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

Click Here to View in Full Screen Mode

Wow, check out this mini RC V12 engine that runs like a real V12 engine, except 10 times smaller. (but still loud)

“12-cylinder-4-stroke V-engine with two camshafts below, mixed lubrication and air cooling. * 21 mm bore stroke 21 mm Displacement 87 cm ³ engine capacity to 7,25 cc per cylinder. * Compression ratio of 1:10 weight ca 4800 g speed of 950 - 5000 1/min”

via hackedgadgets

Well, Ford has decided to add a new Parental Control to their cars by having a Smart Key with a chip that can limit how fast your teenage daughter/son drives, how loud the stereo is played, and other features that can help your child stay out of trouble.

I think this is a really good idea and it won’t cost the car manufacturer another dime since most of that is already controlled by a car-resident computer.  The only money they will really have to spend is on the chips inside the key but that still should cost less than a quarter per chip as mass production.

I think this is fantasy of movies coming to life as now we are really trying to control how a person drives.  There will be negatives like when you are trying to get away from a serial killer, a 80MPH speed limit won’t help.  But I am sure people will find a way to hack this too, maybe it is pointless for smarter teenagers but we will get the rest of them.

In addition to implementing a speed limit, the key can be used to limit the volume of the car stereo system and emit a chime for six seconds every five minutes until the driver puts on a seatbelt.

MyKey can also be programmed to chime once each time the car reaches 45 mph, 55 mph, and 65 mph to alert young drivers about their acceleration.

Another feature, useful to anyone who fails to notice when the fuel light goes on, chimes when the car is 75 miles from empty. (The light on a Ford usually goes on at 50 miles to empty.)

via cnet

Although I thought Bush was going to go away quietly this year but apparently not, starting with things that I just can’t seem to understand.

Needless to say, Bush signs another bill that will pretty much make it legal for the government to spy you with better equipment and there goes more tax dollars.

I know national security is a big issue but Bush just seems to do more stuff that remind me more of Hitler than an American president.

My last words for the worst president in history of U.S. who did fuc* it up just before he leaves:

Dumbass, wars create jobs but they won’t last long, peace creates better international relations and we wouldn’t have to worry so much about other countries trying to bomb us.

What you give, you shall receive.  How many innocent lives did American soldiers kill?  Yes, that’s how many innocent Americans might get killed too in the future because of your dumbass. Thanks for putting us in the state of economic and financial vulnerability.  No offense to American soldiers who are working their asses off but hey, you are working for the wrong leader right now.  (at least until Obama comes up)

An appropriations bill signed by President Bush last week allows the controversial National Applications Office to begin operating a stringently limited version of a program that would turn military spy satellites on the US, sharing imagery with other federal, state, and local government agencies. The government’s own watchdog agency, the Government Accountability Office, has warned in an unpublished report that the more expansive program in the offing lacks adequate safeguards to protect privacy and civil liberties.

via arstechnica

Here’s a fun design for a USB Pillow iSleep, it uses the Laptop fan vents to inflate itself.

This might be a good way to sleep on the job but then again, I rather stick to my Keetsa Eco-Friendly hybrid memory form/spring bed that gives me a real rest.

This painfull experience will now stop! Now there is i -sleep, a comfortable soft pillow which can be attached on the top of each leptop and functiones like a rescue west in an airplane - with the difference…it really saves us. If we tend to fall asleep, we just close our laptop, a pillow gets filled with warm air, music is being played and after 10 minutes the alarm clock rings. Bonne nuit!

via ohgizmo, Design Page

Well, here’s one way you can deal with racist jokes at work:

My recommendation? Play dumb. Put on a bewildered expression, act as if you don’t understand the joke, and ask your co-worker to explain it to you. He will not be able to explain why the joke is funny without evoking a racist stereotype. You can then question the veracity of this stereotype, thus pointing out the racism of the joke, without being confrontational and without humiliating your co-worker. Racist jokes rely on an unspoken, shared knowledge of racist stereotypes. Without the stereotypes, there is no humor.

My advice really is to do the above it’s a co-worker you are also a good friend of.  If he or she is not, maybe even your boss, then I suggest you get a lawyer real quick and you should be redeemed with enough money to not work for couple years. Hey, someone gotta pay up for that bad mouth, it better be the CEO than your Just-Over-Broke co-worker.  I might be harsh here but come on, we are in twentieth century, that should NEVER happen.  As a person who learned English as second language and an immigrant from Asia, racist jokes can sometimes really be annoying as hell.  It only shows how ignorant that person is, it’s in fact not funny at all.

Yes, “sue the fu(k out of the company” for hiring people like that in the first place.  If they really want to say something, they can say it behind everyone’s back in their livingroom, where no one will hear them.  Now that, I have nothing against, this is a free country and we still have KKK.  As long as all that stuff is locked up tightly in a closet somewhere, we will have better people.

Most companies will be scared out their numb-nuts since getting sued for something like that as it will forever tarnish the company’s image.  (Now think about that headline that goes, “XXX company gets sued for hiring racist people”)  Same thing goes for sexual orientation, well, you know the American drill if you did go to school after 1960s.

In my experience having jobs in different fields, I do find that most American people in general do not make racist jokes with their co-workers and yes, I think diversity in your workplace also helps.

Most workplaces I believe are pretty diverse these days but if you happen to work in one of “those” weird places, it’s time to move on to a better, diverse city like San Francisco, New York, etc…etc…

Find the right job first, then you won’t have to deal with dumb people.  If you have the wrong job, get out pleeez! (and get your money too for sheezy, life is too hard and you deserve it)

via lifehacker

Click Here to View in Full Screen Mode

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

Well, here’s a weekly re-cap of laptop stuff from our Laptop Pimp Blog just in case you’ve missed it:

ASUS Eee PC 900HA is out, slightly different but available to order through Amazon.  Check out the HP dv3500t review and specs.  Toshiba has another new laptop out, Toshiba Satellite E105 review here.  OLPC (One Laptop Per Child) is coming back to Amazon but I am not excited about their corporate structural changes and deals with evil Microsoft.

Also check out 30 cool hacks for the Acer Aspire One.  Sony VAIO TT is out finally and the verdict looks pretty good.  Mouse computer launches their 10-inch netbook, I don’t see any features that is better over the Eee PCs though.  Lenovo IdeaPad S10 has been dissected here, this laptop gets so hot though, definitely not recommended buy.

Toshiba intros 250GB harddrives size of batteries.  Now, there’s an alternative to SSDs.  Panasonic Toughbook T8 Reviews here, it’s a really “tough” laptop for sheezy.  Panasonic Toughbook W8 reviews and Panasonic Toughbook F8 reviews are also there.

ASUS N10, N20, N80, N50 specs can be found here.  ASUS also has its UMPC R50 out.  BenQ Joybook U101 seems to be a promising netbook.

Well, there’s too much info on laptops so if you wanna knock yourself out, go to Laptop Pimp Blog pleaz.

Here’s a quick re-cap of interesting science and technology posts from our Keetsa Eco-Friendly Blog this week:

Solar-powered bike Cycle Sol may allow bikers to re-use the power of the sun.  Portable Eco-Frienldy Fridges are really neat idea.  Here’s a commercial Wind-Power Charger for all your gadgets.  Solar Powered Traffic Lights are definitely in these days.  Solar Powered Trash Compactor is another one that big cities should start using more of.

For more, check out Keetsa!