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chillinbeachside

DIY

Build It: A Touch-Activated Speakerphone

By Posted on 8.19.2009 4 Comments
It’s the middle of the night, when suddenly you’re jarred awake by your ringing phone. It must be urgent, so you can’t waste time—or worse, miss the call—fumbling around trying to find the receiver. Instead, simply touch your hand to the top of your bedside table to answer the speakerphone. The secret is a stud finder (stuffed into the drawer of the nightstand). With a few modifications, it can sense when your hand is near it and activate a switch connected to your landline.

8.21.2009 at 01:36pm - Comment by chillinbeachside

i wonder if it can be hooked up to the lights in the room, or simply a small light to see in the dark. that to me seems a better and more practical use of the stud finder.
The Environment

China Reports the First Human Nano-Fatalities

By Paul Adams Posted on 8.20.2009 8 Comments
Two women in China have achieved the dubious honor of being the first humans to be killed by nanotechnology. The women, who worked in a poorly ventilated factory spraying a paint that contained nanoparticles, reportedly inhaled the particles over a period of months. The tiny compounds infiltrated the workers' lungs and skin, causing lung damage, fluid buildup, and eventual respiratory failure.

8.21.2009 at 01:25pm - Comment by chillinbeachside

dubious honor!?! what honor is there in dying like that? while the info is pertinent, i don't see the honor in 2 people dying and 5 others hospitalized. i am somewhat offended in the tone of this, instead of curiosity how bout alarm or concern for the exposure of these people. dubious honor my ***.
DIY

Your Very Own Meditator

By Posted on 5.13.2009 2 Comments
November 1970: "Enter the Meditator and surround yourself with the graphics which cover its walls . . . you may find the sensation akin to that mystical communion with nature that you experience when alone in a forest — or the sense of peace you feel in an empty cathedral." Browse the archives at popsci.com/archives.

7.13.2009 at 01:53pm - Comment by chillinbeachside

what... crzy4tech
DIY

PopSci.com 5-Minute Project Video: Insta-cool Beer Chiller

By Posted on 1.5.2009 14 Comments
Editor Jake Ward demonstrates how to use an old plastic container and a can of air to take a beer from lukewarm to mountain-stream cold in just a few seconds. (For another video of this project, visit sonicIntoX’s channel at Metacafe.)

3.9.2009 at 09:19am - Comment by chillinbeachside

aside from chillin a beer... soda... wahtever... couldn't this method be used to chill other things besides beverages? (but for the drinks, it could help if ur in the garage and just to lazy to go inside to put ur drink in the freezer, wait, and come back out) tocrzy4tech
DIY

Dot • Watch

By Dave Prochnow Posted on 2.4.2009 4 Comments
Trying to squeeze some new life out of the tried-and-true clock paradigm can be a frustrating design challenge. Likewise, creating a clock from the absolute minimal number of parts (e.g., no more than 6 components) can lead to some sleepless nights. Finally, trying to shoehorn everything into an itty-bitty space (roughly 2-x3-inches) and making it a portable, battery-powered clock can make even a seasoned project builder scream “Uncle!” Getting everything to work like, err, clockwork, priceless.

2.12.2009 at 10:11am - Comment by chillinbeachside

a great project i would want to work on anyday. it might be clearly outdone by regular clocks, but it's still awsome!!!
Gadgets

Microsoft: “Sayonara Vista…Hello 7!”

By Tom Conlon Posted on 2.9.2009 27 Comments
Is Microsoft finally admitting that Windows Vista is a lost cause? Well, that’s certainly not the official company line, but it does kind of seem that way to me. The embattled OS’s successor, Windows 7, wraps up a public beta in a few days and speculation is that Microsoft is planning to crown its heir to the Windows kingdom as early as the Fall. By then, Vista will have been on store shelves for less than three years. That’s not a very long time compared to XP, which was top dog for five years before being replaced by Vista—if it was ever really replaced at all.

2.12.2009 at 09:57am - Comment by chillinbeachside

all i have to say is it's about time...
Gadgets

Hi-Fi Fix for Laptops

By Mike Kobrin Posted on 2.11.2009 1 Comments
Now you can rock out even with puny laptop speakers. Normally when you try to pump up the bass using the equalizer settings in iTunes or other software, you inadvertently distort your music's sound by boosting frequencies that small speakers can't reproduce. New software and chips promise crisper sound and fuller bass, using tricks such as toning down the extra-low frequencies that your speakers can't handle. We tested the tech by cranking the volume on CDs, DVDs and MP3s on three laptops.

2.12.2009 at 09:52am - Comment by chillinbeachside

it sounds like an awsome idea and i am totaly pumped for it. there is only one draw back i can see. the price is huge for the modifying to get good sound from those little speakers. it might be cheaper to buy a differnt set of speakers to hook up to the computer. that way u spend less money, and i doubt that 1 thou is worth it for something that u probably wont use that often. but if u do, it sounds like a god-send for laptop junkies and anyone who loves music.
Best of What's New

2009 Nissan GT-R Photo Gallery

By Posted on 10.30.2008 Comments

12.4.2008 at 10:28am - Comment by chillinbeachside

paddle shifters are under big debates, some people love them, some hate em. my question is if the GT-R comes with the latter? if so, i know what i want for my birthday...
Gadgets

The iPhone Intervention

By Posted on 11.17.2008 15 Comments
I didn’t think I was the sort of guy who develops addictions. But a few hours ago, I realized that I’ve long had a monkey on my back, and it’s probably never getting off. I own a 3G iPhone, and I actually make calls with it—or rather I try to. I always start my conversations by telling the person “When the connection drops, I’ll call you back.” I just accepted the phone problems because I’m an Apple nut and love everything about the iPhone—well, except the phone part.

12.4.2008 at 10:17am - Comment by chillinbeachside

are we arguing overs the phones, or the companies?
Gadgets

The iPhone Intervention

By Posted on 11.17.2008 15 Comments
I didn’t think I was the sort of guy who develops addictions. But a few hours ago, I realized that I’ve long had a monkey on my back, and it’s probably never getting off. I own a 3G iPhone, and I actually make calls with it—or rather I try to. I always start my conversations by telling the person “When the connection drops, I’ll call you back.” I just accepted the phone problems because I’m an Apple nut and love everything about the iPhone—well, except the phone part.

12.2.2008 at 10:42am - Comment by chillinbeachside

well one thing that i'd have to point out is that of all the cell phones i've seen, ever, the iphones are the most fragile. about have the iphones i see have a cracked screen just by putting it in your pocket. i have a flip phone and i'd have to say that the iphone wouldn't have survived half of the dropps that my phone has endured. the flip has a general sturdyness compared to the iphones' flat screen. plus the main screen doesn't get scratched half as much as the touch screen the iphone has. nextel is the only company that is military grade and used in the field, and since they merged with sprint quite a while ago, i'm guessing sprint learned a few thing about duribility. the friends that i know worry a lot more a bout their iphones more than flip phone owners, not because it's the "in" thing, but just so the screen can work properly. considering how we all generaly treat phones today, i'd choose the Lotus anyday.