Tom just sent over his review of the new iRobot Create, complete with tons of photos and projects, he writes -
“iRobot, a pioneering robot company that has sold millions of iRobot Roomba vacuuming robots, has introduced a remarkable robot platform that fills a major gap.
The iRobot Create is a dependable, rugged and versatile robot base that can be used for uncounted robotics hobby and research applications. It includes a selection of software routines developed for iRobot’s commercial appliance bots and a well-engineered, robust chassis designed for longevity. Many will consider this to be a DIY-roboticist’s dream come true. “ – Link.
If you try to run an old DOS game on Vista, you’ll probably get an error “This system does not support fullscreen mode.” Fortunately, this isn’t a dead end. Download a copy of DOSBox, the greatest MS-DOS emulator for any platform (Windows, Linux, Mac OS X, and more), and try running your game under DOSBox. Not only will you get support for old-school graphics like CGA and EGA, you can even run it in a window!
Dan just posted 3 great LED Instructables, including this one on making your own color controllable high powered lighting…
“Build your own fully color controllable RGB room or spot lighting for under $100. Perhaps you are asking yourself: “why would i want an any-color light?” well, for starters you can give your pets a virtual color make-over! ever wondered if Fido might look better in purple? perhaps you’d like to see your makeup the way Bono’s seeing it with those blue-lens sunglasses? or maybe you’re sick of your almond-white wall paint and want to give it just a tweak of eggshell today? of course, it’s a gimme for the dance-party, but you can also use it to tweak the shade on your existing room lighting, or as a standalone to get any shade of white (and perfect color rendering) – invaluable for visual arts. in search of an existential crisis? i just spent a good half an hour with this light staring at my hand and trying to figure out what color it is *supposed* to be.” – Link.
Related:
Power LED’s – simplest light with constant-current circuit – Link.
PBS is trying to figure out which new science show they’ll keep & develop, so vote with your download(s)…
“Here’s the experiment: Throughout January, PBS will broadcast three new science programs. Only one program will become a regular science series on PBS. We want you to help us decide. Watch the programs on your PBS station or, beginning January 1st, visit the companion sites below to watch each pilot show. Then tell us what you think!” [via] – Link.
News.com’s Michael Kanellos has the scoop on the latest bot from iRobot, an educational, programmable bot…
“At the Consumer Electronics Show, iRobot will publicly release its latest product, the iRobot Create, a programmable robot for entertainment and education. The base of the Create is similar to the Scooba, the company’s floor-mopping robot, and the carpet-vacuuming Roomba. It comes with wheels, motors for movement, and sensors that prevent it from tumbling downstairs or getting mired in corners.
iRobot Create
The brushes and fluid tanks, however, have been removed. Instead, the Create comes with a series of connectors that let users attach reticulating arms, cameras and other devices.” – Link & gallery.
We have a unit here at MAKE and will post about this very soon!
“I now switch among several notebooks for work, travel, and home. Having all of my data on one notebook is no longer an option. And as flash memory gets bigger and bigger in smaller packages, my ability to carry all my data with me becomes more convenient. I still like to use flash memory cards, such as SD Cards over flash drive. For one, they are smaller than flash drives. Second, I have a lot of them because I have cameras and PDA’s that use them. Third, my notebooks have built-in memory card readers. Fourth, having a flash drive sticking out of an USB port while the laptop is not stable on a desk is just asking for trouble.
Anyway, I wanted to carry several SD Cards with my notebook, without losing track of them. After all, they contain precious data. Having several cards means I can’t just leave the card in the built-in memory card reader. So I thought maybe I can turn the PCMCIA slot protectors that I have into a memory card carrier tray.
I have quite a few of these protectors from my collection of old laptops, PDA’s, handheld PC’s, and other electronic devices. I even have CompactFlash, SD Card, and miniSD Card slot protectors (see photo below). I have never thought of a good use for these cards. Now they will serve a noble purpose. “ – Link.
“Chopper bike built from a mountain bike and racer forks. Very comfortable and fast. Makes up for its bad looks. V-Brake makes for easy stopping too.” – Link.
Related choppin’:
Granny’s Nightmare – HOW TO – Make a bicycle chopper – Link.
