Here’s a really fun Halloween DIY that shows you how to make a haunted mirror that will magically let “ghosts” appear.

The mirror is really a box with a two-way mirror on the front. Inside the box are models or other renderings of ghosts. Since the inside of the box is black, the two-way mirror reflects the room normally, but when tiny lights hidden inside the box are illuminated, they wash out the reflection and reveal the hidden ghosts.

via make, DIY Page

Here’s a cool Eee PC Hack that uses a modified Fedora Linux to speed up the boot time of Eee PCs.  I think this shows how great linux operating systems are modification by uses.  I am sure you can do something similar with Windows, but not to the extent this hack does.

How did they do it? Arjan said it starts with the right attitude. “It’s not about booting faster, it’s about booting in 5 seconds.” Instead of saving a second here and there, set a time budget for the whole system, and make each step of the boot finish in its allotted time. And no cheating. “Done booting means CPU and disk idle,” Arjan said. No fair putting up the desktop while still starting services behind the scenes. (An audience member pointed out that Microsoft does this.) The “done booting” time did not include bringing up the network, but did include starting NetworkManager. A system with a conventional hard disk will have to take longer to start up: Arjan said he has run the same load on a ThinkPad and achieved a 10-second boot time.

via engadget, slashgear, Hack Page

Here’s a cool hack that shows you how to install a GPS seamlessly into your Dell Mini Inspiron 9 netbook.

I started by tearing the Mini down and seeing if it was even possible. Luckily, there’s a bit of space around where the Bluetooth adapter is located. It wasn’t much, but it looked like enough, so I ordered the smallest USB GPS receiver I could find. It’s a nice unit with a SkyTraQ chipset and support for AGPS. Once I used the included utility to download an AGPS update into the unit, it gets a location fix in about five seconds after a reset.

via laptop blog, Hack Page

You can easily get 20% off pretty much anything you buy if it’s part of Microsoft’s buyback program.

Here’s how you do it.  Goto Live.com and search for anything you want to buy.  Sometimes, you will have to enter the competitors product to get the discount.  (As you can see above, you get 20% off for HP laptops by searching for Dell Laptops)

I started my search at Live.com and searched for “cheap” along with some product name; I tried a few variations such as “cheap wii” and “cheap laptop” and both worked. (Nick pointed out in the comments that you should sign into Live before you search; I’d forgotten that I was signed into Live when I started. Thanks, Nick!)

Looked for the link titled “Buy A Cheap Laptop. You may get XX% off with PayPal if eligible.” (This morning, it was 30%. As I type this, it’s 20%)

Searched for the MSI Wind (Buy it Now items only), and purchased it using Paypal.

Made sure that at every step of the way, I saw the icon for “Microsoft cashback” at the top of the screen.

via laptop blog, hackszine

Here’s some really neat DIY crafty Halloween Ideas involving your pumpkin and some creativity.

If you’re looking for some easy ideas for Halloween decorating and entertaining, try these quick crafts. They’re sure to beautify (or boo-tify) your home with a minimum of effort.

via ivillage

Here’s a cool way to refreshen your old furniture with some paint and wallpapers.

1) Sand and prime the surface of the furniture.

2) Paint the surface. In this case, a white latex paint was used.

3) Change out the knobs with ones you love. (Flea markets are a great resource for vintage knobs and drawer accessories.)

4) Measure and cut the sections you’d like to cover with wallpaper. An adhesive like 3M Hi-Strength 90 spray will help secure the paper to the wood. (Quick tip - make sure you place the pattern in the right direction)

5) Finish the project by using a finishing spray and allow the furniture piece to air dry.

via apartmenttherapy, DIY Page

This has to be the most wackiest DIY ever, a phone dial that let’s you browser the web via IP addresses.

Well, technically, you won’t be able to surf the web with this phone dial unless you can remember IP addresses of every website you visit but still is a cool project.

Let’s just say this DIY is more of an artwork than it is a practical thing to make.

Our relationship with technology is quickly becoming analogous to our relationship with fast food. Like the fast food restaurant chain McDonalds, information technology (e.g. the internet) seems to be everywhere. We expect it to be fast, and collectively value convenience and efficiency over elegance and craft. In the Phone Dial Web Browser, I ask how we might bring beauty and appreciation for craft back into our interaction with the now commonplace, pervasive web browser.

via make, DIY Page

I used to grow up watching Flintstones (while I didn’t know English back then) and although I didn’t understand a damn word, I did enjoy it thoroughly.

Here’s how to hack a toddler’s Flintstones Car for your young children.

I have a 20 month old grandaughter and a 14 month old grandson who are dressing up as Pebbles and Bambam for Halloween. I decided they needed a Flintstone Car to complete the look. This is how I made it…

via instructables

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Yey, it’s that favorite wacky American holiday coming up, Halloween and here’s how to make your own Pop-up Coffin Halloween Prop using some PVC pipes with some creativity.

With a home haunt, we have found that the best non-commercial cylinder to be found on the market today is the screen door closers. They contain a spring that will return them to the original closed position when the air is off and have an amazing strength. Since they are designed for pneumatic operation, we find them to be the easiest to convert and operate while their price falls within the constraints of our budget. Please remember that if you use this design, you will be doing so at your own risk and we are not held liable for any damage or injury that might result from this. With that ‘blurb’ out of the way, let’s get on with it!!!

via hackedgadgets