Technology

Did you know you can run open source firmware on your Canon Camera?  We've been meaning to try it for a while, maybe even post it as a video.  But now it seems you can use a Nintendo DS to control your DSLR.
Not interested in modifying your camera software, maybe you should take a hint from LifeHacker and just learn how to use any digital camera better.

Our house is like any other vertical structure, climatilogically challenged based on height.  In other words in the summer it is hot up stairs and cold down stairs.  Wouldn't it be nice to have a thermostat that just ran the fan when an imbalance occured rather than trying to cool a floor that is in the middle?  We've been monitoring projects like Linux HA and MisterHouse for sometime, but haven't jumped in.  Now with a new company making wireless sensors geared towards home grid and environment control, we might be able to jumpstart our project without recabling the house.  Might be a while before it goes from the extreme hacker level to our tinkering level.

One of the problems with solar power is the sun. Yeah, it’s got this thing, where it just isn’t out all day, you know?

Okay, that was a bad intro, but you know what I’m talking about. I’m sure that you have seen all those solar-powered chargers before, but they are a lot like those electric screwdrivers that take an hour to charger for only five minutes worth of use. Not only that, you have to put the charger in some place out in the sun.

Most young people these days already own a portable media player or digital audio player of sorts, and many of them grew up weaned on an iPod, moving on with each new iteration that Cupertino releases each year or so. Well, we’re not quite sure whether they have heard of a turntable before, and what are their impressions of it, but just in case some of you think that turntables belong to just DJ decks at night clubs, you’re dead wrong.

This isn’t the first time that we have reported on Eye-Fi products before, and chances are, it won’t be the last time. I finally tried it out for myself, and was fortunate enough to get my hands on the Eye-Fi Explore Video 4GB version.

For those who are not familiar with the Eye-Fi line, this is a memory card that allows the user to upload photos to their computer without any USB cable. You might be wondering how that is possible, and, truth be told, so am I. I can’t deny that it works, though. After a quick setup with my computer, I was able to view photos from my camera on my browser screen like magic. Of course, the user to be very specific about where the photos are to be sent, or it is very easy to wake up to find photos from your Eye-Fi floating all around your computer where you cannot retrieve them.

Invest in yourself: learn by doing.
Read on to learn how the NerdKits philosophy is implemented in our kits, and why other electronics kits will leave you intellectually unsatisfied.

What's a NerdKit?

A NerdKit is a combination of electronic parts and wisdom, which together will teach you about digital electronics, embedded systems, and how to bridge computers with the "real world". The electronics world has changed dramatically in the past few decades. We want to make sure that it's still easy to get involved with modern technology, and to experience a challenging and rewarding hobby!

You, Gadget Lab reader, love cranes. Of course you do — they can either rear majestically into the sky, balancing on a single flamingo-like leg, or offer the satisfaction of seeing a badly parked BMW lifted and towed off to an expensive overnight facility.

But unless you have stopped to watch a construction crane under, well, construction, you probably wonder just how the tall, slim structure gets up there in the first place. The answer is, of course, another crane, which puts us into a chicken and egg situation.

Blu-ray players are getting more and more commonplace these days as prices start to drop and the adoption rate goes up, but it still isn’t good enough to be on par with DVD’s explosion when that format was introduced many years ago.

AM spoke with some fashion photographers to get insider tips on how to make your girl look like a Victoria's Secret model.  Click here for the full article from askmen.com

A GPS receiver uses satellites to pinpoint locations.

Our ancestors had to go to pretty extreme measures to keep from getting lost. They erected monumental landmarks, laboriously drafted detailed maps and learned to read the stars in the night sky.

Things are much, much easier today. For less than $100, you can get a pocket-sized gadget that will tell you exactly where you are on Earth at any moment. As long as you have a GPS receiver and a clear view of the sky, you'll never be lost again.