Author: Gabrielle Taylor
The Slurpr: WiFi aggregator
The idea behind the Slurpr is that it can grab open networks with its six wireless interfaces and aggregates them into one huge broadband connection. The inventor of this little doohickey, Dutch hacker Mark Hoekstra, is now working on an upgrade that will allow the user to aggregate closed networks as well. (Legality of that subject to inquiry.) You can pre-order the Slurpr for a thousand Euros, and then everyone can link all their Slurprs and it will eat the world. [GT]
Slurpr- the mother of all wardrive boxes [via Gadget Lab-Wired Blogs]
Don's solar scooter DIY
Don at Built It Solar has posted plans for how to turn a standard scooter into a solar-powered one. Basically it involves attaching a set of panels in a folding wing-style formation on each side of the scooter, and retracting them alongside the scooter when in use. Don emphasizes that this mod is entirely street-legal and that he’s put well over 2000km onto his scooter using it largely for commuting. Since commutes involve a lot of idling, you can multiply that out when calculating how much pollution and fuel he hasn’t touched. [GT]
Voyager robot fence, if you have land-lots-of-land
Cows tend to over-graze a certain area because it’s convenient, and moving them over to juicier pastures requires, until now, determined humans. Now, with the Voyager robotic fence, it could be as simple as programming a schedule and an area to cover, and letting it take care of the rest. The fence physically moves inward according to a program, forcing the cows to move along to avoid it, so the cows end up with more consistent nutrition and yield better milk. It’s better for the fields, too, since they’re cropped more evenly and don’t suffer the root damage of overly determined bovines. [GT]
Voyager robotic fence [via Robot Gossip]
Elecom AVD-WLCA5G Anti-Theft case for iPod
Attach the steel cable on the 2007 AVD-WLCA5G Anti-Theft case from Elecom, for 5G iPod, set the combination lock, and you can freely wander the office without fear. The ABS plastic case has a slick gel screen cover (not literally) to keep it as beautiful as it is secure. Comes with padding so you can adjust the fit. Available in black or white. $49. [GT]
2007 AVD-WLCA5G Anti-Theft case from Elecom, for 5G iPod [via UberReview]
Brain Machine: tune in, turn on, drop out
Drugs are so passé. The 21st century way to turn in is by hacking your brain – and the hack itself is a DIY. The resultant machine flashes LEDs in your eyes and blips sound in your ears to sync your beta, alpha, theta, and delta brainwaves, allowing you to take a trip whenever you like, legally, and without the traditional destructive effects associated with controlled drugs. It’ll be interesting to see how governments respond as devices like this become commoner and finer-tuned. [GT]
LG washing machine with built in MP3 player
Okay LG, I understand, washing machines are noisy, music players are noisy, so a combination washing machine and MP3 player may have seemed like a natural. And if, like on the Simpsons, it was possible to convert the noise of the former into the noise of the latter, the patent application would almost make sense, instead of seeming gratuitous and inexplicable. It seems to somehow also involve hooking the washing machine to the internet, presumably so you can put your underwear on YouTube more conveniently. [GT]
United States Patent Application: Home appliance with MP3 player [via Unwired View]
The Vader Project remixes the Dark Lord's helmet
As part of the Star Wars 30th anniversary celebration, dozens of underground artists have built art around a 1:1 replica of Darth Vader’s helmet. The results are on display as The Vader Project, in the Los Angeles Convention Center. The pieces will also be going on world tour and subsequently will be auctioned. [GT]
Mice without Cdk5 brain enzyme are smarter
UT Southwestern scientists built a better mouse brain by knocking out the Cdk5 brain enzyme. “Everything is more meaningful to these mice,” said the study’s senior author, Dr. James Bibb. “The increase in sensitivity to their surroundings seems to have made them smarter.” A new technique called “conditional knock out” allowed the team to actually remove the enzyme in adult mice, where previous methods required eliminating the entire gene. Developing. [GT]
Cell phone flask lets you be a stealth drunk
Anywhere you can’t take a traditional hip flask, you can probably still take a mobile, and the thing where you turn it upside down and, er, suck on it, you can rationalize as an attempt to improve reception… Likely your ability to explain away this little accessory will become more deft as you become more attached to it in any case. Speaking of case, comes with a little leather one that attaches to your belt, since it’s that extra touch that makes people think you still have your life together. $13. [GT]
Cell Phone Flask, 4 Oz [via Pocket Lint]
DecideIT software helps you make better decisions
If you don’t have a mentor to teach you about risk management the alternative is DecideIT, the software that helps you figure out if you’re doing the rational thing. “It is based on unique algorithms that make it possible to deal with and analyze complex decision-making situations, even in cases where precise information is not available. It is often sufficient to use probabilities, utility values, and weighting in the form of comparisons or intervals, but the tool also informs the user where more resources should be used to obtain a better basis for making a decision.” [GT]
DecideIT [via Gizmag]
