Hack Attack: Build your own DVR
Well, I know there have been a ton of these DIY-DVR setups, but I was cleaning out my loft and realized I had 5 old PC’s just sitting in there collecting dust (and I have about 5 more in storage), so Im finally thinking about jacking all the harddrives and building a lean mean media/dvr machine!
“With all the potential controversy and uncertainty surrounding TiVo firmware upgrades, the time to build your own DVR has never been better. With your own DVR, you can get all the benefits of a TiVo and more without the recurring cost for subscription. This week, I’m going to show you how simple it is to turn your computer into a DVR. After that, I’ll show you a few ways that I use my DVR to take it beyond TiVo.
Whether you’re using your current PC, repurposing an old one, or going all out on a dedicated DVR to put under your TV, you can get so much more out of your own DVR than you could ever get out of a TiVo.”
This article interested me because everyone I know uses MythTV, which is probably the best, but I would like to try out this SageTV out. Looks pretty good regardless and Im excited for a new project!
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GravityPlane » The Gravity-Powered Aircraft
Just came across this today at DamnInteresting.com and I hope, if its actually true, that someone puts up the funding to build a prototype of this. Im ALL for new ways of cheap transportation, even if this thing would fly slow it could usher in a new breed of cheap air travel.
“In order for the GravityPlane to become airborne, gas bags inside a pair of rigid, zeppelin-like structures are filled with helium from storage tanks inside the vehicle. This causes the aircraft to become lighter-than-air, and it rises from the ground. Compressed-air jets on the sides of the craft add further propulsion, pushing the vehicle skyward and decreasing the craft’s overall weight by releasing the stored air which acts as ballast. Once the craft reaches the altitude where the helium is no longer lighter than the surrounding air– theoretically as high as ten miles up– it is unable to climb any further. Some of the stored compressed air is then expanded into the dirigible areas, decreasing the buoyancy effect of the helium and starting the aircraft’s descent phase.
As gravity pulls the plane towards the earth, the long wings are moved to the swept-back position to reduce wind drag, and air turbines mounted on the top of the craft capture some of the forward momentum and use it to drive air pumps which can refill the on-board compressed air storage tanks. In this gliding mode, the aircraft achieves aerodynamic lift for a gradual descent at high speeds, and can travel in this configuration for about 400 to 600 miles. At the end of the gliding phase, the wings are redeployed. The compressed air can once again be forced out through the compressed air jets, pushing the vehicle upwards and increasing the vehicle’s buoyancy to lighter-than-air once again, beginning the cycle anew. This process can be repeated as many times as needed to cover the required distance.”
Cool video of this proposed perpetual flying machine can be seen here.
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Electric sportscar to debut at New York Auto Show
Damn, a pretty sexy electric car is set to debut at the New York Auto Show, there isnt alot of info on the car but I did like this part…
“…the vehicle, which has solar panels on its trunk lid to boost its lithium ion batteries, can go from zero to 60 in three seconds with a top speed of 200 mph. Hopefully the range is greater than a quarter-mile.”
“Griffiths says the LiX will take four to six hours to charge and get about 100 miles from each visit to the plug. He says the company will be ready to start delivering the cars in about eight weeks…”
No word on pricing yet, although the past electric car that looked this good cost $660,000, eeek!
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Technorati Tags: cars, electric powered, LiX, new york auto show
MiniPOV Kit: Build your own persistance of vision toy!
“Here’s a little Maker Faire preview – “This workshop is a great introduction to microcontroller electronics. In this workshop, you will learn to solder and a little bit about microcontrollers when you build a MiniPOV kit. This kit is a simple “persistance of vision” toy, similar in theory to the “fanatzien clocks” you’ve probably seen. When waved through the air, 8 red LEDs spell out a message! The kit comes preprogrammed with the messave “I *heart* Make!” but we will also show you how you can customize the message at home with only a PC and some free software. No soldering or electronics experience necessary.” – Link.
Related: POV kits – Link.
