Hasta La Gadget!

It’s easy to get HD content on your home theater PC, but as soon as the content becomes encrypted–which increasingly more and more of it is–you’ll need a CableCard-based PC. And CableCards only come in new PCs. In other words, to get HBO on your PC you’ll need to buy a new PC. Thank god for DanITMan, who’s devised a way to hack the BIOS on your PC to make it CableCard-compliant, letting you add one of the tuners to your current PC. The technique ain’t easy, however, so we point you to EngadgetHD’s Ben Drawbaugh. Drawbaugh, who also wrote pretty much the definitive guide to downloading and importing HD into Windows Media Center, just posted a great story on how to install a CableCARD tuner in your DIY Media Center.

Drawbaugh notes, “This doesn’t really require any hacking, or anything illegal for that matter–we’re not lawyers–but it isn’t cheap. The internal version of the ATI Digital Cable Tuner pictured above can be found new on eBay for about $195, or new from PC vendors like Cannon PC for just under $300.” In my eyes, replacing your PC’s BIOS with something else to add a verboten feature is the definition of hacking, but I’m not one to quibble. If you have an HTPC and you feel up to the challenge, follow his step by step guide and let us know whether you’re successful.

What’s not to love about coilguns? They bring together electromagnetics and DIY-ing for what may be our favorite juvenile pastime: shooting things. The bad boy pictured above was put together by a Mr. Daniel Eindhoven for €100 (that’s about $133). A semiautomatic single stage gun that boasts a 14 shot capacity, the weapon’s capable of firing a 42 gram projectile at speeds up to 110km/h, with a charge time of 8 seconds when plugged into mains power (or if you’re on the go, the internal batteries will light up in about 90 seconds). It also sports a digital voltage display and a laser pointer. Just as we predicted when we saw the Nerf chain gun, the inter-office arms race is definitely on. Be careful! One more pic after the break.

Continue reading DIY coilgun gives clever hobbyists the risk of permanent injury

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

DIY coilgun gives clever hobbyists the risk of permanent injury originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 07 May 2009 10:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Whether you loved or hated the X-Men Origins: Wolverine movie, you’ll laugh your ass off at this video (above) of a DIY geek beating up boxes with his homemade Wolverine-like claws. Mind you, they’re constructed of steel and metal tubing rather than indestructible adamantium.

The creator of the claws claims he’s perfectly sane, but we don’t believe him for a second.

Metacafe (Thanks, Steven!)

Snap! MacRumors got burned by this “9.5” Mac Netbook” when it didn’t bother reading the small print, and then came back with a rather bitchy retort.

First, the truth. This is not a Mac Netbook. It’s not even a real computer. It is in fact a handmade, carved wood MacBook, complete with pencil details drawn onto the screen and shell, lovingly crafted by Kyle Buckner. It is quite fantastic, and clearly real-looking enough to fool the Mac Rumors folks, despite the rather tongue in cheek teaser posted by the Cult of Mac. Under the headline “Is THIS the New Apple Netbook???”, Lonnie Lazar wrote the following:

Cult of Mac received this image tonight from a trusted contributor – and we just had to share.

We have more images that will take time to process and details about the provenance of this device we must parse, so bear with us until all can be revealed.

Mac Rumors then picked it up and responded thusly:

The explanation may be as innocent as a Chinese knock-off, but it seemed interesting enough to discuss (and pick apart). Hopefully, we’ll hear more details of the photo soon.

Apple has been rumored to be working on a miniaturized “netbook”. Rumors have pegged it at 10” (diagonally) and with the possibility of a touch screen.

Then, when Cult of Mac posted the full gallery and explanation after having a little fun, Mac Rumors got all bent out of shape:

Update: Turns out it’s a Pencil drawn, wooden model, and Cult of Mac’s sources are perhaps not to be trusted.

Mee-oow! Despite the cat fight, we’re sure everyone has made up now. As for the model itself? Gorgeous. In fact, I’d love a custom OS X pencil-drawn theme to run on my Wind Hackintosh.

Possible Photo of 9.5” Mac Netbook? [Mac Rumors]

Is THIS the New Apple Netbook??? [Cult of Mac]

MacBook Art Project is a Labor of Love [Cult of Mac]

Searching for the perfect coffeetable is a struggle we know well. DIYer macetech has sidestepped the whole “boring” furniture problem by installing 81 ShiftBrite LED modules into a 2×2 foot IKEA table which run a sine plasma into HSV/RGB conversion by way of an Arduino. Sure, it’s probably not something your grandmother would want in her living room — but your friends would undoubtedly be pretty jealous to see this thing hanging out in your place. Watch out for seizures, though. Video of the table in action after the break.

[Via Make]

Continue reading DIY ShiftBrite coffeetable a beautiful, headache-inducing conversation piece

Filed under: Household

DIY ShiftBrite coffeetable a beautiful, headache-inducing conversation piece originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 04 May 2009 13:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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