in carbon...
Size Matters: World's Largest Touchscreen Hacked Together with Ordinary Hardware
It's gigantic! It can handle over 100 simultaneous touch points! It has a curvature of 135 degrees! And best of all, it is not the newest, insanely expensive gadget to hit the market. Instead, this touchscreen was hacked together with a bunch of PCs, video cameras, projectors and cheap infrared illuminators at the University of Groningen, in the Netherlands. It works like this: "The cameras, illuminators and projectors are all placed behind a large, cylindrical screen (formally used as a 3D t...
How To: Watch Hulu on iPod touch
If you're a fan of Hulu and want to take the service with you wherever you go, you now can. You'll need to subscribe to Hulu+, a monthly subscription service which will allow you to stream lots of Hulu's content right on your hand held device, such as an iPhone or iPod touch. Check it out today and get that Hulu goodness! You will be limited a bit with some of your selection, so you may want to find out first if your favorite show will be available.
News: Mind Screw! Shifting Reality = Endless Interior Decor Possibilities
You have two choices for keeping your living room looking fresh: A. constantly update the decor by tripping out on acid—NOT recommended—or B. paint your living room white and get two video projectors. Created by Mr. Beam:
How To: Use all the functions of a Canon 60D camera
The Canon 60D is a very popular, powerful, and cheap camera for those looking to get into high-end digital photography. If you've got one and need some help on using it's many functions, check out this video for a tutorial on the many buttons and tools in your camera.
How To: Use the buttons and menus to set up your Nikon D7000 camera
The Niknon D7000 is a hot new camera, and figuring out how to use it fast after you get it is key to getting the most out of it. This two-part series will show you how all of the buttons, menus, and other functions come together and how to set up the camera for ideal shooting.
How To: Use the menu system on the Nikon D3100 DSLR
The Nikon D3100 is not the simplest camera in the world, and being able to use it's menu system effectively will help you use your photography time much more efficiently. This video will show you how the menu system works and how you can use it as well as possible.
How To: Use the Autofocus on a Nikon D3100 DSLR Camera Correctly
The autofocus functions showing up on new DSLR cameras are quite useful if you know how to use them. The Nikon D3100 is no exception, and this video will teach you about the different auto-focus modes and which ones you should use to make your pictures look as good as easily as possible.
How To: Give your digital photos better depth when using a flash
The flash is one of the most useful camera accessories you can have, but they also have a tendency to ruin perfectly good pictures, especially with digital cameras. This video will show you how to take shots with great depth and dimension even with a digital camera and flash by setting the flash length manually.
How To: Set up a hidden camera system
This video shows you how to set up a mini wireless spy cam. Where you put it is up to you. Who you spy on is up to you. If you're wanting to keep an extra set of eyes on someone, watch and learn. So whether you're looking to put a camera in your bathroom or garage, go for it.
How To: Set up a mini hidden camera easily
This video shows you how to set up and hide mini wireless spy camera. Where you put it is up to you. Who you spy on is up to you. If you're wanting to keep an extra set of eyes on someone, watch and learn. Whether it's your bathroom or kitchen, put your eyes on the prize.
How To: Transfer jailbroken apps from a computer to iPod touch
This video will show you how to move apps from a computer to your iPod Touch 2G. In fact, there are two methods on this video, so check out both and see which one works best for you. Enjoy it!
How To: Put Aircrack on iPod touch/iphone with cyberduck
This video will show you how to install Aircrack on your iPod touch. Aircrack is a network suite designed to crack WEP and WPA keys. Though the project was shut down by its creator, you can still follow this video and learn how to do it.
How To: Install Aircrack on an iPod touch
This video will show you how to install Aircrack on your iPod touch. Aircrack is a network suite designed to crack WEP and WPA keys. Though the project was shut down by its creator, you can still follow this video and learn how to do it.
How To: Control your PS3 with your iPod touch
This video shows you how-to connect your iPod touch to your PS3. Once connected you'll be able to use your iPod to control some features and play you music library through your Sony PS3. Check it out and connect your devices!
How To: Get the best backgrounds for iPod Touch or iPhone without jailbreaking
If you'd like to get some custom wallpapers for your iPhone or iPod Touch without jailbreaking your device, this video will teach you how to do it. Follow the steps to soup up your device the way YOU want it, as opposed to Apple.
How To: Create your own iPhone/iPod themes with DIY Themes
If you're tired of the standard themes on your iPhone or iPod and would like to change them without jailbreaking your phone then check out this video to see how to do it. You'l be using an app called DIY themes to make any theme you want!
How To: Restore a disabled or locked iPod or iPhone
This video will show you how-to restore a disabled (aka:locked) iPod or iPhone. Your Apple device won't do you any good sitting there dead, so watch this video and see how to bring it back to life. You'll need to connect ot a laptop that has internet connectivity.
How To: Jailbreak iPod Touch/iPhone 1G, 2G, 3G, or 4G
Here is a little video on how to jailbreak your iPod Touch 1G, 2G, 3G, and the iPhone 1G, 2G, and 3G. Note, the 4G has not yet been updated for this jailbreaker. Get your iPhone or iPod touch out of jail with this simple how-to.
How To: Shoot a timelapse with a Canon DSLR camera
In this video tutorial from renowned DSLR cinematographer Philip Bloom and the staff of Vimeo, we receive some tips on how to shoot a timelapse with a DSLR like the Canon 7D, T2i (550D) or 5D Mark II.