Building a DIY Alarm System: The Concept So, you want to protect your property, or maybe a room, car, or even your backyard. The concept of an alarm system is to notify the "alarm administrator" that there is an intruder entering the previously designated boundaries. The triggers for this boundary could be as simple as a pressure sensor, or as complicated as a laser network. They all do the same thing, but some work better than others.
It takes talent and training to drive a semitrailer. See if you have what it takes to operate one of these rigs on the open road.
Are you looking to add to the Native American inspired decor in your home? This video crafting tutorial shows how to make a dream catcher style mirror. While this mirror is not a particularly authentic dream catcher, it's reminiscent of the American Indian traditional emblem. Learn how to make a dream catcher mirror by watching this instructional interior design video.
Whether you work in sales or want to become more persuasive and better at selling yourself, the art of selling can be transferred to nearly any career path or walk of life. Whether the gains are monetary or interpersonal, being a great salesperson is one of the most invaluable skills you can ever learn.
Java is one of the world's leading programming languages thanks to its virtually endless array of applications. Since Java's initial release in 1998, this Open Source platform has become beloved by coders for its speed, flexibility, and dependability.
The WordPress revolution has completely altered the way that people build and distribute websites. Instead of having to memorize endless lines of HTML and Java, both novice and professional web developers are now able to create incredibly detailed and responsive sites using a series of intuitive templates and plugins. And each new version of WordPress comes with an improved batch of features that make web-building even easier.
Another major retailer is putting all its chips in on the relentless rise of selfie culture. Sally Beauty is rolling out kiosks to try-on "some of its best" hair dyes in 500 of its stores throughout the US. The in-store augmented reality-powered kiosks invite you to view yourself on video, overlay a punky (or otherwise) hair color, and snap a selfie on the screen to share your #glowup with friends.
While augmented reality made more of a cameo appearance during Samsung's official grand unveiling of the Galaxy S10 line-up on Wednesday, it's the company's move into 5G connectivity that has huge implications for AR.
The cosmetics industry faced a rude awakening on Friday as beauty behemoth L'Oréal gobbled up ModiFace, one of the leading providers of augmented reality technology to the cosmetics industry (price details for the acquisition were not disclosed).
These days, location-based augmented reality gaming pioneer Niantic is best known as the developer behind Pokémon Go, but the uber-popular mobile game was not its first foray into the AR gaming genre.
While HBO Now does not support offline viewing yet, your smartphone is the perfect way to watch your favorite shows and movies on-the-go. Whether you're in a hotel running off Wi-Fi or you have an unlimited plan and are on the bus, if you want to binge some Game of Thrones, the HBO Now app is there for you.
Google has been working on its voice recognition technology ever since the days when you had to call a phone number with a Silicon Valley area code to dictate your query. As you can imagine, things have come a long way in the decade or so that has passed, to the point where we talk to our phones as if they were a person nowadays.
Students have been passing notes in class for decades, so what's the big deal about sending a quick text message? Everybody does it, even your teacher was surely guilty of covertly communicating with his or her peers back when they were in high school.
If you have no desire to get a separate Mac desktop computer, but want to either supersize your laptop's screen for gaming or need to get additional screen real estate while you work, then connecting your MacBook, MacBook Air, or MacBook Pro to an external display is the right call.
Cortana, Microsoft's personal assistant for its Windows Phones and Windows 10, will soon be released for Android. That is, officially released. It's hard to keep a good thing locked away, and to that end, Cortana for Android has been leaked, thanks to APK Mirror.
With audible alerts and subtle vibrations, the Apple Watch makes it difficult to miss incoming notifications. But soon enough you'll realize that not every notification is worth receiving on your Watch and can ultimately render the experience annoying under particular circumstances—like when your popular Instagram post floods in notification after notification.
Essay writing is the bane of most students' educational existence. Whether you're a college student tired of slaving away over 30-plus page research papers or a high school student just trying to get through AP Language, chances are you'd love to find a way to cut down on all the writing. Before you spend hours googling facts and figures to cram into your next paper, work smarter by cutting down on content.
Amazon just announced its entry into the set-top streaming content marketplace with its new Fire TV box. Competing directly against Apple TV, Google's Chromecast, and Roku, Amazon is betting on big processing power and voice controls to stand out from the competition. Features include the following.
The app formerly known as Google Experience Launcher is now officially called the Google Now Launcher in honor of its most prominent feature, Google Now. Only problem is, this launcher is still exclusive to the Nexus 5 smartphone.
Ever drive a friend's car? Maybe a rental? Then you've probably found yourself in a very frustrating situation when you realize you need some gas. Heck, it probably even happens to you in your own car sometimes.
Get a crash course on HScript Expressions, Variables, and Attributes in Houdini 10. If you don't even know what this means, then you probably need to check this video tutorial series out. Understanding how to massage data in Houdini is key to giving yourself the creative edge and allowing you to unleash mind-blowing visual effects. This 18-part video series covers a variety of simple yet essential weapons in your arsenal including Global, Standard and Custom Variables to Math and String Modif...
One you understand how a subnetwork works on an Internet Protocol (IP) network, creating one becomes very easy. In this five-part video, you'll learn about IP address and subnets, along with creating an IPv4 (IP version 4) address using Class C, which leaves each network with 256 local addresses. If you're new to subnetting, this is where you start!
Everyone needs a great website. Whether you want to launch the new business you've been dreaming about in 2021, increase your brand's web presence and bring it into the digital realm, or promote yourself and your portfolio, a fully optimized website is the way to do it — and the results can be life-changing.
In many ways, the Galaxy S9 is a holdout from the golden days of Android. It's one of the last major flagships to sport a headphone jack, it has an impressive array of internal sensors, and perhaps more importantly, it's got a micro SD card slot.
Watching YouTube on your phone has never been a better experience than it is today — our smartphones have super-sharp displays that make watching the newest HD, QHD, and even 4K content look fantastic. But there are plenty of circumstances where we want to watch our content on a larger screen.
I'm back! We're learning Java WhileLoops today.
As one of the most powerful Android apps for connecting your phone or tablet to your other devices in various ways, Pushbullet had always been a fan—and Gadget Hacks—favorite.
Update (February 2019): The methods below will help on older Android versions, but we've recently revisited this topic. So if you have a newer Android phone and you want to get rid of Google, head here.
It may seem impossible to win an argument against an irrational person, but it turns out the tried-and-true techniques that hostage negotiators use against hostage-takers work surprisingly well in everyday situations. You may not ever deal with a real hostage situation personally, but life is full of negotiations with unreasonable people, and those conversations don't always have to end in rage or disappointment. The mental techniques that professional hostage negotiators use can help both pa...
Just because you have a Mac doesn't mean you can't root your Nexus 7 tablet. In fact, rooting Android 4.4 KitKat on both the 2013 and original 2012 N7 models is easy, if not easier than rooting it using a Windows PC.
There may only be a few hardware buttons on your Samsung Galaxy Note 2, but when they're not working, your phone might as well be a doorstop. A few years back, I was texting while walking to class and a student on a bicycle crashed into me. My phone was flung thirty feet—straight into a puddle. I picked it up and checked for damage, but everything seemed okay. The biker apologized profusely, but nothing was wrong, so I told him not to worry about it and proceeded to class.
The new Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 is the hottest game on the market right now, and there's no doubt it'll end up being the most unwrapped gaming gift come Christmas morning. The first-person shooter hopes to carry on the tradition of its many predecessors in bringing the most action-packed gaming modes, along with a high-replay value, to its legions of fans.
UPDATE: A patch to fix the exploit has been released. Download it here.
Portrait drawings are difficult for most artists, but one thing's for sure— drawing nerds is as easy as they come. Nerds are easier to draw because you can stray from the formality of portraits, putting your own spin on it, over-compensating the details, exaggerating the dorky features. It's a drawing class in its own, and Merrill shows you how to draw his version of the NERD!
We all know what elephant toothpaste is, but what's the best way to make this massive growing foam? Dr. Lithium from NurdRage has answers. He'll show you the best way to reproduce this chemical reaction to get the best foaming action! This is a classic science class demonstration.
Starcraft 2, like it's predecessor before it, has a very robust level editor that allows you, the DIY modder, to create nearly any scenario within the bounds of the Starcraft 2 engine that you could imagine. We have compiled videos on how to do all sorts of fun things with it, from making RPG's and Tower Defense games to just making you dream Starcraft 2 level. This video will teach you how to work with items and loot in your custom levels. You'll learn how to create items, create ancillary i...
This is the ultimate guide to drawing correct human proportions. If you've always had trouble with it in high school art class or in art school, this video condenses all the information into a tight package that's fun and easy to understand. This will uncover all the tricks to human proportions for figure drawings.
This video explains how to spike a mohawk super high using bar soap. The things you will need in order to do this are... soap, hair glue, hairspray, a hairdryer, a hand-held mirror, and a pick/comb.
This video tutorial is about Japanese language, and it shows us how to write the Japanese Kanji character "kuni" meaning "country". Our first step is to write a line starting from the top left and finishing in the bottom left. Remember that the order of the strokes in Japanese language are very important; there is just one possible stroke order for every character. After making the first stroke, you will need to make other two lines with only one stroke, starting from the same point than he p...
This week: a rigged game of skill & a simple sucker bet! Check out this video if you want to learn how to beat anyone in a simple game that can be played anywhere with coins and a napkin. Some might call it magic, others call it skill.
