eardrumbuzz: tech

Sat, 14 May 2005 17:28:40 GMT

Tritton USB 2.0 Video Card for Mac mini.

We recently reported on Tritton’s SEE2 USB 2.0 to SVGA video adapter for Windows PCs, and now the company is reporting they’ll be putting out a USB 2.0 Video Card version for the Mac mini (although “card” in this case is a bit of a misnomer). Presumably it would work on other Macs as well, but there’s not much incentive to use this with a desktop machine unless you really have an aversion to PCI cards, and there aren’t too many of us who need dual-monitor support from our laptops — but for the Mac mini, it will be pretty much the only option you’ll have for extending or mirroring the desktop area to an extra monitor.

[Engadget]

Sun, 06 Mar 2005 21:05:09 GMT

Apple Powermac LED Clock Hack.

Those punched holes in the front of the Apple G5 Powermac's aluminum case just happen to be the perfect size to hold standard-issue LEDs. Swedish hacker Anders Lundberg built his own LED clock that fits right in the bottom, and I think it's sort of swell.

Can you think how rad it would be if the entire front panel was one giant LED array? (Thanks, Hammond!)

Project Page [PaulAnders]

[Gizmodo]

Wed, 02 Mar 2005 20:35:20 GMT

Mac mini Lexus.

In the glove box of this new Lexus sits a Mac Mini, USB 2.0 hub, and an easy bundle of Wi-Fi and Bluetooth support. On the dash is a Pioneer in-dash receiver with touch screen displaying the mini's OSX output. Gin and juice, money on your mind optional.

Hopefully within a couple of months this will be so common it's not notable.

Mac Mini in a Lexus [theRADblog]

[Gizmodo]

Wed, 02 Mar 2005 20:24:54 GMT

Turtle Beach Video Advantage USB.

Turtle Beach has a new video capture device that's not only small, but has such a low draw that it works off USB bus power alone. The $130 Video Advantage USB isn't fancy, exactly, but it can capture DV-quality video, which is a big step up from the old school USB 1.0 devices. If you're bringing video in over RCA or S-Video in the first place, it will probably get the job done.

Product Page [TurtleBeach]

[Gizmodo]

Wed, 02 Mar 2005 20:24:09 GMT

EvolutionTV gets in on the Mac DVR game.

Miglia’s EvolutionTV steps into the ring as a notable contender to Elgato’s EyeTV in the Macintosh digital video recorder market. Not only does it undercut the EyeTV in price ($279 versus $329), but its feature set outshines the elder product by including MPEG-4 and DivX support along with the traditional MPEG-2 option. Bundle in TitanTV compatibility, integrated iCal scheduling, and no-import editing in iMovie 5, and this device is starting to look like the best DVR solution out there for the Mac. So far.

[Engadget]

Tue, 14 Dec 2004 03:29:09 GMT

HOWTO make your PC more secure, by Bruce Schneier.
Bruce Schneier has published a list of security recommendations for individuals who want to make their PCs safer:

Operating systems: If possible, don't use Microsoft Windows. Buy a Macintosh or use Linux. If you must use Windows, set up Automatic Update so that you automatically receive security patches. And delete the files "command.com" and "cmd.exe."
Applications: Limit the number of applications on your machine. If you don't need it, don't install it. If you no longer need it, uninstall it. Look into one of the free office suites as an alternative to Microsoft Office. Regularly check for updates to the applications you use and install them. Keeping your applications patched is important, but don't lose sleep over it.
Browsing: Don't use Microsoft Internet Explorer, period. Limit use of cookies and applets to those few sites that provide services you need. Set your browser to regularly delete cookies. Don't assume a Web site is what it claims to be, unless you've typed in the URL yourself. Make sure the address bar shows the exact address, not a near-miss.
Web sites: Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) encryption does not provide any assurance that the vendor is trustworthy or that its database of customer information is secure.

[Boing Boing]

Tue, 14 Dec 2004 01:03:26 GMT

Trust HU-3340M 4-port USB 2.0 Hub.

Trust's new HU-3340M is a 4-port USB hub. That's it, nothing fancy, just a USB 2.0 hub. But it happens to be tiny and aluminum, which takes it up a notch, and has an optional AC adapter for those times that your USB devices need a little more juice. If the AC adapter is tiny and sleek as well, I may have actually found a USB hub that I'd be willing to carry around with me at all times.

[Gizmodo]

Thu, 02 Dec 2004 18:44:08 GMT

V-Tec's V-Disk Cutie OTG.

It’s small (2.95 x 5 x 0.79-inches), cute, battery-powered, and comes in sizes up to 100GB with USB 2.0 and USB On-The-Go (which means backups and offloads from devices and memory cards without a host PC). In other words, despite the $450+ pricetag, it’s going to be our new best friend (we’re just going to have to sell a kidney to hang, see?).
[Via BIOS]

Thu, 18 Nov 2004 20:37:59 GMT

Seagate ships their new 400GB Barracuda 7200.8 PC hard drive.

In a few years this’ll seem like nothing, but for right now let’s all gasp in awe at the news that Seagate is shipping what is (for now) the “world’s highest capacity PC hard drive”, the new Barracuda 7200.8, which clocks in at a massive 400GB. 250GB just won’t do now, will it?

[Engadget]

Mon, 15 Nov 2004 20:30:24 GMT

New DVR package for Macs from Plextor and Elgato.

In a marriage even mom would approve, Plextor and Elgato have come together to create a digital video recorder package for Macs that combines Plextor’s DVR capture device with Elgato’s EyeTV software. The capture unit uses RCA or S-Video connections to grab video from broadcast, cable, or satellite and compresses the video using a hardware-based MPEG-2 processor, and connects to your Mac via USB2.0. The EyeTV software sports all the DVR controls you would expect, like time shifting and instant replays. Total retail price is $229 for the package, less than you would pay for both items separately.
[Engadget]

Mon, 15 Nov 2004 20:04:41 GMT

Atomic Time on a Grain of Rice.
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have created an atomic clock which measures a mere 1.5mm by 5mm. This is just slightly larger than a grain of rice. Compared to the current crop of commercially available atomic clocks, most of which are about the size of a large filing cabinet, this leap in miniaturization is expected to impact everything from navigation to faster cell phone and data networks. Atomic clocks are prized for their precision. Unlike their piezoelectric crystal counterparts, they use the vibrations of atoms to time events, and are much more accurate because atomic vibrations aren't wildly influenced by environmental factors. An atomic clock might lose a second every three hundred years - a quartz crystal clock loses a second a day. The leap was made possible not by a mere decrease in size, since the technology has existed to do that for years, but by a decrease in power consumption. Current atomic clicks use a couple of watts, but the NIST atomic clock only use 30-50 milliwatts (thousandths of a watt).
[kuro5hin.org]

Fri, 12 Nov 2004 21:17:15 GMT

The Mirror TV.

Either they beat Philips to the punch or this is a knock-off of their idea (well, it could be both), but Smarthome is selling a bathrooom mirror with a 15-inch LCD TV embedded into it. From the pic it looks like it’s just a TV with a mirror around it, but when you turn the TV off all you see is a regular mirror. So good, because you really wouldn’t want to miss a second of Good Morning America. Oh wait, that’s what TiVo is for. Forget it.
[TRFJ]

Wed, 10 Nov 2004 21:59:22 GMT

PodLock.

It's a bit expensive at $40, but the new PodLock software from Micromat looks like it could be really handy for people that like to use their iPod as more than just a dumb music storage device (there is a hard drive in there, remember?) It's namesake feature is the ability to create a hidden partition on your iPod for store personal data—not that useful by itself, but pretty handy when you add OSX's FileVault encryption on top of it. It will also allow you to backup and restore the iPod volume to another drive—don't know if that's a disc image or the files themselves, but either way it could be handy. And probably most interesting to me, it also offers a way to defrag your iPod's hard drive for increased performance and battery life. As far as I know, the only way to do this before was to reformat and reload.

[Gizmodo]

Tue, 09 Nov 2004 19:23:26 GMT

M-Audio Firewire Solo.

M-Audio has announced the FireWire Solo, a simple bus-powered way for home recording folks to get tracks into their computers with a minimum of fuss (and EM noise). The Solo has two inputs, one with a 1/4-inch guitar input and the other a standard XLR microphone interface with phantom power. All in all, it looks like a nice setup for singer/songwriter types who need a nice, clean interface for pro equipment (although I can't help but think there might be a cheaper option for less than $250). (Thanks, Chris!)

M-Audio Introduces FireWire Solo Audio Interface
[Sythopia]

[Gizmodo]

Tue, 09 Nov 2004 17:45:35 GMT

Firefox 1.0 is Finally Here.

The final 1.0 build of Firefox is now freely available for Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux. Today also marks the beginning of many marketing efforts on the part of the Spread Firefox community, including the full page ad in the New York Times they raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for. And now that there is a stable, final, 1.0 build of the little browser that could, its adoption should continue to even greater heights.

And isn't this interesting, after all the chatter about Google adopting Firefox and re-branding a build of it for themselves. This "Firefox Start" page is the default home page for Firefox now when you install 1.0 final, even if you've set your preferences for something else in an earlier build.

[What Do I Know]

Tue, 09 Nov 2004 17:36:31 GMT

Skin your iPod, TiVo remote, gameboy, phone and PDA.
SkinIt sells reasonably priced crazy-ass vinyl "skins" for your MP3 player, PDA, phone, handheld game, whatever (even your TiVo remote!). They've got a zillion patterns and they'll even pay you royalties on yours if you submit it and they sell it. Just ordered one for my iPod.
[Boing Boing]

Tue, 02 Nov 2004 22:00:17 GMT

iPod charger in an Altoids tin gets 10 hours of play.
Instructions on how to make an external iPod battery pack from two 9 volt batteries and two AAs. Claims to get 10 hours of play.
- playing card box
- Altoids tin
[Boing Boing]

Sun, 31 Oct 2004 16:53:54 GMT

SwiMP3: a waterproof MP3 player.
The SwiMP3, a waterproof MP3 player uses bone conduction -- sound transfer directly from the cheek bone to the inner ear -- to play music and holds 128MB of music. A company representative told MacCentral that SwiMP3 is compatible with all versions of Mac OS X and uses a USB 1.1 interface. Suggested retail pricing is US$249.99.
[MacWorld]

Fri, 06 Aug 2004 03:04:21 GMT

GarageBand Guitar Cable.
Connect your Guitar directly to GarageBand. This high quality, magnetically shielded cable eliminates the need for additional adapters - just plug one end into your Mac and the other end to your axe. Electric guitars use 1/4" size instrument cables, and the Mac input is 1/8" mini-jack headphone. The GarageBand Guitar Cable uses both connection types and splits the mono guitar signal into the stereo mini-jack - all in one beautiful, sturdy, 10 foot cable. [$24.99]
[Griffin Technology]

Thu, 05 Aug 2004 01:43:48 GMT

Wire-tapping VoIP.
The FCC today tenatively concluded that most Voice-over IP providers will likely have to comply with a major federal wiretapping statute, the Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act (CALEA). This means companies like Vonage will probably soon have to provide law enforcement with some way to tap their service. I don't consider the vote particularly surprising - VoIP phones look like telephones, and who's going to vote against national security? But I nonetheless think the approach unfortunate. Here's why. VoIP, despite the incessant hype, is still a baby. There has still been more said about VoIP than actually using VoIP. Yet this infant has already attracted more regulatory attention than many grown-up technologies. That kind of attention is not a good thing for a youngster: too much light makes the baby go blind. Its a bad thing to have startups spending their time thinking about regulatory compliance instead of better service. Having the the FCC and Congress as foster-parents is at best like being a child-star and at worst like being raised by alcoholics. Either way, stunted growth is a likely outcome. I think the FCC and Congress do better to regulate what actually exists, not what is supposedly "on its way." Just think "Digital Television." For people who are really into this stuff, a few more notes. The FCC's NPRM is not yet available, but we learn about it from the various statements, in particularly Chairmain Powell's. Two bits of what might be taken as good news for VoIP providers. First, the NPRM interestingly seems to leave both instant messaging and "disintermediated" or "unmanaged" VoIP outside of CALEA. That strikes me as good news, and a sign that that the rule-making will leave definite room for unfettered innovation in at least some areas. Second, there's hard statutory question, as noted by Commissioner Copps: whether VoIP is really "a replacement for a substantial portion of the local telephone exchange," as opposed to mainly an "information service." (The statute exempts information services from CALEA). The point is, VoIP could be a "substantial replacement" someday, but it certainly isn't yet. Hence the silver lining for VoIP companies may be a serious risk of the rules being struck down - something Commissioner Abernathy freely admits.
[Lessig Blog]

Sun, 18 Jul 2004 21:57:48 GMT

Things that light up.
Ambient Devices is a start-up company that turns everyday household furnishings into unobtrusive information-display devices."It sells a frosted-glass orb, for example, that can change colour in line with a stockmarket index, and a glass brick that pulses and changes colour to indicate the weather. And in August it will launch the Dashboard, a desktop ornament with three large meters that resembles a retro-styled stereo. Each meter can be set to display one of a range of variables, from the pollen count to sports scores to the weight of traffic on a particular route,"the Economist reports.
Background illumination
[Smart Mobs]

Mon, 21 Jun 2004 18:58:36 GMT

Tunneling ssh over DNS.
Dan Kaminski, the Jedi master of packet-level hacking, has figured out how to tunnel ssh over DNS, a stupendously weird and cool feat. Ever been at an airport or coffee shop with WiFi that redirects you over and over again to the same captive portal page no matter what you do? With Kaminsky's tool, you could circumvent any captive portal that allows DNS to slip through. Here's the presentation he gave at the LayerOne conference in San Diego.

Reverse Serial Propagation
Can be quickly and statelessly deployed
* Scan networks with generic recursive probe
* For each incoming request seeking to service the probe, return whatever(TTL=0) and probe with an actual block request
- If a block request comes back from the recurser, populate the server
-If the population packet drops, the upstream should retransmit
* Move back through the file after each server group fills up
* Can be much slower to populate!

480k Powerpoint Link (via Oblomovka)
[Boing Boing]

Sat, 19 Jun 2004 21:07:43 GMT

petfrog.

Frog Design created a design/model for the wireless device of the future, which it calls the petfrog. (Thanks to Ruth Kikin-Gil
for the pointer!) [Link]

Introducing the petfrog, the "Integrated Fusion Device" of the future. The petfrog is the first wireless communication and computing concept with a totally integrated hardware, software, and content user-interface. It is a personal computer, PDA, Digital Media player, camera, karaoke machine, and more. All functionality converges into one seamless, human-minded experience platform, which results in an "all-in-one gadget" that has both professional and personal uses.

[Smart Mobs]

Fri, 11 Jun 2004 19:42:26 GMT

Virus-proof your PC in 20 minutes, for free.
Paul Boutin has written a great piece for Slate about a cost-free 3-step method to keep your PC virus free. Please read it an use it so your PC doesn't end up become a spam and virus spewing zombie.
[Boing Boing]

Sat, 24 Apr 2004 00:55:34 GMT

Boinx iVeZeen.
Boinx Software's iVeZeen 2.0 turns webcams, such as Apple's iSight, into digital camcorders. The new version features enhanced motion detection as well as the addition of voice control, AppleScript support, controls for fine-tuning the camera's properties, white balance calibration and other new features, as well as several bug fixes.
[MacCentral]