Remember how the bad guys in Scooby Doo would always use cut-out portraits to spy on people through walls? Well, unless your landlord is super cool, you probably shouldn't start cutting holes in your wall just yet, but you can make a higher tech version, thanks to NASA employee Mark Rober. Mark used a cheap picture frame and a portrait with the eyes cut out to make the "Scoob Cam," which also doubles as a surveillance device. He used an iPhone and an iPad to start a FaceTime chat, then taped ...
Android's newest Jelly Bean 4.2 update comes with Daydream, a feature that allows you to run screensaver-like apps while your Android device is docked or charging. While the feature comes with several stock 'daydreams' available, there's a hidden Easter egg one that you can unlock! The 'daydream', aptly titled BeanFlinger, is hidden inside of Android's 4.2 Jelly Bean. In order to unlock it, you'll have to go to the phone's Settings and click on About phone. From there, you should come across ...
Last week, HTC released their new Droid DNA smartphone in hopes of gaining more traction in a smartphone world currently dominated by Apple and Samsung with their popular iPhone and Samsung Galaxy lines. The new Droid DNA boasts a 5-inch 1080p display—the highest resolution for any smartphone on the market. It runs Android 4.1.1 Jelly Bean with HTC Sense software, and has may other typical features, such as NFC and wireless charging.
If you've spent most of your life in one geographic location, you're probably pretty familiar with the weather there (unless you're a hermit). If you live in a tropical climate (and haven't done much traveling), maybe you've never even seen snow.
Most of us have traded our desktop systems for laptops, tablets, and mobile devices, meaning there's a lot of outdated hardware sitting in attics. Want to give your old computer a new purpose? Matthew Chappee turned his iMac G4 into an HDTV using the guide by Dremel Junkie. One thing to note before you take on this project yourself is that if you want to use it to watch cable, you'll need a converter box to get around the MPAA's HDCP restriction. But, a converter box is considerably less expe...
A faulty or broken thermostat can be one of the most annoying things to ever happen to your house. It's always too hot or too cold, and you can end up wasting money on your electricity bill.
The new Windows 8 operating system pushes the Metro interface hard, but not all of your apps will play nicely in Metro, which means you'll need to resort to the traditional desktop environment for some of your favorite programs. As a result, it has left many users picking between the two—Metro or traditional? Fortunately, there's a way to run them both simultaneously with the use of second monitor. In the video below, Donald Bell of CNET explains how you can run both interfaces simultaneously...
You can carve a pumpkin that smokes, has an LED display, or even one with the President's face on it, but if you want your jack-o'-lantern to really stand out—make it sing the Ghostbusters theme.
Samsung's Galaxy Note and Note II phablets have been hailed for their large displays and responsive systems, making them ideal for gaming and movie watching. But if you've recently upgraded to Jelly Bean (Android 4.1) from Ice Cream Sandwich (4.0), you'll be sad to know that some Android devices running Jelly Bean no longer support Adobe Flash Player.
When subjects are asked to watch a movie and not display emotions (say, a comedy without laughing, or a tearjerker without crying), they evidently use up glucose in particular areas of their brain in a way that subjects who are free to react however they want do not.
Microsoft's newest operating system, Windows 8, will hit stores everywhere on October 26th, and they hope this new version will shift the way we think about computers and their interfaces. In an effort to get as many early adopters as possible, Microsoft is even making their OS cheaper than usual, offering upgrades from previous versions for as low as $40 for a limited time.
If you're too old to trick-or-treat (are you ever really?), throwing a Halloween party is the next best thing. You could always just serve beer and jungle juice like most other people will be doing, which will certainly get the job done, but where's the fun in that? Instead, impress (or gross out) your guests with one of these gruesome drinks.
Apple's new iPhone 5 has enjoyed three weeks out in the public since its September 21st release. Millions of consumers have been shelling out big bucks and waiting in long lines just to get their hands on it. But sometimes users forget to actually keep their hands on their new phone, causing something like this... It only takes a second to drop your new iPhone 5, but the pain of picking up the phone and turning it over to reveal a cracked display lasts a lifetime. Well, not exactly a lifetime...
An isomorphic (or self-transposing) keyboard is "a musical device where a grid of notes is displayed to the user and the interval change between notes in constant for any given direction." For those of you who didn't grow up playing the piano like I did, that basically means that it lets you move between keys easily without having to learn new patterns because the keys are laid out so that a chord is the same pattern in every musical key.
Whether you want to use it to keep your guests safe or just to see who's the most drunk, it's always fun to have your own breathalyzer at a party. We've seen DIY breathalyzers before, like this one by Craig Smith, but how about an Arduino breathalyzer?
Who needs to go to bartending school when you've got the Inebriator to mix your favorite drinks for you? Want a cosmopolitan? No problem. Press a button. Want a tequila sunrise? Sure thing. Press a button. As long as you've got a good supply of liquor and mixers, the Inebriator is at your command. So, what exactly is this Inebriator thing? Well, it's a robotic bartender that can automatically pour 15 different pre-programmed cocktails. With 9 different liquors and 7 mixers on board, it's got ...
Invented by Philadelphia tinsmith John L. Manson in 1858 for canning and preserving perishables, mason jars are experiencing a major resurgence in the DIY community. In addition to being a handy storage device for both food and non-food items, its old-timey, quaintly antiquated look also makes for good drinking glasses, candle holders, flower vases and eye-pleasing decorations.
If you use apps on your smartphone, chances are you have no idea what those apps are doing with your information. Just this year, there have been several scandals involving apps transmitting user data, like Path uploading users' entire address books onto its servers, HTC's Security Flaw, and Brewster exposing users' personal information (even Ashton Kutcher's). A new service called Mobilescope wants to make sure you always know where—and to whom—your data is going. Lots of apps copy your cont...
Security researcher and iPhone hacker pod2g has brought attention to a flaw in Apple's iOS that allows the user to change the reply address of an SMS message. This bug has been a part of the iPhone's SMS since the first iPhone in 2007, but Apple has yet to address it. Basically, there's a section in the text payload called User Data Heading (UDH) that controls some advanced features, one of which is the reply address. By changing the reply address of a text message, you can make someone send ...
Dropbox announced Tuesday that a recent security breach compromised a list that included the email addresses of certain Dropbox users. To avoid future complications, the service announced that it would be implementing two-factor authentication, and even more useful, a security page that lets you monitor all activity on your account. In light of this and other recent web security threats, you might also want to know that services like Gmail, Facebook, and Yahoo! Mail have similar pages where y...
Want an electric car without the price tag? You could always build your own, or maybe just hack your old gas guzzler into an eco-friendly electric machine... This weekend at Defcon, security consultant David Brown showed off his "Voltswagon" project, a 1974 Beetle named Shocky that he converted to electric for only $6,000. He removed the old combustion engine, radiator, and a few other unneeded parts to make it lighter. Then he loaded it with batteries front and back, ten Interstate DC-29, 12...
Watch this video to learn how to cook a classic Indian dish: chicken curry. This basic aromatic staple is a favorite in both India and America. Make chicken curry for an easy, relaxed meal with your family and friends.
If you've got a hankering for penne and awesome sauce, then make sure to check out this recipe complete with demonstration. The awesome sauce is actually a creamy pink pasta sauce. Chicken helps round out this classic dish.
Is your BFF getting married? Looks like you have a bridal shower to plan! Organize a bridal bash that people will actually want to attend using these innovative ideas.
Doing a shot is more art than science. Here's one way to hone your barroom style. You Will Need
Sure, they have personal trainers and chefs to help them shed their postpartum pounds. But here are a few of their other secret weapons.
Each & Every One of You (EEOOY) is a mock TV show pilot that teaches ordinary people how to make contemporary installation art. If these words strike fear into your heart or make you cringe with memories of seeing contemporary art and wondering what the hell it was all about, this show is for you!
Ditch those namby-pamby clichés like skeleton decals and peeled-grape eyeballs. This year, give your guests a real scare.
In this video tutorial, viewers learn how to take a screen-shot on a laptop. Begin by finding the display image that you would like to take a screen-shot of. Then press the End and Insert key on the keyboard to take a screen-shot of the displaying image. Now open the Paint program. Click on Edit and select Paste. The screen-shot image will then be pasted into the Paint program. User are now able to edit or save the image. This video will benefit those viewers who use a laptop, and would like ...
There's a cool little plugin for your WordPress blog that will help you get more traffic from people searching the web on mobile devices. It's called MobilePress. Your visibility will become greater on mobile phones and other mobile devices when activating this plugin on your blog.
Watch this video tutorial to learn how to level hack Restaurant Life (12/05/09). 1. Open RL and Cheat Engine 5.5, then point CE 5.5 to the process of your browser.
Learn how to apply a drag queen makeup look inspired by Adele with this tutorial. You will need CoverGirl Liquid Foundation in Classic Ivory, CoverGirl Powder Foundation in Classic Ivory, CoverGirl Blush in Plumberry Glow, Clown Make Up in White, Rimmel Eyeshadow in Moonstone, Jane Eyeshadow in Clubbing, Almay Liquid Eye Liner in Black, CoverGirl Perfect Point Plus Eye Liner in Black Oynx, Clinique Lash Doubling Mascara,and Bath & Body Works Colorfill Lip Plumpling Lip Gloss in Miami Peach. T...
If you're always taking blurry and underexposed pics with your mobile device, try using some of the tips below to turn your phone into a valuable photography asset. It doesn't matter if you have an iPhone, Android smartphone, or even a first-gen camera phone... you can still take some beautiful, winning photographs.
Despite the controversy over Scrabble Trickster across the word world, Mattel's modern take on the classic crossword board game is out in stores— but not in the United States. It's only available in and around the UK, but you can snag your copy just in time for Christmas from Amazon UK. You can also visit the official Scrabble Trickster website. I imagine this is going to be a hot item in the United Kingdom this holiday season, but as for me— it's the one Scrabble game I refuse to add to my c...
Becoming a chess master is very hard to do, and one of the most important things you need to learn is chess notation. Chess notation will help you study great chess games and learn classic moves and strategies. Check out this video and start studying, and who knows? You may be the next Bobby Fischer.
Impress everyone by bringing a beautiful homemade tart to the next celebration. You can use seasonal berries or even other fruits to create a colorful and flavorful dessert that will make any occasion seem extra special. With its rich pastry cream and tangy fruit wrapped in a flaky, buttery shell, the fruit tart is a classic dessert. Make this version with one or more of your favorites berries.
Purple is a classic eyeshadow color that can effortlessly be worn as part of the smoky look, whether you're an expert or novice at applying makeup.
If you're new to DreamCoder for Oracle, one of the very first features with which you'll want to acquaint yourself is the data table browser, which will permit you to display entries in a given Oracle database. For a detailed walkthrough of this feature, take a look at this video tutorial.
Keema (aka kheema or qeema) is traditionally a flavorful minced meat (beef or lamb) dish said to have originated in Persia but extremely popular in the Indian sub-continent. Watch this how-to video and try this great variation to the classic recipe using hard boiled eggs - a perfect protein packed delight for vegetarians who eat eggs.
This video tutorial demonstrates how to use Encapso K silicone to create a realistic floral display. Learn how to make a lasting artificial flower arrangement with fake flowers and silicone rubber to mock water.
