Domain of the geeks. Online place for computer programming, computer hardware, hardware hacking, hardware projects, vehicle modifications, general computer news and anything else of interest to computer geeks. http://geeksinside.com Thu, 20 Nov 2008 08:10:13 PSTThu, 20 Nov 2008 08:10:13 PSTs1axter@geeksinside.com (s1axter)en-us Copyright 2007 Geeksinside.com. All projects and images are copyright of the authors. GICBRSS http://www.geeksinside.com Tue, 16 Sep 2008 10:10:12 PDT http://www.danjuliodesigns.com posted his overview of hacking in two LEDs to the mag cover. The LEDs don't just blink they follow a pattern coded into the PIC firmware. Not a very large step from adding LEDs to changing the image sequence or having it do something else entirely.

http://www.danjuliodesigns.com/hacks/hacks.html

Also at the bottom of the article is a video of the LEDs in action.]]> http://geeksinside.com/view/391/Esquire-E-Ink-code-modified/#rss http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/geeksinside/~3/Od9MidBEJbE/http://geeksinside.com/view/391/Esquire-E-Ink-code-modified/#rss Tue, 09 Sep 2008 18:42:28 PDT http://mybitbox.com/view.php?p=11

From the post: "Tonight after work I soldered some wires onto the controller and downloaded and disassembled the firmware. It's all PIC asm so it's going to take some time to decode/modif, however expect some different animation sequences..."

Here's some photos: http://mybitbox.com/gallery/esquire_eink/
And a post on Makezine.com about the hardware: http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2008/09/esquire_eink_cover_hackin.html

Esquire site: http://www.esquire.com/the-side/video/e-ink-cover-video?click=pp

PikDev (Used to pull the code): http://pikdev.free.fr/]]> http://geeksinside.com/view/390/Esquire-eInk-code-disassembled/#rss http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/geeksinside/~3/LrGzkXA-Rfk/http://geeksinside.com/view/390/Esquire-eInk-code-disassembled/#rss Tue, 02 Sep 2008 19:47:50 PDT
I'm sure some people think GI is dead, and it kinda has been. Past visitors will notice this new index page and might think we are back with some cool new stuff. Sorry, not really the case, this page was made a while ago and I just tied it in tonight. The real story is I've always viewed GI as a non-blog blog, a site with projects and cool stuff, not just personal rants. Finding projects, doing writeups and keeping the site professional is a big job, not to mention I do all the behind scenes coding on it. Over the past five (and really two) years it's been a labor of love; tough love. I don't want to turn GI into a personal blog, and that's why I created a personal site: myBitBox.

After thinking about it I've decided to let GI sit...for now. All the posts will be viewable, comments will be allowed, tips can be submitted, however I'm not going to post religiously. I'm also not going to keep the other members of GI from posting, post if you want. Right now I have other things I want to focus on other than making a community site.

While GI is going static, make no mistake, it is not dead. You can't keep a crazy engineer with a web server down! So until then, thanks for reading and visit us again!

PS: Thanks for the tip Gio. If you are into audio at all, check out Gio's site http://diyAudioProjects.com, there are some really cool projects there, especially if you are into tubes ;-)

Also If you want some new sites to check out, visit myBitBox.com, teamev.com, and swingline.org!]]> http://geeksinside.com/view/389/Geeksinsidecom/#rss http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/geeksinside/~3/9E2ioDazMq4/http://geeksinside.com/view/389/Geeksinsidecom/#rss Fri, 25 Apr 2008 05:33:47 PDT
The desktop edition comes with many new features including Mozilla Firefox 3, the lastest Gnome desktop with all the features, an enhanced photo manager, better phone/camera recognition and better video support.

The server edition comes with advanced network infrastructure applications, integrated AppArmor policies and increased kernel hardening for advanced security. It also comes with integrated host firewalling and LikeWise Open for Windows Active Directory integration.

If you are thinking about giving linux a try at all, I highly recommend getting this version (if you have a previous release you should upgrade). I am already using Kubuntu myself. And if you are afraid of wiping out your Windows installation, do not fret! The ubuntu live cd is a great option to try before you install, and as an added bonus; if you like the experience, Ubiquity (the automatic installer) will resize your windows partition to make room without wiping it out.

The Canonical group is doing a great job at providing a linux version for the linux enthusiast, the power developer and the average user. You can get the versions here: http://www.ubuntu.com/
]]> http://geeksinside.com/view/388/Ubuntu-804-LTS-Hardy-Heron-/#rss http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/geeksinside/~3/qbcYqS1Ehcw/http://geeksinside.com/view/388/Ubuntu-804-LTS-Hardy-Heron-/#rss Wed, 09 Apr 2008 11:22:21 PDT The Onion, very funny.


In The Know: Are We Giving The Robots That Run Our Society Too Much Power? ]]> http://geeksinside.com/view/386/Are-we-giving-robots-too-much-power/#rss http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/geeksinside/~3/PKMi33QZY-s/http://geeksinside.com/view/386/Are-we-giving-robots-too-much-power/#rss Fri, 04 Apr 2008 12:40:19 PDT waste vegetable oil filtering & de-watering setup. The guy uses 2 55-gallon drums, heaters and an array of filters to get the waste vegetable clean enough for use in a diesel vehicle.

I've always been a fan of cheap renewable fuels and plan on doing a WVO/SVO vehicle...when I get a garage.]]> http://geeksinside.com/view/384/DIY-Vegetable-Oil-Filter-System/#rss http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/geeksinside/~3/5KAOizeK3KE/http://geeksinside.com/view/384/DIY-Vegetable-Oil-Filter-System/#rss Tue, 01 Apr 2008 09:09:29 PDT
Annoy anyone with this electronic cricket kit
Static shock shoe generator
Use this javascript to really annoy people

That's it for now, if you have a favorite geeky prank, post a comment here and let us know]]> http://geeksinside.com/view/383/April-fools-geeky-pranks/#rss http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/geeksinside/~3/vpwTN-_8MCA/http://geeksinside.com/view/383/April-fools-geeky-pranks/#rss Thu, 27 Mar 2008 10:27:47 PDT Make today about powering a small fluorescent light from a 1.5 volt AAA battery using a disposable camera. Cool stuff to know if you are ever in a crazy MacGyver situation.

http://www.josepino.com/circuits/index.php?fluorescent_light.jpc
http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2008/03/diy_4watt_fluorescent_lig.html]]> http://geeksinside.com/view/382/AAA-battery-fluorescent-light-driver/#rss http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/geeksinside/~3/F3rtLvNII38/http://geeksinside.com/view/382/AAA-battery-fluorescent-light-driver/#rss Wed, 19 Mar 2008 09:00:54 PDT
There are a bunch of computer controlled Etch-a-sketch projects out there such as these:

Nice laptop
Atmel Etch-a-sketch mouse interface
Etch CNC
General Etch controller

However none of these projects is a clock! Saw this on Makezine today and thought it was post worthy. Check out this project which turns an Etch-a-sketch into a working clock using an Arduino:

http://angelayuan.com/build.htm

Not a whole lot of details but some cool links

via: http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2008/03/arduino_etchasketch_clock.html]]> http://geeksinside.com/view/381/Arduino-Etch-a-sketch-clock/#rss http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/geeksinside/~3/TSGAjKfTPpc/http://geeksinside.com/view/381/Arduino-Etch-a-sketch-clock/#rss Wed, 12 Mar 2008 06:13:12 PDT Embedded.com has posted a 20 year old article on Programmable Logic Device (PDL) design that has stands the test of time. This article was released in 1989 when FPGAs were only 5 years old and continues to still be a great read for anyone who is considering PLD design and learning a Hardware Description Language (HDL).

From the article: "Rather than using a general-purpose language to program an embedded processor, you can use an HDL to configure a programmable logic device (PLD). A number of special sets of HDLs are specifically designed to configure PLDs."

http://www.embedded.com/design/206901033
]]> http://geeksinside.com/view/379/Programming-your-own-microcontroller/#rss http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/geeksinside/~3/4l5d7jIkF9I/http://geeksinside.com/view/379/Programming-your-own-microcontroller/#rss Thu, 06 Mar 2008 10:13:46 PST Trossen Robotics Team dropped us a tip letting us know their fourth project contest came to a conclusion on February 29th. Trossen Robotics contest is a general technology project contest showcasing cool projects dealing with "robotics, automation, art, RFID, DIY, mods, inventions, and anything else demonstrating some form of technological creativity". In the submitted tip they say "We run this contest to help promote and encourage innovation and ingenuity.", (sounds just like what we here at GI strive for!)

Projects are scored on "Wow" factor, Ingenuity, Creativity, and Presentation (graphics, videos, documentation, explanation, etc.) and submissions are open to anyone who has something to enter. While the fourth contest ended last month, you are in luck, they are running another one right now that ends in May 2008. Over $800 in prizes were given out last contest, and there will probably more for this one, so make something cool and submit!

I took a look at some of the projects entered in the fourth contest and I really liked the servo based Johnny-5. Reading the specs the thing runs Windows XP on a Pico-ITX board @ 1GHZ! Not exactly what I whould have done but it is still cool. Check it out

Contest page: http://www.trossenrobotics.com/contest.aspx
Showcase: http://forums.trossenrobotics.com/forumdisplay.php?f=101]]> http://geeksinside.com/view/377/Trossen-Robotics-and-Johnny-5/#rss http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/geeksinside/~3/kowFTeUTnL4/http://geeksinside.com/view/377/Trossen-Robotics-and-Johnny-5/#rss Mon, 03 Mar 2008 21:52:47 PST Google Summer of Code '08 post. Max won a $25 gift certificate to SparkFun Electronics.

It's been a busy few days so until a real post, enjoy the geek humor: http://blogs.sun.com/arungupta/resource/images/dilbert2007090116399.jpg]]> http://geeksinside.com/view/376/Comment-Contest/#rss http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/geeksinside/~3/UHlvhofW0wg/http://geeksinside.com/view/376/Comment-Contest/#rss