Here’s a really cool hack that shows you how to control a Nikon or Canon digital camera using Nintendo DS.

A funny cool thing happens once the camera is controlled by what is essentially a instant-on computer. Where the Canon 5D can do a bracket of three shots, spread two stops apart, and the latest 1DS MKIII series can do a nine shot bracket, the “DS-DSLR” can do any number of shots, and if I don’t like the way it does it, I can rewrite the software to do it better.

The DS can run in bulb-mode as well, so I can do automated exposures of several minutes beyond the thirty second limit of tethered laptop software, as well as allow for sensor cooling between bursts. This will come in handy when the Astrotrac I ordered from Richard Taylor at the P.A.T.S. show last week finally arrives from the U.K.

via hackszine, Hack Page

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That’s right, someone decided to make a V8 engine out of Legos.

It’s not gonna run your car anytime soon but still, it’s a fantastic Lego project.

via hackedgadgets

For those of us who are anti-Windows and anti-Mac, we will benefit from learning how to make Ubuntu run super fast.

Here’s some great tips on minimizing processes to make your Ubuntu run faster than ever:

1. Remove Network Manager if you do not need it “sudo apt-get remove network-manager”. If possible give yourself a static IP in /etc/network/interfaces like so:

auto lo
iface lo inet loopback

auto eth0
iface eth0 inet static
address 192.168.1.150
netmask 255.255.255.0
network 192.168.1.100
broadcast 192.168.0.255
gateway 192.168.1.1

Having a static IP helps with boot time as your machine doesn’t have to communicate with the router/dhcp server as much to obtain an address.

2. Also remove firestarter or whatever graphical firewall frontend you’re using. Learn to control iptables at boot up and shutdown. It’ll be much snappier.

3. Install bum, “sudo apt-get install bum” and run it with root access. Shut off all unnecessary services. If you’re not sure about a service research it before shutting it off. Also, install sysv-rc-conf. Run the application as root. This will allow you to control, in an easy way, what services start at which run level. It’s like bum, but more detailed. Be very careful with which services you are removing from which run-level. If you don’t know what you’re doing here, research it or don’t touch it. After you do this you may want to reboot to make sure you didn’t break anything.

4. Turn off usplash in grub. (Mind you, you’re bootup won’t be as pretty as the splash will go away).

• vim /boot/grub/menu.lst
• on the kernel line delete the words “splash” and “quiet”
• Reboot to see the changes.

5. If you have a dual core processor, you can decrease your boot time with concurrency.

• sudo vim /etc/init.d/rc
• and find the line CONCURRENCY=none and change it to: CONCURRENCY=shell
• Reboot to see the changes. (tired of rebooting yet?)

6. Remove some TTYs

I could easily do this by editing /etc/inittab and then commenting the extra TTYs there. With the new upstart mechanism in place, things are a little different.

You have to edit /etc/default/console-setup file. This file defines how many ttys should you get.

Change ACTIVE_CONSOLES=”/dev/tty[1-6]” to the number of consoles you want. Lets say, 3 ttys, then change it to “/dev/tty[1-3]“.

And then goto /etc/event.d/ and change the ttyx files that you DONOT want. Edit them and comment lines starting with “start on runlevel”. So, in this case, you’ll comment the start line in tty4..tty6 files.

Rebooting shoud minimize the number of consoles for you. Worked for me!! Good luck, NOTE: Even though you’ve reduced the tty number, X is still on Alt-F7. Again, go ahead and reboot to make sure you didn’t break anything.

more via tuxtraining

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Here’s a nice example of how hackers can easily freeze memory of the computer to retrieve the encryption key.

Abstract Contrary to popular assumption, DRAMs used in most modern computers retain their contents for seconds to minutes after power is lost, even at operating temperatures and even if removed from a motherboard. Although DRAMs become less reliable when they are not refreshed, they are not immediately erased, and their contents persist sufficiently for malicious (or forensic) acquisition of usable full-system memory images. We show that this phenomenon limits the ability of an operating system to protect cryptographic key material from an attacker with physical access. We use cold reboots to mount attacks on popular disk encryption systems — BitLocker, FileVault, dm-crypt, and TrueCrypt — using no special devices or materials. We experimentally characterize the extent and predictability of memory remanence and report that remanence times can be increased dramatically with simple techniques. We offer new algorithms for finding cryptographic keys in memory images and for correcting errors caused by bit decay. Though we discuss several strategies for partially mitigating these risks, we know of no simple remedy that would eliminate them.

via hacknmod, Hack Page

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I have to admit to playing FIFA on the PS3 and it’s a lot of fun.  Of course, it was my friend’s PS3 so I didn’t have much chance to practice but here’s a cool PS3 video tutorial that shows you how to master all the important skills you need to beat your friends.

Advanced tricks and juggling for Fifa09 for Playstation 3.

Additional info:

0:10-0:20
Kick Ups
Works only when standing

0:20-0:39
Around The World
Also only when standing still, the timing on the rotation of the RS is important.

0:40-0:55
Laces Flick - Overhead Flick
Instructions appy when player facing away from the camera.

0:55-1:01
Rainbow Flick
Timing on last RS flick is the most important thing. Instructions apply when player facing away from the camera.

1:02-1:15
Rainbow Variation
Timing on last RS flick is the most important thing. Instructions apply when player facing away from the camera.

1:16-1:32
HTW - Hop the World
Holding the L3 button is the only difference from the ATW.

1:33-1:52
Flick up for a bicycle kick
Instructions apply when player is facing the camera. (Overhead kick effective when done on the 16m line)

1:52-1:59
Flip-Flap/Elastico
Works when standing and when jogging.

1:59-2:09
Hocus Pocus
Awesome trick!
2:10-2:23
Step Overs
Works best when standing still, especially if you’re trying to do more then one.

2:24-2:40
The Zidane Pirouette
Can be done both while standing still, and when jogging. Probably the most effective feint when done correctly.

2:40-3:03
Fake Shot
Doesn’t work on the keeper! Effective when playing against a real person online etc..

3:03-3:15
Ronaldinho Sombrero Flick
Instructions apply when player facing away from the camera.

3:15-3:24
Heel Flick
Most effective when running next to your opponent, not to get past.

3:25-3:30
Blanco Hop
Effective when… you wanna look like an idiot.

3:30-3:42
Standing Lob Pass
When the normal through ball just isn’t good enough for ya!

3:44-3:58
Showing off!

via sports2forex

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I am sure many of you encounter situations where your nuts or bolts stay on the rim, causing you to accidently break it off.  Now, if you ever get those hard-to-remove nuts whether from rust or whatnot, you can use this method of heating wax with propane gas near the nuts and bolts to get them totally loosened.

I’ve personally broken a rim stud before, and needless to say, I wish I had known how to do this back then.

I have a trick that has been around for a long time. This is a trick we used to use for exhaust manifolds when the bolts were so rusted in that breaking a bolt was very likely to happen. To avoid having to remove the stud in a separate process we used this trick to get them loose. This works better with a fair amount of heat to start and then let the wax slowly cool for about 3-4 minutes before attempting to remove the bolt of nut.

via metacafe

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Check out this really cool DIY on how to make a vertical wind turbine.  This thing can produce some good amount of electricity for under $300.

With this one I am hoping to get the 100 watts.

Here is how I did it.

First we need:
–5 pvc tube. size 3″X10′ (hardware store)$48

–3 bike wheels. size 12″ (junk yard or ask your kid to use their bikes for a minute) maybe $5

–Ametek38 volt (ebay or surplus store) $60 (a problem with ametek, it needs 700 rpm to reach 14.1volt.

–Or buy windblue alternator (ebay) $250 it will only need 200prm to reach 14.1 volt

–1 square foot 1″ plywood or anything 12″ diameter (laying around)

– 3 X 2×4 X 12′ studs (from lumber store)$11

I am not going to name the tools, but I used the usual tools.

faroun

via hackaday, instructables

Here’s a really cool lookin’ car made from junk parts while it does 4.5 seconds 0 to 60MPH and gets 35+MPG!

This is the final result of 15 months and at least 800 hours of work in the garage. This is not counting time spent designing, ordering parts, negotiating prices, etc.

The car was built from scratch. The engine is an Acura k20a3 from an RSX. It sounds awesome.

Special thanks for the Make community for inspiring the maker spirit in me. Building stuff yourself is a much better way to be a citizen than senseless consumption.

The car has a good amount of junk (recycled stuff) in it. The stainless panels all came from old appliances. The black body panels came from an ancient kayak and an old doghouse. The throttle pedal was made entirely from salvaged parts from a dumpster at an engineering firm around town. Of course, the engine was also recycled from a crashed car.

It’s a blast to drive.

0-60: 4.5 seconds
MPG: 35+ miles per gallon
The best part: the bizarre looks I get from random strangers.

via make, flickr

If you live in a certain area with high temperatures and humidity, your house might be prone to attract a lot of fruit flies.  They are harmless but sometimes you will need to control them using DIY methods such as this involving a water bottle, apple cider, and more simple household materials.

It seems our house has been overrun with fruit flies this fall with all the garden vegetables fruit in the house. So we built a DIY fruit fly trap to try and reduce the “herd”. My wife read about making a fruit fly trap from a water bottle so we gave it a try.

via homeconstructionimprovement