Yesterday, we pointed out that hackers could remote-wipe certain Android-based Samsung smartphones like the Galaxy S III using a USSD exploit. All they have to do is hide a small code into any webpage or text—even barcodes—then once you click on it, the phone resets to factory settings in a matter of seconds. The video below shows just how easy it is.
Dried out markers are the worst. They take up space, and for some reason, even though they're totally useless, most of us have at least a few lying around just for the sake of not throwing them out. Luckily, Julie Finn over at Crafting a Green World has come up with a way to repurpose them into alcohol ink, a versatile type of ink that can be used on non-porous materials like plastic, glass, and metal. This is truly a tutorial for the pack rat in all of us. First, a little primer on what you ...
You've made a bottle rocket (or ten) and a sparkler bomb, and now you want to put those empty plastic bottles to a new pyromaniacal use. With a little rubbing alcohol and a match, this video by io9's Esther Inglis-Arkell will show you how to make your own homemade rocket booster in a bottle.
So you've made a somersaulting robot, one that delivers your beer, and even a robot you can ride, but you want to try out something really different. Why not add a steam engine?
Looking to transmit some super-secret audio communications to your other spy buddies? A laser is the perfect tool for getting your sounds heard from a small distance—without anyone intercepting them— even if it's just a cover of your favorite pop song. A laser audio transmitter uses light rather than radio waves to transmit sound. This is a much more secure way to send audio communications because the laser is a focused beam of light, whereas radio waves are not controlled, so they can be pic...
André Broessel of rawlemon has developed a solar energy generator that can use both sun and moonlight to create usable power. Oh... and it's gorgeous. The device is essentially a huge glass sphere filled with water that uses a ball lens to refract light in a way that increases energy efficiency by 35 percent. It's completely weatherproof and has an optical tracking device, meaning that it can be incorporated into architecture. Here's a concept design of how it could be used to power buildings...
It's been proven over and over that you can make batteries out of fruits and vegetables such as lemons, potatoes, and even apples. Turns out, passion fruit is also acidic enough to power a battery, but Maui Makers member Ryan K decided to take it a step further by adding a laser. Passion fruit, or Lilikoi as it's called in Hawaii, is usually over-abundant in Maui, so Ryan decided to put it to good use. Using anodized bolts, copper pipe, wire, switches, and some LEDs, he built a battery that c...
You can do a lot more with playing cards than you'd think, like turn them into gift boxes, fling them like throwing stars, and make them levitate or disappear. You can even make them recharge your batteries. Instructables user Shawn Frayne was sick of having a bunch of dead batteries lying around, so he developed a cheap and easy way to always have a charged one within arm's reach by turning a normal playing card into a super simple solar-powered battery charger for rechargeable AA and AAA ba...
Hello! Today I would like to share the process of making your own natural marigold cream. The product does not contain any (artificial) chemical elements and therefore can be called natural. Step 1: Ingredients
There's no charge for this electricity! All you'll need for this project is... Now, watch and learn how to make your own emergency power if you find yourself in a bind.
I've never really liked to type on a flat or low keyboard. Even the small flip-up stands underneath most keyboards were not good enough for me, as those little legs aren't usually more than 2 or 3 centimeters high. I'd like a minimum of 5 cm, so I decided to make this keyboard base for myself. Aside from giving me the right height and angle, this DIY keyboard base also features LEDs that light up my monitor, the table, and gives a nice background to my desktop. It's even got a built-in stand ...
Those new Nexus 7's sure are nice. Unfortunately, a number of those shiny new tablets have a manufacturing issue that makes the screen uneven with the bezel. Google's solution is to have you send it back in, but why waste your time considering the problem can be fixed by simply adjusting a single screw. All you need to perform the adjustment is a guitar pick or coin, and a very small Phillips screwdriver. Also note, opening up your tablet will most likely void your warranty, so consider that ...
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...
For years, astronomers have been trying to figure out how our galaxy came to be. Even with the help of high-performance computers, no model of a spiral galaxy has ever been able to recreate the Milky Way, until now. An international team of researchers has created the first successful simulation of what happened 14 billion years ago to give our galaxy its unique shape. Turns out, all they needed was a bigger bang. Photo by IntelFreePress
Google just added a new feature for mobile search called Handwrite. Just like the name suggests, you can hand write your queries on the screen of your smartphone and it will convert it to text.
Small containers are useful for many things. They're good for storing snacks if you have children, as well as holding coins or odds and ends. But those regular store-bought containers are lame—who wants to keep their stuff in a Tupperware dish or old butter container?
Helping to prove that science is way awesome, an 18-year old electrical engineering student has successfully made a light bulb float. His name is Chris Rieger, and he's been working on his "LevLight" project for about six months now, with pretty amazing results. This feat of ingenuity was accomplished by using magnetic levitation, although that over-simplification masks how considerably difficult this undertaking was.
Backpacks are handy for camping, hiking, school and travel, but they can be difficult to pack properly. In this tutorial, learn how to pack your bag so that its light and efficient.
This turon (banana lumpia) is one of my favorite meriendas (light meals), and it's so easy to make, even a child can do it! It's a must try, especially if you can't think about something to cook. So, for all the diehard banana fans, this is for you.
Ghost chiles. They're the hottest chili peppers known to man, and they come from India. They're rated at over one million Scoville units. The typical jalapeño pepper only has between 2500 and 6000 Scoville units. You don't need liquor to get messed up on these jello shots!
Ice cream doesn't have to stop at vanilla. There's a whole world of ice cream flavors out there, but one you wouldn't expect to try out is basil ice cream, but not just plain basil, basil with ice cream. Lynne Viera, ice cream enthusiast, creates a dessert inspired by the Strawberry-Basil Cocktail from Cuchi Cuchi in Cambridge, MA. Fresh, local strawberries are macerated with sugar, lime zest and basil leaves. Lynne blends half of the fruit with cream, leaving half of the berries chunky for a...
Mujadarah Mujadarah is a Middle Eastern dish that's healthy, filling, cheap, and most of all, delicious. It requires only rice, lentils, some onions, and a few spices. We like to cook it for cold winter nights.
If you're a musician in need of some lessons, there's no better way to learn than with Music Radar's so-called "Tuition" instructions. Although the title tuition is misleading, this video class is anything but costly, because it's free, right here. Whether you're looking for help with your voice, bass, electric guitar, drums, guitar effects, piano, Logic Pro or production techniques, Music Radar is here to show you the way.
Wall studs are both critical for maintaining the structure of your home and supporting items of weight and function on the interior walls (e.g. cabinets, shelves, plasma TVs, etc.). With wall studs playing such a critical role, consistently being able to find them is important. The problem with finding them is that drywall and wallboard isn't exactly see-through.
This video by Technology Helper teaches you how to carry out the often difficult task of taking apart an XBox 360. First the face plate is removed using a small screwdriver and then further parts are removed by pushing small prongs on the inside of the XBox using a screwdriver to reach the inside of the machine. The video then explains which screws need to be removed from the XBox in order to successfully disassemble it and access the hard drive, which you can now easily remove from the XBox ...
Unless you're a high-schooler building a nuclear fusion reactor, the hardest part of a science investigatory project often is coming up with a good idea. You want it to be cool yet feasible, novel but still useful.
Understandably, the tragedy in Japan has substantially risen the level of worldwide radiation-related hysteria. So much so, as an alternative to stampeding health food stores for iodine tablets, crafty individuals and organizations are hacking together personal radiation detectors. Rather than relying on the government, the creation and modification of handheld Geiger counters provides a self-sufficient solution to today's questions regarding radiation. Profiled below, three admirable organiz...
After getting slammed with a crazy-big earthquake/tsunami, the Japanese nuclear plant Fukushima Daiichi might be on the brink of meltdown. Not as bad as Chernobyl, but maybe as bad as Three Mile Island. Nobody wishes such a disaster on anyone...anywhere in the world. In the US, there are about 100 nuclear facilities, about 8 of which are located near hot beds of seismic activity.
I will show you how to make a loud whistle from a twig from a sycamore tree. In fact they are so loud that they could be used in an emergency situation to attract attention from potential rescuers. The international distress signal is 6 whistle blasts in quick succession.
I was getting kind of sick of ordering delivery pizza (this happens at least 2-3 times a month). It was time to put a spin on gourmet pizza, but I just didn't know what it would be. Without pizza dough or an oven that is capable of creating the perfect pizza crust (I don't have an oven that can go up to a 1000 degrees), I decided I would use potatoes instead. This recipe is elegant enough to serve at a dinner party, but easy enough that you can cook it within 5-15 minutes.
Chris Pontius is blindfolded & handcuffed and is led to either a glory hole or to sit astraddle a chair where he is further restrained.A small young female chimpanzee or small young female orangutan is brought into the room. A second small young female chimpanzee or small young female orangutan can be optional. (No boy monkeys please, we don't want make this skit even more disturbed AND ALSO GAY!)The monkey/monkies is then trained to then perform an act of fellatio on Pontius and possibly als...
You love your hooded sweatshirt but starting to feel like a weak person is strangling you all day long? With a quick snip with the scissors you can have a perfectly fitting sweatshirt and never have to worry about unnecessary discomfort again.
Business owners and marketeers are diverting from traditional marketing techniques, including billboards, radio and TV advertising, brochures, and any other outdoor promotions, to cheaper but effective Internet marketing strategies. Under the new arrangement, business owners reach out to the final consumers through advertising on the World Wide Web.
Advances in technology continue to make our lives easier and more convenient. If you want to send fax, for instance, you no longer need to own a fax machine. You can easily and quickly send fax directly from your computer in one of several methods, including via an Internet fax service provider or using Windows built-in Fax and Scan tools. Read on how to use an Internet fax service, one of the faster faxing methods, to send fax messages from your PC.
Ok, this prank is an idea I have for part of a comedy film I am writing a treatment for, and it is dedicated to pranks and pranksters!This idea is based on women always, ALWAYS, going nuts over their butts and how big they are! Women are always so self-conscious about their weight and their butts, and always putting guys on the spot asking how they look in clothes and if something makes their butts look big, so this is dedicated to all those women out there!We would need a guy, maybe a cast o...
After closing its office last year, enterprise AR company Daqri has moved on to the final stage of its lifecycle with the liquidation of its assets.
Turn the unmarked and unlined moleskine notebook into a productivity tool! All you need are a few small multi-colored Post-It tabs, a Hi-Liter and a regular pen. By color coding the separate sections of the notebook, you can easily flip to needed sections.
This magic trick will show you how to make a simple, thin cardboard, egg carton vanish before the eyes. The egg carton gets stuffed down a small circular object, and disappears before your eyes, but how? The secret? Acetone. Behind that little circular barrier is a bowl of cardboard dissolving acetone liquid, a powerful and volatile ketone.
How to set up a Bee Hive" presented by The FruitGuys Farm Steward Program.Your purchase of organic fruit delivery supports projects helping small family farms nationwide.
In this video we are given a brief history followed by an extremely detailed procedure on the art of tie dying. We are shown each step, everything from drawing your own designs to applying small amounts of alcohol to your artwork. After everything has been soaked in water a final tie shirt has been created. A project perfect for the kids considering it has a safe and easy to understand procedure that would finish with a beautiful piece of art in merely minutes.