Month: May 2005

Nokia 770 SDK

May 27, 2005 by 16 Comments

nokia770hand770hand

Yes, this has been covered heavily. Not nearly enough noise has been made about how easy hacking this device is. Nokia has opened up almost everything even placing the graphics under a Creative Commons license. Nokia has also constructed a firm foundation to develop on. Underneath everything is a Debian based system with a 2.6.11 kernel. Debian is one of the largest binary distributions mainly because of its apt package management system. Apt will make it really easy to get new software and keep the installed software updated. A modern kernel means the device will be able to keep up with developing technologies like bluetooth and usb. The next layer is an Xserver. This is not a pda and Nokia has decided not to use technologies like Qtopia or Opie for  the application layer. This will make porting graphical apps much easier and with the addition of Gtk they will also have a consistent look. If you’re worried about the ARM processor support, just check out all of the programs that people ported for the Zaurus.

The best news for you is that Nokia has set up a comprehensive development site. It describes the underlying software layers and how to set up the development environment to emulate the device. It even has a walkthrough for how to port applications to the device. As an example they show how to port Gaim, which is funny because most places have reported that IM support won’t be released until 2006. If Nokia does a good job building in support for Microsoft htpcs, iTunes control, and Tivo control I think this device will be certain to take off. I’d like to see someone make an electronic programming guide that you could use to change the channels on the tv and schedule recordings instead of the intrusive on-screen-displays used by most cable boxes. If anything it will be nice to hang out on the couch reading news and ebooks without having to use my genital scorching Dell.

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Hackaday Lazy Afternoons

May 27, 2005 by 41 Comments

Lazy Afternoons

big ups fellow hackers! It’s beautiful out and Im currently in NJ at a starbucks finishing the podcast with jason. I’ll be headed to Ohio tonight to go to Cedar Point roller coaster park (read: longggg road trip) but aside from that, Jason and I have the Podcast 99% done. We’re busting our ass so that it will be ready for you by later today. Promise. It will be without a doubt the single best podcast you have ever heard and we hope you enjoy it. It’s got an NPR-program feel to it. it’s insanely enjoyable. it’s got interviews. it’s got everything.

jason will change this text to the RSS link you’ve requested and the download link will be here also. keep checking back every hour. i wont be able to post it because of the travelling. <3

now of course I wouldn’t leave you guys hanging without some totally sweet links!
blogebrity says i’m a b-lister. rock.
aww how cute. make your own pro action replay [daniel]
ipod dock pin layout for you rockers. [nickIQ]
the claim to free wifi. hmm. true? [downloader38]

flash drive pez (always a favorite) [megabite1]
a very cool linux hard drive mod! [usergentoo]

and…salmon in the dishwasher. [xfred]

as for your easy to do hack? simple. very simple.
want to get your site hacked? easy.

Step #1. Create a bit-torrent site.
Step #2. Wait.
Step #3. Call a lawyer

See? It’s that easy. The FBI just will come right in along with ICE and that will be that. you got h@x0r3d. nuff said. enjoy the podcast. we’ll have the RSS url for you too. and instead of yelling at me for the above “hack”, watch systm and smile.

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Cat-5 Speaker Cables

May 26, 2005 by 59 Comments

cat5 speaker cable

Braiding 108 individual copper strands together is not my idea of fun, blistering my hands in the process isn’t a bonus either. If you’ve spent enough money on your audio system to even begin to think that the cables are the weak link in the chain, this is the project for you. Chris VenHaus starts with 14 lengths of Cat-5, strips off the jackets, and then braids the twisted pairs three at a time until the whole mess becomes one cable. That’s just one though, you’re going to have to do another one for the negative side. It does take some time, but it will get you out of paying the huge premium on audiophile quality cables and you’ll end up with very competitive sounding cables. I would try this, but my Aiwa shelf system with the masking tape across the changer tray probably wouldn’t benefit that much from an upgrade. Of course if someone makes a DIY braiding machine I’d be all over this.

[thanks sine~language]

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Hackaday Links

May 26, 2005 by 16 Comments

Links

while waking up today and thinking of hacker culture and music that’s associated with it, i had a profound revelation: i should get breakfast and cook up some links. yes.

a sweet link to start with! DIY home control lcd panel [ken]
build your own skype phone [christoffer]
pong keeps evolving. somehow. [carpespasm]
turn that old milli vanilli mixtape into a usb cassette tape! [mcr]
someone wanna explain how the japanese are getting away with this one?

this has to be the most ghetto flashlight in the world. [injulen]
for you pc users with geforces and pipelines [brandon]
make your own not-so-ghetto segway [jordan]

and by the way, if this e-mail address looks familiar sanam_100002000@yahoo.com then your pal sahil at mr_sahil_sco@yahoo.com requested that we hack your yahoo id. be sure to thank him. <3

in fact. going through the mass ammount of emails you guys have sent me, you’re so in for it for the podcast. we probably wont have time to go through every one.

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Abusing Amazon’s Dynamic Image Generator

May 25, 2005 by 6 Comments

amazon image

I’ve wondered about the crazy image URLs Amazon uses before, but not more than a few seconds. It seems a Peanuts fan decided to get to the bottom of it. Nat Gertler has deciphered the meanings  of most of the values that show up in Amazon URLs. It’s really simple to try out. Just pick out an image URL and start dropping in options: You can change the value and color of the percentage off bullet. Rotate the image to an arbitrary angle. Add “search inside” and “look inside” banners wherever you want. You can even view the original cover the book was submitted with.  Many of these options can be doubled up too. I can’t really think of what the “killer app” for this is, but it is fun to see the mechanisms behind web applications that have to serve thousands of people.

[via boingboing]

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Hackaday Lazy Afternoons

May 25, 2005 by 12 Comments

Lazy Afternoons

hello people. readers. hackers. jason and i have been crunching to get the podcast done so it can be released to you friday. we are telling you right now though it will be the best podcast ever. period. we have interviews via skype, we have hacking news, we have discussions, we have you guys calling into our number 206-888-HACK and leaving voicemails. keep doing it. we read the dumb e-mails you guys have sent us. it’s a great show and about an hour long so far. yeah thats right, an hour long.

it is most certainly a rainy afternoon though. im lazy. you’re lazy. we’re all going to sit around playing halo 2 with the exploits arent we? right. hence why i’ve brought you links to distract you away from your xbox for 5 seconds.

PWOT showcases the gamer’s manifesto (mild language like you care)
get a little usb action in your car [weirdguy0101]
make a frosted-glass pc case! very cool looking.
bring back your power wheels from the dead by making a new battery [ScottyB]

GPS AND TRON. NEED I SAY MORE? [toto]
really dirty (read: dangerous) marx generator [carpespasm]

so you’ve got your pizza, you’ve got your links for toppings, now what? oh that’s right. an easy to do hack! you got it buddy. this one actually comes from one of yesterday’s links.

the $1 laser light show sent in by [ahanda]
since im not shelling out $30 for Quicktime Pro 7, you’ll have to go to the site and check out the insanely awesome video. basically, you’re doing this:

Step 1. Get a laser pointer. the keychain kind you used to piss people off with at the movies.
Step 2. Break a CD that you don’t like (read: kenny g) and get a nice little triangle piece out of it.
Step 3. Bust out the bass. Whether it be your living room or 1988 honda accord with 12″s in the trunk, you’ll need a subwoofer with the speaker exposed.

This image sums up the rest. Watching the movie also helps. Now that’s a damn good laser light show for cheap!
laser diagram

 Enjoy people. Keep an eye out friday for the podcast. I’ll also dig up the proper podcast url for you RSS addicts.

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Shadow’s Dexterous Hand

May 24, 2005 by 11 Comments

shadow hand

The Shadow Robot Company is now offering its Dexterous Hand for public sale. The joints are powered by the company’s Air Muscles, usually in pairs to provide a variable grip. The Air Muscle is a rubber tube encased in a “Chinese finger trap” style plastic webbing. When the muscle is inflated with compressed air it contracts. This simple system results in a 400:1 power to weight ratio. The bundle of muscles required to operate the hand makes for a very large Popeye-esque forearm so we probably won’t be seeing anything humanoid based on this anytime soon. They have GPL’d control code available though so anybody that wants to start developing for this will probably have a pretty easy time. You still have to justify paying an “arm and a leg” for a hand. The site has some good movement videos for you to check out. Just don’t mimic the movements; there’s a reason robots can’t feel pain.

[via Future Feeder]

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