Developages - Development and Technology Blog

Mitch Altman, microcontroller hacker extraordinare and inventor of wonderful gadgets like the TV-B-Gone will be at HacDC on Sunday, September 7 at 2:00 PM to help show you how to build your own Brain Machine. Mitch will be bringing all the parts, tools and inspiration necessary, all you need to do is show up!

The event is free and open to the public, however, if you want to build your own Brain Machine, bring $25 to cover the cost of the kit (HacDC will be purchasing some kits you can help build if you don’t want to take one home.)

HacDC

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Original post by Gareth Branwyn

Cory at Boing Boing reports that Amazon will start selling the One Laptop Per Child XO laptop in November; they’ll be continuing the buy-two, get-one, donate-one system through December - great for holiday gift giving!

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Original post by Patti Schiendelman

We have a “Back to School” special - Save 35% off Make & Hacks Books - Here’s how it works: Enter in the following code at checkout “BOOK4ME” and get 35% off at checkout! Offer good for the Make & Hacks books only, magazines & box sets excluded… Here are our MAKE books and here are the HACKS books to check out!

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Original post by Phillip Torrone

Every now and again, though usually no more then once every three or four years, a new technology or development arrives that changes the way you live and makes you honestly wonder how we ever did without it. Mobile phones and broadband are good examples from recent times and while we could feasibly live without such things it certainly wouldn’t be easy. A recent study commissioned by NDS has revealed that the latest of these ‘world essentials’ appears to be the PVR, or what us Brits might most commonly refer to as Sky+. 80% of Americans said that they couldn’t live without such a device in the home and it comes third in people’s lists of most important household items after the washing machine and microwave oven. It’s second in the ‘most essential gadget’ category behind the mobile phone and interestingly the majority of participants would rather give up a landline, dishwasher, radio, hairdryer or MP3 player than a DVR. Perhaps most intriguing is the fact that 81% of participants argue that having a DVR has improved family life and relationships with a partner, mainly down to the lack of arguing over what to watch and more family time around the tube. We’d be inclined to think that if the survey were done in Blighty there’d be a similar response, Sky+ is a great example of something that you think you can happily live without until you’ve spent a bit of time with it. Any suggestions as to what the new ‘big thing’ will be over the next few years? - Paul Lester [CNet] PVR Sky+ TV

Original post by nafiz

We look forward to the day when modern Plasma or LCD TVs have all of components necessary to provide surround sound, a ton of channels and wireless access to digital media content all tucked neatly away inside a slimline shell. This is probably a few years off, so for the moment we’ll have to settle for devices like LG’s new PG6900.This 50″ screen (there will also be a 42″ model available) is not only superbly slim and stylish, but houses a 160GB hard drive to act as internal storage for the PVR functionality offered by the twin HD digital tuners. You’ll find it offers a full EPG and traditional PVR features such as instant recording and time-shifting and you’ll be able to store about 48 hours of HD content and 86 hours of SD material on the internal drive. It’s no slouch elsewhere either, with three V1.3a HDMI inputs, 30,000:1 contrast ratio and 100Hz refresh rate. They’re expected to appear in Europe towards the end of the year with an estimated price of around €1799 for the 42″ version and €2299 for the larger model. - Paul Lester [Gizmag] LG PVR plasma

Original post by nafiz

There are just a few short hours left in our 20% off everything sale at the Maker Shed store… Just enter “dogdays” on check out and get 20% off your entire order. On a related note Marc’s “Solar Theremin” build was just featured on YouTube!

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Original post by Phillip Torrone

Reminder - 20% off *everything* at the Maker Shed Store (only one day left)! Just use the code “dogdays” at the checkout and you’ll get 20% off your entire order.

Since it’s 20% off everything, this is likely the best time to pick up an Arudino - if you’ve been thinking about getting in to electronics, programming micro-controllers this is it. If that doesn’t float your boat, check out all our products (sorted by most popular).

Ok, fine - here’s a video of dancing robot dogs.

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Original post by Phillip Torrone

Most people seem to be pretty content with using Mozilla’s Firefox as a healthy alternative to Internet Explorer, the latest version of which set a new record for the most downloads in a 24-hour period. Firefox 4 is already being talked about in some circles, with one of the biggest reveals being a substantial speed increase due to the way the browser streamlines the loading of pages. Well, a cut-down version of this will allegedly be available for the current version when it gets updated to 3.1. If you’re interested in reading about how this works in detail check out the link below, where you’ll become familiar with technical terms such as nanojit and spidermonkeys. We’ll attempt to summarise here by saying that the optimisation engine works by increasing the speed at which the browser can handle Javascript by “recording the path of execution at runtime and generating compiled code that can be used the next time a particular path is reached”. In other words, it remembers what it has done before and simply repeats the commands instead of reloading them. Most importantly, Mozilla reckons this could yield performance improvements of 20 to 40 times faster than current methods. No date has been set yet for the release of the 3.1 update, which is currently in Alpha 2 stage, but we’ll certainly be keeping our eyes open for more information. - Paul Lester [ArsTechnica] Firefox browser java

Original post by nafiz

You can get 20% off *everything* in the MakerShed store, right now… Here’s a note from Dan!

It’s hot here in Sebastopol. So hot, that the PG&E substation across the street blew a transformer and knocked out our power yesterday afternoon. So…. Under the category of anything is a good excuse for a promotion, we’ll do the “dog days” promotion now through midnight Sunday, August 31. Visit MakerShed and enter “dogdays” as the promotional code and get 20% off everything in your shopping cart. Offer expires midnight PST this Sunday (9/1).

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Original post by Phillip Torrone

Get Ready to Rumble!

MakePhilly’s own 3rd annual Art Buggy Derby (www.ArtBuggy.com) is being held on October 19, 2008 and this year it is an official event of Design Philadelphia! So grab your foot powered buggy… race it, create art with it, and win $500 CASH!

What is the Art Buggy Derby?
It is the world’s only live event that mashes together interactive art making, MacGyver style craft, and creative materials reuse. The idea is pure insanity and fun:  Build a foot powered ‘buggy’ that creates art as you race it against another team’s buggy.  Wow the crowd with your artistic creation and win $500 cash or one of many other cash & prizes!  See video of last year’s derby here: www.ArtBuggy.com

Register Now!
ANYONE can build an Art Buggy! You don’t need to be an artist or engineer… just take everyday items (especially those destined for a landfill) and assign them a new role in life. Use an old skateboard or tricycle for the Buggy base or recycle wallpaper for a canvas. Register here!

What are the Prizes?
1st Place: $500 CASH!
Runner Up: $250 CASH!
Plus: Cash & Prizes in at least these 8 other categories!

What Qualifies as a Buggy?
Anything powered by your feet - scooters, wheeled things, or make your own….

What Qualifies as Art?
Mark making that captures the journey of the race (without your assistance!)

Tell Me More!
Visit www.ArtBuggy.com

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Original post by Gareth Branwyn

While we’re wasting out time arguing about the pros and cons of various ISPs, it’s easy to forget that not all of Britain is as tech-savvy as our modern internet-oriented world might suggest. ONS’s recent Internet Access report states that 35% of UK homes don’t have access to the Interwebz and a full 9% are still persisting with dial-up connections. Still, these figures are improved from a few years ago, when almost half the UK was going without and the take-up of broadband has since been steadily on the rise. It does seem as though we’re getting a bit more tech-savvy on the whole; two years ago 24% of people said they didn’t have web access due to lack of skills, a figure which has dropped to just 15% today. Predictably, age is deciding factor here since 70% of adults aged over 65 say they have never used the internet and are unlikely to do so, with the 16 to 24 age range going online most often. Where you live also appears to have a distinct impact since those in the northeast, the least connected region of the UK, show only 54% usage which is someway behind the south east’s 74%. These figures seem to be steadily improving year on year though, so don’t be surprised to see no more than a handful of technophobes steadfastedly refusing to join the digital age in a few years time. - Paul Lester [ZDNet] internet survey online

Original post by nafiz

Save the date! - A “Show-and-Tell” Program to Showcase Grassroots Innovation - September 20th, 2008 - Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago, IL.

Make Magazine has portrayed the work of thousands of makers across America. Now we’re looking to discover the most innovative makers whose work has the potential to benefit others. We’ve created a new event called American Maker that will debut September 20th at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago as part of the launch of Science Chicago.

Organized by the editors of Make magazine and the producers of Maker Faire, American Maker is a live, day-long program that highlights grassroots innovation in local communties around the country. Editors from Make magazine and a panel of judges will be at the Museum of Science and Industry to look at the work of a select group of twenty makers. These makers will be judged on the originality of their concept, the design and craftsmanship behind the work, along with the potential for others to benefit from this work. The winner of American Maker in Chicago will receive a $500 prize along with publication in an upcoming issue of Make magazine.

If you’re a Chicago-area maker, and you’ve created a cool new project that has the potential to benefit others, submit an entry form at makezine.com/american/entry/.

Enter your Project

NOTE: American Maker will take place as part of LabFest, which is the kickoff of Science Chicago on September 20th. The hours of LabFest are 9:30am to 4:00pm. Admission to the museum is free.

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Original post by Phillip Torrone

There are a lot of big changes at Willoughby and Baltic, including a new hacker lounge, expanded working areas, and lots more equipment. They are having a planning and information session this Wednesday night [August 27th. 2008] at 7PM. This is a great opportunity to learn more about Willoughby and Baltic.

Willoughby and Baltic, founded in 2001, became home to DorkbotBoston in January 2005. Since then, the former gallery has been bursting at it’s seams while juggling robotics classes, hacker meetings, and exhibition planning. In October 2008, Willoughby and Baltic will acquire two additional locations to support the growing hacker and maker communities in Boston. This volunteer-run initiative is a result of our growing community, and will serve as a center in the Somerville/Cambridge area for like-minded tinkerers and builders.

Willoughby and Baltic
195g Elm Street
Somerville, MA 02144

Phone: 617-501-0197
Fax: 617-904-1741

Read more about Willoughby and Baltic

More information about the Information Session

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Original post by Marc de Vinck

The Nokia N-series has been one of its most successful lines of mobiles to date, with the most popular in the series (in this country at least) being the excellent N95. If you’re keen on the feature set of this phone but not so keen on the rather bulky design or traditionally prefer ‘candybar’ styles, the upcoming N79 should do nicely. At 97 grams it’s the smallest and lightest of the N-series to date and offers many of the typical features of the range including a Carl Zeiss optics 5MP camera, GPS and A-GPS with support for geo-tagging, WiFi and a multimedia player. It also sports a 2.4″ (240×320) display and an FM transmitter, so you could send any audio stored on the 4GB of supplied microSD memory straight to a car stereo, for example. Slightly higher up the tree is the N85, which was announced at the same time and falls somewhere between this model and the flagship N96. It adopts the more traditional slider design though this does allow it to offer a slightly larger 2.6″ OLED display. Other differences of note between this and the N79 are the inclusion of a TV-out port for sending media to televisions, 3.5G data and 8GB of supplied microSD memory. Generally though, both models offer a similar range of features and benefits, so the final choice will likely be down to price and style. The N79 should be available from October with an expected price of just under £300 before contract subsidies, with the N85 out around the same time for about £360. - Paul Lester [Mobile Gazette] [Mobile Gazette] nokia mobile phone GPS

Original post by nafiz

The Nokia N-series has been one of its most successful lines of mobiles to date, with the most popular in the series (in this country at least) being the excellent N95. If you’re keen on the feature set of this phone but not so keen on the rather bulky design or traditionally prefer ‘candybar’ styles, the upcoming N79 should do nicely. At 97 grams it’s the lightest of the N-series to date and offers many of the typical features of the range including a Carl Zeiss optics 5MP camera, GPS and A-GPS with support for geo-tagging, WiFi and a multimedia player. It also sports a 2.4″ (240×320) display and an FM transmitter, so you could send any audio stored on the 4GB of supplied microSD memory straight to a car stereo, for example. Slightly higher up the tree is the N85, which was announced at the same time and falls somewhere between this model and the flagship N96. It adopts the more traditional slider design though this does allow it to offer a slightly larger 2.6″ OLED display. Other differences of note between this and the N79 are the inclusion of a TV-out port for sending media to televisions, 3.5G data and 8GB of supplied microSD memory. Generally though, both models offer a similar range of features and benefits, so the final choice will likely be down to price and style. The N79 should be available from October with an expected price of just under £300 before contract subsidies, with the N85 out around the same time for about £360. - Paul Lester [Mobile Gazette] [Mobile Gazette] nokia mobile phone GPS

Original post by nafiz